Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night
Chapter I – A Summoning
She sensed the incoming blow as soon as she appeared and reacted immediately. The weapon, a spear, wasn't intended for her and was aimed slightly wide to her right. She simply pushed it even further aside with the palm of her hand, causing it to miss its true target.
The weapon's wielder sprang back to the entrance of the room and muttered something to himself before retreating back into the garden beyond.
She watched to doorway for a couple of seconds, then turned to face the one who had summoned her-Oho, now wasn't this interesting?
A number of emotions sprung up inside her as she recognised the boy nostalgia, hope, sorrow; she crushed them ruthlessly, with an enemy nearby she couldn't spare the time for them. Maybe she would indulge herself later.
Slowly she lowered herself to one knee, doing her best to appear proud but submissive at the same time. The proud part came easily, the submissive not so much, still she felt she had made a good job of it. In any case it was unlikely the red-haired boy lying sprawled on the ground in front of her would notice.
“Servant Caster reporting for duty,” she said, careful to keep her voice as neutral as possible. “I ask you, are you my Master?”
As she expected the boy, Shirou, didn't respond. Instead he merely stared at her, his amber eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. She had to suppress a giggle (and how long had it been since she'd last felt like doing that?), it was a good job she had her hood and mask or he might have just fainted dead. That was, if he could still recognise her.
When she saw that he would probably not be making any reply for awhile, she rose to her feet and moved towards the doorway. Lancer was still outside and he wouldn't wait forever.
“Please stay here while I defeat the enemy, Master,” she said, knowing he probably wouldn't listen.
In the few seconds it took for her to step out into the garden her mind had processed several thoughts. The first was her most immediate concern, just how the hell was she going to fight Lancer? At this point in time Shirou simply wasn't capable or providing her with a constant stream of prana and she was a Caster almost all her skills depended on the stuff, if she went all out she'd eat through her own supply in a matter of minutes.
The next thought following on from the first was how he was going to provide her with prana over the long term. At the moment their was only one way he could do conceivably do so and that would be an interesting conversation, she would be lucky if she could maintain her own composure.
The final thought, only distantly related to the first two was about what would happened after she dealt with Lancer (assuming she was still here). If she recalled her own time-line correctly after Saber had dealt with Lancer, Archer and his own Master had arrived. Her first thought was that she could prevent Archer's plan before he'd really had a chance to do anything, she'd dismissed that notion quickly if reluctantly. In her current state there was no way she could deal with two heroic spirits one after the other, especially not two such as Cu Chulainn and EMIYA.
She let out an inaudible sigh, she'd only just been summoned and the odds were already heavily stacked against her. Maybe she could talk Lancer out of fighting her? If she remembered rightly he wasn't interested in winning the war, just having a good time, maybe if she could convince him that he would get a much more satisfying battle later on he would back off for now?
Still the situation with her Master could turn out advantageous in the long run and if worst came to worst there was always that. Although she really didn't want to summon what could pass as her noble phantasm, if for no other reason than the damn wand was that annoying and it would probably make her wear that stupid dress...but if she had to she would.
She emerged from the doorway of the small building and found Lancer waiting for her at the other end of the garden, wearing his usual cocky grin. Time to put her hastily prepared and extremely rudimentary plan into action then. Slowly she took a step forward, she could feel the beads of sweat already beginning to form on the back of her neck.
“Yo,” Lancer called to her. “You're Master over there looks like he doesn't know what's going on. I don't suppose you'd be willing to postpone this little match 'till later?”
Caster nearly tripped over her own feet but somehow managed to retain her composure. Maybe Lancer had come to the conclusion that a clueless master would not make for a good match by himself, it was the only explanation she could think of.
“Indeed, that would be convenient for me.” she replied, “After all, it would be hard for me to give a decent showing, if my master isn't up to speed on the situation.”
“So you want me to leave you alone so you can plan? Wouldn't that put me at a disadvantage?”
“True but wouldn't you rather have a good fight later, rather than a mediocre fight now? After all what would be the fun in that? And you made the offer.”
Lancer straightened up and rested his spear against his shoulder but still kept his eyes on her. Moments felt like hours but eventually the blue-clad knight let out a sigh and a chuckle before speaking.
“You could be right. I look forward to meeting you again.” With that he turned his back and leapt onto the roof of the house and then off into the night.
Caster sighed heavily, she had been lucky, really lucky, that had been a lot easier than she'd had any right to hope. Although having such good fortune kind of made feel a little uneasy. Suddenly something pricked at the edge of her mind and she could sense the presence of another servant nearby, a very familiar presence. As she expected, well let him come she was ready.
A fire roared within her and she fought to keep it under control but it was a losing battle. The flame of betrayal that she always carried with almost flared out of control and threatened to overwhelm her. Everything she had suffered after her war could be laid directly at his feet.
She subtly reached into a pocket and palmed one of her jewels, being careful to ensure that her cloak covered her movements the whole time. If she could finish him here then that would end possibly the biggest threat to Shirou's life. And if she were to run out of power and fade then he would be out of the war and out of danger, at least for the time being.
A second later she felt her confidence evaporate and her blood freeze in her veins. Judging from the trajectory of his presence Archer wasn't aiming for her, he was aiming for -
Shirou!
She hurriedly whirled around just in time to see the knight in red, bearing down on the boy who hadn't even noticed him yet.
No! Not again!
Her left hand snapped out in her masters direction, calling on the skills she had gained in the years after her war. Instantly her master sped toward her without moving his legs. It was as though a lasso had caught around his middle and he was being dragged towards her at incredible speed.
When he reached her she wrapped her left arm around him and tried to shield him with her body, whilst keeping her eyes on Archer. Simultaneously she lashed out with her right hand and sent her prepared gem flying toward its target.
Archer had only just finished his landing and was unable to dodge in time. As a result his right leg was struck and encased in ice.
She rushed to close in on him as he struggled back into a standing position. He summoned his swords, Kansho and Byaku. Another spell, this time without the gem. The gems may make her spells more powerful and efficient but they'd also be too recognisable, especially to him.
Archer was knocked off balance and sent sprawling into the dirt. She saw him clutch at his shoulder, it looked like he was hurting. Good.
When he had made the move on Shirou instead of her, the twisted, dark flames in the pit of her stomach had intensified. She couldn't believe she had trusted him and her mind refused to link him to the boy she had once known. She could not reconcile the passionate idealist with the cold, treacherous cynic.
She advanced on him slowly, focusing mana into her right hand. She can see it in his eyes, the frustration and pent-up rage, he messed up. He focused too much on her master and not enough on her. He let her get the drop on him and now he was going to lose. A third spell struck her enemy dead centre as he rose to his feet, sending him sprawling again.
She felt her own anger grow as she drew closer. He betrayed her trust and took from her someone she had admitted too late that she had loved and who the world needed. After that day the everything had gone to hell.
She pointed her spell at her old partner, a vicious grin split her lips under the white mask. The knowledge that the red Servant's pain was caused by her gave her a deep feeling of satisfaction.
Suddenly the spell in her hand dissipated, she felt the power slip through her fingers and against her will her arm returned to her side. She knew what had happened, that brief, overwhelming almost painful pressure that demanded compliance, the boy must have used one of his command mantras.
Realising that Archer could use this enforced hesitation as an opportunity to attack she leapt backwards, landing right next to her master. She allowed herself to relax but only slightly, logically he would be a fool to attack from that distance with half his body damaged and her watching his every move; but his overwhelming hatred for her master might push him to do so anyway.
She heard a soft clapping noise behind her and felt Shirou spin to face the newcomer but she kept her eyes on the other servant. So she was here? Yes, yes she remembered, good. She should be able to exert some measure of control over him...at least for now.
She felt her hands and her nails bite into her palm, the pressure was almost enough to draw blood. He could not be trusted, should not be trusted. He would stay loyal only so long as he could use her to further his own objectives. Then he would give her to that arrogant, smug bastard like some sort of prize, even knowing what he would do to her.
No not even a prize, he'd been utterly uninterested in her except for the fact that she would draw the boy to him. Then there was what she had seen after being freed, by one who should have been her enemy.
Archer cared only for himself, she was sure of it. After all, had he not admitted the truth, that he desired something that could potentially end the world? Maybe what he'd been through did give him the right to end the world but she didn't care, not after what she had been through.
She had seen the end of the world and she would not let it come to pass, that was why she was here after all.
She felt her master move to face her and immediately fell in step just behind him. He was accompanying the other magus back to the house. Everything was happening the same way as last time, that was fine for now but sooner or later she was going to have to make big changes.
She felt Archer's eyes on her back as she walked but chose to ignore them, he wouldn't go against his master's will just yet and if he did, then she'd crush him. Instead she concentrated most of her attention on the two in front of her, watching them interact. While in the back of her mind she could already feel the gears beginning to turn.
- - -
Now she stood outside the church waiting for her Master to return as a confirmed participant in the fifth Holy Grail War. She would have gone in with him but she had been afraid that she would once more lose control of her anger if confronted by another man she had trusted who'd turned out to be a traitor. Not to mention that given what she knew of the place, the thought of setting foot inside made her nauseous.
Along with the constantly burning wrath she carried with her almost constantly, she also felt nervous. Not long after Shirou returned the four of them would be attacked by the Berserker, a monster she remembered being like a force of nature. As if that wasn't enough, she would also have to protect him from a sneak attack by Archer and she'd used too much energy when she'd let her rage get the best of her earlier. She could still fight but she should have reserved as much energy as possible for this situation.
She heard the sound of the large, wooden doors creaking open and slamming shut again and looked to find her red-haired Master descending the steps towards her. She watched and waited as he talked with the other Master. Watching the scene she felt a little nostalgic and embarrassed but it was interrupted soon enough. A loud, crashing noise echoed from behind her as the new enemies made their appearance. Both of Shirou and Rin jumped but neither her nor Archer did, they had both been expecting this after all.
She quickly moved to shield her Master from view and prepare for the ensuing battle. The opponent was mountain of muscle, just as she remembered and sitting on his shoulder was a deceptively youthful-looking blonde girl. She looked to be no older than ten years old but Caster knew she was closer to twenty.
“Good evening, onii-chan,” the girl said, the greeting obviously directed at Shirou. “My name is Ilya.” There was a moment of silence as the two other Masters simply stood there, dumbfounded.
“Maybe it would help if I said Illyasviel Von Einzbern?” the girl continued.
She heard Rin gasp and her Master make a noise of confusion but Caster remained silent as the blue-eyed girl explain the significance of the name to him. She was still trying to formulate a plan to get them all out of here alive, ideally she could get Archer killed here but she wouldn't do it at the expense of the other two. She was still thinking when she heard Ilya say:
“Kill them all, Berserker!”
Without hesitation Caster slipped an arm around Shirou's waist and leapt as far backwards as she could. This was going to be difficult without Saber, Archer was no match for Berserker in melee combat and she was even worse. She cast her gaze about and found that the red-clad Servant had already disappeared, possibly searching for a vantage point.
Berserker charged straight for her and Shirou. Again she leapt backward, feeling the air-pressure from his attack, even though it had missed. She had almost forgotten about the immense speed he possessed on top of his physical strength, there was no way she could continue dodging like this.
Suddenly Berserker changed course, heading back towards his Master. That was right, she remembered while Saber had been drawing the Servant's attention she had taken the chance to attack his Master. Unfortunately Berserker's sheer speed had shot that plan down, just like right now.
Quickly Caster aimed another shot at Berserker before and regained his attention before he could decide to attack Rin. Archer was already between the giant and his Master, so apparently he had been hiding somewhere nearby, however Berserker may have been able to tear through both of them in less time than it takes to breathe.
The only plan she could think of was to play things out the same as last time, lead Berserker to the foreigner's cemetary and allow Archer to fire a noble phantasm but that would be incredibly risky; not least because it would involve her being close up with Berserker for an extended period of time.
“Enough,” said Ilya and Berserker suddenly stopped moving. “Come on Berserker, let's go. I hope your Servant's less of a coward next time Rin.”
Caster stood and watched as Ilya and Berserker left, they made no attempt to hide there presence and Berserker's booming footsteps echoed through the night. They hadn't really given Ilyasviel a reason to retreat but then again, they hadn't last time either. In her war Archer's Noble Phantasm had not even bruised Berserker before he and his Master had pulled back. That said, it had taken even less time for the minuscule woman to order the retreat this time.
As she returned to her Master's side, Caster couldn't help but wonder just what the deal was with the Einzbern magus.
- -
Shirou lay awake for some time that night thinking about the events of the day from his being attacked by Lancer and summoning Caster, to being attacked by Berserker.
Right now his thoughts dwelled on his Servant. He understood that she was of the Caster class and that as such, her abilities were almost exclusively magic-based. He also understood that because she had a third-class magus like him as a Master (as Tohsaka had put it) she wouldn't be able to reach anywhere near her full potential. He actually felt a little guilty about that and it wasn't the first time he had wished he was better at magecraft.
Tohsaka had also told him that Servants were all the souls of legendary heroes returned to the world to fight for the Holy Grail. For perhaps the tenth time that night he wondered which hero his Servant was, he had asked but she had declined to answer out of the fear that an enemy Master might be able to read his mind. For some reason though, part of him thought she was familiar even though he didn't recognise any part of her that he could see.
Her robes and cloak had been blood red and black; she had long, black hair that spilled out from underneath her hood but that wasn't exactly distinctive. Her skin was deathly pale and from he could see of her eyes through the slits in her white mask, they were a bright blue with flecks of gold and he certainly didn't know anyone with eyes like that.
As he continue to ponder the possible identity of his Servant he slowly drifted to sleep.
- - -
Caster slowly slid open the shogi that separated her room from Shirou's. He had insisted on the two of them having different rooms because of them being different genders and nothing she had said would sway him. Half of her had been annoyed at his stubbornness, the other half a=had been amused by the blush that had taken over his face at her suggestion, especially when she'd started making more suggestive ones. Teasing him was just as fun as she remembered.
Slowly she knelt down beside her Master and she pulled down her hood and removed her mask. Underneath was a face that despite the changes wrought on it, was still recognisable as Tohsaka Rin.
She gently ran her hand through his short, red hair and spent some time simply staring at his face. It had been so long since she'd last seen it and the last time it had been covered in blood and his eyes had been vacant, lifeless. She forced that image from her mind, she had pictured it far too often in the later years of life.
Remembering why she came in the first place she leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart. She had burnt through quite some mana today, not enough to put her in imminent danger of disappearing but she still felt the need to top up a little. Although the idea she'd had for accomplishing this held appeal for beyond mere mana restoration.
Hesitantly she pressed their lips together.
Just a little, she'd only take a little...
- - -
I said I wouldn't, I said I wouldn't, damn it!
I found this while sorting through some old files, I started playing around with it and before I knew it I'd edit the whole thing, so decided to post it to see what you guys think. It comes from a time after I read one of those counter-guardian TOHSAKA fics and wanted to try my own hand at it.
Yes I skimmed over the Berserker fight. It's partially to reflect my view that Ilya had no real reason to retreat at the beginning of the UBW route, she never received the shock she did in Fate and partially because the most important bit was for her to arouse Caster-Rin's suspicions.
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Originally Posted by Mike1984
