Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own anything from the Nasuverse.
Final Moments
Arturia poured the boiling water in to the ceramic cup, and watched it change colour as it mixed with the tea leaves. The steam wafted gently as it rose from the surface of the liquid and the blonde woman stared at it as though hypnotised. The house was almost completely silent; all she could hear was the harsh ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room, as it counted down the seconds. She was in the grip of a deep melancholy, which wasn’t all that unusual these days, there had been a heavy atmosphere over the manor for a couple of years now; but since waking that morning she’d felt a sense of foreboding, like something terrible was lurking just around the corner.
Through the kitchen window she could see that the outside world was almost completely dark, the sun had almost finished setting and only a tiny hint of orange light was left. Neither the moon nor the stars were visible; the sky was covered by dark clouds.
Arturia dragged herself from her thoughts, and forced herself to finish making the tea. She carefully poured in just a tiny bit of milk and then added a small teaspoon of sugar. That done she lifted both cup and saucer from the table and left the room. She walked through the living room on her way towards the stairs, and wasn’t able to keep herself from casting a dark glare at that infernal clock as she passed. When she reached the base of the staircase she slowly, almost hesitantly began to climb. At the top she walked the short distance down the corridor to the master bedroom.
Inside was an old woman with long, grey hair down her back, sitting up in bed, propped against her pillows. Her eyes squinted behind the spectacles perched on her nose as she tried to read.
“Here you are, Rin,” Arturia said, walking over and handing her the cup and saucer.
The elderly magus look up at her, her faded blue eyes instantly recognised the Servant.
“Thank you, Saber,” she replied, laying her book down beside her and taking the offered drink carefully.
Arturia smiled, it looked like today may be a good day, even if Rin’s voice sounded frail and tired. Despite the obvious toll time had taken on her, Arturia fancied she could still see the girl the girl she had first met underneath.
“Saber, where did Shirou say he was going?” Rin asked and Arturia’s smile faltered.
“I – I’m not sure,” she replied because she wasn’t sure what else to say. The truth was Shirou was gone, almost ten years ago now.
“Hmph,” Rin snorted. “He’s pushing himself too hard again. We’ll have to talk to him when he gets back.”
“Indeed,” Arturia responded, making sure to keep her voice level and her features schooled. It was something she was used to doing, only now she was forcing a gentle smile rather than a stony stoicism.
A couple of seconds passed in silence as Rin took a sip of her tea before speaking again:
“This is very good, you’ve definitely improved Saber.”
“Thank you, Rin.”
“Is Natsuki asleep?”
You’re daughter is a grown woman and has been living in London for the past fifteen years, flitted through Arturia’s mind. Although she had made that phone call the other day, to let the younger woman know that… anyway, Natsuki should be arriving home any day now.
“She is,” she said aloud.
“Did you read her a story?”
Just how far back was Rin living?
“Naturally,” Arturia answered.
“She really likes your stories for some reason,” Rin said.
“Yes,” Arturia replied. Involuntarily her mind brought forth the memories of the occasions where she would put the Tohsaka heir to bed, the young girl’s eyes sparkling at her as she told her tales. She remembered how weird she had felt when the girl had asked her to read The Once and Future King, but those bright eyes had compelled her to open the book and start. The story had been more than a little ridiculous but Natsuki had seemed to enjoy it. For a second she didn’t need to force her smile but then it was over and the present returned.
She could feel the heat building behind her eyes but she clamped down on it, hard.
She chatted to Rin for another hour or so. The elderly magus continuously mentioned people who had long since passed on themselves, and made mention of events that had passed decades ago. She made mention of “that Edelfelt girl” once or twice. Eventually however her Master’s speech began to slow and she yawned quite loudly.
“It’s seems I’m a little tired.”
“Then you should sleep Rin,” Arturia replied. “Save your strength.”
“Yes, sleep. That sounds like a good idea,” she responded, placing her cup on the bedside table and laying her head down on her pillow.
Arturia waited a few minutes, until she could hear the rhythmic breathing that told her that Rin had fallen asleep, before rising to her feet. She picked up the book her Master had been reading off of the bed and made sure to carefully mark the page, before placing it back in its spot on the shelf. As she turned back around she caught sight of herself in the full-length mirror in the corner of the room.
She still looked exactly the same as the night she had first been summoned; the same green eyes, the same blonde hair, the same fair skin. There wasn’t a single wrinkle or blemish anywhere on her. It was a curse she had endured twice, to stay the same while everyone around her grew grey and old and decrepit. Last time had been easier in a way because she hadn’t had to live this long, last time she hadn’t had to see … to see this. Even Natsuki looked older than she did now.
Even thought she may not look it, she felt old. She felt tired and worn, as if with each new day she was living on less and less energy.
For a brief moment she felt the urge to march over to that mirror and lash out at her reflection. She quickly mastered herself. Instead she picked up the cup from where Rin had put it down and left the room. She returned to the kitchen and washed the dishes in the sink, scrubbing them more than she needed to simply for the sake of having a distraction.
That was when she felt it; the sudden emptiness inside her, as though she had just lost something important. She recognised immediately that she was no longer receiving any mana and she knew why. The burning behind her eyes started again but she ignored it, there was something she needed to do while she was still able.
She forced herself to march in to the living room and pick up the phone, determinedly ignoring the grandfather clock against the wall. She dialled the familiar number for Natsuki’s cell; the one piece of technology Shirou insisted his daughter learn how to use. She got the voice mail; she sighed, she would have liked to have one more conversation with that child. She left her message and placed the phone back in its cradle.
She climbed the stairs one more time and re-entered the bedroom and found exactly what she expected to. Rin still lay under her covers with her head upon the pillow, looking for all the world as though she was sleeping peacefully; but the sound of rhythmic breathing was gone and her chest was still. She stopped fighting the pressure behind her eyes.
Arturia stood at the side of the bed for a moment that seemed to last an eternity simply staring at her oldest friend, before finally leaning over and placing a tender kiss upon Rin’s brow. Then she retook her seat in the chair beside Rin’s bed, took hold of her friend’s still warm hand and waited patiently for the last of her mana to run out.
A few hours later there was no sign of life within the Tohsaka manor, apart from the ticking of a grandfather clock relentlessly counting down the seconds.
- Fin -
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Originally Posted by Kieran
