Matou Shinji and the Broken Chains (HP/FSN CYOA)

[apsalar]

I notice that nobody is getting up in arms about the Star Wars lines, or other popular works. I wonder why that is? They've been mentioned several times, even immediately after the chapter. As far as I'm aware, Alf has never attributed any of them; and yet, Lev Grossman's case is apparently the only one worth being upset over.

I also don't see what's so different about music or film; they're all intellectual property.

The musical equivalent would be recording someone's symphony with your own musicians, calling it a different name, and distributing it with you as the apparent author.

Actually, that would be the musical equivalent of taking an entire book, replacing the author's name with yours, and renaming it. The musical equivalent of what Alf did here would be no longer than a couple of measures.

To the people saying that large numbers of years passed between other copiers of intellectual property: I didn't realize that the passage of time influenced how much of a work was taken from others. How long ago does someone have to have died for it to be okay to reference their work without attribution? Why is it that time passing makes it more okay?

And, perhaps most importantly, why is this important to anyone who hasn't bothered to read the work being discussed? Why is this issue so important when you have literally no stake in it?

[alfheimwanderer]

Chapter 38. The Hanged (Wo)man

For weeks, Tohsaka Rin had delayed in replying to Matou Shinji’s request to meet, uncertain of what he would say – what he would offer – what she wanted him to say. After all, the boy seemed to follow none of the unwritten rules by which magi lived, with much of what had transpired between them being far more generous than anyone could reasonably expect from a colleague, and without the expectation of reciprocity thus far.

Were they friends, then? The Japanese magus wanted to think so, but if she was being honest with herself, they saw each other so rarely and had parted on such awkward terms that it was hard to be sure. She had laughed at him once. Thought he was but a fool and a weakling who would never amount to much, and yet…

In many ways, his kindness shamed her, not least because she knew she wasn’t worthy of it, and hadn’t done anything to deserve it. As a magus, she worried about the hidden costs behind what he’d given her, the unspoken price he might one day exact, especially as she didn’t think there was anything she could give him that would be enough.

Rin had hoped, when Mashu came to visit her, delivering a missive from Matou, that the letter might shed some light on what it was that the boy wanted, but the note had been brief and to the point, a request to meet at a rather posh restaurant in London at a time of her choosing, without mentioning the purpose of such a rendezvous.

Indeed, the only thing she gleaned from it was the knowledge that Matou trusted Mashu implicitly, confirming her growing suspicion that the girl she’d known as a rather earnest live-in maid and fellow student at the Tower was far more than she appeared.

Eventually, however, no matter how much she would have liked to dither and dally, hem and haw, she had been compelled to set a date, and now, on the eve of the fated encounter, as she lay in her dormitory bed, Tohsaka Rin lay awake, restless, a thousand terrible thoughts flying through her mind like a murder of crazed crows/

‘Is Mashu not just Matou’s maid…but his mistress?’

It was odd how Matou trusted the strawberry blonde to keep his secrets, despite only having met her in the past few years, as well as how she had access to his resources. She was a couple of years older than they were, true, but all the same…

‘…was that why he didn’t…take me…that night? Because she was there, listening?’

That was…strangely plausible, given how Matou’s undeniable charm and power, and the admirers he unwittingly attracted – people like that bushy-haired girl she had met during the winter holidays, who had been so hurt at the knowledge Matou had bought a house for her.

‘No…that can’t be,’ Tohsaka told herself, shaking her head as she waited for a sleep that would not come. ‘Isn’t he…with Lovegood?’

That was what he had told her that terrible night, after all, but…was it the truth? Or…

‘Was there something else?’

Neither was a particularly settling thought – the first because it meant that the first person in her life since her mother was lost to her was beyond her reach – that she’d lost the opportunity to get close to the only person who seemed to really care about her.

Perhaps she should have used the mechanical owl he’d given her to send him letters more often before things had come to this, but she’d been…comfortable with their relationship, had thought there would be plenty of opportunities for them to see each other, and anyway, had liked the owl where it was, given that its presence was a reminder that someone was there for her.

That Matou Shinji, a boy she’d thought little of and had belittled, had held no grudge, and had not forgotten about her after his rise to glory. Quite a contrast to the fake priest who had been her father’s student, who owed so much to her father, yet had never cared about her one bit.

If he’d lied that fateful night, though…maybe he wasn’t the noble knight she hoped he was, but the dangerous, canny magus she feared he might be, an amoral schemer to whom manipulation came as easily as breathing – and who might well have caused his family’s death at the hands of the Einzbern, since he just so happened to be the sole survivor of their wrath.

‘No,’ she told herself, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of the boy coldly smiling as the rest of the Matous were cut down in a sea of blood. ‘Matou’s not like that. He’s not. He’s not.’

Yet, despite her repeated attempts to reassure herself that her benefactor wasn’t that sort of person, a part of her – the part raised as a magus – had its doubts.

After all, how well did she really know Matou Shinji?

The thought would remain with Tohsaka Rin as the raven-haired girl drifted away into the world of dreams.

---

When she came to awareness again, the young magus found herself somewhere else altogether, and without any of the grogginess or soreness she usually felt in the morning, though she flinched as she opened her eyes upon the rising – or was it the setting – sun? The air was chill and brisk around her, as one might expect of London in November, and with a shiver, Tohsaka Rin realized that she was dressed only in her pajamas, as she sat on a worn wooden bench in the middle of what looked like a park that had seen better days.

‘Where am I?’

She looked around, but didn’t see anything of note, save for a vast lake the bench faced, a body of water that stretched into the distance, the light of the sun glittering like shards of broken glass on its surface. Surrounding her in every other direction was a thick, shadowy copse of withered old trees that blocked her vision, with no immediately apparent paths leading through it.

There was no sign of a boat, either, of footsteps, or anything other mode of conveyance that might have brought her here.

Not that such things mattered much to powerful magi.

As her eyes grew used to the light, however, Rin came to realize she was not alone, as a slim figure around her size rose from where it had been crouched by the water, facing away from her.

“Who…?” the Tohsaka heiress spoke quietly, her mouth dry as her mind raced, considering the situation she was in. Why was she here? Who was this other person? Were they responsible for…? But Rin shook her head. Panic wouldn’t help her here. “Who are you?”

“No hello, Nee-san?” the other replied after a long moment, turning to reveal the face of someone Rin hadn’t seen in a long, long time. The face of someone Rin knew to be dead.

“Sak…sakura?” Rin stammered, her thoughts thrown into utter disarray by the presence of her…by the girl who had once been her sister. “What are you…?”

“Thinking like a magus again, Nee-san?” the purple-haired girl asked, though her eyes seemed an odd color in the sunlight, almost as if they were a deep shade of red. “How like you. But then, that was what Father wanted you to be.”

“Uh…”

“You followed in his footsteps, even gained a Master other magi would kill for,” the girl who looked like Sakura wondered aloud, with Rin powerless to face her accusations. “Even though you’re bad with people, even though you can’t show what you really feel, you’ve been given so much. Even Nii-san thinks the world of you. He bought you a house, gave you his Master, showed you more kindness than he showed his own family, but it’s not enough for you…is it?”

“…what…what are you—?” Rin began, only for the other to speak once more.

“You’re not happy, Nee-san, because everyone who knows the real Tohsaka Rin has thought of her as worthless,” the one who looked like Matou Sakura spoke in a honeyed voice, the beatific smile on her kind features quite at odds with her words. “El Melloi II hates you and everything you stand for. Your Master can’t stand how weak you are, and would rather have Matou as her apprentice again. Even Mashu and Matou don’t want to spend more time with you than they have to.”

Rin flinched.

“I—“

“Do you know why that is, Nee-san?” the other asked quietly. “It’s because you don’t care about anyone else but yourself.”

Those words, though spoken in scarcely more than a murmur, seemed as loud to Tohsaka as a cannon’s roar.

“You think you do, but the truth is you don’t even know how to love someone,” the other said to her. “You use them, and deep down inside you’re afraid they’re using you.”

“Sakura, I—“

“But I’m not Sakura,” the doppelganger cut off her reply as the features and form of her late sister dissolved, replaced with those of a much younger girl, a haughty child all in white, with sharp red eyes and silver hair. “After all, child of the Tohsaka, the Matous are dead, so there’s no need to justify yourself to someone who you never really cared about to begin with, and no chance for redemption for your father’s sins.”

“Ein…Einzbern!” Rin cried out, recognizing the being before her as something powerful, but inhuman – a homunculus – with a cruel smile as cold as the iron frost of winter. What…what was such a being doing here? How had it brought her here? What did…what did it want with her?

“That’s right, Rin,” the other said in saccharine tones, as crimson eyes looked into those the color of the sea, the other’s gaze paralyzing her with the intensity of it. “But that’s also wrong.”

“Wh—“

“After all, if I was truly an Einzbern, then you’d be dead, Second Owner,” this…apparition replied. “As dead as the sister you pretended to care about. As dead as the Matou patriarch. As dead as all of those who have dared to cross your benefactor, whether human, or wyvern, or more.” The other laughed, a sound that for all its musical quality was perhaps the coldest, most inhuman thing the Tohsaka heiress had ever heard in her life. “But as it is, I am but a fragment of what you fear may come. Betrayal. Though I wonder – can you really call it that if you are just using each other?”

“And this?”

“This is the future you fear, but not one which will no doubt come. Take heart, Tohsaka Rin, your sister doesn’t blame you,” the other said diffidently. “She can’t. She’s dead. You’re the one holding yourself back from what you could be, because your heart is closed and cold, because you’re like me, an automaton of flesh and blood, born for a single purpose.” And here the Einzbern lookalike smiled. “Do you deny it, magus?”

Rin wanted to. With all her heart, she did, but her lips wouldn’t move.

“I didn’t think so,” the other noted. “But I suppose I will you do a kindness and put you out of misery.”

The figure in white took a step towards her, then another, then another still, until she was standing before the Tohsaka heiress, placing an ice cold finger on the middle of the magus’ forehead.

“Wake up,” the other intoned.

And with a scream of terrible pain – a scream that Rin only distantly recognized as issuing from her own throat, the world around her shattered, returning her to the land of the living – to her private dorm room at the Department of Archaeology, trembling.

Tohsaka Rin did not manage to go back to sleep that night, spending her time instead going over what the specter had said, and how the meeting with Matou might end up, with her trying to plan out what to ask, how to respond, how she should act, though in the end, her efforts availed naught.

---

By the time the private car arrived at the Department of Archaeology that morning, the Tohsaka heiress had worked herself into a frenzy, as she had come to no real conclusions. Quite simply, she couldn’t, not without more information – information she’d only be receive at the meeting, and it was driving her mad, because Tohsaka Rin did not like to be caught by surprise.

‘I’m not…really good at improvising,’ she reflected. She never really had been, in all honesty, preferring the comfort of plans, routines, something to stave off the unknown.

Still, if Tohsaka couldn’t prepare herself for the meeting mentally, the heiress figured that she could at least make herself presentable, given that even Matou (hopefully) had some weaknesses. She didn’t have much in the way of perfume here at dormitory, but she washed herself quite thoroughly, using the scented soaps and shampoos which were some of her few guilty pleasures and dressing in a sweater and skirt ensemble that she thought suited her nicely – and which Mashu had once complimented her on.

She’d wondered if Matou would come to pick her up, knowing he had requested the meeting, but she wasn’t especially surprised to find that the one at her door was a certain Mashu Kyrielite, clad in a very flattering black and red dress that took Rin’s breath away.

“Miss Tohsaka,” the bespectacled girl greeted her with a nod. “Are you ready to go?”

“I am,” Rin got out, blinking as she had never seen Mashu dressed quite this fancily before. Quite frankly, it made Rin feel a little underdressed. “You look…nice.” The second bit was little more than a whisper, but the maid…or was she more than that…acknowledged it with a nod and a faint smile.

“As do you, Miss Tohsaka,” came the reply, one that made her feel more than a little warm inside. “Come with me.”

“Yes,” Rin said simply.

The car took them to Rules, the oldest restaurant in London, and dropped them off, with Mashu escorting her inside, walking her through the sumptuous surroundings, redolent with velvet and fine wood, the muted perfume of centuries of use clinging to the walls.

It was quite a luxurious place, if not as gaudy as the first restaurant Matou had invited her to long ago in London, and Tohsaka Rin felt distinctly out of place.

‘But Mashu looks comfortable here – do she and Matou…?’

But Rin shook her head. It wouldn’t help her to dwell on such things, especially as they seemed to have reached their destination: a cleverly hidden door, whose outlines were barely discernable against the oak paneling of the walls.

“Inside?”

“Yes,” Mashu replied, tapping a pattern on the door, as an audible click was heard. “Matou awaits.”

The door slid open, and steeling her resolve, Tohsaka Rin entered.

---

Though the meal itself was no doubt delicious, Tohsaka barely remembered what it was she ate that day, as she was otherwise…distracted, her mind awhirl with thoughts about why Matou had called her here. The boy, for his part, seemed to be in no particular rush, contenting himself with asking about how things were going for her at the Department of Archaeology, under the tutelage of both Aozaki Touko and the famed Professor Lev.

‘He can’t have gone through all that…just to have lunch with me, could he?’

“Better than when Lord El-Melloi was my supervisor,” Rin admitted.

“Don’t forget to call him El-Melloi II,” Shinji quipped. “He hates it when people leave that bit out, or so I’ve heard.”

“…I know,” the Tohsaka heiress replied, her expression souring.

“Ah, sorry,” Shinji noted, seeming to realize he’d hit a sore spot. Changing the topic, he regaled her with some news about the latest life-and-death challenge he was embarked on, some sort of “Potions Championship” to occur on a hidden isle isolated from the common sense of the modern era, a trial of arms and brewing skill in a place where creatures of legend remained.

“That sounds…rather dangerous, Matou-kun,” Rin allowed, wondering why it was the boy seemed not at all nervous about the event in question. Surely, even as powerful as he was, the prospect of risking his life was not a pleasant one, even if it was something magi did by necessity. “Especially since you will be alone, yes?”

“That’s right. This isn’t something where my companions will be able to help me,” Shinji replied, his steel-grey eyes calm – almost too calm. “This is something I must face alone, with every ounce of skill and power I have won over the years.”

“What…what is the prize for something like this?” the Tohsaka heiress wondered aloud. Given that she was the heiress to one of the Three Founding Families, Rin was well aware that a dangerous tournament involving a fight to the death lay in her future, and presumably Matou’s as well, yet it wasn’t something she actively sought, unless…

“A golden vessel,” the boy answered cryptically, as a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “And perhaps…a boon.”

“A boon…” Rin repeated, her eyes widening as she took in what he said. “You mean…a wish?”

“Something like that,” Shinji answered, with a soft chuckle. “Though not from some omnipotent vessel. From my patron.”

“Your patron?” Rin echoed. She’d suspected there had been someone who had enabled his rise to prominence, but for the boy to simply admit it was…unexpected. As was the gentle smile on his face and the warmth in his voice – neither of which were meant for her. “

“Yes,” the boy acknowledged. “It is at her bidding that I am to take part in this whole affair. My patron is…curious about the limits of my capabilities, among other things.”

“I…see,” the Tohsaka heiress said, her lips curving into a slight frown as leaned forward, cupping her chin in a hand. "But why...would your patron be interested in potions, Matou? I suppose they are a staple of Witchcraft, but the only people in the Association who would really have a use for them are…”

Rin trailed off, with Shinji raising an expectant eyebrow.

“…alchemists,” Tohsaka finished, as realization dawned. “Are you…are you hoping to become a researcher at Atlas, once you tire of being a knight?” she mused, her eyes widening as she looks Shinji up and down. "I do hear that Atlas isn't picky about the skill level or background, so they’d even take practitioners of witchcraft, wouldn’t they…?"

“They would,” Shinji acknowledged. “But it’s not my goal just to be a researcher, and getting to a high rank in Atlas, or any other organization, is a different story.”

“Easier if you have a patron.”

“Indeed,” Shinji noted, turning back to his food. “Ah, don’t let it cool too much – the food’s better while its hot.”

“…who is she?” Rin asked flatly, eyes narrowing as she looked at Shinji.

“She?” Shinji echoed.

“Your patron,” Tohsaka clarified, crossing her arms. “Who is she?”

Shinji was silent for a moment as he looked at Rin, his expression utterly flat as he studied her.

“…what makes you so sure my patron is a ‘she’?” the boy returned after a long moment.

“I’m not blind, Matou,” Rin harrumphed. “So tell me already.”

There was another long pause, as Shinji studied her once more, before shaking his head.

“You know, Tohsaka, I don’t think that’s any of your business,” the practitioner of witchcraft said quietly, in a tone that warned he would not tolerate any further inquiries into the matter. “Not when I’m effectively yours as it is.”

“That’s…” the Tohsaka heiress swallowed, realizing once more how much she owed Matou, and how quickly much of that could disappear if he was to become…displeased with her. “You’re right, Matou,” she muttered, shaking her head. Surely there was something she could ask about without causing offense, maybe something that would play to his ego…ah. “There’s something else, actually.”

“Mm?”

“Your former Master, Aozaki Touko,” Rin began, glancing a bit awkwardly over at where Mashu was sitting by the door, then back to Shinji. “She said…she said that…” The girl braced herself for whatever he might say in response to her next words. “She said that I’m not as strong as you.”

“And?”

Briefly, the Tohsaka heiress brought up the master puppeteer’s rather sadistic training regimen, and how she hadn’t managed to win against Aozaki-san’s puppets in even a single encounter. Time after time, her new Master had criticized her performance, listing the many ways in which she was lacking in comparison to the puppeteer’s former apprentice.

“I’ve tried everything I can think of,” Rin muttered, looking down at her lap. “But I can’t win. Reinforcement doesn’t work. Gandr doesn’t work. Martial arts doesn’t. Nothing works. Master has…she said I’m missing something, but what? What is it I need?” The girl swallowed. “How do I become strong...like you?"

“Huh,” Shinji noted, taking a moment to absorb what Tohsaka had told him. That Aozaki Touko had praised him was…something of a surprised, given how critical she usually was of him, but he took a quiet pride in it, nonetheless. “You want to become strong, Tohsaka?”

“…yes,” Rin whispered, her arms going to her sides as her hands balled into fists. “I’ll do anything,” she continued, her face flushing for some odd reason as her heart began to hammer wildly in her chest. “Whatever you tell me, Matou.”

“Well…have you tried learning something to cover your weaknesses?” Shinji offered. “Think about the area in which you are weakest. What seems to be the reason you lose?”

“…I’m not powerful enough,” Tohsaka said after a moment, though she shook her head. “But that’s not very helpful. I can’t just make my spells more powerful or hit much harder than I already am. I’ve tried. Her automatons resist my magecraft.”

“Well, the ones she used against me weren’t particularly resistant to elemental abilities,” Shinji offered, recalling how his master would often test his mettle with such things as a way to help him improve his elemental abilities. “You’re a good magus, Tohsaka, shouldn’t you be able to use those?”

Rin blushed at the praise.

“Well, yes, but….” Frankly, she hadn’t thought about using those because it would mean using up some of her gems, and she’d always thought of those as an absolute last resort. She had so few which were actually empowered to a high level that ordinarily, she wouldn’t even think about bringing them out in something that wasn’t an emergency – and training did not count, as such no matter how serious.

“If you’ve been holding back against Master, I suggest you stop,” Shinji replied gravely. “Master – when she was my Master – hated it if I didn’t use everything I had to win, because it meant I didn’t value her time and attention.”

“But…”

For a wild moment, Rin considered telling Matou about the limitations of her magecraft, but that whim died as quickly as it had come.

“There’s no buts here,” Shinji commented. “It might be difficult, but you have to learn what you’re capable of when you let loose, so you can learn to fight well even at the limits of your abilities. Being stubborn about holding back won’t help – it will just make her work harder to beat taking her seriously into you.”

“…you might have a point,” Rin conceded. She’d tried everything else, to date, so she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to do something new.

“I know I do,” Shinji quipped with a wry smile. “After all, I was Master’s apprentice for two years, until I asked her to teach you instead.”

That was something Rin had no good answer to, no answer except…

“…why?” she all but demanded after some seconds had passed.

“Why what, Tohsaka?” Shinji asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Matou,” Rin noted quietly. “I’m…grateful that you gave up his Master for my sake, and for everything, but…why?”

“Why what?” Shinji repeated patiently.

“You know what!” Rin all but snapped, troubled at his lack of guile. “Why did you do it? Why did you give up a chance to learn from one of the greatest magi of the present age – one who had already chosen you as her apprentice?!”

After all, no one who called him or herself a magus would ever be so...nice, so self-sacrificing, without expecting something in return.

‘My body, perhaps? But he turned me down then, and with Mashu here, I don’t think he’ll ask for it now.’

Perhaps her loyalty then, meaning that he indirectly received the benefits of Aozaki Touko’s teachings, due to what she owed him.

Perhaps her hand in marriage, given that none of the things he had done - giving her vast treasures, buying a house for her use, giving up his Master for her sake, helping her so directly - were generally things colleagues or friends did for another, but…family might. Was he saying then that he wanted them to become family? That he wished…to marry her?

If that was so, she would be happy to accept, yet…

"Who am I to you, that you would do these things for me and ask nothing in return?!" she demanded at last, rising to her feet with wild eyes as she stared at the boy before her.

“Tohsaka…you…” Shinji began, wide-eyes, before shaking himself and taking a visible breath. After that, he too rose, reaching out to take the tormented girl’s hands, as the heiress swallowed. “Early in my life, Tohsaka Rin was an inspiration to me. She was my idol, for better or worse, and at the beginning of my journey, I did want to impress her.”

“And then…?” Rin breathed, shivering as his skin touched hers, looking up into his stormy eyes and the intensity she saw there.

“And then I came to know her as more than an idol,” Shinji said warmly. “I came to see her as a person, to learn how hard Tohsaka Rin worked, how much was expected of her, how little others appreciated her. And I just…”

“…you just…”

Tohsaka could feel her heart hammering in her chest once more, could feel her cheeks blushing tomato red, and knew there wasn’t a thing she could do about it, enthralled as she was by him.

“…I just wanted to make you happy,” the boy stated, with a sincerity that shook her to the core. “Because you, Tohsaka Rin, aren’t just a magus. You’re not perfect. You’re not someone who doesn’t need anything, and doesn’t want anything. And you don’t have to be.”

“I…don’t.”

“No, you don’t. Because the Tohsaka Rin who is my friend, my comrade, my companion isn’t perfect. That Tohsaka is a girl who followed me to a distant land, without perhaps being ready. Who has fears and insecurities. Who misses people and is lonely sometimes. Who wishes someone would just look at her and acknowledge her as someone worthy.”

“And…” Rin swallowed. “Do you…?

“I do. You deserve so much more than life has given you,” Shinji whispered, as he looked deeply into her eyes. “Than the loneliness, the fear, the hurt. You, Tohsaka, deserve something better – and so I offer you what little I have, what little I can.” ‘…because that’s what someone did for me once, when I was alone.’

“Then…” Tohsaka Rin trembled, as no one had ever – ever – said anything like this to her before. No one had ever looked at her so intensely, so as to make her knees weak. No one had just taken her hand so gently yet forcefully. No one had just offered everything Matou Shinji did, without asking anything in return.

It was so…

…so…

…foreign.

So alien to her way of thinking that it shook her worldview to its very foundations.

People just didn’t do that sort of thing. Not unless they wanted something.

"So is there anything at all that I can do to repay you, Matou?” Rin heard a voice asking, realizing after a moment of confusion that it was her voice. “Anything at all? I’ll do anything in my power, give you whatever it is you wish. Even..." She blushed prettily as her voice grew quiet. "...me."

Shinji’s eyes glanced over her figure, accentuated as it was by her sweater, and her mouth grew dry at the thought of what he might say now, now that she’d offered him anything at all. Would he…? With Mashu…watching? Was he going to…?

She could do naught but watch as the boy released one of her hands, taking advantage of the now free limb to step around the table and move to her side, where for the first time in many, many years, someone hugged her.

“None of that. Not because it owed. Not because I demand it,” Shinji murmured into the Tohsaka heiress’ ear, as her breath caught. “Whatever we are – as friends, comrades, and more, I think we’re beyond things like debts and costs and favors, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Rin whispered against Shinji’s skin. “That is, that would be…”

“So since there is no debt, all I ask, if you wish – and only if you wish – is that you look out for me as I have looked out for you, now, and in the years to come.”

“Yes,” the Tohsaka heiress answered, her thoughts somewhere else entirely at the thought that someone did care about her. That even though she’d offered herself unconditionally, he’d still taken the time to ask her if she was ok with what little he wanted – something she would have done anyway. He didn’t have to ask. The fact that he did was… “I will, Ma…” she added. “Shinji.”

Rin didn’t remember too much of what happened next, as everything between that embrace and Mashu escorting her to a car to take her back to the Department of Archaeology, along with…Shinji giving her a set of Japanese sweets, knowing she must have been homesick.

‘Of anything he could have given me, this…’

Well, it wasn’t as if it was a dress, or a ring, but clearly she didn’t need such things to be beautiful. Not in his eyes.

‘I see now. He didn’t take me that night, not because Mashu was there, or because of anything else. But because it wouldn’t have been right for either of us. Not because he didn’t care, but because he cares more than anyone in my life has since mother died.’

She felt…special, thinking about what he’d done for her. He was dangerous, yes. Had secrets, yes. Someone cunning and powerful and more, but…from her, he demanded nothing. And that was why she would follow him for as long as he wished, for as long as the road let them walk together.

---

Back in the dining room, Mashu and Shinji were sitting down for something of a debriefing, with the agent of Atlas voicing her concerns plainly.

“Sempai, do you go out of your way to try and charm every girl you come across?” the blonde asked with a moue of disapproval. “Or is it something that just happens?”

Shinji, for his part, just groaned, his shoulders slumping.

“…at least Tohsaka is…at least she feels better now?” he offered, still surprised about how his childhood friend had all but thrown herself at him again.

“Sempai, I realize you’re a kind person, but I don’t think you realize the significance of your words,” Mashu noted reproachfully. “Unless you really…” She shook her head. “This might not be my place, but were you trying to propose to Miss Tohsaka?”

“No!” Shinji was on his feet before he realized it. Taking a deep breath, he sat down, flushing at how he’d reacted. “I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t try to take advantage of her like that. And…”

“It would sound like it to a magus,” Mashu explained softly. “Especially one who has so few friends. She offered any single thing within her power – you said that there was no need for one thing, but for her to look out for you, now and in the future. That is the language of a binding alliance, Sempai. And to hug a girl while saying it…”

“…I messed up, didn’t I?”

“Don’t feel so bad, Sempai. This way, Miss Tohsaka feels more comfortable about what you’ve done for her, and an alliance is something useful in your position,” Mashu offered, with a shy smile. “Especially with the coming Grail War.”

“…a war she doesn’t know anything about, Mashu.”

“No, but at least she’ll have an ally, won’t she, Sempai?”

“Well…that’s true enough,” Shinji admitted. “I hope you don’t think badly of me for how this turned out?”

“Our mutual benefactor will no doubt be happy to have another useful asset,” Mashu noted simply. “A member of the Three Founding Families, even.”

Shinji couldn’t quite help but notice that the Agent of Atlas had avoided answering his question, and so…

“But what do you think, Mashu?” he insisted, as the strawberry blonde shook her head.

“Sempai, it really isn’t a good idea to play with people’s hearts, even if that’s not what you mean to do,” the other told him. “Someone will eventually get hurt, and that someone might or might not be you.”

The boy let out a long, shuddering sigh.

“…I know. I just….”

“You’re young, Sempai. You have a lot to learn, but I'll be there to help.”

“Thank you, Mashu. That...I appreciate it.”

---

Choice 120: Coming up next is the First Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, with all the splendor and spectacle that such will entail, and event you have previously chosen to see the events through the eyes of Champions Weasley and Delacour. But in the wake of the First Task, when the Champions set out on their Second Task and become indisposed, what else would you like to see from life at Durmstrang? (choose one)

[ ] Capture the Flag
[ ] A Council Meeting
[ ] Dark Arts or Self-Defense Classes
[ ] (write-in) students doing chores

Choice 121: As usual, gift suggestions are quite welcome for people at Christmas. Sion, Harry, and Luna are the big three to focus on, but Shinji can of course get gifts for others. Keep in mind that buying from Britain is not likely to be practical this year, however, given Shinji's restrictions.

[Mattias]

Music History

Goddamn that's some music history I haven't heard in years. Please tell me you can play an instrument, because that much theory knowledge without practical is a crying shame.

I notice that nobody is getting up in arms about the Star Wars lines, or other popular works. I wonder why that is? They've been mentioned several times, even immediately after the chapter.

I can't speak for others, but I honestly don't really care. It's one of the few fanfiction that updates regularly. Aside from that, it's also a CYOA which is about pandering to your audience by default. You take what you can get.

[mr_Trickster]

Things certainly got rather interesting over the course of the weekend.

Welcome back, Alf. I hope your conference went well.

The meeting with Rin seems to have gone quite well. I'd actually start worrying that it went a little too well. After all, one should beware of one's successes as much as one's failures.

Either way, the Rin situation seems to have stabilized so we don't need to worry about her as much for now.

As for the current choices, perhaps it would be wise for us to keep an eye on one of the things that we have already made moves to improve on, that being the relationship between the schools. As such observing the [x] - Capture the Flag might be wise as it will give us an idea of whether or not it was effective in moving things in that direction.

[Magus]

Nicely done.

Sakura's part did well on playing off Rin's insecurities (I am a Shadow, the true self... well, not really), but I think the encounter will shape Rin for the better.

I'm also glad to see that the "do what it takes to win" does not look like it put Rin on the path to be an amoral "True Magus", which I would think would be nigh impossible now in the light of her dream of Sakura and her knowledge of Shinji's support.

Of course, Mashu's there to lampshade the harem antics.

Though this book really seems to be dragging on at some points with all of the choices. How long has it been since it started? I guess it's a consequence of an increasing number of characters and original plot points, with the result of a seeming exponential growth in choices.

[x] Dark Arts or Self-Defense Classes

[x] No particular gift suggestions at this time

[skulkidcachi90]

Good to know than the Sakura choise work so well.
Great chapter alf, happy to see than Rin is ok for now, hope than Rin is more open to the idea of see Shinji more often.

[x] Dark Arts or Self-Defense Classes
[X]To Waver a lot of japanese games and to Rin some nice gems.

[Skull Leader]

I am somewhat surprised how well Sakura worked out, having feared that it could backfire badly. I suspect that the other choices would have been as fake themselves and giving voice to Rin's fears. Really glad we did not pick Shinji there.

I for one welcome to the center of the chapter, Hermione 2.0. I certainly ended the chapter with the horrible fear that we might have just created the next Hermione for us to watch destroy itself as we continue to make things slowly worst trying to stop the ship from crashing into an iceberg. Hopefully this time around Shinji and all of us will be more careful.

If I had to predict where said upcoming Rin crash will happen I have to say it is Rin's dream that points out the biggest source of the crash. Likely it would be caused by Ilya if she is ever reunited with Shinji while Rin is around. Rin already showing signs of being massively jealous of girls that are close to Shinji this chapter.

Also I sorry to say but Mashu, its a unfortunate power of being the protagonist that seem to make all of your actions passing the BAR with every single girl that hangs around you. Its the same power that makes the protagonist never noticing or understanding what their actions are doing to said girls.

As for the current choices, perhaps it would be wise for us to keep an eye on one of the things that we have already made moves to improve on, that being the relationship between the schools. As such observing the [x] - Capture the Flag might be wise as it will give us an idea of whether or not it was effective in moving things in that direction.

I might be wrong here but if you want to know about how things are changing at Durmstrang between the schools won't the best source of that be likely from Council Meeting where the political talks of Durmstrang happen. That's not to say that Capture the Flag is a bad choice by any means, matter of fact I thing that I will not vote at this moment since I do not mind any of the choices here.

[mr_Trickster]

I might be wrong here but if you want to know about how things are changing at Durmstrang between the schools won't the best source of that be likely from Council Meeting where the political talks of Durmstrang happen. That's not to say that Capture the Flag is a bad choice by any means, matter of fact I thing that I will not vote at this moment since I do not mind any of the choices here.

An interesting thing about the effects of political and social change is that sometimes just getting an overview isn't always enough. There is some distance involved that might cause the perspective to warp or to not quite be accurate.


In that same vein, going for the lowest level (in this case, that could be a chores) would produce an equally warped view in the other direction.


I suggested the Capture the Flag games - in this case the middle ground - because it is likely to produce a view that isn't too warped by perspective while at the same time put us on the forefront of where the change is actually occuring.

[Ratman]

You ever find an author whose work you really enjoy, so you spend an evening bingeing their work? And then you notice that, in their stories, there's a phrase they seem to use a lot, a certain description that pops up repeatedly in their work? And then you google that phrase because you think it'd be funny to see how many times they've used it, only to find that the first hits on google aren't actually them but are in fact another author who they've lifted it from word-for-word and now you can't help but wonder what other bits of beautiful prose they've stolen whole cloth what the HELL alfheimwanderer?

Wow, you only noticed now.

It's never a lot of text and passes easily into then realm of reference, definitely not enough to consitute hack-fraudery here.

Some thoughts on the topic, since I like this story:
1) Citing the sources of your cool lines is not very elegant and comes across as you being a massive hipster, look at all the cool shit I read.
2) A reference is pointless and indeed a mere ripoff without a point to it, which does seem to be the case here. Justifying a Star Wars line or a LotR line is easy, they are easy to recognize and generally applicable to a lot of situations. Justifying a random fantasy author like Lev Grossman reference is a lot harder.
3) Alf didn't handle this well at all.

[Skull Leader]

I suggested the Capture the Flag games - in this case the middle ground - because it is likely to produce a view that isn't too warped by perspective while at the same time put us on the forefront of where the change is actually occurring.

The question to be determine is it changing for the better or is the game just a proxy used to entrench the hate that is going around. Sporting events can have both effects. Hopefully the games will not reach the 1956 Hungary vs USSR Olympic polo match level. \

Your reasoning is good enough for me to get behind it. [X] Capture the Flag.

[alfheimwanderer]

2) A reference is pointless and indeed a mere ripoff without a point to it, which does seem to be the case here. Justifying a Star Wars line or a LotR line is easy, they are easy to recognize and generally applicable to a lot of situations. Justifying a random fantasy author like Lev Grossman reference is a lot harder.

Frankly, I thought more people would recognize it, since the Magicians series did hit the best-seller list and was popular enough that its being made into a TV series. That and the trilogy itself riffs very heavily off of the Narnia series as well as very deliberately referencing Harry Potter. As such, I hadn't thought of him as just a random fantasy author, but an author I had imagined a number of people here might have read at some point, which is why the lines in question are set in the arcane bookstore, a place that would evoke as much wonder and awe for Shinji as the Library of the Neitherlands for Quentin and his companions.

Perhaps I erred in assuming Grossman's would be more widely read or recognized. I hardly think that deserved someone essentially accusing me of hackfraudery in my thread instead of contacting me via PMs to ask "what the hell", or a number of other people who didn't read the story, including mods, jumping into the middle of something that was frankly none of their business, making wild assumptions about what I had done, my intentions for such, and in a couple of cases, offering personal insult, all without being aware of the context.

I am always happy to answer questions or address the concerns of my readers, provided people are being reasonable about how they ask such things or bring up their comments. The angry post by Myrmeleo, I can manage, though I would have preferred him sending me a PM first, instead of him posting here and only then sending me a PM with identical comments. I am not happy when individuals with absolutely no interest or stake in the story hijack my thread with defamatory accusations, especially after the very, very long month of conferences, presentations, and other such I had just been coming out of, and when they persist in such behavior after I note that I find such to be absolutely offensive.

That's all, really.

Now, back to the story, if we may? I do notice no one has made gift suggestions yet, or discussing the logistics/implications of such, considering Shinji's restrictions.

[Skull Leader]

Now, back to the story, if we may? I do notice no one has made gift suggestions yet, or discussing the logistics/implications of such, considering Shinji's restrictions.

I have been thinking on that very subject for the last day but been mostly coming up blank here. The main issue is that shopping is heavily restricted with Britain almost completely closed off to Shinji. Combined with no real option at Durmstrang, that means most shopping is restricted to Japan which has been so far shopping there has had a horrible price tag associated there.

Sion - The problem for her is that Sion due to her position does not need anything. Anything potion relationship or information is really just a business gift that Shinji can give her and does not make for a good gift. The best gifts that Shinji can give her are ones that connect Sion to Shinji on a human level like in the past gifts to her, ie his mother's wand or the Stonecutter's wishes to her dead persona. I been failing at thinking up a gift for her.

Harry - In a lot of ways, Harry is the hardest of them all to come up with a gift. You can not gift him with something that was clearly not made or brought to Durmstrang without raising a flag with Harry. And the gift should be something that has meaning to either other and their friendship. Gift idea - one homemade necklace from a pair made that contains a wolf's fang (obtained at Durmstrang), an ofuda tag (maybe with a friendship kanji on it or Shinji could have it be another protective ofuda to replace the old one) and a small carved Netsuke shape as a cherry tree. This can be passed off as made while Shinji was stuck in Japan.

Luna - The best and worst thing here is that the gift is not the important part to Luna, only the meaning behind the gift. She cares not for whatever Shinji gives her, only that it has a special meaning. It is so easy that I blanking at the moment on what to say here. I almost want to reuse my Harry idea and give her two Netsuke earrings of a Moon and a Tree but have the earrings enchanted to have some magical property or use. Course I would prefer if this did not cost Shinji some horrible price by a shady store in Japan.

[mr_Trickster]

Sadly enough, I have to admit I'm not all that good with gifts. It's why I tend to stay away from votes that involve them.

Logistics, however, I can discuss.

Considering we're bringing in outfits from the mainland for the Yule Ball, would it be right to assume that acquiring gifts from that part of the world wouldn't be far-fetched?

[Skull Leader]

Considering we're bringing in outfits from the mainland for the Yule Ball, would it be right to assume that acquiring gifts from that part of the world wouldn't be far-fetched?

Sadly, I believe that is only happening because Lestrange has access to the French markets because of the potion champion privilege of going back and forth. She is the only person with this privilege to have access to a open main land economy (officially). Harry has a bigger access than say Shinji does for the UK since he can maybe swing leaving Hogwarts at times when in UK but Shinji can not do that due to his foreigner limitations.

And I image that Lestrange would not do Shinji's shopping without an 'equivalent exchange,' so the price there might be more than we want. Since she is getting a dress out of the clothing arrangement, I sure that is why she is helping out there.

Course you could just say you used her as the source and got the goods somewhere else but that leaves Shinji's racket from being needlessly exposed.

[Malgos]

Capture the Flag.

As for the other one... I've got nothing, but I do agree that giving Waver video games sounds good.

[mr_Trickster]

Sadly, I believe that is only happening because Lestrange has access to the French markets because of the potion champion privilege of going back and forth. She is the only person with this privilege to have access to a open main land economy (officially). Harry has a bigger access than say Shinji does for the UK since he can maybe swing leaving Hogwarts at times when in UK but Shinji can not do that due to his foreigner limitations.

And I image that Lestrange would not do Shinji's shopping without an 'equivalent exchange,' so the price there might be more than we want. Since she is getting a dress out of the clothing arrangement, I sure that is why she is helping out there.

Course you could just say you used her as the source and got the goods somewhere else but that leaves Shinji's racket from being needlessly exposed.

That does greatly restrict our options, admittedly. Not being able to access any purchases leaves us with essentially handcrafted products outside of gifts to people that are aware of the arrangements we have such as Luna, Sion, those from Japan and the like.


In cases like that, what can we come up with? Possibly statues we craft using our skills in manipulating earth? Is that viable, Alf?


I also agree with Malgos's thoughts on sending Waver a game or three. We could go with a few of the big-ticket releases that come out that year (though I can't quite recall what).

We might also want to look into figuring out some gifts for Mashu and Zelkova. The latter is rather obvious as our familiar has been rather key in keeping our head in the game (and attached to our necks) at times. Mashu has also been a very reliable advisor, and a great source of information on what Sion's thoughts on matters might be.

[Skull Leader]

I also agree with Malgos's thoughts on sending Waver a game or three. We could go with a few of the big-ticket releases that come out that year (though I can't quite recall what).

We might also want to look into figuring out some gifts for Mashu and Zelkova. The latter is rather obvious as our familiar has been rather key in keeping our head in the game (and attached to our necks) at times. Mashu has also been a very reliable advisor, and a great source of information on what Sion's thoughts on matters might be.

Yes, for the Waver games but do keep in mind that he is a big closet nerd, so he is likely already has order the game and been waiting for it for months. Still importing games to him sounds like a good plan.

As for Mashu, maybe give her a paid for vacation? Or give her a lovely uniform/clothing from Shinji's new clothing endeavor.

Zelkova is also a tough one as what do you really give a tree as a gift? All it really needs in life is water, sunlight and a good soil. On that front maybe Shinji can move Zelkova into a larger pot as well as give him some fertilizer. And if Shinji approaches this task in a solemn Japanese ritual manner to show honor to Zelkova for his loyalty and his help that would I think be a great gift. Sorta of like giving him a tree version of the Japanese Tea Ceremony where everything is done carefully and with great meaning behind it. The manner on how you gift someone can be more important than the gift itself.

The question I want to know is what do you give the rest of Shinji's friends like George or Pansy. Or god forbid Fred if he still rates one in Shinji's mind? Not to mention the likes of what to give as a simple gift to Shinji's newer acquaintances like the Raven Commander, Lestrange or Fleur.

I have to say I kinda like the small Earth statues idea as a simple standard gift that can be tailored to the receiver. Downside is that people might think that Shinji had to spend hours making the gifts if they do not know about his earth skills which might lead people thinking that Shinji is goofing off rather than preparing for the competition.

[alfheimwanderer]

Yes, for the Waver games but do keep in mind that he is a big closet nerd, so he is likely already has order the game and been waiting for it for months. Still importing games to him sounds like a good plan.

The guy pre-orders and imports plenty of stuff. He even fastidiously returns the comment cards to the studios, through the mail, so I doubt there's something Shinji can get him that he doesn't already have in that regard. Except maybe a gaming buddy once the internet is ready for that. Or some nice galvanism using thing to let him fuel his game consoles with prana/fuel his experiments with electricity.

As for Mashu, maybe give her a paid for vacation? Or give her a lovely uniform/clothing from Shinji's new clothing endeavor.

Always a possibility, though Mashu gets paid by a different source, really. Sion handles her paycheck.

Zelkova is also a tough one as what do you really give a tree as a gift? All it really needs in life is water, sunlight and a good soil. On that front maybe Shinji can move Zelkova into a larger pot as well as give him some fertilizer. And if Shinji approaches this task in a solemn Japanese ritual manner to show honor to Zelkova for his loyalty and his help that would I think be a great gift. Sorta of like giving him a tree version of the Japanese Tea Ceremony where everything is done carefully and with great meaning behind it. The manner on how you gift someone can be more important than the gift itself.

Possible. I think Zelkova appreciates experiences more than physical gifts though, since his existence as an independent entity stems from him being an embodied aspect of the Great Tree's curiosity, so there's always travel, if one desires that. And there is much of the world Zelkova has not yet seen.

The question I want to know is what do you give the rest of Shinji's friends like George or Pansy. Or god forbid Fred if he still rates one in Shinji's mind? Not to mention the likes of what to give as a simple gift to Shinji's newer acquaintances like the Raven Commander, Lestrange or Fleur.

Always a good question!

I have to say I kinda like the small Earth statues idea as a simple standard gift that can be tailored to the receiver. Downside is that people might think that Shinji had to spend hours making the gifts if they do not know about his earth skills which might lead people thinking that Shinji is goofing off rather than preparing for the competition.

Any other suggestions?

[Haunter]

Hello! While I've been following this series from the first book, I've only decided to make an account now. This series has been pretty good so far, and I hope to join the journey of making Shinji not die/become Sion's equal.

Choice 120: [x] Capture the Flag
Choice 121: [x]- some nice galvanism using thing to let him fuel his game consoles with prana/fuel his experiments with electricity for Waver

I have no idea what to give for the rest (Touko, Mashu, George, Pansy, Fleur, Lestrange, Raven Commander, Shiroe, Lockhart), which is generally the same problem I have in real life.

[mr_Trickster]

Except maybe a gaming buddy once the internet is ready for that. Or some nice galvanism using thing to let him fuel his game consoles with prana/fuel his experiments with electricity.

Well, we can certainly look into picking up games with him in the future - though this might not be pracitcal considering how stretched our time already is. Is the [x] - glavanism tool feasible for us right now?

If so I'm certainly going to vote for it.

Always a possibility, though Mashu gets paid by a different source, really. Sion handles her paycheck.

A [x] - new dress for Mashu might be appreciated, and I certainly can't think of anything new at the moment.

The question I want to know is what do you give the rest of Shinji's friends like George or Pansy. Or god forbid Fred if he still rates one in Shinji's mind? Not to mention the likes of what to give as a simple gift to Shinji's newer acquaintances like the Raven Commander, Lestrange or Fleur.

The statues could work, and it might still be possible to do so. Shinji certainly has proven himself the bigger person in the past (in times like first year where we had to deal with Hermoine and the Twins on less than stellar terms). Who knows, we might be able to use this as an opportunity to clear the air. We need to keep th gifts easy to acquire or craft, though, lest we lose anymore time.