That Ever Illusive Utopia

[Tobias]

gift from avalon, not quite the same, but I thought it was kinda relevant.

[SeiKeo]

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

[Keyne]

And I usually skip the scene itself. Ah well.

Lightweight. :3

[Kieran]

gift from avalon, not quite the same, but I thought it was kinda relevant.

*brain lock*

[Eveonder]

Fate/Fluffy Angst... err I mean 'That Ever Illusive Utopia' shows a side of Saber that's usually hidden... the side that wanted to change the past and give up her position as king... but honestly, she should just accept Archer's offer and get lemonbetter D:<

[Kratosirving]

When life gives you lemons...

[rajvir]

When life gives you lemons...

you make lemonade

[Kratosirving]

NO, YOU ENJOY THE PORN.

[rajvir]

NO, YOU ENJOY THE PORN.

you can do that as well (I am rolling around laughing)

[EricDagger]

NO! Make life take back the lemons and burn its house down!

[lethum]

No. You kill the lemons. You kill them so hard that life almost dies and becomes your slave out of fear. And then you make lemonade out it's fear.

[Fantabulous]

I believe you mean out of it's tears.

[lethum]

I don't like tear lemonade, but a cold glass of fear lemonade is just right.

[RadiantBeam]

How could I have let this story slip through the cracks? *sob*

*huggles Saber*

Also, I'm continually amused by our completely opposite takes on the Rider/Saber dynamic. Then again, we're both writing them under very different circumstances, but it's still fun to see.

[Keyne]

How could I have let this story slip through the cracks? *sob*

*huggles Saber*

Also, I'm continually amused by our completely opposite takes on the Rider/Saber dynamic. Then again, we're both writing them under very different circumstances, but it's still fun to see.

Well, Saber and Rider originally don't like each other.

[Elf]

Chapter Sixteen

Acceptance of Changes

Tea cups and a parfait topped with thick, white cream were placed carefully on a tray before a few napkins were arranged on it and flatware on top of that. A harsh, almost bitter and burnt smell drifted from the steam currently bellowing from the spout of the tea pot. Bright, artificial colors that didn’t normally occur in nature formed the layers of the parfait. Everything on that tray should have been delightful, but instead it was dull and over processed but finished with a glossy shine to make it look good.

Like everything else here, Saber thought as she lifted the tray and headed to the table of ogling and rowdy teenagers waving her attention. The smile on her face was forced, but either the rabble all but jumping up and down in their seats were either too stupid or too obvious to notice. She went through the motions of serving the tea and the desert with polite smiles and meaningless words. Once the fare was handed out she turned to leave to repeat the process to a similar table.

Until she felt the skirt of her uniform flare up and air conditioned air hitting exposed skin.

Laughter rang in her ears as she heard one of the rabble state, “You owe me 500 yen, Takashi! White cotton it is.”

Heat filled Saber’s cheeks as she turned around to stare at the laughing group of boys. One of them said, “Cute panties, Saber-chan.”

“I beg your pardon,” she replied in a wintery voice as her eyes narrowed at the speaker.

One of them reached out and took her hand. Her skin crawled at the sweaty, overly hot skin that was slick against hers and awkwardly yet presumptuously holding her hand. He tugged hard as his dark, empty eyes raked over her body. “We’ll pay extra for you to stay and talk to us, Saber-chan,” he said as he tugged again, forcing her to come closer.

Saber’s nose twitched at the stench of rancid onions, alcohol laden with astringent scents, and something salty and unpleasantly musky when she found herself against the speaker. Eyes darted around the room to see the other waitresses dealing with their customers and not noticing her plight. Her stomach crawled as she felt finger tips on the back of her thigh. A butter knife gleamed in the corner of her eye on the table, well within her reach. Those revolting fingers continued to run up and down the back of her thigh, making her squirm under the touch.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I can do this. Just keep calm. They will not be here for long and they cannot go too far.

“Oh, I think Saber-chan likes this,” the cretin said in her ear, his hot, feted breath ruffling her hair there. Her skin crawled in revulsion as she saw the polished steel of the blunt knife on the table. She and her people lived by steel and its power, and now it was forced to be something so mundane and its power forgotten.

Eyes the same color as steel flashed through her mind, narrowed in determination, wide with wonder, closing with a genuine smile that was breathtaking, gleaming with anger, and bright with care. Saber realized Archer would be nothing short of enraged if he saw this occurring. He had run into battle without a thought to someone as powerful as Gilgamesh was to protect her. Then he would be disappointed in me for doing nothing for myself, she thought as she saw those eyes dull with disillusionment.

She took a deep breath and glared at the youth. “Take your hands off of me,” she said in a voice she would have used towards her enemies. The crawling fingers stopped, but she could feel his hand trembling as she glared at his hand on hers.

“Hey, you can’t talk to us like that. We’re paying customers,” one of them said as he stared at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and said, “You do not have the right to paw at me like wild beasts, even though you resemble and smell like one.”

Something within her swelled and burst open, her chest moved freely with each breath and she felt strangely invigorated. She took a step back, her hand sliding away from their leader’s as she calmly straightened her uniform. Eyes from all around the room were on her as silence other than the newly repaired air conditioner’s hum filled the room. Head held high like the king she had been, Saber walked back to the waitress’ station.

She set her empty tray down to gather the items for the next table when she saw Asuka standing beside her. “You okay?” Asuka asked in a soft voice.

Saber smiled and said, “I feel oddly liberated actually.”

“Just . . . wow. The manager might have a fit, you just told off the son of one of the head advisors of Golden Rule, but with him feeling you up like that you should have decked him,” Asuka said with a chuckle.

Ice flowed through Saber’s veins as she asked, “He is involved with Golden Rule?”

“His dad’s Arakawa Kentaro, head of their legal department,” Asuka said with a sigh and a shake of her head.

Saber bit her lip and thought, Wonderful. Aloud, she said, “My actions were true though. He was defiling me.”

“Yes he was,” Asuka said with a nod, “And you handled it awesomely.”

I wanted to stab him with a butter knife, Saber thought as she picked up a steaming cup of coffee. Her nose curled at the bitter, leathery smell as she quietly asked, “Why is everything burnt or bland here?”

“No one who comes here comes for the food,” Asuka said with a smirk, “They come for the pretty girls to serve them and smile at them in tiny maid outfits.”

Saber bit her lip and said, “The cooks should have more pride though in what they produce.”

“It’s because they don’t care,” the young woman said with a shrug.

Saber looked at her and met her brown eyes. She asked, “Do you care, Asuka?”

“I care for the money,” Asuka said as she finished piling her tray for her next table.

Saber frowned and asked, “Don’t you have higher aspirations, like Hitomi?”

“I’m not as smart as Hitomi is,” Asuka said as she moved to take care of her next table.

“You seem to have a head for business though and you are good with other people,” Saber said.

Asuka blinked and stared back at her. The young woman reached out and lightly patted Saber’s head. Heat filled her cheeks as Asuka flashed Saber a warm smile. Asuka said, “You’re the one who shouldn’t be here, Saber-chan.”

“Maybe I need an assistant.”

“It would be nice to have one who I didn’t have to hide the fact that I dress up in body armor at night and prowl Fuyuki City for those who would harm it or the fact I’m a magus.”

Saber bit her lip and said, “. . . Yesterday Archer offered me a chance of employment.”

“That tall guy who fixed the air conditioner?” Asuka asked as Saber followed her out of the waitress’ station.

Saber nodded and said, “Yes.”

“Not bad looking, but he seemed really intense,” Asuka said with a shudder.

Saber frowned as she asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“He just seems like the kind of guy who’s done a lot of stuff and it’s stuck with him. There was something in his eyes, I don’t know what it was. Dated an American ex-soldier who just got finished with a tour of Afghanistan with eyes like that,” Asuka answered with a frown, “Guys like that aren’t worth the work that you need to put into them.”

Saber frowned and said, “Yet you are attracted to a man like Gilga . . . Gil King.”

“Well yeah. He’s gorgeous and a billionaire, you don’t kick a man like him out of bed for eating crackers,” Asuka said with a smile.

“Of course not,” Saber said woodenly as she thought, If she only knew what the real Gilgamesh was like, then she would change her opinion.

Asuka said, “And he seems to have a thing for younger girls.”

“What do you mean?” Saber asked with a tilt of her head.

Asuka snickered and said, “There was Rider and myself there, yet he only was looking at you, and we’re closer to his age range.”

******

“So I offered Saber a job,” Archer said into the phone as he used chopsticks to deftly maneuver a wide variety of vegetables in his wok.

Rin’s voice over the other line asked, “You did what?”

“I offered Saber a chance to work with me,” Archer said as he felt his neck stiffen at having to hold the phone using his head and shoulder.

Rin replied, “I got that, any reason why?”

“Well, she feels like she owes Sakura and Emiya Shirou for letting her stay with them,” Archer replied, “And considering she’s an ex-Servant with really no personal records her employment chances are rather slim.”

Rin’s voice was light with amusement as she said, “And you’re being generous to let her work with you.”

“Well, I do need an assistant,” Archer replied, “And it would be handy to have one that I don’t have to have a secret identity too.”

Rin replied, “What about Rider?”

“Rider’s Rider. She does what she wants and relishes in freedom she didn’t get to have in her past life,” Archer replied as he skillfully flipped the vegetables into the air and caught them in the wok. “Saber’s different.”

“Saber’s like you,” Rin said in a soft voice.

Archer sighed and said, “I want to help her, Rin.”

“You can’t save everyone,” Rin said in that same voice, “I know you know that now.”

Archer smiled and said, “I know, but I can save her now. I failed her once, at least this is something I can correct.”

“From what you told me, there wasn’t anything else you could have done, Shirou,” Rin replied, “Same thing with Ilya.”

He clinched his fist at that and looked down. Rin said, “Look, you did all you could and then some.”

“Thank you, Rin,” Archer replied with a smile.

Rin’s voice was bright as she replied, “We promised to take care of each other.”

“We did, didn’t we?” Archer said in a soft voice.

Rin said, and Archer could imagine her nodding over the other line, “We did. You’re the best partner and second I could ask for, but . . .”

“But what?” Archer asked, bracing himself for a lecture at doing something wrong or not to her liking.

Rin’s voice was very soft and small when she answered, “I wish you were here.”

He blinked at the sudden confession, swallowed and asked, “Why?”

“. . . I hate magi. After going through everything with Sakura and Emiya-kun I’m here in the thick of magi territory and I can’t help to think that something like that is going to happen again. Or something worse. Like the stuff I finally got to talk about with Ilya and . . . Men twice my age are like stalking me and looking at me like I’m some brood mare or something,” Rin said with a huff.

Archer asked, “What about any of your own age?”

“They’re okay, I guess. I just don’t think I’m one for dating,” Rin said with a sigh.

Archer turned off the burner and moved the wok away from it. He said, “Well, it doesn’t help that the guy you like is all but engaged to your sister either.”

“Am I that transparent?” Rin asked, her voice catching on the words.

Archer smiled and said, “I just know my Master that well.”

“Then there’s you,” Rin said with another sigh.

He stilled as his heart started to pound, unsure of how he wanted her to continue. I’m not a replacement for the boy, Rin, he thought. He cleared his throat and asked, “What about me?”

“I had a crush on you,” Rin said with a tiny chuckle, “And I was so pissed that you died like that to protect us, even though things worked out the best, but like everything else I bottled it up. Then you came back and I was happy, then I realized you were acting more like a parent than my birth parents were.”

Archer shook his head and said, “I thought I was being more like an older brother, and your parents died when you were young. They really didn’t get a chance to prove themselves.” Even though your dad did throw your younger sister to be raped and tortured for most of her life.

“Well, you can be an annoying tease, but that’s what family’s supposed to be like right?” Rin asked, her voice tightening ever so slightly.

Archer nodded and answered, “When it cares and loves each other, it is. Look at Fuji-nee with the boy, and he teases Sakura from time to time too. There should be a bit of play in it.”

“And I like that, but that’s not here. Most of the people here are okay with that, but Luvia struggles against it,” Rin said, “And you know what sort of hold her father has on her.”

Archer smiled and said, “So, you figured out who she was to me?”

“Well, I was really jealous at first,” Rin said with a chuckle, “Then I was pissed because I thought she couldn’t handle it and just left when I saw your memories. Now I know that she was forced away, and that makes me want to go punch her father.”

He smiled at that and said, “Well, maybe now that you know you can set things right with her. Teach her what you learned and she can tell her father off herself. She was always more powerful than he was.”

“Shirou, if you knew Luvia was going to be in London, why didn’t you come with me?” Rin asked after a long pause.

He answered, “Because she’s not the Luvia from my time. I can’t try to force something that’s probably not going to be there. I’m not the Emiya Shirou that Luvia fell for either. We’d get along, but it wouldn’t develop into anything meaningful other than friendship.”

“So, what about Saber? I mean, I’m mostly aware of her as this nonstop killing machine with a giant black sword,” Rin asked.

Archer replied, “When I was a kid Saber represented everything I thought I wanted to be. I still admire her, but I want to help her and . . .” I actually like being around her, he thought with a smile.

“Rider’s not going to like this,” Rin said with a giggle.

Archer said, “Well, Rider and Saber are incompatible anyway.”

“Idiot, Rider likes you,” Rin said, “And not just as a friend.”

He blinked and said, “Oh.”

“You still are really dense aren’t you?” Rin said as her voice caught on her laughter.

Archer chuckled and said, “Now you’re the one teasing me, well done Tohsaka.”

“Well, we’re pretty even on that front, aren’t we?” Rin retorted, “And bugger, there’s a lecture I want to go to in about half an hour.”


Archer asked, “Who’s giving it?”

“Aozaki Aoko,” Rin said, “Magical Gunner Miss Blue. Apparently she owes Professor Ingolf a favor and she’s pissed about it.”

Archer laughed and said, “Well, it should be interesting to say the least. And the woman is drop dead gorgeous.”

“W-why do you think that would matter to me?” Rin said, her voice squeaking ever so slightly.

He smirked and said, “Perhaps your interest doesn’t lie in boys.”

“I’m not a deviant, and you have something for younger looking girls . . .” Rin stammered.

The door bell chimed and Archer blinked. He said, “Go to your lecture, I’ve gotta go. Someone’s at the door.”

“Fine, we’ll talk about this later, Shirou,” Rin snapped.

He smiled and said, “Good bye Rin, and try not to ogle Miss Blue too much.”

“Damn lolicon!” Rin said, “Well, you have a good night.” Then the line went dead as the door bell rang again. Archer put the phone back in its charger and started to run down the stairs.

It rang a third time and he called out, “I’m almost there.” He reached the door, flipped the dead bolt, and opened the door. Light from upstairs spilled out into the growing darkness outside.

Haloed in the faint light was an all too familiar figure standing there holding a small duffle bag. Golden hair glinted in the wan light as emerald eyes looked up at Archer. Saber bit her lip and her hands twisted around the straps of her bag.

He relaxed and said, “Hey.”

“Good evening,” Saber said with a nod before twisting her hands along the thick straps again so hard her knuckles whitened.

Archer asked, “Is everything okay?”

“I came here to tell you that I accept your proposal,” Saber said as a faint wash of pink appeared on her cheeks.

He smiled and said, “I’m glad. I’m about to have dinner, and I think I made too much. Want to join me?”

Impossibly green eyes widened slightly before the petite blond gave a tiny nod and smiled. She replied, “I would be honored.”

Then Archer stepped to the side to let the former king in.

[Keyne]

.c.




BRILLIANT!!

That's all I have to say.

[Kratosirving]

SWEEET VANILLA CREAMPUFFS!


It's so great to see Saber coming out of her mopiness a bit and regaining her luster, even if it was only against a crappy teenager. The interaction between Rin and Archer on the phone is awesome, and I love the fact that you added Luvia in as Archer's previous love. Also, nice shout out to Black Princesses with the needling of Rin towards Aoko.

[RadiantBeam]

ME GUSTA.

Oh, where to begin. Seeing Saber's pride return was an awesome moment, and the Rin/Archer conversation was incredibly sweet. Though now I have it in my head for some reason that her attempts to speak with Luvia will somehow result in Rin/Luvia. Which, I'm not sure. Would be either awesomely hilarious or hilariously bad.

[Mike1984]

Aww, that was really sweet.

Rin being dere-dere towards Archer, and complaining about magi (which is understandable, really, after what happened to Sakura...). Plus Saber, of course....