Dark Princesses, Crow's Wings, and Hero's Broken Dreams

[Elf]

Then I will continue to post it here then. . . . And I might edit some stuff too. Just for fun.

[NewAgeOfPower]

Then I will continue to post it here then. . . . And I might edit some stuff too. Just for fun.

Stop teasing us!

When will next chapter be posted?

[dragon20990]

If you guys don't want to wait, you can find the original chapters at http://fsn-fiction.livejournal.com/

there are like 11 of them or something.

[Raven2785]

If you guys don't want to wait, you can find the original chapters at http://fsn-fiction.livejournal.com/

there are like 11 of them or something.

Sorry, I evade LJ like I would evade a dark alley in a third world country.

[dragon20990]

Sorry, I evade LJ like I would evade a dark alley in a third world country.

Smart.

[Elf]

Chapter Four

Rin lifted her eyebrows at the vampiric mage and retorted, “Well, apparently I missed you become a Living Dead.”

“No, Rin, I’m more than that, I’m a full fledged Dead Apostle,” Yukisato replied as he pushed himself against the wall.

Rin braced her legs apart as she stared at the vampire. She snorted, “It takes years to create a fully fledged Dead Apostle.”

“Do you know how Dead Apostles are created Rin?” Yukisato asked as the shadows started to spread from those shielding him from the sunlight to surrounding both of them. Rin rolled up her sleeves and narrowed her eyes at him.

She answered, “Yes, either True Ancestors or other Dead Apostles biting a person with high magical potential.”

“Such as a mage,” Yukisato said as he took another step towards her.

Rin flipped one of her pigtails back and asked, “Did you attack the school?”

“No, that was the one who bit me. He’s got a thing for young boys,” Yukisato replied as the shadows began to surround them.

Her eyes narrowed at the entrance of the school. Unfortunately, she didn’t bring any of her gems with her and she began to curse that oversight. However, if she could get to the lab, then she had some of Lea’s things she could work with.

Rin looked back at Yukisato and sighed, “A vampire with a shota complex, how droll.”

“I know, let me tell you about it,” Yukisato snorted as he rolled his crimson eyes.

She asked, “Why are you here, Yukisato?”

“What? I thought it was obvious. Waiting for you, the epic return . . . I’m taking you Rin,” the Shadow Mage replied as he shoved his hair from his face.

Rin smirked and replied, “What if I don’t wish to be taken?”

“Then I’ll use force, which, I was ordered not to bite you, but . . .” his hellish eyes leered over her form, “But biting isn’t what I had in mind.”

Rin laughed, “Not even a week as a vampire and you’re already playing the evil overlord routine, pathetic.”

He was fast, but the and was already ready in her hand. She pivoted to the side and blasted him with the curse. He was shot back and she ran into the school. She spun around and lifted her left arm. She closed her eyes and began chanting rapidly in the familiar German.

Her mage crest flared up bright gold against the fair skin of her arm. She pointed her hand and felt the mana surge through her body as the spell began to take shape. There was a flash of warmth then pure cold running through her veins as she flattened her hand with the palm facing outward. She flicked her wrist up then down and back up again before waving her arm in a fluid motion in front of her.

Cold air rushed up her skirt, down her legs, up her back and blasted her hair back as the center of her palm froze and the mage crest flared a pale, icy blue. The quiet, crystalline chime of ice falling filled the quiet of the hallway as a wall of pristine ice formed between her and Yukisato. She took off at a dead run towards the lab. Her eyes narrowed at the stairwell and she ran her hands over her legs as she forced Reinforcement into them.

The muscles and bone structure grew denser and stronger, giving her the strength to jump from the top of the steps to the next fight. She felt the impact reverberate from her ankles, shins and calves, to her knees and thighs at the point of landing. “Tch,” she grunted as she reapplied Reinforcement and vaulted herself off the rail and onto the next floor.

Instead of landing, she was caught halfway by a flash of black. Cool arms wrapped around her as ruby eyes bore into hers while a cruel mouth bared fangs in an arrogant smirk. “Nice try Rin, but you know I can travel almost anywhere,” Yukisato said as he nimbly landed on the rail.

Rin glared at him before smirking. She replied, “Is that so? Well, I commend you on your cleverness.”

“Do I get a reward?” he asked as his face came closer to hers.

Rin smiled sweetly and balled up her fist. She swung her arm out then back towards him. Right between his legs.

His eyes widened almost comically as her fist came slamming against his groin. His arms slipped from around her as he doubled over with a moan. Rin balanced herself on the rail before snapping a sharp kick to his face. He fell back onto the landing with a hard crack as Rin spun around and jumped down.

She shot a random Gand out and shouted wordlessly. She fired more Gand at open doors and creating as much noise as she can. She slid to a stop in front of the lab and took a deep breath.

Her heart was racing and her chest was tight as she looked around the empty, still hallway smoking from firing her curses. Her eyes widened at the sheer quietness around her. Surely, someone would have heard something Rin thought as she yanked open a classroom door and peered inside. Dread welled up in her chest at the sheer emptiness of the school.

At closer inspection, there was blood smearing the blackboard. Rin turned on the light and stepped inside. Bile rose in her throat at the sight of a young mage sprawled on the floor with her throat torn open. There was another, even younger body with its head severed completely off. Pressing her hand to her mouth, Rin ran into another classroom.

Luckily, this one was completely empty. As were the next ones she checked. She stumbled into the hallway and looked around. Yukisato was approaching slowly, his duster flapping back from him like mundane wings. She’d never thought the other Japanese mage to be anything other than a pest, but now he was a threat, not only to her life but he held the power to turn her into a monster.

“What the hell did you do here?” she screamed as she pointed to the classroom with the two bodies in it.

Yukisato peered into the classroom and tilted his head thoughtfully. He whistled and said, “Look like the Black Knight came here before sunup.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Rin demanded as she charged another Gand to throw.

Yukisato shrugged and answered, “Doesn’t matter right now. Just you’re the only one here that I think is worthy enough to transform, Rin. The Black Princess asked for you specifically, told me not to bite you. But after that stupid maneuver on the steps, she didn’t say a thing about making you not bleed anywhere else.”

Rin’s eyes widened for a moment before narrowing and firing the Gand at the vampire. She charged up her Crest again and shot a blast at him with that. He screamed as the golden-white concentrated mana beam surrounded him and dug into his body. Cackles like lightning surrounded him and spread across his body like wild fire as he cried out and fell to his knees.

She snorted, “I’m not easily taken, Kurokawa-kun.” Then she proceeded to sprint to the lab again. However, each step felt heavier and heavier. Her chest was heaving and her limbs were trembling. She cursed the signs of mana drain but kept moving.

After surviving the Grail War, I am not getting raped by some pathetic half Dead Apostle asshole, Rin thought as she opened the door to the lab. She ran to Lea’s desk and jerked the drawer open. She smiled at the large quartz points slightly glowing in the dark recesses of the desk and grabbed them. I’ll pay you back later, she silently promised to her friend as she shoved the points up her sleeves and held one at her hand.

Rin waited as Yukisato entered the lab, calmly throwing the door open behind him. His eyes were narrowed at her as he approached. Rin stepped out from behind the lab table, tilted her head up, and glared at him with a tiny smirk. “You were always a pathetic bastard,” she taunted as she tossed her hair back.

“And you’re a fucking tease, Rin,” he said as he shoved a table out of the way.

Rin readied the crystal in her palm and snorted, “No, you’re just a desperate fool who can’t control his libido.”

“You know, I think I’m going to bend you over one of these desks,” he sneered at her as Rin closed her hand over the crystal. She felt the steady beat of Lea’s mana within the crystal react with her more volatile mana. It pulsed burning warmth in her hand and she let it fly at Yukisato.

He held up his hand and shadowy shield appeared in front of him. The crystal impacted with the shield and exploded. The bright flare of mana was engulfed by the shadows before Yukisato closed his fingers over his palm and the shadow shield faded away. Rin glared and readied the second crystal in her hand from her sleeve. “Tch,” she hissed as she thought, Shadow mages, they suck at attacking, but at defense and escaping, they can hardly be beat. I’m going to have to rethink my strategy.

She looked down at the crystal in her hand and frowned before her eyes flickered back at a chuckling Yukisato. He smirked at her before disappearing into his own shadow. Rin’s eyes narrowed at the windowless classroom. They were underground, and Yukisato’s weakness for sunlight wouldn’t matter here at all.

“Problems, Rin?” his nasally voice whispered in her ear right before his arms wrapped around her.

Rin gasped as he shoved her into one of the desks. The edge of the desk hit her in the sternum and knocked the breath out of her. She gasped uselessly as Yukisato bent over her. She choked in air after a moment before trying to roll over. She grunted as he pushed her easily over the desk. “Son of a bitch,” she choked.

She hissed as a cold hand rested on her thigh. Her eyes narrowed as he chuckled behind her. “Relax, Rin,” he purred in his annoying voice as he shoved her legs apart with his knee.

Rin clutched the crystal in her hand and tilted her head to look at him. He smiled at her as his icy hand trailed up her leg to rest on her inner thigh. Her stomach clinched in revulsion as his fingers crept towards the edge of her panties. She readied a Gand and twisted her arm back. With a scream she let it fire point blank at the center of his chest.

He fell back with a grunt and Rin spun around. She kicked him in the sternum and then snapped her leg up to catch him in the face with a scream. His mouth opened in surprise and Rin thrust the crystal into his mouth. His eyes widened as Rin slammed his chin up with her hand against the crystal in his mouth. There was a sickening crack as teeth yielded to harder crystal and blood oozed from his mouth. Rin took the last crystal from her sleeve and thrust it hard into his left eye. She placed both hands over the crystals and forced them to detonate.

There was a bright flash as Yukisato the Living Dead’s head ruptured apart with the mana burst. Blood splattered across the classroom as his twitching, headless form collapsed to the ground. Breathing hard, Rin watched as Yukisato’s body disintegrated into ashes.

She slumped onto a lab stool and rubbed her brow. Her vision blurred ever so slightly as she ignored the subtle pounding building in her temples. She looked down at the ashes and the blood on her hands as her eyes widened. Lea. Drustan.

She stood up and ran out of the lab.

******
“Drustan? Drustan MacKeltar?” Rin called out as she opened up the door to the Academy greenhouse. She was surrounded by hot, humid air that tightened her chest with each labored breath. She peered around at the various rare plants growing around her.

She called out again, “Drustan? Please tell me you’re here or I will so kick your ass when I find you again!” She hissed as she pushed a giant leaf out of her face while going deeper into the greenhouse. Her heart was still pounding, the only sound in her head in the still, humid greenhouse. She rubbed her head, groaned and leaned up against a trellis support post.

Sweat streamed down her face and the back of her neck; it made her clothing stick to her back and her hair damp and heavy. The humid hair caught in her lungs and made her chest heavier and heavier with each breath. Her throat constricted as she fought to catch her breath in the oppressing air. Her knees were shaking, her shoulders were tight, and her eyes were watering at the edges and blurring her vision.

Damn you Yukisato, she thought as she pushed her hair back, I used up too much mana battling you sorry piece of a wanting Walking Corpse. She looked around at the empty greenhouse and sighed. She shoved open the door and cool air blasted her in the face.

Darkness surrounded her as she walked back into the hallway. The silence was oppressing, thick and tangible around her. She swallowed as she pressed herself against the wall as her eyes adjusted to make out large shapes in the darkness. She scowled at the sudden darkness as she quietly moved against the wall.

Chills ran down her body as goose bumps rose on her flesh as she folded her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders together. She took a deep breath and blinked as it fogged the air. Scowling, the young magus lifted up her right hand and readied a Gand while she walked. Her nose scrunched up at the heavy sweet, coppery scent that was filling the air. Rin’s eyes widened as she heard a crash and then a scream down the hallway.

Legs pumping, she rushed to the sound of the commotion. One of the classroom doors flew open as a bloodied young boy stumbled out. His clothing was torn and barely hanging on his body as he hit the floor. He lifted his head and his wide eyes latched onto Rin as he screamed. Rin knelt in front of the boy and peered into the classroom.

Bile rose in her throat as she made out dark smears staining the classroom as the rich, clotting sweet scent of blood filled the air. She made out pale hands and limbs splayed with reckless abandon in the room, with an occasional twitch here and there as a rattling breath reached her ears. However, standing in the center of the room was a man dressed in white from his flowing white cape and the rest of his archaic clothing.

He turned crimson eyes towards the boy and smirked with a bloody mouth as he stepped closer with a careless grace that made Yukisato look clumsy and even more inept than he already was. The little boy latched onto Rin before screaming loudly as his fingers dug into her arms. Rin flinched at the loud noise as the man in white approached, his cape floating gracefully around the bodies.

“Ah, there you are,” he said in a slight Eastern European accent that was somewhere between Germanic and Russian.

The boy froze and trembled against Rin as she helped them both to their feet. Rin’s eyes flickered at the bloody furrows dug into the ripped fabric along the boy’s thighs before to the vampire before them. He said, “I’m impressed with that little curse you pulled back there, honestly, but fruitless.”

The boy went from trembling to vibrating as he stared at the vampire. Rin smirked and said, “Then perhaps you should stop picking on scared little boys and actually go after a real magus then.”

She cocked her finger at the vampire and fired the Gand before grabbing the boy and running. She reinforced her legs and arms to pick up the terrified child and keep running. He had stopped screaming, but he was still trembling like a mad thing in her arms. Rin demanded, “What the hell happened?”

The little boy tilted a pale, wide eyed face at her as his fingers dug into her arms. He shook his head and kept shaking. Rin glared and asked, “What the hell happened?”

She resisted the urge to shake the boy, but reasoned that would just make him even more coherent. She turned a corner and asked, “Was that a Dead Apostle?”

“He . . . he killed everyone in the classroom,” the boy said in a trembling French accent, “Just came in and slaughtered them all as if they were nothing, teeth in their throats until he saw me . . . And then he . . .” His eyes wavered as he drew silent and shaking again.

Rin awkwardly petted his back and thought, I wish Shirou was here. He’d know what to do with a terrified boy better than I would. She gritted her teeth as her knees wavered and her vision shimmered while her body started to feel heavier. “We’re going to get out of here,” Rin said in a shaky voice as she leaned against a wall to catch her breath.

She peered around the corner and hissed when she saw the vampire in white approaching. “Come on, sweeting, you just asked if I could pick on a real mage and not a little boy? Unfortunately, I don’t see any true real mages here . . .”

Rin tasted copper as her teeth sunk into her lip. She clinched her fists and watched as the vampire approached while the boy was still trembling beside her. Rin bent forward to the shaking child and took a deep breath. I’d be a hypocrite for what I am about to do, but . . . Next time I’m with Shirou and he does something like this, I won’t yell at him for it. This time.

She grabbed his shoulders and shook him rather hard. His breath rattled as she shook him. She stopped, narrowed his eyes and met his own. He stared up at her with that tear traced face as she said, “Run. You keep running until you get out of the building and into the sunlight. If you find any other magus here, you take them with you, but you keep running.”

“What about you, miss?” he asked in a wavering voice, “He’ll get you too.”

Rin forced her sleeves up and took a deep breath. She ignored the cramps running from the soles of her feet to the pounding ache starting right behind her eyes. She closed her eyes and focused on the strange almost block like etchings on her right arm. She felt her body disconnect as she gathered that pure, glowing energy within her.

She became pure energy, the potential to cause change and redirect consequence. She poured that along the lines of the Crest with one intent. The intent flashed red and violent within her as it pooled and spun within the current of casualty. Feeling dizzy, she took a step on thousands of pins and needles as her vision blurred save for one focus point.

“Sterben!” she shouted as she pointed her right arm at the Dead Apostle.

The pure mana shot out through the crest and blazed at the man in white in a golden arch. It hit him dead in the chest and then proceeded to shoot him back. Rin’s head swam, her vision blackened and she wavered on her feet. She reached out trembling hands as her stomach churned emptily to catch herself against the wall. Each breath was a shaking rattle from her lungs as sweat streamed down her face, neck, arms and back.

She took the moment to look to see where the boy was standing and gave a shaking laugh before sliding to the floor. She closed her eyes and rested her back against the wall with a tiny smile. “What was that about being a real mage, you shota-con bastard,” she huffed with a tiny chuckle.

“Impressive, if you hadn’t been almost out of mana before reaching me,” the man in white said as he flashed in front of Rin’s vision.

Rin’s heart twisted in her chest as she looked up at the Dead Apostle in white. He knelt before her and asked, “What? No begging and pleading like the others?”

“I’m too tired and that would be a waste of my already drained energy anyway,” she groaned as she smirked up at him, “Besides, I wouldn’t give you the sick satisfaction.”

He reached out a bloodied hand and she shivered in revulsion as he fingered a lock of her wavy hair. “Too bad girls do not hold any interest for me, Little One, but you did commendably, better than any of the other mages I have taken or turned today,” he said brightly with a jovial smile.

Rin pushed herself to a more upright position and met his crimson eyes. She smirked, snorted and said, “Fuck you.”

“Such language, I’d think a higher mage like you would be more dignified,” he said with a shrug and a lavish hand gesture.

“I generally am, but right now I’m feeling a little less than normal,” she confessed.

He smiled as he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her easily to her feet. “Well, my princess would love to meet you, sweeting, and I will take you to her. You’ll have a higher post than those around you, dear,” he said happily as he lifted her up like a doll.

Rin stiffened before falling limp and laughing wearily. The crimson eyes blinked as he stared down at her. He asked, “What is so funny, girl?”

“They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” she giggled, the irony of the situation not lost on her, “Anyone who tries to be a hero generally gets screwed.”

The vampire smiled and asked, “What, the chance to be forever beautiful and powerful doesn’t appeal to you?”

“The first sanctity of a magus is not her life, but her soul, you stupid twit,” she snapped wearily as she closed her eyes. Could I kill myself before we reach his so called princess? I can barely move . . .

Then, at the corner of her eye she saw a very familiar flash of red. Her eyes widened as Aoko walked calmly down the hallway behind the vampire. Her red hair started to stream behind her like a banner as she extended her right palm. Blue energy welled up there and shot her hair back in a gale force wind that sent paper flying down the hallway.

The vampire’s eyes widened as he felt the winds pick up and send his cape flying around them. He spun around, Rin still in his arms to face the blue eyed mage. Aoko grinned as she flicked her fingers as if she was flicking droplets of water at them. Rin closed her eyes as bright blue lights exploded behind her vision and she was sent flying back.

“Rin, get your skinny ass up and run,” Aoko said calmly, “I’ll take care of this trash.”

Rin opened her eyes and managed her protesting body to her feet. The vampire in white had been sent flying back. His cape was in tatters and he was bloodied. Aoko was smirking as more power gathered in the palm of her hand. Rin lurched a step towards the witch of destruction and then another.

“Damn it, kid,” Aoko sighed as she stepped forward as the white vampire rose to his feet. He lifted his hand and his lips moved in a chant. Aoko’s hand wrapped around Rin’s wrist as she jerked her toward her before holding out her right hand. Rin blinked as a wall of brilliant glowing blue scatter shots of that volatile Fifth Magic poured out and formed a protective minefield around them.

Rin’s eyes widened at the minefield as Aoko pulled them into a classroom and repeated the process. She muttered, “One magic circuit, but almost unlimited mana . . .”

“Not to mention I made the World my bitch at one time,” Aoko said as she peered down at Rin before cursing, “Shit, Rin . . .”

Rin looked up at her wearily and sighed, “Yes, I pretty much burned all of my mana fighting both that white pedophile back there and Yukisato.”

“Damn it,” Aoko snapped as she looked around the abandoned classroom and ran a hand through her crimson hair.

******

Aoko watched as Rin wearily sat down at a desk, cradling her head in her hands. Her long black hair only served to heighten the sickly parlor of her skin and the sunken hollows under her normally lively eyes. Aoko bit her lip as she noticed the tremble in Rin’s limbs as she sat there and took deep breaths.

The room was cast in a brilliant blue glow from her makeshift minefield and tiny bits of paper were blowing around the abandoned classroom. She’d arrived to find the Clock Tower basically blown to Hell. It was a massacre pure and simple, but the bodies would rise at the setting of the sun to bring more carnage.

As much as she hated it, she suspected it was the Black Princess, one of the Twenty Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles, the most powerful and oldest of the vampires other than the True Ancestors. Besides, the Black Princess was the only one with the gall and the firepower to pull such a stunt off, like a bored child throwing a tantrum to get attention. And in the little brat’s case, Aoko had a sinking feeling who’s attention she was trying to get.

Damned hollow attempt if you ask me, Aoko thought with a chuckle as she shook her head.

Rin’s fever bright eyes looked up at her as she snorted in a wavering voice, “I doubt I see the humor in this situation.”

“Someone’s throwing a tantrum to get big sister’s attention,” Aoko said as she peered out the classroom. The pretty boy in white was gone, probably to get reinforcements or to . . . She swallowed and looked at Rin.

“What do you mean that bastard was a pedophile?” she hissed as she clinched her fist. The urge to destroy was rising, to let loose the blue destructive force pleading within her. Just let it go, she thought with a smirk, Kill the monsters and protect the innocents here. Not to mention since everyone in here has considerable magical talent then . . . The world would be surrounded in Dead in just a few hours.

Rin swallowed and answered, “I mean in the fact he tried to rape a small boy and . . . he’s the one behind the London Boy’s school slaughter the other day.”

“Oh God,” Aoko sighed as she slumped against the teacher’s desk. She rubbed her forehead against the pressure that was welling up there. “Aren’t they just supposed to be one type of monster?”

Rin chuckled and laid her head against the desk. She answered, “Unfortunately Aoko, it doesn’t work that way.”

“Well, fine, we’ll take them out then,” Aoko said as she straightened up and squared her shoulders.

Rin laughed, weak and shaky and Aoko looked at her. The girl’s red clad shoulders shook with dry mirth as she simply shook her head. “It’s not that easy Aoko. Besides, you’d be too concerned watching out for me and keeping the damage down on the other mages.”

“There’s been enough death here already,” she snapped in return, “Besides, they have no right to come here and decide to turn us into something we have no desire to be.”

Rin looked up and said, “Right now there’s not much I can do.”

“Your American friend said you’d know what to do with this,” Aoko said as she pulled the red lined clay nodule out of her jeans’ pocket and handed it to Rin.

Rin frowned as one finely manicured nail poked the clay and it crumbled apart. Nestled with in on a delicate silver chain was an oddly red crystal set into silver in which only one of the sides of the stone was visible. A tiny smile crossed Rin’s drawn features before she rose to her feet and crossed the distance to Aoko.

Aoko blinked at the smaller, younger mage as she slid the pendent over Aoko’s head. Aoko asked, “What’s going on?”

“The wearer of this pendent becomes a synchronizer, Aoko, and since your mana supply is almost limitless . . .” Rin explained with a tiny grin as she pulled a tiny anathem from the teacher’s desk.

Aoko stared at the glittering blade as Rin studied it as well. Aoko swallowed as her heart picked up and asked, “Couldn’t we connect some other way?”

“No, for this to work properly,” Rin said with a tiny grin, “It should be done with this, so give me your hand.”

Aoko sighed as she extended her right hand and looked away. The blade was drawn sharp against her palm. The blade drew a burning line that liquid heat began to well out of. She hissed in response as she clinched her eyes shut.

“Fufu, Magical Gunner Miss Blue squeamish around blood?” Rin chuckled before something warm and wet was pressed against her palm as Rin grasped her hand.

Aoko sighed, “Yeah, it’s one of many things about traditional mage craft that pisses me off. It’s one of the reasons I found my family’s old places of power and forced a pact with the World.”

She turned to see Rin’s left hand wrapped around hers, their blood dripping down pale skin and mingling with one and another. The pendent around Aoko’s throat flashed hot for a moment and filled her with liquid warmth enough to catch her breath as muscles clinched ever so slightly.

“What the fuck?” Aoko gasped as an almost forgotten heat flooded her and seemed to pool at her core. She tried to jerk her hand away from Rin’s, but the girl’s grasp was surprisingly strong. Before Aoko could even move, Rin’s face darted forward and the girl’s lips captured the wizard’s.

Aoko’s eyes widened as Rin’s lips grazed against her own. Rin’s brow furrowed before her free hand reached behind Aoko’s head, entangled in her hair and pressed to guide the redhead closer. She opened her mouth to protest, to curse, something when Rin’s wet, hot tongue entered her mouth.

Energy charged between them and Aoko found herself returning the kiss tentatively. Rin tasted like sweetened tea, which was oddly fascinating. Rin leaned up, her leaner body pressing against Aoko’s more voluptuous form as the kiss deepened.

Aoko sighed at the soft contact and relaxed. Her free hand gingerly stroked one of Rin’s ribbon tied pig tails. The hair was soft and silken against Aoko’s fingers, silkier than Aoko’s thicker and longer hair. She felt her cheeks heat as Rin backed her against the desk.

She pulled away to gasp for air as she looked at the younger woman’s flushed cheeks and tiny, impish grin. “Um, Rin?” she drawled as she ducked her head, using her hair to hide her own burning cheeks.

Rin’s hand gently brushed her hair away as she peered up at Aoko with smoky eyes. She stood on her tip toes and said, “It makes you a synchronizer, Aoko, and considering how Lea’s talents probably work . . .”

“Oh. God,” Aoko gasped as her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened to the point that they felt that they would bulge out of their sockets. She pointed awkwardly and said, “We’re both girls, last time I checked and neither of us has a penis . . .”

Rin held up their joined, wounded and bloodied hands with a smile and said, “Well, we’ve already transferred bodily fluids, but the orgasm will seal the pact because it’s when your mana is at your most open and easier to transfer.”

Aoko bit her lips as her cheeks felt as if someone had drenched them with lit napalm. She mumbled, “Well, at least you seem damn excited about it.”

“Your blushing is quite fetching, Aoko. Who knew the Magical Gunner Miss Blue would be so bashful in this situation,” Rin taunted in a husky voice.

Aoko’s eyes narrowed as she turned her head back to look at the girl. She snapped, “Sorry, I like men.”

“I like both,” Rin said with another grin, this one actively showing teeth.

Aoko looked at the ward around the room and asked, “How does this work?”

“We get each other off of course,” Rin answered as she let Aoko’s hand go.

Aoko’s cheeks heated up once again as she mumbled, “Great . . .”

Rin’s chuckle made Aoko’s shoulder’s stiffen as she jerked her face towards the girl and grabbed her. This time she kissed first, not the slightly awkward kiss of a teenage girl, but gliding her lips against Rin’s before taking her lower lip into her mouth and gently nipping it. Rin gasped as Aoko did this and the Magic Gunner took the moment to slide her tongue into the other girl’s mouth this time.

Their tongues dueled hotly, pressing and stroking against one and an other as hot saliva smeared against Aoko’s lips and trickled down her chin. The taste of tea was over whelming as Rin’s scent, also of tea but mingled with jasmine. Aoko sucked against Rin’s soft mouth and the girl leaned against her, her too thin body hot against hers.

Then Rin’s lips slid down Aoko’s chin to her throat. There was a soft, hot wet line drawn across her pulse and Aoko tensed at it. Then a soft, delicate hand rested on her breast and gently grabbed it. Aoko’s eyes widened in surprise as Rin began to fondle her.

Surprisingly talented fingers began to pinch and pull her nipple through her shirt and bra, causing the redhead to gasp and arch towards the sensation. Rin’s hand then proceeded to jerk Aoko’s shirt up around her neck and unclasp the front clasp of her white bra. Then that dark head descended towards her breast and at the touch of soft lips wrapping around her nipple Aoko was lost.

She restlessly writhed against the younger girl as pleasured heat pooled within her, causing her to impatiently gasp with need. Too long, she thought distantly, two faces appearing in her mind, one causing her heart to twist ever so slightly while the other was a faint annoyance. She entangled her hand in Rin’s hair as Rin switched breasts, lingering between them to lay a long, smooth lick that left her skin glistening in the blue witchlight.

Rin’s smirk spurred Aoko’s pleasure fogged brain into action as she traced her hand down the supple curve of the other girl’s spine, causing Rin to arch towards her hand like a needy kitten. Her heart sped up a few notches as Rin’s nimble fingers unzipped and unbuttoned her fly. She looked away as Rin guided her jeans and her panties down her long, trim legs.

“Wait,” Aoko gasped as she sat up on the desk.

Rin blinked and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m supposed to get you off at the same time too right?” she asked as she nervously swallowed, slightly angry at the rapid beat of her heart and the flame seemingly etching into her cheeks.

Rin blushed as Aoko laid on the desk. She fidgeted and nodded, her aqua eyes looking away. Aoko smiled with understanding as she tilted the girl’s face towards hers. “You’re a lot of bluster, Tohsaka,” she taunted.

Rin’s eyes narrowed shrewdly as she perched herself on the desk to straddle Aoko with her face away from Aoko’s. Aoko gasped as Rin licked her thigh and as that black head nuzzled closer to the triangle of dark red curls between her legs. Aoko eyed the white panties peeking out underneath the sinfully short black skirt and slid her clean hand to gently cup the mound hidden beneath white lace.

The other girl stilled as Aoko chuckled against the damp cloth under her palm. She slid her hand through the leg opening of Rin’s panties only to be surprised to find bare, slick skin. Rin cried out as Aoko slid her fingers into the soft slit that lead to hot, slick, and sodden folds. She chuckled as she began to rub with her index and middle fingers until her fingers hit a hardened nub hidden at the apex.

Rin cried out before her long fingers opened Aoko. Aoko clinched her eyes shut and gasped at the first touch of the soft tongue against her most sensitive place. She’s like a damned kitten, Aoko thought dazedly as Rin licked her with gentle flicks of her tongue. Aoko rubbed her fingers around the raised nub, using her thumb and pinky to spread the girl open to her and Rin cried out again against her.

Get the hint Rin, Aoko thought right as Rin began to lick harder and faster. Aoko gasped and writhed openly towards the other girl as the familiar pressure began to build and build. Her muscles began to tighten as she lost herself in the touch of Rin’s tongue and lips while she kept her fingers working within Rin.

Her movements became more erratic and her touch harder as sensation started to blur reality. She felt herself rising higher, becoming tenser and yearning for that peak. She found herself rubbing Rin almost mindlessly as things began to tighten within her. She bit her lip and quivered as Rin’s tongue picked up speed and pressure, sending enough sensation to shove Aoko off the edge.

Aoko jerked up with a moan towards Rin as the younger girl screamed as Aoko’s already wet hand was soaked even more. Aoko’s empty body clutched at nothing in need as she shuddered against Rin’s face. Then the energy burn began, heat transferring from her to cool in Rin’s wanting body.

The destructive witch fell back on the desk as she gasped for air while some of her mana poured into Rin. Rin arched up, throwing her hair back as her hands gripped the desk. Color returned to her normally pale features as the link between them shut off. Aoko lay gasping for air and slightly trembling as Rin happily hopped off the table.

She turned with a smile and placed a kiss on Aoko’s forehead. Aoko awkwardly reached up and patted Rin’s hair as she sat up. She looked around and saw her jeans and panties on the floor. Cheeks burning once again, Aoko reached for her discarded garments and redressed.

Aoko looked at Rin then looked away awkwardly. She said, “I’m glad you’re better.”

Slim arms wrapped around Aoko in a sudden hug and Aoko blinked before looking at the girl. Rin’s head rested against Aoko’s shoulder as she hugged the older mage. “Thank you, Aoko,”

Aoko patted the younger girl’s head as she said, “Come on, we’re gonna get you safe and then I’m going to kick some vampire ass.”

“What about the others?” Rin asked as she looked around the room.

Aoko said, “I don’t know, but right now you’re the one mage I know of here that’s not turned. So, at least one of us needs to get out of here safe and warn the other branches and get some help.”

Rin’s brow furrowed before she was about to protest, but Aoko bent forward and placed a quick kiss on her lips. “Don’t argue and don’t try to manipulate me, you’re getting the second force while I hold down the fort, but right now, we need to get you out of here before it gets dark.”


******

Rin stayed behind Aoko as they left the safety of the classroom. The darkness in the hallway had increased, causing Rin to create a tiny light in her palm just so the mage and wizard could see. Rin whispered, “It’s too dark in here.”

“Yeah, I think there might be a Reality Marble at work,” Aoko said dryly.

Rin cursed and looked down the hallway. “Damn it,” she hissed.

Aoko smirked and said, “Well, I have an idea.”

She brought her arms up as Aoko held out her hand. The gale force wind picked up around the sorceress, kicking her red hair back like a banner and causing Rin’s clothing and hair to whip back as well. She shielded herself from the gale as the blue light blossomed in Aoko’s hand before shooting out in front of them.

The darkness seemed to shatter under the blue light and the shadows returned to normal. Rin blinked as Aoko lowered her hand and the gale stopped. Aoko’s near ankle length hair fell down as Rin straightened up to her normal height. She peered around the grinning wizard’s shoulder and gasped, “What an odd Reality Marble, to create darkness like . . .”

Rin froze as she saw a body lurch towards them. More and more began to rise from the classroom and she cursed, “Damn it, a Reality Marble that creates the illusion of night . . . useless, unless one’s a Dead Apostle.”

“Or one of the Dead,” Aoko said dryly before she grabbed Rin’s wrist. Rin took her hand as the two women began to run through the dead corridors of the school. The air was thick with a coppery taint that made her stomach churn ever so slightly.

As they ran, more and more of the Dead were starting to awaken. With Yukisato’s rapid change any indication, Rin calculated that twenty percent of the mages would be full Dead Apostles within days, and the rest with in the month with the Dead they’d create. Within two months, if nothing was done, London would be overruled by the undead.

“Someone needs to contact the Church,” Rin said grimly.

Aoko snorted, “They’re probably loving this, the Mage’s Association being wiped out by vampires that they get to kill.”

Rin sighed and thought of Kirei. She snorted, “You’re probably not wrong about that . . .”

“So, when we get out, I need you to start calling all the vampire hunting mages in the Association. Tell the head what happened to and tell them that I’m here,” Aoko stated.

Rin nodded and replied, “Makes sense.”

“What, not going to argue with me and demand to stay?” Aoko replied with a grin.

Rin smirked and answered, “Of course not . . . Still, you said something about trying to get someone’s attention?”

“Yeah, the two princesses of the Crimson Moon, the White and the Black,” Aoko explained, “The True Ancestor and the child who’s half True Ancestor and half human, but considered a Dead Apostle.”

Rin sighed, “Let me guess, the White Princess is the more favored of the two?”

“Depends on your opinion of that, my dear,” a deep voice said as a knight garbed in ebon armor appeared in front of him. Red eyes gleamed under his helm as they flickered over both of them. In his left hand was a wickedly etched sword that was so dark that it seemed to leech all the remaining light around it.

“We dearly love our princess,” came the white pedophile vampire’s voice from behind them.

Aoko held out her hands as the dazzling blue sorcery formed between them. Her sapphire eyes narrowed as she bent her knees ever so lightly to brace herself. Rin stepped off to the side and rolled up the sleeve covering her crest. She turned so she was facing the pedophile.

And stopped at the sight of a dozen children with pale skin and sunken hollow eyes in various states of undress and pajamas staring at her emptily.

“Oh God, they’re from the London Boy’s School,” Rin whispered as she closed her eyes and leveled her arm.

The influx of mana flowed freely into her arm and made the Crest glow golden. She concentrated and started to chant rapidly in German. She flexed her fingers as the bright golden light appeared in her palm. With a loud cry she shot it out the childlike Dead surrounding the monster in white.

She felt cool wind whip her hair in front of her face as she heard the familiar hum of Aoko’s sorcery. She opened her eyes and ignored the children’s smoking remains as she met the vampire in white’s glowing ruby eyes. She smirked as she charged the Crest again. She taunted, “Well, how would you like to see me at my best?”

“Very well done, little girl,” the white vampire said with a bow as he swept his ridiculous tricorn hat from his head.

“Rin, I want this bastard,” Aoko said with grit teeth as she walked in front of Rin with both of her hands glowing.

Rin took a step back towards the black armored knight and his sword. “Aoko, your overconfidence in my abilities is flattering, but I think I’m out of my league here,” Rin said as the black knight took another step closer to them. She took a look in the darkness and her eyes widened as more and more figures appeared. Children. Women. Men. Full mages and students a like not to mention more remnants from the boy’s school walking closer and closer with their hungry eyes.

“How many people did you bastards kill?” Aoko asked with narrowed eyes as she took another step closer to the white vampire, her red hair streaming behind her.

A giggle echoed throughout the corridor, high sweet and girlish enough to make Rin grit her teeth as a small figure pirouetted disturbingly beside the black knight. He gently put his empty hand on her shoulder as the girl looked at Rin and Aoko with glowing eyes with silted pupils.

Her blood streaked skin was pale, the fact even more pronounced by her ebon dress and matching long, straight black hair. She was petite and had the form of a young teenage girl just beginning to curve ever so slightly. She rested her head against the knight’s arm and answered dryly, “Apparently not enough, but . . . I have the final two pieces for my collection! I have one of the Five Magic users and a fairly powerful mage left, who has really pretty hair by the way.”

“So, since this is the reveal of the Big Bad, do we get names, or are you just her royal pain in the ass?” Rin said between tight lips.

The young girl giggled, exposing tiny sharp fangs as she tossed her hair back. She bowed and replied, “I am princess Altrouge Brunestud and these are my loyal knights. The Black Knight is Rizo-Waal Strout and my White Knight is Fina-Blood Svelten and you two are Tohsaka Rin and Aozaki Aoko.”

Aoko chuckled and asked, “So, you can summon the Castle then?”

“Among other things,” Altrouge said with a smile as she made a tiny circle on Strout’s arm.

Aoko leaned back towards Rin and said, “I’m going to attack the princess. You get the hell out of here.”

“As powerful as you are Aoko, I doubt you could tackle all three of them,” Rin said dryly.

Aoko’s hair was still whipping around her as she said, “I’m only distracting them long enough so I can run after you, Rin.”

“Well, at least you’re not grinning at me and making a ridiculous promise to kick their asses,” Rin snorted beneath her breath with a tiny shake of her head.

Aoko snorted and grinned as she spread out her arms, one facing Strout and the Princess while the other was pointed at Svelten. She drawled, “I’m not that stupid.”

“Plus, you’re not a man,” Rin muttered as she closed her eyes and ran her hands over her legs. She poured mana into her limbs and enhanced them with Reinforcement. She looked over and sighed. The hallways were teaming with the Dead and the only way out had two of the Twenty Seven Dead Apostles blocking her way.

Aoko’s hands flared like stars as she chuckled, “With you around Rin, who needs one?” Her eyes narrowed then flashed before she shouted wordlessly as the sorcery shot out both of her palms. Rin shielded her face and took off running.

She heard girlish giggling and masculine cursing as she dashed past. The air was thick with ozone as Aoko started to blow up things. She kept running only to be blocked by more of the Dead children. “Shit,” she cursed before biting her lip and holding out her Crest.

She aimed right as a blast of blue shot past her and went through the children. Aoko’s voice was faint as the older sorceress shouted, “Keep your skinny ass moving, Rin!”

Rin grit her teeth and lightened her body to give a burst of speed down the hallway. She turned to the hallway that would lead her out of the school. The doors loomed up ahead and Rin ran faster. She shoved them open only to skid to a halt at the mass of upright bodies with clearer eyes than the children in the hallway.

She was about to blast some of them with a Gand when something long, jagged and black hit the ground in the center of the Living Dead. She stared at it as it exploded, taking all the Living Dead out and knocking her back. She looked up at a figure standing up on one of the near by buildings.

She forced mana into her eyes and narrowed them.

Her heart stopped, her breath caught her throat and her eyes widened.

Standing on the building was a tall, broad shouldered man garbed in black. His arms were bare, displacing exquisitely sculpted arms with bronze skin. He held a wicked black bow in his left hand while his right was empty for the moment. His white hair was being swept back by the heavy night breeze as steely grey eyes met hers emptily.

“Archer,” Rin gasped as their eyes met and held.

[Raven2785]

Oh fuck yeah!

EDIT: oh, Its just chapter 3 again

[Flere821]

... Elf, is there a reason you posted Chapter 3 again when it's right there on the previous page? Us lesser forumites cannot fathom the thought processes of moderators and such lofty personage ^^;

[Elf]

The reason is . . . I'm an idiot.

It's fixed though, chapter four and delicious Rin X Aoko smut is up for everyone to take a gander at.

[mangafreak7793]

.....is it alright to say that the aoko/rin was kind of hot?

Btw did aoko reminisce about shiki and soujuurou?

[Elf]

.....is it alright to say that the aoko/rin was kind of hot?

Btw did aoko reminisce about shiki and soujuurou?

Yes, it is fine to say that the Aoko/Rin was hot. XD And my first yuri porn scene I've ever written.

Soujuurou yes, Shiki not in this aspect.

[mangafreak7793]

Then who was the second face? Alice?

[ImperialOrder]

Sneaky~ Archer was totally watching Yuri Porn from miles away

[LunarLegend]

The story continues well.

I must admit I got a little disjointed after Aoko rescued Rin from the pedopire. Aoko's dialog into the nature of the Black Princess came as a little awkward, what with us focusing on this while we'd barely established how she & Rin found safety. having Aoko pace for a bit, or do some other lost-in-thought activity might make this read easier.

Likewise, Aoko saying lines like “Aren’t they just supposed to be one type of monster?” don't make much sense. Isn't she supposed to know all about Altrouge? Wouldn't someone who the name of the Black Princess of Crimson Moon know about the basics of vampirism?

Rin's moment to declare "Yes, Aoko, I'm going to turn you into a Synchronizer now!" came off as a bit unnaturally paced. Rin hadn't really been established as full open about her bisexuality yet (unless I missed something), and I'd doubt she'd be the kind to suddenly revel at a chance to spontaneously have her way with an authority figure she respected so highly.

The spontaneous arrival or Archer bodes interesting. What could possibly summon his Counter Guardian ass, I wonder?

[NewAgeOfPower]

@Elf:

You know, Miss Blue is a pedo too, right?... You did watch Carnival Phantasm, yes?

[Elf]

Chapter Five: Part One

Aoko ran outside right as the black sword-arrow hybrid hit. Her eyes widened at the explosion it caused, almost evaporating the Dead around it. Rin was knocked back, but the raven haired magus quickly rose to her feet again. There were still dead left, but Aoko watched as Rin looked up at one of the near by buildings.

She looked up at the building as well.

Her eyes made out a figure dressed in black clothing and light hair. She narrowed her eyes to try to focus, but the figure was too far away. However, the hairs on the backs of her arms and neck were tingling. There was a thrumming pulse in her head that ran down to her fingertips that made her eyes widen in recognition. She took a step back as she felt something like ice water pour down her spine as she felt emotionless, lifeless eyes upon her.

The destructive blue sorcery welled up automatically in her hand as she shot it out. She braced herself as the resounding explosion pushed her back. “Archer,” she heard Rin call out as Aoko grit her teeth and lifted both hands this time. Except this time Aoko was knocked back from the resounding wake of whatever projectile the thing up there was using.

She rolled to her feet to see Strout take a stance and bring up his black sword. He simply swatted his wrist and there was a resulting clang. He turned and started blocking rapidly. With each movement, Aoko saw a wicked looking barbed black blade bounce back and forth against the sword. Dark sparks flashed from both blades as the two swords clashed again and again.

“Archer!” Rin shouted as she started to head towards the building.

No. No fucking way, Aoko thought as she started heading towards Rin as her stomach started to tighten. Gaia, you cruel bitch, she thought as she dove after the smaller girl. Rin cried out as the two women collided and Aoko pinned her to the ground.

“Let me go, damn you,” Rin said as she began to struggle, “That’s my Servant!”

Aoko grabbed her wrists and pinned the smaller girl to the ground. Her long hair cascaded over both of them, creating an illusion of psudo-privacy as she snapped, “That’s not your Servant.”

“Yes, it is. That. Is. My. ARCHER,” Rin snapped as she attempted to sit up.

Aoko shoved her face into the younger girl’s so close that their noses were touching. Aqua eyes widened as Aoko hissed, “No it isn’t.”

Rin’s face fell as she whispered, “Then what is he?”

“We need to get up and get the hell out of here before it notices us,” Aoko said as she shoved herself to her feet. She jerked Rin up as well. Rin’s eyes widened even more as she looked towards where Strout was still fighting the sword.

“Enough!” Strout shouted as liquid darkness started to seep from his blade. It engulfed the other sword before vanishing into nothing. He brought his sword down and shouted wordlessly as he leapt into the air towards the Force of the World standing on the rooftop.

The figure in black flashed from the rooftop it moved so fast. Aoko started to shove Rin away from the fight. “We’re getting you home now, Rin,” Aoko said firmly as she ignored the sounds of clanging steel raging all around them.

Rin grabbed her arm and looked up at her. She demanded, “What is he, Aoko?”

“It’s a Counter Guardian, a Force of the World sent to clean up after a disaster,” Aoko answered as she shoved Rin into movement.

Rin froze and looked up at the battle. She mused to herself, “But I Summoned him, he’s a Heroic Spirit.”

“Yeah, but not in the sense of King Arthur or Gilgamesh. They only do stuff after their death,” Aoko snapped, “And I don’t know how the hell a fucking Counter Guardian got Summoned for the damned Grail War, but . . . You need to shut up and get running!”

However, the appearance of a young teenager in a flowing black dress with matching hair and the damned pedophile in white in front of them skidded them to a stop. Altrouge clapped her hands together and did a small twirl, her long black hair spinning around her. She giggled and clasped onto Svelten’s arm. She pointed at the black blurs crashing into each other.

“Look, the World sent out a Counter Guardian,” she squealed.

Svelten tilted his head thoughtfully and asked, “How long do you think he’ll last against Strout, your highness?”

“I don’t know, but he’s doing good. I mean, besides, the World only sent him. They usually send seven when I bring out Primate Murder,” Altrouge said with a girlish smile and a shrug, “But I guess we only rank one, how sad.”

Rin stiffened, her eyes narrowed, and her grip tightened on Aoko’s arm, but she said nothing as she glared. Svelten’s eyes locked on Rin and he chuckled, “Look, the little jewel slinger’s upset about your comment, My Lady.”

“She is?” Altrouge said as she peered at Rin thoughtfully, one delicate finger tapping her rounded chin.

Rin tilted her head up and spat, “That’s my Archer. I Summoned him, and Servant or not, he’s mine.”

“Right now he’s just a mindless force that would kill all of us before fading back into the Throne,” Aoko said dryly as started to gather her sorcery between both hands.

Svelten chuckled as Strout landed hard on the ground, causing concrete to crack and sink beneath his heavy armor. He pushed his sword into the ground and forced himself up. The Counter Guardian landed nimbly in front of the vampire, a white Chinese falchion in one hand and a black with an odd red honeycomb pattern engraved falchion in the right. They were beautiful swords that the man in black held simply.

Aoko moved to put herself between Rin and the Guardian. Altrouge and Svelten simply blinked as the Guardian approached. His white hair was an unruly mess that alternated falling into his face and sticking up. Muscles rippled in his bare, bronzed arms as he approached the Dead Apostle like the relentless force he was. Empty grey eyes like steel narrowed at Strout before flickering towards the mixed group of Dead Apostles and mages.

He brought up the white sword and slung it like a boomerang towards Aoko, and then he slung the black one at Altrouge. Rin cried out and clung at her shoulders as the gale winds picked up around Aoko. She shot the sword down with a blast of blue sorcery. There was a clang of steel against steel as chains shot up from the ground in front of Altrouge to reach the night sky. The sword caught in the chains and shattered like glass.

However, twins of those two swords appeared in his hands again. Altrouge placed her hands on her hips and spun furiously to Strout. She demanded, “Why is he proving such a problem to you, Rizo?”

“Endless swords, no matter how many the Dark claims, there’s always more,” the knight replied with a bowed head.

Aoko looked at Rin, who was simply staring with wide eyes. Altrouge huffed and sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. She looked at Aoko and asked, “Shall we call a truce for now, Magic Gunner?”

“I was planning on hauling our asses out of here and letting the killbot take care of your gothic Lolita cosplay fetish ass,” Aoko replied with a smile.

Strout shouted, “Have at you!” Then he stood up with a roar and charged the Counter Guardian again. Their blades met as they became black blurs of movement. Steel clashed against steel as they swept around the group, Strout barely successful at keeping the Guardian’s attacks from the assorted group from connecting.

Aoko blinked as she looked at Altrouge. She asked, “Why the hell is he protecting all of us?”

“Because I don’t want anything to happen to you so I can make you both Dead Apostles, silly,” Altrouge sighed with a toss of her hair.

Svelten asked, “Should I engage him as well, your highness?”

“No, I wanna try something else,” Altrouge said cheerfully as she swung her hands behind her back and clasped them there before doing a cheerful little spin.

Rin tensed before opening her mouth. Aoko placed her hand over Rin’s mouth and asked, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Ever wanna see what happens when a mindless force of Nothing gets their free will back?” Altrouge asked cheerfully as her grin squinted her eyes shut.


Aoko blinked as the child like vampire swayed as if she was waltzing towards the battle. Altrouge thrust her hand out with a tiny chuckle as the chains erupted from the ground again. They shot up between Strout and the Guardian. Both men skidded to a halt and the Guardian’s swords faded in his hands to be replaced by a wicked black bow and a spiraled silver sword with a blue handle. He nocked the sword and pulled the string.

Altrouge whipped behind him in a flash. Aoko frowned as her eyes shifted from ruby red to a glowing gold with silted pupils like a cat’s. The Archer spun around with his bow drawn as his eyes met the golden glowing of the little girl’s. Aoko kept Rin behind her as her eyes widened when the bow and sword vanished from his hands.

He ran a hand through his snowy hair, getting it to stand in a spiky arrangement on his head before looking around. His eyes widened for a moment as he frowned. He looked towards Altrouge as she disengaged her chains with a giggle. Then he looked around with those wide, confused eyes before he saw Aoko.

Or rather, those eyes narrowed at what was behind Aoko.

He dashed forward and Aoko readied her sorcery, however, he smoothly vanished as she grit her teeth only to find him behind her. She was about to blast him when he simply lifted Rin into his arms. The girl blinked, as if spellbound, as she wrapped her arms automatically around his neck. Then he hunched his muscles and jumped high, leaving them alone.

Aoko blinked as she lowered her hands and watched their forms become smaller and smaller. Svelten said, “Well, that was unexpected.”

“He knew her,” Altrouge said with a tiny smile and giggled, beaming at Aoko.

Then all three Dead Apostles surrounded the Magical Blue Gunner.

******


They were in the air.

Bounding from rooftop to rooftop through London in the night air as they headed back to Rin’s flat.

The cool air whipped her hair back from her face as they practically flew. She had her arms wrapped around Archer’s neck as he carried her away. “Archer,” she said, almost having to shout over the wind.

No reply, just narrowed pewter eyes as he carried her away. She gritted her teeth and demanded, “Archer!”

Again, nothing but him tightening his grip on her. She turned her head to look over his broad shoulder. Already Aoko and the three Dead Apostles were faded from sight. She bit her lip before snapping, “Archer, we have to turn back, Aoko’s down there.”

Silence was his only reply. She looked up into his stoic features and swallowed, shrinking back from him as much as she could. She looked back over his right shoulder and frowned at the slightly familiar faded scar marring the smooth dusky skin there. It was odd seeing him without his red garb on, but instead in all black like an assassin.

In fact, this is all too surreal, she thought dryly as she frowned at the scar there. It was raised slightly from the skin, slightly paler than the rest of the skin with deeper furrows carved into it. She frowned at the sense of déjà vu she was having at the scar before she felt Archer’s eyes on her.

She opened her mouth to protest again when the sense of freefall jettisoned into actual falling. Her stomach lifted and her head felt light as he easily landed right in front of her apartment building. He quickly carried her to her flat and set her down.

She frowned up at him and he tilted his head towards the door. She crossed her arms under her breasts and demanded, “How the hell did you know where I lived? And we need to go back after Aoko.”

“Open the door, Rin,” he replied, his voice hoarse and rusty while he looked down at her.

She swallowed and started to dig for her keys. She replied, “You don’t have any right to boss me around. Counter Guardian or not, you were still my Servant, Archer.”

“Rin, open the damned door,” he demanded harshly.

She got out her keys and unlocked the door. She opened it and replied, “Are you happy now? You know, you just left . . .”

He gently shoved her into the room and locked the door behind him. “Hey!” she protested as she whirled to face him. He began to look around the room before his face met hers again.

His voice was still hoarse as he demanded, “Check your wards, Rin.”

“I assure you, they’re just as strong now as when I left this morning,” she snorted as she glared up at him.

He stared down at her and she took a step back. She swallowed and started to walk the apartment. She took a deep breath as she held her hands out. She felt the tiny rush of mana around the circle encasing her apartment. However, with the new enemies wanting to give her the oh-so-called gift of immortality, Rin figured it wouldn’t hurt to strengthen them.

She headed to her bedroom and opened her jewelry box. She sighed at the myriad of colors that sparkled out from the blood red velvet. She smiled fondly at the stones and lifted the box so the shelves holding even more stones would pop out. She eyed the syringe nestled at the bottom of the box with a fresh pack of needles at the bottom. I still have an influx of mana, I should charge a stone tonight, Rin mused as she studied the jewels thoughtfully.

She peered at blue, golden, and pink topazes, the various bits of quartz she had in there, sapphires that came in colors other than blue, blood red rubies, the rainbow of shades that made up tourmaline, various colors of beryl other than emeralds and aquamarines as well as spinel, garnets, peridot, and the other gems winking up at her. They hummed pleasantly through her body, causing her to tingle from her fingertips to her toes in a warm, comforting wash. Despite everything, she found herself smiling at her precious collection as she skimmed her fingers through the stones.

She fished five out and laid them in her left palm. There were two round dark brown smoky quartzes, two black tourmaline rounds and one elliptical cut violet-blue iolite that winked dark grey if the light hit it right resting in her palm. The smoky quartzes and tourmalines were known for their protective qualities and the beautiful iolite was for intuition and visions. The dark stones would protect if placed properly at the proper places of her ward and the iolite placed in the center would help warn of her of danger.

Walking quickly, she placed one of the tourmalines in the far left corner of her bedroom. She quickly placed the other three dark stones strategically to the ward before walking back into the living room. She held the eye shaped stone in her hand as she set it between the living room, the kitchen, her bathroom and bedroom. She then walked back into the living room.

Archer was still standing there, his arms folded over his chest as he continued to frown at her. She peered up at him, not realizing how tall he’d been before. He asked, “Are the wards secure?”

“Yeah, I reinforced them with a few gems from my personal collection as well as adding an early warning system,” Rin answered as she gestured around her apartment before frowning back at him.

He dropped his hands to his side and looked at her. He stepped closer and reached out for her bloodied hand. She blinked as her heart picked up and her cheeks flushed as he studied the cut on her hand. He said, “Your hand. Are you alright, Rin?”

“I had to transfer mana with Aoko earlier today, I was running on a mana crash,” Rin answered as she swallowed as he didn’t let go of her hand, “But I’m fine.”

The serious confusion in his face didn’t match the Archer she remembered. He’d smirked at her, teased her and taunted her to various degrees while occasionally flirting and flattering with her. The look of serious confusion was more suited for Emiya Shirou than Archer she realized.

She looked away and said, “We should go back after Aoko.”

“A member of the Burial Agency was about to intercept,” Archer said as his eyes narrowed, his fists clinched, and his jaw twitched.

Rin blinked and asked, “You physically saw them?”

He nodded and moved even closer. His eyes flickered down at her and her cheeks flashed hotter under their scrutiny. He asked again, “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I told you once, I’m fine,” she snorted as she tossed her hair and looked away, “This fretting nature doesn’t suit . . .”

She gasped as he was suddenly holding her. She blinked and looked up at him. His head was resting against hers, an oddly reassuring weight as his arms pulled her to the surprising warmth of his body. She frowned but returned the embrace as she blinked at him.

******

Aoko spun and shot her hands out, sending scattering bits of sorcery out like buck shot only to suspend in the air around her like a mystical minefield. She stopped as the three Dead Apostles stared at her before she flicked her fingers at them as if she was flicking water. The gales were sending her hair whipping as Svelten grabbed a still giggling Altrouge and jumped back.

Strout stepped up and swung his sword in a dark arch. The darkness seeped from his sword like spilled ink to engulf the magics. There was an explosion as the darkness flared dark blue before fading into nothing. She slung another bolt at him and the darkness exploded yet again.

“Clever,” Aoko said as she caught her breath and watched the Black Knight with narrowed eyes.

Strout pulled off his helm and let hit drop. Silken black hair fell around a face that would have been handsome save for the glowing, inhuman crimson eyes wandering over her. He then bowed to her low at the waist before rising up to meet her eyes again.

“Sorry, hon, but courtly gestures mean jack shit to me,” Aoko quipped before blasting him with her left hand. Except it wasn’t just one shot, but a continuous blast that he had to straighten back up and swing his sword up to block. It shot him back as she kept advancing, frowning as he didn’t blow up, but instead the darkness of his sword kept exploding.

So she simply turned and directed her power at Svelten.

The white vampire cried out as he jumped out of the way. Altrouge was still chuckling and Aoko shot a bolt at her only to have the small vampire spin out of her way. Sweat was beading on her forehead and her limbs were starting to feel a tad heavy. She took a deep breath and asked, “What’s so damned funny?”

“His impulse,” Altrouge answered as she spun a tiny bit.

Aoko blinked and asked, “You used that version of the Mystic Eyes on a Counter Guardian? You know what he could have done?”

“It’s so sweet, he had to get her to safety,” Altrouge giggled as she pressed her hands to her cheeks and swayed a bit.

Aoko sighed as she shot at the vampires as she started to run. However, she didn’t sense the magic circle until she ran through it. She gasped as her limbs felt like lead and she fell to the ground. She looked up to see a man with crow’s wings and long black hair looking down at her.

“Ah, Gransurg, what took you so long?” Svelten asked as the princess and her knights approached.

Gransurg shook his arms as he landed. Aoko closed her eyes and pressed her hands on the circle. She welled her mana and channeled it into her sorcery. She shouted as she shot it into the magical circle. It exploded in a sapphire blaze as the weight seeped enough from her limbs so she could stand again.

She tossed her hair back and took off again. She heard a rasping voice answer, “My latest charge is rather stubborn . . .”

“The Druid?” Svelten asked curiously as Aoko continued to run.

“Blackmore, I did something neat! I used my Mystic Eyes on a Counter Guardian and he swept that Rin girl to take her to safety and it was soooo romantic,” Altrouge giggled.

Glad you think it’s romantic, you phsyco vampire brat, Aoko thought with a snide chortle, Rin gets the handsome knight to save her skinny ass and I’m running from Altrouge and Pals and Crow Man. She shot her hand back to send up another minefield of sorcery. Only to spin around to see Strout standing before her with his sword drawn and poking her between her breasts.

She grit her teeth and hissed as she stared up at the smirking Dead Apostle who looked at her with surprisingly cold red eyes as he drew closer without pressing the blade even more. “As powerful as you are, you’re too outnumbered,” he said with a tiny smile, “But, you did very well and protecting the young jewel mage was quite admirable.”

“All life’s precious, even a skinny kid like Rin,” Aoko said as she started to take a step back. However, the blade shot up under her chin as Strout clicked his tongue against his teeth and slowly shook his head. She bit her lip and shook her own head. “Damn it,” she sighed as he lowered his sword.

He said, “I honestly do not want to hurt you, Aoko.”

She opened her mouth to reply when three Black Keys struck the ground between herself and Strout. The vampire hissed and jumped back and Aoko shoved herself out of the way. More of the slim black swords hit the ground in a circle around the vampire as he started to slash with his sword. She spun around to see a teenage girl standing beside her with a head of short blue hair and a dark blue frock dress.

“Hello Ciel, good to see you again,” Aoko said as she pooled more sorcery in her hands.

Ciel of the Burial Agency grinned as well as she pulled three more Black Keys from her robes. She said, “You know that’s not going to hold a Dead Apostle of his caliber for long.”

“So, we should haul ass out of here, don’t you think?” Aoko asked as Altrouge and Pals started approaching.

Ciel deftly shot the throwing swords in a deft line in front of Altrouge as she pulled more and more out of her dress. She tilted her head towards Strout and answered, “Good idea, Blue.”

The two women took off, sending volleys of Black Keys and blasts of sorcery to help aid their retreat. As they ran, Aoko gave one last thought to Rin and the Counter Guardian. >Mystic Eyes from a vampire where a mixed bag, and getting Rin safe might have been his first impulse, but what the hell would happen after that?

******
His mind was muddled, a confused fog with flashes cutting through like a lighthouse beacon.

“Damn you, Master, damn you,” he cursed as the petite raven hair girl thrust the broom and dust pan into his hands before turning sharply on her heel away from him.

Pale hands gripping cell bars as aquamarine eyes met his with unwavering convention. “I’m going to get you out of here, Shirou, this is ridiculous. You’d never . . .”

Dozens of walking corpses standing in front of an old museum as he drew his bow and aimed. He had his orders, the details were irrelevant. He was here as a cleaner, nothing more nothing less. Wipe clean the disaster, kill the things responsible, and any witnesses. Take form, do the job and return to the Throne.

His hands had wavered when he saw the girl with her long black hair and eyes like the ocean staring up at him. Then the Command snapped back into force as he leapt off the roof to finish his job. The obstacles were minor, and he enjoyed the fight with the Black Knight. In fact, he already had the sword in his memories to Trace if he ever needed the mysterious Neardark.

Then those eyes, those golden eyes, bore into him, ripping him raw from within. Those eyes tore through the commands, the connection and found who he was beneath. Memories had came flooding back, different realities, different times, loved faces, despair that mingled with desires and urges long buried.


“Archer?”

That’s not my name, he thought as he looked down at Rin. His arms were still holding her tightly and her hand was rubbing up and down his back. He sighed and buried his hair into the black waves of her hair. “Archer?” her voice was soft, tentative.

He pulled his head back far enough to stare down at her. “I’m fine, I promise,” she said with a frown as she met his eyes.

She’s safe, he thought as if an iron load had been lifted from his shoulders as he pushed her hair off her shoulder. She stared up at him with wide eyes as he lowered his head towards hers. She opened her mouth to say something when he brushed his lips against hers.

I . . . need . . . her.

She returned the kiss, parting her lips against his as one hand gripped his hair. He slid his tongue into her mouth as her’s flickered against it. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Hands gripped hair and clothing and kneaded as they kissed hotly, her lips warm, soft and wet against his. He lifted her up and she gasped against him as her long, slim legs wrapped around his waist.

Rin rubbed against him, her legs tightening around his waist as her lips captured his again. This kiss was a more aggressive press of lips, tongues, and nipping teeth as he carried her past the living room and into the kitchen. He hissed against her lips as she rubbed against him again.

His head swarm with sensations as they kissed. After going so long as a form of Nothing, to be here with Rin he felt as if every nerve ending was on fire. He craved her touch, the taste of her, the feel of her skin against his and to bury every anguish into her for one moment. He was hard with need and her rubbing against that ache only served to entrap him further.

With one swipe of his arm and a loud crash the hardwood table was clear. He carefully laid Rin on it before she reached for him again. “Archer,” she murmured as darkened aqua eyes met his. He answered her by stroking her hair tenderly and kissing her forehead. He kissed down her nose, brushed his lips against her cheeks and savored the silken smoothness of her fair skin.

He reached down to pull the red fabric of her shirt up and her cheeks flushed even more. He bent down to kiss her again and one of her hands entangled in his hair as the other gripped his shoulder. He moved his hands to her breasts and rested them lightly there. Rin squirmed underneath him, moving her lips away from his as panted against him.

Rin arched up towards him as his hands gently began to knead her small breasts. “More,” she gasped as her nails dug into his bicep. Carefully, he moved his hand under her back to deftly unhook her bra. He glazed down at her small, perfectly formed and perky white breasts. He brushed his thumbs over the already hardened points of her coppery pink nipples and she writhed beneath him.

He kissed down her throat and lowered his head to lick between her breasts. Rin moved restlessly underneath him as he started to move his right hand down her side to rest on her thigh. His finger skimmed over the hose she wore right as he flicked his tongue over her nipple. “Archer, what . . .” her head shook, splaying her hair across the table, “Oh God . . .”

She ran her hands down his sides until her fingers met the facets of his armor. With a deft motion with her fingers, she quickly unlatched the armor and he automatically ducked his head to let it drop to the ground. Her eyes widened as she ran her hands down his chest, fingers running over the familiar scars there. Her fingertips tingled over the scar above his heart, causing him to groan in response and close his eyes.

Their breaths mingled in harsh panting as he moved his hand back up to impatiently tug her shirt over her head. She shook herself the rest of the way out of the shirt and wrapped her arms around him. He met her eyes and they stared at each other for endless, breathless moments. “Touch me,” Rin demanded in a breathy whisper before lifting herself up enough to kiss him again.

Her mouth was hot and swollen against his, each touch of lips and tongue even more addictive than the one before it. His hands wandered down her body, resting at her breasts again. He gently kneaded her and she separated from his mouth long enough to gasp and flush. The pinkness was spreading from her face to the rest of her pale body as her skin warmed ever so slightly against his.

Then she nodded and he slumped in relief as she asked, “Archer?”

“Shush,” he growled against her lips before kissing her again. She moaned softly and rose against him, her legs wrapping around his waist again. He ground into her, nearly snarling in frustration as her hands roamed down her back. She pulled back to gasp for air as she continued to touch him with her soft, small, elegant hands.

He kissed down her neck again, smirking slightly at the tiny gasp as he licked the line of her pulse. He let her breasts go long enough to reach up and quickly pull the ribbons holding her hair back out, letting the ebon waves spill freely. Breath catching in his throat, he ran his fingers through the silken strands as she skimmed a hand down his stomach to rest on the buckle of his leather pants.

He gasped this time as her hand trailed lower to gently grasp his hardness through the heavy fabric. She worked her hand over him as she watched him with wide eyes. “Rin,” he gasped as she nimbly began to unsnap the bothersome garment. Her breasts where heaving against his chest with each unsteady breath.

“Archer,” she whispered in a shaky voice as she looked up at him.

He swallowed and caught his breath as pleasure shot through his body with her gentle touches. He forced himself to look into her eyes. “Oh,” she said in a breathy whisper as her bare hand wrapped around him.

Archer, for that was what she knew him as and called him thus, gasped and arched into her touch as she stroked him. The need strengthened even more and he bent his head down to suck on her left nipple. She gasped and squeezed him a bit, the response was electric, and firing him up even more until his body was humming with sheer need. He lapped at her slightly salty skin and she squirmed against him in breathy gasps. His hand toyed with her nipple as his free hand traveled down her side to unzip her skirt.

Grunting as she wiggled up most becomingly, he managed to pull the black fabric off and throw it on the floor. He looked down at her flushed skin, tousled hair, swollen lips, passion hazed eyes with everything almost completely bare to him save for one white scrap of fabric and a pair of black stockings. He slid his fingers over her panties and nodded to himself to find the fabric damp.

Rin lifted herself up to start to push his pants down his thighs. He looked up into her eyes again and almost dropped to his knees in thanks. He shoved the heavy garment down his legs and kicked them off before turning to her again. Rin’s eyes were wide as she stared down at him, one hand reaching for him again.

He grabbed her wrist and shook his head before dropping to his knees before her. He grabbed her legs and slid her until her long legs were dangling off the table and those white panties were even with his face. Rin gasped as he grabbed the white cotton and jerked away easily.

There was no teasing when he placed his mouth over the smooth, bare entrance to her body, no slow build up of gentle kisses and teasing flicks of tongue. He was gentle when he spread her wet folds to him, but he licked long and hard. Fingers tightened in his hair as Rin bucked up and screamed.

He pressed his shoulders against her thighs as he ran his tongue over the hard nubbin at the apex of soft flesh. His tongue flickered relentlessly against it as Rin wrapped her stocking clad legs around his shoulders to draw him nearer. She was tossing her head back and forth as she continued to cry out with each pass of his tongue. She began to whimper when he wrapped his lips against her and began to suck with an increasing pressure. Her hands tightened in his hair as her thighs began to tremble on each side of his head. Her breathing was becoming more and more erratic as the point he’d been teasing began to ride back into her body, as if it was trying to hide from his onslaught.

The retreat only made him double his efforts, sucking even harder until she tensed and jerked up with a shudder. Her screaming echoed through his ears as the spicy musky wetness was smeared against his mouth and chin. However, he didn’t stop, only kept licking until her screams became pleading half sobs as she began to tense up again. Rin’s breath caught before she jerked up against him hard before trying to squirm away from his mouth.

Archer gave her one last kiss there before rising to his feet. He placed his hand behind Rin’s head moved her until her legs were back on the table before he settled above her. He looked down into her flushed face as she reached up and brushed her fingers against his lips with a tiny smile. Rin’s eyes flickered to meet his and she gave a tiny nod.

Her long legs wrapped around his waist to draw her even with him. He gasped as that hot, wet, softness brushed against him and she burrowed her face into his shoulder as her arms wrapped around him. Their eyes met and held as he began to sink into her.

His chest tightened at the pain spiked pleasure as wet warmth yielded to his hardness, like the proverbial sword entering its sheath. He gritted his teeth and hissed as he met resistance only to draw his hips back to thrust in. Rin cried out and her nails dug into his back as painful tightness surrounded him only to thrust forward again. He gasped with ragged breaths as he was surrounded by tight, wet softness that cradled them together. The Guardian stayed like that for countless moments, the racing of Rin’s heart almost thundering in his ears as they adjusted to the other.

“Rin?” her name was hoarse on his lips as their eyes met again.

She replied, “A-A-Archer.”

He kissed her apologetically, his lips whispering against hers until she rocked tentatively against him. He shuddered at the friction and withdrew slightly only to thrust again. She gasped and arched her head back as her legs tightened around him. It felt as if lightning sparked along his spine to pool within his body with each thrust.

The only sounds in the room were his harsh breathing and her tiny gasps and surprised cries as they found a rhythm between them. Her nails were biting his shoulders as her legs were clasped around him tightly as he thrust and she rocked to meet him. She was so damned perfect, enough to make him want to defy the World once again just to stay with her a little longer. He bent his head down to kiss her again, her lips fumbling against his as she cried out before thrashing her head from side to side.

He watched her as she picked up the pace, rocking her hips up to his even faster before digging her hand through his hair. She opened her eyes and gave him a beseeching look as she cried out in frustration. He gave her a quick kiss as he picked up his own pace to meet hers.

Archer’s vision blurred as he became desperately aware of the pressure building at the base. He thrust harder and faster as he pulled Rin closer. He was aware of her frustrated sob and slid a hand between them, arching his back to quicken his thrusts even more. He slid his fingers to that familiar place and Rin’s breath caught as her eyes widened as he stroked to his thrusts.

He was vaguely aware of tiny red rivulets marking each of their thighs as the pressure swelled even more and more. He bit the inside of his jaw to steel his mind as he kept rocking into Rin. Rin’s eyes widened as her mouth parted open in wonder before she arched to him. She cried out his name in half prayer, half sob as she clinched painfully around him.

The rhythmic clinching around him almost shoved him out but he thrust harder and faster now. His breath caught as his body swelled and blackness sparked along his vision. He gasped as he emptied himself into Rin, pulse after pulse. His fingers bit into the table until he was spent and he slumped against her.

His breath was harsh and unsteady as he felt giddy, light and content. He drew her into his arms and held her warm body to him and stroked her hair. However, Rin tensed in his arms. Summoning up enough strength, he lifted his head to look at her.

“Rin?” he asked quietly as she continued to give him that level stare.

“Where you always aware that you were Emiya Shirou, or was this the way you were planning to tell me from the beginning?”

******

Mana, like fingerprints, had a distinctive signature from person to person. No one person’s mana was exactly the same, even identical twins had different mana signatures. Despite the quantity of the mana being drastically increased, the signature of the mana currently now inside Rin’s body was one she was quite familiar with. One she helped channel into a certain blonde haired, green eyed Servant because said magus was so inept that he couldn’t provide her mana through their connection. One that she’d been so close to that she couldn’t forget it, especially with the circumstances surrounding that event.

Especially now that it had been poured into her like that.

Archer- or was that Emiya now- was still holding her, grey eyes wide as he looked down at her. She took a deep breath and asked, “What, you didn’t think I’d recognize your mana pattern, after what happened with Saber?”

He began to move out and off of her. Rin winched at the sensation within as she scooted out from underneath him and curled her legs up to her chest. She rested her chin between her knees as she continued to watch him. She wrapped her arms around her still shaking legs as he unsteadily stood up.

Rin swallowed as she inspected him, from the tip of his white hair to his bare feet. Shirou’s skin had been slightly darker than hers, but no where near the dusky coloration that Archer supported. Not to mention those wide sherry brown eyes had been replaced by shrewd, steely grey and then there was the snow white hair instead of red. However, the scar over his heart, the one she’d been so enraptured with minutes ago, the burn on his shoulder not to mention the faint gash from where Berserker tore out his stomach where all fainter versions of the ones Shirou carried with him to this day.

Except there were more added to the muscular perfection of his body. Her fingers had traced a few odd dimple like ones on his back as well as a few more shallower cuts and stabs along his chest and sides. Her Archer’s body was how she’d secretly thought how an Epic Hero should look: toned without being grotesque, the sort of build that was use to physicality with tiny imperfections marring it from past battles. And there he stood, utterly quiet, in all of his glory before her.

“Well, aren’t you going to say something, damn it?” she demanded as she squeezed her legs with her arms.

His eyes narrowed at her as he replied, “What is there to say, Rin? I’m Emiya Shirou from the future, my dream was horrifically mangled and I was turned into a Counter Guardian for my troubles and that I was stupid on an unbelievable level?”

Rin flinched slightly at that and snapped, “Well, yes! What was all that business at the beginning? I know my summoning wasn’t faulty, I knew it! You knew exactly who you where and that’s why Shirou . . . I mean Emiya-kun Traced Kanshō and Bakuya after he Traced Caliburn . . .”

“Keep going on that train of thought Rin,” Archer replied sharply as he grabbed his pants and shoved his legs into them. She swallowed as he pulled the leather up his legs and carefully tucked himself in before zipping and buttoning the fly.

She looked away and said, “Tracing . . . That’s why you could kill Berserker six times like you did, despite the fact he became immune to a weapon after each death. You killed him with six different methods and weapons.” Rin looked back towards him as he stared at her. “That’s why you knew how his . . . your . . . abilities worked. You had years of experience that he didn’t have, years of trial and error.”

“More like just error,” he said as he bent down to pick up his breast plate.

Rin recoiled slightly and snapped back, “How the hell did I Summon you anyway?”

“The pendent. All you could have Summoned was me, Rin,” Archer replied with a dark half smirk as he started to snap the armor back into place.

Rin’s eyes widened and asked, “Then what about the one you gave back to me?”

“That was the one you used in my time to heal me,” he answered as he looked at her.

Rin frowned and asked, “What do you mean your time?”

“This current time line isn’t the one I’m from. Events are already happening that are preventing that from happening,” Archer answered as he ran his hand through his hair.

She peered at him and asked, “But, I’m not clear on the Counter Guardian concept, but from what Aoko was saying, it should have been impossible to Summon you. So, other than the pendent, how were you able to participate?”

“I made arrangements,” Archer answered briskly as he folded his arms over his chest.

Rin dug her nails slightly into her arms and bit her lip. This was the Archer she was familiar with, well, a bit angrier than she was use to dealing with, but the caustic sarcasm was the same. It was almost a complete 180 from the passionate lover just moments ago, whose touches were both reverent and filled with need.

She rubbed her hands over her arms and asked, “Why?”

“Why would you go back in time, Rin?” he asked dryly.

Rin tilted her head and answered, “To change the past, easily . . .”

The tiny smirk and the flash in his grey eyes told her enough as she sat up and asked, “What where you trying to change, Archer?”

He didn’t answer her, instead he looked her over, his keen eyes locking on her thighs. She felt her cheeks burn as his face softened. He moved towards her again and asked, “Did I hurt you?”

“The first time is always supposed to hurt, isn’t it?” she shot back as she fumbled to find her shirt, which was lying on the floor. Which meant she had to get up off the table and bend down to retrieve it and that it would hurt to do so at this point in time. Her legs were still trembling too much more than to hold them as a shield against herself.

Archer’s shoulders slumped; he dropped his arms to his side and looked away. He simply said, “I’m sorry.”

Rin pressed her lips together and flinched as she moved off the table. She replied, “I’m not.”

His eyes widened as he turned his head back to look at her. He blinked twice before asking, “You’re not? But . . .” He gestured to the table and then to her before a faint blush crossed his cheeks. “I shouldn’t have even done that, but those damn Eyes . . .” he grumbled to himself with a tiny shake of his head.

Rin blinked and asked, “She used Mystic Eyes on you?”

“Ever wanna see what happens when a mindless force of Nothing gets their free will back?” Altrouge asked cheerfully as her grin squinted her eyes shut.

Of course, that makes sense, Rin thought, If her Mystic Eyes bring out impulses then that gave him back his Free Will . . . Which makes him an anomaly to the World right now, right? But his first impulse was to have me safe then . . . Her cheeks burned as she picked up her discarded shirt and clutched it to her chest.

“Even though I’m not Saber?” she asked softly before she realized the words were out of her mouth.

She blinked and pressed her mouth shut before staring at Archer with wide eyes. He frowned and asked, “What the hell does Saber have to do with it?”

Rin blinked again before looking up at him. She asked, “You mean you didn’t fall in love with Saber?”

“No, she was sort of distant at first,” Archer answered with a frown, “And she was trying to be something she shouldn’t have been. I cared for her, yes, but I didn’t fall in love with her. Why would you ask such a ridiculous thing?”

Rin found her heart picking up again as she answered, “Because the Shirou in this time did.”

“I was stupid, but not that stupid,” he snorted as he sank into one of the kitchen chairs.

She twisted her hands in her shirt and sighed. She ran a hand through her hair as she awkwardly looked at him. He blinked and met her eyes and tilted his head thoughtfully. She pointed and said, “I’m going to take a shower. It’s been an interesting day to say the least.”

As she was almost out of the kitchen Archer called out, “Rin?”

She turned back to look at him and asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” he said as he looked away from her.

Rin sighed and said, “When I’m out, we’re going to have a long talk, if you like it or not.” His jaw twitched but he quietly nodded. She softened and said, “I don’t regret what just happened.” Then she turned and headed to her washroom to get cleaned off and sort out the information she’d just been given.

******

Archer frowned at the scant few droplets of blood that were beginning to dry on the table as well as thicker fluids that had splattered there as well. Goddamnit, he thought as he ran his hand through his hair and tugged on it ever so slightly. He bent down to pick up the scattered salt and pepper shakers he’d shoved off the table in his haste as well as a few other knickknacks that he set on the counter.

Methodically, he began to search Rin’s kitchen for various cleaning chemicals and tools. He swept up broken bits of glass on the floor as well as other bits of debris from the encounter. His jaw was tense as he used the chores to do something instead of thinking and dwelling on what just happened.

Some things never change, Emiya, he thought dryly to himself as he emptied the dustpan into the wastebasket. In the distance he heard the shower kick on and he closed his eyes as he set the broom down. He tilted his head back and listened to the shower.

He’d failed his mission in this Grail War and wasn’t sure how things had turned out. From what little Rin had just revealed to him- Falling in love with Saber?- it was enough to create a separate timeline. Yet he didn’t get the paradoxical event he wanted.

He was still trapped in his duties. Still the mindless force of death summoned to clean up after human foolishness. Again and again, over and over, seeing the same things that he had so wanted to prevent in life as a never ending cycle was enough to drive him insane. Perhaps it had, long ago, driving him to that impossible plan.

The citrus smelling cleaner filled his nostrils, cutting through the salty musky scent of the coupling that happened here moments ago. It covered the soft scent of tea and roses that was wholly Rin. Using an old scrub brush he’d found hidden behind a half empty bottle of silver polish under Rin’s sink, he began to scrub the table with harsh, hard movements.

He cleaned until the whole room was filled with that chemical fruity smell and sparkled. He stood at the sink and turned it on to rinse the now filthy brush off and shook it clean. He gripped the sink as the shower still continued on. He bowed his head and listened.

Archer frowned as he noticed that only his voice in his head and the shower were the only two things he could hear. He stood up as he tried to focus on the voice of Gaia that gave him his running orders to kill. Nothing, he thought with blinking eyes as he listened again.

There was nothing in his head other than himself and the countless regrets he had with him. Including his latest sin. Mystic Eyes or not, I should have stopped, he thought as he shoved the newly rinsed brush back into the sink. He proceeded to wash his hands with the dish soap resting on the sink before moving to the pantry and refrigerator.

Against his will, his eyes drifted back to the table. He could see Rin laying there, long ebony hair waving about her as her half lidded aquamarine eyes met his. Even better than I remembered, he thought sadly before turning away from the table.

He began gathering ingredients from Rin’s cabinets to make a Japanese style meal. Not that he needed the food, but Rin would most likely need something to eat after what happened today. He frowned as he could still feel the humming connection of mana from Gaia, but none of the bitch’s commands. The World was still supplying him with power, but other than that, he was utterly cut off from that bitch.

Using a Traced knife, he began to cut vegetables, the sound of the knife hitting the wooden cutting board oddly soothing. How long has it been since I’ve done something like this? Archer thought idly as he began to take out a couple of pans and sat them on the counter. As he cooked, the shower still droned on in the back ground.


There, perhaps the most famous porn scene I've ever written. Man, this story is old and I'm almost embarressed to post it.

[Kieran]

Why be embarrassed? It's famous for good reason.

[Raven2785]

Oh. Hells Yeah, new chapter, and I agree with Keiran. hindsight is always 20/20, you can always look back on anything you've done and go "Oh my God, really?"

[Elf]

Oh. Hells Yeah, new chapter, and I agree with Keiran. hindsight is always 20/20, you can always look back on anything you've done and go "Oh my God, really?"

I still really like that sex scene though. Just the rawness to it and everything.