Prism Mayhem (F/SN X Prisma Illya)

[ItsaRandomUsername]

the Heroic Spirit known as Setanta-san

pffft. Not even the narration bothers calling him Cu Chulain anymore.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Sneaky sneaky Caster. Though I think I liked Illya's moment with Kuro and Miyu more.

[Shrimperor]

Ruby + Taiga + Kuro =????

Keep up

[Walnut Sparks]

Nice chapter - as expected by now.

I'm a little undecided as to whether Caster's persuading people a bit too easily. Maybe I'm just so used to thinking of her as obviously a schemer that I can't put myself into the characters' shoes.

[Laith]

I'm a little undecided as to whether Caster's persuading people a bit too easily. Maybe I'm just so used to thinking of her as obviously a schemer that I can't put myself into the characters' shoes.

To be fair the only ones she persuaded completely are Shirou (who is gullible because Shirou) and Prisma!Illya (Who is an innocent 9 year old before Dr3i)

[Ausreford]

Sneaky sneaky Caster. Though I think I liked Illya's moment with Kuro and Miyu more.

Personally, I liked that moment quite a bit too. I started off with the intention of making Illya just a kid like she was supposed to be, so those moments were pretty important to me. Glad you liked it!

Nice chapter - as expected by now.

That kinda worries me actually. To be honest, even after 15 chapters in, I'm still scared every time I post a new chapter that it would somehow ruin everything. Glad you enjoyed the read though! Here's to hoping I don't disappoint!

To be fair the only ones she persuaded completely are Shirou (who is gullible because Shirou) and Prisma!Illya (Who is an innocent 9 year old before Dr3i)

I thought she was 10 before Drei, but yeah I was thinking along those lines too when I wrote that scene.

[mAc Chaos]

Two great chapters! I forget why Lancer keeps getting called Setanta-san though.

What I love is the focus Archer is getting here, it brings in a whole new angle to the Prisma cast in a way that they never got to explore.

[Historia]

Two great chapters! I forget why Lancer keeps getting called Setanta-san though.

Sétanta is Cú Chulainn's given name.

It's first mentioned in chapter 5 when the Lancer card is used. I think (I'd have to re-read to make certain) he's called Sétanta because that was what he was first referred to as, and using his actual name opposed to the one that sprouted from his legend comes more naturally (or rather I like to think of it as identifying the man behind the mask as exactly that, so to speak).

Don't quote me on that.

[Renko]

Nice chapter!

I can't wait for the when Kuro and the rest discovers Archer's true identity....

[Ausreford]

Two great chapters! I forget why Lancer keeps getting called Setanta-san though.

What I love is the focus Archer is getting here, it brings in a whole new angle to the Prisma cast in a way that they never got to explore.

Cú Chulainn was more akin to a title, so I found it more appropriate for Illya to call him by his given name instead. Shrapnel's interpretation isn't wrong either, so it works too.

I'm glad you liked it! I figured the way I'm currently doing the Prillya trio (Kuro in particular) fit the nature of their character more, just that the tone of Prillya wasn't really suited for it. I see the tone of Stay Night made it flow better, so that's a relief.

On a side note, I'm still waiting for Kuro to bust out UBW in Prillya. It's Heroyama after all.

[mAc Chaos]

im still waiting for the chapters to be translated

[Ausreford]

Cover picture of this story is finally done(for those who care)!

Can't post it here due to size restrictions so here's the link instead: http://ausreford.deviantart.com/art/...yhem-584505167

And yes, I am sorry for this not being an update. I will return to the cave and write up chapter 16 now... And chapter 16.5.

[Raylen Cypher]

Cover picture of this story is finally done(for those who care)!

Can't post it here due to size restrictions so here's the link instead: http://ausreford.deviantart.com/art/...yhem-584505167

And yes, I am sorry for this not being an update. I will return to the cave and write up chapter 16 now... And chapter 16.5.

Nice cover image. Be sure to get some sun once in a while, haha.

[ZidanReign]

That's actually pretty good man.

[Ausreford]

Thanks, Raylen and Zidan! Glad you liked it!

On a side note, finally managed to upload this here, but it's rotated:

Attachment 13822

Still deciding if I should be putting this on page one; it looks really weird like this...

[Walnut Sparks]

You could embed the image off of dA. (Probably the preview, as the full view is pretty big. You can even turn it into a link to the dA page or straight to the full-sized image.)

[ZidanReign]

use imgur

way better and its the standard for linking images here

[Ausreford]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I'll work something better out in the next pic I post here (hopefully after chapter 16.5).

[Ausreford]

To those who're not informed, this story has a cover picture now because I had the time: http://ausreford.deviantart.com/art/...yhem-584505167

Chapter 16 - If You Want to, Run Away

-

Matou Shinji walked around aimlessly, each step heavy with frustration. He wanted to vent said frustration on something – probably Sakura – but there was nothing in sight (which might have been a good thing, considering the disadvantageous situation he was in).

Caster had returned to Ryuudou Temple some time ago, not with their enemies as she had promised, but alone. According to her, she had been successful in deceiving Emiya’s party, but they would not be coming right away.

“Give it some time,” she had said. “Nothing good will come out of rushing things.”

Her composure was only to be expected. Everything was going exactly the way she wanted it to, so of course she could take it easy. She had everything in her grasp – a fact that Shinji had been a little too late in noticing.

Being in Ryuudou Temple, which was Caster’s base, meant that the other side had the upper hand in a fight. Being here also meant that he could not escape, even if he wanted to because of that infuriating gatekeeper. And to make things worse, now that he had shown himself to Emiya, he could no longer show up at school until he took him and Tohsaka out. Had Caster been more competent, he could have destroyed Emiya here and continued to bluff Tohsaka before ultimately finishing her off as well. But now, here he was, waiting for Emiya to rat on him to Tohsaka and nowhere near his trump card (which he had set up in the school itself).

“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. He hated to admit it, but he had been too careless in agreeing to Caster’s offer.

“Why the long face?”

Shinji almost fell over in shock upon hearing that voice. Maintaining a semblance of composure, albeit barely, he glared at the Servant that had appeared out of nowhere.

“It’s a splendid night,” Assassin said lightheartedly, undaunted by Shinji’s lack of response and blatant hostility. “It may not be a full moon tonight, but the sky is still beautiful.”

“What do you want?” Shinji snarled.

“Do not be so hostile,” Assassin said. “I saw you looking trouble so I merely came to chat with you a little, that’s all.”

“All while using Presence Concealment?” Shinji snapped. “Don’t underestimate me, you bastard; I won’t get caught off-guard so easily!”

“And here I was thinking we could have a nice talk as fellow Japanese men,” Assassin sighed. “But you made one mistake, kid: this is not Presence Concealment. Ironic as it may be, I do not possess such a skill. This is simply a result of my training as a swordsman. I guess you can call it a Personal Skill of sorts.”

“Like I’d believe anything you say,” Shinji spat. “Don’t think that just because I’m here, I’ll lose to the likes of you! If I wanted to, I could have Rider wipe the floor with you at any time!”

“… Are you afraid, kid?”

Instead of offering a retort, Shinji simply froze for a moment. That moment, short as it was, gave Assassin the answer he needed.

“Well, I cannot blame you,” he said. “You are far too young to be exposing yourself to such danger after all.”

“W-what’re you talking about?” Shinji stammered, sounding less aggressive than he should have. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I said I could-”

“Of course I did,” Assassin said. “But the problem lies with if you yourself heard those words. Those who are truly strong need not boast about their strength, and doing so is nothing more than a sign of cowardice. You seem to have yet to realize just how frightened you are. Or perhaps you are actively trying to avoid acknowledging it?”

“Shut up!” Shinji snapped. “Like I’d stand being mocked by a lowly Servant! Rider!”

Answering his call, Rider materialized out of thin air, ready to tear into Assassin at any moment. Assassin, however, did not move.

“If memory serves, you are working alongside that witch to defeat another foe,” he said calmly. “Are you sure it is wise to attack me like this?”

“Shut the hell up!” Shinji commanded. At that volume, he would be drawing Caster’s attention any minute now. “You’re the one who-”

“You can run if you want to.”

That one line shut Shinji up. Unsure of how to react, he simply stood there and stared, leaving Assassin free to continue as he pleased.

“I won’t stop you,” he said. “If you so desire, you can escape through the temple gates. I’ll hold off Caster for you if she notices too soon.”

“D-don’t mess with me!” Shinji stammered. “Why on Earth would I believe something like that?! You’re Caster’s lackey! There’s nothing to gain from letting me go!”

“You sure know how to hit where it hurts,” Assassin chuckled. “Though I guess ‘lackey’ isn’t entirely wrong… It is as you say; I have nothing to gain from such an act. But if you look at it another way, I also have nothing to lose. It doesn’t matter to me if Caster loses an ally; it does not change what I have to and will do – to guard this temple from intruders.”

Faced with Shinji’s queer expression of rage intertwined with confusion and what appeared to be hope, Assassin smiled.

“This battle is not worth your life,” he went on. “If you are the man you say you are, then all the more reason to not expose yourself to such pointless slaughter. You are, regardless of your lineage or upbringing, a mere child. Knowing magecraft will not change that. Besides, a part of you wishes to cease in indulging in these conflicts, does it not?”

“You- who do you-”

“Where was that rage when I offered you the chance to run?” Assassin smirked. It did not take a lot of observation to deduce that Matou Shinji – for all his talk and attitude – did indeed entertain that thought. The thought of fleeing like the coward he was. “I jest. If you wish to leave, then-”

“Don’t make fun of me!” Shinji snapped. “I don’t need your pity! You… Tohsaka… Caster… All of you acting so high and mighty… Treating me like a fool… Rider! Teach him a lesson!”

Rider hesitated, but knew better than to question her Master when he was this angry. Just as she readied herself for battle, a voice from behind them made her stop in her tracks.

“What’s going on here, Matou?”

The voice was stern, as it always was, but carried no reprimanding tone. The speaker was not angry or confused, even though it was only natural to be in that situation; on the contrary, he was no different from how he always was.

“K-Kuzuki-sensei…” Shinji called out on reflex.

“I asked what is going on,” Kuzuki Souichirou repeated, his expressionless face not twitching an inch.

For a few seconds, Shinji could not reply. At school, he had always seen Kuzuki as nothing more than a boring teacher, one who looked like a dead fish and pretty much acted like one as well. However, ever since he found out that the callous man was Caster’s Master, the way he looked at him changed. Even if he never paid him any attention before, Kuzuki was now giving off a dangerous vibe that made it difficult to even speak in his presence.

“It… It’s nothing!” Shinji snapped, his tone carrying no hint of respect as he hastily retreated further into Ryuudou Temple. Rider dematerialized at that, having found no need to stay in physical form anymore.

“Should you not be guarding the gate,” Kuzuki asked, turning to Assassin and completely dismissing Shinji’s attitude.

“I’m merely taking a break,” Assassin replied loftily. “What with three Servants here, I did not think we had to be so uptight about security.”

“You should get back to your assigned post,” Kuzuki suggested, turning to go.

“If I had decided to let him go, what would you have done?” Assassin asked.

“If she truly needed him, Caster would get him back,” Kuzuki replied, stopping in his tracks. “If Caster deemed him to be a threat, he would be eliminated. That’s all.”

“You do not feel anything for that kid?” Assassin raised an eyebrow. “He is your student, is he not?”

“How he lives his life is up to him,” Kuzuki stated. “I am not responsible for his life or his choices, just as how he is not responsible for mine. If we end up as opponents, I will aim to crush him with all my might.”

“Is that so,” Assassin said. “You feel no sentiment for human lives, no matter who they are?”

“All lives are equal,” Kuzuki answered. “Attaching a deeper meaning to any would be illogical.”

Without another word, Kuzuki disappeared into the Temple, leaving Assassin by himself. Pausing to ruminate on Kuzuki’s words, the swordsman slowly walked back to the edge of the steps leading to the temple gates.

The child had, in the end, refused to run. Despite his fear and lack of ability, he had been unable to swallow his own pride to save his life. Assassin doubted Matou Shinji had a wish for the Holy Grail to grant that was worth risking his life for, but there was certainly something driving him to continue this madness. To continue fighting the Holy Grail War. To pointlessly throw away his own life.

I don’t need your pity!

‘Pity’, he had said. To him, Assassin was someone pretending to be better than everyone else – a commonplace man who knew not his place in the world and yet boasted of an importance he did not have. Perhaps, in a way, he was correct.

In all honesty, Assassin was a commonplace man. He was not some celebrated figure, nor was he a man who had a wealth of accomplishments to his name. He did not even have a name to speak of, and yet here he was, proclaiming to be a Servant – an existence on the same level as true Heroic Spirits. Someone – something – like him had no right to reprimand another. Maybe Matou Shinji’s words had some truth in them after all. Maybe he was acing high and mighty.

A gentle breeze wafted by, its soft touch caressing his skin ever so briefly. It calmed him down, and despite everything that happened, took his worries away as it drifted off into the night.

What use was it to think about those things? He had always known that he was nothing more than a nameless existence, a man who had not lived. It was simply a fact. Why should it bother him any more now than it had in life?

“If only he had decided to run,” he sighed to the empty sky. “I would have had one less regret in this fight.”

The moment he perished in this War, he would once again become nothing. None of his actions, his battles, his experiences, would matter then. Any feats would merely be credited to the man called ‘Sasaki Kojirou’. But while he still existed – while he still retained form in this world – he was alive. Regardless of how arrogant it may have been, the Servant Assassin entertained the thoughts any normal person would have. Concern. Regret. Perhaps, to him, that was the one reprieve he was allowed to indulge in in this lifetime.

“If only I could see the moon tonight,” he sighed.

-

“What’s wrong, Iri?”

Those were the first and only words that came out of his mouth. He did not offer a greeting, but instead went straight to the point.

“Illya’s in trouble,” his wife said from the other side of the call.

He paused.

“What do you mean?” he asked. It would not be the first time Iri over-exaggerated something, but her tone worried him. Really worried him. This was clearly different from the time she drove a car across the sea to some remote southern island to save her stranded daughter.

“It’s a long story, but the short version is that she’s trapped in a parallel world,” Iri replied. Her voice conveyed just how much of it was a joke.

“I’ll be home first thing tomorrow morning,” he assured her. “You can fill me in then and we’ll-”

“Kiritsugu,” Iri said sharply. “The Holy Grail is active.”

All the blood in Emiya Kiritsugu’s veins turned to ice.

“I’ll be back in three hours,” he promised.

-

“Understood, Illya-san? Just repeat after me.”

Illyasviel von Einzbern, part-time Magical Girl, was in a predicament. If she could have had it her way, she would have dug a hole and crawled into it until the world ended. Alas, reality was not forgiving, and if she did not do something her brother (sort of) would be brutally murdered by her supposed homeroom teacher.

“U-um, F-Fujimura-sensei…” she squeaked.

Pausing in her violent shaking of Shirou, Taiga turned to look at the timid girl.

“U-Um, it’s not Shirou-san’s fault,” Illya said. “I-it’s our fault for not saying anything before coming over…”

Wow, it actually sounds pretty normal, Illya thought. Even Ruby can do a good job sometimes…

“My name is Illya,” she introduced. “I am Shirou-san’s fiancée.”

The Earth, at that moment, stopped rotating. The universe probably stopped functioning, but it was difficult to tell. At that moment, no one could so much as find their voice, much less reply to that announcement.

Saber’s eyes were wide. Shirou, Kuro and Miyu were stunned. Illya was on the verge of tears, having only just realized what she had just said.

Fujimura Taiga was petrified.

“I-I could not stand being unable to meet my b-beloved,” Illya went on, her face several shades redder than roses. “S-so I came here to see him with my two sisters and housemaid.”

She doubted Taiga was listening by now, but she repeated after Ruby anyway. At this point, she was really hoping the world would just suddenly explode. Recovering slightly from their shock and catching Ruby’s signal, Kuro and Miyu joined in.

“Y-yeah, that’s right!” Kuro said, her lips and eyes twitching as she forced a smile. “W-we’re here for the w-wedding!”

“U-um…” Miyu, who was the most intelligent amongst them, was completely at a loss. “Y-yes, we’re here to send our best wishes to Illya-oneechan.”

Normally, being called ‘Illya-oneechan’ by Miyu would have made her heart skip several beats, but right now Illya was pretty sure she would have preferred to be dead and buried somewhere.

“S-Shirou…” Taiga said, tears in her eyes as she looked at the boy with an expression brimming with despair.

“P-please don’t blame him,” Illya pleaded. “I’m to blame; the flames of our love just burned t-too… too brilliantly… to be extinguished…”

“I-Illya-san,” Taiga said at last, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. “D-do you know what this means? Marriage is a big event, you know.”

Is that your biggest concern?! Illya screamed in her head.

“P-please don’t chase me away…” she begged. At this point, her embarrassment had already rose to levels sufficient to force tears to her eyes. Probably knowing this, Ruby shot out a bunch of bubbles and sparkles into the air.

“I… Uh…” Taiga stammered, visibly torn between her common sense as an adult and the display of unbearable cuteness in front of her. “I… but..”

“Please?” Illya looked up with large, teary eyes. On cue, pink bubbles and sparkles surrounded her.

“I… I…” Taiga gave up, abruptly getting to her feet and charging out of the room at speeds rivaling a Servant’s. “May you be happy!”

“W-wait, Fuji-nee!” Shirou called out, chasing after the crying woman. “You’ve got it all wrong!”

“See, Illya-san?” Ruby chirped. “A Magical Girl’s greatest weapon is her cuteness after all~”

“How did that work out?!” Illya screamed. “And what was with that story?! Couldn’t you have just said we were siblings!?”

“Eeeeh… Where’s the fun in that?” Ruby whined.

“Don’t make me say those things for your amusement!”

“But Illya-san, you entered a contract with me to be my personal toy, didn’t you?”

"Is that what becoming a Magical Girl means?!"

"Well, after seeing Illya-san in Beast Mode-"

"Don't EVER bring up that... that thing! Ever!"

"... Sapphire," Miyu muttered, as Saber stepped forward to crush the red Mystic Code. "I know it may be somewhat late to say this, but I'm really glad you are my partner."

"Out of concern for Miyu-sama's wellbeing, I feel the same way," Sapphire replied.

-

The night dragged on, with Shirou finally explaining everything to a bawling Taiga. The final story was that Illya and Kuro were Kiritsugu’s daughters (which was true enough) from before Shirou was adopted, and they had come here upon hearing of Kiritsugu’s passing. Miyu became the daughter of Kiritsugu’s sister, Kirika (Shirou had come up with the name in the heat of the moment), while Saber – still a housemaid (because she was a Servant) – came along as their guardian.

“I see,” Taiga said cheerfully, her smile wide as she clenched her smoking fist. “Well now, why didn’t you just say so instead of coming up with such a horrible lie?”

“I-I’m sorry…” Illya whined, clutching her head where Taiga’s fist had mercilessly sunk into moments before. Somewhere else in the room, Kuro was doing the same.

“But, well, I don’t suppose I can turn them down,” Taiga sighed. “I mean, the streets aren’t safe lately, so it might be better if they stayed here.”

“You have my thanks, Miss Fujimura,” Saber said. Miyu followed up with that with a polite bow of her own.

“T-thank you, Fujimura-sensei…” Illya said, still massaging her head.

Taiga did not say anything, instead opting for staring at Illya as though she was some rare animal. Illya opened her mouth to speak, likely to ask what was wrong, until she realized the bubbles and sparkles were still in the air.

“Ruby, those background effects…” she muttered.

“Ah, yes,” Ruby said. “It amplifies Illya-san’s already unbeatable cuteness, enough to melt any mortal’s heart~”

“Kiritsugu-san’s so heartless!” Taiga said, grabbing Illya and hugging her close to her chest as she spun her around. “Why didn’t he mention he had such a cute daughter?! You’re like a tiny doll, Illya-chan!”

“C-can’t… breathe…” Illya struggled.

“But Shirou,” Taiga said suddenly, her tone grave. “If you do anything weird to Illya-chan or any of them, I’ll cut it off.”

“… What kind of person do you think I am?” Shirou said exasperatedly.

But Taiga was not listening, instead opting for continuing her cuddling of the suffocating Illya.

-

Away from all the commotion and lighthearted merrymaking, where no light reached, Matou Sakura writhed.

Had it been the usual ‘tuning’, she would have been fine. Had it been her brother’s usual abuse, she would have accepted it. But tonight, it was different. Tonight, she felt different.

Something was calling out to her. Something buried deep within the earth was seeking her, desiring something she did not have. Its ravenous hunger for that object sometimes clawed at her skin, while its screams echoed endlessly in her ears. On some level, she understood that they were similar; she and that formless thing yearning for her had something in common. Even if she did not know what exactly that was, she could sense the two sides pulling towards each other, drawing closer with every breath.

“Who are you?” she whispered. “What are you?”

Like many times before, the darkness gave her no answer. But she knew, without a doubt, that it was getting closer.

And soon, it would have its prize.

-

Fun fact: the driving across the ocean thing was from a Prisma Illya 2wei drama CD ‘episode’, where the gang gets stranded on some remote island. Issei found his true love there and the main trio did… unspeakable things to Shirou. Yeah.

A handful of other references this chapter; see if you can find them all! Also, something to note: the raid on Ryuudou Temple is in two chapters, but the next update will be chapter 16.5. You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to as it won’t affect the narrative, but I’ll explain more then. See you next chapter!

[Shrimperor]

Damn it, Ausreford. Was reading this on my way home and Lol'd on the Street xD

Keep up the good work

Nice Cover Pic, btw!