Eureka! or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Structual Analysis

[Kyte]

Wait, hold up now. Did we just experience a timeskip from middle school to around the time of the Fifth War, now? The mention of "ten years ago" made me think that much.

Shit I didn't catch that when betaing. They're still in middle school, yes.

Re: Servants: Exceptions are being made.

[Fafnir]

I'm lost.

[Olive]

I think that I might actually be feeling a little bit sorry for Shinji, and that is damn hard.

Great chapter!

[VelspertheCat]

Wait, hold up now. Did we just experience a timeskip from middle school to around the time of the Fifth War, now? The mention of "ten years ago" made me think that much.

Thanks for the spotting, fixed the year now.

Glad you all liked Shinji's angry first person view.

And what's up, Fafnir? What's confusing? I can clarify the text on any points that might've been missed.

[ZidanReign]

Dearest me, it seems an old friend has popped up with an update no less.

How are you mein freund?

[Neir]

Excellent work. Basically everything Irun already said.

You already know I'm craving for more.

[Fafnir]

Thanks for the spotting, fixed the year now.

Glad you all liked Shinji's angry first person view.

And what's up, Fafnir? What's confusing? I can clarify the text on any points that might've been missed.

I'll probably need to re-read it more carefully. It took me a while to understand whose POV it was.

I blame the flu.

[VelspertheCat]

Doing aight, Zidan. Working on the old fics again, seeing if I need to hack stuff apart before posting it.

More stuff will come up in a bit, Neir.

Fafnir: Hm, will need to make sure to make POV protags more apparent in the future then, I think.

[dragon20990]

Damn. Sakura is scary. I love the fact you are able to portray Shinji as a victim to root for and Sakura as the scary psycho. What's even more amazing is that their core personality from the canon has not changed at all. You are scary Velsper.

[Vlad_the_II]

I’m almost speechless. It’s rare to see Shinji written, rarer to see him not bashed and ex-rare to see him written well because nobody get’s the amount of anger he has for everything.

Thanks for a wonderful read Velsper.

I will point out in Fafnirs defense that I did think for a moment the second part belonged to Shirou when he mentioned the burning house until he started to damn everybody.

[ZidanReign]

Well maybe I should start getting on writing II of Shiki Eyes in my Monogatari Thread...

I'm having a lack of motivation to do anything lately.

[VelspertheCat]

Fate/Stay Night and its spin offs are properties of Type-Moon, Nitroplus, and Image Epoch. All additional references belong to their respective companies.



Interlude - Rebuild of Frankenstein



The lightning shall provide the massive amounts of electricity needed to grant life upon my creation.


My equipment has been designed with multiple redundancies and fail safes. My former master had warned me about how lighting, upon striking the tower, would course towards the ground through the least resistive path. I have wrested control of this path by laying down metallic wiring overlaid with enough insulation to hopefully keep the circuit whole.


Any excess power shall be dumped onto dummy modules, which the main controller shall detach from the system, protecting it from harm. My previous experiments have proven useful in devising the ideal uncoupling method to guarantee a clean detachment and prevent unpredictable lightning arcs.


This ought to prevent the excess energy from burning my creation alive. Again.


The tower has become a new life form, a beast entirely devoted to granting true life to my magnum opus. Miles of tubing and conductors work to infuse precious nutrients into the shrouded creature, the centerpiece of this laboratory.


I can see my excited breath in the chill air. It is below freezing, and frostbite will surely damage the flesh. No matter, so long as the brain is preserved. This chill, along with my nutrient solution, shall suffice in keeping it safe.


Flesh is replaceable. Not so the soul.


She is a recent subject, not too long departed from the living. Unfortunately, acquisition had been less than fortuitous, and she incurred some minor damage. Still, it has afforded me the opportunity to improve upon the base design. In her rebirth, she will be something more. Why limit her with human frailties?


I somewhat regret the loss of the other two, I am sure they would have made fine specimens should this attempt prove fruitful. No matter, what is done is done, and one must forge on no matter the setbacks.


All the requirements are met.


Before the promised time come, I must be absolutely sure everything is ready. I sweep across the laboratory, checking and double-checking each flask, revising each formula, securing every connection. The cocktail of elixirs and tinctures, crafted by my own hand and mind, oozes into my creation hidden under the covers.


My hand reaches out, throwing the blanket off.


Warmth fills me as I gaze down at my creation.


The pale face of the red-haired girl gives the appearance of peaceful sleep. My hand hand reaches down, softly brushing my fingers along her forehead. The sharp burn of formaldehyde masking sickly-sweet decay assaults me, but I only have a faint smile for the familiar scent. The skull aperture required to mount the Galvanic system has and will require careful treatment in the foreseeable future, but time and life shall endeavor to repair and adapt to the necessary damage.


“Yes...” I whisper as my fingers trailed down to tweak the girl's nose in a bit of whimsy. “Soon you will be back. You will shine like a diamond, little Claire.”


Thunder boomed in the distance.


I grin as I switch on the device.


One second.


Two.


Three.


Did my pr-!


A flash of light numbs my vision as lightning strikes the spire, shaking the entire building to the very foundations. The force of the blow was enough to cause me to fall and nearly crack my head open, but I persevered. Worse was the smell, though! A combination of ozone and sizzling flesh fills my lungs, soon replaced by the noxious and deadly scent of the compound suffused into my creation.


The World was trying to destroy another of my works, but I would have none of it!


Half-blind, I stumble back to the main control console. Behind me, I could hear the worrying crash of stone as another mighty thunderbolt strikes the tower. This time, I feel the thunderclap deep within my own body, as if the heavy layers of protective clothing were mere paper.


Metal begins to shriek as the tower vibrates.


I only have a few moments left.


Risking permanent blindness, I open my eyes. Half of the laboratory is in flames at this point. Parts of the walls have collapsed. Exposed wiring, taxed beyond capacity, angrily shower the room with sparks.


In the center of my lab, my creation is bombarded with the writhing tendrils of electricity emanating from the brass and copper coils meant to collect diffused lightning. In my fervor, I had utterly failed to dimension the sheer devastating might of multiple lightning bolts, foolishly confident in its unlikeliness. I discard caution once I spot the main switch, diving for it, pointedly ignoring the sight of my creation writhing under an unearthly aura.


The World growls a warning - heavens tremble with another booming clap of thunder.


I slam the lever down, forcibly shutting the system off. The top of the tower collapses on itself as I hear the explosive charges destroy the collector system. Nature attempts to spite me one more time, lashing out with a bolt of lightning, but my eyes have clenched shut.


Yet its dazzle sends me sprawling. Pitiful groans escape me as I lie there, hearing the crackling flames grow closer to me. I like still even though I can feel the heat penetrating through my protective suit.


Intellectually, I know I must escape before the hungry flames consume me.


But I'm tired.


With most of my senses muffled for now, my sense of smell is hypersensitive, yet I can no longer detect the scent of burning flesh. Claire is gone now. Not even the acrid scent of the preservatives remains.


Yet another failure.


Worse than that...


The World had very nearly ended me as well.


I know better than anyone else just what my system is capable of doing. To have caught so many lightning bolts, one after the other? That was a statistical improbability bordering on the obscene. It was deliberate sabotage.


The World was out to get me.


“Doctor!” A voice suddenly shouted. Rocks fall as something pushes its way closer to my laboratory. “Doctor, answer me!”


My body twitches as the melodic voice shouts out again.


Ah...


Right, I can't let myself die quite yet, can I?


I open my eyes in time to see the door to my lab shatter. A delicate fist had just punched its way through with disturbing casualness. A red haired woman - no, more of a girl, the girl I done all this for, stalked into the laboratory.


Her piercing gaze, like that of a lioness, sweeps across the room. She only spared a brief glance towards the table that had Claire on it, wrinkling her pert nose at the ash piles that remained, and turned towards me.


“Ah!” She smiled, relief clear on her expression. The woman focused her mismatched eyes on me as she moved through the inferno with no concern. “What a lazy doctor you are.”


“I did not 'nap' out of my own free will.” I snap back at the infuriating woman.


“Then please don't take naps when you fail, alright?”


I still need to do something for this child.


“Just get over here. We have to leave before we are found out again.”


“Of course, Victor~”


Before her time runs out.

[Laith]

“Then please to not be napping after you fail, alright?”

I'm guessing you typo'd in here and meant 'do'.

[Olive]

A flash of light nearly struck me blind as thunder struck my tower,

This feels right and everything, but shouldn't this be lightning?

[VelspertheCat]

Thanks! More cleaned up this go around.

[Keimarios]

I'm somewhat lost here. Is this second interlude a flashback or Shirou's dream sequence?

[Kyte]

I'm somewhat lost here. Is this second interlude a flashback or Shirou's dream sequence?

The POV of good ol' Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Impossible to be Shirou's dream sequence 'cause of POV.

[Keimarios]

Much gratitude, Kyte. Now I wait for the reveal of Sakura's Servant's skills.

[VelspertheCat]

Fate/Stay Night and its spin offs are properties of Type-Moon, Nitroplus, and Image Epoch. All additional references belong to their respective companies.


Destroy, Rebuild, Destroy


In order to gain something of value, another must be lost.


The peak of the mountain, several hundred miles away from Fuyuki, was crested with thick cloud cover. All around it were thick forests, signs of lush life.


This is one of the rules that magecraft is beholden to. No matter how much I rage against the heavens, even I understand that I must make the necessary sacrifices to take what I want.


A modestly sized building stood at the base of this mountain. The home was kept serviceable by a small group hired on from the local towns. The three current residents looked up when the door opened.


However, this does not make the bitter truth any easier to swallow...


Zouken Matou, flanked by a stony faced driver, entered the home with casual ease. The maid who was closest to the entrance nearly fumbled and nearly fell into the portrait she was carefully dusting. It portrayed an attractive man with a harsh expression and rich dark hair.


“Master Zolgen, g-good evening!” She curtsied.


Zouken felt a sneer coming on, but he held back, merely nodding at the woman. The other two servants fell in line as they moved to greet him, spouting platitudes about his sudden arrival.


Especially since I must sacrifice the one resource I have precious little of remaining.


“Events have conspired against me as of late. I wished to take a moment to take in the country's fresh air before my schedule filled up.” The ancient man told his staff, having tapped his cane harder than necessary to get the point across.“I shall be staying here for a week.”


“Of course, Master!”


I must sacrifice my time.


“Prepare my dinner.” He glanced over at one of the butlers. A frown came to his lips naturally. “You will come with me tomorrow to survey the land.” It galled the magus that he had to make this much of an attempt at lipservice at normality, but he couldn't risk using his magecraft now.


Not until he completed the ceremony to strengthen the foundation of Makiri in Japan.


“Of course, sir!” The man nodded, eager to prove himself to the employer that spontaneously dropped in on the area.


“Good,” Zouken sneered. “At least it's good to see I pay enough to at least get some measure of enthusiasm.”


The man blanched, glancing down.


“I...I'll go help the other's sir!”


Left alone with only his driver, who had stayed motionless this entire time, Zouken glanced at the man. The man, true to his nature as familiar, merely quirked his head at the magus thoughtlessly.


“Come back in a week.” The magus told the creature. “Keep an eye on Sakura. Before I left “I” was getting strange impressions from her. If she's in danger, move in and protect her, no matter what, do you understand?” Even now, so far away from Fuyuki and the heart worm inside Sakura, he was getting faint impressions of raging emotions.


What could have set her off? Especially after so long?


The familiar nodded in agreement. A bit of the man's cheek pulsed unnaturally, making Zouken smile a bit as he turned and headed out of the home. The ancient magus hobbled after the man, watching him mechanically march towards the car and then drive away.


If only magecraft was more efficient. Zouken thought whimsically. I would have long ago gotten what I wanted. Perhaps I could have even given those two children what they wanted?


Zouken snorted, shaking his head at his sentimentalism.


These ceremonies were needed, if only to keep himself alive. If the magic foundation of his art failed, his entire existence would collapse with it.


Still...


Even if it was needed, it disgusted the man to have to go through these rituals. All it did was remind Zouken of the days that his people wandered around with nothing to their names. Nothing but nomadic scum.


And so, for the foreseeable future, Zouken Matou wholeheartedly took back the discarded mantle of 'Makiri Zolgen'.


*****


Shirou Emiya had been a victim of a great many tragedies throughout his life. He had been one of the few, if unknown, survivors of the Great Fuyuki Fire. The boy who had been from that hell by his magus father then had to stand back and helplessly watch as Kiritsugu Emiya died right by his side. Both of these memories were things that had shaped him into the person he was to this day.


But...


“Are you okay, Shirou?” Taiga Fujimura pulled the boy out of his quiet musing. Her expression looked a little bit tired as she stared down into his eyes.


“Is this alright?” He wondered.


His home had just been destroyed...


“It's okay.” Taiga softly smiled. “We're going to be living together from now on, right?”


“That's not what I mean, though!”


Everything had been reduced to ashes...


“You shouldn't look so serious.” She tried to lighten her tone of voice. “There's just some things we need to replace, you know!”


Shirou glared.


Taiga sighed, rolling her eyes.


“Don't be such a boy, Shirou.”


But ultimately, the greatest tragedy about all this was...


“Why are you dragging me into this aisle?!” Shirou cried, throwing his arms up in frustration. He nearly knocked over a cardboard cut out on the side, causing him to yelp and attempt to catch it. It was an act of utter futility though.


Several pill cases and disturbingly bright packages for feminine health care products spilled.


“Well, I have to train you so you're not so shy around girls now.” Taiga drawled, lightly swaying from side to side as the cherry boy rapidly collected the few things that had been knocked over. “It's for your own good, really.” She insisted, to his glare.


“Why?!” Shirou's nostrils flared, eyes narrowing.


Taiga covered her mouth with the back of her hand, glancing upwards in supplication.


Shirou, despite himself, leaned forwards curiously.


“What do you think I am?!” Taiga suddenly roared like her namesake, practically thrusting her face against Shirou, dashing her cheek against his. “You're living with me now! So you're going to learn to act better around girls!”


“Waah!” He fell back.


“Now clean up so we can get back to my room! We still need to get you and that... that girl some air mattresses!” Taiga took a step towards the boy, waving her the dangerous product in her grip at the boy, drawing a flinch from him.


He immediately surrendered.


“Yes, yes! Just get that away from me!” Shirou grimaced, holding his hands up defensively and leaning away.


“Good boy!” Taiga chirped, beaming a sunny smile at Shirou. “You can be taught!”


The girl working the front of the convenience store barely held back a chuckle, glancing out the shop's large windows to distract herself from the squabbling pair.


*****


“Thank you for your patronage!” The voice of the salesgirl sounded absurdly cheerful to Shirou's sensitive ears. “Come again!”



The glass door shut behind them.


“Aww, come on.” Taiga leaned over, bumping her side against Shirou's shoulder. “Don't be so gloomy.”


Shirou attempted to spite her anyway, walking ahead of her as he carried his share of the emergency supplies they needed. Taiga nibbled on her lower lip to fight back a smile as she bounced a little after him, her own arms laden with things too. The boy briefly attempted to walk faster than Taiga, but the older woman's legs were just too long for the shorter boy.


He still tried to make a good go of it for a few minutes, though.


Taiga laughed as she finally caught up.


“Fine.” Shirou finally grudgingly allowed, slowing down. Taiga flashed him a wink as both of their paces synchronized. The boy raised his supplies to cover his face to hide his expression, only showing her his steely gaze.


Taiga resisted the urge to roll her eyes. A wicked gleam entered her eyes when she saw that they were about to approach a small cluster of college aged students, who were heading the opposite way. The older woman waited a few moments before they were in ear shot before...


“We should take a bath.” Taiga casually said out loud. “I think skinship would stop you from making such fussy faces.”



Shirou unsteadily wobbled, nearly slamming into a group of people that were walking past him. A few astonished looks and one jealous glare from the group later and Shirou was angrily whirling back on Taiga.


The woman looked so innocent that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.


'She probably ate a bird, though.' Shirou darkly thought, making - to Taiga, at least - the ultimate in frowny faces.


Taiga certainly felt content enough.


“We have one in the area.” Taiga decided to lay back on teasing the boy to distract him - and herself. Too much and it was just mean spirited. Best ease him into things. “I go there all the time to unwind!”


“Huh?” Shirou blinked at her, quirking his head. “You weren't just pulling my chain?”


“No, I was doing that too.” Taiga shamelessly agreed. She vaguely gestured across the street with her chin. “See?”


Shirou indeed saw. The front of the bath house looked positively feudal. Like out of some long past era, a bamboo and rice paper entrance to a bath house spread out before him. It even had a bright blue curtain with an outrageously written greeting in the place of a door.


People in casual kimonos were walking in and out of the building. A quick glance backwards made Shirou aware that the college students that he had nearly crashed into were wearing the same.


“Have I fallen back in time?” Shirou wondered.


“It's the best!” Taiga retorted with a smile. “Don't become a grumpy old man before your time.”


“One of us probably needs to be mature, though.”


Taiga staggered back, masterfully taking on the airs of a wounded woman.


“My little Shirou is fine if he can be this snarky!” She slumped slightly in place, but slyly gave him a sideways glance. "Right?"

Despite himself, Shirou found himself smiling.



Taiga joined him a split second later.


*****


A priest and an alchemist finished another job. The sound of a fire truck's wails could be heard faintly in the distance.


“Is the boundary field up, Misaya?” The priest asked his companion. “I really don't want to explain this scene to anyone.”


At his side and slightly behind him, a brunette with a long ponytail, a short skirt and thigh high boots was sitting astride of a dazed looking teenager.


“It's been done a while ago, Kirei. No one will see this.” Misaya laughed, having finished fiddling with a golden hoop earring she was wearing. “The rest of the team has hunted down everyone from the scene as well.” She finished her report with a smirk up at the priest.


“The results?” Kirei asked.


“We managed to get quite a few of the people at the school and the surrounding areas. They all saw a flash of light.” Misaya smiled a little bit as she patted the boy clad in the Homuraba Middle School uniform she was sitting on. “It's alright, though. All their memories are now ...” She threw her arms out. “Poof! Gone!”


“The rest?”


“We're working on looking them at the moment. We did find something interesting, though.” The alchemist leaned towards Kirei. “Want to hear?”


Kirei flatly stared at her.


“Fine, be that way.” Misaya held out two fingers as she light-heartedly smiled. “There's two students on record there. Two special kids from ...get this, the Emiya and Matou families!” She wiggled her fingers for emphasis, grinding her hips into her seat.



The boy groaned in pain.


Kirei passively observed, unimpressed with her.


“Jealous?” Misaya idly tried to bait the man, outrageously batting her eyelashes at Kirei. “Not into older men, sorry.”


Kirei considered her words for a few moments.


“Not into perpetuating the cliché, no.”


“Oh, but I think I'm the wrong gender for that.”


“Really?” Kirei wondered, a hint of dry disbelief in his tone. “I wouldn't have guessed.”


Misaya smirked, nodding as she gave him the point.


“We will have to deal with the Matou.” Kirei mumbled, offering Misaya a hand to help her up. The girl nodded at the older man in agreement. “Their heir should have been at the school, working on sealing away the memories of everyone involved. Such laziness cannot be allowed. ”


Misaya eagerly watched as the man considered the other name she had provided.


“As for Emiya...” The priest began, glancing off towards the west. A thin, dark smile appeared on his face. “I'll personally...handle it.”


“My, aren't we eager?” Misaya idly fanned herself. “And I thought you said you weren't going to perpetuate the myth? Can I watch?”


Kirei smirked.


The sound of a twig snapping sent both alchemist and priest spinning, reaching beneath their denim jacket and cassock.


A black bolt was launched simultaneously along with a spinning yellow top.


Their movements had been so fast that the unfortunate dog that had stumbled out beneath a bush was skewered by a Black Key. The attacks had been so fast that the animal didn't even get to properly whine before it passed away.


The fact its head was separated from the rest of its body a moment later was a mere formality.



“Tch.” Misaya looked more annoyed than disgusted. “What an annoyance. This is going to take all night to clean.” She lightly let her yoyo spin down the ground, revealing a length of bloody etherlite thread as the yoyo curled downwards.



Kirei merely narowed his eyes, glancing off in the distance.


“Oi, you listening Kirei?”


The priest continued to intensely gaze away from Misaya.


“Feh.” The alchemist threw her arms up in defeat. “Whatever. Go be a pretentious old man on your own, Kirei.” She snarled over her shoulder at him as she stormed away to go help the other alchemists at the school.


****


Get this brazen cow moving! A cellphone gleamed as it angrily broadcasted its message to its ilk. I will not have her destroy herself before I-JUST GET HER MOVING!


We're trying, we're trying! The toaster shouted back. Faint arcs of electricity raged from the countless appliances inside a large green sack into the body of a slim looking girl in white. I still think we could have taken them, though! They're just humans, after all! Manaka and Ayaka were so frail that Master had us practically walk them back home!


I believe the Original One is right. A coffee maker chipped in her own beliefs. If I could, I would also throw myself to defend Master Shirou from all enemies! Ooh, the romance of it all, shielding your loved one with your body!


She's showing considerable resis-OW! A hand held calculator hissed as the flow of electricity funneling into the girl suddenly reversed and began flowing back into the sack. Don't do that!


Ahaha! Tug of war! Tug of war! A floor buffer slung over on top of the sack chanted. Let's go, team!


Berserker raged even as countless minds like hers came down on top of her, forcing her to take another leap away from the man and girl she had heard making threats to her Shirou. If she could, she would be smashing all the splinters to pieces, but she was bombarded by one thought by the mulitude of voices that were overpowering her.


The girl had mentioned a team.


Rationality trumped passions for once as Berserker was puppeted back to Shirou's side.



*****

Will refine verbage later. Just wanted to get some work done and posted. Enjoy.

[Neir]

'However, this does not make the bitter truth any easier to swallow...'

Teehee


Kirei and Misaya: gooooooold
Taiga: aside from the air mattresses, excellent
no-fun-allowed-Shirou: very good
electronics: fun
overall: 8/10 would beta and read again