15 Chapter 12.2 - May Fate Never Chain You Again [2]
'How the hell did I get into this situation?'
"Ma~, it'll be fine, Shirou-kun!"
"Mm. I agree too."
Shirou smiles, but he heaves a tired sigh on the inside. It'd only been a couple hours since Hanami told him to be careful and went out, and he'd already gotten tangled up with the War. Not only that, he'd also revealed his status as a magus, and a strong one at that when he managed to go toe to toe with a red-haired Lancer.
And now, forced by Rider's exuberant personality, he's walking around Fuyuki with the other two, conversing with the master and servant pair, though it's more of them speaking and him listening and nodding.
But the recent battle is still weighing on his mind. Because, isn't Lancer Gareth? The Holy Grail only summons one of each class, right? Then was that man lying? He doesn't seem to be, and he doubts a man with such skill on wielding his spear can be anything but a Lancer. He wanted to bring the issue up, but he can already hear Hanami screaming him for being careless, so he withdrew his voice.
"By the way, how did you get so strong, senpai?" Akemi, Rider's master, asks, looking to him with no small interest. Rider seems to be listening as well, though her interest is a bit more hidden.
Shirou ponders his answer for a moment, before he decides to give an…abridged version of his tale. "Well…It's a bit too long to tell you now, but it all started when a girl showed up in front of my house. She asked me to help awaken her magic circuits, and so I did." He gives a quick glance at her, just to see her reaction. As expected of someone who'd recently dropped into the moonlit world, she doesn't seem to understand what he meant, but nods anyways.
"Things picked up from there. In exchange for unlocking her prana, she gave me lessons on how to use [Structural Analysis] and [Reinforcement] effectively. Oh, and we hunted some ghouls along the way as well."
"Ghouls…" Akemi mutters. "You mean, like zombies?"
"Basically. And then…"
'All hell broke loose from there.'
"…"
"Senpai…? You don't need to tell if you don't want to." He smiles at her, shaking his head and continuing. "Sorry. The city I lived in was attacked by…a malicious being, burning away everything. We tried out best to stop it, to save those who were still alive, but…" He goes silent for a moment, and looks up to the bright sky above. "We couldn't do anything. Our home was burnt beyond recognition, so…we moved here."
"Ah…" Akemi looks away, her eyes ashamed, and Shirou can already see the apology dancing on her lips, but he swiftly adds. "Don't be sorry about it, Akemi-san. What's done is done, so it's all we can do."
~~~
"It's all we can do at this point." Hanami says, her eyes staring right into his. "You're afraid. I'm afraid as well. But we can't let it drown us. We're stronger than that." Then she smiles. "After all, we've survived the grail before, why can't we do it again? Why can't we go beyond that? Why can't we destroy it for good this time?"
"Don't let yourself be dragged down by those things. So! What do you say, Shirou? Ready to go?"
Shirou smiles, feeling the weight on his heart lessen, and he remembers why he is still alive today.
Hanami is still here, and that's all that matters.
"Yeah."
~~~
"You've gone through a lot, haven't you, Shirou?" He hears Rider say, his voice soft and laced with wistful nostalgia. He smiles at him, giving a small nod at the crossdressing rider.
"Hey, senpai…do you think I'll be able to live?" Akemi suddenly says, and both their attention immediately jumps to the girl, whose usually confident eyes are now subdued, afraid. "I mean, I have Rider, but…what about the other masters? I'm just a normal girl, I can't do all this fancy magic you're all doing…"
"Then why don't you have Shirou teach you?"
'Ah…That voice…'
Slowly, Shirou turns around to meet Hanami, staring at him with a small displeased frown. Gareth is by her side as usual, wearing casual clothing instead of her usual garbs. However, there is also a pink-haired woman on her other side, wearing what seems to be a mix of a coat and a pirate's outfit.
"Um…" Akemi looks between him and the new arrivals, before she suddenly realizes that Hanami is standing with two servants by her side and takes an immediate step back. Hanami's frown changes to an amused smile as she looks at her, before turning back to him, her previous frown back in place.
"I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you to go out today." He gives a small nod. "I also don't remember allowing you to engage another servant in battle."
'How did she-, no, of course she knew.'
Seeing his silence, Hanami sighs, before giving a small smile at the girl. "Sorry. My name is Hanami, Shirou's partner."
Akemi blinks for a moment, before quickly introducing herself. "A-Ah, I'm Kurosawa Akemi!"
"Mm! Nice to meet you, Akemi-chan!"
~~~
The introductions continued, and Akemi and Rider were surprised to hear that Hanami was the master of two servants. Shirou's obviously shocked as well, but he'd already written it off as Hanami's little brand of weirdness.
Then, just as the time hit noon, Akemi's stomach rumbled, and with a red-faced Akemi and another amused smile from both he and Hanami, they continued their discussion in a small diner.
And it was then that he realized this war might be much harder than they initially expected.
"…Alright, so you guys met with Lancer, and Rider traded blows with him before Shirou helped, right?" Akemi nods, and Hanami's expression grows grim. "Here's the thing, I'm the master of Lancer, and she's right here."
Just like that, the entire table falls silent. Akemi is looking back to Rider, confused at the conflicting information she'd just heard. But the indication is clear to Shirou. It's just like the situation back in the fifth war, with the grail sending out altered versions of the servants to fight them. Just, instead of altered versions, it was a new batch of servants this time, and he wasn't sure which one was worse.
Also, he notices the slight brightening of Rider's eyes, along with the subtle change in her prana. Hanami seems to have noticed as well, and continues with her explanation. "Not only that, but she-" Hanami swiftly points to Francis, who is enjoying a nice extra-large serving of pasta. "-is a Rider."
"…I'm guessing you know why?" Rider asks, looking much more serious than he'd ever seen. And frankly, the expression didn't really suit him. Hanami nods. "Yep. The taint inside the grail is trying to mess up the war by summoning more servants. So far, I've met a second Berserker and a second Rider, and you've met a second Lancer. So, it's safe to assume that the grail's summoned seven more servants of each class."
Silence reigns upon the table again, this time with everyone deep in their own thoughts, excluding Francis who's too busy enjoying her plate of pasta.
Then, Hanami suddenly claps. "Okay! Enough of this! I want to hear your story. So, how's this war been for you?"
"Uh…It, doesn't feel like a war…at all?" Akemi says uncertainly. Hanami grins. "It doesn't, right? I mean, we're supposed to be enemies, but here we are, sitting in a diner and eating lunch. From what I heard, Caster's master is busy learning his magecraft, and Archer and her master are basically relaxing. We're basically doing the exact opposite of what we're supposed to do!"
"Maybe that's why they sent seven more servants." Shirou says jokingly, but Hanami seems to have caught his idea and gives him a subtle nod. 'Not a bad theory.' He can almost hear her say.
But, with the previous tense moment passed, the time at the diner continues on, with them all chatting with one another.
Silently, Shirou rests his head against the comfy chair the diner has, and he let his mind wander.
~~~
"[Mumyou Sandan-Zuki]!"
Three strikes were shot forward in an instant. A spark lit, flying into the air, and the spear that'd nearly reached Rider's chest was hit back. He saw Rider's eyes widen, shocked, but he quickly ignored it and kicked the spearman in the chest, sending him sliding back across the pavement of the emptied harbor.
The silence echoed between them. The red-haired spearman looked to him, clearly surprised a human was able to match the speed of his spear, but the shock was quickly rewritten by an excited grin.
Shirou looked at the crossdressing Rider behind him, and his master standing further away. Deeming them fairly unharmed, he turned back to the Lancer, affirming his grip over the [Kojiki Kiyomitsu], letting the sword's history and legend assimilate into him. All the voices in his head faded away, and Okita's spirit merged with his.
The man took a step forward, and so did he. "You blocked my spear." He said, grinning, and he nodded. His grin grew wider. "Servant Lancer! I challenge your sword against my spear!"
"Lancer?" The words didn't make sense to him. Wasn't Gareth Lancer? Why were there two Lancers? He could feel a pit forming in his stomach, a small realization over this war, but he ignored the feeling. "…I accept."
"Let's go!" Lancer sped forward. Befitting of a Lancer, the distance between them was crossed in seconds. His spear raced forward, and Shirou held his sword up, deflecting the incoming spear with the side of his blade. Lancer stopped, and suddenly pulled back, hitting his katana and pulling him forward.
Barely, Shirou caught Lancer's fist reaching for his chin, and his gained instincts kicked in. He twisted his body, avoiding the attack and smashed his spear down into the pavement. Shirou quickly turned to stab his sword forward, but so did Lancer's fist, quickly racing for his exposed stomach.
He narrowed his eyes and stabbed his sword down into the ground. He pivoted over and around the fist, and with a fully reinforced leg, he smashed the limb down onto the back of Lancer's skull.
The two jumped back, staring at one another.
"…what an interesting style."
"I didn't expect you to use Baji Quan either." He said back. Lancer grinned at his quip. "Then we're both strange, aren't we?" Shirou couldn't quite hold back the small smile on his lips. "I agree."
And they clashed again, spear against sword, fists against fists. It was Shirou's first time truly battling a master spearman, and he found himself occasionally stumbling over the increased range the weapon gave, but he made do with Sasaki's experience and his own speed.
Common sense deems that a magus could never match a heroic spirit.
But then again, common sense never applied to him anyway.
"Tch, sorry about this, my master's asking me to cut this short." Lancer suddenly said, irritation clear to hear. Shirou gave a small nod, and Lancer smirked, before leaping back to make some distance. He tightened his grip on his spear, pointing the weapon forwards, and he closed his eyes.
"[There shall be no second strike]!"
The air seemed to twist around the spearman, swirling around the spear. Lancer tensed his legs, bending his body forward, ready to leap forward. He recognized that stance, recalled the technique from the history the spear bled into him in their clashes. A technique, trained and mastered to perfection, executed with no faults.
"[Three steps, a sword absolute]."
The word slipped before he noticed. He bent his knees, building energy within his knees. He reared his hand back behind his head, aiming the tip of his katana forward.
Then, they leaped forward.
Both were mere techniques, attacks trained and mastered, but their powers and beauty so encompassing that reality bent to their needs.
"[God spear]!"
"[Mumyou Sandan-Zuki]!"
A single perfected strike met three in harmony. The two Noble Phantasms clashed against one another, and whirlwinds were sent out upon their impact.
But none overpowered the other, and both combatants were instead sent flying back. Shirou looked to the man in awe and respect, while Lancer looked to him in shock. Shirou's instantaneous strikes failed, and Lancer's perfected spear was countered.
"…What's your name, boy?"
"Emiya Shirou." He answered without hesitation. Lancer looked to him, before he smiled. "I will remember that name. Let us fight again." And with that, the man disappeared.
So, Shirou stood there, staring at the ground where Lancer was, before he sighed and turned around, only to see Rider eagerly looking at him, his face too close for his comfort.
'Oh dear…' He'd thought.
~~~
"Wakey, wakey~…"
"Mmh…?" Slowly, Shirou pulls his eyes open, pushing away the ringing buzz in his head. Above him is a familiar blue ceiling, dotted wi-
"I…fell asleep?" He asks. Hanami nods from across the table, looking as energetic as ever. "Yep. For a good three hours too!" Shirou blinks, and then blinks again. "Three…hours?" He slept three hours, at noon, on a sofa-chair in a diner? That's…strange. Sleep doesn't come so easily to him.
"Don't worry about it~. It's still the afternoon, so no harm is done!" Her words don't quite comfort his worries, but he pushed the thought back for later examination. "Well, sorry for wasting so much time." Shirou says, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
Hanami shakes her head, smiling. "Mm, it's fine. Francis is out looking around the city with Gareth, so…it's, nice and silent. Calm." She says, cradling the glass of orange juice in her hands. "Hey, Shirou…when this is all over, wanna go buy a house?"
"…sorry?"
"Uh, when this is over, wanna buy a house?" She repeats, and Shirou stares. "…Why?"
"Oh, you know, it's, well…" She looks down for a moment, thinking of her answer, before looking back at him again. "I kinda miss those days, you know? When it was just us training, with me teaching you and you cooking me food in return." Hanami then smiles. "And you haven't made the Flan I asked for a long time ago!"
"That I haven't." He smiles wryly, remembering the half-finished product he was about to continue on before he was sucked into thay false Fuyuki. The smile then turns to a grimace as he pictures that half-finished pudding swimming in the tainted mud, its uncolored white turning black because of all of that mud.
Yikes.
"Hmm…" But buying a house? Granted, there is still a messed up Grail War they need to finish first before they can go to that scenario, but buying a house?
"Ne, Shirou. What do you want to do after this?" Suddenly, Hanami says so, and all the noise around them vanishes. Idly, Shirou notices the [Empty ID] they are in, but he simply turns to her. "What do you mean?"
"What do you want to do after all of this?" She asks again. "After this war is over, after the grail is dead, what do you want to do?" Naturally, Shirou readies his response. 'Well, that depends. Where do you plan on going?' He would've said, but Hanami suddenly continues. "No, Shirou. What do you want to do?"
"Did you-?"
"Read your mind? No, you're just really obvious." She says with a smile.
'Am I that easy to read?' He wonders, and immediately, all three voices in his head sound. "Yes." They chorus together, and he can't help but smile wryly to himself. That easy, huh…
Shirou goes silent for a moment, pondering for an answer, going 'round and 'round in his head. But no matter what he tries, he'd always go back to one singular answer, to the single purpose he still had.
"To be with you." He finally answers.
And Hanami just stares. Dumbfounded, shocked, before she smiles sadly. "No, Shirou, I-"
"You're all that I have." He continues, remembering the visions of that burning landscape, of a world drenched in that accursed mud, and a knot forms in his gut, twisting and coiling. The faces of those that drowned in that flash by in his mind, and everything suddenly feels suffocating. "So why shouldn't I follow you?"
Hanami stares again. But this time is different. The emotions she holds behind those green eyes of hers are different. They were shaking, horrified, and her body is frigid and unmoving.
'Why is she looking at him like that?'
"Shirou…" He hears Hanami's voice by his side, and he turns to her, seeing her suddenly sitting beside him. When did she-? He wonders, but then he feels her hand wrap around him, comfortingly. She says nothing, so he doesn't as well, and he returns her hug.
Emiya Shirou is broken. He knows that. She knows that. But-
"Ne, Shirou, let's go buy a house after all this ends, okay?"
"…Mm."
Even then, that doesn't matter.
~~~
And of course.
"Hey, she's a taker boy. Go get her!"
"Shut up, Yorrmir."
~~~
It's been several more hours since that incident, and the sky was now a deep black, the sun no longer shining its light down onto the earth.
And I, Tsunaka Hanami, sitting atop the hotel, am absolutely embarrassed!
I-I mean, gah! I didn't expect t-to just hug him out of nowhere! Thankfully, I had to decency to put us in an [Empty ID] before that, b-but I'll probably be charged with PDA if anyone else saw that!
But I couldn't help it!
"You're all that I have, so why shouldn't I follow you?"
Damn it Shirou! I know the guy is blunt, but I didn't expect him to just say that out of the blue!
And…it didn't help that my mystic eyes could see the horrors hiding behind that expressionless persona, of the terrors he'd seen when he was in his coma. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it felt like an eternity, staring into that burning hellscape, forever tainted by all the sins of humanity.
And he survived all that for an entire week.
It hurt. It hurt to know that Shirou suffered all that, and I can't do shit to ease it.
So…yeah, that's why I hugged him.
'Still doesn't make it any less embarrassing!'
But it made me happy, happy to know that he considers me above anything else.
It's a [Sakura Route] situation, except I'm the one he's followed. I...know that he's still holding that dream of his, that ideal to become a hero of justice, but it's tempered now. I can see the fire that burns in his eyes as I speak of Sakura's treatment, the light that shines when we speak of Kiritsugu and Saber.
He's Emiya Shirou, but he's my Emiya Shirou.
…Fua~, that makes me sound really possessive.
[You sure did, Hanami-chan!]
"…Woah, it's been a while, System."
[Wao, you're not surprised!]
"Do you want me to fall off the roof or something? Not that I'll die from something like that, but still! Well, and dangling my legs off this tall building's a nice feeling as well. Makes my legs feel all cold and stuff."
[True, true~] System then goes silent for a moment.
[…You sure've changed, Hanami-chan]
"Of course I have." I huff, looking out to the glittering cityscape, with the distant lights of cars zooming here and there. "I mean…It hasn't even been a year, and I've gone from being a normal businesswoman to a magus with enough power to fight heroic spirits. It'll be kinda crazy if I didn't change from all that, you know?"
[Or go insane]
"That too." Actually, I'm not sure if I'm still sane at this point. Jumping off a skyscraper doesn't sound scary to me, fighting against beings that can tear a city in half only gets me slightly worried. "Then again, all magi are insane, right?"
[Yep! Though the meaning of 'insanity' is kind of out there, right? To be 'insane' is to not conform to what society calls being 'sane'.] System goes quiet for a moment. [But you're a being over power, a king over the people. What is 'insane' to them might not be for you, and what's 'sane' for you is definitely not for them]
"Yeah." And she soon adds, softly. "Yeah."
[Right now, the fate of this universe is in your hands. Angra Mainyu is now actively trying to destroy the Holy Grail and drown the world in his mud. You have acquainted, even befriended Gilgamesh. You have gathered both the blessings of the dragons and light. Now, it's time for the final act, so to say.]
"And if I fail?"
[Well, you know the answer]
"That I do." I sigh and look up to the night sky, and suddenly the darkness looming above me feels just a tad more ominous than it did. [I think it's about time!]
Well, that was sudden. "Time for…?"
Suddenly, a small black cube pops into existence, placing itself gently on my lap. It feels famila-, oh, I got this back in that fake Fuyuki, didn't I?
[Mysterious box]
A strange black cube. There seems to be a small button on its bottom, most likely to open the box. There is a small note attached to it.
"May fate never chain you again."
Yep. "So? What's this for?"
[Just watch~] Slowly, the cube begins to rise, spinning and gaining speed. Then, as it reaches her chest, it pops, exploding in a burst of black stardust. And from it…came nothing? No, something did come out, but I don't-
[A new update has been implemented. [Gamer Ver.] has been implemented. All previous stats and items have been transferred over]
[New changes include: [Class Selection]!]
[Note: Further updates will be implemented if issues are discovered]
Oh, so it's an update…e…
Wait, [Class Selection]!?
Name: Tsunaka Hanami
Age: 17
Sex: Female ; Human
Class: [Opened]
Level: 29 Exp: 12.142/300.000
HP: 15.080/15.080 (1.508HP/hour)
MP: 25.263/27.260 (3.059,5MP/hour)
Stamina: 100% (52%/hour)
Strength: 115,5 (+64,5)
Vitality: 52
Dexterity: 110 (+46)
Intelligence: 163,25 (+100,25)
Wisdom: 105,5 (+41,5)
Luck: 32
Stat Points: 25
Money: 532.719.164 ¥
"YES!" Fuck, I've been waiting for this for so long! I've read the basic layout of it and the buffs each class will give, and holy hell is it broken! Seriously, the [Caster] class will bring my Intelligence and Wisdom up by 150%! It's crazy!
[I guess the choice after this is obvious, huh?]
"Of course! I mean, 150%!"
[Not even gonna look at Saber or Assassin?]
"Well…I use a sword 'cause, why not? And Assassin? Why do I even have that?" No seriously, Assassins are masters of death, right? Why the hell do I have that choice anyways? I don't have any particular skills that lean towards that class.
[Dunno. Welp, ready, Hanami-chan? The process is going to be a doozie!]
"I'm ready."
A second passes, and I can confidently say, I was not ready.
It felt like…well, it didn't feel like anything, yet everything? At the same time, I guess? I don't quite know how to explain it, but eternity, and what comes before and after it flashed by my mind. I saw the beginning and the end, creation and destruction, animation and eternity. And between all that, I saw a golden throne, sitting in an endless void, waiting for the time immemorial.
My brain didn't quite fully comprehend it, but I know that I, at some point in that second-long experience that I somehow traveled into the [Throne of Heroes], and I know I managed to get a glimpse at the thing known as [The Root].
But what it actually looks like? And what truths they hold? Nah man, my head just kinda exploded at that point.
Knowledge of the unknown flowed into my head, memories flowing out and back into me, and I catch a glimpse of something sitting in the distance, smiling and waiting.
And then it all ended, and a single notification pops up in my eyes.
[Congratulations! You have selected [Caster] as your first class!]
~~~
[May fate never chain you again, Tsunaka Hanami]
~~~
Also, that second of unconsciousness was apparently enough to make me lean forward and fall off the roof
I managed to create an [Empty ID] in time, but the suddenness of it all didn't allow me to do much.
So I crashed headfirst into a car, made my ears bleed from the horrible noises the car is making, and a terrible ache in my nose.
~~~
[Caster]
The servant of magic, famed for their magical prowess. Their noble phantasms vary greatly, as vast as magic itself. This class specializes in their magic power, though lack any other outstanding attributes. However, they compensate their weakness with their special class skills.
Boosts natural Intelligence and Wisdom by 150%
Boosts natural Dexterity and Luck by 20%
All damage done by magical means is increased by 50%
Gives the skill [Magic Resistance Lv 70]
~~~
And finally, here's Hanami current stats, since some people have been askin' for it!
~~~
[Without Equipment]
Name: Tsunaka Hanami
Age: 17
Sex: Female ; Human
Class: [Caster]
Level: 29 Exp: 12.142/300.000
HP: 15080/15080 (25.13HP/min)
MP: 18860/27260 (99.81MP/min)
Stamina: 100% (52%/hour)
Strength: 115.5 (+64.5)
Vitality: 52
Dexterity: 122.8 (+46)
Intelligence: 262.75 (+105.25)
Wisdom: 206.5 (+46.5)
Luck: 38.4
Stat Points: 25
Money: 532,719,164 ¥
