Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and FabledLife
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-Guyana, Secret Hunting Ground-
If Momo had to give her opinion on the current situation, she would have to admit that being out in the wilderness wasn't such a dreadful thing, at least, not for this particular hunt.
It was always one absurdly fun situation after another with this family. Though she did feel a touch of guilt over what had happened to Rito, she also had to concede — even if only to herself — that it was quite funny. There was never a dull moment with the Yuki family, and honestly, it was far more entertaining than anything that ever happened back in her own home on Planet Deviluke. There, most days were spent wandering the endless halls of the palace, with their father off conquering distant planets or putting down rebellions, and their mother entangled in endless political affairs.
That left the girls largely to their own devices, and they'd long become very adept at evading their bodyguards and instructors.
Many envied such freedom, but it wasn't the kind of liberty they truly longed for — it felt hollow and boring. When their sister escaped to Earth while also managing to escape the environment of the palace, both Momo and Nana felt an unexpected sting of envy. The whole wedding issue was, in truth, just a convenient excuse. Today only reaffirmed that they had made the right choice, and not for a single moment did Momo regret becoming a part of this chaotic family.
"Watch out!" Nana called, her warning catching the youngest pink-haired princess off guard and snapping her back to reality. Both sisters leapt aside just in time to avoid their legs being swallowed up by a gigantic worm that erupted from the earth beneath them with a bone-chilling screech. Had they hesitated for even a second, one of them may very well have lost a limb.
"What the— I don't remember anything like that ever existing in Earth's natural history!" Nana shouted with visible distaste at this creature's appearance. Not that Momo could blame her, it was hideous with a capital H. "That's clearly an alien species! It must have been deliberately brought to this hunting ground!"
Being the expert on animals, her sister's voice was laced with outrage at this disgusting surprise. Momo's eyes likewise narrowed at the grotesque worm. The creature's pale pink body stretched out before them, and its circular maw opened to reveal row upon row of spinning teeth, disappearing into an abyssal tunnel of flesh and mucus dripping down everywhere. Disgust curled through her.
"I'm not touching that thing," she muttered.
Without their d-dials or any of the tools they were used to, the only weapons they had were crude implements — sharp stones tied to long sticks. She hurled one at the worm with all her strength, only for it to bounce off harmlessly, not even grazing the creature's thick hide.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The worm let out another piercing screech. While the thrown crude weapon hadn't harmed the thing at all, it had served to get its attention in the worst of ways. Enraged now, the beast surged forward, clearly intending to strike again.
"Let's just run! Wait, if it's a worm, then it must be sensing us through vibrations, not sight! If we get into the trees, we can escape!" Nana shouted.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Just trust me!"
Without waiting for another word, both girls sprinted toward the nearest tree, scrambling to climb its rough bark. But before they could even reach the lowest branch, a shadow fell over and then past them. With a loud 'Bam!', a massive boulder descended from above, slamming into the worm with a sickening crunch. Flesh burst apart, and globs of viscous, sticky innards sprayed in every direction, drenching the twins in revolting slime.
Perhaps not all adventures were quite as entertaining as they'd hoped.
"Nana! Momo! Are you two okay?"
The voice of their saviour reached them. It wasn't Shirou, as Momo had secretly hoped, but someone she trusted just as much.
"So glad I got to you two early. I almost fell into a ravine full of those disgusting worms, but I took care of them! Hahaha!"
Only their elder sister could say something so horrifying with such breezy cheer. And the image before them was just as alarming as the words.
"Onee-sama… are you… Is that what Earthlings call a dinosaur?" Nana asked, her voice trembling.
Both sisters went a shade paler as Lala approached with her signature carefree grin, uninjured save for a few torn patches on her outfit. In one hand, she dragged the enormous body of a Tyrannosaurus rex, its tail trailing behind like the strap of an oversized suitcase. The beast was the size of a double-decker bus, yet she hauled it effortlessly, as if it weighed no more than her weekend shopping.
"Oh, him? This meanie tried to bite me for no reason when I was shouting for Shirou. I got angry and used that move we saw on TV last night. It was a bit tricky to pull off, but I managed it in the end! It was fun and I felt really cool!"
The move in question? Most likely the one they'd caught during last night's idle channel surfing, a wrestling match none of them had truly cared about, and watched simply because nothing else decent was on. One wrestler had suplexed the other with exaggerated flair, tossing his opponent overhead like a sack of rice. To think their eldest sister had not only remembered it but managed to replicate it flawlessly was ridiculous… though not entirely unbelievable given this was Lala.
Nana and Momo exchanged a glance. Then, with little more than a shrug, they accepted it. Outrageous or not, it still felt like something she'd do. After all, Lala had inherited their mother's ethereal beauty and their father's monstrous strength, making her something of an anomaly, even among their own kind.
"Have you two seen Shirou? I think he'll be happy with my gift. We can cook this guy and have a huge feast! Just look at that tail alone! It's bigger than my own body and feels like it has a lot of meat in it. And the leg! It'll be like the biggest chicken drumstick anyone has ever seen!"
Lala's voice rang out cheerily as she hoisted the poor prehistoric lizard above her head. The apex predator dangled limply in her hands. From that angle, they could clearly make out the damage. One punch. Just one, square to its face. The beast had lost every tooth in its mouth, its skull cracked wide open, killing it instantly.
How in the world had Zastin and his gang even come close to capturing her? And worse, how did they manage to blame Shirou for intervening and saving her? Then again, those blockheads did openly train by bench-pressing cars. Still, maybe their sister had simply grown stronger since that day? She always said Emiya's cooking was the reason, and while neither Nana nor Momo had experienced any changes from the same food… maybe she was just maturing physically.
The redhead did at one point mention he had nearly gotten trapped by Lala when she held him down after accelerating her body's growth due to one of her inventions, and she'd nearly snapped his wrists.
Momo truly envied her. The anomaly of their race, somehow, perfectly matched with the anomaly of humanity. From any angle — outside or inside — those two felt made for each other.
"Unfortunately, we just got here and haven't seen any trace of him yet," Nana replied first, earning a sigh of disappointment from Lala.
Lala visibly deflated, letting out a sound of disappointment. "It's… okay, I guess. We'll find him eventually. He must be having the time of his life right now, as this place is perfect for him. On my way here, I saw so many delicious-looking animals and strange fruits! There was even a cat the size of a human with two huge fangs longer than its head! It's called a sabertooth, I believe? I was dragging it along too, but it chewed off its own tail and ran away… oh well, I can always find it again after I find Shirou."
Yes. Their big sister could be terrifying when she wanted to.
And then, from a distance, a sudden blast echoed, a dull boom that brought the conversation to a halt. All three sisters stopped, ears alert. The sound was followed by a high-pitched shriek that struck a chord of recognition in each of them.
"That's Mikan's voice! It came from over there!"
Lala darted forward without hesitation, crashing through the thick undergrowth while her sisters hurried to catch up. They raced through the dense foliage until they broke into a wide clearing.
The sight that greeted them was grisly.
Scattered across the ground lay several severed bodies: giant worms like the one that had attacked the twins earlier, a saber-toothed tiger, and other now-unidentifiable creatures. The area had fallen eerily silent, the forest unnaturally still. In the center, chaos reigned, with thousands of slashes tearing through the air and earth, a storm of blades lashing out at anything that moved. Trees, brush, even shadows fell to pieces in its path.
Finally, the whirlwind of blades stilled, revealing strands of golden hair glinting in the fading light. Yami stood tall, having shielded Mikan with her entire body. The brunette was on the ground, trembling slightly, her wide eyes fixed on a hole in front of her — something had clearly burrowed through, and the size of it gave Momo the distinct impression of the culprit having been the same kind of massive worm that tried to devour her and Nana a short time ago.
It wasn't difficult to piece together what had happened. Given that Yami was her appointed protector, she must have eliminated every threat within reach rather than risk letting anything touch Mikan.
"Yami! Mikan! Are you two alright?" Lala shouted, hurrying forward. She reached the youngest Yuki sibling first, lifting her gently and giving her a thorough once-over before letting out a breath of relief. "You did a good job, Yami! I'm glad you were here with her, and I'm sure Shirou will praise you a lot!"
The assassin in question perked up, unconsciously looking away with a slight blush on her face. "I am merely fulfilling my duty, Princess."
"I'm fine, can you put me down now?" asked the girl awkwardly, to which Lala complied without hesitation. "Hah… this place is freaky, nearly had my foot swallowed by one of those worm creatures, and then several of them appeared. I think we just landed in one of the worst areas on the reserve," she continued, brushing dirt off her legs and glancing around warily. "I was expecting a few creatures native to Guyana or maybe other parts or even eras of Earth, but not one of those abominations you'd expect to only see in some monster flick."
"Well, the prince did say this area was protected and closed off from the rest of the world due to several endangered creatures or even some that are thought to be extinct, still living here," Momo replied.
"Yes! I even caught a mean T-Rex just a little while ago. Come check it out! You can help me cut it apart so we can eat it later when we find Shirou," Lala chimed in cheerfully, as though she'd just brought back groceries from the market.
"Excuse me!? A what now!? There are dinosaurs here!? Big carnivorous ones?!" The young girl visibly recoiled, her nerves clearly on edge from just barely escaping a near-death encounter. Not wanting to scare her further by revealing the true monster that walked among them in their own party, Momo decided to quickly steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Well, if we're here together, then that means Emiya must be with Haruna and Rito," she said in a more composed tone. Not particularly caring about Zastin or the others, since those people would survive regardless of the situation. "I don't think there's anything for us to worry about. He's more than capable of keeping both Rito and Haruna safe."
"I agree. I'm more worried about leaving Shirou alone with Rito, truthfully speaking. While I was mostly joking before to tease Rito, I wasn't exactly lying when it came to the other stuff, even if I maybe exaggerated a bit, though not as much as I'd like." Mikan muttered, causing Lala to tilt her head in puzzlement.
"Why? Shirou wouldn't let anything bad happen to either of them. He always makes sure everyone is safe and taken care of," Lala said with confusion.
That only made the youngest in the group shake her head. Momo had a similar look of concern, her expression tightening as Mikan went on. "No, you don't understand my brothers, Lala. Rito is cursed to always trip and have his hands or even his face make their way into the most intimate areas of whatever girl he's falling on, but Shirou also has a similar… curse, you can say, about making beautiful girls around him develop feelings for him. Let me put it this way: if he's around a girl who needs saving, and he does save her, especially more than once, what do you think is going to happen?"
"They're grateful and happy?" Lala responded innocently, still confused.
"Let me answer that with another question," Mikan continued. "What did you think of him after he saved you when you two first met?"
"I fell in love with him." Her reply was immediate, direct, and without a shred of embarrassment.
Several girls in the group flinched slightly at how blunt she was, while Nana blushed and muttered under her breath about how unfair it was to say something like that so openly. Momo gave Lala a strange look, eyebrows raised, but remained silent for now. While their current status was of them being engaged temporarily by order of the Devilukean Emperor, the way their eldest sister spoke about it, it felt like she was already married to him.
Mikan pressed on, ignoring their reactions. "Exactly. That's what always happens. Actually, when I was still quite young, I don't remember this clearly, but according to my brothers and parents, we nearly got caught up in a car accident while out shopping. Shirou helped get the driver out and rescued a girl inside. That girl was none other than Saki Tenjoin, and we all know how she feels about him now. So you see, it's obvious."
She paused only long enough to let the information sink in before continuing. "And it's not just her. Recently, you even told me about a nurse he keeps running into at school… someone who he also saved not that long ago."
"Mikado-sensei?" Nana whispered incredulously. "You're not suggesting that…"
"Of course, it's only speculation, since I haven't met her myself yet," she admitted whilst shrugging her shoulders. "But considering how rare it is for my brother to regularly hang out with someone, and how I even caught him texting her earlier this morning, it's safe to assume she's probably fallen for him too."
"Let's be reasonable here," Nana desperately interjected, her voice trying to stay grounded. "Even if that's true to some degree, Rito is still a boy deep down, and the changes of Onee-sama's inventions should only be physical — also, he and Emiya are brothers, even if they're not related by blood. He wouldn't experience… that, right?"
"You are right," agreed Mikan. "Now that you put it like that, there's no way such a thing can actually happen. I guess I'm just being paranoid."
Momo gave Mikan a suspicious stare. "True, it's not like you have a crush on him as well. Given you are a girl, and so far everything between you two has been normal."
"What? O-Of course…" she said with a stutter, "Anyways, let's not waste time and find them!"
"Right, that's just absurd."
"Yes, completely!"
The moment the words left her lips, everyone agreed readily, but then a moment of silence fell over the group. No one could bring themselves to fully deny that terrifying possibility. Slowly, inevitably, a creeping sense of dread began to settle over them like a cold fog.
"We need to find those three as soon as possible, before it's too late," Momo said firmly.
"Right! Operation 'Find Shirou Before He Charms Rito and Haruna' is set!" Lala shouted, throwing one fist into the air.
Momo, meanwhile, couldn't shake the uneasy feeling creeping down her spine, especially when she remembered what had happened between her mother and that man. Had she not stumbled upon them late that night or during the courage test on Saki's island… how far would they have gone? She could never underestimate him.
{Break}
(Around the same time)
-On the other side of the reserve-
"Wa-wah! This place is beautiful!"
The shout echoed across the strange hunting ground's tranquil air, accompanied by the distant sound of a river running in rhythm with the wind. Before them stretched a view so striking it nearly silenced them, the gleaming cascade of a towering waterfall, taller than anything they had yet seen since arriving here, thundered down into an inviting basin of crystal-clear water. The sunlight made the liquid sparkle like polished glass, a natural pool that called out for anyone to dive in and swim without a second thought.
Haruna, of course, wasted no time. Her eyes wide with delight, she rushed down the slope, sandals discarded behind her as she sprinted along the shallow bank. Her arms swung with infectious joy as she hopped between smooth stones, marveling at the marine life darting below the surface. Strange creatures, vibrant and ancient, moved lazily through the current, fish and shapes that looked like they had come from another epoch, long determined to be extinct yet somehow thriving in this secluded paradise.
Back on dry land, two figures remained still. One was an incarnated Heroic Spirit with his arms folded loosely, while the other was a former boy — now transformed into a girl — whose lips were twisted into an uneasy smile. Rito, flushed and visibly red in the cheeks, could not take his eyes off the blue-haired girl splashing through the water with laughter spilling from her mouth. Emiya, standing beside him, took note of the way his transformed brother's face turned an even deeper shade of pink and smirked knowingly at the boy's absolutely hopeless attempt at hiding his crush on the girl.
"Sairenji… She looks so beautiful," Rito murmured under his breath, more to himself than anyone else.
"She does look like she's having fun," Emiya agreed, his gaze drifting from the girl to the foliage around them, half-expecting a dinosaur or something equally ancient to burst out from the treeline. Since they'd landed on the island, they had been fortunate; nothing too dangerous had confronted them in their time here. Most of the wildlife kept their distance, even the largest of the herbivores moving aside with strange hesitance, as if something about their group warned the creatures to avoid them.
"You're not going to join her? Seems like the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. A bit of alone time never hurts, don't you think?"
A reluctant hum was the only answer he got, followed by Rito lowering his gaze to his current form. "I don't think that's a good idea," he muttered, pointing with an embarrassed flick at his chest. The blush on his face intensified. "I'm afraid that if I move too quickly, something might… snap."
"I see." Emiya's reply was dry, flat, but understanding. He looked over the ill-fitting garment that Rito had been forced into. Whatever Mikan had salvaged, it definitely wasn't the right size. In fact, it was a size too small, and he winced slightly in sympathy. He knew how it felt. He had once been in a very similar position recently.
"Listen," he offered, tilting his head, "I could just Project you some new clothing."
"And risk disqualification for using modern material? Let's not. I'm not losing anything by just watching. Honestly, I'm more than happy seeing Sairenji smile like that." Then, squinting suspiciously, Rito stepped slightly away. "Also, how would you even know my size?" he added, now covering his chest with both arms in a manner that was clearly overcompensating. "Don't stare too much. You might be my brother, but I swear I'll throw a rock at you! I'm not a girl! It's only physical! Whatever feelings I might have or feel later, this is all just a figment of my own imagination!"
"Are you saying that to me or to yourself?" Emiya replied, arching a brow. "Also, you're the one making this weird."
"I just can't take the risk, Nii-san. The last thing I want is for my heart to react to something you might do." Rito first tried to place his hand over his heart, only to accidentally cop a feel of his own large breasts, which immediately made him pull his arm away and groan with frustration that almost sounded like a high-pitched moan.
"I'm not some gigolo. I'm not trying to make your heart skip a beat. You're just letting other people's words get to your head, that's all." Emiya said flatly.
"You say that," Rito replied under his breath, "but reality disagrees, judging by how many girls are constantly around you. And well…" he trailed off. "There was a second, back home, where I felt something… unusual."
His voice had dropped to barely a whisper, a pitch no louder than a mosquito's buzz.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing!"
Seeing how the orangette started to fidget in place, much like a prey animal face to face with its natural predator. It would be best to just ignore that earlier part.
"In any case," Emiya went on without pressing, "you should look at the bright side. Your situation is only temporary. And more importantly, Haruna came with us knowing the risks. That says something. She came here, to this dangerous, wild place, to help you. That's not something people do lightly. She… she genuinely cares about you."
Rito looked away, his lips tightening. "You say that, but I can't help thinking the only reason she felt comfortable enough to come in the first place was because you are he—"
"—This place is excellent for a vacation!" Haruna's shout rang out, cutting him off completely and breaking through whatever awkward tension had begun to build. She spun around in the water, arms raised high as her soaked hair flung droplets into the air. "Next time, we can even bring the others so they can enjoy the beach too! We could have all of this just for ourselves!"
And just like that, the conversation ended, their attention pulled back to the blue-haired girl still laughing in the shallows, as though nothing in the world could go wrong.
And without a word, he gave Rito a meaningful stare before stepping into the water. The surface broke around them, and soon he found himself peering through the shimmering veil below, caught by the ethereal beauty of the world beneath. It was the kind of beauty that he'd only seen once before, during that virtual reality game Momo and Nana had tricked him and several others into playing. But unlike that manufactured paradise, this one teemed with real danger, monsters that looked like full-grown dinosaurs, and, if memory served him right, even carnivorous plants.
"Not a bad idea, but you are forgetting that, unlike the beaches in Japan, this place is not exactly safe. So don't even think about wandering off or trying to plan some kind of party." Despite his words, his arms rose as he slapped the water playfully in Haruna's direction.
"A-Ah, Emi—pft!" she squealed with a half-laugh, half-yelp, purple eyes wide with mock outrage. She didn't even seem to have heard his words, maybe she had, maybe she hadn't, but her reaction was simple: revenge. She returned fire, her hands scooping up water with determined, playful fury, which she threw at him.
"Ah!" came the sharp cry as the splash missed its mark and instead smacked into Rito, whose surprised feminine wail echoed in a tone far too high-pitched to be dignified.
"You did that on purpose!" he accused, rounding on his brother with a scandalised expression, water dripping from his clothes and face. Instead of glaring at Haruna, his focus remained firmly on him.
"Well, with that expression, you really do look like Ringo right now," his brother said with a mischievous grin.
"I'll take that as a compliment!" Rito barked back, shedding his earlier fears in an instant and charging forward into the water like a madman seeking vengeance. He lunged with both hands, hurling a soaking wave at Haruna and Emiya.
"Hahaha!" The former Servant of the bow burst out laughing, unaffected and amused, while Haruna joined him with a bright, carefree laugh of her own. For that brief slice of time, the worries of their world melted away. Nothing mattered but the moment. No thoughts of reverse-transformation fruits. No thoughts of winning hunting contests. No thoughts of anything important at all, really, just the water, the laughter, and the feeling of being young and alive.
"Ah!" came another startled cry. Both Haruna and Rito suddenly lost their footing on the slick stones beneath them. Somehow, in comic synchronicity, one fell toward the other and the other towards Emiya.
"I got you!" he declared, springing forward with his arms spread out like a net. He caught them just before they could crash into the water again, steadying them both and keeping Rito upright before another scene of embarrassment unfolded.
"Sheesh. I should have known something like this was coming. We really need to work on your footwor—ah." His voice slowed, then drifted into something more uncertain. His gaze slid sideways.
And that was when he saw them.
The fabrics floated peacefully on the water's surface. Not just any fabrics. Two bras, to be specific, one with a bold tiger print, the other a quiet shade of purple. The sight rendered him completely speechless. He stared, utterly blank, mouth slightly open.
Three dots might as well have floated above his head.
"…"
Lowering his eyes slowly, he found both girls equally frozen in place, their heads pressed against his chest and other softer parts clearly pressing against him as well. Dread rolled up through his gut like a cold tide.
A second later, the silence was shattered.
""KYAAAAAH!""
The shriek echoed across the island like an alarm siren. Two fists came crashing into his face in rapid succession. He didn't dodge. Didn't even try. A part of him agreed that he deserved it.
"Argh!"
Rito's punch, while loud, didn't hurt nearly as much. But Haruna's? Her punch landed like a meteor. If not for some last-minute Reinforcement, his nose would've been bent into a new shape. He winced, lifting a hand to his aching cheek.
"Ouch… Satisfied now?" he asked, rubbing the bruised spot while eyeing their stunned expressions. Clearly, they hadn't expected him to brush it off so casually. "Magic," he muttered, voice low.
"Oh."
"…Makes sense."
Once again, they accepted it without question. He didn't linger. Without another word, he turned away and walked up toward the shore.
"Just make sure to cover yourselves up quickly."
"A-Alright! Don't look, Yuki-kun!" came the answer instantly.
"I'm sorry!"
Both soon followed him, though his expression carried a knowing smirk. Emiya's gaze landed squarely on Rito, who now refused to meet his eyes.
"You're getting more and more accustomed to being a woman physically," Emiya remarked, voice lightly teasing. "Give it a few more days in that form, and you'll practically be acting like one. Not sure if I should be impressed or worried."
"Please be worried, because I was— I am very worried about it myself! That reaction was involuntary. I didn't mean to do it! A-And I'm sorry…"
To that, he merely waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry, it was probably a spur-of-the-moment reaction. I'm far more durable than I look. The one who nearly broke my nose is this woman right here. Are you sure you're not part alien, or hiding some kind of superhuman strength, Haruna? Even your sister isn't that strong, and she's tried to push herself on me multiple times before," he said absentmindedly, only to hear a gasp coming from the pair behind him.
"Excuse me!? My sister did what!?"
"I mean, Akiho tried to forcefully get a hug from me and treated me like a teddy bear when I was younger. Not— not like that! It came out wrong!" he clarified in a rush. That woman had always been the complete opposite of her sibling; extroverted, overly affectionate, and unashamedly clingy toward anything she deemed cute.
After he finished resolving the misunderstanding and making sure he hadn't painted Akiho in a disturbingly perverted light in Haruna's mind, he noticed Rito, who started to fidget in place for some reason.
"Um, Nii-san, I… I-I think we have a problem," Rito suddenly said, drawing Emiya's attention. He raised an eyebrow and looked around sharply.
"What? Did you see something in the vegetation? Stay behind me. It could be an ambush predator or one of the mutated strains that roam this place."
"No, it's not that…" Rito's voice dropped lower, almost to a mumble, and his tone carried an odd mix of embarrassment and guilt. "Nii-san, I… I'm reaching my limit."
"What?" Emiya did a double-take, nearly stumbling over the uneven sand as he turned, convinced he had misheard. The blush spreading over Rito's face and the way he shifted nervously on his feet did little to ease that impression.
Seeing Emiya's confused stare, the orangette finally blurted, "I need to go to the bathroom."
"Oh? …Oh."
At first, Emiya remained baffled by why Rito was making such a fuss, only for realization to dawn the next second. His thoughts aligned instantly with the unspoken awkwardness of the situation.
"You're not sure how to… do it, do you?"
"Obviously! It's just… embarrassing. And I'm not really sure," Rito admitted, clearly struggling with the prospect.
"I can accompany you and show you how to do it. You can do it quickly, and it will be done before you know it!" Haruna offered brightly.
But her helpful suggestion hit Rito like a slap to the face. Despite the feminine body he currently inhabited, the pride he still held as a man hadn't disappeared at all. At least, that was Emiya's understanding of the matter, and so he realized why those words had hit his brother with considerable force. The boy staggered back slightly, as if the mere offer had knocked the wind out of him.
Thankfully, no cubicle Projection was necessary. Rito drew in a steady breath, squared his shoulders, and looked off into the distance with a strange sort of battlefield determination. He then shook his head.
"There's no need for that. I was just being indecisive back there. I can do this on my own. Thank you for offering, Sairenji, but I can manage. Trust me."
Watching him march into the bushes with all the solemnity of a soldier heading into war was hilarious in its own right, though Emiya wisely kept that amusement to himself. He doubted teasing the boy would help their current situation.
"Don't go too far, and make sure there aren't any poisonous creatures or plants around you."
"I will!" came Rito's voice in reply, half-lost behind the foliage.
"Poor Yuki-kun. I wouldn't have minded helping him out. He might not be used to dealing with these sorts of things while in a woman's body," Haruna said softly. "Thankfully, he did not end up transforming during that time of the month."
Emiya wisely chose not to respond to that latter part, instead sitting down on the sun-warmed sand with Haruna quietly joining him.
"Maybe it's best if we let him figure these kinds of things out on his own," he said, giving the easiest excuse he could manage.
The blue-haired girl merely hummed her agreement. "It's kinda weird seeing him in a woman's body and still calling him Yuki-kun or even Rito. Don't you feel like another name would fit better? Something feminine?"
"You will just be prolonging his suffering."
The girl chuckled, "I suppose that's true. Still, I think the feminine version of his name would be Yuusaki Riko. Doesn't it sound cuter? Maybe he will like it, and it'd be just when he's in public, as calling him by his original name would raise eyebrows."
"That means you plan or expect that there will be more incidents in the future where he will end up like this. I can tell you right now, he will run away as soon as he sees that gun again." Emiya answered. He even felt a similar reaction to the sight of that gun, even ready to cut it into pieces in the event it was ever pointed at him again.
"You never know what the future might hold…" Haruna shrugged contemplatively. "So, any plans on how we're going to win this competition? We haven't hunted anything yet, and I'm worried we might lose if something doesn't happen soon."
"Let me worry about that. From what I've gathered, this reserve is massive. We're in the perfect place to locate one of those fearsome creatures, exactly what we need to claim victory."
As far as he understood it, the goal was simply to hunt the fiercest animal possible in comparison to the competition. Not exactly an impossible task, and he was fairly sure Lala had already set off with her usual, unrestrained enthusiasm.
"After he comes back, we'll begin properly. But you both need to stay right next to me the entire time, got it? I can only divide my attention so much between keeping you safe and hunting."
"I don't mind! In fact, I'm more than happy with that arrangement. I can finally watch you use your abilities and magic!"
"You're that excited about my Magecraft? I had already used it briefly before we came here."
"I know you can do more than just make cages. I want to see what else you've kept hidden from me," she said, pouting slightly. "You've been keeping all the fun to yourself and not even trusting one of your oldest friends. If it weren't for the body swap incident with me and Lala, you wouldn't have even told me the truth."
"It's not like I kept it hidden with malicious intent or because I didn't trust you," he replied, more amused by her reaction than anything else. "There just wasn't any need to share that kind of information. It would've brought more unnecessary trouble than it was worth. Even my siblings didn't know until fairly recently, and my parents still have no idea."
"How can you say there was no need to reveal something like that? It's magic! I can't imagine anything more amazing, not even aliens!"
"Fair enough. Next time, I'll remember that I don't need to hide my Magecraft from you. Happy now?" he asked with a hint of amusement.
Haruna considered his words for a few seconds, then extended her hand with her pinky finger raised. The sight made him laugh on the spot.
"Hahaha, isn't that a bit childish in this day and age? We're not in kindergarten, you know."
"It's never been childish. I'm being serious here," she said firmly. "You wouldn't want to see me angry."
If by that she meant something akin to an angry chihuahua yapping through the phone or overreacting only to end up forgetting all about it later and bouncing back to her old self, he could handle that. So, he decided to humour her and locked his pinky with hers.
"If you break the promise, then you'll have to swallow a thousand needles."
"Oh my, quite harsh. But given it comes from you, I suppose it makes sense."
"Just do it."
"Alright then," he said, indulging her. He curled his finger around hers, causing her to beam with satisfaction.
"Alright, this now counts as a geis between us."
That made him raise an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're familiar with that term, much less that you're using it."
"Eh? Does it not exist? I thought it was like a promise between mages?"
"Well, I suppose you can think of it like a kind of contract, sure. Let's go with that."
She was just a girl fascinated by the supernatural, tossing out terms she'd likely picked up from TV shows or books. He didn't mind. She seemed to genuinely enjoy being able to weave them into real-life conversations.
Seconds ticked by, and she was still holding their fingers together. That made him glance down, eyebrows lifting slightly as he gently tried to pull away, only to find her gripping tightly.
"Haruna?"
"Say, Emiya… will you really… um, with Lala…"
She was clearly struggling to get the words out. It dragged on for a minute before she shook her head and abruptly gave up.
"No, never mind. Forget about it," she said at last, letting go.
Her reaction caught him off guard. There was definitely something going on beneath the surface, but he sensed that pressing her any further right now might lead to something unnecessarily awkward. He let it slide, turning his attention back toward the water. Both of them sat in silence for a while until he glanced back toward the bushes.
"Are you still not done, Rito?" he called, but got no response. "Rito?" he tried again, louder this time.
Still nothing.
Emiya immediately stood and started toward the bushes, Haruna hot on his heels.
"No, wait, he might still be busy, and he'll get embarrassed if you—"
"No, something's wrong," he said sharply, his tone enough to startle her. Haruna's eyes widened as she looked at him, then quickly followed his lead, both of them hurrying into the bushes. They expected to find the brunette nearby, but instead, they stepped into an empty clearing. Not a single trace of him remained — no rustling, no motion, no voice.
"Yuki-kun!" Haruna called out, her voice carrying concern that grew with each unanswered echo. She shouted his name again and again, eyes darting through the undergrowth, heart climbing into her throat. There was no sign of him.
"What happened? Did he wander too far? Was he attacked? Oh no, what should we do?"
"It's unlikely he was attacked by an animal," murmured Emiya, his earlier laid-back demeanor now gone, replaced with a dark, thoughtful expression. He crouched low and surveyed the ground, hands brushing lightly across the surface. "There are no signs of a struggle. No broken branches. Nothing that suggests something pounced on him."
He paused and glanced around, narrowing his eyes at the brush. "Even if it were a creature, there would've been some noise and signs of a struggle. And I checked the area earlier — there weren't any predators nearby." He pointed to a spot in the dirt. "His footprints are here. He was standing right there. Then… nothing. They just stop."
Fingers still resting on the earth, he slowly lifted his gaze to the trees, scanning their trunks, branches, and leaves with meticulous attention. Everything seemed still, untouched. But then something caught his eye — a faint line, slightly discolored, dragging along the bark of a tree, thin as thread and nearly invisible.
"A rope," he muttered. "Friction left a mark. Either we're not the only ones on this island, or the prince's plan extends beyond hunting wild animals. Worst case, one of the creatures living here may have learned how to use and even make primitive tools."
None of those possibilities sat well with him, and all of them spelled more trouble. He sprang upward, rising through the canopy, and settled on the highest branch of the tallest tree he could find. The vantage point offered a panoramic view, and with his vision Reinforced, every detail within a four-kilometer radius came into focus.
His eyes locked on movement, several blurs dashing through the jungle below, swift and careful. Dense foliage obscured their forms, but here and there he caught flashes of orange-brown hair. That was enough.
"So we aren't alone after all. I'll be having a word with the prince soon enough," he said grimly, then dropped back to the ground.
Haruna rushed toward him, her expression tight with worry, eyes begging for an explanation.
"Rito's been taken. It looks like a group is behind it. I can't say if they're working with the prince or if they're an entirely different faction, but either way, I saw where they're headed. You won't be able to keep up with me if I pursue them at top speed."
He paused. As much as it would have been faster to go alone, leaving her behind wasn't an option either. That was just asking for more problems. Without waiting for her protest, he stepped forward and scooped her up in a princess carry.
Startled, Haruna instinctively threw her arms around his neck, seeking balance. Realization dawned too late on how close their faces now were, and a deep blush bloomed across her cheeks. Her reaction didn't escape him.
"I'm only carrying you like this so I can move fast without leaving you behind. Don't get any ideas. I'm not about to kiss you or anything," he said dryly.
"D-Don't say things like that, Emiya!" she yelped, voice flustered.
"Fair enough," he replied.
Without another word, he applied Reinforcement across his leg muscles tensing like coiled springs. Then, in an instant, they were gone — his body slicing through the jungle like an arrow fired from a bow.
The sheer velocity stole Haruna's breath. She clung to him tightly now, her earlier embarrassment forgotten, her forehead pressed against his back. Her screams of fright echoed briefly before she forced herself into silence.
"We're almost there. Keep quiet. If you're too loud, they'll hear us," he warned, his ears already picking up faint noises ahead. His eyes narrowed on a clearing forming in the distance, and there, nestled between the trees, stood several simple wooden houses, hastily built, rough but functional.
And only then did he finally get a better view of the people inside, and the sight alone made his blood freeze in place. A slow, creeping dread slithered through his spine before he abruptly stopped in his tracks, heels grinding into the dirt as he braced himself and quieted every movement, determined to stay unnoticed.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath.
He wanted to believe it was nothing more than a trick of the light, that he was misreading shadows or imagining things his eyes had no business seeing. But from this close, the truth was undeniable. Even the dimmest mind would have seen it clearly, and she, still gasping for air, certainly hadn't noticed them yet.
"Eh? A tribe of women?" she asked between breaths, her breathing uneven as she clung to him for balance, legs wobbling from the recent sprint.
"Not just a tribe of women," he replied, tone low and cautious. Though his own experience with them was vague at best and distant in memory, something within told him enough. The kind of trouble waiting behind those tents didn't need much explanation. "Amazoness warriors. They even exist here, of all places."
.
.
.
In the distance, the sound of a struggle reached them, followed by a flurry of complaints from a familiar voice.
"Ah! Let me go! I didn't do anything! I'm not some animal! You've got the wrong person!" came the loud protest.
Surrounded by Amazoness warriors, now firmly bound, Rito sat helplessly on the ground, limbs tied and back straight as he wriggled in vain. His pleas fell on indifferent ears. Around him, the camp carried on with routine — some sparring in mock duels, others butchering the remains of wild beasts, and several standing watch over him with sharpened spears in hand.
"I didn't do anything, so why did you kidnap me?" he shouted again.
This time, one of the warriors finally turned to look at him, her irritation plain. Her glare could have melted stone.
"Silence, outsider! You will be taken to the chieftess for interrogation. Your purpose here will be made clear — and your companions will be hunted down next."
"Interrogation? But I don't know anything! I just came with my brother for a contest over some prize that would—"
"Shut up if you don't want to be struck over the head with the biggest club I can find on short notice!"
"—!"
From their hidden vantage point, Haruna and Emiya at least allowed themselves the faintest sigh of relief, reassured that Rito was unharmed physically — though his mental state might soon tell a different story.
"Amazons. Of course, it had to be them. Here, of all cursed places. Something tells me that the prince did this on purpose," the former Counter Guardian murmured, resting the back of his head against the bark of a tree. His whole posture slumped in quiet mental exhaustion.
"Eh? Do you know something about Amazons?" Haruna asked, her eyes not leaving the village ahead. She must have picked up on his unease earlier, though he wasn't exactly trying to hide it.
"Not exactly," he replied. "I don't have any recollection of meeting them before, I think, but I certainly have heard of them. Also, let's say I've got a bad feeling. With the kind of luck I've had so far, it'd be smart to assume they're the same kind I've read about."
Just then, a shrill voice rang out from inside the camp, cutting through the air like a war horn.
"Prepare the breeding room! Today we ensure our lineage continues, and we'll go at it with our new husband until we're all bearing strong daughters once we capture him!"
"Yeah!" several more voices cheered.
His eye twitched. "Never mind. They might be even worse."
So far, he hadn't seen a single male among them. Only women, tough, hardened, and with one thing clearly on their mind. The implications were obvious, and they were far from comforting.
The most dangerous possible outcome right now would be if, for some reason, Rito's transformation abruptly wore off and he reverted back into his male body. If that happened… he would find himself right in the center of hell.
This wasn't just another challenge anymore. It wasn't a hunt or an obstacle to overcome with brute force. This was urgent, far more dangerous than wild dinosaurs or lizard-like predators that could be dealt with by blade and added to the scoreboard.
"What should we do then? We can't just leave him there! Should we try and find the others?" Haruna asked, urgency creeping into her tone.
"While finding the others sounds good in theory, we don't have time to waste. Fighting Amazons isn't worth the risk or the effort, given that there are at least more than a hundred of them inside that village, and who knows how many hunting parties they've already got searching the jungle. If they're as stubborn as they look, it might screw up the entire competition," he replied calmly, looking around to spot anything he might have missed just in case.
"But didn't you deal with the entire male population of our school, twice?"
He raised a finger, "First of all, it was not every single boy in the entire school, just the idiots from the Anti-Emiya Alliance. And secondly, I'd much rather deal with a thousand untrained, immature, hormone-driven teenage boys than a hundred Amazoness warriors who've learned to survive in what may well be the single most dangerous environment on the planet and have been trained to fight and hunt since they could walk. They won't go down with something so simple as a good kick to the head." Unless he went for the kill, but that was just far too extreme for Haruna and Rito to witness. He still kept that option open just in case, but for now, there were other, more efficient and less tiresome ways that wouldn't risk mentally scarring his brother and friend.
"Then what's the plan?"
Looking around, Emiya spotted a split coconut, several vines he could use to make a rope similar to what the others were wearing, red clay mud, and finally… Haruna, who was fidgeting in place, worriedly looked at Rito. That was when an idea came to mind, one that at first glance seemed crazy, but taking into account how the people in this world tended to be and the very high likelihood that most of these Amazoness warriors had not seen many men or even a single man for a very long time… it might just work.
"Haruna." He called out her name, putting on his most serious face, which also caught her off guard at first. "Do you trust me?"
For some reason, the way he worded that made her hesitate to answer, but given so far, the girl never had a reason to doubt the young man; she put away that uncertainty and nodded her head in resolution.
"Good, now come here, I am going to tie you up," he said while tying several vine strands together.
"…"
She should have trusted her gut.
{Break}
(A few minutes later)
"There is no way they'll fall for this."
For the first time since arriving in this place, Haruna began to doubt Emiya's ability to keep them safe, or even out of trouble.
"Don't worry, my disguise is impeccable. Just enough to fool them."
So he claimed, but the girl's eyelids twitched involuntarily at those words. She glanced back at the man, and what she saw did nothing to restore her confidence. He had added a few so-called 'details' to his appearance — starting with a long white wig that cascaded down his back like a pale waterfall, followed by a black mask strapped across the upper half of his face. And finally, two halves of a coconut shell were tied crudely over his chest in a primitive, makeshift bra. All of it clashed absurdly with the defined muscles of his otherwise bare torso, which he left fully on display.
Rather than resembling an Amazoness warrior, he looked more like someone caught rushing through the final hour of a low-budget crossplay event.
She attempted to reason with him, if only for her own sanity. "Who the hell is that supposed to fool? I should've been the Amazoness, and you could've pretended to be the male captive I dragged back to camp."
"Bad idea," he replied. "First off, if a man were captured, all eyes would be glued to me, and I'd no doubt be carried off to the breeding room they mentioned in less than a minute. We'd lose any chance of snatching Rito. Second—" his eyes looked her over from head to toe and she could practically feel it "—while you're not lacking, you don't have the same… attributes the other Amazons flaunt around here. And you're about as pale as a ghost compared to the lot of them."
The girl did not know whether to feel offended or not. Her breasts were still growing, and she exercised daily by walking around her neighborhood with Maron! "Well, you look like a chiseled man who threw on a wig, a mask, and a coconut bra, thinking that's enough to deceive people."
"Thank you. And it might just work."
Her heart pounded faster the closer they came to the village. The guards stationed at the entrance had already taken notice, their narrowed eyes fixed on the approaching pair. Panic surged through her chest. 'It's over. They've already seen through him! Of course they would. It's just a mask and—'
"Oh, I see you're back with another of the outsiders, sister."
One of the women guarding the gate greeted Emiya with a proud smile, the one beside her nodding in cheerful agreement.
"And you've done so in record time, too. I only just heard a scouting group was sent to capture the others."
Haruna's brain short-circuited. Her expression locked in frozen disbelief as the two guards treated Emiya like one of their own, chatting with him as if they'd known her… him for years.
"I do take pride in being efficient," he replied.
He didn't even bother changing his voice!
"Sister, what's happened to your voice? It sounds deeper. And your hair… Why is it white?" Haruna's heart skipped a beat the moment this question was asked. How would he explain that without sounding extremely suspicious?
"Stress caused my hair to lose its color early, according to the village elder. As for my voice, I also tried to capture the man when I caught sight of him, but he slipped past my guard and struck my throat."
At once, their expressions turned sympathetic, only to brighten moments later in excitement. "So he's a fighter, too, on top of being a man? Oh, I'm so jealous of the scouting party! What does he look like? Is it true that men don't have breasts like ours and instead they resemble something more like Ginga Kong with a lot of hair all over their entire bodies?"
"Yes," Emiya answered flatly, offering no further elaboration.
With every exchanged word, Haruna felt her legs grow unsteady, her mind struggling to keep pace. None of this made sense. But wait, could it be? Had most of these women never even seen a man before? Was that why Emiya had been so unshakably confident?
"I'll take this prisoner and place her with the other one," he said without hesitation.
"Good. Be sure to report to the chieftess. She's already begun preparations for the ceremony. Once we've captured the man, it will be time for him to sire our tribe's next generation."
Even though she was bound, Emiya could feel the man behind her physically shiver. He kept his composure on the surface, walking through the village with an easy, unhurried pace. More eyes turned toward them, curious gazes flicking over their odd pair, and she tensed at once.
"Oh no… more of them are staring! Surely one of them has realised he's not actually a woman! We're finished!"
But instead of the alarm she expected, there came only a sharp whistle from one of the girls nearby. A cheerful voice called out, "Whoa! What did you do with your hair? It looks gorgeous! And hey, nice figure! Come train with us for the night, we can even bond together while we make babies with the man later, once we find him."
"Hey, I was going to say that!" another voice chimed in from beside her.
"Too slow."
The whole world felt like it had gone insane. Or maybe it was just the people in this particular village. Too trusting, too open, and yet somehow, it was working in their favour.
"Told you the mask would work," he said quietly behind her, hot breath touching her ears, nearly making an embarrassing sound come out of her mind, the faintest note of pride slipping into his tone.
Her eyes twitched. The urge to stamp on his foot grew stronger. She hissed under her breath, "It's not the mask. It's pure luck."
"If you say so," he replied smoothly, clearly not believing her for a second. He actually thought his disguise was flawless. Impossible to see through. Was she the one losing her mind? Maybe being around him too long had broken her sense of reason. Maybe such a simple trick didn't work on her because she knew him too well and couldn't ignore the obvious. Her brain spun with increasingly desperate logic until they finally arrived at a cage. It was large, made from some kind of dark, polished wood, and inside, Rito sat curled in on himself, completely unaware of their approach.
It took Emiya tapping the wooden bars for Rito to lift his head. A flicker of confusion danced in his eyes before he simply stared, wide-eyed, not saying a word.
Haruna stared too, stunned into silence. Rito… fell for it as well? No. No, she refused to believe that. Absolutely not.
"Nii…san?" he asked uncertainly.
The question hung in the air, and she didn't even need to look to know that smug grin had returned to the man's face. She could already see the expression forming, the one that said, "See? I told you it would work. Even Rito can't tell for sure if it's me."
No wonder Risa and the other girls said he had a side to him that made you want to punch him in the face. She used to think they were exaggerating, maybe teasing him at most. She had been so terribly wrong. The worst part? She was disappointed. Disappointed in the so-called Amazoness warriors who had been completely taken in by what was, at best, a child-level disguise. And still, the one who stood out most in the crowd was the white-haired one.
How could no one find that suspicious? No one else here had white hair! Was it the fake tribal tattoos? The face paint? Or was it the absurdly lean muscle mass with a coconut bra? Was that really all it took?
While she spiralled deeper into existential doubt, her so-called captor calmly placed a finger to his lips and motioned for Rito to keep quiet. He swept his eyes across the clearing. There were still a few women stationed around the cage, but most of the guards had wandered off, some out of boredom, others helping with various chores. Only a single sentry remained close.
Lowering her to the ground, Emiya strode toward the lone Amazoness guard without a hint of hesitation.
"I brought another one," he announced.
"Good work, sister. Your efforts won't go unappreciated. The chieftess will certainly allow you one of the earliest rounds of breeding with the man once we find him."
Once again, his face twitched, most likely disturbed by the way they so casually discussed his fate as though he were already captured, as though his consent or lack thereof was irrelevant.
"Send word to the chieftess. This outsider I brought has information on two other men somewhere in the jungle."
As soon as those words left his lips, the woman's eyes shot open in disbelief. "There are others!? How did we not see them? Perhaps they were weak, and Ginga Kong or one of the other predators already got to them. If that's the case, then they're long gone. Damn it, we can't let another man fall into the jungle king's hands and lose him too!" she snapped, turning sharply on her heel. "I'll be right back!"
She departed swiftly, her figure vanishing beyond the crude wooden structures, leaving them with a narrow window where no one had eyes on them. Without hesitation, Emiya reached for the cage, hands working quickly over the primitive lock. With a creak and a clack, the door finally gave way, and Rito stepped out, his feminine body trembling slightly with pent-up fear.
"Nii-san!" Rito gasped in a whisper. "I was so scared. For a second, I thought they were going to turn me into one of their toys the moment they found out about my transformation… and that I'm actually a man."
"We'll talk about that later," Emiya replied flatly. "Let's just leave before it's too late."
His eyes darted around warily until they landed on a shadowed trail near the cage. He jerked his head in that direction.
"Let's go. Come on."
They began to move swiftly, feet pressing softly into the dirt path. Haruna, by now, had accepted the absurdity of their situation and found solace in the thought of escape. Relief washed over her, just barely, like the first breath after surfacing from underwater. But the moment was shattered as a voice rang out sharply behind them.
"Hey, you! Hold it right there!"
Rito and Haruna froze mid-step, shoulders tensing. Emiya, however, turned his head slowly, gaze calm and unreadable, no flicker of panic crossing his features. Approaching from the trees was another Amazon warrior, eyes narrowed and alert.
"Why are the prisoners out of their cage?" she asked sternly.
"The man has proven to be quite slippery," Emiya answered without missing a beat. "The chieftess has instructed the scout team to use these two as bait to lure him out, to avoid risking permanent injuries to our warriors."
"Is that so?" the woman replied, her tone softening as she began to stroke her chin thoughtfully. "It makes sense. Sometimes, patience isn't enough to catch prey, and this man certainly seems to be both strong and clever. Using bait to draw him out is most effective and entirely acceptable. Just make sure they don't actually escape. But if the chieftess said so, then I trust you, sister."
With a nod of approval, she turned away and walked off, leaving the three of them standing in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Haruna turned toward Emiya, jaw slack.
"You're very good at lying."
"A lot of practice," he said, with a modest smile. "It's not that hard once you accept that some people are… mentally lacking, shall we say. I used to keep overestimating people's intelligence, which can be just as bad as thinking they're dumber than they really are. Made that mistake far too many times when dealing with the boys at school. I won't make it again."
They continued forward, this time less tense, with the entrance finally in sight. As they passed the outer guards, the same question was posed, and the same explanation given. Just like before, the answer was met with nods of agreement the moment Emiya mentioned the idea of catching the man quickly without harm.
It was only now, as the pattern repeated, that it began to dawn on Haruna just how desperate these people were. She wasn't sure if she ought to pity them or feel something else entirely.
"Alright then, stay safe out there, sister. After this, we'll celebrate new life for the entire tribe. We'll also offer Ginga Kong his due with food and drink. He'll be pleased."
"Where might Ginga Kong be at this time?" Emiya asked. "The other scouts haven't seen him for a while."
"Eh? Isn't he usually roaming near his home by the volcano's entrance? That's strange. He rarely leaves that area unless he's out looking for food."
"Perhaps he was simply in the mood for something else today, that's all," said Emiya, casually brushing off the topic. Haruna listened with a blank expression, though her mind ticked away behind her neutral gaze. He really was remarkably good at lying; smooth, quick, and just persuasive enough. Now they had the creature's location. Yet before they could leave, the woman speaking to them wasn't finished.
"When you get back, make sure to teach me your routine for those back muscles. Geez, they look like they were carved out of stone!" she declared, and without warning, smacked Emiya's back with a hearty slap meant to be playful.
What followed was the unmistakable sound of something snapping. Haruna and Rito both stared, their eyes drifting downward just in time to see two coconut halves clatter to the ground. The disguise had been broken. Emiya now stood bare-chested, the two Amazoness women frozen with wide eyes, staring at the sculpted physique of his flat and distinctly masculine chest that had just been revealed.
"…"
"…"
"There's… nothing there…?"
"Change of plans. Come on — we run. Now!" Emiya didn't waste another second. He scooped both of them up, Haruna and Rito were thrown over his shoulders like sacks of rice, and he sprinted off with astonishing speed. He wasn't quite as fast as before, probably due to the extra weight, but the pace was still ridiculous.
Behind them, the whole of the village exploded with shouts. Haruna heard one loud, enraged voice cutting through the trees. "Everyone, gather! We have an intruder! It was the man; capture him!"
Cries erupted from every direction. The command echoed like a war drum as dozens of voices joined in. From her bouncing position, Haruna glimpsed Amazons charging after them, spears glinting, shields raised, slings swinging overhead. Even though the plan had technically collapsed, she was still amazed it had gone this far. It could've worked, she realized, if that woman hadn't slapped his back.
"Where are we going!?" Rito shouted, struggling to speak between jolts as he bounced around like a sack of flour.
"Wherever I can lose them!" Emiya called back.
True to his word, the man darted down twisting paths, cutting sharp corners, veering off into overgrown trails with animal-like instinct. He ran not just fast, but smart, choosing unpredictable routes that left their pursuers guessing and slowly widened the gap between them.
Though Haruna could no longer see the Amazons in pursuit of them, her ears still picked up their cries, determined and relentless. She clenched her jaw. They were still being followed. Somehow, the Amazoness kept tracking them through the dense terrain. Then, a new sound rang out.
"A horn?" she said aloud, hearing the long, deep blast echo through the forest with terrifying clarity.
It was louder than the shouting from earlier. More urgent. It made her stomach twist.
"Maybe they're trying to alert the other Amazons in the area?"
"Most likely. Tch. Just sit tight, I'll handle it," Emiya replied, still not slowing for even a breath.
The cries behind them began to fade at last, bit by bit, the voices dimming, the distance growing. Haruna felt a flicker of relief start to form in her chest.
Then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted something, just a flicker at first. But it was enough. And with that, the fragile sense of comfort she'd just begun to build inside herself was shattered in an instant.
"Emiya!" she shouted.
It seemed he had noticed it as well, leaping away just in time to avoid a massive fist crashing down where they had stood only moments before. The ground cracked under the impact, a tremor rippling through the earth as he landed a short distance away, prompting all three of them to look up. There, towering above the treetops, stood a creature unlike anything they had seen on the island so far. It was enormous, covered in coarse black fur, and wore what could only be described as an iron helmet, absurdly large, easily ten times the size of an ordinary human. Its teeth were sharp and jagged, its muscles grotesquely pronounced, and it radiated a presence so intense that none of them dared to move.
"Cease your escape!" came another voice.
This time, it came from the opposite direction, cutting off their route. The Amazons had caught up. Leading them was a distinct figure taller and more muscled than the rest of her sisters, and much to her and Emiya's shared shock, the woman wore no bra on her left breast, leaving only a curtain of hair to preserve any semblance of modesty.
"Heed my words, man," the Amazoness leader declared, her voice both mocking and commanding. "If you do not surrender right now, not only will you suffer the combined wrath of the tribe's mighty warriors, but also face the fury of Ginga Kong himself. Obey, and I swear you shall be treated well as I consummate your arrival in the village. As a man, you have proven yourself able to sire my people's next generation, but your struggles end here. We would prefer not to damage our future daughters' sire, but we will do what we must if you force our hands."
Haruna glared at the Amazon chieftess. She hated the way this woman and the others spoke to him, like he was just an object to them, a tool, something to be passed around and used. But even with that burning fury welling up inside her, she couldn't find the strength to shout back at this imposing warrior. Not with that monstrous gorilla looming so closely nearby, its sheer size suggesting it could tear through all of them with a single swipe. Magic might not be enough to save them, and that uncertainty kept her frozen. Just as she was about to offer herself as a distraction, the thought half-formed on her lips, she heard Emiya sigh. Then he bent down and gently set them on the ground.
Her breath caught.
He was going to surrender. He was actually going to give in to this madness and allow himself to be taken by these Amazons. She couldn't let that happen. Never!
"Alright. I've had enough," he said, his tone shifting, sounding more tired than anything else as if he'd accepted reality… and was now resolving to deal with it.
"I tried going around, but every path just leads to the same end. Fine. If my only option is to carve out the path I'm looking for, then so be it."
In that moment, two weapons appeared in his hands, seemingly conjured from nowhere. One was black, the other white, both possessing designs that were equally elegant and deadly. The white sword was leveled at the Amazoness leader, and the black blade pointed squarely at Ginga Kong, who let out a low, menacing growl at the sight of the blades.
"Alright then. Let's get this over with nicely and quickly. Come at me, all of you."
------------------
Emiya has some pretty goofy moments when it comes to disguises... Anyone remember fgo Santam?
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.