What right had some magus crawling in filth to impose their will upon a heroic spirit, a great legend given form?
Woe that this simple, easy-to-understand fact was lost upon my oh-so-accomplished peers who lauded themselves noble and talented and accomplished and all of that.
There was little I'd seen yet that was more hilarious than this. They treated these great legends like petty servants, considered them malleable familiars, and outright ignored that for those incredible people who had engraved themselves upon our history, this little war was nothing more than a playground.
A way to kill time.
Oh well, most of them had paid the price already.
Breathing out a cloud of hot air, I put my paper cup against my lip and took a chaste sip of my tea as I stared off into a blue sky dotted by clumps of puffy white. The day was clear, the air was from the icy depths of Cocytus, and the Mion seemed deathly still, as though afraid and waiting with bated breath.
Beside me, Rin was rummaging through her purse. I wondered how her legs felt since the only thing between them and the freezing bench was that skirt of hers.
"Why did I have to pay for your coffee too? You're supposed to be rich."
"It's common courtesy, Rin." I said, sharing my elderly wisdom with the stubborn lady, "You asked me out, so you pay for anything we eat. Stop being a brokie~"
I sipped my tea again.
"Couldn't you just get coffee like a normal person then?" She turned to face me with a distinct lack of emotion on her face, like I was wrong or something.
"Bah! Shame on you for even suggesting that a gentleman drink that swill because you have no money."
"A gentleman wouldn't make a lady pay." She replied flatly.
I grinned. "That's true. I'd never make a 'lady' pay."
For a moment, confusion flickered across her features. Then, instead of blustering like usual, Rin simply sighed.
"Fine. I walked into that one."
Oh?
"No fun~" I protested impotently, fidgeting in place, "Oh well, what can I do you for this fine morning?"
Otherwise, I'd have to start looking for ways to pass the time. Something told me that Rin, as Fuyuki's Overseer, wouldn't really enjoy what passed for entertainment these days as much as myself.
"I told you before, Archer isn't answering."
"What?"
"Like I said," Rin spoke a tad louder, "Archer won't-"
"I'm sure I heard something like, 'My servant won't wisten', but that can't possibly be it, right?" I crossed my legs, laughing, "After all, it'd take a real idiot of a master to mess things up that badly. That couldn't be you, right? Seeing as how talented you are-"
Rin Tohsaka did not respond to my provocations even slightly. She simply continued to stare at me with a deadpan.
"Are you done yet?"
"No. Not yet." I waved, "Actually, yeah, you ruined the mood."
At that, she groaned and then facepalmed, "I thought we were beyond this."
Sadly, we were NEVER going to be beyond this. I'd probably die before the day teasing became boring ever came around. That was to say, such a day was never going to come at all.
"Right, right, so you want me to help you with your incompetency as a master?"
Rin grumbled, "I'll hit you."
"No, you won't." I chuckled, offering her my cup.
Our fingers brushed together briefly as she took it from my grasp before she hastily pulled her hand back, spilling a few drops of tea on my jeans. I pursed my lips.
"S...Sorry."
Shaking my head, I removed my aviators.
"Like I thought," I put them back on, "He's here."
The moment those words left my mouth, Archer materialised right in front of us, arms crossed, and back to the river. He gave me an unamused look. "Thanks. I'll be sure to remember this next time you need help."
I smiled neutrally, "You're welcome, mate."
Yeah, now that I saw him, any trace of doubt disappeared. This was Shirou Emiya. Sure, his hair was white, and he'd changed race somehow, but that was definitely still him.
How... inspiring.
"So your dream came true?" I asked curiously, resting my chin atop my palm.
He scoffed, "Do you think I'd be here if that was the case?"
Hm, that was intriguing. My questions could wait. For now, Rin had her own. He was, after all, her servant... A servant that simply disappeared when she was attacked, and turned up now that the issue was resolved.
Considering the threats Illya had made, it was no wonder that Rin Tohsaka was quietly clenching her fists.
"...Why?"
The question that left her quivering lips was a simple one. And yet, I felt something tug at me. Archer remained unmoved.
He merely shrugged his shoulders. "You came out alright, so it's not that big a deal anyway, is it?"
I raised a brow.
Not that I was one to speak, but did he have to be that harsh?
"Not... a big deal?" Rin repeated, "D-Do you know what she was-"
"Again, you came out alright-"
Suddenly, the cup I'd given her was flying through the air. I watched as it hit Archer in the face, drenching him in hot tea. His clothes, and even some of his hair was stained. The servant grew only slightly displeased. He let his arms hang to his side, and pursed his lips.
"What a flippant master I have, I take my words back. You and I can't work together at all." He spoke calmly. "This is a war between magus. If some threats and fear is enough to get you this worked up then you're better off-"
"I trusted you." She cut him off. "I was just starting to trust you-"
He didn't let her.
"Then you're an even worse magus than I thought. Where do you get the idea that you can trust anyone? You, as a magus, don't deserve something like that."
Rin stumbled back.
His words were unusually deliberate, as if he was... No, he had picked those words specifically to rile her up. He was targeting her insecurities. But then... why?
I rubbed my chin, "You know... I don't think I like this."
"Shut up."
Damn.
I raised my hands in mock surrender, relaxing against the bench.
Where I felt nothing at all from his hurtful words, Rin was shook. She stared at the ground in silence, biting her lower lip. She knew he was right. She was smart enough to understand that much.
Still, Rin was a teenager too, like me.
She was going to hate him for this.
And he... he seemed to want that.
Finally, Rin raised her head. "If you're that against it, you can just-"
"You're throwing a tantrum again. How surprising." Archer said blandly, droplets of tea dripping from his coat.
"Mate, you need to chill a bit-"
"Ah yes, get upset because I'm right and she doesn't like it. Tell me, how does it feel to be a little dog wagging your tail for a chance at her-"
I closed my eyes. "I'm just saying there's a better way to-"
"Some tears and suddenly you're a softie. So your bravado only exists if it's not a woman. She needs to get over herself. This is why her sister suffered-"
Goddammit.
Why was this man so talented at instigating?
"Henry-"
The air howled and screeched as my fist struck his palm. Really, I should never have moved for words. Whatever he said to me was unbothersome, but the repeated words to Rin got on my nerves for some godforsaken reason.
So, I punched him.
He was a servant. Easily, Archer raised a palm to block the fist aimed for his face. Behind him, the river surged, driven apart by sheer force. The railing along the river creaked mightily under great gusts of winds.
Archer smiled thinly for a brief moment before his arm suddenly buckled and my fist struck his face. The force threw him past the width of the river before he struck the wall on the other side.
"What?"
At the last moment, he'd stopped.
He took that hit on purpose to create distance between us.
"Henry, what the hell are you doing?" Rin broke out of her stupour, and... shouted at me. That was kind of ho-
I sheepishly scratched my cheek. "I felt like it."
My answer threw her for a loop but Rin quickly recollected herself. Once more, she didn't shout at me at all. She just... smiled softly.
"You don't have to get mad-"
The air howled, a shimmering star struck where I stood to be entirely negated by the Infinity that spilled out from within me. Having learnt my lesson, I quickly removed my aviators and stared at my assailant.
Archer... stood atop the great steel bridge joining the two sides of Fuyuki City together. He was even smiling, bow in hand.
At that moment, what I felt was not some sort of misplaced anger or frustration at one I would still unhesitantly call my friend. No, all I felt was morbid curiosity.
When the world shifted around me, and the distance between us was suddenly so little we stood face to face atop the bridge, that curiosity only grew.
He definitely had an agenda.
"Well... you've pulled me away from Rin. What is it?"
His eyes narrowed knowingly. "You know, I was sure you'd be a lot dumber at this age."
I laughed, shrugging my hands.
"I'd be the same at every age, Shirou. You should know this too."
He shook his head with a somber chuckle.
"Yeah. I know."
-
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