arai kñ\µc@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
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Hollow II: Reunion « Thread Started on Nov 19, 2005, 9:03pm »
This thread's going to actually be used for three separate events that kind of go with each other. Reunion takes place right after Heaven's Feel Backnight 1, while A Moment in the Morning comes directly after Reunion. The End of the Fourth Night happens....on the 4th night, several days later. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Reunion
-That was the dream I saw.
Once I woke up, it was just before 6 in the morning. The light coming through the window was a little bright and the breeze seeping through the open spaces was a little chilly.
gc.Oh crap. I did it again.h
A steamy summer had come and gone, quickly shifting into October. It became a season difficult to fall asleep in without a blanket.
gLast night, what did Ic.ummch I moved my still sluggish head around. Last night, I fixed up Bike #1 and then changed the chain for #2 to a new one while I was at it. Since I had no other work to do, I relaxed a bit and ended up falling asleep.
gcOuch. It sure is rough sleeping on the groundcItfs going to be worse when it turns winter soon if I donft bring a futon.h
I rotated my coarse shoulders and took one breath.
Breakfast starts at 6:30 in the Emiya residence. There was still plenty of time, but that only went for the people eating. The people making breakfast had to already wake up 30 minutes earlier.
gLately Sakura has been coming to wake me up after she finishes making breakfastc. I wonder when she became the kind of person that had fun robbing people of their hobbies?h
It definitely was the influence of her sister. Anyway at this house, if you wanted to make breakfast, you had to wake up at 6 AM or risk being beaten to the punch.
As the master of this house, no as her teacher, I couldnft afford to be outdone yet by my pupil.
Once I stepped onto the veranda, I could feel the smell of breakfast. The sound of an active kitchen knife entered my ears. Judging by this, it looked like breakfast preparations were already 80% over.
The same old scenery of a pleasant morning. Savoring it as if it was only natural,
gOh, good morning Shirou. Did you wake up late this morning?h
I gazed at her smile.
gShirou? Why are you being silent? Is there something on my face?h
Half a year ago. Back when it was still cold, this happened before. I,
gc You look pale. Good lord, did you spend the night in the storehouse again? Shirou, while your attitude towards improving yourself is admirable, ruining your health because of that means that you still need training.h
Yeah. After all, I still am in training. Itfs only been half a year since the Heavenfs Feel. People canft grow up that easily.
gAre you listening to me Shirou? I am responsible for directing you now that Rin has entrusted things to me.h If you insist on neglecting your health, I have an idea to remedy that.h
Thatfs right. Since Tohsaka is gone, it was up to Saber to protect the order of our household. But, putting that aside.
gWhat kind of plan do you have?h g What Shirou has trouble dealing with the most. I have no choice but to instruct you closely as you never listen to what I say. If you do not regret the error of your ways, I will have to move into the room next door.h gUgh.h Donft say something scary when youfre smiling.
Saberfs room was a Japanese-style guest room. When she moved away from the room next to mine,
gI will not. There is no reason to change my quarters.h
She had said, exerting her position stubbornly. But I managed to get her to agree since the war was over and there was no more need for a bodyguard around me.
That happened just a little earlier. Ever since then, I took back the appropriate peace of heart of a healthy young man.
g-I repent. Ifll start sleeping in my room from tomorrowh gVery goodcalthough I do have mixed feelings about how this condition prompted an immediate effect, but this is for Shiroufs health. I am worried about not being able to be by your side in an emergency, but I guess it cannot be helped if you canft get a good nightfs rest.h
Saber walked to the living room without making a fuss. Of course she wouldnft. Why should anyone do so in the same, old, morning conversation?
Ah, I forgot to tell her. I had to say it.
gSaber.h
gGood morning and thanks in advance.h gYou're welcome. Shirou, watch your health.h
I went with Saber to the living room. My eyes became blurry for some reason. Wondering why, I rubbed my eyes.
gHuh?h
My eyes were just a little watery. The same, old scenery of a pleasant morning. I probably yawned earlier out of boring from things being so peaceful.
arai kñ\µc@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 586
Re: Reunion « Reply #1 on Nov 19, 2005, 9:05pm »
One moment in the morning ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Itadakimaaasu!"
The slightly different sounds of a variety of clasping hands echoed On the table was the main dish of broiled fish, but actually lined up for 6.
"So anyway, Sakura got up early this morning and cooked for us. Everybody, especially a certain slouch please be grateful to Sakura and slowly enjoy your meal."
Saber and Rider nodded seriously. No, I didn't mean you guys, I meant the Fujimura group over there trading spinach for roast chicken.
"Ah, there's still natto! I said before that I didn't want any, but Sakura is persistent. Taiga, you eat natto don't you? I'll trade them for fried eggs."
"I don't mind but you ought to get used to natto. 'Don't be picky with what you eat, but it's a deal if you take half of the fried eggs. Munch munch. Alas my poor little chicklet, unaware of the wonderfulness of natto and rice.
"Half you say... ..Fine, I accept. I'll trade with you at that rate. I won't be able to eat all of it anyway. Taiga, feel free to be stuck in Sakura's reputation before you realize it.
"Ok, it's settled. Half my eggs for Ilya-chan's natto! ...And what do you mean by Sakura-chan's reputation?"
"Oh no need to worry. I've calculated the amount of calories properly. As long as you chew and exercise, there won't be any extra fat! Isn't that right, Saber-san?"
"It is as Sakura says. While I cannot make a definite comment as our body frames are different, I believe if anyone does become heavier, Taiga will not be the only one."
"See? Saber-san agrees. Eat as much as you like! We have plenty of leftovers." " Not necessary to tell me. Sakura, please give me one big pile of food.
"..." "..." Rider and my eyes met. It looked like we had the same thing to say, but some things were better left unsaid.
"Rider? Your bowl is empty. Would you like more?" "I'm fine with one bowl. I don't have a digestive system as strong and inefficient in energy consumption as Saber's. I will have a cup of tea though, so Sakura, please concentrate on breakfast."
Rider said, pouring tea for herself. Sipping hot tea silently really did seem to fit her.
"...Inefficient energy consumption...I can't ignore that comment Rider. I would be satisfied with just the bare minimum. However, it would be improper to leave any leftovers as this much has already been prepared. Rations mustn't go to waste."
"Munch munch, these radishes are great. Oh, Saber-chan, if you aren't going to eat yours, give them to me."
"I refuse." "Gya!?"
"Furthermore, this was the meal that Sakura took the time to make for us. I would feel uneasy at settling for little. Delicious food ought to be eaten to the heart's content."
What Saber said was logical. I felt it was a wonderful opinion. If only she hadn't asked for a third serving however. ...People, you really shouldn't overdo things.
"Oh? Today's miso soup tastes a little different. Shirou, you didn't help today did you? It feels kind of inconsistent. Even though the flavoring is thick, the potatoes were cut delicately. Not very skilled, but precise; kind of like a novice carver."
"Ah...uh, well experience is a good teacher. Got to do some things differently every once in a while." "Is that so. I prefer the usual soup, but I suppose that this type has some promise. The Japanese food Sera makes also tastes just like this."
Rider slumped in relief. ...I didn't lie. What I was trying to hide was that today's miso soup was made by our very own Rider.
When I went to the kitchen this morning, Sakura and Rider were already there. Me and Saber laid out the tableware while watching Rider in her desperate battle in front of the miso soup pot.
"Ah, Fujimura-sensei, it's almost time for you to leave. The preparatory committee for the cultural festival is about to start." "Ack. Ryuudou-kun will be mad if I come in late today. Waah, can't us teachers even be allowed to have our last cup of tea?" Fuji-nee rose up, holding the helmet for her bike, "Tiger", in one hand.
"Sakura-chan, see you at school. Shirou, be sure to come in on time. Just because you don't plan to go to college doesn't mean you can take it easy and skip school!"
And so, a 2X-year old, single, female English teacher waved at us with a smile and ran off. Since the cultural festival was closing in, Fuji-nee has lately been leaving early. This also was the same with the succeeding captain of the archery club, but since it was just before the cultural festival, the regular morning training was reduced to a short meeting. Because of that, she had 30 more minutes of free time than usual.
"The cultural festival is coming up soon. I just wish Nee-san would be able to come back for it though. "Yeah. She said she'd be back during summer break, but it's already October. I wonder if something happened to Tohsaka over there." ...More like, it would be nice if she didn't cause anything to happen, seriously. "Hmph. Having to make an extended stay is what Rin deserved. It's not something that can be gotten over with in one month. She botched up an imitation of Zelretch's Jewel Sword? ...Well it is 100 years too early for Rin so there isn't even the slightest chance of her succeeding, but if she had caused a 2nd Magic explosion who knows what could have happened?"
Ilya was genuinely upset. ...I guess it's normal to be angry if all of that happened in your own castle, but still.
-Let's go back 2 months earlier. One day in the midst of summer vacation, Tohsaka, as enthusiastic as ever,
"I'm going to be needing a trump card when I go to London next year. They say there are a lot of weirdoes this term and since I will be going as a bumpkin from the far east, it'd be a good idea to have some dignity."
Or so she had said jokingly knowing Tohsaka though, she probably had taken great care and preparation she tried to make a pendant, a miniature version of the Jewel Sword, that can monitor waves from parallel worlds,
And had messed up completely and utterly on a scale that us normal folk could never imagine.
The result: all the data and materials she had collected, including the money she had to borrow from Sakura purchase them, went to waste.
To put it into Ilya's words, only a monster would survive that, but that same monster had mutated into one of the living dead after looking at her bankbook.
"...Emiya-kun...find me a part-time job..."
Back when she had been saying that things weren't that bad, but one day, something major happened.
That was the price of meddling in magic in what came to be called the Winchester Event.
...Later.
"...I'm in real trouble now. I might be designated for sealing at this rate. Before that happens, I'll have to fix what's twisted."
Thus saying that, she journeyed to the Clock Tower, the HQ of sorcery.
"I still don't get it. What actually happened? I thought the only thing that had happened was all that craziness in Ilya's castle?"
"Shirou, you don't understand what's wrong at all. Rin shot a singularity point not meant as a weapon, almost turning this town into mini-terminal! Would the phrases "malfunctioning causality", "crossing of phenomena", "the future leading into the past" be easier to understand?"
"Oh, so basically the world almost turned into a world where anything's possible?" "That is an easy way of putting it. To say it precisely, it almost turned into a "world where all the possible outcomes of this town were drawn in."
...Hrm. All possible outcomes drawn in, huh. Like winning 1st place in the lottery, or aliens coming to earth, or true immortality being perfected, or everyone suddenly coming to kill me. In other words, a black joke that had a small chance of occurring actually happening.
"...I get it. So that's what happened. ...But I got the feeling that what happened was a little different." Well, I mean it was a world that was a flat-out copy of a children's fairy-tale. I mean, it was a world that was the same one from Dodgeson's Alice in Wonderland. I mean, it was pretty much a real-life version of Maze Survival.
"...We were also surprised. What Rin had tried to accomplish goes beyond what humans are capable of. There was the potential for it to have even more impact than the Heaven's Feel." Said its victim quietly. Actually, not only Rider, but everyone one here plus one person were victimized by it.
"? What's wrong Sakura? Did something happen?" "Ah...no, nothing too important. It's just something that Rider had said..."
Sakura trailed off. Well if she says so, I'll just leave it at that. -Or more like, I had planned to. "Heaven's Feel. That's what Sakura reacted to. And I thought you hadn't noticed, but you just weren't sure yet."
-The child of winter didn't overlook that comment.
"... What about the Heaven's Feel Ilya? It's already been finished a half a year ago." "Is that so? At the very least, I wonder if the Servants feel the same way. Saber, Rider? The two of you ought to be aware of this atmosphere." "....." "...."
"Rider? Do you and Saber-san know what's going on?" "N, no, I don't. ...Except, just as Ilya said, I am aware of there being tension in this city. ...It only a very minor sense of discord, so I had looked into it on my own but..."
...A minor sense of discord? What are you saying? Why is Rider saying something so plain and obvious now?
"-How about you Saber? Do you know what Rider means?" "...Yes. I have my suspicions as to what it may be, but they are only suspicions. Would you like to hear?" I nodded silently.
"Very well. To be frank, the murderous instinct is coming not from this city, but us Servants....correct, Rider? A few days earlier, we have both had light feelings of hostility towards each other. Our instincts rather than conscious thinking are telling us that we are enemies that must be defeated. That is in other words..."
"The feeling of excitement of Servants in the Heaven's Feel? ...I hate to admit it, but I came to the same conclusion."
Saber and Rider glared at each other. What they were saying was extremely simple.
"So basically there's a Heaven's Feel going on."
We weren't concerned with the whys and hows yet. The evidence pointed to this conclusion.
"That's not possible...! It's strange, sempai! There is no Holy Grail anymore! And, erm, that's right! If there was going to be another Heaven's Feel, wouldn't there be a notification from the Church!?"
"Yeah and we haven't gotten one yet. Maybe...there isn't a new Heaven's Feel. Maybe, the one that already ended restarted? That would make sense."
After all, most of the Masters are still alive, the Servants are still hanging around, and our Command Spells are still in good shape. I still have one left on my left hand.
"Hmm. That's a strong theory. The victor of the 5th one was Shirou, but you didn't use the Grail and there still are Servants left. It might be possible that something provided the impetus for a state of fighting to restart to resolve the war."
"So it's a rematch for the defeated? But Ilya, who decided that the winner of the Holy Feel was Shirou? I was under the impression that no one had won the war."
...Rider wasn't complaining that I won. It was the complaint of making me the winner of a battle with no winner.
"The one who decides who won is none other than the Holy Grail. No matter what the results were, the Holy Grail acknowledges Shirou as the victor. That is none other than me, so I don't believe there is any mistake right?"
".....I understand. Then allow me to ask the part of you that is the Holy Grail. How should we overcome this?" "Eh?" Rider looked at Ilya seriously. If fighting breaks out, Sakura will be exposed to danger. For that reason, Rider must have been reminded of a sense of danger at a "resumption of the Heaven's Feel."
"Hold on Rider. This doesn't mean anything has to be done. Even thought it might have restarted, there isn't even a Grail in the first place. There's no reason to fight." "You certainly did your homework. Yes, it's exactly as Shirou says. While there may be something abnormal about Fuyuki recently, it's nothing worth worrying about."
"And if you bother to think about it, the fact that Servants are staying in this plane of existence after the war ended is unusual. You ought to be accepting all these abnormalities or you won't be getting anywhere?"
"Right, right. It doesn't make a difference supposing there is someone that's up to no good. In the end, the same Servants he's scheming about will be the ones stopping him."
"Do you know the conditions of being strong? Those guys that stick out end up making enemies easily, but the ones that can protect everybody easily from those enemies are called strong. A person that's only tough is just violent. To get to the point. As far as I know, the two of you are strong."
"Shirou's right again. Today's Shirou gets an A+ in perceptiveness!" ...Should I be dancing in joy? Well gee, I guess the usual me is always dense.
"There-fore, if anyone should be having problems, it's you two. Saber, Rider, do you want to resume the fighting?"
"Not at all...although I will accept if Rider insists on fighting me."
"That's my line. I've lost to you countless times. If you do offer me the opportunity, I won't mind evening the score..."
"...Uwaaah..." Fireworks were lighting up around those two. When it seemed that they finally got along, they were still rivals, just like I thought.
"I'm glad that's the case. Well, neither of you are cats in heat so I think it is unlikely that you will go wild without any reason despite how you are. Also, neither of you are the type that would hunt people out of boredom."
"Illyasviel, I have my objections to that reasoning. I am not that kind of ghoul. On the other hand, I cannot say anything in her defense as she does have a record."
"Mmp..." Rider wanted to but couldn't counter that argument. If it comes down to behaving like an animal, I don't think that Saber is any different, but I'll put that aside.
"Erm....so I wonder exactly what happened?" "The other Masters probably won't be attacking, so I think we should wait this out for a while. Nothing major happened either so there isn't any need to go out of the way to conduct an investigation yet."
"That's true. Ah, then how about asking the other Servants about how they feel? Like Lancer-san, I've seen him in town a lot."
Sakura just said something odd. But I don't mind at all. Yeah, Lancer does seem like he'd be willing to give me his impressions on what's going on.
"In that case, we'll also look into this matter when we get the opportunity. By the way, Sakura. It's almost time to leave for school." "Ah, you're right! I'm sorry, I'll clean this up soon!" "Don't worry, that's my job, Sakura. Please relax and go to school." "Ah, alright. Thank you Rider. Take care of things while I'm gone."
Sakura was cheerfully getting ready to leave. Me, though. I still have about 30 minutes left so I'll go help Rider.
"I'll be off! Sempai, don't skip school!" Sakura hastily left. This marked the end of our morning.
"You guys, could you leave everything in the sink? I'll clean all of it up once I change." "...Thank you. To be honest, I'm not very good at washing."
Rider wasn't clumsy, she just couldn't get a hold of restraining her power. She was a plate breaker just like Saber was, but for a different reason.
Anyway, I'll go back to my room once.
Ah.
"Shirou.... Regarding what we had talked about, if you plan on patrolling in the evening, please tell me. Illyasviel may have said not to worry, but there is something that is bothering me."
I was grateful for Saber's offer. I was happy that she said that. I know I shouldn't, but a part of me was excited that things had returned the way they were a half a year ago.
"...Ok. When I get the chance, I'll give you a holler if I go out at night. Something funny is definitely going on, so just in case, let's go on patrol. ...But before that. I really can't imagine patrolling with anybody other than Saber."
"Indeed. I believed you would say that, Shirou."
That's my line. If Saber is with me, I won't be killed that easily.
It was past 7:30 in the morning. Now, should I go to school or should I take it easy? Life has become slightly weird, but even though I might be all heated up, it wasn't likely that I'd get to the bottom of this.
"Oh well. I'll see what's going on when I feel like it."
Luckily, after tomorrow, there were 3 days off. The pursuit of pleasure didn't necessarily have to be painful. It was ok to fill up my days, not stressing over it at all.
arai kñ\µc@The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors member is offline
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 586
Re: Reunion « Reply #2 on Nov 19, 2005, 9:06pm »
The end of the 4th night ----------------------------------------------------------------------- When I decided to go outside, I suddenly felt sick. Was it a premonition or fear based on what I already knew? I became a little scared just when it was time for me to go.
gcNow then, Ifll have to see whatfs going on in town.h
I got to my feet slowly and put my hand to the sliding door.
cOne last time. -I looked back just once, and carefully locked into my memory the state of the room.
It was a chilly night. The moment I left, it felt like I had been thrown into a different world. My house was the only source of definite reality and the city of Fuyuki shook like an illusion.
gGO AWAY GO AWAY GO AWAYh I could hear the panting of wild animals on the mist. cThere wasnft a single sign of human presence in town. I donft know who caused this, but whoever it was finally making his move.
gKILL YOU KILL YOU KILL YOUh gTherefs no one alivec.this is just like ach
A world everything died. The house before me was in shambles. A broken door. Shattered windows. A bloody yard.
If I took a look inside, It was the scene of a dissection.
This is all strange. The strangest part was that I hadnft seen any pieces of chopped up flesh, no dead bodies, nothing. It was still clear what happened here. gc..h Emotions Ifve never experienced before excited my brain. Anger and hatred mixed together in a good balance.
I hated this mass murderer that I havenft seen yet.
CANfT SEE CANfT SEE I CANfT SEE ANYTHING!
gcWho are you? What the hell are youc.!?h
I traced the reverberating panting. The soundless howling was directed at me. Hostility, hatred, pleading, and envy came at me from all directions. I felt sick enough to want to puke.
"I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU"
The howling changed into roaring. It was hard for me to believe but I had no reason to doubt myself. The source of the howling was crouching in front of me.
gWhat are you?h
Ifve seen him before, but right now I couldnft remember. Just a little more. The moment it becomes the 12th, I should remember once somebody tell me, but.
h@@@@@@@g It howled, making a screeching sound. It was in a frequency outside of my hearing range. It howled for sure, in a voice that no human could hear.
g- DO YOU THINK ONLY YOU ARE GOING TO BE SAVEDh The beast raised its head. Looking at me, it came towards me as if crawling, its claws screeching against the ground.
gTsc!h I jumped backwards to avoid it. The beast swiped its claws wildly. If I get hit by that guillotine of a claw, Ifm dead. Ifm better than I was back then though. In comparison to matching up against Saber, this was childfs play.
Even if it had no chance of hitting me, the beast continued relentlessly Its arms, increasing in intensity with each blow, made me think that there was no end to its vitality,
gONLY YOU, ONLY YOU, ONLY YOUc!h
The voice it screamed out also became tainted in darkness.
gHacshit. I shouldnft havech I could have still continued, but I counterattacked out of fear. I moved sideways to dodge a swipe of its claws and kicked the wide-open side of its stomach with all my force butc cI knew it. It wasnft that threatening. The unidentified beast coughed painfully on its fours, unable to get up.
gc.GRcANTh
gHey, if you can understand what Ifm saying, answer me. Are you the one that did this to Fuyuki?h That wasnft possible. Most people would be killed without putting up a fight if they met this kind of creature. But that was only limited to small areas. This thing canft empty out this town in just one hour.
gcGRcANTh
gcDumbass. I wasnft asking you that. I want to know what the hell youch
Just before I could finish my sentence.
g-Huh?h
I noticed that my surroundings were flooded with beasts.
A choir of resentment was sung in unity. There was a flock of beasts covering the park. cDamnit. With this many, 20 minutes let alone an hour should be more than enough to clean up town.
cThe tsunami surged towards me steadily. It reminds me of a ants swarming over a corpse or a person falling onto a mountain of needles.
gcTs..h
Ifm going to be ripped apart by those claws. My body, my eyes, my skull are going to be skewered again and again. I prayed to God. Even though what was about to come was inevitable.
Oh, shut the hell up. If youfre going to kill me, just do it. Repeating yourselves like idiotscif you have something say, just say ic
gDonft you understand? Theyfre asking you to egrant our wishf.h
gcch
I brought my face up reflexively.
A silver toned voice ringing beautifully.
In the center of a horde of beasts burying the world,
Was the start of it all.
gc.You..h
I know her. I know that woman. But that would be an hour later. There was no consistency to this. It was frustrating. I had all the pieces to the puzzle, but
gBut you failed. It looks like you came here too early.h
The horde of beasts approached. Death is going to come knocking on my door, no matter what. Oh well, even if I do run away, the same thingfs going to happen.
gBe gone sinner. There is no place left for you to stay.h
It was a prayer-like ultimatum. The girl shut her eyes, and the beasts, singing of good news, took apart Emiya Shiroufs body.
cThe cluster of maliciousness continued to increase. On the night of October 11. Fuyuki met its end by the piling of a mountain of corpses.
This is...Very weird. Uh...Exactly why doesn't Shirou seem surprised? Especially because most of the Servants didn't survive all three arcs? More importantly, what happened to his Tracing ability or UBW?
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