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By Xephfyre, November 20, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 32 – The King of Blades.

Midnight. A solitary shadow dashed through the mountain of buildings. Archer.

Having left the Tohsaka residence, Archer had thoroughly searched the mountain range Servant Assassin had made his hideout.

But the many traps were already destroyed, and all Archer could accomplish was confirm that Master and Servant were no longer there. Perhaps they had gone on the defense with their secret weapon lost. If a Servant can’t fight at a sufficient level, even the Master couldn’t very well force them to do the impossible.

There were two reason a magician had to retain their Servant for the duration of the Holy Grail War.

First was to procure the chalice that was one of the condition for final victory in the holy grail war. The Fuyuki Holy Grail was a ceremony that condensed the chalice, itself in spiritual form, into a “husk” called the Holy Grail. Only spiritual bodies could touch something in spiritual form. Servants were thus, consequently necessary.

Second was for the Master’s own self-defense. The seven mages each possessed a servant with power beyond the reckoning of man. To protect themselves from those others until the very end was exactly why they needed a Servant’s power.

This was why a Master had to be especially sure to protect their Servant as well. If the Master was burdened with a weakened Assassin with no particular ability to regenerate, he could not readily battle another Servant. Consequently, it was likely they had simply hidden themselves in a place they would not be found.

With no trail, continuing to pursue only them was far too unproductive. At the very least, there were four other people’s Servant to confront. Tabling his search for the moment, Archer turned to ensuring his own attack and reconnaissance points. Right ahead, in front of the large bridge, there stood a soaring white tower- Fuyuki’s Port Side Building.

Fuyuki’s big bridge. The giant arch suspended above the Mion River was a wire connecting two cities- the only method of migration. There was a ferry, but after the bridge was completed the demand for it decreased, and now it existed as a pleasure cruise for touring the river. And so, seizing this point would be a boon for capturing and attacking enemies in the Holy Grail War.

The bridge was the in the highest class of tall objects within Fuyuki. The highest point of the arch was over fifty meters from the water’s surface, and points in Fuyuki that could successfully target and strike the point were limited to a select few. There was one in Miyama, and two more in Shinto. Of those, Archer had selected Miyama, a corner of an expansive industrial area in front of the park- the Fuyuki Port Side Building.

After several years,  the modernization of Fuyuki continued with station buildings that had been marked for reconstruction. There were several renovations of business buildings and the start of construction. The Fuyuki Bridge itself was also an aspect of the city’s redevelopment. Considering it would be a waste not to take advantage of the scenery in the area, the construction of multiple recreational facilities and corporate offices was undertaken. The Fuyuki Port Side Buildings were fifteen stories and fifty-two meters, boasting the greatest height of all the business facilities constructed in Miyama.

On top of gaining a sufficient angle to aim at the bridge’s footpath and main road, firing on the arch from a level, nearby height was possible. The distance from the bridge was eight hundred meters, a passable range. Gaining the attack opportunity was exactly why the tallest location had been chosen.

From the building, to the roof, to the sky engulfed in darkness as the sun fell, Archer leapt. He raced towards what would soon be his hunting grounds.

But, his feet, rushing towards his destination, abruptly stopped on the roof of the building before it. He opened his eyes in shock.

In the bloom of moonlight, the Port Side Building cast an enormous silhouette. Among the steel frames of the buildings under construction standing in rows like grave tablets, a single completed four corner shadow looked like a gravestone. There, Archer saw the figure of what he had lost.

It was nothing more than an apparition, a broken dream.

All Heroic Spirits ended their lives unnaturally, or in despair. There was not one that had no lingering regrets when at death’s door. Thus, after death, even after being transformed into pure might, people’s thoughts and intents remained in the form of humanity. That was a Heroic Spirit. A proxy spirit possessing thought.

“…What-”

They were Servants, spirits. To grant their own wishes and desires, they were captivated by the object know as the Holy Grail, and came to be.

….Ah, in that case. I suppose it was inevitable to meet her here.

On top of the steel tower of the Port Side Building, her hair swaying in the wind, was a beautiful silver knight.

A figure far more transcendent and composed than anyone else.

Eyes that hid unwavering purpose stared at the ceased Bowman.

“…Well met, Servant.”

A cold voice greeted him. Nostalgia, longing, affection… many feelings sprang forth. Among the many things inside of him, something shook.

“Any further is death. Even so, for your desired wish, you would pierce that body with steel. Are you prepared to proceed?”

“…Ah.”

Unconsciously, he smiled. Always honest, always the same- that was who she was.

You’re a fool, Saber. This is a battlefield, and we are Servants. It’s obvious what we’re going to do.

“I’m truly sorry about this, Servant Saber. We’re swords. At the most, we’re faithful attendants. Stepping into death for the sake of my master is only natural, no?”

Upon hearing his answer, Saber smiled slightly. Then, with the shape of her mouth bending in a look of self derision, she spoke.

“Then words are unnecessary for us. Come, Servant. I will cut down those hopes and dreams, and advance.”

Invisible Air took flight. A blade of dual properties had been prepared.

Wagering on desires they could not surrender, their individual purposes separated by the chasm between the buildings-

*Shing!*

-alongside the ringing of steel, clashed in midair!

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 32.
The day of fate. You pierced this heart more vividly than anyone else, and then you were taken away.

I could never forget. Even if I were to fall to the very depths of Hell.

A star that shined with a brilliance greater than anything else.

That star was your figure, Saber.

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By Xephfyre, November 13, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 31 – A Sword for a Sword.

Raindrops as fine as mist slid down Archer’s wounded body.

He stood at the top of a tall tree on the outskirts of the Tohsaka residence. Archer had continued his defense of the mansion since returning that night without coming into contact with the two.

He had expected as much, but there had been no attacks by Servant or Master so far.

The wounds Assassin had suffered had all but killed him. Archer’s Noble Phantasm had completely destroyed his trump card, not to mention he had also lost a great amount of magical energy and had no easy means to replenish it.

But the opponent was a Servant. Unable to leave the two young children behind and go on the offensive, Archer was now also unable to leave this place.

*Rattle*

Lost in reverie, Archer’s ears seized a sound coming from the Tohsaka mansion. Out the window came a melancholy, immature face. Rin.

Rin had been like this ever since returning home that night. Outside of eating or possibly using the bathroom, she did that all day, absent-mindedly gazing out the window.

“…Lean forward that much and you’re going to get wet… Your temperature will drop, and you’ll catch a cold too. …Have you gotten a little thin? I wonder if you’re eating right…”

Those thoughts floating in his mind, Archer smiled in self derision. He knew the cause of the girl’s anxieties, and it was none other than himself. An inhuman monster was so close. To make matters worse, inhuman monsters possessing unimaginable power sought to take their lives.

They couldn’t help but be worried about that, be terrified of that. It was natural. They may have been born into a mage’s household, but they were still children, barely ten.

The resolution to walk down that road, the significance of that resolution… They were too young to understand, and they did not have enough time to gain the power to walk. That was exactly why they had to be protected. I may not be their parent, but as an adult I have the power to protect children.

“But still…”

He couldn’t take a single step from this place, let alone end this battle. It was pathetic.

“…What can I do…?”

He had decided to become a sword, for the sake of the children. To end this battle without delay, he would do what he had to- attack. And so, he needed… A guardian. Something with enough strength to protect the two here at this house.

But under present conditions, all Archer could think of was one person… Kotomine Kirei.

“…No way.”

The words of curse Archer had received from him that day swept over his mind, and he was forced to abandon that choice. He could trust his strength, but couldn’t trust him. For the same reason, he couldn’t force the two to abandon their Command Spells and entrust them to the church.

Archer meditated on a efficient method to protect the two and go on the offensive at the same time.

But in the hands that had raced to the battlefield alone and lived leaving behind who was important to him, he could not have both. Abandon something to protect something important. That was all.

He could not do that.

His dead-end thinking tormented him, always and always. Outside of continuing to protect them while they were plagued with sad feelings, was there no other path?

Suddenly-

“…Abzug Bedlenung Mittelstand.”

A command word to unlock the main entrance. The Bowman’s acute hearing picked up the murmuring all the way from the gate. His falcon eyes immediately seized their target. A brown coat draped over a stylish black suit a British model might wear.

He was hidden beneath a large black umbrella, but his finely honed un-Japanese features that were both somehow mysterious yet possessing a certain grace and refinement were most definitely visible. Most conspicuous were those blue eyes. That perfectly clear blue resembled someone.

“…Rin?”

Those handsome features showed a discrepancy between male and female, but the man gave the same impression as Tohsaka Rin. A moment’s hesitation, and then a disturbance. The man was-

“–!?”

Suddenly, a strong presence radiated from the man. He directed a sharp, blue gaze towards Archer, up in the tree. Had he perceived him in spirit form?

Whether he saw him or not, Archer could not escape the man’s eyes. For a while the two exchanged glares. They competed in the strength of their gazes, but the implication of why they could not move was different for each.

In response to the spiritual body possessing inhuman fighting strength right before his eyes, he could find no method of attack. That was what the man thought.

Wavering on whether to commence battle at this present time, or not. That was foremost in the Bowman’s mind.

Time was frozen. Both were at a loss. What broke the silent exchange of glares was not the men themselves but the girl standing at the window- Rin.

When the man noticed Rin, for just one moment, a look he would give an impossibly precious person floated to the surface. But from there the man’s expression transformed into a terrifyingly cool one. The face of a magician who would abandon all for the sake of his objective.

The distance in confrontation between Archer and the man, the girl at the center. The moment the man realized Archer was closer, he took a step forward and readied himself to battle.

To protect the girl, he would oppose a Servant. He would bet his own life to protect someone- It was clear.

“…Ah.”

Those eyes, that look. A straightforwardness… His hypocrisy was no match for it. It held the clear affection of a parent who would protect their child.

*Throb*

For just an instant, his eyes raced to the young girl at the window… to the weary expression she wore on her face. Archer knew that face could make a gentler, more brilliant smile.

Yes, that was why. The person who made her have such a sad expression can’t stay here any longer. He understood.

To confront Archer, the man was preparing for battle, the materials taking form inside his coat. The movements free of hesitation, the chanting of spells; the man was an old hand at this. At the very least, he was an accomplished magician, undoubtedly of master class.

The magical specialty of the Tohsaka was converting power, the use of their tools first class. As far as Archer could guess of the stock of maintained equipment and treasured artifacts, the man would probably lose to no one if he fought defending this place. He was a man who could be trusted to protect those two. That was all. It was everything.

Then I’ll go. I am a blade that exists for the master’s sake. I exist to smite the enemy.

“Take care of yourselves, Rin and Sakura.”

Kicking off the tree trunk, Archer leapt into the air. Half substantiated, he wiped the thin rain that hit his skin and ran toward the battlefield underneath the clouds. He left behind him the warm home of the Tohsaka’s that he had spent a year in.

Tohsaka Tokiomi, dumbfounded at the sudden disappearance of the strong presence but relieved at the threat’s passing, brushed the raindrops from his coat and adjusted the collar of his suit, then entered the front door.

Now. To go see my daughter’s face.

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 31.
Holding his wounded body, the Bowman breaks into a run. He has found a protector.

His self is a blade, a blade that serves only to defeat all enemies.

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By Xephfyre, November 13, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 30 (Interlude 3-5) – Two Hands: Endings.

The eyes of my younger sister before me gazed at me strongly. She stared at me with eyes full of faith.

“Nee-san, I… I knew! It wouldn’t get through, it wouldn’t reach… I just cried, so my feelings wouldn’t reach someone else! There were things that would come back… when he held my hand…! That I was a hated, and worthless child… The wall I had been building… That was all it was, but… I couldn’t do that, so… I was all alone, and it hurt…”

…Ah.

“But, the reason I could think that was… because… because you always, always held my hand, Nee-san! I was always clutching my knees and crying by myself, but… You took my hand, and made me stand up…”

“You would tell me… ‘Don’t be scared, it’s fine!’… and… ‘Don’t let those things get you down, Sakura, you’re not alone!’… You told me all those things…!”

Oh.

I had believed. Father, and Sakura too. I had believed everyone could be happy. That was why I hadn’t let go of Sakura’s hand. We tried to walk forward. Because someday we’d be able to reconcile.

No one attempts to reach an ending filled with unhappiness. They want to smile. They want to see others smile. I had prayed for the world around me to be full of smiling faces. I had wished to be happy.

I could walk, I could go forward, I could go the distance.

“Sniff… So, Nee-san… W-, with Archer-san…”
“…Stop.”
“Ah… Sniff… What…?”
“Sakura… You’re amazing.”
“…Eh?”

Sakura’s small hand, the hand that had only been able to wipe away the overflowing tears in her room that day, had cleaned, cooked, and lived a life with everyone. But above all that, that hand had become able to save someone. She knew the terror of being alone better than anyone. That’s why being together with the person who was precious to you…. was something she kept wishing for.

That would be considered weak. But in truth, it was something strong. Believing and relying on someone was something she could do exactly be she felt it with all her heart. Sakura’s hands wouldn’t lose someone important to her.

Then, what could I, who could only go forward, do? If I stopped I couldn’t go anywhere; I could only keep going forward. What could I do?

What could these two hands do?

Yes… It’s obvious, isn’t it?

These two hands could fight. They would never run away. They would simply push on.

These two hands would shake off any sad feelings- That was their power.

If there was an obstacle, I just had to plough through it, right?

“…Yeah… Alright!”

*Slap!*

I clapped my face with both hands and brushed away my foolish hesitation. Not like me? Of course. I was always walking further and further ahead with what I learned. Doing nothing but going forward was how I fought. The answer may only lie in the future, then. My worries may lie ahead.

My happy end was to come!

Then I’ll break right through my problems. Aware of my worries and regrets, I just had to plunge forward!

“N-, Nee-san?”

Sakura’s tears ceased, surprised at my sudden odd behavior.

“I’ve never been worried. I don’t know what my dream is. That’s why I just move forwards. Dreams, hopes, the future… The person that I love… I’ll get them all back, and have a happy ending! That’s who I am… Sakura. That’s who Tohsaka Rin is!”

“Ah…!”

Her eyes clouded with tears, Sakura’s whole face transformed into a smile.

“Okay!”

I had one thing to do. Make up… with Archer!

Tohsaka Rin’s Holy Grail War starts from there on out!

Interlude Out.

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 30. Interlude 3-5.
Indecision and answers always lie within yourself. If you examine yourself, there they’ll be. You can feel that you love yourself.

Whether you notice later, or not.

Can the sisters, who pray for the future more than anyone else, rescue the knight who despairs for the past?

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By Xephfyre, November 13, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 29 (Story 3-4) – Two Hands: Beginnings.

Just how much time passed after that? When I came to, the room was dark. It was already the middle of the night.

“N-, Nee-san?”

In that dark room, from the direction of the round table by the window side, I could hear Sakura’s voice. I replied in a small voice, lying face down.

“…What?”
“I think green peppers taste good now… Did you know that?
“…Huh?”

I raised the upper half of my body and turned to face her. There, with a somehow proud-looking face, Sakura… Was smiling.

“If you cut them up into pieces and stir-fry them really well, most of the bitterness goes away. I heard they go in all kinds of different types of stir-fry.”
“…Wow. Eh? Then… Why are peppers on my plate bitter?”
“Hee hee… Archer-san might have been simply being mean to you.”
“Wha… Wait, you’re in the kitchen too, aren’t you, Sakura?”
“But I asked Archer-san to let my do if myself.”
“Eh, huuuuuh!? D-, Do mine too!”
“He said ‘Leave Rin alone until she notices. When it comes to trying to change the status quo, the result should come swooping down on her’. Eh heh heh, he was praising you, you know?”

After she said that, I stuck my tongue out mischievously at Sakura. You’re nasty every now and then, Sakura. I wonder if you resent me a little.

“…You know, Nee-san.”
“What!? Boo, boo!”
“I wonder how much we don’t know about the other person… I wonder how many of the words in their heart we don’t understand…”
“…Huh?”
Sakura made a lonely looking face. Sakura…?

“Earlier… Father held my hand.”
“Ah… Yeah, he did, now that you mention it.”
“Nee-san, I…”

“It was the first time… He’s ever held my hand.”

“…What?”
“It was warm, and his hand was big. It was a little rugged… and it felt wonderful.

Sakura… Held her tiny left hand to her chest, as though she was clutching something precious.

“I always do nothing but cry, and I’m a bad kid… So I never thought…. Father would hold my hand, or pat my head, or even talk to me.”
“…Wha-…! That’s not true at…!”
“But… Father’s hand earlier, made me wonder where those feelings of mine had gone… It was so kind, and they held me so gently… So I was happy, and I tried to hold on to him strongly. I… I…!”

Sakura’s eyes brimmed with tears. Large drops fell, as if the feelings she had saved up and hadn’t communicated thus far were all appearing on her face.

“F-, Father… hugged me too. He… He… hugged me back. I was so happy, and I hugged him over, and over… and he held me too…”

She tightly pressed the palm of her hand against her chest, as if it might prevent the remaining warmth from disappearing.

“I, I… was so happy… I don’t care… about why he didn’t talk to me… and ignored… me…!”
“Sa-… Sakura…”
“There were so many things… I wanted to say…! S-, so many things… I want to ask…! I really wanted to talk with Father, so much… so, so… Nee-san, I…”

Ah… I… Forced Sakura… To come with me.

“S-, Sakura… I’m sorry… I…”
“N-, no, you’re wrong…! Th-, that’s not… it.”

Sakura hastily shook her head and raised her downcast eyes to set them on me.

Those tear filled eyes, which had always relied on others and did nothing but cry, shone… they shone with a firm, strong faith in something.

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 29. Interlude 3-4.
There are things that won’t come true no matter how much you want them, no matter how much you believe in them. But, did all of those feelings… really reach the other?

One’s feelings and desires. Did they reach the person you wanted them to reach?

Relief that will soon come. Whether its granted or not, salvation for the heart is something that will not come about as just a result. As long as there are lights of hope on the path people continue to walk downwards, they can walk anywhere.

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By Xephfyre, November 13, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 28 (Interlude 3-3) – Back.

Father stood up, took our hands, and started to walk.

Our father was a refined, faultless gentleman. He was awkward with children, but his normal behavior was already incredibly impressive. His profile as he pulled us along didn’t have a single trace of the weakness from earlier- It was an amazing face.

Yes, we had always been protected. He had protected us. He was by no means a tender father, but the feelings he felt for us were the real thing. Those feelings were gentle and kind, so, even when he had left on his trip, we were able to keep going.

The Holy Grail War. Victory in the war, that which the Tohsaka family desired over all else, was what I thought Father’s dream was. Living for nothing else than that purpose was natural for a magician. Throwing away everything for your dream… that was the way a magus lived.

Despite that, he was truly a good father, and he had honestly tried to live for our sakes. That’s why he went on his journey. To make sure he was prepared for a battle he might die in.

Finally, he was here. If we had to fight, he would try and shoulder this responsibility instead.

Things were hopeless like this. That was how I felt.

“Umm… Father?”
“What is it, Rin?”
…Is Archer… Outside? Archer is…”
“…Archer. The Servant of the Bow you two summoned. So the leftover presence when I reached that house was that…”

Ah… He was here! He was here just a little bit ago!

“Hmm. Rin, how many commands seals do you have left?”
“Huh? …Umm… Two.”
“No extras, huh. You can’t waste them. Rin, use those carefully. Losing all of them means losing your qualification as a Master… It may even mean the Servant turning their fangs on the Master.”
“…Huh?”

Archer, turn on us?

“Servants are beings drawn into reality to make a wish on the Holy Grail. It’s tyranny when that strength becomes power. Because their wish can come true, they have a purpose in choosing a master in order to win the war. So in order to abandon a powerless master, they’ll try and force them to use their command spells. That’s their lifeline. You two don’t have enough experience to survive this war. When you use up your command spells, the Servant Archer may kill you.”

My father spoke to us without turning around. I was stood shocked at the words that struck my ears.

Archer would kill us?

A deep red back, covered in blood. Something that would and could kill someone. That presence, that being, was so, so frightening… The Archer we had found that night was like a different person from the one we had been together with.

But, even so…

“No. Archer wouldn’t do something like that.”
“……”
“He would never do that.”
“……”

Suspicious of my obstinacy, Father stopped walking.

That was one thing I could not surrender.

“He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do that. He just wouldn’t.”
“……”
“He… Always protected us!”
“…Are you sure that wasn’t just a trick?”
“—!”

At that one word, I flew into a rage.

At my father, who had said it. And at myself.

Those feelings of believing in Archer. As I long as I was me, I had to protect them.

“He would never do that!!!”

I shook off the hand that held me and shouted in a loud voice. Taking advantage of my dumbfounded Father, I took Sakura’s hand from the other side.

“Ahh….”

For a moment, Sakura looked between Father and I. But then she closed her eyes and bit her lip, and came with me. We ran up the stairs.

“……”

Leaving my Father, his eyes wide, we dived into our room, Sakura, a frown on her face, jumping straight into the bed.

“……”

I stared at the command seal on the back of my right hand. Archer was alive. He was still doing the best he could.

He definitely… Couldn’t feel that. He thought… Just being here scared us.

He was sarcastic, and rude. He was always scolding us, and he was a bully, but… Archer was kind. He was so, so kind. I knew that. I knew all of that. And still.

“…Uuuu…”

It was my fault. I had been a child. I had been a coward.

I had lost sight of my own strength, of the feelings of saying I would walk down this path of the mage.

I… had hurt the person who saved us from loneliness so much.

I had lived my own way, as who I was. I had no doubts about doing that. I had faced things with all the strength I had, and enjoyed myself. That was fun, it was clean, it was happiness. It was a beautiful treasure.

But still… With my own hands… I had hurt the most important treasure of all…

Together With House Husband Part 2, Chapter 28, Interlude 3-3.
Happiness and joy; a life true to one’s self that she could be proud was what Tohsaka Rin had chosen. That was why at her first taste of frustration, she did not know what to do.

She lost sight of the dreams of a mage and that resolution. She felt frightened of that path… and she had hurt the person she cherished so.

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By Xephfyre, November 13, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 27 (Interlude 3-2) – Tohsaka.

The House of Tohsaka was a noted family of heretics whose bloodline could be traced as far back as the ancestor Kishua Zelretch Schweinorg, the Gem Master.

With nearly two hundreds years of history as a line of sorcerers, they continued to protect their lifeblood even as the blood of outsiders mingled with theirs.

The Tohsaka were kin who attempted to reach the Root by continuing to train themselves. For the Tohsaka family, that was success, with no exceptions.

Creating a vessel to hold the magical power of a false Holy Grail, aiming towards the Root as an end result. Two hundred years in the distant past, along with specters from the north that had been possessed by the quest for the Grail, they simply lent aid to magicians of strange lands who had failed to bring their own dreams to fruition. Triumph was the essence of the Tohsaka, no matter the struggle. Winning was natural, when it challenged to invincible Tohsaka will. They started no quarrels themselves, but returned challenges from others many times over. Then they would take everything worthwhile for themselves.

Consequently, victory in the Holy Grail War was an obligation of the Tohsaka family. It was simple logic. The fifth head of the Tohsaka Family, Tohsaka Tokiomi, naturally abided by this as well, and left on a journey for the purpose of victory. He went to prepare for battle.

Well… No matter how well prepared you are, if you are not in time for the signal gun, there is no meaning in it.

They had not forgotten what appeared from the other side of the opened door. It was a face they knew well. A sculpted, dandyish face, one that looked completely “Un-Japanese” in appearance. An countenance that always bore a look of severity. It was this face that they had never once seen smile.

Even so, he was in truth gentle. His look, thinking of us, helplessly clumsy but kind, was the same as when he had begun his journey. He stared at us now as well.

“…Father?”

The magical ammunition in my hand fell to the floor. The strength left my stiffened body and it crumpled to the floor.

“…Yes.”

When he released my back from his embrace with a gentleness somehow befitting the situation, my father showed a slightly apologetic look in his eyes, and said…

“I’m home. Rin… Sakura.”

Sitting face-to-face on the living room sofa, our father heard the current situation from us. I say us, but since Father had returned Sakura hadn’t said a single word, so I was the only one to speak.

“…I see.”

When he had finished listening to the story, Father gazed at us after his face had twisted in his usual sour look.

“As the head of the Tohsaka family, I have something to tell you two.”

A heavy, leaden voice. Even Sakura, her head down, adjusted her posture.

“You two are Masters. You were chosen as magicians for the purpose of winning the Holy Grail War. This is an undeniable fact. …Rin, Sakura. As members of the Tohsaka household, defeat is unacceptable. Retreat is unacceptable. We have aspired to heresy, and strode forth into this battle. A quest to one day reach the Root… The Holy Grail War is a means to that. Turning your eyes away from that would be the same as renouncing your own lives. Thus, you two must fight.”

I trembled. My back shook. My father had declared that we were part of the battle now beyond the point of return.

Stained in blood in battle. The red back, his entire body covered in wounds, but still protecting others.

My hands quivered. My shoulders trembled. My stomach grew heavy. I wanted to cry. But I endured it. I had to.

“…But.”

My father knitted his eyebrows, seemingly in pain. As though he was bearing something hopeless, he furrowed his brow. That was… A side of my father I had never seen before. My father, who never showed any signs of weakness, made, for the first time, a vulnerable expression.

He then rose off the couch, and came right in front of us. With both his arms, he strongly embraced Sakura and I.

“Ahh…”
“…What…”

It was too much for Sakura and I; no words came. It was the first time our father… Had ever held us like this. He held us so strongly it was painful. But his trembling shoulders… Somehow looked so weak. I couldn’t say anything.

“…I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you two of you. That’s why you don’t have to worry about anything. Just stay inside.”

My father spoke and then separated from us, vigorously rubbing our heads. It was painful, but that strength was somehow… Very gentle.

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 27. Interlude 3-2.
The father returns. The fifth head of the Tohsaka family, Tohsaka Tokiomi.

An accomplished jewel user, he was acknowledged as a great magus by the Magic Association as the disciple of a magic user.

Despite being acknowledged as thus, he possessed a hereditary curse, and scorn was heaped upon him.

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By Xephfyre, October 30, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 26 (Interlude 3-1)  - Lacking.

“……”

Beyond the window, a blanket of weeping rainclouds shrouded the sky… The clouds they had thought had finally cleared called forth flocks of new ones the very next day, masking the orb that was the sun.

Even for fall, all this rain was unusual.

Seated in a chair by the windowsill, I kept looking and looking outside. I had been looking since that night.

Archer hadn’t come home. Even when I searched the magic circuit in my body, I could no longer feel the connection to him. I couldn’t feel the current that had always tied us together since a year ago.

On rainy or windy days. During frightening days, when earthquakes struck. On warm, sunny days of happiness.

I couldn’t feel the large presence that meant we had been together all that time.

“…Archer…”

I wonder if you’re wet from the rain. I wonder if you’ve caught a cold. I wonder if you’re hungry. I wonder if you’re lonely by yourself…

“…Archer…ah”

The Holy Grail War.

Archer had said it himself from the very beginning. He was a Servant, summoned by the power of the Holy Grail.

The war itself was a rite to obtain a miracle; one that had gone on and on in the land of Fuyuki for two hundred years. A battle of magicians, in which the fates of seven Servants and seven Masters were intertwined.

I had always studied together with my father in order to win that battle. It had begun. It was what I was set on. For that reason, Archer… Archer fought for us. He got hurt for us. When Archer was like that, I…

*Creak…*

“Nee-san… Ahh…it’s cold.”

My eyes raced at the sound of the door. There was Sakura, holding a cardigan. She walked towards me slowly, a troubled expression on her face.

“You left the window open… Geez. Here… Put this on. You have a runny nose too!”
“Ughh…”

Sakura put the cardigan in her hands over me and wiped my nose with a handkerchief. Ugh. I’m a mess. Somehow, somehow. It wasn’t like me at all.

“Haha… Sorry Sakura, I made you worry…”
“…No. …I think… The one hurting the most is Nee-san, so…”
“…Eh?”

I’m hurting?

“Nee-san, you told me… ‘The Holy Grail War has begun, so you’ve got stay quiet within these walls. I am the representative of the head of the family, so I assure you, Sakura, that I will protect you. That’s why you’ve got to be patient.’…”
“……”
“But… Actually, Nee-san…”
“…It doesn’t hurt.”
“…Eh?”
“That’s… all. It doesn’t hurt at all. It’s a fact that if we go out, we’ll be killed. We’re safest when we’re at home. We can use this place and the hill’s barrier, so we can fight a little.”
“……”
“So… obviously… it doesn’t hurt. You needn’t worry, Sakura. It’s alright. Everything’s all right. Even if Archer’s not here… I’ll protect you…”
“N-, Nee-san…”

With a shaking hand, I patted Sakura’s head. She looked like she was going to burst into tears.

Yes, facts are facts. I’m inexperienced as a magician. My body, the amount of magic I can use, my savings, the number of fancy clothes I had, my battle experience… they were all lacking.

It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough at all.

This way… I would just be killed.

I won’t go out. I’ll stay here. That’s all.

“Nee-san… N-, Nee-san…”

Like something was sad, Sakura hiccupped and started crying. I stroked her head as hard as I could. Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, I told her.

Yes, it’s not scary. There’s nothing to be afraid of-

*K-chk..*

At that moment came the sound of the front door opening.

“…Huh?”

An enemy? But there hadn’t been any reaction to the barrier being penetrated. I couldn’t even think of any way to come in through the front entrance. If you didn’t use a full-blown dispel incantation, it was impossible to reach the front without triggering a response at the front gate. Then… The person knew a dispel charm.

“Ah…”

…Archer? Archer, Archer, Archer! Had he come back?

I was happy. I was so, so happy. Even though… I should have been. My body didn’t move.

Why, why? Why won’t it move? Why-

“Nee-san!”

Sakura’s voice startled me.

*Squeak Squeak*

Whoever had come in through the front was coming up the stairs. What evidence was there that it wasn’t an enemy? Realizing the possibility, I confusedly snatched at a bag of gems on top of the desk, choosing my magic weapons in order to attack.

“Sakura! Hide under the bed!”

We took preparations for a noisy counterattack. My back to the bed Sakura had hidden under, I glared at the entrance to the room.

“Ooh, oooooh.”

I can’t hit him. If it’s Archer, I can’t hit him. But if it’s an enemy, what do I do? What do I do what do I do what do I do? I clasped the jewel in my hand tightly.

But, if it was an enemy… If it was an enemy.

Could I fight them?

“Ah.”

Right, I was-

*Swing*

The door opened. Drained of the will to fight, I stared dumbly at the opening door.

Standing there was-

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 26. Interlude 3-1.
The Tohsaka Residence, without Archer.

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By Xephfyre, October 29, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 25 – EMIYA

Tremble-

Time stopped. The air froze.

“…Rin… Saku…ra?”

Shake-

Spurred on by the figures that had screamed, Archer looked up, at the top of the basin. What he had sworn not to hurt, the hearts he wanted to protect, the two whom he wanted to smile happily…

The two young children, who had reminded him of what was important…

Gazed down upon him, their eyes trembling in fear.

“…Ah.”

“…Ahh…!”

With a start, their shoulders trembled. Their eyes spoke… even without uttering a single word.

Who was this terrifying person in front of us?

*Crunch*

He stepped forward and stretched out his hand.

Ah… am I… reaching out with these feelings again?

Every time Archer drew closer, they trembled more. The fear in their eyes grew even stronger.

What he had wanted to protect was breaking. Always always always always. It was always that, always the hand that should protect that would destroy. Even though he had sworn that this time he would hold fast to the very end.

I can’t protect it again?

Trying to deny those feelings, Archer took another step forward.

“No, nooooo!”

Rin made a startled scream at Archer’s movements. She took Sakura’s hand and ran off as fast as she could. Trying to protect the person important to her, she followed the footprints of fallen blood, tracing her way back home.

“Ah, Nee-san!”

Even while she was being pulled along by the hand, Sakura turned to look towards Archer, left behind.

But the hand grasped tightly by her older sister would not allow that, and she was forced into a run. While the two sisters disappeared into the distance, Archer let the hand he held out fall to his side.

…And then Emiya was, as always, all alone.

“…Hah. Ha ha ha ha ha ha… ha.”

Yes. Why hadn’t he noticed such an obvious thing? His hands were drenched in so much blood… they could never protect a child’s heart.

Why had he embraced that delusion?

He was a fool who had repeated that same delusion over and over. By now it should be clear…

You can’t save anyone. How could a murderer make someone smile? The final destination of his broken dream was that very dream… crushed underfoot and drowned.

That was all.

Archer made an arid smile, and looked behind him. Assassin was already gone. He had essentially let him get escape. Archer’s inner magical power was becoming exhausted; it would be impossible to pursue Assassin as he hid his presence in cloaking form.

Dragging his ravaged body, he climbed to the top of the hollow.

“You can’t get out.”

The powerful fixation clouded Archer’s intent. It was the barrier that had been constructed at the basin.

But…

“Shut up!”

Archer let out a thunderous roar to resist the technique. There were things to do, thing he had to do. He mustered up his staggering body, and chased after the terrified and fleeing children, seemingly unnoticed.

The war would continue, and he would protect them. He had to.

Even if they hated or detested him. They were good girls. Kind children, who would pray for the happiness of tomorrow. One day, those hearts would make another person happy again. They would be able to smile happily.

That’s why I’ll protect them.

I’ll protect them until the very end.

That is a task I can accomplish. I can’t make anyone happy with these hands. All I can be is a monster.

You’ve returned, Archer…

No… You’ve returned, Emiya.

Wield the sword, slay thine enemies. Protect someone’s happiness. One sword would-

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 25.

At the end of innumerable questions, he had found an answer for himself.
Emiya killed people. He had done that and only that, over and over, for his entire life.
And so, with a dream he had tried to make thus, and the way of life he had embraced…

He could never save someone.

Even if the origin he bore was the same, the form he had arrived at was different. Thus he wagered on the possibility that he could destroy himself.

But, in those warm, ordinary days of living by protecting others, the value, the pricelessness of protecting something, the warmth of protecting what he could… He recalled the significance of it all.

That’s why he hesitated. That’s why he suffered. He recognized every last one of his contradictions. He knew of the ugliness deep within those actions. He could not approve of them.

In truth, he was already…

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By Xephfyre, October 29, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 24 – The End.

Play This

“Trace, on.”

The red knight stood on the hill, covered in wounds. The parts that covered the world that had taken him as its center gave form to phenomenon as he wished. This was Unlimited Blade Works.

*Thoom Thoom Thoom!*

Countless swords hovered in the air. Just like arrows, they shot towards Assassin, one after another.

“——-!”

Assassin kicked off the ground and escaped backwards, but the continuously generated cage of swords pierced his calf, throwing him to the ground.

Right there. A merciless downpour of swords.

*Thoom Thoom Thoom!*

“Graaaaah, gyaaaaaah!”

*Shunk, Shunk!*

Fresh blood flew where Assassin had been run through. His helpless body had been pinned to the ground, like an insect specimen.

“Not yet.”

Archer projected five words in the air, and brought them down towards Assassin’s right arm.

*Thoom Thoom Thoom!*

“Gyaaaaah!”

The scream resounded through the forest. The grotesque arm was blown to pieces by the attack, and Assassin lost his trump card.

“Hmph… Trace, off.”

Finally, Archer traced Kanshou and Bakuya in both hands and walked up to Assassin. Each time the iron boots struck the earth, the Reality Marble that had enveloped the world lost its form. The “nonsense” the barrier had constructed receded due to the restoration of the natural order of things. The basin returned, and all the swords that had been brought forth returned to nothingness.

Then, the hill of swords vanished. All that remained was Assassin, deprived of his last resort and on the verge of death. Archer’s body was stained deep red, drenched in both the blood of his opponent and himself.

Haa… Haa…

The rough sound of Assassin’s breath echoed in the quiet forest. It was a simple matter when the secret was revealed. Archer had already seen Assassin’s “trump card”.

The Holy Grail War that had begun this time at the Fuyuki Department Store. The Bowman’s reconnaissance had begun its course from there, and after various investigations, he had at last arrived at this mountain, Assassin’s stronghold. Several days after beginning his investigation, two battles occurred on the mountain, wherein Archer observed Zabaniya twice. Even in that space, he read its nature. By acting scrupulously even while investigating hostile territory, he had also fully investigated the basin. This was the reason for his victory. He had simulated this occasion many times over, and simply diligently put it into practice.

He was a bowman, one who overlooked the battlefield and defeated the enemy. Making a careful setup, readied tactics for the purpose of victory, exploiting the situation, and choosing a location. Those were what destroyed the enemy. It was exactly because he would not strike first that he could chose the method of combat. That was the Bowman’s battle.

“Checkmate, Servant Assassin.”

Devoid of expression, Archer leveled Kanshou. A faint breath came from Assassin in response. All that leaked out from deep in his throat was a cracked wheeze. The enemy was already helpless.

There was no need for any more than this. There was no need to wound him any more than this.

He murmured so, somewhere in his heart.

But if he let him live, he would threaten someone’s life- one day.

Someone wouldn’t be saved. He found pleasure in killing. He was incapable of finding joy in the life of another. Just by existing, he would cost someone their life.

Even if it desired its own happiness. Even if it could live with a smile on its face, pursuing tomorrow. An ally of justice had to bring the sword down.

And then lives were taken. Lives that could not be saved. The wishes for the future of all the many lives he had continued to cut short.

If he understood just how sacred those emotions were… If he believed the lives he had taken to be precious…

He had to bring the sword down. He had to kill. He had to go through with his ideal.

“……”

What hypocrisy. It made him sick. That’s all I’m doing in the end. I’m a murderer who borrowed the name of an ideal. There are things I’ve abandoned in order to claim victory. There are things I’ve hurt in order to protect. There’s no salvation no matter how far I go. It’s a ghost of an idea.

“So that’s why. That’s why I wanted you to die. That’s the reason I’m here.”

The agony had already repeated countless times. He had exhausted all his answers. That was the end at which he had arrived.

But why. Why was he worried about that now? Why? Why didn’t he quickly take that life with the sword he had leveled?

What came to him was Rin’s crying eyes.

“You’re nice… What about it…? You can’t stand someone crying, you think about the other person even when you’re angry… Y-, you say that since life is precious, we have to treasure it, and you’ve taught us so much with the way you act…!”

That.

Those words. Just how happy had he been? Those feelings. Just how… had he been?

“……Ah.”

He shook his head to deny the warm feelings that had risen to the surface. He raised the sword over head to suppress those unforgivable emotions. Don’t waver.

And then Kanshou rushed down, reflecting the moonlight, towards Assassin’s chest-

Shfff.

At that moment, he heard the sound of grass scraping from the top of the hollow.

“……”
He turned his face, and looked up, his eyes just like machines.

“Ahh…”
A tiny shriek went up. They fell backwards.

Two precious young girls were there.

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 24.

Kill people to save them. Just existing means continuing to kill; he had been reduced to such a pathetic existence. He wished that it could all just turn to ash.

It was hopeless. He knew well the value of what he had lost, and what was taken.

And so… for that… I can’t forgive myself.

However. That ghost of an idea. That damned existence. A precious someone had accepted those things with a smile full of warmth.

“Don’t go anywhere…”, they said. A small hand restrained him.

What has she discovered in that frightening sword, stained with blood? That, the Knight of the Bow did not know.

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By Xephfyre, October 13, 2009

Together with House-Husband, Part 2, Story 23 – Springing the Trap.

Play This

“I am the bone of my sword.”

Assassin led on, treading on grass and pounding the earth as he headed towards the mountain cloaked in the darkness of night. Archer gave chase, his body covered in injuries. None were fatal, but his condition was such that the extent of his ability to battle using weapons was in doubt.

*Thump!*

His feet that were kicking the ground tread upon a hard tree root. The density of the trees living inside of the forest was growing. Even the light of the moon faintly illuminating the black shroud of night was hidden by the treetops of the overgrown autumnal foliage, and it failed to reach the ground.

“Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.”

In order to avoid catching his foot on a root, Archer lowered his natural center of gravity. However, Assassin was not one to let such a chance slip right by. He weaved between the crowed trees and threw three black blades, all aimed at Archer.

*Chink! Ping! Shunk!*

Archer turned aside one aimed at his head with Kanshou, and repelled another with Bakuya. But that was it. Perhaps because he had lost too much blood, his arm failed to keep up with the cleverly staggered timing of the throws, and the last of the blades perforated his abdomen.

*Twinge*

He ground his teeth together and withstood the pain. The length of the daggers was roughly twenty-five centimeters, enormous by normal standards. With a magically strengthened guard, Archer endured a blow that would have simply torn off the side of a normal human’s stomach with naught but a wall of tempered muscle, and once again gave chase.

“I have created over a thousand blades.”

Noticing that Archer had fully withstood the attack and perhaps judging that killing him “here” would be impossible, Assassin hastened his pace towards “that place”.

Yes… Faster… Draw ever closer to your death.

Controlling his reeling body, Archer ran through the corridor of trees.

“Unknown to death.”

And then, the corridor opened, revealing a basin. It was a hollowed-out range roughly fifteen meters in each direction. The ground within was completely visible… a cellar that suggested a barren wasteland. Beyond the deathly stillness inside, the stench of death was rank in the air.

However, in factoring in this location, that was not what was important.

*Crackle!*

As he stepped into the hollow, Archer felt a shock run through his body, just like static electricity. Simultaneously, a compulsion that he could not get back out sprouted in Archer’s consciousness.

“Nor known to life.”

In a moment, he forcibly recalled his distant sense awareness and landed in the basin. He rallied his staggering battle stance and searched his surroundings for a presence.

Nothing. Assassin’s presence had completely disappeared.

Archer had landed at almost the exact center of the hollow.
“I won’t be able to evade an attack here, no matter where I run. Guess that’s it.”

“Have withstood pain to create many weapons.”

This place was death… an infernal cauldron where one Heroic Spirit had been condemmed to the darkness of oblivion.

Taking the dense tree surrounding the depression as a base, a bounded field of binding that seized one’s senses had been erected. The bounded field had been set up with dreadful precision, molding a dimensional “binding” that a young magician of ten or twenty years could never hope to escape. Analyzing the situation, even while Archer mistook the strength of the technique, he vaguely realized he could not leave this place.

It was a point of no return. A fifteen-meter cage made just for an Assassin.

“Yet, those hands will never hold anything.”

For Assassin, this place was a completely ideal hunting ground. His master possessed a formidably shrewd mind. He had made light of the taste of homunculi, but this was an act of cunning skill. He would have to change his assessment.

In front of the prey unable to escape the cauldron, Assassin suppressed his presence, and watched for an opportunity to make a sure kill. The prey’s Noble Phantasm was foul play, an irregularity, such that if he was struck by it during a moment’s pause, it would all be over for him. Consequently, in order to not let the timing for final blow to slip away, he used this place. He had hounded, exhausted, and lured him here.

If one had numerous lives, they may well have been able to defeat the setup. But as far as Archer knew, there was but one such irregular Heroic Spirit. Reaching this point for a normal Heroic Spirit would mean they were done for.

And considering the extent of the injuries covering Archer’s body, the hunt would take place, irregardless of taking the time to wait.

*Swish!*

Daggers came flying from deep within the dense foliage. Archer, already unable to adequately defend himself, leapt back as a matter of course.

As if to corner him, three sets of daggers fired lengthwise drove Archer towards the edge of the bounded field.

*Thud!*

He felt his back collide with the edge of the field. So this was his reach.

*Stttttht!*

A shadow emerged from the trees, darker than the black of night. A crimson wing fluttered through the twilight as Assassin leapt into the air. The Noble Phantasm… “Zabaniya”.

It was the arm of Shayṭān, an evil demonic spirit.

Through the use of a mass of ether, a double existence is brought into being. Then, from the reaction evoked in a resonating mirror image, the real thing would suffer the same effects.

It was a technique that used Assassin’s arm to replicate the heart of enemies “within range” from outside the range of their own defenses, and then crush it. A horrifying Noble Phantasm that would almost certainly kill an enemy within its range.

However.

“So, as I pray… Unlimited Blade Works!”

Flames raced.

They engulfed Assassin, in flight through the air, and rewrote the appearance and laws of the world.

“——–!?”

A hill of swords formed, centered on Archer. It was a barren, desolate hill, with countless swords planted in it. The grass, tree, the basin… all that had existed until that very moment were consumed by the Reality Marble, and replaced with the world as Archer defined it.

By the hill…

Confirming that the “wall” his back had been up against had disappeared, Archer sprang back. The devil arm that had just narrowly been in range missed its target, gouging out a hole the ground.

Even Noble Phantasms have rules. No matter how absurd an affect an artifact may hold, you cannot exceed the boundaries laid down by the world, no exceptions.

“——–Ah-”

Assassin stared at that “world” in mute amazement. A world where only the scent of iron drifted about in the blank landscape before him. A forbidden art to realize the practitioner’s inner world: a Reality Marble.

Just why was it considered forbidden?

Reality Marbles rewrote the rules of the world, bending and twisting them. They forced them to conform to the laws of existence as the practitioner defined them, if only for a moment. It was the closest sorcery to “magic”.

It was sorcery beyond humanity’s comprehension. Here, Assassin’s reason did not apply.

What utter madness!

Together With House Husband, Part 2, Chapter 23
The Trap Is Sprung.