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Title: Questions and Answers
Rating: PG-14
Word Count: 6198
Summary: The final search for the Holy Grail takes place in Victorian England.
Characters/Pairings: Eventual Archer x Rin, others soon to follow.
Dedication: To fujiwara san. Here's a heaping pile of Shirou x Saber goodness for your enjoyment!
A/N: After the fic.
Cross-posted to fsn(underscore)fiction and my personal lj.
His Shiloh-dreams are not pleasant things. There must have good times, Shirou rationalizes to himself in the reassuring light of day, but when he sleeps and the Shiloh-dreams come they are filled with smoke and fire and death.
His dream is one he has had countless times before. He is small, only seven, with tousled red-hair and grubby clothing despite his mother's best efforts to keep them clean. He remembers walking to the factory from school. It's the law to go now, but there were always managers willing to look the other way for extra help. There is no denying his family could use the money, even if it was just him and his mother.
Shiloh has never known his father, but he must look like him, considering how different his mother's olive skin and dark hair and eyes are from his own. It doesn't really matter to him at the time-his world is so small, with only tomorrow to think of.
He tastes the ash on the air before he sees the flames. Shiloh stares in horror, the factory ablaze right before his eyes. As he tries to get closer-to do what, he doesn't know-black spots cloud his vision. Shiloh collapses, weakly clawing for air long since gone.
What feels like hours later, but is really only a few seconds, Shiloh opens his eyes again and sees an angel. She must be one, for though the angel-girl looks to be his own age, her golden hair and pale skin makes her look not of this world. He looks straight into her emerald colored eyes as she touches his face with cool, cool hands, and is not afraid. He tries to reach out, to touch her back, but lacks the strength and passes out again. The last thing he feels before total oblivion takes him is a strong pair of arms, picking him up and taking him away.
When he wakes up again, Shiloh is in a clean white room that smells faintly of antiseptic and lavender. He follows the lavender scent to where the angel-girl is curled up in a chair, green eyes steady on him. She says something-a name, perhaps, in a foreign tongue he has never heard before. It reminds him strangely of the sound of river-water flowing over stones, or birds' wings flapping in the air. So soft, so full of elegance. A man enters the room, and Shiloh tenses up, his mother's warnings echoing in his mind. But the man's face, though tired, is kind, and the angel-girl seems perfectly at ease with him. For a brief moment she leans her cheek against his side, before returning to the chair.
"Good morning, Shiloh", the man says in a lightly accented voice, "My name is Kiritsugu Emiya, and my friend here is --." and for some reason no sound comes from his mouth, though his lips are moving as he says the girl's name. The part of Shirou that knows this is a dream thinks there is something terribly wrong about that. He knows her name, treasures it more than his own, yet it slips through his fingers like water through a sieve. "We thought you weren't going to wake up for a while." Kiritsugu pauses a second before continuing. "I'm afraid I must tell you your mother died in the fire. You are the only survivor."
Shiloh gazes blankly at Kiritsugu, completely numb inside, before his eyes slide shut. He is too tired even for tears. Kiritsugu looks at him sympathetically, as if he knows that's all he can honestly offer the boy. Just before he leaves, Kiritsugu adds, "Once you're discharged, you'll be coming home with -- and myself. It will be very different from what you're used to, but you will want for nothing while in my care. Rest now."
Shiloh hears him clearly, but doesn't really take the words in. Everything has changed so fast. Soundless as a cat, the girl walks up to his bedside, taking his calloused hand in her small, cool ones. She is very small and fragile looking, almost doll-like in her blue skirt and white blouse, but nonetheless she radiates a great inner strength.
"Do not fear." She says, with gravity beyond her years. "I will be the knight who protects you."
Shiloh cries in her arms until the exhaustion and emotional drain are too much to bear, and falls back asleep again.
Restlessly, Shirou Emiya turned in his sleep. On his right hand, a sigil shaped like two blades reflecting each other darkened to the color of dried blood.
Halfway across town, a petite, lithe figure dressed in blue hissed softly in sudden alarm. Before her eyes the sigil on her left hand darkened from its normal scarred pink to a far more unsettling dark red. The sensation the symbol in the shape of two blades reflecting each other gave out was not painful, just...off-putting, much like the color it had just turned.
Strange as all this was, girl, sigil, and actions, not one person noticed. But then, it would take keen sight to notice a solitary figure nearly a hundred feet up off the ground, perfectly balanced of one of the turrets of the Tower of London. Even someone who did see would dismiss the impossible feat as a ghost sighting-one of Henry the Eighth’s many wives trying to escape her gruesome fate, perhaps. Considering the girl's incredible stealth, she may as well have been a spirit. Something in the way she leapt swiftly from turret to turret, though, would have dispelled the notion. No ghost in existence possessed such lethal grace.
The girl moved from roof to roof, one purpose in mind. But for one word, she was as silent as death itself.
"Shirou..."
Well, even if it had been his place to make her feel better, (and it wasn't. Even delivering the damn letter and necklace was almost more than he was willing to do) Archer didn't have the first idea how to go about it. The only comfort he knew of in regards to women was the sort of thing that would have Tokiomi come straight back from the dead, pile of ashes though the old man may currently be, just to kill him. If Archer had learned anything about the man during the time they had spent traveling together, it was that Tokiomi was, when crossed, a nasty bastard who employed the Tohsaka talent for curses in disturbingly unorthodox ways. It was a talent that Archer could appreciate as long as it wasn't being used against him. The old man may have been dead, but there was no doubt in Archer’s mind that there were several deadly safeguards meant to protect Tokiomi’s legacy in the event of his demise.
Fortunately for his peace of mind, Archer was distracted from that line of thought by the sound of the front door being opened. Rin automatically let him enter first, the well-bred rich girl making up for her earlier actions. His own disappointment surprised him. He rather liked her the way she really was, her inner fire trying to break free in a society that highly discouraged such things in women.
"I guess we'll trade explanations in a moment, but let me get the tea set out first. I suspect we could both use the refreshment. The parlor is four doors down the hall on your left." Rin said, drained but still resolutely polite. Before Archer could offer any protest, or at least help her (he wouldn't bother asking first, she'd just refuse), she had already disappeared. Archer shrugged in resignation as he made his way down the hall. To his surprise, he found the parlor completely wired for electricity; the Tohsakas must have been a good deal richer than Tokiomi ever let on to afford something that was quite a luxury for a private home.
"Impressed?" Rin's voice drifted from the door, where she stood holding a tea set, complete with sugar, cream, and a small stack of tea sandwiches. The odorless steam gave away the fact she hadn't seeped the tea itself yet. "That's certainly what I was going for." Rin set the tray carefully down before sitting in a chair right in front of it. "Women with as much business influence as I have are rare, so I try to use every advantage I can-every proper advantage that is-to level the playing field. Getting respect and cooperation from businessmen is like drawing blood from stone in the best of circumstances. Mine aren't anywhere near that description." Rin reached for the tea leaves only to be abruptly stopped by Archer's hand over her own.
"Allow me. You'll find I have some skill with such things." Archer said even as he carefully put the finely-ground leaves in.
Rin raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You're good at brewing tea?"
Archer didn't react, unfazed by Rin's implication. "Having a wide range of skills is one of my greatest strengths. When I do something, I take care to do it well." He handed Rin a gently steaming cup. "See for yourself."
Rin really hadn't intended to extol the virtues of the man's tea. For one thing, she had a feeling his ego was large enough as it was. In the end, she couldn't help herself. It wasn't everyday that one had tea that was like a little cup of paradise. Living in Britain for so long had at least given her enough restraint to avoid falling over herself praising a cup of Diang Hong tea. Even if it was the most delicious tea she had ever had.
Rin sighed slightly. "It's wonderful. I'm honest enough to admit that."
Archer only smirked in response. Gritting her teeth very, very quietly, Rin pushed aside her irritation. The matter at hand was far too important to be ignored in favor of petty annoyances.
"Now then," Rin began after allowing herself to have a few more sips of tea, "May I have my father's letter?"
Archer raised an eyebrow at her as he took the letter out of his duster's pocket, more than a little tempted to hold it just out of reach. It would be amusing to see if she wanted to read it enough to stop the well bred girl act. Teasing wasn't like him, though, so he gave it to her without protest.
To his surprise, Rin carefully took the letter and put it aside, focusing her gaze on him. It did make sense once he thought about it. After all, once Rin opened the letter the wards Tokiomi put on it would vanish. Anyone who managed to take it away from her could read it easily. Naturally, she wanted to make sure that it was safe to open the letter with him in the room, although Archer was sure curiosity about his travels with her father had something to do with it too.
Clever of her. Her father never really gave her the credit she deserves.
"Earlier you proposed a information trade." Archer said before Rin could take control of the conversation. "I assume the fact that you haven't opened the letter yet means you want me to go first."
"Yes." Rin said, gripping her skirt so tightly her knuckles were turning white-a reaction that didn't escape Archer. "You apparently know a lot about me, and while I'm grateful you saved my life, I know nothing about you. I also find the fact you have some sort of acquaintance with the man who just tried to kill me very...alarming."
"You make a good argument." Archer replied after a moment's silence. "I'll do as you ask if you tell me one thing first. Why are you willing to accept anything I say as the truth in the first place? The letter could easily be a counterfeit, the necklace stolen."
Rin's gaze didn't waver. "That's not true." She hesitated a moment before continuing. "That necklace is a treasure that has been in the Tohsaka family for hundreds of years. There are two remarkable qualities it has: first, generations of Tohsakas have charged it with mana. The amount it has by now is matched by very few magical artifacts. Second, is the enchantment on it that prevents it from being stolen. The only way to get the necklace is to have the current owner willingly give it to you. Father would have never given it up by force; he would have used the stored mana within to attack before that, and I can sense it is still charged with mana." Rin tilted her head thoughtfully. "Actually, that's the strange part. I don't understand why he didn't use it to save his life."
Archer frowned distractedly. Certain parts of what Rin had told him were starting to have some very troubling implications for him. If Tohsaka had wanted some knight in shining armor for his daughter, he should have well known he wasn't going to find it in Archer. He looked up at Rin, his expression neutral.
"I can explain that much to you. It's towards the end, so you won't hear it for awhile." Archer said, receiving a nod of affirmation from Rin. He took a sip of his tea before beginning his story.
"It was strange, the circumstances that threw Tokiomi and me together. There was very little we had in common, even though we were both widely traveled, the reasons we did so were very different. He was looking for something-or someone, I never felt it my business to ask, whereas there was a group I wanted nothing more than to never see again. Fortunately, they weren't the same thing, so there was never a problem in that regard." Archer leaned back in his chair, going through his memories with a contemplative air.
"We first met in 1886, on the North Island of New Zealand. Apparently, there was some retired professor who was an expert on the Druids he wanted to talk to-I got that much out of him at time. You'd be amazed at what a man will say when he thinks he's facing an imminent death." At Rin's puzzled look Archer clarified his words. "It was June 10th-the day Mount Tarawera erupted. Fortunately the abandoned whare we were in managed to hold up through the worst of it. If New Zealand wasn't such a small island I doubt we would have run into each other again, but it is. We ended up on the same boat to Australia, and in spite of how large the population of Victoria state is, we kept on running into each other-and a good deal of trouble with the local miners. To call them paranoid is a massive understatement. To make a very long story short, in dealing with a group of miners who somehow managed to conjure up an Aborigine vengeance spirit, we found out that our respective skills went well together. Considering the kind of territory we were going through at the time, traveling together seemed sensible." Archer's tone went thoughtful at this point. "Practical as it was, your father was pretty resistant to the idea at first. Yet one moment he was completely against it, the next he changed his mind. What exactly convinced him was something I should have asked him before he died."
Silence reigned throughout the room, Rin absorbing what Archer had told her so far, and Archer drinking more tea for his parched throat.
Safely hidden within the darkness and the tree's shadows, the girl studied the occupants of the hansom cab out of habit. She dismissed the obviously drunk young man with wavy-blue hair immediately. The two women were of greater interest-a maid and her young mistress. The girl, who looked about sixteen or seventeen, seemed to the blonde to be the very image of the ideal girl: lovely, feminine, and demure. Something about the maid she was quietly talking with, however, instantly got her guard up, even concealed far away in a tree. Maybe to a casual observer the only unusual thing about the maid would be her incredibly long hair, but the blonde girl was different. The maid's violet eyes behind her glasses, reminded her of a cobra she had seen once at the zoo. Caged, but no less lethal for it.
The comparison to a cobra seemed much more apt when the maid's eyes flickered in her general direction. The girl just managed to leap behind a nearby chimney before the branch she had been standing on hardened to the consistency of stone. An unfortunate bird, completely paralyzed, fell to the ground.
The blonde slumped down to a sitting position, trying to ignore how rapidly her heart was beating. A moment later she stood up again, continuing in the direction of a house she hadn't seen in seven years. Time was very much of the essence now. Even a small setback could end up costing her dearly.
The maid, who happened to be unusually beautiful for her profession, shook her head in denial as she smiled kindly at her mistress. "Thank you, Miss Sakura, but I am fine. I just saw a shadow and was trying to get a better look at what could be making it."
Sakura Mateaux patted Rider’s hand reassuringly.
“I’m sure it was nothing. It’s so late at night; I don’t blame you for being alert."
"Hm. Nonetheless, I recommend caution for your sake."
Sakura smiled sweetly at that. "If it makes you feel better Rider, than do so by all means."
Especially one as caustic as Archer.
Rin finished pouring the tea to find Archer looking at her, dark eyes not missing a thing, nor giving anything away in turn. If eyes truly were windows to the soul, as the saying went, Archer had long since drawn the shades on his.
After downing his cup, Archer continued where he left off.
"After Australia we pretty much traveled the globe together. From there we sailed up along Australia's western coast to Indonesia. From there we spent a couple of months in India before traveling through the Middle East-mostly Saudi Arabia and the pathetic remnants of the Ottoman Empire-on to Greece and Italy. We were in Italy for almost a year, but we spent most of it in Rome. Vatican City, to be specific. From there we sailed to Spain, then onto the Holy Lands." Archer slowly swirled the dregs of his tea, lost in thought. "Until that point, I had never really been sure what Tokiomi was looking for, but when we headed straight to Jerusalem after he was done with research in Rome I had a pretty good idea. Definitely some religious artifact from one of the three religions born in the area. Knowing his mage background, probably some Judeo-Christian relic. An important one."
Rin's eyes darkened with conflicting emotions. "If you were hoping I knew what he was looking for, I don't. We hadn't been close for a long time."
Archer shrugged. "I didn't think so-he always struck me as an extremely private man-but when you think about it, does it really matter? There are only so many artifacts left that are priceless enough to abandon a luxurious life like the one your father had in pursuit of them." Weaving his fingers together, Archer leaned back in his seat.
Rin exhaled a deep breath she hadn’t known she had been holding. “Learning about those artifacts is the earliest childhood memory I have. The Arc of the Covenant. The Crown of Thorns. The Lance of Longinus. The Gifts of the Magi.” Rin rubbed her face, starting to feel the effects of her emotional exhaustion. “And of course, the greatest one of all: The Holy Grail. But as far as I know he never believed that any of them had special powers.”
“Well Tokiomi must have had some reason to look for one of them, because in the three years we traveled together he never went anywhere just for fun. Not to mention you’d have to be insane to vacation in Jerusalem as long as the Ottoman Turks have control of it. They keep the peace with an iron fist.” Archer’s voice became incredibly serious. “It was in Jerusalem he was murdered, and definitely by a mage. Only a mage would have been able to take your father on, and he would have to be extremely strong to be bonded with Assassin. I managed to kill Assassin, but while I was fighting him, I got separated from your father. Tokiomi put up a very good fight, judging from the craters I found, but he was over-powered and fatally wounded. He must have managed to injure the mage enough to force him to draw back, because by the time I got to him, he was alone. It all happened so suddenly I doubt he ever had the chance to use the necklace.” By now it was taking a good deal of effort on Archer’s part to keep his voice steady, to keep looking Rin in the eye. She was putting up a brave front, but he could see his story was wearing on her. Even when Archer was finally done with his tale, she would get no respite. Did Rin have anyone to talk to or confide in? Probably not, judging from how isolated her townhouse alone was. He was actually feeling bad about upsetting her, an alarming revelation in itself.
Dammit. That wasn’t good. The sooner he finished his story, the better. If he stayed much longer, he was going to do something stupid, like stay around and protect her.
“Unfortunately, healing has never been a strong suit of mine, though I doubt even the Head Healer of the Mages Association would have been able to help your father at that point. He managed to live long enough to give me the necklace and the letter before he passed on. I knew the letter was for you, and where you were from all the times Tokiomi talked about you. I had Tokiomi’s body cremated and the ashes sent to you. Actually getting to England myself took awhile longer; a huge locust storm made getting out of Jerusalem impossible for a month and a half, and then while I was traveling though France someone attempted a coup, so there was chaos for a while as well. But I finally made it to London, found you after some trouble, and saved your life, which brings us to where we are now.”
Archer emptied his tea cup with a single sip. He wasn’t used to talking as much as he just had, and it showed.
Rin spoke up. “I’ll hold up my end of the agreement, as promised, but before that-what about Lancer? You sounded familiar with Assassin as well.”
“I never agreed to tell you the story behind that. It’s far longer than the one that has to do with your father, for one thing.” Archer said, tone holding no room for argument. “I will tell you this: I wasn’t always a traveler. I knew Lancer and Assassin, or rather I knew of them, through my life before I explored the world. And before you ask, no, it didn’t have anything to do with organized crime. That’s all you get for now.”
Rin scowled, but decided not to press the issue. Reaching for the letter which lay innocuously on the table, she broke the wax seal with one swift movement. With surprisingly steady hands, she pulled the letter out.
Daughter,
I have been a poor father to you for most of your life, much as I wish to deny it for the luxury you grew up in. Beyond being a mediocre father, I've led a life characterized by arrogance and manipulation, and a death by selfishness-for my death is the only way you will ever receive this letter. For all my faults, I loved your mother-still love her, more than anything. It is for her sake I make my final request, though I get satisfaction from it as well.
It is no secret to you that I have been searching for something since shortly after your mother's death. Something that even now I am not sure is in existence, or ever existed in the first place. Knowing full well how I feel about religion, that should come as no surprise to you. However, the existence of the item in quest is itself unimportant. Following its path is. For somewhere along that path, possibly even at the end of it, lies your mother's killer. I am hardly a shining example of humanity, but the psychopath who killed a wonderful woman simply for a single clue can only be as vile a being in existence since Lucifer fell from grace. If he thought you had even the smallest piece of information to aid his search, he would kill you without remorse. I have kept you in the dark all these years for good reason.
Even with my great desire to avenge your mother's death, I would not be so selfish as to risk your life. To this end I have left you a protector. You will find him quite unwilling, and his personality is...somewhat wanting, but he will guard you with great skill and strength. He will resist strongly, of course, but having met you, will be drawn to you as irresistibly as a moth to a flame. He has been connected to you long before you were born, and can change it no more than you can change your connection to him. The proof is the thing only the two of you share, out of all the world's people.
I speak of course of Archer. It is no coincidence that I not only agreed to partner up with him, but that I did it for so many years as well. Beyond being a highly competent fighter and intelligent traveling companion, I wished to get the best feel for his true personality, beyond the caustic mask. There is nothing like life and death situations to bring such a thing out in a man, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he would meet you. Had I felt he was any danger to you, I would have killed him without regret. Think me a monster if you must, but you are Aoi's legacy, and my child. I could not let any harm come to you.
Fortunately for all parties involved, Archer has proved himself time and time again. If you must trust anyone with your life, trust him. To let harm come to you would go against his every instinct, whether he likes it or not. Be wary of the rest of his kind, especially the Named Ones. Some may turn out to be allies, whereas the others are enemies, but for now consider them all a threat. Do not trust the Servants. Do not trust the Mages.
As for the item I sought for almost a decade, I dare not risk telling you. Even with the many safeguards placed upon this letter, there is always the risk it could fall into the wrong person's hands-a person capable of getting around those wards. Especially with my search coming so close to fruition.
Nonetheless, I have confidence in the Tohsaka blood you carry within you. May your intelligence and strength be the key to unlocking the mystery that has consumed so many years of my life.
I have imparted to you all I can within this letter. I beg of you to find the forgiveness within yourself to honor my last wish. If you rightfully do not, do it for the mother taken so cruelly from you. She deserves to be avenged.
The only unselfish thing I will ever ask of you, Rin, is this: find your own happiness. You deserve it, and I never gave it to you.
You are my last possibility of hope, one I don't deserve. It is on your shoulders I place this burden. If anyone has the strength to bear it, it is you.
With Love and Hope,
Tohsaka Tokiomi,
April 5th, 1889
Rin finished reading the letter to herself with dry eyes before silently passing it to Archer.
"I...I don't think I can read it aloud. Just return it when you're done."
Archer nodded in acquiesce before turning his attention to the letter. Even if he hadn't been interested in its contents, the raw emotional pain in Rin's eyes was too much for even one as jaded as him to not feel for her. Strange, how he could deal with constant threats on his life yet be so wary of the emotions this young woman elicited in him.
Rin watched him beneath her lashes. Archer made for a convenient distraction, keeping thoughts about her father's letter at bay for a little longer. Even if well-brought up young ladies really shouldn't stare at strange (handsome) men they barely knew. She had always been rebellious-one of the reasons she had never gotten along well with her father the rare times he had been home. It was best not to think of that now. Besides, Archer’s face, going from thoughtful to annoyed to subtly furious to still quietly angry but also thoughtful again was far more fascinating than it had any right to be.
Though she had no way of knowing for sure, Rin's assessment of Archer's mood was right on target. Finding out just how much Tokiomi had been keeping from Archer that actually involved him to a large extent was infuriating. Moreso because of Tokiomi's conviction that Archer would watch after his daughter-that he didn't even have a choice about it, because he would naturally gravitate towards her. What the hell could have possibly given the man that idea Archer didn't-.
The proof is the thing only the two of you share, out of all the world's people.
If Tokiomi was referring to that, his beliefs weren't as baseless as they had originally appeared to be.
"Rin. What does your mage sigil look like?"
Rin started slightly, surprised. Something about the underlying anxiousness in Archer's voice, though, had her rolling up her right shirt sleeve without a word. Once Archer caught sight of the blood-red sigil on her right wrist, he put his hand to his face, looking torn between sardonic laughter and storming out the door as fast as he could. Before Rin could get out a single question, Archer slid up his left sleeve.
On his left wrist lay a blood-red sigil, identical to Rin's in every aspect.
If only she could work up the nerve to go to the door. The blonde frowned faintly, annoyed at her own cowardice. There were greater things at stake here.
Smoothing out her blue dress, she steeled herself before walking straight to the door and knocking firmly.
Immediately the blueprints fell to the floor. Shirou didn't notice; right now all he could see was the girl standing in front of him. Other than growing more beautiful as the years had passed, she hadn't changed.
She still wore the blue ribbon he had given her in her hair.
They stared at each other. Just when the silence was getting to be too much, Shirou reached out and held her tightly. Shirou tried to say her name, but all that came out of his mouth was silence. It was then he knew something was wrong.
Shirou loosened his grip, though he did not let her go completely, and looked at her, drinking in every detail; from the cowlick she still had after all this time, to her green eyes, to her blue dress. He had so many questions to ask her, but the most important-and hardest-must go first.
"Why can't I remember your name? One day I knew it, the next I couldn't no matter how hard I tried."
She looks at him sadly, and gently touched his face.
"My name is gone forever, Shirou. It was the price I paid for power, and can not be found no matter how hard you try."
A deft twist of fingers, tracing his face into muscle memory. On her left hand lay a sigil identical to the one on his right.
"I will be known as Saber until the day I die."
Shirou’s past doesn’t require as much explaining, thankfully. The law he was thinking of that forces him to go to school is the Factory Act of 1878-specifically the parts where no child under the age of 10 was to be employed and compulsory education for children up to 10 years old. He was called Shiloh back then because he obviously isn’t Japanese, but rather British (with parentage that will be…interesting to come into play later). I chose the name Shiloh because of its similarity to Shirou. Also, Shirou places the Emiya after his first name instead of before because he was raised in England. Last names would naturally be a suffix to him.
Rin also doesn’t require much explaining, except for the tea and the electricity. The tea is Diang Hong, a type of Chinese black tea, Chinese black tea being Rin’s favorite kind of tea in canon. As for electricity, in 1890 electric lighting could be found in such public places as train stations, but few private homes had it. The White House and Buckingham Palace were two such homes. Essentially, one had to be extremely wealthy to afford it.
Coming up next: Plot progression! An actual fight scene! Some more characters that haven’t been introduced yet! And the meeting of Team Blue and Team Red/Black! Stay tuned, same F/SN time, same F/SN place!