Current mood:	sick
Entry tags:	across the universe, archer x rin, fanfic, fate/stay night

[Across The Universe][Driving Me Mad][Bonus Track]
Title: Driving Me Mad {Bonus Track}
Rating: MA. That means not-work safe Archer/Rin love.
Characters: Archer x Rin
Word Count: 22, 383
Warning/s: Heaven's Feel spoilers, less this time around though.
Summary: Rin is honest, except to herself. Typically, it blows up in her face.
Dedication: For…Caradryan? Raistlin? What on earth am I supposed to call you? I mean, I’m grateful, but please pick a handle and stick with it.
A/N: Done for the 30_lemons challenge theme #22 Bottoms Up, or, "Surprise! Guess Who's on Top Tonight?"

Fate/stay night © TYPE-MOON / Kadokawa Shoten / Studio DEEN.

Cross-posted to fsn_fiction, 30_lemons and my writing lj.


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"Emiya, you've got that tic in your brow again."

As it so happened, more than one magus at Homurabara Gakuen was feeling a bit strained due to the former Servant's presence. Shirou felt his brow to confirm his friend's comment, his attempt to weakly laugh it off turning into a long, frustrated groan.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Issei asked, methodically eating his usual austere bento.

"They just won't leave me alone," Shirou said, rubbing at his temples. "I feel like I've got a sign on my face that says 'Ask me about the new archery coach'. One that only girls can see."

"Women," Issei snorted. "No man is worth that much adulation based on looks alone."

Shirou glanced down at his own lunch, spirits lifting at all the caring little touches that were Sakura's signature. "Maybe I should make a sign. 'Yes, he's already in a relationship!' or something."

"Try pamphlets, you'll spare yourself effort all around," A voice cut in sardonically. Archer stood framed in the doorway, glaring at Shirou in a way that somehow told the redhead he was an annoyance too pathetic to crush. There was a small clattering noise as Issei dropped his chopsticks, immobile and strangely red at the other man's presence. Archer glanced at him, causing his blush to darken, before turning his attention back to Shirou. "Or is that too much planning and foresight for you?"

"Do you hang around just waiting for a good chance to cut in with something sarcastic to say?" Shirou retorted.

"I don't have a need to do such things, what with you providing so many easy openings on your own," Archer smirked slightly. "Amazingly enough, my entire existence doesn't revolve around making you look like an idiot. I'm actually here to get the archery club budget files from Ryuudou Issei."

Both men looked at Issei, who had progressed from mute and red, to mute, brilliant red, and somewhat hazy-eyed. A long, awkward moment passed before Archer coughed, feigning ignorance. "You are Ryuudou Issei, aren't you?"

Face utterly crimson, Issei shot to his feet before bowing deeply. "Y-Yes, I am! I'm honored to have the pleasure of making your acquaintance, Emiya-sensei."

Archer blinked, a little taken aback by the extremely formal greeting. "Thank you, Ryuudou," Meaning to put Issei at ease, Archer gave him a small smile. That it only caused the student council president to flush hotter still and swallow nervously was mystifying to the older man. "Are the budget files here?"

"Oh, of course! Um...t-they should be here somewhere-" Issei babbled, moving over to the filing cabinet to rifle through the meticulously organized files with something less than his usual efficiency.

Archer and Shirou looked at each other, sharing an confused look.

"I'm sorry, they should be here..." Issei mumbled, fingers thumbing over folders. Finally, he chanced upon the file his eyes had somehow skipped over and pulled it out. "Here, Emiya-sensei-ahhh!" Issei's own startled yelp cut him off as the heavy file fell from his jittery hands.

Just before it could fall to the floor, Archer easily grabbed it. Straightening up, he casually tucked the folder under his arm before inclining his head. "Thank you, Ryuudou. I'll just return these later."

"Keep them as long as you need!" Issei said to Archer as he made his exit, waving weakly as the door shut behind him. A second afterwards, he slumped back into his seat, holding his head in his hands.

"Issei?" Shirou asked, still muddled about what had just happened.

"So, he has a girlfriend, huh?" Issei murmured, voice muffled.

"Er..." Shirou paused, thinking of the myriad complication that was Archer's love-life. "Close enough. Uh...why do you sound so disappointed?"

"Must be some woman, to be with him." Issei said, ignoring his friend's question.

"...You have no idea."
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Rin stared listlessly over the school grounds, dyed crimson by the sunset. The sounds of various sport clubs letting out could be heard in the distance, but she paid them no mind. Considering just who was occupying her thoughts, this was no small feat.

Much as Rin hated the thought, the jealousy that had stung at her heart made her choice-her only choice-all too clear. She just hoped Archer wouldn't hate her for it. This thing between them was never meant to last, and that she was feeling possessive over the man when she had no right or reason to do so...

It was time to let Archer go. For his own good and hers. Ignoring the painful way her heart clenched, Rin headed slowly down the stairs to make her way out of the school and onto the grounds themselves.

By this time the school was all but deserted. What few students remained were already leaving their clubs in clusters to go home. Lost in thought as she was, Rin wasn't so out of it she didn't notice two girls leaving the archery dojo as she approached the building. Reflexively, Rin ducked into a pool of shadow before her brain reminded her she had no reason to hide.

Mentally berating herself for behaving so suspiciously, Rin stood still as the girls walked past her obliviously. Unfortunately, this meant she could hear every word of their chatter perfectly...and with her luck, it could only be about one thing.

"Maa...club was tough tonight. Emiya-sensei was so hard on us," One of the girls said, rubbing her shoulder gingerly.

Her companion giggled, a meaningful smile flitting across her face. "Hey, you know if he was hard on us in a different way there'd be a line of girls stretching to Tokyo."

"K-kokoro-chan!" The first girl shrieked, face red. "What if someone heard you?!"

"Heh, I'm only saying what we all wish would happen. I saw you staring at his arms for a good ten minutes, Aika, and you weren't the only one," Kokoro responded carelessly.

Aika blushed even deeper but didn't deny it. “But we shouldn't. Emiya-kun said he already has a girlfriend..."

Kokoro snorted, already starting to stroll off. "If I had that many girls on my back, I'd say anything to get them to go away. No ring means he's fair game."

Her friend hurried after her, her reprimanding tone sounding in the distance. Neither of them had noticed Rin, the air about her far different than it had been a minute ago. She took a trembling breath before closing the distance to the dojo.
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Archer wrung out the cloth he was using to clean the dojo floor, the pattering water drops echoing in the empty silence. Straightening up to empty the bucket, he cast his eye approvingly on a job well done.

A loud slamming noise snapped Archer out of his reverie. Turning swiftly as only an eirei could, to his surprise Rin stood there. Her slender frame was shaking, but her expression masked in the shadows somehow worried Archer even more.

"Rin-" Archer began uneasily.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rin interrupted, her voice soft and quiet. He knew Rin well enough to be aware of just what a huge danger sign that was, but that told him nothing about what had triggered it.

"Cleaning the dojo," Archer said, tone carefully pitched at neutral even as Rin closed the distance between them. He had to forcibly repress the urge to take a step back when he finally got a clear look at Rin's face. "Is there something wrong?"

"'Is there something-'...you..." Rin hissed, expression as angry as he had ever seen it. Lightening fast, her leg swept his feet out from under him, her palm slamming against his chest to pin him to the floor. A very distant part of his mind noted Shirou was probably laughing himself sick somewhere at this, and that he really had been slacking off if Rin of all people could take him down that easily. The rest of his mind was rather understandably occupied by Rin straddling his waist and kissing him roughly.

That was new, to say the least. There was a kind of fire and possessiveness in the movement of Rin's mouth against his that she never had been bold enough to act on before. A low groan escaped Archer as she nipped his lip hard enough to sting, her tongue slipping inside to dominate his own.

Rin's breathing was ragged as she suddenly ended the kiss, licking her lips as she stared hazily down at him. Her hands weren't idle, tugging at his gi to strip him to the waist.

"They have to understand," Rin whispered, clearly speaking more to herself than to him. "You were my Archer first." She craned her neck down, her tongue a hot, wet brand against the scar over his heart. Shifting her hips to unzip her skirt and toss it aside, Rin put her mouth to work again, teeth raking his collarbone. Archer groaned as she marked him, feeling warm tension coil in his abdomen.

Her cheeks feverishly red, Rin's trembling fingers fumbled with her vest buttons. Made clumsy by her need, she finally managed to undo the garment to expose her blouse underneath. The sight of her small breasts heaving under the thin cotton was almost too much to take, but his attempt to help her with removing it only resulted in his hand being swatted away. Not even pausing to slip her vest off, Rin's fingers flew over the fasteners.

"Y...you aren't allowed to help me. You shouldn't-" Rin panted, the action straining her just-showing breasts against her bra. There was a sound of thread tearing as the last shirt button was undone by sheer force, the plastic stud ricocheting into a distant corner. Her shirt and vest hung open on her slender body, his Master evidently not willing to take the time to pull them all the way off.

"I don't need you. I don't..." She continued, voice oddly hoarse as if her throat was dry. The way her hands pulled at his hakama, reaching around the back of the pants to loosen the back straps before returning to undo the ones in the front said something altogether different. They were steady enough as the fabric was pushed down his hips, his manhood already hard to her gaze. She stared silently for a second, then reached out to stroke him with a deft touch.

Up and down her hand glided, feather-light brushes that quickly grew more intense. Compared to the heat his hardness was radiating, her slender fingers were refreshingly cool as they massaged him from base to tip and back again. As if his need wasn't painfully obvious, precome was glistening at the head to adhere to her fingertips in filmy white strands.

A groan escaped him as her hand kept moving at that same maddening pace. The subtle tightening of her grip had his hips bucking up for more in defiance of his waning self-control. That seemed to shake Rin out of her haze, some awareness returning to her eyes. Deliberately slow, she brought her sticky fingers to her face, gaze locked with his as she sucked them clean one by one.

"It's pretty graceless of you to be this hard so easily, you know," Rin said, pink tongue darting out to lave her hand.

"Hn," Archer grunted, wisely choosing not to point out that he could easily feel how soaked she was even through her panties, the cloth hot and damp against his bare stomach. "Your fault, Rin, so what are you going to do about it?"

Aquamarine eyes narrowed coolly at him. "Okay, Archer. You earned this. Ich nenne zur Erde, zum Meer und zum Himmel. Einberufung des Gesetzes der Welt, binden diesen Mann an meinen Willen. Drei Ringe zurückhaltenes Licht!"

He barely had a second to wonder what she meant by that when he felt her circuits flare up. The fast, clipped burst of German passed her lips before his arms locked over his head, bound with pulsing spirals of magical energy. Testing the ethereal red shackles proved they were holding fast. Not that he'd expect anything less from a prodigy of her level. Certainly, he could probably break it with enough focus and willpower, but those were in short supply right now for obvious reasons.

"I see you've improved your spell compression time," Archer noted, impressed she was able to cast thaumaturgy strong enough to override his magic resistance so quickly. If only Rin had been in a mood to appreciate the compliment, it probably would have eased her temper better.

"That's not exactly what you should be focusing on now." Rin replied, lifting her hips to hold herself over him as she pushed her panties aside. Hand firmly grasping his length, she slowly guided him into tight, wet heat to take engulf him to the root. Shuddering, Rin went still as she leaned against him for support.

Archer gave her a minute to adjust to the sensation, waiting as patiently as he could even if he felt he'd go insane from unfulfilled desire first. Judging by the strained breaths Rin was letting out, her inner walls already twitching around him, he wasn't the only affected one.

"If you need me to help you, I'm afraid you'll have to undo the binding spell first," Archer started, hissing as Rin moved herself up and down once with calculated slowness.

"E...even at a time like this you've got a smart mouth," Rin groaned, starting to rock her hips with greater force. Archer dug his fingers into his palm in an attempt to focus, the perfect silkiness of Rin surrounding him almost proving too much to muster a reply.

"With incentive like this, I'm not exactly motivated to stop," Archer smirked at her, thrusting his own hips up to meet hers. Rewarded with a sweet moan, his smirk grew even more. "Ride me, Rin."

Challenged so audaciously, the heated look in Rin's eyes should have set him on fire by all rights. As if to answer him, Rin moved against Archer with yet more power. Without any foreplay beforehand, she had been almost too tight around him, but that was melting away into slick, perfect friction. Every motion of her around him felt like a hot caress, bringing him higher still.

"It's...getting harder," Rin panted out, her legs shifting position slightly to allow her pace to pick up. She was really riding him now, small breasts swaying with how fast and hard her hips were rocking. They were both growing sweaty by this point, Rin leaning down to lick a few beads off where they had gathered on his chest. "Y-you're that close already?"

"With how tight you're clenching me, you've no excuse to talk," Archer shot back, pumping into her with as much urgency and need as she was moving against him. Rin opened her mouth to let him have it for that one, only to be interrupted by her own moan. The way her taut walls clenched him even tighter had what felt like pure lightening running down his spine, his body heading into release. Under her hands his muscles were tensing up, his length swelling more inside her.

"If y-you come before me, I'm going to be really mad-" Contrasting her words, her thighs against his waist pressed harder, her breath coming in shallow, needy bursts.

"W...wouldn't want that," Archer grunted, painfully close even as he kept thrusting up towards her. Rin was trembling everywhere now, her flushed body dewy with sweat. The moans that had been quiet before were growing louder and louder as she started to lose herself to pleasure.

"Archer...I'm..." Rin gasped, struggling to say even that much. Reading into her frustrated whimper, Archer drew power from some hidden well of strength to thrust just a bit faster. That last effort had Rin crying out blissfully, her back arcing as she shuddered once more before giving into her release. It was with only a few more thrusts into her quivering body that Archer reached his own climax, light flashing across his vision as pleasure and Rin overwhelmed his body.

Winded in the most enjoyable way possible, they lay together on the floor for a long, quiet moment. Recovering his energy fairly fast, Archer focused his prana enough to break the binding spell Rin had cast. Supremely content despite his lingering confusion over what exactly had spurred her to do this, he kissed the bare expanse of creamy shoulder within reach of his mouth. Feeling her chest rise and fall gently against his own, he moved his hand to lazily trace her spine from the nape of her neck all the way down to the small of her back.

She shifted against him in response, inadvertently separating from where they had still been joined to his regret. Her breathing was more even now, though the looseness of her muscles told him her reserves were still low. Absently playing with her hair, Archer grinned at her.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what brought that on?"

He reasonably expected some embarrassment on her part, but her entire body stiffened like a strung wire under his hands. Evidently, she had more energy left than his initial impression, if the speed with which she moved away from him was any indication. Archer gave her a bewildered look as he sat up and pulled his clothes back into place.

"I'm sorry," Rin choked out, eyes cast down as her cheeks turned a dull shade of red, "I'm so sorry, Archer."

He gaped at her, utterly speechless. Taking his silence as a reprimand in itself, she kept speaking in a shaking voice, "I...I shouldn't have been so angry, and I took it out on you, and..."

Her gaze lifted to his wrists. It barely even stung, but already the skin was abrased and reddening. The sight had her shoulders slumping in regret, her fists pressing hard against her tights in chastisement. The crushing silence was unbearable, each second that passed feeling like it took an eternity. Not breaking the lull of sound, Archer kneeled in front of Rin, face level. For a split second her eyes held with his before she looked down once more, prepared to accept whatever harsh reprimand he had in store for her.

Gently, he flicked his index finger against her forehead, a soft laugh escaping his throat at the startled way she stared at him, "Your clumsiness hasn't changed despite everything. I'm glad."

"C-clumsiness?!" Rin repeated in a high-pitched voice, "I'm apologizing sincerely here and that's your response?"

"Rin, no one-least of all me-is going to deny you've got incredible talent. But do you honestly think I couldn't have stopped you if I really wanted to?" Archer pointed out calmly, watching Rin's flush deepen with no small amount of amusement.

For a second she opened her mouth and shut it, clearly flustered beyond words until her expression switched from mortification to focused suspicion. "So...you actually did want it like that?"

"Well, I hadn't factored a binding spell into things, which I have to say was quite innovative on your part-" Faced with a cutting glare, Archer stopped midsentence. "Yes, I did," He smirked slightly at her, adding, "Considering how wet you were when I hadn't even done anything, I'm not the only one who liked it."

"Oh," Rin said weakly, a furious blush rising on her face. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"You weren't ready physically," Archer told her. "I may have wanted you on top, but not at the cost of your own pleasure. More to the point, much as I did enjoy myself, couldn't you give me a little warning?"

"I-I didn't originally set out to do that!" Rin protested, hugging her knees to her chest protectively. "It was the opposite if anything..."

It felt like his blood was freezing in fear of those words and all they implied. His response dying in his throat, all he could do was stare at her mutely while his heart grew heavy. Rin bit her lip, hugging herself a little tighter.

"...I was scared," Rin finally said, her tone defeated, "I was scared because those girls chasing after you made me jealous when I shouldn't have been, and being scared because of that made me angry."

Archer was lost at this point, but it was still far better than feeling like Rin was slowly prying his heart out of his body with her bare hands. "What girls?"

Rin gave him a disbelieving stare before covering her face with a shaking hand. "You...didn't even notice? At all? I lost my temper over nothing!?"

Archer hadn't even begun to form a reply before she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I guess some things really don't ever change," she paused for a second, chin resting on her knees in a way that made her look strangely vulnerable. "But Archer...I really don't know what to do."

Right now, there was nothing he wanted more than to hold her in his arms and soothe her. Knowing perfectly well this would only make things worse in her current state, Archer settled instead for ruffling her hair. "I was-am-the Servant you Summoned, Rin. That we have a strong bond is natural, so of course you felt defensive. It's nothing to worry yourself over."

She didn't say anything, but the noticeable way her expression eased was enough. As if to reinforce for herself the true meaning behind his words, she nodded in agreement. "Then we'll...," she paused, trying to find the most neutral words, "let things stay as they are."

Archer wasn't satisfied with such a small concession on her part, but figured his low luck ranking had been pressed enough for one day. "Aa."

Rin nodded again for emphasis, a slightly irritated look of remembrance flashing across her face for a second. "Just don't be so oblivious next time."

He was about to point out it was like he had done anything to encourage the attention when the school clock chimed the hour, its deep tone reverberating across the empty grounds. They both started a bit, the serious air dissipating to lighten the atmosphere. Nonetheless, Rin still looked faintly embarrassed as she reached for the clothing still scattered about. As she redressed herself silently, Archer set out to wipe away the last traces of their coupling from the floor. Task finished, he glanced at her for a second before bringing himself to speak up. "If you want to clean up while I change-"

"I don't need..." Rin began before shifting, color rising on her face, "I-I'll be in the washroom." At the glint of amusement in his eyes he was unable to hide, she shot him a glare. Under her breath, she mumbled, "It's not my fault there was so much this time, Archer."

Fortunately, the sound of the water running as she washed up covered any laughter that might have triumphed over his self-control. His lips were still firmly fixed in a smirk despite his best efforts in the changing room, stripping out of his gi and hakama for his usual shirt and slacks. Packing the traditional clothing away in a bag to bring home and clean, he exited the dojo to wait for Rin to join him before closing up.

It wasn't long before she emerged, her cheeks still a little pink. Moreover, there was something different about the careful way she was walking...

"Rin? Are you alright?" Archer asked as he shut the doors, locking them with a turn of the key.

She didn't reply for a second, looking immensely embarrassed. "...L-like I said, it was a lot this time." Shooting him a frustrated glare at his lack of comprehension, she played with her fingers, elaborating, "My panties were too sticky, so...so..."

Archer couldn't help it. An evil grin spread across his face, his hand skimming her back until he reached her bottom. A gentle squeeze told him everything he needed to know, but her flustered squeak proved too much to resist. "You don't have any underwear on, Rin?"

Rin stuttered, scooting away as her face started going scarlet, "A-archer! Not outside, what if someone saw-"

"Ah Emiya-sensei, good evening," Issei said as he emerged from behind the dojo's wall. His pleasant smile went somewhat strained when he caught sight of Rin, but he still managed a courteous nod. That alone told her he hadn't seen anything in a moment of pure luck. "Tohsaka."

"Good evening, Ryuudou," Archer replied, serenely sliding his hand in his pocket as if he hadn't just been feeling Rin up a second ago. "You're dedicated to be here so late."

"Student council work can pile up like that," Issei told him with a modest shrug, "Anyway, I actually found some archery club files that had been misplaced, and wanted to give them to you while I had the chance."

Archer accepted the files, tucking them into his bag with a level of composure Rin couldn't help but be awed by. Wondering at how collected he was, it took her a moment to register Issei speaking to her.

"-and you're here quite late for someone who isn't in the Archery Club, Tohsaka," The slightly tense look Issei usually had around her was rapidly becoming tinged with suspicion.

"I...I was helping clean up so we could both get to Shirou's house for dinner faster," Rin managed, forcing herself to keep cool. "It certainly isn't fair for him to straighten things up all by himself."

"How uncharacteristically generous of you," Issei retorted, pushing his glasses up. They sized each other up for a moment before his eyes widened in sudden shock. "T-tohsaka...your blouse..."

"What you mean, my blouse-" Rin began, looking downwards to where his eyes were focused, choking midsentence. The shirt was misbuttoned in what was quite possibly the worst imaginable place, a hint of pale cleavage clearly visible.

There was a moment's dead silence as Issei's gaze flicked from her to Archer and back again, the look in his eyes growing a little more horrified with each passing second. It was a horror Rin would have been feeling as well if her mind hadn't been rendered utterly blank despite her best efforts to think of some explanation. From the bottom of her heart, Rin cursed her distant ancestor for her genetic propensity to fumble at the worst moment. Somehow, in some unfathomable way, this was all Tohsaka Nagato's fault.

"Ah...Ryuudou-kun..." Rin started, voice feeble to even her own ears.

"Rin," Issei suddenly intoned, folding his hands together into dokko position.

"Eh? What are you-"

"Hyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin-"

They both stared at the student council president for a moment before the source of his chanting and hand motions registered.

"The Kuji-in?!" Rin shrieked, only Archer holding her arms back restraining her from giving into her desire to curse the bespectacled boy with a Gandr. "You're trying to exorcize me?!"

"-Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Issei finished, sweat trailing down his forehead like he had really been throwing all he had into the purification mantra. Swaying where he stood, Issei looked at her with eyes that were clearly glazed even through his glasses. Sometime during the chanting he had pulled out a set of prayer beads, wrapping tightly around clenched hands. He remained in a crouched position for a long moment, clearly ready to move away or forward based on whether he had succeeded in banishing the 'evil'.

"S...still here...," He noted absently, bowing to Archer before walking past them both with that same dizzy stride. "Forgive me Emiya-sensei. I'll purify my spirit and try again later for your sake."

Archer watched him go, feeling bemused but wisely not showing it considering Rin was still fuming in his arms. He remembered clearly that Issei and Rin had never been the best of friends, but for the monk to go to outright delusion rather than imaging Rin in intimate relations with anyone was a rather extreme reaction. "The human mind certainly has some interesting coping methods for dealing with trauma." At the enraged growl that escaped her, he looked down and patted her head calmingly. "If it's any consolation, I don't think he seriously thought it would work on you-"

"I don't want to talk about it!"
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Thankfully, dinner itself passed uneventfully. After changing into the spare set of clothes she kept at the Emiya home, Rin along with Sakura and Rider had absconded to the dining table to go over her replacement body research. Archer would have offered to help, but was all too aware any usefulness he had would be minimal at best.

Aimlessly, he wandered out to the engawa. Breathing the clean night air in deeply, his skin pricked suddenly in a way only magecraft could evoke. A wave of something almost nostalgic washed over him as his eyes settled upon the storehouse, a dim light glowing in the smudged windows. Some irresistible urge propelled him forward despite his better judgment, but his hand slid open the door with such natural ease it was as if he had never left.

Emiya Shirou sat cross-legged with his back to the door. If he was aware of Archer's presence, he didn't acknowledge it. Palms seemingly empty, the white-haired man could nonetheless detect prana growing denser, thickening and twisting into form like clay being shaped by a potter. The blade formed slowly, the pinnacle of a smith's skill in gleaming iron. Gram, or rather the physical shape of it. Just looking at the projection, Archer could tell the perfect appearance belied the lack of the history, experience, and divine mystery of a proper Tracing, little more than bits of prana that happened to look like a Noble Phantasm. A weapon without a soul.

"It's like being chained to the earth and reaching for the stars," Shirou spoke up without turning around, the sword dissipating in his hands. "I try to grasp it and I can't. Even if I had retained the knowledge, this body...isn't suited for Tracing."

Archer snorted, leaning against the door. His eyes flicked to the corner of the storeroom, where even now he could feel the faintest traces of mana that the now-invisible summoning circle held before he looked away. "Don't act as if your original body was well suited for anything to begin with."

Shirou finally tilted his head up at the older man, expression amused rather than incensed. "You still haven't let go of that self-loathing, huh?" He laughed a little at Archer's annoyed look, his posture relaxing. "Well, it's early. I'll keep training."

"Gold to a cat," Archer responded, somewhat gratified by the irritated twitch of Shirou's brow, "Training blind is barely going to bring any result than not training at all."

"If you have a suggestion, you're welcome to share it," Shirou groused. Underneath the attitude, he did look truly concerned about Archer's point. Lost in thought, the redhead looked down at his hands. At the pitiful sight, a disturbingly altruistic urge made itself known in Archer's mind. A few failed attempts to crush it later, he sighed in defeat and sat down.

"Archer?" Shirou blinked, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Not a word," Archer grunted, giving his younger self a scowl that practically qualified as an attack in itself. "Just follow my lead and maybe I can make you marginally less pathetic."

The redhead still looked surprised, but scooted closer to watch Archer carefully. A beat later, he returned the older man's scowl with a smile just as damaging. "If it's any comfort, at least this is of your own free will rather than being browbeaten into doing it by Tohsaka."

"Just shut up and watch, you failure."

In the house Rin lifted her head, sensing the flow and ebb of prana nearby. Noticing her sister's distraction, Sakura cast out her senses to arrive at the same conclusion.

"Senpai and Archer-san? What could they be doing?" Sakura set the notes she was going through down.

"Practicing, probably. The pulses are consistent enough for it," Rin told her, readjusting her glasses as she flipped through another arcane text, taking down a passage. "Let's just concentrate on our own work."

Sakura glanced down at the piles of paper and books scattered on the table ruefully. "I can't believe you managed to gather together this much, Nee-san."

"Don't praise me just yet. If it's not useful, there's really no point," Rin told her, closing her current tome only to switch it for a new one. "And so far, none of them have been."

Her sister bit her lip awkwardly as Rin continued, "Honestly, I'm at my wits end here. The Einzberns might have the resources to make a new body and transfer a consciousness into it, but I don't and considering how things turned out I have nothing to coerce them into doing so."

"...But does it have to be a homunculus body specifically?" Rider spoke up, face thoughtful.

"That's...a good idea, actually," Rin replied, mulling over the implications as she took a sip of her tea. "If one path doesn't work, find another. Might be expensive, though."

"It doesn't matter if I have to sell everything," Sakura said without hesitation. "If it's for senpai, I'll make it happen no matter what."

"And Archer," Rin pointed out dryly, watching her sister blush. She chuckled a bit before gathering some fresh sheets of paper with which to note-take. "Well, let's get on it. It's about time we've got a lucky break."

"Careful, Nee-san," Sakura giggled, smiling puckishly. "You'll jinx us."

"After the Holy Grail War?" Rin snorted derisively. "I doubt life could throw anything that could phase me after that."
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A old blues number played over the speakers at Copenhagen Bar, accompanied only by the soft whisper of a glass being cleaned. It was a shame the place, usually full of people enjoying an after work beverage, was a veritable graveyard. Hotaruzuka 'Neko' Otoko didn't bother to wonder about it as she went about her task. Things had gotten a little better lately, but there was still plenty of wariness in being out after sunset. Understandable, but a small part of her couldn't help but be annoyed at the lack of answers. At this rate, one would practically think people would stock up on everything from guard dogs to garlic just to feel secure, no matter how false that comfort was.

The bell over the door tinkled once, signaling a customer's entrance. Neko set the shot glass down before turning with her usual feline smile and a friendly greeting. "Welcome! Please, take a seat, miss."

The woman who had walked in smiled back, shifting a large leather suitcase from one hand to the other. Red hair-unusually long, well past the knees-swished as she scanned the bar. Curiosity roused, Neko stepped out from behind the bar to speak to her.

"Miss, can I help you with something?"

The redhead stilled, cerulean eyes focusing on the bartender. "My bad, my bad. I'm actually supposed to be meeting someone here, but I guess she hasn't arrived yet-"

Neko stiffened for a second, pose ramrod straight and eyes blank. When, she spoke, it was in her own voice but leeched of emotion and inflection. "Please follow me if you would, Aozaki Aoko-san."

Other than raising a brow, Aoko didn't look affected by the sudden change. But then, she had gone into this bar with her guard well up. To meet with...well, the word enemy wasn't quite right, and competition a bit too mild. The closest one could really get was "the other side", but even that simplified a relationship both fragile and complicated. Which was the point of this meeting itself. Aoko couldn't imagine her counterpart was enjoying this any more than she was, but it was a necessary evil for them both.

After all, things were messed up enough in Fuyuki without dragging a thousand years of enmity between East and West into the mix. Not that Aoko really cared either way personally, but magi were the same everywhere. If Fuyuki and whatever had caused the enormous magical disturbance a month ago were worth it, they would fight for it even if that meant going to war with other Associations or the Church. Considering there were still places that were barren wastelands from the last time two rival Magi Associations battled two hundred years ago, avoiding conflict was naturally a top priority.

Neko stopped abruptly in front of a booth that was at just the right angle to be invisible from the door. Aoko had her mouth opened and was fully ready to call out her contact for using a hypnosis spell for no good reason. Then she actually saw who she was supposed to negotiate with and was nearly unable to hide her shock.

Well, well. This explained the need for the spell, at least. Setting her suitcase down with a thud, Aoko dropped into the booth and sized the occupants up. Classic Japanese features, slender and petite with her long black hair pulled into a ponytail tied with a thin white ribbon. Unremarkable clothes, blue jeans and a dark green v-neck shirt. Nothing too out of the ordinary on that front, but none of those things were the cause for her surprise. Aoko couldn't have imagined the Far East magi would send someone who couldn’t even be out of high school to conduct such an delicate task.

"She tried to card you, didn't she?" Aoko asked, gesturing to where Neko stood like a statue. "You could have just said something if the meeting place was a problem, Saitou Aya."

The girl's gold eyes met Aoko's own blue ones, holding for a long, tense moment. After a second she snorted dismissively, her fingers beating out an irritated tempo against the table surface. "I wouldn't be much of a houjutsu-shi if I couldn't deal with such a simple problem. In any case, I've come to expect lack of consideration from you, Aozaki-san. This meeting would have happened at least a month ago if you hadn't kept putting it off," She paused, dropping four cubes of sugar in her steaming cup of tea before stirring it briskly. "Are things well in Misaki?"

The question hit neatly, as the girl must have known it would. Clenching her fist in unaccustomed anger, Aoko glared coldly at Aya. "Speaking of lack of consideration, I don't recall bringing other people to this meeting was agreed upon." Her gaze flicked to the man who was silently smoking even now, dark, intent eyes jarring with his relaxed expression. At that, he stubbed his cigarette out in an ashtray, giving Aoko a smile that did nothing to ease her whatsoever. Canine teeth pointed that much more than normal tended to do that. Still, something about him came across as vaguely familiar, and Aoko stared at him for a good moment trying to place where she had seen him before.

A surface glance revealed almost nothing. The black jeans and leather lace up boots weren't unusual, nor was the faded vintage t-shirt with the Metallica logo emblazoned on it. Looking at the man revealed a leanly fit build with dark shaggy-cut hair and chiseled features that marked him as Scandinavian in origin. Suspicion would not be the first reaction one would expect a woman to have to him, but Aoko was feeling it for good reason. He seemed completely unaffected by her obvious wariness, reaching into the pocket of his grey duster to pull out a lighter, flipping the thin piece of metal between calloused fingers. Even in the dim light of the bar, Aoko could see the faint gleam of a white jade pendant dangling from a leather strap around his neck. Squinting her eyes, she tried to pick out the characters carved into the stone in keeping with traditional Eastern aesthetics. 'Sho...Kachi..?'

"As one Freelancer to another, you should know we aren't bound to the Magi Association, Blue Gunner," He spoke up in good if faintly accented Japanese. That deep, smooth voice jolted her memory, sliding the pieces into place. He grinned at the light of recognition in her eyes, slouching back casually in his seat. "I'm here because I wanted to be, not in any official capacity."

"One of the Pakkala family...the eldest son, Fenrir," Aoko confirmed, lifting a brow at him. "I haven't seen you since that job in Stockholm four years ago. You're certainly ended up a long way from Finland."

"I took a right at Seoul," Fenrir said with a straight face, ignoring his companion's annoyed look. "My residence in Japan aside, Hyougo and Nagano aren't exactly next door to each other, so I provided transportation."

"Last I checked, the railways were operating just fine," Aoko replied pointedly, not buying such an excuse. "Why do such a thing?"

He laughed like the answer was obvious, "Because it's so much cooler to take a motorcycle."

Aoko went silent, gaze flicking from Fenrir to Aya. "....Hey, Saitou. Is this guy really human?"

"I'm not even sure he's from this universe," Aya sipped her tea, voice set at a perfect deadpan. She waved off Fenrir's impending protest, lips tilting into a very slight smile. "But it keeps things interesting."

As his put-out look faded into something harder to read, Aya looked back at Aoko with a serious face. "Anyway Aozaki-san, I was not sent here by the Yu Dao Gong to make small talk, as I expect the Magi Association did not intend for you to do the same. We need to decide how to settle the matter of Fuyuki." Gracefully, she set a cup out for Aoko and poured her a measure of tea from the same pot she had gotten her own. Passing it to the older woman along with the cream and sugar, she continued, "And what to do with its Supervisor."

Fixing the brew to her personal preference, Aoko gently blew on it before drinking. "So we're down to a territorial dispute, more or less?"

"...Basically," Aya said, voice clearly revealing her disdain for the situation. "The Tohsaka family and their lands maybe be affliated with the Magi Association, but Japan as a whole is one of the territories under the Yu Dao Gong. Which can only result in both organizations wanting to reap what benefits there are, or wash their hands of it if it's not worth the trouble. With the amount of energy alone that was gathered at Ryuudouji, I can tell you now that's not going to happen." She paused for a second, collecting her thoughts carefully. "Do you have any idea what happened, Aozaki-san? The most I could get from our records was reference to some sort of summoning ritual that takes place in sixty year cycles."

Aoko hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of telling the girl what she knew. Choice made, she sighed before speaking, "A summoning ritual that utilized the excellent leyline on these lands that was formulated by the Tohsaka, Makiri, and Einzbern families. Something about allowing for extremely-high level spell casting without direct knowledge. Our own records don't have more than that, but on a personal level...," Her voice trailed off before she finished, "I could tell there was a huge activation of the Third Magic there."

There was something wry in Aya's expression as she nodded, and its presence nagged at Aoko in a way she couldn't explain. "That makes sense. Magi sense thaumaturgy, and Magicians sense Magic. However, that doesn't account for the sheer amount of prana gathered."

Aoko downed her cup of tea before pouring herself a second helping. All three were silently thinking, only the music playing breaking the quiet. Finally Aoko leaned back, looking at the girl straight on. "So we pretty much have a whole bunch of questions, and half an answer at best."

Fenrir snorted out a laugh, returning his lighter to his pocket. "Succinctly put, Miss Blue. Don't you know diplomats aren't supposed to be so straightforward?"

"Good thing it isn't my long-term job, then," Aoko retorted with a tiny grin, setting her cup on the table. "You know what this means, Saitou."

"Investigation. We‘ll each get the facts, and decide who has the greater right to Fuyuki," Aya supplied, resting her cheek against her palm. "Tohsaka Rin-san...certainly has a lot to answer for. She's not in an enviable place."

"That may be, but there's no escaping it now," Aoko said, though her face was sympathetic. "Something this big can't be ignored. It's only her misfortune that everyone's looking to her for answers."

"Tohsaka is a magus," Fenrir added, sliding his lighter back into his pocket. "She'll remember that your gains and your losses are equal in thaumaturgy."

Aya looked out the window, the moon a faint yellow crescent in the sky. "She's certainly paying the price now. For all the troubles that it's causing her, I hope it was worth it for Tohsaka-san."

[END]

The setting, instantly recognizable as the Emiya Dojo...or rather, its fourth-wall breaking counterpart, the Tiger Dojo. Mysteriously, neither Taiga nor Ilya were anywhere to be seen. Instead, standing tall in front of the two banners that read "Archer" and "Rin", a newly introduced character awaited wearing the familiar blue hakama and white gi...over a Ramones t-shirt. Shinai slung over his shoulder-

"Okay, that's enough exposition," Fenrir Pakkala interrupted the narration. "I mean, it's pretty clear you're doing it this way so people aren't bored senseless by all the in-story crap you have to explain," He looked left and right, smelling the air. "I can tell Aya's around here, but I'm not sure why she hasn't come out yet-"

Forcefully removed from her hiding spot by the godly power of the author's will, Saitou Aya appeared, face utterly set with cold, killing rage. This anger was easily explained by the fact that Taiga's outfit being taken meant only Ilya's was left to wear, which resulted in an angry houjutsu-shi clad in purple bloomers and a white athletic shirt with a matching purple collar.

Silence reigned as Fenrir carefully picked his way through a response. "Um...you look cu-"

"Not. A. Word," Aya gritted out, glaring at the world in general. "Why do I have to wear something so embarrassing?!"

"Just consider what the alternative would be," Fenrir said, a brief pause taking place as they both imagined their outfits switched before shuddering. "Thought so."

"We could have just worn our regular clothes," Aya protested, expression still slightly disturbed, "Or had Fujimura-san and Einzbern-san do the Dojo like normal."

"Ah, but then it wouldn't be clear as a parody," Fenrir pointed out, giving the shinai a testing swing. "Which also brings us to the reason those two aren't here. They were chronicling Emiya Shirou's journey through the Grail War and his growth as a man, but this is Archer's story now. Thus, a new Dojo is needed." He lowered the shinai, grinning at her. "Niellä Dojo?"

"That's completely unsubtle, Fenrir," Aya replied flatly, arms crossed. "Like that procrastinating fool renaming the whole series to "Across The Universe" as a symbol of improvement as a writer isn't bad enough."

"Yes. Yes it is," He grinned at her like she wasn't faintly scowling at all. "Anyway, the faster you get this over with means the sooner you can change."

"Fine," Aya sighed, conceding the point to him. "To put this long, long, long...delayed chapter into perspective, Archer-san has actually made a bit of progress in his relationship with Tohsaka-san. At least as far as getting her to admit he's important to her is concerned. It's not much, but Tohsaka-san can be very emotionally oblivious so it counts."

"...Yeah, I totally don't know what it's like to deal with that at all," Fenrir grumbled under his breath before straightening up and giving the shinai another swing. "However, it's not going to be smooth sailing from this point! For one thing, Issei knows, although he lacks the power to remove Rin's evil spirit from this world-"

"He should have tried Sankiraimon, that's stronger than the Kuji-in," Aya added, intellectually piqued. "The Kuji-in is a series of nine hand forms and words for basic purification, but the Sankiraimon is specifically designed for exorcisms."

"-What she said," Fenrir continued smoothly, "But Rin also faces trouble coming from two directions, the Magi Association of the West, and the Far East organization too. Sharp readers probably figured out that was us two on the motorcycle earlier."

"Yes, they both have a stake in finding out what happened," Aya nodded. "It was stated pretty clearly, but basically the Yu Dao Gong or 'Imperial Way Palace', which is the equivalent in the Far East to the Magi Association, has a right to be there. The reason no one from the Middle East Magi Association has shown up is mainly because they have no legitimate claim."

"Aozaki-san has been in the West too long if she can't be more than technically correct when reading characters," Aya said pointedly, face neutral. "And I'm a member of the Yu Dao Gong. Using Western terms like magi would make about as much sense as the Pope conducting Mass in Chinese. On that subject, a houjutsu-shi is someone who specializes in Buddhist or Shinto thaumaturgy. Although in Japan you find the two mixing a lot."

"Speaking of Japan, Hyougo and Nagano are two of it's provinces. Since Fuyuki is roughly around the Kobe area, that places it in the former, while Togakushi where we came from is in the latter," Fenrir swung the shinai down in a men strike. "Bit of a drive, but for various reasons a motorcycle was preferable to public transport."

"There shouldn't be much more beyond that. Various terms for Japanese style archery were used, but those should have been clear enough in context. The glove Rin gave Archer is a mitsugake, or three fingered archery glove, and is the same one you see him wear in Hollow Ataraxia." Aya finished. "We aren't going to be dealing with that event for awhile yet. One crisis at a time is enough."

"It's a troubling situation, but Rin could have done something about earlier if she hadn't been distracted with pretending she didn't want to nail Archer six ways from Thursday," Fenrir said, jolting as Nendoid Rin popped up suddenly in all her tiny glory.

"It's true, fan-made characters can only speak trash," The miniature version of Rin postulated, taking a quick drag of her cigarette before disappearing as abruptly as she appeared.

"..." Went Fenrir.

"..." Went Aya.

"I vote we forgot that happened," the Finn ventured.

"Agreed," Aya said quickly before bowing. "Until next time, Niellä Dojo!"

The doors slid shut with a snapping noise, sealed...for now.

[TRUE END]