Irisviel waited patiently, sitting on the ground, where Maiya rested. The wounds Maiya received were not as severe as Irisviel's, but she had something that healed her wounds instantly. It was the scabbard of the Excalibur sword, Avalon, which heals the wounds of the bearer as long as the Servant, Saber, is nearby.
She just stared silently at everything. She felt uncomfortable, but tried to hide that discomfort. She hoped Saber had saved Kiritsugu.
When she least expected it, footsteps echoed nearby. She prepared herself for any mishap, but quickly realized that the footsteps belonged to Saber, as she stepped out of the shadows. She was not alone, though. On her back she carried the unconscious Kiritsugu.
"Kiritsugu!"
Irisviel wasted no time and ran to the man's aid. Though it seemed that Kiritsugu, unlike Saber, had nothing more than a few bumps here and there.
"What happened inside that castle?"
Hearing her, Saber lowered her gaze and gritted her teeth as strength.
"I lost..."
The look on Saber's face... she was disappointed in herself. She didn't understand how she could lose to someone like Assassin, someone who only thinks of himself... It didn't make sense, or at least she saw the situation that way. Her honor as a knight was trampled by Assassin's power.
"Saber..."
Irisviel sighed. She put her hand on Saber's shoulder and looked into her eyes. She wanted to let this girl know that she was here to support her.
Saber then looked up and noticed the determined expression Irisviel had. She understood that this was no time for regrets, but still....
'The wish will be mine... or so I want to believe.'
The assassin's words echoed in her mind. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to erase the image of that boy looking at her with those mysterious rainbow eyes.
'What did he mean by that?'
At first, Assassin seemed confident that he would win the war, but at that last moment....
'Are you doubting your words, Assassin? Is everything you said just stupid bullshit? You...'
A great confusion exploded in this girl's mind. What was it that made Assassin so special? How could he say all that with a poker face and then walk away doubting himself? Nothing made sense. Was he even telling the truth? Wasn't it a ploy to get her to let her guard down? So many questions and no answers.
He is an Assassin, Servants skilled in the art of deception. If there was anyone who could stab you in the back, it would definitely be an Assassin.
"We have to go..."
Suddenly, Maiya got up from the ground with great difficulty, approached and advised these two women the obvious. This place is not safe, as no one knows if Assassin really left. However, it will be a while before Kiritsugu wakes up, because Irisviel doesn't have the strength to carry Maiya, who after saying that fell to her knees.
***
On the outskirts of the forest, near a bus stop, Kirei waited sitting with his arms folded. He sighed with his empty gaze and remembered what Assassin had told him. After that, he thought about what Archer had mentioned to him the night before. What pleasure meant and his place in the world.
His mind was in constant chaos. Kirei, though he searched for salvation, could not find it. Somehow he was faltering at Archer's words. But there was a certain truth in those words. His whole life was a constant journey of self-discovery that led him nowhere. What's more, he seemed to sink deeper into darkness. He looked at his hands and remembered his wife's murderer, namely... himself. But before his heart felt emptier than usual, Assassin suddenly appeared in front of him.
Kirei then looked at him. That empty look on his Servant had disappeared. That meant that the two of them were no longer alike. From his perspective, Assassin is no longer that empty and strange child he met two years ago. However, what did that mean? Was that what led him to throw himself into the fight? Kirei decided to ask him:
'Why do you prefer to act on your own?'
Toru listened to this with the same expressionless face as always. He looked at the road in silence. It's been two years, only two years in this world and he already felt tied to this place. There are things to protect, there are people to live for. There is a past to overcome. Kirei would not understand, for his heart has always been surrounded by a darkness that keeps him away from true emotions.
After that, Toru looked into his eyes. The two were no longer sides of the same coin. They were now totally different. He then answered with another question:
"What is it that you desire, Kirei?"
The Holy Church Executor's gaze darkened. That question had no answer. He thought about it carefully. To win the war for Tokiomi? To reach the Akashic records and thereby reach God? A salvation. That's right. He was supposed to be looking for that in the beginning.
Toru was also looking for a salvation, but now... That salvation had presented itself to him even before winning the war. The Assassin himself had discovered his salvation and that was propelling him on his way to victory in that war. This is where the ideals of the two, assassin and cleric, began to clash. Toru no longer sought the Holy Grail just to die. He now wanted to hoard the wish to revive and return to the Shinobi World. However, Kirei no longer knew what he wanted. He was hesitating, circumstances are making him hesitate and Toru could tell that because at some point in his life he felt exactly the same way.
Toru imagined he had a mirror in front of him. In that mirror was reflected his past self, and at the same time as the image of his past self was shown in the mirror, this same image was superimposed with Kirei's reflection.
He reiterated the question:
"What is it that your heart desires, Kirei?"
With a halting voice, the cleric lowered his gaze and answered:
"I don't know..."
"There's your answer."
The answer to the initial question. A Master who doesn't know what he wants is not worthy of a Servant who truly holds on to his desires. Kirei understood this, but somehow felt annoyed.
"This is as much about me as it is about you. I want to fulfill my wish and move on with my life. I know where I come from and I know where I want to go, but you doubt that and I understand that. However, that is not helpful to me. Lately the orders you give me go against what I really want. That's why when you summoned me I told you that. There will be orders from you that I won't be able to follow because they don't go with what I want."
"But you are a Servant, you..."
"I am, but I'm still alive. I live to do what I want, without anyone keeping me on a leash. That's something I should have told you from the start, but I thought just what I told you before was enough. But now... you stopped me from killing Emiya Kiritsugu. I have to assume that you're the one who wishes to kill him, or at least check something with him."
"Assassin..."
"I know, Kirei. I am Assassin. I observed everything and use it to my advantage. That's what my class is based on."
Kirei stood up and looked Toru in the eyes. He was a bit taller than the Servant, so he had to look down a bit and Toru had to lift his head a bit.
"It doesn't matter what he says though."
Toru continued.
"You have the Command Seals and you can make me do things I don't want to. And that's your advantage over me."
Toru's eyes glowed brightly with the color of the Shigan.
"At the end of it all, you're still the Master who summoned me. I'll fight for you, but I'll do it my way."
Toru's body began to disappear into black particles.
"Don't think badly of me. I'm not betraying you or anything. All the information I manage to gather will be yours, for this war is not won alone."
Finally he disappeared completely, leaving Kirei staring into the void, silent and thoughtful. He frowned as he realized that a boy had just lectured him. However, he let those thoughts get lost in the darkness of the night.
-Home of the Zenjō Family-
Rin looked through the window, thinking about what is going on while she is locked up in this house at night. She wanted to believe that everything would be alright, but that was too much to ask.
"Toru is strong and cunning... Otou-sama is a great Magus. They will win..."
The girl was hopeful about that. Still, another worry arose in the bottom of her heart.
"Sakura..."
Wherever her little sister was, she wished her well. She missed her too much, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Besides, this whole war thing kept him from going to visit her. In this place, Rin feels very lonely. There are times when she wants to cry, but she decides to keep all those emotions secret.
Rin wanted to remain the same big sister that Sakura knew, that's why she won't cry. She decided to remain the same proud and arrogant girl as always, all for the day when she has to face her younger sister. No matter if it hurts, no matter if her heart crumbles.
'That's just the way I am. I'll keep being the same perfect girl until that day comes'
***
Aoi looked at Rin from the doorway of the room. She closed her eyes and sighed. Rin had been deep in thought since they arrived at the Zenjō family's house.
'I...'
...
...
...
'I should have refused'
She constantly thought that if she had insisted more, Tokiomi would have allowed Sakura to remain in the Tōsaka family. However, because of her weakness, submissive personality and the love she had for Tokiomi, she simply resigned herself to accept everything.
'Tell me, Toru-chan, what would you think of me if you knew the kind of person I am?'
She would expect disappointment from Toru, but if he truly understood her, he would say nothing about it, for he had no right to question the decisions of others when his own decisions had been so stupid and detrimental to everyone around him.
'If he were here...'
She imagined Sakura's smile as she stood next to Toru. She thought of the moments she spent together with her daughters and that boy. She at some point began to see the Assassin as if he was her own son, for deep down she felt she should take care of Toru.
'I wonder if we could go back to those moments...'
-Fuyuki Church, later...-
"Mother..."
A child's voice echoed within a great ocean of blood that was projected into Kirei's dream. That man, folded in his arms, asleep in one of the church pews, frowned and broke into a cold sweat.
"Why do you hate me?"
That boy whose voice seemed distant and muffled echoed within the dream. And then.
"What are you doing here, Kirei?"
Toru's voice echoed and the ocean of blood distorted. Quickly the surroundings took the shape of the church and Kirei seemed to have suddenly awakened after hearing someone near him.
Confused he looked around and noticed Gilgamesh sitting in the back pew.
"Humans cling to something as mundane and pathetic as dreams."
Said the glowing man. Kirei just looked out the windows it was still night and relaxed. He touched his head painfully, wondering what he heard and saw. At that last second...
"Assassin..."
"Ho..."
Gilgamesh saw something interesting. He didn't know much about what was going on with Kirei's Servant, but something interesting certainly happened. His amusement, his pleasure was in discovering and unraveling the desires of this godforsaken man. There was something disgusting inside Kirei, all that was needed was to awaken that something.
"What was it Assassin did?"
Kirei, without looking at Gilgamesh, answered:
"He is acting on his own..."
"So the jester is leaving the castle."
...
"Assassin said this was not a betrayal, for he will continue to work for me, but moving on his own."
Gilgamesh sighed.
"And you believed him?"
Kirei frowned. He remained silent after that question, which gave Gilgamesh to understand that Kirei really believed Assassin's words.
"I didn't think you were so naive. Assassin is not someone dumb, he's a smart dog. If you let him be smart, he will soon become a threat to you."
"Then what should I do?"
"Hm..."
Gilgamesh thought.
"Let's see. For a dog to obey it must first be trained properly. When the dog does something well, it is rewarded. You should start there. Make the dog trust you by giving it what it wants."
-Fuyuki Center-
He closed his eyes and waited. Then, he put two fingers together in front of his face and said:
"Come back."
Instantly, dozens of images appeared in Toru's mind, which gave him the information of most of Fuyuki. If anyone was defenseless at this moment, it would be Rider's Master. Killing the boy seemed to be the most feasible thing to do before going for Caster's Master.
"Let's continue."
This time he scattered ten clones with enough mana to move quickly throughout the city.
'Come to think of it... a while ago I felt someone watching me, but it was a few seconds. I don't feel anything anymore...'
-Fuyuki Church-
"In you lies the decision, Kotomine Kirei."
Gilgamesh stood up and walked to the exit fading into golden particles. Kirei did not see him, as he seemed puzzled by the advice he was given.
"My decision, uh..."
Finally, he looked at his hand, where only two Command Seals remained. His eyes seemed to show an index of light and a strange smile that no one could see flashed across his face.
"I see..."
To be continued...