Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Fate: one half ❯ Chapter 4

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: kilich

Day 4

Waking up in a rather pleasant mood Rider stretched before she understood that not changing wet clothes before going to sleep was a mistake and the curse activated again.

Nevertheless, something from her dream, even though it was forgotten, kept tonight's events from completely spoiling her morning.

Stretching again, she debated over should she change back or train more and soon her side that strived to become the best fighter won and she went to the training hall thinking that maybe this time she'll get Saber to train with her.

Shiro woke up and saw that Sakura still cuddled with him. He raised his hand and brushed her hair from her face, thinking what to do now.

He carefully removed her hands from his body and quietly stood up.

Dressing up, he thought. `I have to sort out my feelings. But first I need to know more about Saber.'

He walked out so deep in thought about his plans for this day that he didn't notice Rider and bumped into her. The impact, even softened by her figure, pulled him out the dreamland and he saw… no felt her burning gaze and stepped back.

“Can you at least warn me if you're going to do again what you did tonight?” she asked and with a poke to his chest, she added in a much darker voice that promised doom if disagreed with.

“And if you'll want to do that to me, I'll kill you.”

Finishing what she wanted to say, she walked past Shiro, who was trying to figure out what got her so riled up. His face slightly reddened when he understood.

`Oh, so she felt everything through the Mana link. No wonder.'

His blush became crimson colored when he turned his head to watch Rider elegant movements and images of Rider or Saber in a bed with him appeared in his head.

Shiro walked towards the training hall, the usual place for Saber to be, in hopes of asking her out for a walk so he could understand Saber more.

When he walked past Rin's room, the door opened slightly and Rin's sleepy voice asked.

“Shiro, when the breakfast is going to be ready?”

`Ahh. That's right. Sakura is still sleeping.'

“I'm only going to start preparing it.” He answered and decided to postpone his plans until after the breakfast was ready.

Once he arrived to the kitchen, he opened the fridge and frowned when he noticed that the food that should've lasted for a week, would be gone by tomorrow.

`It's a good thing that Rin is helping me with money.' he thought starting to cook.

“Ah, Sakura. This smells delicious!” exclaimed Taiga looking over the food with hungry eyes.

“It wasn't me. Shiro made everything because I overslept.” answered the girl, her cheeks reddening far more then a usual praise could achieve.

Taiga noticed that slight change of her behavior and looked at Shiro, who was concentrating on eating, and then Rider who also had, if ever so slight, blush.

“My boy! You are all grown up now!” she happily exclaimed, hugging Shiro with bone crunching force and her eyes started to tear up. Mere seconds passed before those tears have grown in a full-blown wail.

“Even Shiro has the one he loves. Why can't I find that special someone myself?!”

“Fuji-nee! Stop it!” panicked the boy, when he noticed that Rin choked and started coughing hard.

The breakfast was cut short as only Servants had any appetite left, but no food was wasted, that's for sure.

“Saber, I wanted to ask you,” said Shiro, while he improved his swordsmanship with Saber.

“Is it true that you can also get Mana by killing people?” He wanted to know because the thought of Saber killing innocent people and using their lives as some kind of food, was deeply disturbing to him.

Saber disengaged and looked intently at Shiro before answering.

“Yes, as a Servant, I can use humans to refill my Mana supply. But attacking defenseless is against my code of honor. “

“But I'm sorry Master. If you wish for me to replenish my Mana this way, you can command me to and I will, but I'll take away one of you seals as a payment for bending my will.”

With that Saber put her training weapon away and walked toward the exit.

Shiro put away his sword as well and said before she reached the door.

“No, I'm sorry for making you think that I can give such order.”

Saber stopped when she heard his answer, but a second later she walked outside.

Looking at her as she walked away, Shiro thought.

`Saber is not cold-hearted killer. I'm glad that I was right about her.'

When Saber went out of his sight, he decided to go to of one his schoolmates that asked him to came over and repair his computer before tomorrow.

But as soon as he walked out, he met with Rider who had that insufferable smile of hers. A smile that meant that until Sakura prepares mid-day lunch he would stay in the training hall, learning martial arts from her.

When a punch that as Shiro thought would miss his side, turned into a series of painful strikes and what was worse, all of them were done with a single finger, he stepped away on suddenly wobbly legs and decided to talk with her while he recovered.

“Rider, what Sakura wants to do once she reaches Grail? Why did she became a Master?” he asked, panting from training at such crazed pace for over an hour.

Purple haired Servant walked to him and started to press certain points on his body, pressure points as he understood. When she leaned to reach his legs, he turned his eyes away before he could saw more of her figure than he should've had.

While she used her knowledge to bring him back to shape that would be sufficient for more training, she answered.

“Sakura doesn't want the Grail, I do. As to why she became a Master… Her grandfather ordered her to. That bastard.“

“So Servants fight for the Grail? And Saber too?” asked Shiro, surprised by this revelation.

He didn't put much thought to figuring out why Saber fought for him, but he wasn't expecting to hear that she fought because she needed Grail.

“Well, yeah. Saber definitely wants it, but so do I. She even won't spar with me because she's afraid that I'll learn her moves.”

Rider finally tapped the last point and Shiro felt some of his strength return to him.

“Now, where were we?” she grinned and backed away, so Shiro could try the attacks she showed him earlier, on her.

“Dinner's ready.” said Sakura opening the door to the training hall and saw Shiro on floor, breathing heavily and her Servant who trained alone.

“Sempai, do you need my help?” asked the plum haired girl, blushing as she looked at Shiro heaving chest and remembered their night together.

“No, I fine Sakura. If I won't learn to how to fight soon, I'll be useless in a battle.” said the boy, standing up and wiping sweat from his forehead before walking to the door.

“Don't take too long refreshing yourself. Pressure points will wear off in a half an hour and you have to eat a lot to compensate.”

“Half an hour?! Rider?! What will happen after?” he asked, slightly shocked at how harsh Rider's training was. First she squeezed every ounce of strength out of him and then she said that he has a half an hour to eat if he wanted to feel better then a sack of rice for the rest of the day.

Looking at the Rider's back as she went to the living room, Shiro didn't notice Tosaka walking to him from behind.

“You are going to train with me, Emiya, that's what. You are a magi, you have to learn how to use your magic.” said Rin in a harsh voice, but when she saw how tired he was, her voice softened somewhat.

“It won't be hard. You'll just have to reinforce at least one of the lamps I found in your shack.”

After the meal, Shiro went after Rin, feeling that those pressure points started to wear off and he wanted to sit before he fell on the floor and suffered Tosaka's anger.

Rin opened the door to one of the empty rooms and switched on the lights, revealing dozens of old lamps on the floor.

“Here. And you're not getting out of here until you succeed.“ said Rin and closed the door.

“Now, I need to talk with Rider. Honestly, how could Sakura mess up her summoning so badly?” sighed Rin as she went to training hall, where Sakura's Servant usually spent her time.

`Is she eating again?` thought Rin, when she opened the door to the training hall and saw no-one. `I wonder why she is eating so much. Is it one of the traits she was famous for?'

When Rin came to kitchen she saw only Sakura there. The girl quickly turned to face her but saw it wasn't Shiro as she hoped and turned back to her cooking, disappointed.

“Sakura, where's Rider?”

“In our room.” answered the girl, in a voice that was colder then usual.

Sighing at Sakura's display of jealousy, Rin went to the room and there she saw something she wasn't expecting, given what she learned of Rider's character.

The purple haired Servant half sat on her bed and read one of the books that were scattered all around her.

“Yeah?” Rider stopped reading and turned to the newcomer questioningly.

“I wanted to know what you remember about your life before you were summoned here.” asked Rin, Rider's yesterday's questions about things that every Servant should know despite how bad summoning was done, made her suspect that Rider's memory was more than messed up.

Rider looked at her puzzled and answered.

“Didn't I tell you that before? I remember my life, before I got cursed at those damn springs and then summoned here, very well.”

“I didn't ask about your other form's legend. I meant your life before you became a heroic spirit.”

The Servant before her frowned and showed what book she was reading.

`Architecture of Ancient Greece?!'

“If ya are asking about this form's memories, then I only remember a few dreams about a temple that looked like the ones me and Pops saw in Greece. But it looked almost new and had a strange looking city around it. So, I figured that if I find the temple that looks close then I'll find out who was the girl I'm turning into.”

`She doesn't even remembers what are her Noble Phantasms are?!' thought Rin, feeling as cold feeling of dread started to creep inside of her being, when she understood the amount of damage that Rider's memory sustained.

“Any luck with your search?”

Rider looked at the book she was holding and frowned again.

“No. I found something about a temple that looks close, but it says that it was one of Athena's temples and I'm sure that I'm not Athena.”

“Trace: on”

Shiro concentrated and started his spell. He felt one of his magic circuits activate and energy flow through his hand.

“Ahh, damn!” he cursed when the lamp he was trying to reinforce shattered and he climbed on his feet to go to next row of lamps, leaving the broken fourth one behind.

When the last lamp shattered, Shiro was in less then pleasant mood.

`Why am I failing every time? My spell does work.' He thought as he remembered how Rider ended Fuji-nee complaints that she steals all of her favorite food with a suggestion to fight over it with chopsticks. When they were down to last sets, Rider gave him her weapon to reinforce. He took them, closed his eyes and after he casted his spell, they never broke.

`And Caster said that I have a talent. What am I doing wrong?'

Shiro was ready to stop the training for now and do it after he talked with Rin, but suddenly he remembered Rider's talk about high-end martial techniques she met. Particularly, the hidden weapons style, where user made an item disappear and then reappear at will.

He tried to will Rule Breaker to appear in his hand, but stopped himself.

`I'm a magician, not a martial artist. I'll never be good enough to pull it this way. But how can I use reinforcement to create something?'

Unfortunately for Shiro, this line of thought was interrupted by Saber.

“Shiro, it's time for evening meal. “

“Thank you, Saber.” smiled Shiro, climbing to his feet and following her to the living room.

“Where are going tonight Rin?” asked Shiro.

TÅsaka sighed. “I thought about attacking Ilya, but now I'm not so sure. And I don't know who other Masters could be. Though, if Kotomine wasn't a mediator in this War, I would've suspected him, since one of his arms is bandaged but doesn't move as damaged.”

“In short, tonight we'll simply patrol the city.”