"C'mon! Get a move on!" Biggs yelled at Wedge as his rotund partner struggled to climb over the stone wall lining the garden of the Matou Residence.
"I'm comin'!" Wedge said before he threw himself with great effort over the wall only to then clumsily fall on to the lawn with a thud. His suit now covered in dirt and grass stains, Wedge hurriedly joined Biggs as they then crept up the stone staircase that led from the garden up against the side of the mansion. Comically, the duo sprawled themselves against the brick walls of the mansion and shimmied in direction away from the front door, ducking under windows until they crouched behind a large ornate vase that held a plant.
"Those lovebirds went inside this here house," Biggs reminded his partner. "This be the home of the late old Matou bloke. They be up to somethin'..."
Biggs peeked around the vase to make sure the coast was clear, all while Wedge was feeling apprehensive.
"I don't like this, Biggs. This place is givin' me the creeps..."
"All major mage households have that air about 'em, Wedge..." Biggs told him nonchalantly. "This place be no different."
"No, no, no... something don't feel right about this place," Wedge was not convinced, nagging his partner for being not being cautious. "You know we just passed through a bounded field? Ain't no callin' for backup if cow-turd hits the fan..."
"We just taking a peek, we don't need backup," Biggs assures, for he and Wedge have been on more taxing assignments and have gotten out of precarious situations before. "We make like a tree at the first sign of trouble back to the car, you hear?"
"And if that ain't happenin'?" Wedge asked impatiently, for Biggs to then turn to him and look at his partner dead in the eyes.
"Remember the Monaco job?" Biggs asked, and Wedge nodded in slight annoyance.
"Yes, I remember the Monoco job..."
"Then you've got a Spiegel, right?" asked Biggs again. In response, Wedge reaches into his jacket pocket and shows Biggs what looked like a party-cracker.
"Aye... never leave a safehouse without it..."
Biggs then bumped Wedge on the shoulder, brushing off his partner's earlier concerns.
"No worries then. Nothin' that can't be solved with the old art of improvisin'. Now follow me..."
Wedge rolled his eyes as Biggs turned to proceed sneaking along the house, neglecting to bring up what happened on that assignment was a result of pure luck, yet the result made Biggs overconfident and always eager to string Wedge along as if fortune smiles on them.
"Lead on, McDuff..." Wedge mumbled before following behind Biggs. Turning a corner, the agents eventually come up to another window, only instead of sneaking past it, they notice a red light peeking through the glass behind the inside curtains, making them take pause.
"'There a party?" Wedge asked.
"Don't think so..." Biggs replied before they carefully crept toward it. Peeking through a tiny portion of unobscured glass, Biggs and Wedge looked through the window which led to the study of the Matou Mansion. What they saw was what looked like their persons of interest, Arturia and Shirou, along with two women held up and bound by a girl enveloped in pure darkness. Thrown for a loop, Biggs let out:
"What the bloody hell is happenin' in there?"
______
"Well, today took a turn for the worse..." Shirou deadpanned as he, Arturia, Rin, and Rider were suspended and bound by tendrils conjured by Dark Sakura, who stood in the middle room looking at her prisoners gleefully.
"Ahhh... how delicious. I get to have some fun with the miscreants who caused me so much grief. Who should I start with first?"
Struggling in her bounds, Rin expressed her displeasure at the two individuals who got them all into this situation.
"Way to mess up everything by barging in here, you guys!" she scolded Shirou and Arturia.
"We messed up?!" Shirou retorted, gritting through the tendrils wrapped tightly and painfully around his body. "We just came here looking for YOU! When were you planning on telling us about THIS, Rin?!"
"Did you not think Dark Sakura was something we should know?" Arturia expressed her own dismay of the fact Rin had been hiding Sakura's condition from them. "Why did you keep this from us?!"
"Because I knew you two would freak out if I'd told you!" Rin answered, and this verbal spat turned into a full-blown argument.
"Like Sakura still having this inside her ISN'T something to freak out about?!" Shirou angrily remarked.
"Was that ritual ALL to summon this abomination?!" Arturia then accused.
"Of course not!" Rin replied. "I was only trying to help her!"
"Clearly!" Shirou responded sarcastically. Dark Sakura appeared unamused at the site of three of her captives arguing with each other seemingly DESPITE the fact that she has them all at her mercy. Fed up with the banter, it is Rider who tries clearing things up.
"It's not what you two think," she said while hanging upside-down. "Rin was training Sakura, honing her underdeveloped magic circuits."
"And YOU idiots barged in and broke Sakura's concentration!" Rin exclaimed at Shirou and Arturia before then directing her anger at Rider. "By the way, why didn't you stop them, Rider?!"
"I tried..." Rider replied somewhat apologetically.
"Is that ALL you have to say?! That you TRIED?!"
Rider just brushed off Rin's dismay with:
"I doubt anything else I could say would make any difference in this predicament..."
They all stopped when their captor led out an exasperated yawn.
"All of this bickering bores me..." Dark Sakura expressed her disinterest in letting her victims ignore her any longer. "It's like you all forget I'm about to have my way with all of you... you should be BEGGING for your lives!"
Arturia struggled against the hold Dark Sakura's tendrils bound her in. She found herself unable to summon any of her weapons, affirming that Dark Sakura was suppressing her power somehow. By this point, Arturia did not care if she had to break Caster's charm to free herself, but now she cannot even do so.
"Sakura! Listen to me!" Rin pleaded. "This isn't you... you have to fight it!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, nee-san," Dark Sakura turned to her ensnared sister, walking right up to her whilst smiling wickedly. "That prissy doormat you call a sister is a thing of the past. THIS is the real me... the one you and father gladly left to be the Zouken's guinea pig... and Shinji's punching bag..."
Rin appeared astonished, hurt even by Sakura's words. The corrupted Tohsaka-sibling was too distracted to notice Shinji peeking into the study. Rider silently motioned him to get the hell away, and she did not have to tell the boy twice as Shinji silently Nope!'ed on out of there.
"I- I never knew!" Rin told her captor. "I would have fought to get you back, Sakura-!"
Rin was silenced, shaking with fear as Dark Sakura grabbed her cheeks, her eyes wide and crazed.
"But you DIDN'T!" she accused. "Now look where your ignorance has gotten you... how about I give you a taste of the Matou's "hospitality"?"
Rin was choking back tears at this point; her sister having stuck a knife and twisted it to perpetuate Rin's self-guilt.
"I'm sorry..."
Dark Sakura appeared to be enjoying the torment that she was inflicting on Rin. Seeing Rin in agony, it prompted Shirou to speak out.
"You don't want to hurt your family, Sakura!" he pleaded, making Dark Sakura slowly turn her head at him. "You don't want to hurt anyone, I know you don't!"
"Oh Senpai..." Dark Sakura cooed wickedly, leaving Rin to her misery before closing in on Shirou. "If there was someone I don't want to hurt, it would be you... I felt so safe and secure whenever you were around... I thought we were friends, maybe something more..."
Dark Sakura brushed a finger over Shirou's face, causing him to shiver. Seeing this, Arturia felt anger boil in her blood.
"Get your filthy hands off of him you witch!"
Arturia's threat went unheard as Dark Sakura continued toying with Shirou.
"I thought you the only one for me, Senpai... and without so much as an APOLOGY, you dumped me as soon as this prissy, foreign WRETCH intruded..."
Dark Sakura gestured towards Arturia, and Shirou stiffens at the realization that Sakura may have always been harboring jealousy for his faithful Servant.
"With Saber around, I knew I could never make you mine..." Dark Sakura continued. "That's why I made her my pet, remember? You fought so hard for her... I would've loved if you did the same for me..."
Arturia's eyes widened, remembering the terror of becoming Saber Alter and forced against her will to hurt Shirou. With her bound by Dark Sakura like this, it could very well happen again...
Then to both hers and Shirou's horror, Dark Sakura directed her full attention to the Servant.
"Perhaps I'll start with Saber here..." She said while moving Shirou aside and bringing Arturia closer to her. "You can all watch while I play with her..."
"No!" Shirou exclaimed as he and Rin were bunched up together, both helpless to do anything as Dark Sakura started having her way with Arturia.
"Don't you dare-!" Saber only had time to say as Dark Sakura put a hand on the Servant's face; the corrupted mana seeping off the girl stinging on contact and making Arturia recoil. "Argh!"
"Saber!" Shirou yelled in worry. Dark Sakura continued caressing Arturia's face with equal parts admiration and malice.
"So delicate... so dignified... I'll enjoy breaking you down before my beloved Shirou-Senpai..."
Dark Sakura's gaze fell to Arturia's hand, noticing the magical charm on her wrist.
"Hmmm..." Dark Sakura hummed curiously, clipping off the bracelet and letting it fall to the floor. Within seconds, Arturia's body grew and her huge bust pokes out through the dark tendrils binding her even though she was still trapped.
"Ah!" Dark Sakura lets out in surprise, even taking a moment to lick her lips. "Well, aren't YOU a perfect, sculpted goddess. Did you wish for this body because you felt threatened by me? That I would steal the boy whom YOU'VE first stolen from me?"
Arturia was helpless as Dark Sakura then started groping her forcefully, administering a mix of pain and pleasure. Despite the bracelet being removed, Arturia could not summon Excalibur or Rhongomyniad, nor could she break Dark Sakura's bonds. The Saber was truly powerless to do anything to resist Dark Sakura. Shirou and Rin looked on helplessly, continuing to struggle with their bonds.
"Shirou..." Arturia pleaded shamefully while her voice became breathless. "Look away..."
Dark Sakura then laughs maniacally.
"Senpai loves your sparkling aura so much... if I take it away, maybe he'll love me again..."
Dark Sakura then stopped fondling Arturia's breasts to then put a finger on her temple. Arturia, feeling the corrupted energy within Sakura growing watched fearfully.
"N- No-!" Arturia was cut off as Dark Sakura makes contact. The Saber could feel dark mana clawing in, tapping into her mind. Arturia shut her eyes and thrashes, feeling Dark Sakura's painful touch not just on her skin but also mentally, like she was pulling memories out of-
(Gasp!)
Dark Sakura suddenly let go. Withing in pain, Arturia forced her eyes open, unaware that they were yellow for but a moment before returning emerald-green. She saw Dark Sakura staring at her in shock, wondering what could have surprised her so much to get her visibly shaken like this.
This little break did not last, as soon Dark Sakura's astonishment faded and replaced with manic excitement.
"My my!" Dark Sakura let out. "There's more to you than meets the eye, Saber! You're keeping some depraved stuff behind the walls in your pretty-little head."
Arturia was confused by this until Dark Sakura's hand loomed on her again to the Servant's horror.
"Let's thin them a bit, shall we...?"
Dark Sakura pressed her finger on Arturia's temple again; her dark touch making Arturia thrash and scream as distorted images flashed in her mind.
"ARGH!"
"Yes!" Dark Sakura exclaimed excitedly, taking pleasure in Arturia's pain. "Scream... Squirm for me! Your pain is music to my-! Eh?"
Dark Sakura removed her hand again. Arturia's head droops down as she barely clung to consciousness as her tormentor suddenly tensed and became wary.
"Hold that thought..." she said in a bored tone before turning behind her and summoning tendrils to phase through the window of the study and pull the two interlopers inside.
(WHOOSH!)
"AHHHHH-!"
(THUD)
Biggs and Wedge came tumbling inside the room. Shirou and Rin are perplexed by the appearance of these two strangers.
"Bloody hell..." Biggs groaned out as he and Wedge struggle back up to their feet.
"Who on Earth are THESE guys?" Shirou lets out, and Rin had no answer. Dark Sakura was less than pleased by these men spoiling the "fun" she was having with Arturia.
"Well, look at what the cat dragged in..." she says in a frighteningly even tone. "Intruders..."
Biggs and Wedge stiffen at the sight of Dark Sakura leering at them like they were insects. Wedge leans in towards Biggs and whispers:
"Right now, I'm wishing we called for backup..."
"Stay cool," Biggs replies calmly as possible to his colleague, taking a deep breath and brushing away the wrinkles in his suit. "Apologies Ms. We interuptin' somethin'?"
Dark Sakura raises an eyebrow in suspicion.
"What does it look like?" she asks in a threatening tone and slowly walks toward the duo. Biggs does his best to stay composed and talk, knowing he was only stalling for time.
"Oh, we just saw some law-abidin' citizens in distress and figured we as good Samaritans check it out... Right, Wedge?"
He looks over to his colleague, who was shaking in his boots. Biggs elbows him and snaps Wedge out of his growing fright.
"Uh... right! We just bein' the friendly neighborhood watch and all..."
While Dark Sakura was distracted, Rin's gaze travels to the violet magic gem on the floor that she dropped moments before, knowing it would them all get out of this mess if she could get her hands on it. The problem was that Rin could not move, and she was dangling...
Then she remembered she had another gem that could free her from Sakura's grasp right in her back pocket. But with Rin bound in the way that she was, even her free hands could not reach it.
As luck would have it though, Shirou was in the same predicament, and he and Rin were nearly back-to-back, and his hand happened to be just close enough for-
"Emiya-kun," Rin whispered behind her. "Reach in my pocket..."
Shirou's attention snaps to Rin, understanding what Rin was asking for.
"What if she sees-?" he whispers back, and Rin insisted:
"Just DO IT..."
Wasting no time, Shirou's fingers snaked into Rin's pocket and felt around until he touched the cold, slippery surface of a round gemstone. Shirou tries desperately to grab it as Dark Sakura scrutinizes Biggs and Wedge with growing disdain.
"You aren't judicial police... I can sense you two are mages... barely."
"So sassy..." Biggs remarked. "I can see you like breakin' hearts, sunshine-"
"Don't flatter me..." Dark Sakura cuts him off, summoning more dark tendrils from her "dress". "It won't keep you alive..."
Bigg's resolve was beginning to waver same as Wedge. Seeing Dark Sakura growing more aggravated prompted Rin to urge Shirou to hurry up.
"Come on!" she whispered desperately.
"I can't - reach-!" Shirou mutters as time and time again his fingers kept slipping off the gem in Rin's pocket. From where he was, Shirou could see Arturia, ensnared, limp and barely conscious and tried harder to reach for Rin's gem.
"Oh we weren't flatterin'. Not at all!" Biggs lets out a half-hearted laugh at an irate Dark Sakura. "You really seem like a nice girl, but uh... we- we're gonna have to ask you to stop it with the shade and ravagin' goin' on in here... on behalf of the Mage's Association, we have to insist-"
Both he and Wedge were suddenly bound at the legs by Dark Sakura's tendrils.
"I DON'T THINK SO..." she says she starts conjuring more to entangle Biggs and Wedge.
"Biggs..." Wedge warns with worry, and Biggs quickly responds:
"Give her the sauce..."
Wedge barely had time to reach in his jacket pocket before Dark Sakura grabs his arm with a tendril, just as more start wrapping around the agents' upper bodies.
"I'm not letting you two annoying rats do anything!" Dark Sakura lets out angrily, fed up with being played by these two strangers and seizing whatever offended object that Wedge was going to use on her. "You're next after I'm done with-!"
Dark Sakura was quite close to Wedge as her tendril pulled his arm out away from him, and looking down at what he was holding-
(BANG!)
With the magical-equivalent of a party-cracker, smoke and sparks exploded out directly at Sakura's face.
"Argh!"
Dark Sakura recoils, causing the tendrils holding her previous captives to thrash violently. Rin and Shirou collide with each other, allowing Shirou to reach deeper into Rin's back pocket. The girl yelps in surprise as Shirou at last got a grasp on her gemstone.
"Got it!"
"That wasn't all you got..." Rin grumbled. Dark Sakura quickly recovered and glared at Biggs and Wedge with murderous intent.
"Why you-! For that, I think I'll break you two down FIRST!"
Now feeling the squeeze, Wedge asks:
"Quickly-?"
"SLOWLY!" Dark Sakura exclaimed.
"Oh..."
"Of course..." Biggs groans out, knowing they were at the end of their rope. "How do you THINK she is gunna kill us, Wedge?!"
"Worth askin'...!" Wedge replied whilst being strangled. Dark Sakura was about to do both agents in when-
"Now, Emiya-kun!" Rin yelled out. Dark Sakura turns around in shock just as-
"Trickshot!" Shirou calls out as he flicks the blue gem into open space with his thumb. It bounces off a chandelier and a wall-mounted lantern before landing on the hem of Dark Sakura's "dress."
The effect was instant as the gem shattered, and blue energy ate away at Dark Sakura's tendrils and all hell broke loose. Biggs and Wedge were freed and fell backwards. Rin, Shirou, Arturia, and Rider fell back to Earth as their restraints dissolved. Rider lands on her feet despite previously being upside down, but Rin and Shirou where not as graceful as they fell and landed on their backs. Arturia's limp body collapsed on the floor, and after quickly recovering, Shirou made a mad dash towards her.
Dark Sakura sees him and angrily sent a mass of dark ribbons to seize him, but Rider with her inhuman speed picks up Shirou and gets him out of the way before then grabbing Arturia.
Having ignored Rin, the Tohsaka-mage reached for the violet gem on the floor as Dark Sakura turned and continued attacking Rider, who was carrying Shirou and Arturia. She made a dash for the exit, but Dark Sakura blocks it with another mass of tendrils. It seemed she had the trio cornered-
(SHATTER!)
Dark Sakura gasped as Rin ran up behind her and smashed her violet gem over her head. Purple mist permeated and Dark Sakura stumbles, her red magic circuits flickering feebly. Sakura groans and collapses into Rin's arms, falling unconscious while the darkness enveloping her recedes, turning her back to normal. As a result, all the dark tendrils fade from existence and the red light engulfing the study fades.
"Sorry, sister..." Rin said before bringing Sakura's body down gently on the floor. Rider lets Shirou free and hurries back to check on her master. Shirou in turn crawls to Arturia who was regaining her awareness. He sits her up against the wall of the study, becoming worried as Arturia was seemingly staring into space, traumatized. He was scared that Dark Sakura may have done something to her.
"Saber!" he calls out, gently touching Arturia's face. "Saber, are you okay? Talk to me!"
Eventually, Shirou's words reach out and make Arturia turn to him, and she manages to compose herself.
"I- I'm fine, Shirou..."
Shirou was slightly relieved, but doubt as to Arturia's wellbeing lingered.
"You had me worried. Sakura did a number on you... What did she do?"
Arturia took a moment to assess her herself before answering.
"I'm... not sure. I don't feel injured though, just shaken."
Shirou continued looking over Arturia despite her words of assurance. There was no telling what Sakura was capable of in her "dark" state, remembering how the corrupted girl turned Arturia into Saber Alter the first time Sakura got her hands on the Servant.
He had to admit however, Arturia appeared okay as far as he can tell, with no sign of any corruption Sakura could have left on her.
"If you say so..." Shirou eventually relented, believing he was overly worried. "If you were hurt, you would tell me, right Saber?"
Arturia looked at him, touched from the fact that Shirou was still holding her upright (in a precarious place just above her waist no less). Warmth filling her up, she gently held Shirou's wrists and replied:
"Yes, Shirou..."
Shirou suddenly realized where his hands were and slowly let go of Arturia, making sure that she could at least sit upright. Shirou hides his growing blush as meanwhile, Biggs and Wedge took the opportunity to crawl quietly away, until-
(RATTLE)
Both men found themselves lassoed by Rider's chain, preventing them from slipping away.
"Oh, sod it..." Biggs let out as Rider questioned him and Wedge.
"Where do you think YOU two are going?"
Biggs and Wedge turned to see Rider and Rin (still holding Sakura) glaring at them. Shirou and Arturia turn to pay attention to the strangers who intruded moments ago.
"Pardon us, I think we overstayed our welcome..." Wedge replied. Rider turns to Rin for further instruction, unconvinced that these men had ulterior motives for being at the Matou Mansion.
"Keep holding them, Rider," Rin told her. "I got some questions for these cronies..."
"NOT before you tell US everything Rin," Shirou then said. "We almost died because you didn't tell us about Sakura!"
Rin turned to see both Shirou and Arturia staring sternly at her, lost on how to respond until the doors burst open, revealing a battle-ready Archer. Looking around at the state of the room, he relaxed and banished his twin swords.
"Damn. Looks like I missed a hell of a party..."
"Way to be fashionably late, Archer..." Rin deadpanned, as Dark Sakura's grasp prevented her from commanding him to appear sooner. At the sight of Archer though, Shirou was quick to question him, livid at his older self for-
"Did YOU know about Sakura too?! I'd expect myself to be the LAST PERSON to keep something like that to themselves!"
Arturia too had some choice words for the Archer, not pleased of the fact that he had known about Sakura's condition BEFORE everything that had happened today.
"It's a wonder why you let us go to the Matou Residence after we stopped by, Archer..."
Before Archer could properly explain himself-
"Wait! Stopped by?!" Rin repeated in realization. "Archer, you snitch! Did you tell them where I was?!"
"I never told them anything..." Archer said, crossing arms like he did nothing wrong. "Saber figured it out on her own."
"HOW?!" Rin demanded, and Arturia went on to clarify:
"You let slip about you and Sakura "practicing" at the mall yesterday, Rin."
Rin looked at Saber in surprise and then away awkwardly.
"Oh... I did, didn't I?" she then continued to question her Servant. "But still, Archer why did you let them go?!"
"Like I have any chance of forcing a dual-class Servant to stay in one place," Archer deadpanned. "I value MY life, FYI..."
Shirou could pick up the irony in that last statement as Archer continued.
"BESIDES... like I said this morning, they'd find out eventually..."
"I told you!" Rin stated explicitly. "Sakura insisted on keeping them in dark until she improves. I couldn't just break a promise to my sister!"
"Promise?" Shirou repeated, now starting to wonder why Sakura herself never told him what was going on with her. Before he could ask anything further, the rattle of steel grabbed everyone's attention as Biggs and Wedge struggled to free themselves from Rider's chain.
"Uh, excuse us..." Biggs said impatiently, directing his words at Rin. "Love to stay with your ghosts and your witchcraft-addled yandere sister, sweetheart, but me and my partner here are due for a check-in-"
Rider yanked her chain to get him to quiet. Rin then addressed the two interlopers.
"YOU two bozos aren't going ANYWHERE. Can't have you running back to the Association and spilling the beans as to what happened here... Right, Rider?"
"Say the word, I'll petrify them..." Rider replied evenly, wanting to keep Sakura's secret safe. Biggs and Wedge sat tied nervously as Shirou questioned:
"Wait... You guys are from the Mage's Association?"
"They are the two men who were following us since we left the house this morning, Shirou," Arturia revealed. "I suspect they've been tailing us since we left the Temple yesterday too."
Hearing that, Wedge lets out:
"Blimey, we were THAT obvious..."
Biggs then bumped against him accusingly.
"I TOLD YOU not to rent the bloody kei car!"
"I beg your pardon!" Wedge retorted before their turned into an argument. "The higher-ups only gave us so much budget after YOU totaled the one from our LAST assignment... what else was I supposed to get for only a few hundred quid?!"
"Could've found a less conspicuous, respectable car that wasn't muckin' pastel colored had you just LOOKED! You bought the first thing you saw!"
"Says the bloke who wanted the Jag' last time! Look how THAT turned out-!"
Rider then yanked on her chain harder, shutting them both up, letting out:
"I'm tempted to turn you BOTH to stone before you give me a headache."
Shirou and Arturia had been looking on, dumbfounded...
"Not very good at their jobs, are they?" Shirou remarked, and Arturia calmly replied:
"I didn't feel the need to trouble you by pointing them out earlier..."
Then a groan caught EVERYONE'S attention. Sakura stirred in Rin's arms, eventually opening her eyes and sitting up whilst clutching her head as if she had a headache. Everybody was dead silent as Sakura gradually became aware of her surroundings, her gaze eventually falling on Rin.
"Wha-? Nee-san?"
Rin failed to respond; seeing the look on her face made Sakura look around at everyone, who were looking at her the same as if she was a wild animal ready to attack at any moment. Sakura then turned back to Rin and asked worriedly:
"It happened again, didn't it?"
Hearing that, Arturia and Shirou made their outrage apparent to Rin.
"AGAIN?!"
Rin looked at the two, lost for words when Biggs chuckled and said aloud:
"Sounds like you've got some explainin' to do, sweetheart..."
______
[Later...]
After the incident with Dark Sakura in the study, everyone gathered in the dining room of the Matou Mansion. Sakura sat down beside Rin, who had procured a blanket for her to comfort herself with. Rider was nearby keeping Biggs and Wedge tied up, and Archer stood leaning against the wall as Shirou and Arturia were eager to hear from Rin WHY Sakura's dark side persisted, as well as why she and Rin kept it a secret from them. All they could do was wait until Rin was done tending to her sister.
The atmosphere was tense after what had happened, but Sakura appeared like she was back to normal for the most part. Remembering what Dark Sakura did during the Holy Grail War, Arturia and Shirou could not fully count out the possibility that Sakura's stability could deteriorate at any moment and kept their guard up.
Arturia herself was especially on edge since this whole mess began. Thankfully, Caster's bracelet was still functional, and she retrieved it after Dark Sakura had removed it. That was of little worry to Arturia, who felt a chill go up her spine recalling when Dark Sakura had touched her, making the Saber relive the horror of being taken as she was during the Holy Grail War and becoming Saber Alter. To her slight relief, their encounter moments ago did not end the same way, but Arturia shuddered thinking about what would have happened if Dark Sakura had gone through with... whatever she was doing to her.
She tried ignoring it this entire time, but Arturia felt woozy, like she had spent an afternoon inside a giant blender. It seemed to Arturia like Sakura was probing the deep recesses of her mind when she touched her, making Arturia see what looked like her own past memories, of Britain and Camelot. They flashed by so fast that she could barely make them out through the pain... yet they were hardly recognizable to her. They did not... feel as if Arturia had experienced them... some details were out of place.
Arturia was grown up... wielding Rhongomyniad... confronting a group of invaders by herself... sitting alone in her throne room with Excalibur imbedded in a stone vessel in the center, untouched... she sat in a dungeon cell with a woman who had a black veil over her face... then Arturia felt... overwhelming emotion as she reached out and held this woman by the neck-
Arturia sighed as she was unable to recall anything that happened after... None of the images made sense to her... as they did not line up with the memories Arturia had of her past life as King of Britain. Did Dark Sakura put them there when she touched her, or...?
Arturia's thoughts came to a halt when Rin rose to her feet and turned to address both her and Shirou. They have waited patiently for Rin to finish making sure Sakura was in good (safe) condition before coming clean to her friends. With great regret, Rin proceeded to tell Arturia and Shirou everything...
"After we saved Sakura, an essence of the Grail lingered and assimilated itself into Sakura's psyche. Her own magic circuits started reforming after Zouken's worm was removed and she was showing signs of developing her own magic crest. That crest was formed in part with Sakura's dark side."
Arturia and Shirou were astonished, having only heard what could only be the tip of the iceberg when it came to Sakura's condition, and with it came grave concerns on their end.
"Are you saying she is constantly fighting Angra Mainyu's influence in her mind?" Shirou asked. It was originally due to Sakura's forced connection with the Grail, which happened to have All the World's Evils tainting it that was the catalyst for Dark Sakura's existence, and with it she was able to do horrifying things to both mages and Heroic Spirits alike.
"No," Rin answered firmly. "Angra Mainyu isn't behind this. Dark Sakura is only impulsively acting based on Sakura's fears and insecurities. After everything she's been through, Sakura has no shortage of them."
Shirou and Arturia understood perfectly, having learned from Rider and Sakura herself after she was "purged" what horrors she endured at the hands of Zouken Matou; imbued with his worm, used in twisted experiments and Shinji's abuse.
Speaking of whom, Shirou noticed Shinji waiting just outside in the hallway, wanting to overhear but afraid to come in. His blood boiled at the memory of what Shinji had done to Sakura, Shirou had to remind himself that the Matou boy kept his hands clean ever since Sakura mercifully allowed him to stay with her and Rider. If Shinji could not bear to be around them or was simply afraid of Dark Sakura coming out again, Shirou was not sure if he could really blame him for keeping his distance.
Shinji himself had died during the Holy Grail War, and in a way that not even someone like him deserved.
"How did you even find out about this?" Arturia then asked Rin. "It's been months after Sakura has been discharged from the hospital, and she's been normal... at least as far as WE could tell..."
Rin was about to reply, but Sakura tugged on her shirt, stopping her.
"Let me, nee-san," she said to the Tohsaka mage.
"Are you sure?" Rin asked worriedly, but Sakura nods.
"I wanted this kept a secret, but it almost got Senpai and Saber-san killed. I'll take responsibility..."
Arturia and Shirou looked on at Sakura with overflowing empathy. It was clear to them what Sakura was about tell was took difficulty on her part, as well as making her feel great shame. She lets out a sigh before...
"It... happened one morning, as I was getting ready for school..."
_____
(Flashback)
Sakura had just emerged from a hot shower, with a towel wrapped around her chest and she was drying her hair with another. Today felt like a good day... Sakura had returned to school, was socializing with her peers, her grades were up, and she had a roadmap planned for what she wanted to do after she would graduate. Not only that, but things at home improved greatly after the Holy Grail War ended. Zouken was gone... Rider had returned to Sakura's side and supported her... and best of all, she and Rin have been rebuilding a familial relationship.
Everything was perfect... aside from-
Sakura stopped herself right there. Shinji was still living with her... but Sakura felt like she had nothing to worry when it came to him. He had not laid a finger on her since he came back... and as much as Sakura wanted to pay the boy back for what he did to her all those years, Sakura knew nothing good would come from it. Shinji did not have anywhere to go; the Matou family was no more... and Sakura was all he had. She could not just discard Shinji like trash when there was hope that they can be friendly again like when Sakura was first "adopted" into the Matou's.
Sakura still found herself conflicted... thinking that she was being too generous to the boy who caused her pain on top of Zouken's twisted experiments. Punishing him WOULD feel gratifying-
Sakura shook her head, forcing that terrible thought from her mind. She need not be as cruel as Zouken OR Shinji... it would not make her any better than them.
Rubbing her hair more vigorously, Sakura forced herself to think of something else... something more pleasant.
Thinking about school, Sakura thought about seeing Shirou Emiya there... and she got excited. Shirou was the one person Sakura was never afraid to be herself around, what with his charm and chivalry. He was her safe island in a stormy sea, a relief from the daily misery of the Matou household. By the time of the Fifth Holy Grail War, Sakura developed feelings for Shirou, her knight in shining armor, believing he could be her way out, having been gifted a key to his house.
Sakura grew giddy at the thought of catching up with Shirou; share what she had going on in her life, tell what new dishes she wants to try cooking to impress him, and maybe go out on a date to a movie or something-
Sakura froze... her heart sinking upon realizing that she and Shirou were just... friends. He already has someone that he was romantically involved with... and confessed his love to...
Saber...
Sakura missed her chance. The King of Knights had stolen her Senpai's heart... Sakura could not compete with that. She felt a ripple of bitterness for Saber who had swooped in to take Shirou all to her loathsome self-!
"STOP IT..." Sakura said to herself, now feeling ashamed of getting angry over the matter. In fairness, Sakura no longer felt worthy of Shirou's affection... after what she did to him and Saber in the Holy Grail War... she hurt them both... Rin... and Rider...
Sakura should not be mad that her Senpai had found someone to share his feelings with. It was not as if she and Shirou were on bad terms either. Sakura considered herself lucky that Shirou still sees her as a friend after everything that had happened. And Saber... she had forgiven Sakura for what she did to her.
Even so... Sakura did not exactly feel... content. Shirou was just so nice to her even though she was sent by Zouken to spy on him. He was the only person in Sakura's life to show her true kindness... something she wanted to give him in return.
With them just being friends, Sakura did not know if she still could. She thought that there was no one else out there for her... Shirou was not like other young men. He was one-in-a-million...
Perhaps Saber loves him for all the same reasons Sakura still does...
Letting out a sigh, Sakura ditches the hair towel in favor of a blow dryer. She made her way to the sink, but before plugging it in, Sakura wipes the mirror which was fogged up from the steam of the shower-
And to her horror saw a reflection of herself... not with her usual violet-colored hair... but with pale lavender. And Sakura's eyes were red and menacing... with a jagged glowing-red line beneath one...
Upon realizing WHO this was... Sakura screamed and fell backwards on the floor. Terrified, she curled up on the floor and sobbed as traumatic memories came flooding into her mind... memories of when Sakura was... HER. The manifestation of all her woes and trauma... made real by the Grail.
Dark Sakura... a perverse being that enjoyed inflicting pain and suffering; a justice for all same pain and suffering Sakura endured in her ten years living under the Matou's... the worms... the violence... the neglect... the heartbreak... It was the side of Sakura that wanted to lash out and take what she wanted with no regard for who she would hurt to do it...
Malicious laughter rang in Sakura's ears... it was not her own... yet at the same time it was. Sakura felt the touch of the devil on her shoulder, and she screamed again... her magic circuits coming to life until a light formed in her chest. Sakura's glowing circuits faded, and she laid there on the floor curled up, heaving and crying.
The bathroom door burst open... Shinji stood at the scene, frozen and unsure of what to do. Rider brushed past him and immediately helped Sakura to her feet. Keeping her covered, Rider carried Sakura past Shinji and back to her bedroom... never to leave until Rin could get a look at her.
Sakura would not show up to school that day...
______
(Flashback end)
Sakura shivered as she recalled her incident that morning, bundling herself tighter with the blanket that Rin provided for her. Despite her discomfort, she worked up the courage to continue telling an attentive Arturia and Shirou about what happened afterwards.
"Nee-san immediately dropped whatever she was doing and came to check on me," Sakura said while glancing at her sister. "I remembered everything I did when I was... her. I was scared about anyone finding out, and I could not turn to anyone else for help."
Rin affectionately rubbed her hand on Sakura's shoulder before continuing for her sister:
"When I examined her, it turned out that Sakura had developed a new magic crest all on her own. It can let her do what she was able to during the Holy Grail War when Zouken foolishly connected her to the Grail. However, channeling magecraft to an excessive degree would cause Sakura's dark side to completely take over. I found this out the hard way, but I was able to knock her out before things really escalated and it brought Sakura back to normal."
Arturia and Shirou were beside themselves listening to everything that Rin and Sakura revealed to them so far. They knew thanks to Tohsaka that Sakura had the potential to be a powerful mage same as Rin, but because only one of them could inherit the Tohsaka family's knowledge of magecraft, it meant Sakura would not undergo any training Rin would as the Tohsaka-heir. Any magecraft that Sakura could be capable of was exploited by Zouken Matou, imbuing her with a crest worm to fuel his immortality.
When Dark Sakura manifested, she was imbued with power directly from the Holy Grail, albeit with Angra Mainyu's corrupting influence. On top of that, during their battle beneath the Matou Mansion, Rin managed to irradicate Zouken's worm with little harm done to Sakura. If what the sisters were saying is true, then Sakura's newly formed magic-crest must have occurred due to the combination of ALL those factors.
The absence of Zouken's soul-sapping worm... Sakura's underdeveloped magic circuits... and essence left behind by the Holy Grail...
All of this information was profound to Shirou, who was still being relatively new to the hidden world of magecraft and felt there was still a lot that he had yet to understand. He trusted Rin enough to know that she would be careful in such matters, but considering what Dark Sakura had almost done to them, Shirou worried for her greatly, and still felt that Rin should not have kept this from him and Arturia.
"Rin..." he lets out. "You could have died without us knowing..."
Rin's face showed a hint of regret, but ultimately it was evident that the Tohsaka-mage stood by her actions. Instead of telling her friends that directly, Rin continued to explain:
"Sakura is normally well in control. Her magic crest formed as a self-defense mechanism to ward off her dark side. It only appears when Sakura pushes herself too far, and with her lack of even basic magecraft training, it doesn't take much for that to happen. Little by little, Sakura has to push her limits until it can't overwhelm her anymore."
Hearing that, Arturia pondered aloud:
"So what we saw back there... that ritual you and Sakura were engaging in... you weren't trying to get rid of Sakura's dark side..."
Rin shook her head in affirmation.
"I was trying to help Sakura control it... her darkness is a part of her whether she likes it or not. I would wish it away if I could, but Sakura is not lost just yet. With practice, discipline and fortitude, she could learn to live with it and not harm anyone OR herself."
With Rin's assurance that her training was the best thing for Sakura, Shirou felt he needed a bit more coming from the person at the center of this issue.
"And are you okay with this, Sakura?"
Sakura's gaze dropped to the floor, but with a look of determination, she raised her head to meet Shirou in the eyes, displaying the strength she lacked before the Holy Grail War.
"Nee-san's training IS helping, Senpai," Sakura said to him. "The more we practice, the less I hear HER, and I've been able to use more magecraft with less risk of going overboard. As long as I have a firm grasp on my mind, SHE can't steer it."
From across the room, Rider smiled for her master. Shirou nodded as a sigh in relief while Arturia commended the girl.
"That's good," she said before turning to Sakura's sister. "But still... I think you should have told us sooner, Rin."
Rin calmly stood up and crossed her arms at the Servant.
"What would you have done if I did, Saber? Hell, what could you do? I don't trust the Mage's Association OR the Church to do anything that will actually help Sakura. They'd probably use her like Zouken did."
"I'd put money on that..." Biggs remarked while still being kept tied by Rider, Wedge even agreeing with him in a nod. "Especially after seeing her nearly do you AND us in alright..."
Ignoring him, Shirou then stated to Rin:
"Sakura is our friend. We would help her, no matter what it takes. You know that, Rin..."
Rin just lets out a tired sigh, looking conflicted. She understood that her friends were just as worried about HER safety as well as Sakura's, and after what they did for the sisters during the Holy Grail War, Rin found herself willing to believe Shirou's words. Still, Rin felt her need to keep this from them justified.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Emiya-kun. But you and Saber can't help Sakura in the way that she needs. She deserves some measure of normalcy after such a life was robbed from her. Sakura is MY responsibility... I owe her that after we were separated as kids."
Arturia and Shirou look at Rin somberly... her words conveyed why she went all this time helping Sakura control her dark side by herself with only Rider being the only person aware of her master's plight. Thinking back as to the harsh words Rin received from Dark Sakura back in the study, they both thought that was perhaps why she never told them about this.
Rin was blaming herself for what Sakura is going through... and was casting her head down slightly in shame.
As much as they wanted to tell her that Rin's self-admonishment is unfounded, Arturia and Shirou refrained when Sakura reached out and gently grabbed her sister's hand, making Rin turn to look at her in surprise.
"It was never your fault, nee-san," Sakura whispered to her. Hearing that, Rin manages a weak smile and gave her sister's hand another affectionate rub before carefully letting her go. With Rin now feeling elated, she cocked her hip and crossed her arms at Arturia and Shirou.
"With all of THAT out of the way..." she starts before her expression turned curiously serious, narrowing her eyes at the people who indirectly caused the whole mess with Sakura to begin with. "Care to tell me why you both showed up looking for me at the most INOPPURTUNE time?"
Arturia and Shirou blinked, having briefly forgotten in the chaos of Dark Sakura's return WHY they came to the Matou Mansion looking for Rin in the first place. The Master and Servant look at each other for a moment before they recalled the reason at the same time. They turn back at Rin and say in unison:
"Hassan is back..."
Rider looked at the duo in surprise, Archer just glared, Biggs and Wedge appeared totally lost and without a clue, Sakura appeared shocked, and Rin was astounded, staring at Arturia and Shirou completely lost for words save for-
"Huh?!"