"Anfang!"
Rin Tohsaka felt her heart being pierced by a knife. Then, came the familiar pain of nerves being painted over by magic circuits as her body began to process mana.
She had cast aside all turmoil, and all feelings, waiting for the instant the battle was decided. Henry's loss was a significant, if not, complete possibility. And yet she could not help but believe in that carefree idiot with that stupid smile of his.
That was why when she activated her magic circuits, the people gathered around her, already reeling from what was before them, were caught off-guard for the briefest of moments.
But they were Holy Church Executors and Enforcers directly from London, such situations were their lifeblood, compared to her who had only had her first taste of such brutal violence just weeks ago.
Still, she was Rin. The briefest of moments was more than enough for her to connect to the Tohsaka Magic Circuits, and then to the spell, as she had done all her life.
"Es ist groß!"
The pull of the Earth was no longer as significant as she jumped off the cliffside, taking only a moment to get accustomed to the newfound yet familiar lightness of her body. Before her feet touched the ground, she reinforced her legs, and kicked off again.
By no means were they close to where the battle had ended, and for good reason, considering the utter devastation unleashed upon the entirety of the city by the clash of those two monsters.
When she finally crossed the smouldering ruins of the city she had called home all her life, Rin was starting to run short of breath. She didn't look back, didn't even wonder if her peers had given immediate chase, not until she could see Henry absently standing in the distance.
He hadn't moved at all.
No, he was simply staring at his bloody hand.
She felt her forced calm waver at the sight, but pushed the pangs of pain at his state down again to rush to his side. She froze again when his eyes suddenly snapped to her.
Those beautiful eyes reminiscent of a clear summer sky looked utterly monstrous then, on a face marred by dried blood. Still, she went to him, slower now.
"Oh... hey, Rin."
So he was still in his senses. That was good.
"You got here pretty... quick. Ya proud~?"
Her lips quivered. She clenched her fist, "You didn't have to go this far to make me proud, you idiot."
"How self-important." He heaved and chuckled, the dried blood around his lips cracking.
"Never mind any of that, we have to get out of here."
Rin took his hand and put his one arm over her shoulder. She felt him hesitate for a moment, then rest his weight on her. Thankfully, she'd had the foresight to reinforce herself before that happened, because his weight wasn't particularly insignificant for her.
"Why?"
"Why do you think? Everyone wants you dead after you pulled, and now they know that right now is the only chance they're ever going to have."
"Nobu?"
"I don't know. She said it would be better to fade away than to have someone else as a master. I can feel our contract, but Henry, I don't have the mana to support two servants well enough for them to fight off-"
He hummed, "So I guess... we're in a bit of a bind."
"That's an understatement." She couldn't help but smile at the utter lack of urgency in his voice.
The wind rustled her hair, and then, they were surrounded. She spotted the first Executor stood atop an apartment building that had tumbled over, another under a crooked street light that bent so far it looked as though it were kneeling.
She blinked, and there were even more of them.
Never before had she seen Executors and Enforcers mingle this way, stood beside each other as comrades, instead of at each other's throats like her father, and then Kirei had taught her. Men and women in suits, readying their magic crests, or channelling whatever magecraft they excelled at. Priests and nuns in robes and habits, brandishing outdated weaponry that thrummed with mystery.
Both organisations gave different names to their tools to fit their ideology, but right there, she failed to spot any real contrast.
Henry whistled, and then looked around, "Eighty-four, I feel... underestimated."
"Henry, shut up, you're in no state to fight them right now."
He opened his mouth to retort, but gave a nod. "It's taking everything... to stay awake."
Why was he like this?
Strangely, even now, with the Mion to their backs, she could not note a hint of nervousness on his face. He was even grinning, as best he was able to with how gravely injured he was.
An utterly absurd state for a magus to be in.
"And is that... didn't I kill you?"
She didn't know who he had raised that question to until an older man stepped out of the perimeter they'd set up around Henry. His dark hair was peppered with gray from age, and neatly combed to the back, and he wore a monocle on one eye.
"Technically, my child, it was your servant," He coughed into a hand, "And didn't I say I was a coward? Would a coward just wait there when he knew how death was coming well and true?"
"But you... would have met your Lord, Mark." Henry trembled against her.
"I'd like to hold off on that for a while, even if everyone else wishes otherwise-"
"Father, what are you doing?! Why are we waiting for the heretic to-"
"Silence, girl. Speak only when spoken to."
The younger nun lowered her head, and fell back in place.
"But I do happen to be a sentimental coward. You didn't want to kill me."
"So... you'll spare me?" Rin felt Henry tremble again. Only then, did she realise he was laughing, only he had no strength to do it outloud.
Mark let out a laugh for him. "Nothing of the sort. I'm afraid these grumpy bunch would take my head too. Throwing away my life pointlessly would serve no one."
As the two conversed like old friends, Rin racked her brains for a way out.
Honestly, she could just abandon him even now, and most likely receive compensation for the damage to her territory from a rogue agent of the Mage's Association, and reward from the Holy Church for helping them in their hunt.
Yet, in a fashion that would have most spectacularly disappointed her late father, that possibility was one Rin Tohsaka did not even entertain. She wasn't going to abandon him, not after all he had done for her, after all the two of them had been through together.
...Her shoulders slumped.
Why was she like this?
What could she even do then?
A genius she was, but that was nowhere near enough to brute force it. Shirou had been sent away, not allowed to even be in the vicinity of a 'highly-classified operation'. Hell, they'd only even let her stay because she was the Second Owner of Fuyuki.
Ah, her family's influence!
"Wait!"
Suddenly, everyone was looking away.
"The Tohsaka Family will take him in-" For some reason, Henry sighed, "-The Church and my family have always been on good terms, and surely those of you from the Mage's Association don't wish to slight a family connected to the Wizard Marshall, Zelretch, the Wielder of the Second?"
The priest acquainted with Henry made a strange face, "You're going to take him as your spouse?"
"Yeah! As my sp-..." Her cheeks began burning, "That's not what I-"
"What else then? He can't be your son, can he?"
Well... if that was the only way then... well, it... it wasn't like she really minded the idea either... She did like-
Rin Tohsaka began spiralling.
"Y-Yeah!"
Henry half-cackled, half-hissed, wincing from pain but unable to stop himself.
"This lucky bas-" The priest cleared his throat, "Be that as it may, we're willing to risk the relations to get rid of him."
A black-haired Enforcer stood behind him fixed his sunglasses, "And we came here bearing the ire of the Princess of the Edelfelt and the Lord El-Melloi. Our orders remain unchanged."
So, she embarrassed herself for nothing?
"How embarassing~"
If he wasn't hurt already, Rin would punch Henry in the face.
"But really, there's no need... for something that drastic." He wheezed, turning his gaze to the people around them, "Nothing's gonna happen to us."
"Have you lost your mind, Henry?" The priest craned his neck, genuine confusion on his face. "No, you never had it to begin with."
"I've... definitely not been here for... as long as the rest of you." He said, speaking slow and wheezing as he went. Every time he did, she felt warm blood stain her clothes and that there was no place she'd rather be than there despite that. "But this place is... infuriatingly reasonable for someone like... me."
Though she tried, Rin could not make heads or tails of his words.
"Right... you haven't spent time..." He grinned wide, though only half his face answered his command, "They're... not here to kill me anymore."
"What?" She blurted out.
"Am I right?" He was looking at the Enforcers. "You want... favour. And for me, to forget... who went against me."
Mark's eyes widened as the nearest Enforcer suddenly closed the distance between himself and Henry.
"The Carillion Observatory rescinded the Sealing Designation mere moments ago. The Clock Tower would like to extend its apologies for the misunderstanding and-" He trembled under Henry's gaze, "-and, congratulate you on your e-elevation to G-Grand."
Rin found herself lost for words.
Henry threw his head back and laughed, "And?"
"The Lords; Monarch wish to throw a party in your h-honour. You may return with us, if you... if you please."
"Hahahahahaha..."
Immediately, the Executors put distance between themselves and their peers. Their expressions did not show as much surprise as Rin expected, no, instead, they looked like they had already been expecting such a situation.
"Another thing... Mark," He wheezed, "Nobunaga has... Independent Action at... the highest rank."
Those words made no sense to anyone but Rin, and before Mark ever even got the opportunity to grow confused, a girl materialised beside him.
At such a high rank of the skill, a servant had no particular need for a master to sustain themselves for extended periods of time.
Her jet-black hair swayed with the wind, and her crimson eyes blurred with the inhuman grin etched from ear to ear. She snapped her fingers, and the air burned as dated rifles formed all around her, and then around all those gathered there.
When she brought it down, the hell unleashed did not discriminate between those of the Church and those that were not. There were no screams, no cries for mercy or some such. No, the fiery hell enveloped all, and left no trace.
"Well done, Master of mine."
She turned, and her expression no longer held the madness from before. No, her smile was that of pride and joy, and her eyes shimmered like precious stones.
"Of course..."
"Come on, Rin," Henry shook her gently, "We still have... a war to finish. Where's Kirei?"
Nobunaga huffed, "That serpent of yours went to grab him."
After unleashing such a grand spectacle, the absurd man Rin had come to care for, only wished to march forward, taking not a moment's respite to revel in his immense victory.
Rin groaned.
Who was she kidding?
He'd be back in shape and bothering her about everything that had just happened before the day was done. The bastard never forgot anything shameful. Wait-
"Dammit, Caren was right."
He caught the meaning of her words, "You thought I'd lose?"
"You were getting hurt! And you only got through by a hair! Hmph!"
Henry chuckled again, "Thanks for... worrying."
"W-Whatever." She averted her gaze, supporting him all the same.
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