Chapter Text
It needed to work.
Rin was banking all of her hopes on it.
Seeing Shirou’s lifeless body hanging down broke something in her. It kept her up for nights. She saw him in the corner of her vision every time she relaxed.
She couldn’t hold her promise to Arch— no, Shirou.
She stopped counting the number of rules that she was breaking with her stunt. She didn’t think Luvia would even agree with her plan — if it could even be called one.
For all the shit that she gave Shirou over the years for his recklessness, she was taking a page out of his book for once.
All she needed was one chance to set things right.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Tohsaka?” It was rare to hear Luvia address her by anything other than ‘Miss Gorilla’. Though, the situation was hardly one to bring up old matters in.
“Are you sure you want to help me? You could walk away and pretend like this never happened.”
The blonde woman scoffed at Rin’s words, inscribing more words into the circle sprawled across the floor.
“In your state, can you really guarantee that you won’t mess it up?” She asked, and Rin really had no argument or energy to fire back. “At the very least, I can look over your work. If you end up dying, I’ll just nab your work. Simple as that.”
Rin didn’t dignify her with a proper response, just a thoughtless hum as she took out every single gem in her possession; filled to the brim with mana. A few feet away, Luvia dumped her own gems on the ground. Between them, the ultimate possession of the Tohsaka family — the Jeweled Sword— lay on the ground.
It needed to work.
Rin only had one chance.
The first thing that Shirou felt was the heat.
Not the fire, the heat.
It pressed against his skin even through the rubble, turning every breath into something thick and painful. He couldn't tell whether his eyes were open. Everything was orange.
He tried to move.
Nothing.
His arms wouldn't listen. Something heavy pinned his legs down, and when he tried to pull himself free, pain shot through his body hard enough to make him forget what he was trying to do.
He didn’t know how long he had been screaming for. At some point, his voice died with his will. He didn’t know how long he had been trapped under the rubble for.
But then—
Someone’s voice cut through the haze and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled out of the broken building.
Something cold entered his chest and Shirou's body jerked.
And then—
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
A sky he didn't recognize.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
A red-haired man standing beneath it.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
A noose hanging in front of his face, a black cloth pulled over his head.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
A girl he knew.
No—
A girl he shouldn't know.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
A white-haired man raising a bow, a spiralling arrow ready on his fingertips.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
A woman crying.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Twisted bones, broken body.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
Swords.
A blade through his chest.
The same face. Swords growing out of his body.
Another body.
Mangled beyond belief, blood red eyes peering down impassively.
Another death.
A noose hung around his neck, a crime he never committed.
Another—
Shirou screamed.