(no subject)

[wirefu]

Characters: Irisviel von Einzbern & YOU!
Setting: Room 01-01 -> Meadow -> Library
Format: Action, but I'll match!
Summary: Another awakening in the tower. Confusion and many tearful and angsty reunions and meetings are had.
Warnings: Spoilers for the end of Fate/Zero. Also angst. Lots of angst.

[Room 01-01]

[It was a strange thing, feeling your consciousness returning to you after you accepted your death. The last thing Irisviel remembered was the feeling of drowning, of suffocating, of being dragged by cold, clammy hands into an inky, muddy blackness that she knew she could not escape. This was her fate. There was something so wrong about this dark, evil feeling surrounding her, but she could do nothing to fight against it. She could only accept it.

But then the strangest thing happened: she opened her eyes. She took in the sight of surroundings she had most certainly never seen before. She couldn't move, but that didn't faze her one bit - she had been completely immobile since she had given Avalon to Kiritsugu.

... And then another strange thing happened. There was a slight tingling sensation, and then all of a sudden... she could feel the soft surface of the bed under her. She could feel the material of her clothes clinging to her. Slowly, with an expression that certainly appears to be disbelief, she raises a hand, and slowly curls it into a tight fist. There was strength in this movement. But how...?

Any roommates already in the room are free to call her out on her behavior. Any roommates that walk in at a later time will see her up and out of bed, slowly stretching and looking extremely surprised at being able to do so.]

[Floor 25]

[Irisviel isn't really doing anything on this floor. She's simply wandering about, sleeves of her shirt rolled up and thigh-high boots abandoned back near the stairs, humming softly to herself. There's still a bit of tension in the way she carries herself, but the more time she spends here, the more relaxed she seems.]

[Floor 4]

[There is a lady sitting at one of the computer terminals! A very pretty lady. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Nah, not really, except the look of absolute confusion on her face. It's likely that she knows what the device in front of her is, judging by the way she taps away at a few of the keys, but when nothing happens, she looks almost amusingly panicked.]

Comments

[wirefu]

[And she... just laughs softly. It's not harsh, and has no hints of anything negative, really.]

It is strange, isn't it? Even I think so. But even if you call it that... it doesn't really change anything. Even if I call it strange, it still doesn't change the fact that I love those two with all my heart, and I will do anything to ensure that they're happy.

[Even if Kiritsugu's happiness hurts him... it won't stop her from thinking that he deserves it.]

[swordedpast]

[For a moment, he looks surprised.

Then he just looks annoyed. Well, mostly annoyed--and something kind of darker.]

You said anything.

[There's something altogether too broken in his eyes as he continues to speak. As if he knows perfectly well that what he's asking is something beyond his own power--]

Then would you fight your purpose and live, for their sake? Here, or anywhere else. It shouldn't matter, if you love them that much, right?

[wirefu]

[... It's a difficult thing to ask. For her, for Kiritsugu... everything depended on obtaining the Holy Grail. And for that to happen, she needed to die. So... she never really let herself think of any alternatives.

But this was all hypothetical, right? There's no harm in indulging in that.]

If it was possible... I would. There's nothing I'd love more than to spend time with my loved ones without knowing I'll one day be parted with them.

But I couldn't do that. I couldn't let my husband suffer knowing I - we - chose personal happiness over the happiness and safety of the entire world.

[swordedpast]

You and your husband thought the Grail would save the world, huh?

[Her serenity goads him on. He's still calm, still casually dismissive, but that something darker hovers underneath his words...]

Man. He must've been some idiot.

[wirefu]

[Having to explain her husband's motives like this, the way he worked... it almost seemed familiar, didn't it?]

He was a man who fought for most of his life trying protect others. But it was too much, even for one who would sacrifice anything to achieve that goal... the only way he could protect everyone would be to prevent fighting and bloodshed in the first place. Doing such a thing would normally be impossible... but that was where the Holy Grail came in.

Kiritsugu Emiya's wish was for peace. For a world where conflict will never break out again. Is that truly something to look down on?

1/3

[swordedpast]

What a stupid wish.

[She said a name.]

In the first place, it's not one that could ever be granted.

[She said a name. It's funny, but he didn't hear the name.]

To create a world without conflict, one would have to...

[swordedpast]

[She said a name, and he's just not as good at denial as he once was. He slowly trails off.]

[swordedpast]

Kiritsugu Emiya's wish...?

[wirefu]

["To eliminate humanity", is what he was going to say, wasn't it? She heard that same like from Kotomine, when he questioned her on Kiritsugu's wish. She was about to ask him that, but... there was something off about this. About his reaction.]

You.... do you know him...?

[A look of confusion crosses her face at that. Maiya was her husband's only accomplice before the War, right? So who could he be...?]

[swordedpast]

...I didn't know he had a wife.

[Or a daughter, for that matter. In fact, he'd never heard Kiritsugu's ideals described this way before. "Saving everyone you can see," that's different than removing all conflict from the world, isn't it? Isn't it?

But he knows it isn't. Because he's come to the same conclusion himself, even if he's well aware that it's a foolish one.]

Well, it might sound strange. But I am...

[The look Archer is giving Irisviel is utterly unlike the disdainful gazes and strangely familiar expressions of cold calculation he's fixed on her so far. It's openly pained, almost grief-stricken.]

...a follower of Kiritsugu's ideals.

[If he ever intended to name himself as anything else, he swallows the words before they can emerge.]

[wirefu]

[Some people might be more than a little upset upon finding out their spouse never talked about them after they died. Like they're trying to forget. But... Irisviel understands. If happiness brings Kiritsugu pain, then she can't imagine how he would feel reminiscing on happiness he's lost.

She frowns, yes, but not because of that. It's just... heartbreaking. Both the thought of her husband, and the tortured look on this man's face. It's almost a little unsettling, how similar he looks to Kiritsugu right now.]

A follower... [It's then that she takes a few steps closer. Still not too close, but there's less distance between them now. That's something, right?] I suppose I should thank you, then. For supporting him.

[Even if she didn't understand his ideals... it was still important to express gratitude to anyone who did.]

[swordedpast]

[His expressions really are remarkably like Kiritsugu's--even if he's not quite as good at the cold ones. Even if the warmth bleeds through more easily, and with just as much distress.

For instance, right now, as she steps close to him. As she says that she thanks him. He looks like a child starved for affection who's just been given his first hug in eternity.

And then he shuts it away. Then he goes cold again, and he draws back.]

No. I said that wrong.

Should I apologize...? I was a follower of Kiritsugu's ideals. But then, I was also a fool.

[wirefu]

A fool?

[She can't really play dumb - she admitted it herself, didn't she? She couldn't really understand Kiritsugu's ideals. She saw clearly how much following the path he chose made him suffer. She horrifically witnessed first-hand the things he does in order to accomplish the goals that will keep him on that path. If this man did as Kiritsugu did, then perhaps.... something had gone wrong?]

I'm sorry if I'm prying. You... don't have to tell me, if you don't want to.

[She's terribly curious, yes, but doesn't really want to make him uncomfortable.]

[swordedpast]

[The strange part is...he wants to tell her everything. Kiritsugu loved her, so she must understand. There's no one else here who could possibly understand--Saber might have, once, but this dark creature who's what Saber became can't possibly.

He'll never see the man who became his father again, even if he'll always remember his dying words. But he's looking at this woman now, and she's someone Kiritsugu loved. She's a piece of his life.

Why does that make his heart ache? How does he have enough of a heart left to have any feelings about that at all?]

It's an impossible goal. Kiritsugu Emiya wished to be a superhero...someone who saves everyone. But that's not allowed by the world. For someone to be saved, someone else must be left without salvation.

And one who follows such a path will have no salvation for himself...isn't that right? Your husband knew it, as anyone who follows his path must.

But I--

[He looks away.

I tried to find salvation for him.

He could almost say it to this woman with her kind sad eyes. But it vanishes in his throat.]

Well, I'm alone. It's a natural consequence of following this path. But it seems Kiritsugu had those who cared for him. Perhaps they brought him some peace in the end.

[wirefu]

[A fond, somewhat sad smile crosses her face.]

I sincerely hope so. [She couldn't be there for him, of course... but he still had Illya. Perhaps he had tried to put himself back together again and rebuild his life. The point was, he still had a chance at happiness.]

And... perhaps you don't have to be alone now. [This is a very risky move, but... amongst all the hurt and the pain she can see in this man, she can tell that he's being honest. Not fully truthful, no, but the words he says have no hint of a lie to them.] You followed Kiritsugu's ideals. I supported them. Certainly that means you won't be alone now... don't you think?

[swordedpast]

[His shoulders give a little jerk. Of dismay? Yes, it's quite a bit like dismay. She isn't supposed to say a thing like that, and it shows in the surprise on his face. People aren't supposed to tell him that he's not alone.

This woman...she isn't supposed to be so kind. No. He can't accept her kindness.

Archer takes a step back and lowers his head.]

You supported them. Did you understand them?

[She would not be so gentle if she truly understood. He's certain of that.]

[wirefu]

[Her smile fades once more at that.]

I... did not. Not entirely. [Though she had gained emotions, and it had been many years since she did, there were still many things about human nature that she just didn't immediately understand.]

But he's done so much for me. He continued to fight so hard. I may not have understood completely, but I still wanted to help him, just like he once helped me.

[swordedpast]

[Resignation creeps back onto his face.]

Kiritsugu Emiya must have loved you. I'm sure...with you, he was not alone.

If he helped you...perhaps that was enough.

[But the subtext is clear enough: this man, this Servant still considers himself alone.]