towerofanimus | A false path

Characters: Shotaro Sanjo and YOU
Setting: Floor 29, 1,
Format: prose, but anything ya want
Summary: Shotaro is 12+ years in the tower, training and recovering from wounds in his fight against Lancer
Warnings: possible monster attack, but little else.

Floor 29

He was a changed man from all those years, more of a competent fighter than before. Years he spent distancing himself of most from the Grail Wars, proving his fleeing to be useless. But in the end, it helped. At last, Caster's death, his Caster, no longer weighed heavily on his mind. It was still there, but not a paralyzing degree. He took the advice the fox gave him once: take what he had now, and find his own identity. Whoever he was before did not matter. Shotaro's name may not even be real. He was a fake. Even if he never met a certain someone, the fate was revealed to him. And it mattered little. It was useless to cry and shout, the path of the warrior and mage the only ones he could take. And he embraced that.

Embracing that, while finding joy and relief he didn't think possible, was also not an easy one.

He knelt before the maze, glaring at it. His body was still sore from all those super charged spells he cast. 12 years was a lot of time, but to equal a Servant that constantly trained was impossible. Lancer knew his moves, and he barely got out. Hands focused on healing magic, but the maze, well...

"Should have taken the elevator."

Floor 27

Not the best floor to test his spells, but little else, and he was finally rejuvenated. You might see him working with sheets of paper, carefully cutting them out and drawing symbols, similar to what Caster had used. They were copies, not good ones, but that was what he was trying to do anyway. Though his skill relied mostly on support magic, he needed offensive spells, be as variant as possible. Though, considering the amount of dark marks on his body, and a few cuts, it's clear he failed, but was trying his hardest.

Still, he wouldn't mind some company, if only to help him stop messing up.

Floor 48

Well, it was now, or never. For 12 years, he avoided doing this in full, but now, he needed to get over it. He was a new man now, stronger, faster, and smarter, to an extent. If he was to continue this new life, he needed to bury the final piece of his past. And now he arrived at last, with no Lancer to stop him either.

He kneels before one grave. There is no name, only a picture of his younger self, and the fox girl he knew of. He made sure to put it in a small place away from the other graves, guessing no one else would find it. Thankfully, he was right. He touched the picture, a faint smile crossing his lips. Times like these, he missed the scolding yet flirty voice of his Servant.

"Caster...It's been a while since we last talked." He backed away a bit, sitting down on the ground in full. He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I took your advice now. I found out the truth, but...it doesn't matter, not with the friends I have." He stared down at the ground, smile becoming sadder as more memories came. "I remember when we first met, and everything we did. I was a crap master, wasn't I? You just never said so, or at least you had your own way of talking."

His eyes close, and he sighs. This was harder than he thought. He gulped, hands balling into fists, his voice shakier.

"You were annoying and pushy, but the most supportive person I can ever remember. Unselfish in every way, and I was too stupid to even return your feelings. I got you killed above else, ruining your wish..." His eyes twitched, forcing himself to hold together. Even after 12 years, the memories were too much. "I couldn't even face the other you at all. I was afraid. I still am afraid of ruining their lives too. But..."

A forced smile is on his lips. "But it's all good. There are problems, but I'll manage. Maybe one day...if you'll accept me again, I'd be glad to have you as a wife. That is, if you don't mind me being foolish again."

All that nervousness spilled into laughter, unable to hold it all in. But it wasn't all from the happiness of finally doing it. Tears were down his cheeks.

Right, her wish. They didn't need a Grail for that, right? One day, he would make things right between them. The new path he took wasn't going to be an easy one, but if it meant at the end of the road, he could apologize to her face, it would all be worth it.

One day...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Geez, what's with everyone talking to rocks in this place?

[ Rin's only grown more unstable in the time she's spent here and it shows in the heightened tone she takes. The woman crosses over a broken tombstone to close the distance between the two with a sinister smile spreading it's way across her face. ]

Have no friends? Is that it? Or longing for a Servant that's never going to reunite with you. Both of those ideas are pathetic, you know.

[That crying and laughter had ceased, shattered in the presence of Rin. It seemed these two were not destined to get along in this tower. She was very different from the Rin he knew of, the one that helped him, even with questionable methods. But to disturb his peace was not something he enjoyed to see.

Yet he kept the calm act.]

The latter. It's called closure, Matou. Surely you desired that at one point from Lancer, did you not?

[12 years was a lot of time to get accustomed to venomous words.]

[ No one brings up Lancer without pissing her off. He may have had twelve years to let his balls drop to stand up to her, but she's had ten years of an unchecked mentality with no one to keep her in line. ]

I desired nothing from him. Servants are nothing but disgusting weapons to be used and discarded. Caring for them after they're gone... that's a sign of weakness and I wouldn't be caught dead giving into it myself.

Yeah, I suppose it's idiotic to care for beings that treated you like you were something, as opposed to others that insult people simply because they have nothing better to do.

[Years allowed him to throw back sarcasm at her. He had a limit, and Matou pushed the wrong button.]

Not all of us feel the same way about them. They feel and fight, as well as suffer. And honestly, they are more human than you.

[ It isn't like anyone to say those things to her. Rin's a frightening person and to have someone snark back at her? It's refreshing really due to being a reminder of someone she no longer gets to speak with anymore. ]

Do you know what makes a hero? You should consider the consequences of becoming one before you start placing these Servants on a pedestal high above the rest of the world.

[12 years of dealing with his own weakness and such comments helped build that resistance to it, if not counter-arguments. He was almost a far cry from the frightened and weak master that was brought here.

But he chuckles at her comment.]

I never said I wanted to be a hero to begin with. Servants have flaws, humans have flaws, every single living being is filled with them. There's no such thing as the strongest because there will always be someone or something to counter you. Same goes for the smartest, as mistakes are always made somewhere down the line, or make a sacrifice one doesn't wish to make.

I prefer to think we are all equal in making those mistakes. Whether or not we are capable of making darker decisions is sometimes unknown.

Kuwabara's been running around the place, spending his time trying to perfect everything that he knew. His spiritual awareness, his will to fight, and his ability to protect people. He didn't want to lose anyone anymore. It had been too long, and Kuwabara was no longer the enraging teenager he once was. He was thirty, and much older than before.

He's grown a lot in appearance, and gained a couple of inches in height, giving him a whopping six feet tower over most of the citizens of the tower. He spent his time reading medical books and psychology, along with other things so he could help others. In the end, he was punching his way around the maze because he could. Sweat rolled down his face as he was rushing around the maze.

He was intentionally trying to look for something, maybe.

Ah, Kuwabara. Shotaro did not even know it was him untimely he narrowly dodged a fist, catching him by the wrist. When they first met, it wasn't exactly on good terms. Months of pounding on each other took place during all of that before the two did become actual friends. Thankfully, Shotaro at least saw then coming.

"Ya think after all these years, you would stop doing that, Kuwabara."

Kuwabara blinked when he saw the dodge. Oh well, he wasn't expecting anyone to be in his way. He was going to apologize to them, but instead, he caught the person catching his wrist. There weren't many people that were capable of doing that, and Kuwabara could only name a few off the top of his head that could do that to him now.

He grins as he saw the person. Yes, it had been years since they started this strange friendship, but it wasn't too bad. He didn't mind making friends, and especially allies in arms. That was had to get by, "Well I gotta practice th' punching somehow. I didn't expect ta find anyone wanderin' here anyway. At leas' not in the same area," he grins.

"How's it going Shotaro?"

A false path

floor 48;

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Floor 29

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