#sola-ui

[melonsodatears]

I MISS HER SO FUCKING BAD

[typemoonsmashorpass]

Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri

smash

pass

Voting ended onDec 23, 2023

[melonisopod]

Team Lancer would've won the hgw if they were poly

Exactly.

(Serious answer I think it was more than just that. Sola clearly didn't have any chemistry with Kayneth and was just going along cause she had to, while Kayneth loved Sola he clearly didn't pick up on the fact that SHE wasn't interested. "Oh he really cared about wooing her he really loved her!" but did he care about her feelings at all? No. But on the flip side of that Sola didn't care about Diar's feelings either, he was just an outlet for her sexual frustrations. Diarmuid just wanted to do his damn job, but then he got distracted cause "Oh no King Arthur's a hot girl and I lowkey want her to stab me!" which, fair, but overall Team Lancer was just everyone having their own agenda and nobody wanting to communicate or work together. It was an ugly situation from the jump)

(Silly answer: however, if Kayneth and Sola-Ui were both trans and Diarmuid had read Marxist theory, I believe they would have gained an implicit understanding of mutual trust and respect for their fellow man, each having a sense of equality among their respective roles. They'd have acted as a commune, operating together to win the Holy Grail. In this essay I will -)

[unit-zero-two]

Fate/Zero: Diarmuid, Kayneth, Sola-Ui and Freedom

When I first watched Fate/Zero I loved it. Mostly. The part that struck me as least satisfying was the story of Diarmuid and his Masters Kayneth and Sola-Ui. The love triangle drama was maddening and the cruel, overly gruesome deaths each of them died left a sour taste in my mouth. What was the point of this? How was this fair? How did any of it make sense? The fact that Sola-Ui was charmed by Diarmuid’s love spot into falling for him and leading to her acting without agency was infuriating. The man was perfect, magic wasn’t needed to fall for him!

Over the years, I came to understand bits and pieces of their story in better detail. Obviously it’s meant to mirror and recreate the tale of Diarmuid, Gráinne and Fionn. Legend repeats itself. The next piece is understanding how Diarmuid represents the pure knightly ideal that Arturia is in conflict with between her dual roles and knight and king. He also mirrors Lancelot, whose love affair with Guinevere was based off his own. Two knights, both seeking redemption for their pasts. One by serving again, the other by forcing his king to condemn him. Even if they never meet, they are intrinsically related.

Kayneth also grew on me as I got past his being an asshole and the bait and switch antagonist of the first part. This is a man who is defined by his pedigree in society, who is fighting not for a wish, but to prove that he is superior to raise his status. For him this is just a small step on his road to the highest echelons of society. He has power in his society, but is as much bound by it’s rules as everyone else. If he does not work to be the strongest mage by any means possible, society will leave him behind and the best case scenario will be his death. He’s right to be overconfident by the way, on paper he is the strongest Mage in the Grail War. Unfortunately for him, this isn’t a battle of mages.

His most obvious conflict is with Waver, the battle of Nature Vs Nurture. But he’s also in conflict with Kiritsugu, who is his natural enemy in philosophy and ability. Kiritsugu wishes to tear down the cruel mage society that led to the death of everything he loved, while Kayneth seeks to reinforce it with his power and teachings. Kayneth is also contrasted with Tokiomi. Both are powerful mages, heads of their families and doing what they think is best on the rules of their society to succeed in life. What they’ve been told they need to do. Kayneth is not a good or nice person, but the humanity he gains in his final moments, the spark of understanding of himself and the actions he needs to take to hold on to the last person left in his life, is heart wrenching and tragic.

Lastly, Sola-Ui. She’s by far the most controversial part of this trio. A young woman who is forced to marry Kayneth against her will and falls in love with Diarmuid because of his love spot. She’s portrayed as shallow and cruel when she gets moments and will do anything to be with Diarmuid. She lacks agency and ends up dying a cruel, needless death just so Kiritsugu can wrap up any loose ends. This is meant as a moment to show the lengths Kiritsugu (and Maya) will go to for his philosophy of Utilitarianism, his goal of making a world for his daughter to be happy in and to drive a wedge between him, Saber and Irisviel. But as an ending for Sola-Ui, it stings.

Or at least, it did. I’ve very slowly in recent years come around on the arcs of all three of these characters. The crux of the matter has been coming to terms with Diarmuid’s Love Spot and the curse it inflicts on those around him. It’s kind of absurd as a trait because in myths it wasn’t as effective as it seems in Fate/Zero and he’s already handsome, kind and perfect enough that it’s obvious that young women like Gráinne and Sola-Ui would fall for him. They’re trapped in the expectations of their respective societies that will set them up will older husbands they do not love just for political reasons and then they will lose the little bits of freedom they might’ve had and follow only the roles they had been set to play for the rest of their lives.

But the thing to consider here is that whether the Love Spot is doing anything or not isn’t important. And all evidence points to it being less effective than we’re told by Diarmuid. Firstly, Irisviel and Arturia aren’t effected. The only ones we see who are are Gráinne and Sola-Ui, who it makes perfect sense would fall for him regardless. Secondly, the only have Diarmuid’s word that the Love Spot is working as he thinks it is. This is a man who is wracked with guilt about betraying his oath and whose wish is to have another chance at being a knight. In Fate’s version of his tale we know he also falls for Gráinne and they marry, and he seeks Fionn’s permission to be with her. They have children who he loves, and tragedy only strikes him when Fionn is stuck between holding a grudge or forgiving him and takes too long. Diarmuid says the curse is strong and affecting Sola-Ui because he doesn’t want to consider the possibility of someone else falling for him again, repeating the complicated story of emotions he went through previously. He is single minded in his wish of serving his oath as a knight. If her affection is just a curse, then he can ignore it. To believe that it is working is to buy into the lie Diarmuid is telling himself.

Which brings us back to Sola-Ui.

I think it’s useful here to bring in some flavor text from an FGO craft essence released during the Fate/Accel Zero Order Event. “Young Maiden Ignorant of Love”. It reads:

“The path to reaching the Root seems long and endless. That's why mages concentrate on prolonging their bloodlines, so that one day their children might achieve their eternal wish.There is no place for individuals. As it is her heritage and destiny, she has no choice but to follow her family's wish....However, she is not yet aware of the existence of emotions that could overwrite all wishes and destiny.”

Sola-Ui is trapped by the expectations and laws of mage society. She has no freedom beyond the role set for her. To become a mother of a mage child. The only thing she has for herself are her thoughts and feelings. It’s no surprise that she falls for Diarmuid. He’s the perfect knight, and he can save her from the engagement to a monster and give her the freedom she could never have. She falls in love, and this feeling convinces her to do anything for the freedom she now desires. She throws away her role, her wishes and even is willing to be cruel when she sees Diarmuid failing to act to rescue her. She needs to put herself in the position for which she can get his loyalty and love. In that framework Kayneth becomes an obstacle to be removed. The tragedy of her story is that Diarmuid is not in a place to love her, he’s unable to allow himself to give her what she desires. What she needs. He can’t break his oath again.

And that leads to the tragic end of all three characters. Diarmuid refuses to break his oath. Sola-Ui breaks from her role to try to gain her freedom. And Kayneth sacrifices Diarmuid to try to protect the only person he has left in life now that his very life as a mage has been destroyed. All act out of tragic desperation. it’s bitter with no sweetness. But it’s also beautifully earnest to see everyone working to understand their own humanity beyond the shackles society and their stations have imprisoned them with.

I’ve seen comments about how Sola-Ui and the other women in Fate/Zero don’t have agency. And they don’t. Because no one in Fate/Zero has agency. Everyone is trapped by the systems and societies to which they belong. Individuals crushed by the rules that govern the machine of life in which they are just mere cogs. Sola-Ui is an obvious example of this, but Kayneth has just as little freedom. So does Diarmuid. And Kiritsugu. They are all trapped, unable to gain freedom. To seek freedom is to die. And that is the true tragedy of Fate/Zero.

[sp1c3-r4ck-synd1c4t3]

Fate/Zero as Viper the Rapper

[juiceastronaut]

Okay so this might be a...controversial take, or at least something that people disagree with, but the general consensus among the fandom is that Sola-Ui and Kayneth had a doomed marriage from the start, and while I dont think that's entirely inaccurate I don't think that's the whole picture. You know those straight people that “playfully make fun” of each other, but have insults that are so direct and personal you wonder if their relationship is okay, but then they go “Oh its fine, they know I don’t mean it.” That’s the angle I see those two relationships at. Read more because idk how long this is gonna be.

Take the scene at the hotel, Kayneth starts berating Diarmuid about not finishing Saber off, but you can vaguley see something else in his expression too, he’s studying Diarmuid, trying to wrap his head around this person who’s in his control, what exactly the lovespot can do. This is sort of a contemplative gesture as he’s trying to figure out his role as a Master, and Kayneth being Kayneth he resorts to a feigned indifference and superiority.

Sola-Ui walks in, and his expression upon seeing her is sort of difficult to pin down, I can very easily see how it could be read as nervousness, but I see it more as a relief to seeing her. He goes from a tense forward position to relaxing back into his chair. Her entrance almost jolts him out of his anger, and that’s very telling for someone like Kayneth.

Her tone drips with condecension as she recounts that the fight actually went well, and they have a good tactical advantage. However, the actual content of her message is reassuring Kayneth that they haven’t lost yet. She might think she’s actually helping here instead of putting in salt into the wound.

She also goes into immediatley praising him for his accomplishments, and talking about them as if they were a team, because they are. He has an advantage in the war because she’s providing his servant with magical energy, and she reminds him that that was possible because he’s talented at evocation. She’s propping them both up as ideal Masters, and maybe she views it as sort of a power-couple thing? Despite the “pathetic” line, I genuinley think she was trying to cheer him up, reminding him that even though he made a mistake he’s not out of the race yet. From the way he looks to the side he’s genuinley listening to her. 

Her next line, the line Diarmuid pops in at, is “So you’ll hide while Lancer takes all the risks.” 

This is one of her harsher lines, but her body language with how she drapes herself across the back of his chair implies she’s trying to get a rise out of him. It implies familiarity, and while it’s not exactly comforting, Kayneth’s thinking more of the implications of her words instead of them as slights against his character.  If Diarmuid hand’t interupted, he might’ve said something along the lines of that being true and would adjust his plan accordingly.

This is where the “I don’t think they realize how weird they are.” comes in.

They both looked surprised as Diarmuid speaks up, like they were shocked that anyone would say anything about it (or that Diarmuid spoke up). I fully think they forgot he was there. Diarmuid, coming from a time where both members of a marriage treat each other with a certain amount of civility enforced by society, is unaccomsted to a relationship where harsh words are doled out so passivley, so he takes it as an insult to Kayneth and tries to defend him. Then is where we get the shift in dynamic

Sola-Ui’s body language changes immediatley, almost going into a submissive tone of voice, and an apology. She didn’t mean her words in a harsh tone, but she responds to Diarmuid as if they were regardless. If she had been clearer minded she might’ve said said something about speaking the truth. It’s only after this display that Kayneth develops an actual bitterness towards Diarmuid. The dynamic he was familiar with coming from her has been broken, he hasn’t seen this side of her before and doesn’t like it, and it can be blamed on one person.

The next scene, it’s Kayneth’s turn to be smug. As the fire alarm is triggered and he finds out he’s being attacked, he’s back on familiar territory because magics involved now, and it’s him acting cocky towards Sola-Ui as he explains how exactly he’s going to defeat Saber’s master, giving Lancer orders accordingly. Then we get this scene:

“I’ll make you retract the statement that I’m pathetic shortly.”

“I look forward to that.”

They both have smirks on their faces now, back to a familiar dynamic with each other now that Diarmuid’s gone. This would be the back and forth that probably was natural to them before the Grail War. Sola-Ui giving him insults, him retorting back, changing the thing that she insulted.

Of course, its hard to know exactly how they were before the war, given that even in this scene Sola-Ui is affected by the lovespot, but given the changes in body language and behavior when looking at Diarmuid vs. not you can see her actual personality. This scene is where the dynamic is most normal, because giving the Grail War being what it is, it only gets worse from here.

In conclusion, writing off their relationship as “Oh they hate each other’s guts why are they even together.” might not be the entire picture. I believe they probably both had things about the relationship they were dissatisfied with that were then heightened by the Grail War, but at least genuine companionship in the form of witty comebacks.

[pyropsychiccollector]

Fate Zero: Part Four

            Risei Kotomine stood calm and composed as he went to answer the door. Though it wasn’t a very big congregation that he led, the church still received visitors on occasion. He knew that it wasn’t any of his parishioners at the door, however… because it was far too early in the morning.

            Risei took a composed breath before opening the door – unsurprised to see his son on the other side, looking as impassive as ever.

            “We have a problem.” Kirei blandly reported.

            Soon enough, they were in the basement as Kirei passed on Assassin’s recent discovery. The Servant himself was outside the church and patrolling the perimeter, ensuring this meeting was an ironclad secret. Risei appeared more troubled as Kirei went on, and when he’d finished speaking, there was only one solution the elderly man could think of.

            “Caster has just become the very top priority… If he and his Master have no intention of respecting the rules that the Holy Grail War has established for hundreds of years, then we will postpone the war until they are eliminated. Minor rule changes fall under my purview – we’ll have all of the Masters work together to defeat Caster.”

            Kirei raised an eyebrow at the notion of Masters collaborating.

            “Will we really have to go to such lengths? All Assassin need do is get a clear shot, and he can take out Caster… We have yet to discover their main base of operations, but they poke their head out of the rabbit hole often enough that executing them would be a trifling matter…”

            Risei shook his head and fixed his son with a stern glance.

            “You have found and identified Caster, but this specific Servant will be too difficult to handle on your own. Neinhart was once a member of the Spriggan 12, before he attempted a coup and was imprisoned for life. Cobra is formidable, but the Spriggan 12 were personally picked and trained by the Black Wizard, Zeref himself. We cannot assume an attempted assassination will survive first contact. Keep an eye out for him in the meantime, but do not engage until we at least get Tokiomi in on the hunt as well. Hades will be of immense help to you and Cobra.”

            Kirei’s eyes fell as his expression remained blank.

            “… Understood…”

            ~*~

            Dust blew through the air amongst the ruins as a gust of wind passed through. The dark-haired man made clinking noises with his metal boots as he walked past so much rubble, keeping an eye out. The sky, the clouds tinged brown, appeared ghastly and filthy, indicating the kind of battle that had raged in this area very recently; it really wasn’t pleasant to linger here, but the dark-haired man couldn’t just leave. At last, he spotted a solitary living figure amongst the corpses and ruins – hunched over as he sat on a large piece of wall. The other man’s face was obscured by his intertwined hands as he appeared deep in thought, but Gajeel would recognize that shock of pink hair anywhere.

            “Oi, Flamebrain! What’re ya doin’? Let’s go home!” He called out exasperatedly.

            The pink-haired man, wrapped in a tattered gray cloak, his arms covered thoroughly in wrappings, didn’t answer for several moments, but when he did, Gajeel felt incredibly uneasy.

            “Go back, Gajeel. I’m not done.”

            Gajeel’s face scrunched up in confusion and bewilderment.

            “What are you talkin’ about? You annihilated this fortress, Natsu! There’s nobody left!”

            “There are. They just have different bases.” Natsu grunted, his eyes narrowing into a sharp glare as he peeked over his hands at Gajeel. “I’m not done until they’re all dead. Until I wrap my hands around the throats of every last one of those bastards… Until their bones are reduced to ash…!”

            Gajeel’s eyes softened, the longer he stared at Natsu. He couldn’t help feeling anything but pity for his Guildmate. Natsu couldn’t be blamed for turning out like this; no matter how murderous he had become, it was all completely natural. Hell, if Levy had…

            Gajeel shook his head as he couldn’t even finish that nightmarish thought.

            “Natsu. We can’t just let ya run off half-cocked! If I let you go, Gray ‘n Mira are gonna have my head on a pike…!” He growled as Natsu stood up stubbornly, turning his back to the Iron Dragon Slayer. “Just think about what you’re doin’! You can’t stoop to their level! Come back with me!”

            “I’m already worse than them, Gajeel… It’s too late. I’m gonna finish what I started, and I’m gonna protect you all. Don’t follow me.” Natsu coldly bit out.

            Gajeel gnashed his teeth as he took a step towards Natsu’s retreating back.

            “Salamander…!”

            “Tell Happy to stay with Lisanna, and not to come after me.” Natsu droned in an equally cold tone. He spared no more words even as Gajeel continued to call out to him.

            Gajeel would never see him again.

            ~*~

            Waver awoke with a desperate gasp, panting soon after he sat up in bed and covered in sweat. He looked around his darkened bedroom, and found there to be no threats or anything amiss. As he got his breathing under control, he stared down at his blanket-covered legs.

            “Was… Was that a vision?” Waver muttered to himself. In all his research on the Holy Grail War, the topic of visions had never come up… But that had definitely felt so real. It had to have been Gajeel’s memories of when he was alive. “But… how…?”

            The blanket bunched together in Waver’s clenched fists as he tried to think about it logically. The only thing that came to mind… was that their connection as Master and Servant must have allowed him to see a glimpse into Gajeel’s past. But even so, the ‘how’ wasn’t really important… What concerned Waver was the contents of that memory. The Fairy Tail Guild was one of the most legendary organizations of mages in the world, and many of their exploits had been recorded exhaustively. While Waver had only been able to get the bare-bones summary of their history while on the flight to Japan, nothing that was recorded seemed all that… dark.

            But that memory had definitely been real. The wretched sky, the soot-filled air, that carnage and those ruins, and that tense standoff with Berserker… Or rather, Natsu Dragneel, as he’d been known in life. That hadn’t been just any old dream conjured by his imagination. And Gajeel had felt so pained and filled with regret about letting Natsu go like that… Waver didn’t really understand why Gajeel hadn’t gone after him; Rider wasn’t the type to hesitate, but in that one instance he had. And he apparently regretted it for the rest of his life.

            “Where am I gonna find out more about Fairy Tail’s history, though…? It’s not like I can just walk up to Rider and demand he tell me. And I don’t want to waste a Command Seal and get him mad at me…” Waver sighed as he ran a hand through his hair agitatedly before flopping back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with mild frustration. “… Guess I’ll think on it tomorrow.”

            Up on the roof of the Mackenzie household, Gajeel sat cross-legged. A light breeze blew his hair around a little, and the Iron Dragon Slayer’s eyes were fixed on the nightlife scene of Fuyuki. Unconsciously, he clenched his fists tightly.

            ~*~

            Gray leaned back against the wall and sighed raggedly as he crossed his arms, staring up at the ceiling. Despite swearing fealty to Kayneth, the man had more than a few harsh words to say about not slaying Erza on the spot… Not that Gray particularly cared what his Master thought about that “failure”. He was gonna win the Grail for Kayneth – that wasn’t about to change. But no matter how loyal he was to his new Master, he wasn’t so devoid of honor that he’d strike Erza down when she was distracted by Flamebrain of all people…

            The Ice Mage clenched his teeth and clutched his arm tighter as his thoughts drifted there…

            “Natsu…” Gray growled and swore under his breath. Before he could continue that line of thought, a feminine giggle gathered all his attention.

            “Kayneth’s words still echoing in your ears? You should have just let me tear into him. It’s not like he’s above criticism~…” The woman slowly strode up to Gray, hands clasped behind her back. The Ice Mage merely rolled his eyes in annoyance.

            “Criticism and beating a dead horse are two completely different things, Sola-Ui… I wasn’t about to let you humiliate him, too. He got enough of that from Berserker and Rider…” Subconsciously, his grip around his forearm tightened again. Sola-Ui tilted her head curiously.

            “You know he wasn’t exactly right for beating your ‘failure’ like a dead horse? I mean, it’s not like there will never be another chance to defeat Saber. Kayneth’s just obsessed because Sabers tend to be the strongest Servants…” Sola-Ul traced a lazy semicircle around Lancer, a cocky grin tugging at her lips. “It’s too bad in this particular War, Lancer rises above all others, eh?”

            Gray scoffed, arms dropping to his sides as he narrowed his eyes at her.

            “Flattery will get you nowhere. I know my own limits. Every single Servant in this War could take me on… I’m not even gonna rule out Assassin or Caster, who I haven’t seen yet.” He craned his head to the side as his fists stayed clenched at his sides. “If I have my way, three of ‘em are gonna be my responsibility. Counting Erza.”

            Sola-Ui frowned, and her brow furrowed.

            “Three? Not six?”

            “I dunno who Caster and Assassin are yet, like I said. And Gajeel… I wouldn’t care if someone else took him out.” He curled his fists hard enough that even Sola-Ui could hear them. “Hades, though… And Erza and Flamebrain… I have to settle things with them personally. Hades goes without saying. Erza, I would have taken her on personally even without Kayneth’s obsession… And Natsu…”

            Gray trailed off there, unwilling to say another word about Natsu. Sola-Ui’s frown deepened.

            “History says you and Natsu butted heads with every chance you received… Is it just a fire and ice thing?”

            The Ice Mage snorted derisively.

            “If it was something as cliché as that, I wouldn’t even bother making it personal.” He began to walk away from Sola-Ui, despite her protests. “Don’t think about it too much. It’s between me and him. I know exactly why he’s in this thing, and I’m gonna stop him… at any cost…”

            As he shimmered away into his spirit form, Sola-Ui scowled in frustration, leaving their conversation at that. Even in spirit form, Gray felt like rolling his eyes.

            ‘It’s like she’s an unholy combination of Juvia and Ultear… Ugh. I don’t wanna even imagine that.’

            ~*~

            Kiritsugu frowned as he pored over the maps and photos sprawled across the table. He knew that the Grail War was just starting, but there were far too many unknown variables – and that wasn’t even counting the Noble Phantasms, which they hadn’t seen any of, yet.

            “We barely even know where anyone is holed up…” The Magus Killer muttered. “Tokiomi hasn’t left Tohsaka Manor even once. Kayneth has turned a hotel into his personal workshop… Kirei Kotomine, Kariya Matou, and Waver Velvet are constantly on the move… And Caster… he and his Master must have some base of operations, but finding it isn’t going to be easy.”

            Erza sighed breezily as she entered the room, clad in a suit and dress pants combo that Irisveil had picked out for her.

            “Natsu and Rider will come to us when they’re ready. Dragon Slayers have noses like no other.”

            Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes at the small sign of fondness in her tone. He stared up at the redhead sternly.

            “Even if they were your Guildmates in life, we still have to take them down.”

            Erza averted her eyes from Kiritsugu’s, but the Magus Killer could tell she wasn’t having doubts.

            “You don’t need to remind me… I am well aware of the nature of this war.” She looked back into his eyes with just as much steel behind them. “It is you who seems to need reminding about your role… As my Master, you should not go around behind my back to assassinate enemy Masters. By doing so, you’re not only endangering your own life, but also dishonoring me and the other Servants who are fighting this war for your sake as well as theirs.”

            Kiritsugu rolled his eyes and snorted at the mere notion of ‘honor’.

            “Honor? There’s nothing more facetious in this world. You’re not going to win a war with petty ideals like ‘honor’. Victory comes to those who will do everything in their power to claim it… You can’t afford to hesitate even for a second, because that one second is all the time the enemy will need to cut you down for their own selfish gains. Wars aren’t won on platitudes.”

            Erza’s nostrils flared as she glared Kiritsugu down.

            “I know how wars are fought…! And I have won my fair share without compromising my ideals!”

            Kiritsugu placed a hand on his hip casually, not growing annoyed by Erza’s tone in the least.

            “Perhaps you did… But did all your Guildmates, I wonder?” He arched his eyebrow critically as her eyes widened, shocked he’d bring them up. “Maybe before the war with Tartaros, your Guild was a collection of saints, never killing their opponents. But like it or not, you all wiped out the Guild of Tartaros, and your very own rival, Mirajane Strauss, harvested their souls to fuel her own power. Lancer, Gray Fullbuster, became a Demon Slayer after inheriting his father’s will. Furthermore, in your war with Alvarez, Laxus Dreyar and Rider killed two Spriggan Shields. And let’s not forget the fearsome Acnologia… all of your beloved Dragon Slayers annihilated him.”

            Kiritsugu took his hand off his hip and deepened his frown.

            “That doesn’t even cover all the legends that came after Alvarez… Especially after your death. Though… frankly, it’s probably for the best that you don’t seem to have that knowledge. You might look at some of your fellow ‘Heroic Spirits’ very differently if you did.”

            Erza’s hands curled into fists. The more Kiritsugu lectured her, the more she found herself absolutely seething.

            “You speak as one from the present day, who never knew the tribulations we had to go through… The hardships, the heartache… I don’t claim that we were perfect. But we never abandoned our loyalty. Our bond. We were all that we had. And that bond… prevented us from succumbing to the darkness, even in our own hearts.”

            Kiritsugu took out a lighter from his pocket and lit up a cigarette. He puffed smoke calmly, much to Erza’s irritation.

            “… And what do you suppose happened when you lose ‘all that you had’? I think the two you were closest to in life can answer that… And luckily for you, they’re both participating in this war so you can ask them yourself.” Kiritsugu stared at Erza out of the corner of his eye as he began to move past her. “Put away your pride. If you want to show your friends mercy, win this war for them. I guarantee your own desire, your own wish… will be far kinder than theirs.”

            Having spoken his peace, Kiritsugu strolled out of the room, leaving the scarlet knight with much to think about.  

            ~*~

            Aoi was startled when the doorbell rang. Rin wasn’t due back from school for a few hours yet, and hardly anyone stopped by in the middle of the day like this. When she opened the front door, she half-expected Tokiomi or some messenger of his… But what she saw was even more shocking than that.

            “Sakura…?!” Aoi gasped, hands flying to her mouth impulsively. She appeared a bit malnourished… But that was definitely Sakura, standing there politely and offering a pleasant beam.

            “Mom…!” She couldn’t help releasing a small laugh as she threw her arms out as she tackled Aoi with an affectionate hug.

            Aoi didn’t even have to think twice. She held her formerly estranged daughter tightly and cried. Even if she knew it couldn’t last… Even if this was some cruel trick by the Matou Clan Head, Aoi would treasure this moment forever. Because she never thought she’d be allowed to hold Sakura in her arms ever again.

            It felt like an eternity before she registered the second figure standing at the front door. He’d previously let Sakura have this tender moment with her mother before he couldn’t help himself and step into view to get a good look at the reunion. A warm smile tugged at his lips.

            “Sakura really missed you, Aoi… I would’ve been a monster to keep her from you.”

            “Kariya…” Aoi whispered hoarsely, wiping at her tear-filled eyes confusedly. And despite how happy she felt in this moment, she couldn’t help but ask the question that plagued her mind. “Why have you brought Sakura here…? You know… what we did…”

            Despite how sad Aoi sounded, Sakura looked up at her mother calmly and without a hint of anger.

            “Mother… It’s okay! You and father… only wanted the best for me…” Sakura couldn’t help smiling bittersweetly. “It was really scary living with the Matou’s, but Uncle Kariya and Mister Natsu saved me! And Uncle Kariya says we’ll be able to live together as a family again!”

            Aoi looked awestruck as she processed her daughter’s words. She stared up at Kariya in disbelief, and he offered a hearty grin in return.

            “It’s true. Sakura’s free, Aoi. I… I joined the Holy Grail War because Zouken had promised me that if I returned victorious with the Grail, he would free Sakura! But my Servant, Natsu… he annihilated Zouken. He purged my and Sakura’s bodies of that old vampire’s worms, and he secured Sakura’s future! She will never again be violated by the Matou’s twisted Magic… If she still wants to become a Mage, I won’t stop her. But she won’t have to do a single thing for the Matou’s!”

            As Kariya’s words sank in, Aoi’s eyes softened, and she gently smiled, reinforcing her hug with Sakura.

            “Kariya… thank you.” She whispered softly. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you…”

            Kariya shook his head, a slightly amused grin tugging at his lips.

            “Just take care of Sakura, at least until this War is over. If Tokiomi still insists on sending her away… I’ll take her so that she won’t have to go through any more horrors with different Mage families. And then… we can play in that park, like we used to… in better days…”

            Aoi’s eyes fell to Sakura as she petted the top of Sakura’s head.

            “Kariya… I’d… I’d like that…” Aoi hesitated in showing her agreement. She looked up at him again, but this time with concern. “You’re still going to participate in that War?”

            Kariya’s eyes fell as he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets.

            “… I have to.”

            Aoi hugged Sakura tighter as she looked up at Kariya with some distress in her eyes.

            “Kariya, you’ve saved Sakura! You don’t need to risk your life anymore…!”

            Surprisingly, it wasn’t Kariya that spoke, but Sakura.

            “Mister Natsu’s hurting…” Sakura didn’t pause even as Aoi leaned back to look her in the eyes. “Uncle Kariya promised he’d help Mister Natsu so that the pain would go away…”

            Kariya made a small, bitter snort of amusement.

            “It’s my fault for listening to Zouken… I brought Natsu into this world under a madness enchantment. I can’t just send him back after all he’s done for us. He deserves peace, too.”

            “Kariya…” Aoi whispered softly.

            The pale-haired young man gave a reassuring grin.

            “I promise. Once I’ve helped Natsu win the Grail, I’ll be back! And I’ll even make sure Tokiomi makes it home, too! I’ll do it for you, Aoi. And for Sakura and Rin.” Kariya turned on his heel and stepped away from the front door, throwing his hood up over his head again. He waved his hand lazily as he departed.

            Aoi and Sakura both watched his retreating back, feeling anxious about Kariya’s decision. Sakura seemed to want to go with him, but Aoi kept her close. The least she could do was be the mother she was supposed to be for Sakura.

            … But that didn’t make her feel any better, just letting Kariya go like that. He was doing so much for them… and all she could do was watch him march off to war. If he did make it back, as he promised… she would let him adopt Sakura.

            It was the least she could do for her longtime friend.

[kumeko]

Title: Honour bound

Prompt: It is no burden. Love never is.

Character/Pairing: Lancer (Diarmuid), Saber, Grainne, Sola-Ui

A/N: Lancer and Saber could have been such bros in fate/zero

Summary: The first time, it might have been love—Lancer and the three times he took someone’s hand.

...

...

...

...

(read more)