FicWad

Disclaimer: All rights of ownership of "Fate/stay night" and its characters belong to Kinoku Nasu, Takashi Takeuchi, TYPE-MOON on a whole, and other affiliated companies such as Kodokawa Shoten, Studio DEEN, and Geneon. This is purely a work of fiction made by fans, for fans. If any of the respective owners ask, I will remove all content that I do not hold any rights to (meaning, by proxy, the whole story).

Warning: This story contains explicit (and not so explicit) sexual content. Read at your own risk.

Acknowledgement: For Sigfried27. This bit of fiction exists because of you. I asked, you provided.

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Begin – Gugenka
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A particularly cold gust of wind blew past as Ayako squinted into the distance, causing her to shudder. Even with the blazer, her school uniform didn't really provide the proper warmth for trudging through the streets of Fuyuki city in full winter.

"Rin has the right idea." Ayako grimaced. "I need to buy a nice fluffy coat."

Her thoughts leapt from the brunette to the reason for her walking out in the cold, and she glared up the steps to the Ryuudouji temple.

"Those damn monks. They torture visitors as well as their students with these long stairs."

Squashing her irritation, Ayako ascended the last step and let out a misty sigh. "Finally."

Rubbing her hands together, Ayako skirted through the entrance and glanced about. Quickly remembering the way, she took long strides to rush out of the cold. Fortunately, she recalled that the temple used heaters for the comfort of various guests.

Finding the doorway to the inside of the temple, Ayako politely banged on the frame, letting out a silence curse as the chill of the wood transferred at her touch.

As luck would have it, the reason for her visit was nice enough to answer.

"Mitsuzuri?" The heir to the temple spoke in an off-guard manner upon opening the door.

"Ryuudo." Ayako acknowledged. "Mind letting me in? I wanted to speak with you."

"…Of course." Issei, still mystified, hesitated before waving her in.

After letting allowing her to get comfortable, Issei prodding her for answers. "Not that I terribly mind, but what are you doing here?"

"I heard that you've been taking a lot of Emiya's time." Ayako frowned. "Despite what happen, or rather, besides it, I still want him in the archery club. But he's been so busy of late that I haven't even been able to say that a word or two before he's off."

Ayako continued despite Issei appearing to want to speak. "I know that the Student Council is a bit short-handed, but don't you think that monopolizing his time is a bit much? He's not a member, after all."

"Now, wait a second," Issei held up his hand. "I don't know who you've been speaking to, but Emiya only usually does work before school. But if anything, he only does as much work as he does because he insists on it. And I'm well aware of the fact that he isn't a member of the Student Council, thank you."

"But I…" Ayako froze, before closing her eyes and tried to avoid a blush of embarrassment. "…Riiin…"

"Ah." Issei closed his eyes, letting out an understanding sigh. "That woman."

"Sorry, Ryuudo, for wasting your time." Ayako sat up.

"Not at all." Issei shot a curious look at her as he also stood. "Although, I wonder why Tohsaka would deceive you, I suppose that's something between the two of you. Good day, Mitsuzuri."

"Yeah, see you, Ryuudo." Ayako let herself out, gritting her teeth as the cold hit her again. 'Riiiin… you're going to pay for this.'

"Oh." Ayako turned as she heard Issei give a small exclamation behind her. "Be careful on your way out, Mitsuzuri."

After giving the mysterious cautioning, Issei shut the door, leaving a bewildered archery captain.

"Okay…" Ayako tried to shrug off the weird feeling, but felt a small dose of paranoia creep up on her as she began her long walk.

Perhaps it was just her imagination creating something that was actually there, or simply luck, but as she thought she heard a noise when she passed through the temple gate, she jumped.

"Who's there?!" Ayako cursed silently as her voice broke, causing the words to come out in a squeak.

After a few moments of nothing, Ayako was just about to shrug it off when a voice confirmed her paranoia.

"Forgive me." Surprisingly, she didn't jolt, and was able to coolly turn to the masculine speaker.

"I did not mean to startle you." The man's attire immediately made her pause, the kimono and hakama causing her to think he had just stepped out of a doujou.

"Ah… no problem…" Ayako tried to brush off her unease with a small laugh. "I thought I was just imagining things."

"Mm." The man smiled. "Your senses serve you well. Not to boast, but not many people notice me."

"Oh?" Ayako raised an eyebrow. "You watch a lot of people?"

"I simply observe the comings and goings of this temple. That is my… duty." The man tilted his head. "But… to have sensed me… do you practice any disciplines?"

"I… um?" Ayako blinked at the sudden question. "Well, I don't do martial arts, but I practice archery."

"Mm. An archer." The man's smile widened. "If I studied that art, I would most definitely challenge you to a duel."

"Ahhaha…" Ayako, not entirely sure if she was flattered or confused from the comment, nevertheless felt a blush crept up onto her cheeks. "You can't really tell if I'm that good just from me jumping at my own shadow!"

"No, I think you are very good." The man closed his eyes. "Your senses are well honed. It might have been arrogant of me to assume as such before, but after this short conversation, I can be sure of it."

"Ah…" Ayako suddenly felt awkward, completely unsure of what to say. She had been praised for her talent, but most often it was her leadership skills that were more noteworthy. Being the captain of her club didn't necessarily mean her marksman skills were the best among them, and having somebody compliment her with such… certainty, without even seeing her shoot was… odd.

"W-what…" Ayako licked her lips. "What, uhm, 'discipline' do you study?"

The man paused, opening his eyes to look at her curiously.

"Swordsmanship." He frowned, glancing at the sky. "But it is getting late, you should be off."

"Oh, right." Ayako looked up, not having noticed that the sun was nearly set. "I guess I should…"

Ayako blinked owlishly, startled at having lost track of time. 'It hasn't been THAT long, has it?'

Looking back at the man, Ayako found that he had started to walk up the few steps to the top. "Hey!"

Getting the man's attention again, Ayako scratched her head. "I forgot… I'm Mitsuzuri Ayako."

"Ahh…" The man looked startled, a blush spread across his cheeks. "Forgive me. I had forgotten to introduce myself as well… I am usually called Sasaki Kojirou."

"…like the swordsman?"

"Yes, exactly so."

---

"Oi, Sasaki?" Ayako squinted, her gaze sweeping the area.

"Yes, Mitsuzuri-san?" Despite being completely prepared, Ayako jolted.

"God!" Ayako spun around to face the taller man. "I guess my senses aren't as good as you thought, huh?"

"Mm… no, I was just being more careful, this time." Kojirou smiled.

"So, you were doing it on purpose, huh?" Ayako grinned at the slight teasing.

"Indeed." Kojirou looked at her curiously. "I do not see you come here often, yet this is the second time within several days that you have visited. Is there are particular reason for that?"

"Heh." Ayako shrugged. "I guess you made me curious. I know the Ryuudouji temple gets its visitors, but I didn't know there was someone… quite like you here."

"Mm." Kojirou nodded. "This place was good to me in the past, so I have nothing but praise for it. Although…"

"Yes?" Ayako tiled her head in question.

"No, it is nothing." Kojirou appeared to brush his thoughts aside. "So, you simply came to visit me? I'm honored."

"Hah…" Ayako grinned uneasily. "When you put it like that… it makes me feel a bit embarrassed."

"Did you have something you wished to talk of?" Kojirou prodded, shifting the subject slightly.

"Well," Ayako paused. "I guess."

"I thought about what you told me the other day, about my… discipline. My thoughts got a little…odd, and before I knew it, I set up a little 'game' in the club to have some one-on-one competition between everyone. That's normally not done because it's simpler just to take overall points but…"

Kojirou waited patiently as Ayako trailed off.

"I guess I just felt like I wanted to… challenge myself. It was a bit selfish of me, to make everyone get caught up with my little game because I wanted to challenge all of the club… but almost everyone seemed to have fun."

"Did you win?"

"I…" Ayako blinked, frowning curiously at Kojirou. "Yeah, I did."

"Everyone was really surprised, but I beat them. Everyone in the club." Ayako bit her lip. "And there is this one guy. He was good – really good – but he quit the club because of… well, he quit it, even though he was probably the best of us."

"I assume you went out and challenged him, then?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I did." Ayako stared at Kojirou. "How did you know…?"

"Because it's what I would have done." Kojirou smiled in a teasing manner. "Did you win?"

"Yeah, I did." Ayako shook her head. "I was surprised. I was sure that Emiya was better than me, but I won by a good margin. And he seemed pretty shocked too.

"Took it in stride, of course, but I think he's going to be working harder on his archery." Ayako grinned.

"And… after that bout of victories, how do you feel?" Kojirou quirked his eyebrow questioningly, but Ayako felt that he knew the answer.

"…I'm not sure." Ayako frowned. "Empty? Dunno. After I cooled down a bit, I just felt… sad, I think."

"Not to boast," Ayako said, letting a grin spread across her face, "But the Homurabara Archery Club has some of the best in Fuyuki."

"I…" Ayako's smile dropped as a grimace worked its way onto her features. "I don't know. It just feels like that after that, the archery club is sort of pointless."

"Hah! What am I thinking?" Ayako shook her head. "That's not the point of the club, but I'm getting caught up like I'm trying to win some sort of grand contest."

"It is said that, "Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach."" Kojirou walked over to one of the stairs and sat down. "It sounds to me that you are not so different from myself. Once you have become good enough that your peers no longer present a challenge, what do you do? In this… modern era, most simply move on. Once good results are achieved, there are other avenues to advance upon."

"But?"

"'But' for some, that is not possible." Kojirou palmed his chin contemplatively. "For some, the will to go beyond what is considered 'good results' and advance into territory that surpasses what normal people consider their limits."

"'Normal people', huh?" Ayako sat down beside Kojirou. "You sound like some hero out of a fantasy."

"Well?" Ayako prodded.

"Hm?"

"Well, 'Sasaki Kojirou'," Ayako leaned back onto her palms. "What's it like, 'surpassing what normal people consider their limits'?"

"Ah." Kojirou paused, not answering as he stared down the long stone steps.

"It is…" He paused again. "Much the same, as you are right now."

"Huh?"

"You find yourself looking for more challenges, yes? It is the same. Surpassing your limits is a goal and a journey in itself, but once you have reached a certain level, it becomes an exercise in futility. It is nearly impossible to improve yourself through self-training, and only with an equal – or superior, is it conceivable to truly test yourself."

"That summit is pretty solitary, huh?" Ayako murmured, half-captivated by Kojirou's speech.

"Hah?" Kojirou blinked, his monologue breaking at Ayako's interruption.

"Ahh…" Ayako blinked. "Sorry, just going with that one saying. You know, 'it's lonely at the top'."

"That is quite true." Kojirou tilted his head. "Not to say that I am near such a peak, but even on a high outcrop, it is lonesome. If one has no other reason to live, day-by-day existence can grow… dull."

"That's a bit…" Ayako trailed off. "Aren't samurai supposed to be more than just swordsmen?"

"Yes, but I don't believe I ever said I was a samurai." Kojirou smiled teasingly.

Ayako hummed, glaring at the sky for a few seconds, before glancing back at Kojirou.

"So, do you regret it?"

"It?" Kojirou tilted his head. "You mean do I regret the path I have taken? Of swordsmanship and nothing else?"

"Ah… yeah, that."

"Not at all." Kojirou turned to Ayako with an odd look on his face. "One can find beauty even in a life of tedium, but I can honestly say that the times that I face a true opponent utterly eclipse the periods of boredom, no matter of their duration."

"Huh…" Ayako bit her lip, before standing. "Thanks, Sasaki."

"Not at all, Mitsuzuri-san."

---

"It's late, Mitsuzuri-san."

"Ahaha…" Ayako let out a nervous laugh. "I was just passing by."

"Indeed, but it is not wise to take strolls out at night."

"It's fi—" Ayako froze, only then seeing the absurdly long sword in Kojirou's hands. "T-that's… quite a weapon."

She didn't have to get close to it to know that it was real. Some things were simply unmistakable.

Kojirou's eyes trailed down to the nodachi, before giving a nod, and a smile. "It is."

Clamping down on her sudden nervousness, Ayako approached the swordsman. Despite all their talk, she hadn't quite consolidated the image of Sasaki Kojirou as a swordsman. The man simply seemed too… gentle. A highly observant and insightful, but still gentle man.

But the person before her seemed entirely different.

For lack of a better word, she felt an 'aura' of power from him. It made her nervous, but at the same time, she felt… awed.

'Sasaki Kojirou, huh?' Ayako thought. 'I could believe it.'

"Does this…" Ayako fought for words. "Does this have something to do with the, uh, incidents around town, lately?"

"Indeed." Kojirou nodded. "But it would not take your exceptional senses to assume that, I think."

"Y-yeah…" Ayako sat down.

Kojirou didn't.

"At night, my duty is to guard these gates." Kojirou glanced at the large entrance to the Ryuudouji temple. "I cannot let anyone pass."

"Isn't that…?" Ayako trailed off, sighing. 'This is awkward.'

"Forgive me, but at night, it is dangerous." Kojirou glanced at Ayako. "It would be better if you did not walk outside once the sun has set for the next several weeks."

"You're not the first to say that to me…" Ayako grimaced. "What's going on?"

"It is not my business to say."

Glancing at Kojirou in askance, Ayako scratched her head. "Now you're just being frustrating on purpose."

"…Perhaps." Kojirou smirked. "But I… believe I would feel better if you went home right now."

Ayako shot Kojirou a sharp look, a frown marring her face as she discerned his meaning. In a moment of epiphany, she realized that Kojirou was equally—if not more—nervous than she was. His back was creakingly stiff; fingers white on the hilt of his sword…

"Right." Ayako stood. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sasaki."

"Until then, Mitsuzuri-san."

---

"So, anything dangerous happen last night?" Ayako said to the air, not at all surprised that it answered back.

"Alas, no." Kojirou sat down. "Although from what I have heard, that may change quite soon."

"Oh, that's right," Ayako peered at Kojirou. "So, whoever this dangerous person is… they must be pretty skilled to have your attention."

"Oh? You can tell that without having seen my swordsmanship?" Kojirou grinned teasingly.

"Mmhm." Ayako returned the smile. "After seeing you last night, I can be sure of it."

"Indeed, indeed." Kojirou laughed. "So, how go your own interests?"

"I resigned from the archery club." Ayako announced.

"Oh?"

"Well, not quite yet," Ayako muttered, backtracking. "But I said as such today. I'm going to leave the captaincy to Sakura. The only thing I'm worried about is that her brother will start bullying her."

"Mm."

"But… in a week or two, once everyone's gotten used to the idea, I'm gone." Ayako grinned. "It was kind of funny, seeing their expressions, everyone was really shocked."

"And?"

"And…" Ayako frowned. "I think I'm going to try seriously at archery. It was… a hobby, more or less. But… I think I'm going to be serious about it, really, truly."

"And… any regrets about that decision?" Kojirou smiled.

"An—" Ayako froze, before shooting a half-hearted glare at the man. "You. Geeze. You need to know when to quit."

"I don't know." Ayako turned serious. "Maybe. Ask me in a few years, and I might have an answer to that. I don't really want to regret it, it doesn't really seem like something I'd regret, but…"

"Mm." Kojirou stood up. "I would like to show you something."

"Eh?" Ayako blinked, but hastily stood up as Kojirou began to pace away. "Wait a second!"

Despite the almost negligible head start, Ayako almost lost sight of Kojirou as he walked into the woods surrounding the temple, and then nearly smashed into him as he stopped.

"This area is good." Kojirou said, and pointed at a tree about twice her size.

"Wha—" Ayako froze as she noticed that Kojirou had his nodachi in hand. "W-what are you going to do?!"

"Simply… observe," Kojirou murmured, and Ayako fell silent. Not because of his words, but – like the night before – the sudden change in the air caused her to stop.

Kojirou raised his blade horizontal to his face, his eyes closed as he turned his back to the tree.

For one instance, it seemed like everything was suspended in time. Ayako's heartbeat stopped, blood froze in her veins. Her brain wasn't sending any signals to the rest of her body.

Then the tree was cut.

And for one perfect moment, Ayako was filled with a certainty. She knew that a single sword didn't slice the tree, but three in the same instance.

Then the moment fled. The tree fell with a heavy thump of wood and leaves crashing into dirt, and Ayako was just as confused as when she first followed Kojirou—more so, even.

"Wh-wh-wh…" She spluttered for a moment, her brain telling her impossible things. Yet, as she peered at the severed pieces of lumber, she accepted that it had been cleanly cut three times.

If she had a stopwatch, she knew that it would say that not even a second had past from the time that Kojirou had held his blade up to his face.

"Sasaki… you…" Ayako gaped.

"Do you understand?" Kojirou ignored her shock.

"Understand…?"

"Yes, do you understand?" Kojirou did nothing to clarify his meaning.

"I…" Ayako shook her head. "…No…"

"Mm." Kojirou tilted his head. "I think you do."

Having said his mystifying rebuttal, Kojirou walked away.

Ayako didn't follow him.

---

"Sasaki?"

"Mm, Mitsuzuri-san. If you keep coming here, day after day, one might think it was not simply because you were passing by."

"Well…" Ayako blinked, and then smiled. "Today I'm not."

"Oh?" Kojirou returned the gesture. "Then, what might you be here for?"

"I came to ask you something." Ayako sat down, and waited a moment for Kojirou to sit himself beside her. "What was it called?"

"It?"

"That… skill."

Kojirou chuckled before answering. "Tsubame Gaeshi."

"Oh." Ayako laughed. "I see."

Kojirou smiled as Ayako's laughter slowed.

"Was that all you wanted to ask?"

"Let me see it again." Ayako requested, shooting Kojirou a serious look.

"Hm." The man peered at her curiously. "For what reason?"

"I want…" Ayako's brow furrowed. "I want to make sure…"

"That my blade did not strike once, but instead, thrice?" Kojirou asked.

"…Yes."

"Do you not trust your senses?" Kojirou sighed, a mournful murmur of air.

"What?"

"Your instincts told you that my blade cut the tree three times the time I did, and your sight told you the same thing afterwards." Kojirou sighed again. "Why do you persist in trying to deceive yourself? You believed it then, and you should still believe it now."

Kojirou looked at Ayako with his eyelids narrowed. "Do you understand?"

"…I…"

"Do you understand?" Kojirou was glaring at her now.

"I think…" Ayako shook her head. "…Yes."

"Good." Kojirou stood, smiling. "Next time, bring it along."

"It?" Ayako questioned, but Kojirou didn't clarify as he left her alone.

'What the hell?' Ayako grimaced. 'Just when I think that everything is making a lot more sense, it REALLY gets confusing.'

---

"…Sasaki…" Ayako felt on edge, mostly because of the odd looks she had gotten for walking around with a quiver of arrows on her back, and a bow in hand. "This IS what you meant by 'it', right?"

"Of course," Kojirou answered. "What else could 'it' have been?"

Ayako glared.

"Ah…" Kojirou chuckled nervously. "Anyway, over here…"

The formally dressed man quickly led Ayako to the area where he had sundered the tree with his technique. Curiously, a somewhat poorly constructed target was situated on the stump of the tree.

"You want me to practice?" Ayako looked at the target with an incredulous feeling.

"I want to observe you."

"For what?" Ayako looked at Kojirou. "I thought you already knew how good I was?"

"I said I knew you were good," Kojirou shook his head with a tiny smile. "I never said I knew how good. That can only come through observation."

"…" Ayako pursed her lips. "Alright."

Ayako held her bow in hand and notched an arrow into it with a thoughtless manner, thousands upon thousands of practiced motions having turned the stance into instinct.

She focused, strained, and then froze.

A whisper of breath tickled against her ear, causing her heart to race.

"I-is it… quite necessary… to stand that close…?" Ayako stammered, paying almost no mind to the taut bow and arrow still grasped in her hands. Her mind was far too busy noticing the affect his proximity was having on her body.

"Mm, perhaps not." Kojirou admitted, but did not move from his position right against her left side. "But it is much simpler to observe from here."

Ayako licked her lips, and gulped audibly to her own embarrassment. Her fingers slipped, and the arrow was propelled from her hands, completely missing the target—all the trees, and cracking against the temple's stone walls, shattering.

"P-please… don't stand so close…" Ayako murmured, yet found that she was unable to move away herself. "I can't concentrate with you… hovering over my shoulder…"

"Mmm." Kojirou's breath misted against her cheek, but she felt him step back a pace.

"…" Letting out a long sigh, trying to expel the sudden nervousness, Ayako drew another arrow from her quiver.

This time she didn't take more than a second to aim, and simply loosed the projectile as the bow's string reached its peak.

With a thud, the arrow struck into the target, slightly to the side of the second to last ring. In a distant part of her mind, Ayako was amazed that the structure didn't topple, but realized that despite its shabby looks, it was probably grounded to the leftover stump.

She grabbed another arrow without being prompted, and shot it through the air as to the first. It stuck closer, yet not at the center, a handful of centimeters to the side of the dot.

Almost instantly, she loosed a third, a fourth, a fifth. All struck within the center.

Nodding in satisfaction, Ayako finally turned to Kojirou.

"That's… about my best, I think."

"Your best?" Kojirou frowned.

"Disappointed?" Ayako smiled self-depreciatingly.

"No…" Kojirou tilted his head. "At least, not necessarily with your skill."

"We are at around fifty paces from the target, and for the distance, you are about average to the archers I have seen in my existence. That is not really the point, however." Kojirou gave a low hum.

"Average, huh?" Ayako leaned against a tree. "How good were those people?"

"Very good." Kojirou shrugged. "But as I said, that is not the point. Anybody who has potential for archery can become good, but it takes something… different, to become… legendary."

"Legendary?" Ayako grinned. "What? You sizing me up to be some sort of hero?"

"If I were?" Kojirou returned the smile. "But regardless, you were able to strike center-mass without any difficulty, and indeed, quickly adapted. If the target were moving, I would wager that it would have made little difference save for a few shots. At the point you are, there are things that can make training exciting. Limits. For instance…"

Kojirou pulled some cloth from his kimono. "What if you were approximately aware of the target's location, but couldn't see it?

"W-wait a second…" Ayako protested, but didn't stop Kojirou from binding the cloth over her eyes. "Blind shooting?"

"Yes?"

"Sasaki," Ayako sighed. "I'm nowhere near that good."

"No?" Ayako heard Kojirou chuckle. "Try, at the least."

"Alright…" Letting out a tiny grump, Ayako turned to where she recalled the target being.

"Have you ever heard of mental imaging?" Kojirou interrupted her concentration.

"Uhh…" Ayako shook her head. "No… but is this the time for…?"

"The nature of it is your mind creating constructs—not necessarily just visual images—to perceive experiences. Like, for example, reading a fairytale, your mind creates the dashing hero and vicious monster." Kojirou was close again, like before, his breath tickled against her skin. It took all her willpower not to shiver at the sensation. Her nipples suddenly felt confined in her bra.

"However, these types of things require past experiences to formulate images of the present. If you had no knowledge of what a hero, or monster might look like, it would be impossible for your brain to link the words to such an image. It might as well be an incomprehensive language."

Kojirou's words were nearly hypnotic, and despite the fact that it felt like her insides had turned into a whirlpool, Ayako merely waited.

"Regardless, the matter of import is that humans have the ability to perceive images within their mind. The possibilities from this skill are near limitless, however…" Kojirou placed his palm on Ayako's shoulder, causing her to jolt. "The relevant point here, is that with this ability, it should not matter if you're blind or not. Using the information from shooting at it before, your mind should be able to fill in the blanks without your eyes."

"B-but that's…"

"Just try." Kojirou removed his hand, and stepped back, leaving Ayako in a state of confusion.

Trying to lose the jittering in her stomach, Ayako let out another long breath, attempting to find a calm.

Slowly, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched it. Concentrating, she tried to visualize the target as she remembered it, and then loosed the projectile.

Dimly, she heard the thud of it hitting something—something wooden, at least—but as her hand reached up to take the blindfold away it was engulfed in a much larger hand.

"S-Sasaki…?"

"Do it as before." His voice wasn't near her as before, but she heard him clearly. "Don't simply try to imagine the target, but also your own state."

"Wha…?" Ayako grimaced, but began to notch another arrow.

Blinking beneath the cloth, Ayako frowned. Her lips twisted slightly as she tried to think—or rather, not think. Despite the odd situation, with the same practiced manner, she grabbed onto the instilled skills from hours upon hours of practice.

She let the arrow go, hearing another thud of wood echo. Again, again and then a final time, she drew the string taut and loosed the missile.

Letting out a sigh, Ayako pulled the blindfold off.

Looking at Kojirou, and noticing the tiny smirk on his face, Ayako shot her vision towards the target. A part of her was fully expecting it, but even after everything that had happened, her shock still registered after seeing her arrows encircling the center.

"I…?" Ayako glanced at Kojirou. "How is that…?"

"Did I not already say it?" Kojirou's smirk lightened into a smile. "It takes something different to become legendary. No, that is not 'normal', but it is… incredible."

"Legendary… huh?" Ayako felt giddy. "When you say it like that… I mean, with all this… I can believe it."

"Belief in your own power is an excellent thing to have." Kojirou was close again, but her body was already shaking with barely suppressed excitement. A faint blush was the only outward effect that his proximity caused.

"In fact, it might not be an exaggeration to say that it's one of the most important qualities…" Kojirou placed his hands onto Ayako's shoulders.

"Sasaki…" Ayako breathed out in a whisper. "You can't keep doing that…"

"Hm?"

"P-personal space… I…" Ayako swallowed. "If you're this close to me, I can't concentrate on… anything but…"

"But?" Ayako averted her eyes as Kojirou smirked.

"I…" Ayako tried to summon some indignation at his teasing, but failed to capture anything. "I'm… when you're this close, it's very…"

"I'm very…" Ayako shook her head vigorously, feeling a sense of frustration well up. "I… I like you, okay? If you get this close, I really…"

"That is… good, then." At Kojirou's statement, Ayako looked up. Her question died on her lips as he pressed his against them.

"Mmh!" Ayako couldn't contain the squeak that vibrated out of her throat. Kojirou's hands held tight onto her shoulders, making escape impossible, even had the thought crossed her mind.

Despite the solid hold he had on her, his kiss wasn't forceful. It was light, a soft caress of flesh. It broke, their lips parted, but Kojirou immediately entwined them again. Again, again, he smothered her with a continual gentle shower of kisses.

They paused; misty air floated about from their heavy breathing, but Ayako quickly leaned back in. The same feeling of excitement from the magic-like training only moments ago returned, leaving Ayako's stomach bouncing around inside her. Reaching up, she grabbed onto the sides of Kojirou's face to deepen the kiss, not satisfied with the light smatterings.

"Mm!" Ayako's eyes widened as she felt Kojirou's hands move. Encircling her, left hand reached down further to softly grab at her posterior. His right cupped her breast, slowly caressing it through the cloth, leaving no question as to his intentions.

"I…" Ayako broke the kiss. "I… I'm not…"

"Not?" Kojirou smiled, but didn't stop his groping. "Not ready? Are you?"

Ayako stared incredulously, her eyelids blinking with uncertainty.

"If you truly were unprepared, you would know it, would you not?" Kojirou's left hand tugged at her skirt, burying itself underneath the clothing to caress at her bottom more intimately.

"Ah…" Ayako couldn't contain a small grunt as Kojirou's fingers lightly squeezed her erect nipple. "T-that's… not fair Sasaki… I…"

"I trust your senses," Kojirou murmured shortly. "If they tell you to stop, I will comply, Mitsuzuri-san."

Shaking her head, Ayako wavered, but didn't protest as Kojirou leaned downward to kiss her again.

"Sasaki… I…" Ayako gasped out. "C-call… call me Ayako, okay?"

"Ah…" Kojirou blinked. "O-of course… Then, might you call me by my forename?"

"I would have done that even if you hadn't as—ah!" Ayako tried to be gibe, but the effect was ruined as a groan escaped from Kojirou's caressing.

"A-Ayako-san…" Kojirou murmured, a traced of nervousness entering his voice as she decided to take the next step.

Rubbing at his groin, she felt a tiny grin work its way onto her face as she felt a definite bulge from the cloth. Even as Kojirou began to unbutton her blazer and then shirt, she dug into his hakama. Shifting blindly, she felt a sense of triumph as she finally pushed her hand through the final layer of undergarment and grasped onto a hot length of flesh.

Ayako's smile widen as she pumped at the shaft, Kojirou's slight intake of breath pleasing her. Even as she started to pump at the organ, Kojirou's left hand worked its way into the crevice of her buttocks. Ayako squeaked as he gently thumbed at the opening, before his slender fingers worked around to touch her vulva.

"K-Kojirou, that's…" Ayako bit her lip, but despite the pleasantly distracting sensations, continued to work at his dick. A distant part of her wondered if she should be doing something other than the single repetitive motion, but the forefront of her mind was too busy enjoying the treatment to care.

His right finished unfastening her blazer and shirt, allowing a narrow view of her bra-clad breasts. Quickly, his hand deftly swung around and undid the clasps of her bra, smoothly sliding it off in the same motion.

Now unimpeded, his hand groped at her breasts in a kneading movement, causing her to gasp out.

"Kojirou, I…ahh…" Ayako jerked at his penis in unsteady motions. The accumulation of feelings was causing her to lose focus, even staying on her own two feet was beginning to become problematic.

"Hah…" Kojirou's chest gave a heave, his own concentration in shambles as Ayako's erratic pumping stimulated his dick. "L-let's… try something else."

Nodding in a frantic motion, Ayako followed Kojirou's lead as he sat onto the dirt and pulled her on top of him.

Kojirou undid the sash on his hakama, shifting his garments to free his erection. Ayako paused, for the first time actually seeing the organ standing upright in the cool air.

"Wow." Ayako breathed, licking her lips as she knelt onto Kojirou's thighs. Her skirt brushed against the tip of the purple head, catching some of the opalescent fluid dribbling from it.

Kojirou grasped onto Ayako's buttocks with both hands, pulling her closer so that her panty-clad genitalia squashed against his naked penis. The contact caused both of them to feel a jolt of pleasure, even at the slight motion.

"K-Kojirou…" Ayako leaned forward to kiss him, bucking her hips at the same time on instinct. "Ahh!"

"Ayako!" Kojirou grit his teeth at the sensation, her kiss silencing his continued groan of bliss.

Finding the motion comfortable—pleasurable, Ayako continued to thrust her hips against Kojirou, her breath coming in with slight gasps as the sounds escaped unbidden.

"I… I…" Ayako jerked as she felt herself coming close to a peak.

"N-not yet…" Kojirou's right hand halted her motions, and his left quickly maneuvered his prick. Fingering her panties aside, he hurriedly jabbed his penis into her, finding no resistance from the slick hole.

"AHHH!" Whatever Ayako had been expecting, she found herself unprepared for the feeling of being penetrated. But whatever thoughts she might have had at the strange sensation were lost as the anticipated peak was reached.

Even as she screamed, Kojirou thrust his length into her, his hands bracing her as she continued to cry in pleasure. His hot breath puffing into the crevice of her neck, tickling at the skin in the same erotic way as before, coupled with the continued pounding nearly caused her to faint.

Her breath came in hiccups, and she grit her teeth as she involuntarily jerked about with each pumping of their hips. "K-Kojirou-u… W-wait… P-please!"

Ayako whimpered as the pleasure started to become painful. Not due to her hymen, but the simple overload of sensations. Each thrust wasn't simple a mixture of pain and pleasure, but rather, each jolt of bliss was pain in itself.

"Oh, oh…god…" Ayako buried her head into the crook of Kojirou's neck as she felt another orgasm budding.

"Ayako…" Kojirou's breathy voice titillated her ear, causing another jolt.

"Oh g-god, Kojirou," Ayako hiccupped against him. "A-again… I'm gonna…"

Kojirou came first. A hot liquid shot into her, making her feel like her insides were on fire. Even as he calmed down, the sensation of his semen gushing about in her was enough to push her into another orgasm.

"Koji…!" Ayako froze, her throat constricting prevented more than an odd coughing noise to escape her lips. Her arms encircling Kojirou tightened as she tried to keep from passing out.

"Ayako…" Kojirou gasped. "A-are… you all right?"

Ayako didn't answer, still simply concentrating on taking one breath after another. It took several seconds for her limbs to relax, and then subsequently turn into jelly.

Feeling like she wasn't going to faint—even if she didn't feel she could move—Ayako sighed out an answer.

"D-don't…" Ayako swallowed, her throat feeling dry. "Don't do that again, okay?"

"Ahh…" Kojirou sounded uncertain.

"I…" Ayako licked her lips. "It felt so good… it was painful. Don't do that again, okay?"

"Ahh…" Kojirou chuckled, but quickly stopped. "Forgive me. I shall endeavor not to cause you pain in that manner ever again."

"Good…" Ayako sighed against him, feeling extremely relaxed. "Kojirou…"

"Yes, Ayako-san?" Kojirou's voice sounded muddled.

"You're really… warm…" Ayako smiled into his shoulder. "Warm… kind…"

"Mmm…"

"Wanna be my boyfriend?"

"Hah!" Kojirou snorted. "Yes, most certainly, Ayako-san."

"Mm…good…" Ayako giggled. 'Take that, Rin.'

---

Ayako screamed. At first she didn't know why she was screaming, but as someone's arms grasped onto her, she realized. She was being attacked.

"No! NO!" Ayako yelled. She tried hitting—scratching, biting, anything—her attacker, but her limbs weren't responding. Powerless, she tried screaming for help, but her throat already felt raw.

'I don't want to die!' Ayako couldn't contain a sob as she struggled fruitlessly.

"It's all right, Mitsuzuri-san!"

"Kojirou?" Ayako stilled. Her vision began to clear from the murky darkness. "I thought I told you…"

It wasn't Kojirou. In fact, she didn't know who the man in front of her was, but she quickly realized that she wasn't in danger. The sterile white coat giving her the correct assumption that he was a doctor.

Glancing to her left and right, Ayako found that she was being restrained by two nurses. The female looked rather dazed, while the male was looking at her like she was crazy.

"W-" Ayako coughed, her voice cracking. "…Where am I?"

"You're in the Origa Memorial Hospital, Mitsuzuri-san." The doctor looked at her in the eye, before gesturing for the nurses to let her go. "We were beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up, but I don't think any of us were quite prepared for how you did so."

"W-wake up?" Ayako coughed again, and gratefully took the plastic cup of water that one of the nurses provided. "How long have I been here?"

"Around a month." The doctor hummed. "I'm Doctor Ganryuu."

"W-what… happened?" Ayako frowned, the last thing she remembered was…

"We were hoping you could tell us." Ganryuu looked at her gravely. "You were found in an alley a fair distance from your home—or school. The police found nothing at the scene, but…"

Ganryuu paused, frowning. "Well, we checked for signs of sexual assault and found recent sexual activity."

"R-rape?" Ayako jolted, before shaking her head. "N-no, I mean… How recent?"

"So, you're sexually active?" Ganryuu jotted something down on his clipboard.

"I…" Ayako blushed. " I have a… a boyfriend. I… we had… Yes."

"Well, that doesn't rule out rape, but it'd be helpful if you could answer any questions the police might have." Ganryuu looked up from clipboard.

"I… I don't…" Ayako grimaced. "I don't remember anything, I was just walking home when… it's blank."

"Hmm. Gaps in the memory is a sign of trauma." Ganryuu sighed. "Well, I won't bother you with anything else right now. Unless you have any questions, I'll let you rest."

"Uhm…" Ayako flexed her muscles. "How long… do you think until I can go home?"

Ganryuu paused. "Well, your relatively body healthy, and your muscles haven't atrophied from your coma, but the hospital will need to keep you under observation for a little while yet. I'd say a few days as long as no complications arise."

"Oh… thank you." Ayako gave a short nod to the doctor as he left, her mind already wandering.

'Kojirou…' Ayako shut her eyes, bringing up the swordsman's face in her mind. 'Do you know what happened?'

---

"Kojirou?" Ayako reached the top of the steps to the Ryuudouji temple, looking about for her lover.

"Kojirou?" She frowned, used to almost immediately being set upon once she had climbed the stairs. "You there?"

Waiting for a short period, Ayako set off towards the area that now had quite a few of her precious memories.

"Kojirou?" The shabby archery target was still in the same spot, with a layer of snow now clinging to it. "Hey…"

Looking about fruitlessly Ayako continued shouting Kojirou's name. "Where are you?!"

"Did he leave?" Ayako shook her head. "His duty is to guard these gates so… there's no way he'd leave…"

Ayako stumbled, her feet tripping over nothing as she suddenly came to a horrific realization.

It was cold.

Despite that she had only rarely thought of it, it was never cold when Kojirou had been around. Even when she hadn't had a stitch of clothing on her, she had been warm in his presence. Even when she wasn't aware of him, it was warm.

But it was cold.

Kojirou would never leave the gates, but he wasn't there.

"Oh…" Ayako let herself collapse onto the ground. "Oh… I see…"

---
???
---

She ran. Not from, but towards. Her feet coiled and sprung, and she practically leapt with each step. She had been running in this manner for nearly thirty minutes, and her legs burned from the exertion, but her goal was nearly at hand.

Despite the sound of her blood pumping, her keen ears picked up the noise of her target. His feet cut through the air like knifes, sinking into the ground like a successive blow.

Thump, thump, thump, his limbs struck the ground. To her ears, he was like a juggernaut, and she knew that such an image was not far off.

They both avoided the underbrush. A feat, but to make such obvious noises was the surest give away to their location. Footsteps could be followed, but only to the keenest ear when on the run. A rustle of leaves was like an alarm.

They were aware of each other, of course, but to be so slack in their ability would be like slitting their own throat. If even a small measure were given, it could ultimately lead to their demise.

Finally, she cut through the foliage. Her vision was clear, and the moonlight illuminated the entire clearing.

The thumping footsteps had stopped.

She immediately dropped, a whistle of air and a following crack telling her how close to death she had come.

She hit the ground, and let loose one of her arrows. It streaked through the air like that of a mirror image, following the path that the first projectile had come.

Yet the sound of it flying through the air was ended with the clang of metal instead of the soft noise of punctured flesh.

Even as she began to stand, he was already in motion, and only a quick roll saved her from being cut in two.

Another arrow was notched, and she narrowed her vision as she finally got a clear view of her opponent.

Breathing out in a happy sigh, she loosed her arrow into the sky.

The odd action caused her opponent to falter, leading to his downfall.

In a flash, another arrow was notched, and she let it fly directly at her enemy. As expected, his blades deflected it, and then the next, and the next. On the fourth, he dodged, not wanting to stand in one location.

And then he was struck.

The arrow shot into the sky came down like a meteorite and tore through his arm. He stumbled, and was skewered twice more before he even realized she had fired once. Again. Her arrows struck him a third and fourth time, each in a separate limb, severing vital muscles.

He collapsed, a doll with its strings cut.

She held her bow taut, an arrow notched as she approached her fallen enemy: a careful measure of arrogance.

"I win again, Emiya." She pointed her bow and arrow into the face of her former schoolmate.

She watched his white eyebrows furrow for a moment, before his eyes widened in recognition.

"Mitsuzu—"

She loosed her arrow.

---
End – Gugenka
---

Proofread by Sigfried27.