Naruto slid back, facing the monster. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
"Shirou?!" asked Rin, staring.
"Rrrr?" indicated Berserker, the oddness of things penetrating even his battle-rage.
"How did that redhead get cut in half and then turn into that little kid?" asked Ilya.
"HEY! YOU'RE A LITTLE KID YOURSELF!" indicated Naruto. He jerked his thumb at his chest. "I'm NARUTO UZUMAKI! PROUD NINJA OF KONOHAGAKURE!"
Ilya blinked and looked across at Rin. "Okay. This is weird. Is this your doing?"
"Nooooo," indicated Rin.
"No, judging by the way you've just dropped to your butt and are doing that stare - point- shaking thing, I'm guessing this is NOT yours," said Ilya. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. Berserker!"
"GRARRR!" indicated Berserker.
"MULTIPLE SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"
The huge blade, formed of chipped stone, swept through dozens of Naruto at a time.
Archer noted the little drifting motes and breathed a sigh of relief. His earlier self had died before making a pact with Alaya, the spirit of mankind's survival. He was now breaking apart into bits of dream which were streaming towards...
Archer's eyes widened. He was being drawn towards that child?!
What had gone wrong, and how?
Naruto sagged as the shadow fell over him. What did it take to stop this guy?!
Ping! went a gemstone into the big guy's face.
It exploded.
"Saber! Grab him and retreat!"
"But..." began Saber, wondering why she was even still here.
"Look at his hand!" said Rin, grabbing the boy's collar and running for all she was worth.
"WAGH!" managed Naruto as he was shifted to another woman's grip and then they ran as if a huge mountain of berserk muscle was trying to kill them.
Ilya sighed. "Never mind, Berserker. I don't know what's going on, and neither did they. Something's changed though, and I want to know what."
"OKAY YOU," yelled Rin, getting in the blond's face. "Talk! I saw Shirou DIE! Then he vanished and you were there and you've got his command sigils on your hand!"
"I wassee whoza?" asked Naruto. "Look, lady, I don't know what you're talking about!"
Rin pulled up his left hand and pointed the back towards his face. "What's this?"
"I dunno!" argued Naruto.
"Rin. This is not a productive line of inquiry," said the other woman, kneeling down. "Child. We don't know what is happening. But if we exchange information, perhaps we can all get a handle on the situation. Please."
"Oh," said Naruto. There was something about this gal. Some Presence to her just made him want to listen. It didn't seem like a jutsu or something, it was just her. "Okay."
"What?" asked Rin. "Just like that?"
"She asked nice," rationalized Naruto.
"All you know is that the speaker was an 'interested bystander'?" asked Saber after introductions and explanations had been given. "I have never heard of such a thing."
"I've heard of other universes and such though," said Rin. "It's not easy. There's only one magi of the Clock Tower who can do that, and we do not talk about him. He's crazy and if he shows up this whole situation is going to get a lot worse."
"Well, I think this phone-guy was crazy if that helps any," said Naruto.
"Rin, something else you should know," said Saber. "The mana coming from him feels like Shirou's but is much stronger."
"So you're at full strength?" asked Rin. "Well, that's good but... where are MY control sigils?"
"What do you mean?" asked Saber, looking herself. "They're gone?"
"I've been knocked out of the Grail War? How? When?" asked Rin. "Archer was killed?"
"Rin," said Saber quietly after the child had gone to sleep on the floor.
"Other worlds, ninja villages, a time/space manipulator, and a wild card in the mix," said Rin frowning.
"Not that," said Saber. "His mannerisms."
"Yeah, I noticed. Lots of little tells. That IS Shirou. He wasn't exchanged with Shirou at the moment of death. He was merged with Shirou. Something very nasty, very powerful, and very unpredictable has entered the Grail War."
"He also knew where everything was in the kitchen," noted Saber. "What are your plans now?"
"I'm missing a Servant at the moment, but I think I'll stick with you and this 'Naruto' for now at least," said Rin. "I'm getting the definite feeling that just stepping back and out of the War altogether isn't any guarantee of safety."
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(Posted Thu, 23 Jul 2015 16:06)
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