No spoilers. This actually just takes place in an alternate universe of Fate themed events.
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The mission was simple according to the director. Find the target, capture him, confiscate his forbidden magecraft if possible, and keep the human casualties below zero. Of course, nothing ever went as planned, so here (y/n) was at midnight fleeing from a psychopath. Currently, their target was chasing them in an armored vehicle after (y/n)'s team had stolen something that they weren't even there for. That mage worked for the an organization that stood as a proud enemy to all mages. (Y/n) was simply an experimental master under a secret program operated by the Mage's Association but remotely run by a suspicious individual.
"Gilgamesh, buy us some more time. I'm still working on the spell," (y/n) spoke as he did his best not to lose balance.
"Do you think I'm firing at the air? Your insolence is going to get us killed," Caster replied. He ficked at the collar of his shirt before focusing again. Even in casual clothes, his servants had been recognized as just what they were. That couldn't be helped.
"Can both of you shut up, I can't concentrate! Do you know how hard it is to steer a wolf? It's nothing like a motorcycle!" Mordred snapped. Hessian Lobo let out a quick growl to express his own annoyance at the situation. The oversized wolf was running down the middle of the street located in one of the many shopping districts of Tokyo. Mordred was doing her best to steer the irritated Avenger without any reigns while (y/n) prepared a spell that would destroy the reality marble that they had been trapped in. Gilgamesh was providing him with cover while (y/n)'s last servant was flying overhead for defensive purposes. Being the only one actually standing on the back of a moving wolf, (y/n) was a relatively easy target compared to everyone else so he had to make sure someone had his back while Gilgamesh was keeping the enemy at bay.
To make matters worse, word had arrived through their coms that their target would be gaining reinforcements very soon. "Salieri! You better have that transport gate open the moment I take this reality marble down or else we're dead," (y/n) spoke to the servant back at headquarters who was connected to the team through a magical communication system. "That guy's friends shoot first and ask questions later. I do not feel like being shot at any more than I am right now..."
Just as he spoke, Berserker deflected another of the enemy's blasts of concentrated magic energy. Having Arjuna Alter around was both a good and frustrating thing. If killing the target was an option, (y/n) would have simply let Berserker handle the whole mission, for the servant was more than capable. He didn't let this distract him from his task though.
He drew the last line in the air in front of him. "Straight ahead, Mordred. I should have this thing cracked open in a moment," (y/n) informed. His six command seals, three on each hand, began to glow a bright cyan along with the symbol he had traced into the air. It was the same as the ones permanently burned onto the back of his hands. "Distortion!" he chanted as he focused on the barrier around them.
The road ahead of them began to crumble along with the buildings around it. Still they charged ahead aiming for the rippling image in front of them. "Arjuna, now!" (y/n) called. "Hessian, this is no time to slow down," he warned the wolf as Berserker charged a beam aimed at the rippling image. The attack served its purpose and destroyed the rest of the reality marble causing the earth to quake from the aftershock. (Y/n) panicked for a moment as he lost his footing, but Berserker caught him as he joined the team in their escape.
Just as planned, the gate back to Tokugawa was waiting for them. The shimmering white portal of sorts was only a few yards away from where they left the reality marble. (Y/n)'s hopes of returning back safely were suddenly clouded when he remembered what awaited him when he did returned. His servants seemed to pick up on his sudden change in mood. All of them grew tense as they passed through the gateway and returned to Tokugawa's safety.
As usual, they ended up in the middle of the command room where there was plenty of room for Hessian Lobo to skid to a halt as the portal closed behind them. None of them said a word as they got down from Lobo's back. "Everyone's alive I see. No one got hurt either," Salieri noted from the coms desk. He wasn't exactly the kind of servant fit for the job, but (y/n) didn't want to leave his life in the hands of Tokugawa's director any more than he already had to.
"Yeah, we're all back safe and sound," (y/n) said, forcing a smile. Then he turned to the director who had just walked in the moment (y/n) had spoken.
"You failed. What does it matter that you are safe when there's nothing to show for it," the director said. He was slowly walking towards them as he spoke.
"We didn't come back empty handed. Our target was one of the Association's most bothersome enemies, so it wasn't easy to get past him to take these back," (y/n) explained as he held his hands out in front of him. His command seals flashed their cyan color before the family crests fell into existence in his hands. "We took back all of the crests that he stole. We didn't leave a single one behind. These families can continue to pass on their mystics to the next generations." He stared at the director as the man towered over him.
"Is that all?" he asked. (Y/n) nodded, not wanting to risk speaking since he was already unsure of what would happen to him. "Berserker, take these to the archive. Salieri, file this in the system and notify the Association," the director spoke. He took a few steps back and allowed Arjuna Alter to take the saved family crests from his master's hands. Berserker, although not one to show much emotion, flashed (y/n) a look of worry before leaving.
(Y/n) flinched when the director reached out to ruffled the hair on his head. "You did well in that regard, thank you for bringing those back." The man sounded sincere, and for a moment, (y/n) thought that he would be able to leave the command room without worry. This thought was shattered immediately when the director drove a blade right into (y/n)'s gut. He doubled over, stifling his cry out of habit so as not to give the director any sort of satisfaction. The director had grabbed his arm to keep him from falling and pulled (y/n) to him. "...but you didn't do what was asked of you. That man will just steal more of those crests that you've returned. And you already know what happens when you don't do what you're told, right?"
The director twisted the blade a bit getting nothing more than a short whimper. The man suddenly backed away from (y/n), dropping him just in time to avoid Gilgamesh's attack. Mordred was there to catch (y/n) before he could hit the ground. "Master, are you okay?" He hardly ever saw her embrace her feminine side, but she did so then. Her voice soft and full of worry as she cradled him to her.
"I'd be careful about acting out, Caster. It would be unfortunate should your spirit core be destroyed, and we wouldn't want to have to replace you," the director growled before throwing aside the knife he had used. He could always summon another if he felt like it.
"Even I wouldn't stand by and simply watch you torture someone innocent. If you dare do something like that in my presence again, you'll never see another sun rise," Gilgamesh threatened. Hessian Lobo growled in agreement although the wolf had stayed put all the while.
"You better not sleep, (y/n). One of your precious servants might end up missing," the director sneered. The man stormed off leaving (y/n) and his remaining servants in the control room. Despite having been stabbed, he was perfectly fine. His command seals had began to glow soon after Mordred caught him, so he was actually healing and would be just fine. Usually a homunculus would die from such an injury.
Being okay physically, however, did not equal being okay mentally. (Y/n) did not want to lose any more servants. The process to summon one was already bad enough. Then to lose a servant that he had become friends with, perhaps even family to...that wasn't something he took well. "I'm alright, Mordred. I just need to rest for a moment," he said. He closed his eyes and leaned against her which she allowed without a word.
Tokugawa was not the place it was portrayed as to outsiders. The Mage's Association thought of it as a program that could be used as a protector of mages. An organization to bring peace just as in the Tokugawa era of Japan. This was not the case at all. The director, a man of mysterious power and (y/n)'s current guardian, had turned Tokugawa into a hell. (Y/n) was created to bear the strain that summoning heroic spirits put on the human body. The way he came to know what life was still scarred him til this day.
"(Y/n), when are you going to stop letting this happen to you?" Mordred asked. Her hold on him tightened as if he were about to be ripped away from her.
"It's alright, Mordred. It's supposed to be this way," he spoke aloud knowing that the director was monitoring everything. "I promise you, I'm going to kill that bastard with my own two hands. And I'll break all of your contracts so that you'll all be free to live as you please in this world," he thought. The director could not read minds nor could he monitor the thoughts (y/n) shared between his servants.
"You're a fool..." Gilgamesh responded, but (y/n) knew the King of Uruk very well. Those words were the closest he'd get to a compliment while the king was upset.
"Just give me the order. I will vanquish him in an instant. That man, although masking himself as one of good, is nothing but evil. I will destroy him upon your command," Arjuna Alter chimed in although the servant was not in the vicinity.
"Let's not get carried away here." Salieri joined the conversation. "Until (y/n)'s condition stabilizes, he needs the technology here at Tokugawa, and guess who is the only one that can operate that stuff."
"Master, I think you'll rest better if you're in your room," Mordred said. It was obvious in her voice that she wanted that conversation to end. "Wolf, come over here and help," she instructed. Lobo snarled at her. "I don't want to hear it. You're just scared," Mordred snapped at him. Lobo gave a whine in response followed by what sounded like a growl of frustration. When (y/n) opened his eyes, the wolf was there to help out.
"Haha...I know I said I was fine, but honestly I feel like crap," (y/n) muttered. He wasn't bleeding anymore, but the wound hadn't exactly closed just yet. Mordred helped him to his feet and Lobo lifted him by the collar of his shirt as if he were carrying a puppy.
"You were just assaulted. No one would be fine after that," Salieri commented.
"If you put it that way, it sounds like I'm some sort of crime victim..." (y/n) complained. "Okay, no. I am. That hurt," he promptly yelped when Lobo dropped him onto his back.
"Wolf!" Mordred snapped. Lobo let out a half bark at her scolding. (Y/n) wished he could understand the Avenger servant, wondering what had been said. Mordred climbed onto Lobo's back on her own and took her place in front of (y/n). He didn't hesitate to lean onto her shoulder and hook an arm around her to keep himself from falling. She used to snap at him for even looking at her the wrong way, but nowadays, Mordred let him get away with a lot. She looked over to Caster when he didn't join them. "You shouldn't stay behind," she told him, clearly referring to the director's earlier words.
"I don't fear the threats of filth," Gilgamesh scoffed.
"Not for your safety. I could care less about that," Mordred muttered. "Just come on. You're going to make Master worry," she added. Caster said nothing nor did he take his place on Lobo's back like Mordred suggested, but he did walk alongside Hessian Lobo as the wolf headed to (y/n)'s room. Salieri had kept quiet as they left, but it was clear that he was also bothered by his master's situation.
The trip was short and silent, everyone having a solemn aura about them, even the king of Uruk himself. Berserker had been waiting for them at the door. (Y/n) headed straight for his bed as soon as he got the chance. When they'd all gathered inside his room, aside from Lobo since the wolf was to large to fit through the door, Mordred began to speak.
"You can't keep taking that guy's treatment. All we can do is sit back and watch because he has your life in his hands, and I'm sick of it! I'm tired of him harming you, Master. I'm tired of having to watch you take all of that without fighting back. You could beat him. You have the power and yet you don't even use it..." Mordred said to (y/n) who was now recovering faster. His room was the only place where there was privacy thanks to the distorted field around it.
"It is to my understanding that Master needs this individual to keep living. Master is not human and still has flaws from being created as a homunculus. The director is keeping him alive and correcting those flaws through experimental means that only he can control. Even if Master used the power he has to get rid of the director, he wouldn't live very long afterwards," Arjuna Alter pointed out. Mordred turned her glare on the berserker, but said nothing to him.
"You really have no sense of wording, do you," Gilgamesh mumbled in regards to Berserker's bluntness.
"I'm not a homunculus..." (y/n) mumbled. That was something he didn't want to accept.
"But you aren't human either. Nor are you a servant," Berserker said. Sometimes (y/n) wished he was a little less straightforward about everything.
"I know that. Trust me, I'm reminded every day," he thought to himself. He wasn't sure if his servants had heard him or not. Either way, no one else said anything on that topic.
"I have not the time to waste looking after you. I will be on my way," Caster announced.
"Stay with Arjuna. The director can't fight both of you without taking damage. He usually avoids those types of fights," (y/n) said before Caster could reach the door.
"I don't need your concern," Gilgamesh retorted, but when he looked back at him, (y/n) could see right through the king's facade. "Come on, Berserker. We should make sure Salieri isn't attempting to turn the control room into a piano once again." Berserker followed him without hesitation leaving (y/n) in the room by himself.
Well actually, Mordred was still there. "You're not actually planning on leaving here...right? I can tell. That look in your eyes whenever you save someone or stop a target says it all. You don't want to give this up...this Tokugawa," Mordred assumed after a moment of silence.
"You're only partially correct. I'm leaving Tokugawa the second I find my window of opportunity. But you're right, I don't want to give it up. It's kind of nice to use my abilities to help others. The director may not appreciate anything I do, but I'm more than fine with saving just for the heck of it. Makes me feel more human. But that's not what you wanted to hear is it? I'm sorry..." (y/n) said. He sat up from his bed now that his wound was closed and simply just sore. Mordred was sitting on the edge with her head down and hair hiding her face. (Y/n) froze when he saw what he hoped he was mistaking to be a tear fall from her face. "Mordred?"
She didn't look at him. "I was born a homunculus, always acting to gain my father's acknowledgment," she said. Her voice was strong and unwavering despite her silent tears. "Now that I'm a servant, that doesn't really matter as much anymore, so I didn't think I'd ever be so mad about something after losing to my father. But here I am, unexplainably angry at you because you don't seem to understand. You can't die on me, alright. I'd really never forgive you."
(Y/n) slid closer to her so that he sat by her side. She was quick to turn her head away from him so that he couldn't see her face, but he wasn't going to allow it. Knowing she wouldn't harm him, he reached up to turn her face towards his own. She was frowning and some of her tears still remained. Mordred was a woman even though she refused to acknowledge such, and this was why (y/n) was so tempted to treat her like one. Not in a way that would make her feel weak, but rather a way that would make her feel...loved.
"What is it that I don't understand?" he asked. He was only a mere few centimeters away from her face when he spoke. Surprise found its way into his mind once he realized that Mordred wasn't going to hit him for his actions. She was speechless and only stared at him. "I'm not going to let the director get away with this, if that's what you're talking about," (y/n) said although he knew that Mordred wasn't talking about that.
It was then that she finally spoke. "You're this close to getting punched in the face," she mumbled as she made the hand gesture to go with it. (Y/n) hadn't bothered to check and see if her fingers were touching. He only gave a short laugh and backed away, yet when he did, Mordred caught his wrist a looked him in the eyes.
"You're just as human as anyone else is. Don't let that bastard tell you otherwise, got that," she said. "Whatever it takes, I'm going to make sure you escape this place." And only then did she let go of him. Her tears were gone and she was the same old Mordred one again. Even so, (y/n) decided to risk it.
With one swift motion, he stole a kiss and fled to the door. "Thank you, Mordred," he spoke before slipping out of the room. He briefly saw her shock still being displayed on her face, but he missed the slight smirk that followed it since he had left before any possible consequences could be sought for his actions. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wipe that smile off his face as he made his way down the hall in search of Avenger.
Suddenly a chill shot down his spine as a warning and his smile disappearedin an instant. Mostly on instinct, (y/n) turned around with his power dancing on his fingertips and waiting to be unleashed, but that power quickly spread all around him as a warning to his potential attacker. "My servants aren't here. I'm not letting you harm me without consequence this time," (y/n) growled at the director.
"Bold of you to say such when you're the one who needs me in order to survive. You're treatment starts early today. I merely came to tell you to head to the lab. Unless...you simply want to die," the director spoke. He walked around (y/n) and kept going without a word or even a glance back at him.
That man, the director, was the only person that (y/n) feared. It wasn't because he was powerful even if that was a partial consideration. No, (y/n) was afraid of the director because he could take away (y/n)'s sense of humanity, something he cherished more than anything. And for that reason, until (y/n) was freed from his condition, he would always fear the director, Shirou Tohsaka.
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Finally finished it. Sorry, that took longer than expected. Mordred is secretly a softie and I refuse to believe otherwise. But anyways, I'll start working on the next oneshot. Once I reach 20 aside from the part two oneshots, I'll be done here.