PRELIMINARIES: None of this belongs to me. Fate/stay night,
and all characters, settings, etc. associated with it, are
the property of Type-Moon. Type-Moon is not affiliated in
any way, shape, or form with the creation of this story (a
fact for which, I suspect, they would be profoundly
grateful). I have made liberal usage of their characters
and settings in this story; this was done without their
knowledge or permission, and is technically an infringement
of Type-Moon's copyright. As this story is, at the most
pragmatic level, free promotion of the Fate franchise, it is
hoped that they will regard this story (if at all) with a
benign ignorance.
If you paid a wooden nickel for this story, not only have
you been drastically overcharged, but whoever charged you
has done so illegally, and I disavow any association with
said individual(s).
It should be noted once again that as far as terminology
goes, I am relying primarily on mirror moon's translation of
the game (e.g. "majutsu" = "magic," "mahou" = "sorcery")
with the official release of the anime as a secondary
source.
Please do not copy this story onto your own archive. It's
an "in-progress" work, and one where I would like to keep a
very, *very* tight leash on its distribution.
All feedback is welcome, up to and including line-by-line
critiques (provided they fit in my mailbox).
Much gratitude, as always, goes to my pre-readers, Shack and
Kami, who will probably save enough people to qualify for
Heroic Spirit status themselves by the time this fic is
finished.
Now, sit back and enjoy the ride, or (more likely) enjoy
thinking of what you'll do to me at the end of it...
* * * * *
"He's *what?*"
The Servant Archer stared at his Master in disbelief.
She had stumbled into the house around four in the morning,
as out of sorts as he had ever seen her (and he'd seen her
trying to get up in the morning, so that was saying
something). She didn't say anything to him, didn't give any
sign that she even realized he was there--just shambled into
the living room, made a beeline for the nearest chair, and
from there proceeded to stare intently at the coffee table
in front of her.
For the next seven hours.
When he made her some tea, she drained the cup in one gulp,
but made no other comment. She didn't remark on his brewing--
which was masterful, if he did say so himself--nor did she
complain about his once again using her best tea leaves
without permission. She just went back to staring at the
table, as if it held the secrets to the universe.
Archer had guessed that whatever happened was significant--
it had to be, if it could rattle Tohsaka Rin so badly.
But this was...
"Emiya Shirou is dead? Are you certain?"
"There was an arm. At the scene." Rin spoke with a flat,
detached tone that was painful to listen to. "The jacket
sleeve--it was our school's uniform." She shook her head.
"No doubt about it. It was Emiya-kun."
*Well.* Archer looked down at the table, mind racing.
Shirou dropping out of the Holy Grail War was shocking
enough--but this... *This changes everything.*
Rin finally looked up. "Archer?"
"It's a bit surprising, is all." Rin gave him a measuring
look, and he had to stop himself from flinching.
On the bright side, it looked like she was back up to
thinking. Unfortunately, she was now thinking about *him.*
*Need to divert her, somehow...* "You do realize that it
couldn't have been Saber."
She nodded. "Too far for him to have fled, and Saber wasn't
the type who would toy with him," she said, and Archer felt
himself relax a little.
Rin, on the other hand, had grown more tense. "But that
means..."
That meant Shirou had been killed by someone else. Someone
crazy enough to slaughter a person who had renounced every
sign and benefit of being a Master--and leave a mess behind.
Someone like...
Archer frowned. "If there's a Master like that prowling
around, this could get very, very bad."
"Unpredictable...and worse, prone to exposure." Rin
groaned. "Fuyuki is *my* responsibility. I can't overlook
this, even if it isn't a Master."
"If it is, though, doesn't that fall under the purview of
the War's supervisor?"
"That fraud?" Rin snorted. "Even if it is, technically,
Kirei's job, there isn't much he can do. Temporarily
changing the rules and siccing everyone on a rogue Master
would be within his powers...but he doesn't even know who
most of the Masters are, let alone how to get in touch with
them. Just me and one other, he said."
It would be worse than useless, in that case--even if that
one other Master agreed to cooperate with Rin in taking down
the rogue, the Masters who didn't know any better would
seize the opportunity to strike at those participating in
the manhunt.
*What a mess.*
He shook his head. "At least we don't have to worry about
Saber anymore."
"Oh?" Rin raised one eyebrow. "And how did you reach that
conclusion?"
"You said yourself that Saber did not kill Emiya Shirou.
Had she done so, she might--*might*--have lasted long enough
to find another Master and persuade him to take her on.
"She didn't, though. And that left her with mere hours, at
best. In the middle of the night. With the last Servant
having just been summoned. If she didn't ask you--she
didn't, right?"
Rin gave him a flat look, and he chuckled. "I had to ask.
But that leaves her searching for a needle in a haystack,
while the tightrope is burning at both ends. I... What?"
"I'd ask where you came up with a metaphor as jumbled as
that...but I have a feeling you'd just say you forgot." She
sighed. "Still, that's pretty much what I was thinking, as
well. I agree--we're down to five other Servants, now."
"With one at school."
"With one at school." She nodded. "I have an idea or two
about that one, but that can wait until tomorrow."
"And tonight?"
"Tonight, there's something else I want to check out."
"I see." He nodded in approval. She was still shaken, but
she was starting to look forward, to try to plan for action.
She wasn't quite there yet, but... "In that case, I have a
suggestion."
She nodded for him to go ahead.
"Rin. You are not a Gorgon." Her eyes narrowed, and he
smirked. *One more push...* "No matter how frightening
your face becomes, it will not petrify your enemies--"
And the flames of hell erupted.
"_IF YOU THINK I NEED SLEEP, JUST SAY SO!!!_"
Rin shot to her feet, knocking the chair over. She paid it
no mind. "I was going to do that anyway, you--YOU--" She
let out an incoherent scream, and stormed upstairs.
Archer watched her go with a satisfied grin.
That was more like it.
***************************************
THE WORLD WITHOUT
A Fate/stay night Fanfic
by
Lunaludus Scribex
(lunaludus@yahoo.com)
***************************************
CHAPTER III
2/3: SOMNUS APOLLUS
Saber woke around noon.
She opened her eyes to dim, murky sunlight, filtered in
through tightly-drawn drapes. The mid-day light bathed the
entire room in gray, and for a moment, she found herself
badly disoriented.
"Ugh..."
Her head hurt. Saber shut her eyes, and gently massaged her
temples to relieve the pain. It was a futile effort...but
it did serve to jog her memory.
"That's right. This is Sakura's..."
After the contract was completed, Zouken had suggested that
Saber rest for a while to recover. He'd faltered only a
moment when she was forced to admit that she could not shed
her physical form, before suggesting that she rest in
Sakura's room.
Her new Master had led her out of that hellish lair, back up
to the second floor, and across the hallway to her room.
Sakura opened the door, let Saber in, gestured to the bed,
then fled without saying a word.
Saber looked down at the bed. It was big enough for two, if
they slept close together, and she had restricted herself to
the far side of the bed with that thought in mind.
It seemed to have been a wasted consideration. The sheets
were cool and unrumpled; Sakura had not returned that night,
nor had she said anything about where she would be instead.
Saber frowned. In fact, now that she thought of it, outside
of the words of the contract, Sakura hadn't said anything to
her at all. That was an ominous sign--her first Master had
not spoken to her either, unless he was using a Command
Spell, and that had ended in disaster.
There were differences; Kiritsugu had gone out of his way to
ignore her, whereas Sakura didn't seem to speak to anyone.
Still, it set Saber ill at ease. She resolved to try to
engage her Master in conversation, just to be on the safe
side.
*Shinji, too; he is the one most likely to fight alongside
me, if Rider is defeated and I see battle.*
And speaking of battle--Saber put her hand to her chest, and
smiled. She was receiving energy properly from her new
Master, and the deep wound Lancer had inflicted the night
before was almost healed. She would be completely recovered
by that evening.
And with that ascertained, there was nothing more to be
gained by staying in bed. Saber stood, and left the room in
search of her Master.
* * * * *
"Oh. You."
Saber looked down at the boy lounging on a couch in the dark
living room. Shinji was the first person she'd seen today;
the other rooms on the second floor were empty, and she had
no intention of going anywhere near that basement again, if
she could possibly help it.
She had an unpleasant premonition that it would come to
that, though, and her eye twitched at the thought.
"Hmph...some Servant. You slept in pretty late for a
charity case."
With an effort, Saber wrenched her mind back to the present.
Shinji did not look happy, and she couldn't entirely blame
him--it was rude of her to simply stand there and stare at
him like that. "It could not be helped. I was near my
limits."
"Yes, yes, I heard all that." He leaned forward, and Saber
felt a chill run down her spine. "Hmm...now that I see you,
though, you're not that bad-looking, are you?"
Saber frowned. "Whether I am good-looking or not has no
bearing on my role as a Servant."
"What? No bearing? Of course it has a bearing!" Shinji
gestured with his right hand, and Rider took form beside
him.
She was even taller than Saber had thought when they clashed
in the darkness below; here in this halfling light, Saber
could see that her arms and legs were swathed in black
sleeves that had distorted her perception before.
*She might be even taller than Shirou.*
...Why in the world did she think that?
Saber's eyes widened in shock as Shinji reached around and
ran his hand up the inside of Rider's thigh. The Servant in
black stood rigid, her face carefully neutral. "*I'm* the
Master, and *you're* the Servant. It's your job to do
whatever I want!"
*Whatever he--?! Just what does he think a Servant is?*
Saber took a deep breath, and reined in her temper. "Be
that as it may--you are not my Master. Nor will you ever
be, if all goes well."
Shinji scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Rider and I were summoned to fight in the Holy Grail War."
Shinji was still caressing Rider's...thigh...and Saber had
to restrain herself from stalking over and pulling his hand
away from the other Servant. "*That* is our purpose. If
she wins out, you will have no need for me."
"Oh, that." Shinji sat back with a frown, and she saw Rider
relax ever so slightly. "Yes, the Grail War. Don't worry
about that--with me as her Master, Rider will win handily."
He made a careless gesture, and the Servant returned to
spirit form.
"You should not be so overconfident." Saber's eyes
narrowed. "No matter how powerful a mage you might be, the
Holy Grail War is--"
"Shut up."
Saber blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"I said *shut up.*" Shinji slowly rose to his feet, eyes
blazing. "Mages...the Grail War...power...WHAT THE HELL DO
YOU KNOW?!"
Saber took a step back in surprise. Why was he so--
*'Magic in our family has all but died out. Sakura is
adopted; she was given to us to revive our line and
strengthen our magic.'*
She felt like hitting herself. "I apologize, Shinji." If
Sakura was adopted because of how weak the Matou bloodline
was, what did that say about the son born of it? "I should
not have brought that up--"
Shinji ignored her. "Oh, you think you know better. You
heard them--they all think I'm going to die. Grandfather
thinks I'm going to die. *You* think I'm going to die.
*That worthless slut of a sister* thinks I'm going to die!"
Saber breathed in sharply. "Shinji! That's your sister--
*my Master*--!"
"I can almost hear her pathetic whine now. 'Nii-san, I'm
sorry! Nii-san, I'm sorry!' Please--like the little whore
actually feels bad about this!" He began to pace back and
forth in front of the couch. "Well, I'll show her. I'll
show them all! *I'm* the Master! *I'm* the one who's
special! *ME!*"
Saber stared, aghast, as he continued to rant.
"So I don't have Magic Circuits. So what? I'll still win!"
he spat. "If I don't have the power for a Servant myself,
I'll just get it from somewhere else! You need souls to
eat? Then I'll give you souls! *I'll feed you all the
souls you could want!* What does *any* of that have to do
with being powerful? It's so easy--"
"That is not possible."
Shinji stopped mid-stride. "Hah?"
"It is best that we clarify this matter now, while there is
still time to rectify it." Even though she was the one
speaking, Saber couldn't help but marvel at how even her
voice was. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to
tear the boy before her limb from limb. "Rider may or may
not abide by your plans. That is her prerogative. However,
I am a knight. It is a most grievous violation of my oaths
to hurt those who are unarmed."
She glared at him, and he stumbled back, sitting heavily
back down on the couch.
"If you were to order me to betray my beliefs in such a
fashion, you would be forced to use a Command Spell to
compensate for treading inside me." She glanced down at the
book in his hand. "But that tome is the only Command Spell
you possess. You do not have one to spare for such a
purpose."
She looked up again, directly into his eyes, and he pressed
against the back of the couch with a frightened squeak.
"Shinji. I strongly suggest that you reconsider your
strategy."
Shinji glared at her from the couch. Saber met his gaze
without blinking; after a long moment, he stood up, and
stormed out without another word.
Saber watched him head upstairs, then glanced over.
"Shouldn't you be following him, Rider?"
The Servant reappeared by the couch. "He cannot sense my
presence. As long as he does not leave the house, I will
have no trouble catching up to him at a second's notice."
Saber frowned. "You have business with me, then."
Rider nodded, then hesitated.
"What is it?"
"There is...something I wish to ask of you."
"Go on."
"What do you seek from the Holy Grail?"
Saber blinked. It was a legitimate question...at least, it
was a legitimate question if it came from her Master. It
was necessary for Master and Servant to clarify what each
sought from the Grail, lest they reach the end and then find
their wishes at odds with one another.
Had Sakura sent Rider to ask this, rather than do so
herself? Saber felt a small flash of anger at the thought--
it was far too much like Kiritsugu for her peace of mind.
"Isn't that something our Master should be asking?"
"She will not." Rider frowned. "She does not wish to be a
Master, nor will she act as one."
"I see." She already knew that. If Sakura had a wish--if
she was going to act as a Master--she would never have given
up Rider. "There is no need for her to ask about my wish,
in that case. But then..."
"I ask this as a fellow Servant."
Saber flinched. Another Rider had asked her that same
question...and the debacle that ensued was among her most
profound traumas. She could not think about the question--
or the disgust her answer had elicited in him--without also
thinking about his Noble Phantasm, which had rocked her very
self-concept.
*King Arthur does not understand human feelings.*
She shook herself. She doubted this Rider was a king, so
why was she asking? "You do not approve of me?"
"It is not my place to approve or disapprove. Nonetheless,
I ask."
Perhaps it was some leftover adrenaline from her
confrontation with Shinji. Perhaps it was the headache-
inducing half-light of the room. Perhaps it was simply the
stress from so much happening in so short a stretch of time.
Whatever the case, when she finally answered, Saber was
perhaps less cautious than she might otherwise have been.
"I seek to save my kingdom."
"Your kingdom?" Rider cocked her head. "You are a king,
then?" Saber stiffened, but before she could say anything,
Rider went on. "No, that is not important. Saber. You say
that you seek to save your kingdom. Do you wish this
salvation in the present day?"
Saber shook her head.
"I see." Rider looked away for a moment. "That is
unfortunate, then."
"What do you mean?"
"You are aware that the Holy Grail grows to greater
completion as more Servants fall."
"I am. What of it?"
"Not all wishes are equal. Even an incomplete Grail would
be an object of immense power; it should be capable of
granting most wishes. For my own, I believe that slaying
five Servants would be enough." Rider frowned. "But your
wish crosses time, crosses reality--it invites paradox. For
such a wish, nothing less than a wholly completed Grail will
suffice."
Saber's eyes widened, then narrowed. "We are still enemies,
then." How could she have forgotten? The Holy Grail War
was a deathmatch, not between Masters, but between
*Servants.* Even if only one Master remained--if that
Master had more than one Servant...
"No, we are allies." Rider smiled. "Having you guard
Sakura is advantageous for me, as well; it was for this
reason that I did not object to the old man's proposal.
"But Saber. This is only a temporary alliance. When no
other Masters remain, you and I will fight once more--your
wish requires it. And I will pit my own wish against you,
in turn."
Saber grinned sharply. "If it's anything like last night,
it won't be much of a battle."
To her surprise, Rider nodded. "Yes. In hindsight, that
was a fortuitous reprieve."
Saber raised an eyebrow. "You saw that, then?"
"As I said...in hindsight." Rider grimaced. "Next time, I
shall have to be sure to gag Shinji beforehand."
Saber couldn't help but chuckle at that, and Rider smiled
again. Then she turned to face Saber squarely, and braced
at attention. "Until that day, though, I will entrust
Sakura to you."
*Sakura...* "Rider, do you know where Sakura is right now?
She never came back to her room last night--"
"That is not her room."
"Not her room? What do you mean? She and her grandfather
both..." Saber trailed off involuntarily. The room had
suddenly grown very cold. It wasn't her imagination;
Rider's face had stiffened; and Saber understood
instinctively that the Servant was glaring at her behind her
mask. More than glaring...she wanted to do something to her--
was *restraining the impulse* to do something to her, and
having great difficulty in doing so.
It didn't make sense. Rider hadn't moved, and as far as
Saber could tell, she wasn't gathering any magical energy--
but the Servant in black was on the verge of unleashing a
fatal attack, all the same. Saber didn't know how that was
possible, but her instincts were vehemently certain...and
just as certain that under no circumstances should she
*want* to know.
Finally, Rider spoke. "I believe she has been in training."
She turned away with a violent twist, sending her long hair
billowing out behind her, and Saber released a breath she
hadn't realized she was holding. "Take care of her, Saber.
You will have a difficult time, but I wish you luck, all the
same." She dematerialized without another word.
*A difficult time...?* Saber frowned. "I don't
understand."
Rider didn't bother to take form again to give her response.
"*You will.*"
* * * * *
There was no visible sign of Shinji when Saber returned to
the second floor. The door to his room was shut, and
Rider's presence hovered menacingly nearby; it didn't look
like either of them wanted to see her at the moment.
That suited Saber just fine. She would need to completely
rethink her approach with Shinji...and she had a feeling
Rider really *would* attack her, if they encountered each
other again so soon.
A soft *thump* drew Saber's attention, and her eyes widened.
"Sakura."
Her Master slumped against the wall by the stairs to the
basement, nearly doubled over, and clutched one arm. Her
face was flushed, and she was gasping for breath.
"*Sakura!*"
"Huh?" Sakura slowly looked up with a dazed expression.
"Sa...ber...?"
"Sakura, are you all ri--" Sakura cocked her head, and
Saber stiffened. "I apologize, Master. It was rude of me
to presume to address you by your..."
"No...it's all right..." She paused for breath. "'Sakura'
is fine."
"I see. Thank you for your gracious--no, that's not it!
Sakura, are you all right?"
"I'm...fine."
Saber eyed her skeptically. "Please stand upright before
you tell me that."
Sakura looked down. "This is just...training."
"And do you always train all night?"
Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out; she
teetered, then began to tip sideways. Saber grabbed her arm
to steady her, but Sakura flinched back from the contact.
"Sakura!"
"I'm not...a Matou...not by blood." Sakura was breathing
heavily by this point. "It can't be...helped..."
*It can't be helped?* Saber frowned. She knew a mage's
training was harsh--she couldn't have put up with Merlin for
as long as she had without learning at least that much just
by osmosis--but Sakura was on the verge of collapse. And
she was implying that it was *always* like this?
No, that wasn't important now. "You should rest." Sakura's
training could wait; her immediate well-being was a far
greater consideration. "Come, I'll help you to your room."
"My room?" Sakura looked blankly at Saber for a moment;
then her eyes widened in comprehension, and she tried to
pull away. "No...I shouldn't...I'm..."
"Master. Please."
Sakura's face dropped. She stiffened when Saber took her
arm again, but she didn't try to pull away, and she didn't
resist as Saber led her to her room.
It didn't get any easier once they were safely inside and
Saber shut the door behind them. Sakura made no move
towards the bed or the closet or anywhere else; she just
stood there, lost, in the middle of the room.
Saber had to prod Sakura towards the bed...then had to stop
to undress her, when Sakura made to lie down in her clothes.
She stripped Sakura down to her underwear, then ran into the
next problem--there were no pajamas.
None in the dresser. None in the closet. None in the
hamper in the corner. None lying on the floor. No pajamas,
anywhere. "Sakura, where..." Sakura just stood there in
her bra and panties--head bowed and shame radiating off her
in waves--and Saber couldn't finish the question. She ended
up tucking Sakura into bed in her underwear.
Saber picked up Sakura's clothes, and frowned. White
blouse, tan vest, red ribbon and a dark skirt. It was very
similar to what Rin had been wearing under her long coat,
and there were two or three identical outfits hanging in the
closet. *A uniform of some kind?*
Probably a school uniform, given her Master's age. Sakura
wearing the same uniform as Rin was alarming; it suggested
frequent proximity, and that would offer many opportunities
for Archer's Master to do mischief. But Saber had noticed
something else, as well: While there were other outfits
hanging in the closet, they were stiff and unrumpled, and
almost all of them still had price tags attached.
It was almost as if the other clothes were just for show--
the only thing Sakura seemed to wear was the uniform. That
implied a few things about Sakura's routine; still, Saber
would have to ask to make sure.
*Not now, though.* Saber put the dirty clothes in the
hamper, then took a seat opposite the bed.
"Saber?"
Saber blinked. She'd thought Sakura was already asleep.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"I will keep watch over you here." Saber smiled. "Rest
easy; no harm shall come to you while you slumber."
Saber could almost hear Sakura blink, and that bothered her
for some reason. "Why?"
"Have you forgotten? You are my Master, now. Your well-
being is first and foremost."
"Because you're my Servant."
"That is correct."
"Even though I don't...?"
"I understood that when I agreed to contract with you."
Saber got up and walked over to the bed. She took Sakura's
hand in her own, and her Master's eyes widened. "My
objective is to obtain the Holy Grail. Under this
arrangement, that does not necessarily entail you entering
the field of battle. If you do not wish to fight, then I
will be your shield, and advance toward my goal by
protecting you."
She squeezed Sakura's hand. "And if you do choose to fight,
then I will be your sword, and put all your enemies under
your feet."
Sakura's face went pale. "But I don't *want*--"
"It is your choice, Sakura. I shall abide by whatever
decision you make." Saber frowned. "But...you are a mage.
Is there truly nothing you desire? No wish that the Holy
Grail might grant for you?"
"I...no." Sakura looked away. "I already have...everything
I should want."
"Very well." It hadn't escaped Saber's notice what,
exactly, Sakura had said--but she was a Servant. It wasn't
her place to interfere. "You should rest now."
Two stomachs chose that moment to growl in harmony. Saber
felt her face turning red, and she could see Sakura
blushing, as well. "...Or food might be an option. I'm not
much of a cook, but should I see if your brother or
grandfather--"
She cut herself off at Sakura's look of open alarm.
"Well. Let us rest first, then."
* * * * *
"Good morning, Onii-chan!"
The cheerful greeting was met with a pitiful
whine. The sun shining through the window was the
only thing that marked the passage of time, but
neither that nor the voice of Ilyasviel von
Einzbern had awakened the mutilated animal who was
once Emiya Shirou. There was a very simple reason
for this:
Shirou had been awake the entire time.
He could not lose consciousness. That kept him
from dying, or even from passing out--but it also
prevented him from sleeping.
"Oh, that's right." Ilyasviel snapped her
fingers. "It's too late for that greeting, now.
I should have said 'Good afternoon,' right?"
Shirou watched her with frightened eyes.
"I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. But we had
so much fun last night, I couldn't sleep--I just
woke up!"
She giggled. "Well--what should we play today? I
was thinking we could use the car battery, or
maybe the acid..."
Shirou groaned.
"My thoughts exactly. It's too early for those.
So let's go with this!"
She donned a pair of plated goggles...then picked
up a blowtorch. She'd just switched it on,
producing a blue flame barely visible in the
sunlight, when--
"Ojou-sama! Ojou-sama, where are you?"
Ilyasviel groaned. She shut off the torch, and
set it down. "I'm in here, Sella. What is it?"
A maid appeared in the doorway. She was dressed
all in white, with an oddly-shaped hood covering
her hair. She had red eyes, like Ilyasviel, and a
stern expression. "Ojou-sama, in the forest
there's--" She stopped short. "What in the world
are you wearing?"
"Wearing?" Ilyasviel reached up to her face, and
gave a start as she touched the goggles she'd
forgotten to take off. "Oh, these! Um, don't
worry about them. You were saying?"
The maid frowned, but continued. "There's an
intruder in the forest, Ojou-sama. They're headed
straight for the castle, and at this speed, it has
to be--"
"A Servant, yes, I know."
"Ojou-sama?"
"I knew the moment Lancer entered the forest.
He's in a hurry to die, but that's all right. He
shouldn't get here for a while, yet."
"Get here--" The maid's eyes widened. "Ojou-
sama, are you saying you'll let Lancer *into the
castle?!*"
"Why not?" Ilyasviel smiled evilly. "It'll be
harder for him to get away, that way."
"Ojou-sama! If you let Berserker loose inside the
castle..."
Ilyasviel frowned, and looked over at Shirou. He
shied back at her gaze.
"Ojou-sama!"
"I know, I know. 'Business before pleasure,'
right?" She sighed, then reached up and pulled
off the goggles. "I have to go now, Onii-chan.
But don't worry--I'll be back to play some more
before you know it!"
She followed the maid to the door, then turned
back and waved.
"See you later!"
INVENTA AUTEM UNA PRETIOSA MARGARITA
ABIIT ET VENDIDIT OMNIA QUAE HABUIT ET EMIT EAM
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