Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The leather notebook felt smooth in her hands, the weight of the many pages pushing down on her hand. Her eyes darted around nervously, taking in the strange room. She wasn’t really supposed to be here.

“Come on, one more!”

The duo that she was currently stalking were a rather odd one. There was, of course, the NEET, Osakabehime, and the overly social Musashi. Neither of them really fit with the other.

“Annnnnnnnd there you go. Three sit-ups! That’s a record.”

“Oh shut up! Can I go back to my room now?”

“Nope.”

The girl watched as Musashi dragged her partner away towards the treadmill, a loud “Nooooooooooooo!” left hanging in the air. Jotting down some notes, she continued to stare at the couple. In all honesty she didn’t understand why they were together. They seemed … ill suited for each other.

“And that’s it. You’re done for the day!”

Osakabehime immediately collapsed on the floor, panting to catch her breath.

“You, you demon.”

Musashi gave a jovial laugh, throwing her head back.

“But you're still here.”

“Not for long I won’t be! All I need is my collection and my manga! I hereby reject all exercise and the pushy who makes me suffer!”

The assassin turned around with an over exaggerated humph, picking up a nearby bottle of water and chugging it. Wiping off the residual water around her mouth, Osakabehime continued. “And another thing… eeeep!”

Arms slung around the girl, a face burying into the assassin’s back.

“Musashi? Everything okay?”

For a moment, there was no response, musashi simply nuzzling closer into the assassin. Slowly, a very muffled voice sounded out.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m pushy. I just… miss you when you’re working. I like being with you. It … makes me happy.”

There was a lot Osakabehime could have said. She didn't need to though.

“I know.”

There was a moment of infinite peace, stretching into eternity. For a second there was a shared happiness that permeated the room. Only a moment.

“Wanna come read my new doujin?”

“ … Yeah.”

The quiet observer smiled. Looks like she had been wrong. Turning away, the girl left the couple all alone. This moment was not for her.

-

Case Study One Conclusion:

Love is Understanding

-

Smiling wryly at the words on the page, the girl closed the notebook. Understanding, huh? She was trying. She was really trying.

Chapter Text

The light in the training room was always unnatural. Gleaming was a word that came to mind. Red was a color that was particularly striking, the bouncing beams of light flashing the rays through the bleeding red. It was a little hard to look at, the servant thought.

“ Are you going to use that?”

Rama turned slightly towards the girl, a brief moment of confusion passing through his eyes.

“Oh you must be the new servant.”

Silence.

“No I’m not. Were you planning to…?”

“Not really. The bow isn’t my area of expertise.”

“I suppose not.”

Silence. Again. The two servants stood looking at each other. Neither really said anything.

“Would you mind showing me? I have been told by both Arjuna and Karna that you are a fantastic bowman.”

The saber’s lips turned ever so slightly upwards, a small, mournful grin. Turning fully towards the girl, he spoke with the tinge of guilt in his words.

“No. I cannot do that. Not even for our new recruit. Not even for you.”

Rama’s fingers traced lightly over the bow, familiarity and aching in his actions. Picking the bow up, slowly, carefully, Rama brought the bow up, almost drawing the string. Almost. Abruptly, the saber brought the bow down, his knee snapping the bow.

“I cannot do that.”

“Is it because of her?”

Rama chuckled just a little, “I see you have done your research.” The jab failed to rouse any response, the servant simply continuing to stare quietly at the hero. “Yes. Because of Sita. I don’t draw a bow, nor do I fire any arrows. That is all I can do.”

“You must miss her.”

“Of course.” A pause. “I would do anything to see her again, to apologize. I would rip apart the skies, the land, the sea, every Authority in this domain and outside of it. Would you not do the same?”

The girl was silent, the shadow of a million different thoughts passing across her face.

“I have to go now.”

The female servant turned abruptly leaving Rama alone with the remnants of the shattered bow. Watching quietly, Rama sighed.

“You and I are not very different, are we?”

-

The girl kept walking for quite a while. The notebook weighed heavy in her hands. A brief moment sufficed to bring her to a stop, her hands quickly flipping to a blank page and writing only a few words down. Quickly, the servant moved onwards. She had to.

-

Case Study Two Conclusion:

Love is Sacrifice

-

Chapter Text

A sheet of paper, when folded 42 times, will be able to reach the moon. Gudao had once explained this to the caster. He had not initially believed such a blatantly obvious lie, but as stacks upon stacks of paper landed in front of him, Gilgamesh was starting to think maybe the mongrel had been correct.

The tea, however, was delicious. He would have to give his compliments to whoever had been chosen to brew his royal tea. Splendidly done. He needed a break, and this tea hit the spot. Each sip of the tea was a moment of peace he choose to enjoy, the light color of the flower placed with great care on the platter, a beautiful extra touch that sank him further into his relaxation. Aah. He understood.

Casually placing the cup down, the king stood, his eye hunting around the room for something that wasn’t there. Something out of place. Pacing gently around the room, by the corners, by the door, finally to a potted plant. Gingerly, the king picked the plant up and placed it outside the room, closing the door behind him. Back to work.

A sandwich was next. The caster did not even notice when the food had appeared on his desk, but there it was, complete with the same white flower he had found on his saucer earlier. Gilgamesh stared at the flower, then, with a sigh, to the plant that had reappeared in his room.

“Enkidu.”

The plant rustled almost imperceptibly. Gilgamesh had to suppress a small grin.

“Please leave.”

The caster’s eyes returned to his work, silently hoping the lancer would comply. He could not meet with them. Certainly not yet.

Delicate hands slowly shuffled papers, arranging the many matters the king had been trusted with. Here were the financial difficulties. Here were the internal disputes. Here were the resource matters.

“Enkidu.”

The hands grabbed the plate with a half-eaten sandwich on it, and the empty tea cup and saucer. The mess on the desk was slowly cleaned, leaving the space more organized.

“I must work.”

The retreating figure stopped, instead turning back towards the king. Their steps came quietly, careful not to disturb the quiet of the room. Bending over the desk, Enkidu stared tenderly at Gilgamesh.

“Then I’ll wait. As long as it takes. But I’m helping.”

Faintly their lips pressed against Gilgamesh’s forehead, a small reassurance. Then they were gone, taking the dirty plates and a finished stack of paper with them. The caster was left alone, a light smile spread across his face.

-

With a wave of her hand, the girl stopped the magical observance. Her hands stopped their writing, a small fatigue resting on her brow. The sadness she felt in her heart was deep, threatening to overwhelm her. Tears rolled down her cheek. For a moment, the servant felt as though when she looked up, a warm hand would wipe away her tears, but when she looked up, no one was there.

-

Case Study Three:

Love is Reliance

-

Chapter Text

The swirling vortex of the rayshift was beautiful. That’s what she thought.

“Hahaha. What a wonderful rayshift!” The boisterous pharaoh was certainly interesting, the watchful eyes tracing his path.

“Da Vinci! Where is Gudao? There is a team of monsters in Babylon that requires extermination!”

Lively was an exceptionally descriptive word of the rider. The servant felt something familiar from the servant. Not a twinge of an old connection, but rather a twinge of understanding. Gold and jewels hung around the pharaoh’s neck, regality radiating from the pharaoh. The small flash of pink from the twirling flower a small reminder of time long gone.

“He’s the same as me.”

Da Vinci and the pharaoh continued to converse, until, finally, Ozymandias turned with a flourish and walked out of the room. Meandering around the halls of Chaldea, the rider greeted the myriad servants of Chaldea, the girl following a safe distance behind. An hour passed. Two. Three. Still Ozymandias did not find who he was looking for.

Four. That was how many hours it took. The rider jovially greeted the saber and berserker, striking up a conversation with the two. For quite a while the trio conversed, Ozymandias showing the small flower to the eager berserker, laughing loudly along with the saber. Finally, he followed the two back to their room, leaving the servant waiting. A few moments later, the pharaoh left, a small glass vase held in his free hand. Through the crack in the door, the servant could see Mordred and Frankenstein happily playing with a baby Sphinx Awald.

It took less time to get back to the rider’s room. Four hours searching, and only two minutes to return to his room and place the flower in the vase. So much time for so little an action. The girl was quite confused.

“Nefertari.”

The servant was pulled from her thoughts, returning her eyes to her observations.

“Would you like it here?” the pharaoh’s fingers caressing the flower. “I think you would. There are so many people that you could meet. So many new things for you to experience. I know you’ll like it. So make sure you come soon. I’m still waiting.”

-

Case Study Four:

Love is Patience

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Spell after spell careened into the blizzard, lighting up the darkness. Explosions echoed in the distance, a promise of destruction to far off to see. Lightly panting, the girl fired shot after shot into the void, a primal scream of anguish that no one answered.

Chapter Text

“Come on, open up.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“You need to eat Souji.”

“Feed me then.”

The archer let out a little sigh. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do you idiot. Now open up.” Okita rolled over, facing towards Nobunaga, opening her mouth just a little.

“Ahhhhhhhhh.”

Nobunaga snickered, caught off guard by the strange display. Normally Okita was a lot less docile. Carefully, she fed the saber bits of porridge, staying quietly beside the bed-ridden saber. The room was tranquil, still.

Wracking coughs shook the room. Or maybe just her? Nobunaga didn’t know. Propping Okita up, she handed the saber a red handkerchief. They used to use white ones, but those got dirty quickly and the archer had stealthily replaced them. Okita had enough to worry about.

“Thank you Nobu.” the saber managed between coughs. Weak hands clutched onto Nobunaga, the occasional cough rattling through their bodies. The archer could only sit, clinging desperately to the shaking servant, frantically trying to bring her even a small amount of comfort.

“You should try to sleep some.”

“Don’t wanna. I don’t wanna stay in bed. I wanna go do stuff with you Nobu.”

“We’ll go wherever you want in the morning. You need to sleep now.”

“Fine.” A pause. “Carry me.”

“Alright”

Picking up the girl, the archer could feel the heat radiating off of the saber. Frowning, the girl carried Okita over to her bed. Lovingly, Nobunaga placed Okita down, tucking the covers around the saber. Turning around, the archer decided to go find Nightingale.

“Don’t go.”

A small hand grasped the corner of Nobunaga’s cape, a small mumble holding the servant back.

“Stay with me.”

The bed was a little tight with the two of them in it. Nobunaga had been meaning to talk to master about getting a slightly bigger one, but for now it was fine. She held the saber tightly, as tightly as she dared. Eventually, the ragged breathing came more evenly, which the archer knew meant that Okita had fallen asleep. Slowly, she untangled her arms, standing up as quietly as possible. She really needed to find Nightingale. Brushing her lips against the sleeping servant’s forehead, the archer whispered a hushed goodbye to the girl.

“You’ll be fine Souji. I’ll make sure of it.”

Faintly, the sleeping form rolled over. The archer finally turned towards the door, treading noiselessly.

“Nobu … love you…”

A smile caught on the edge of Nobunaga’s lips, the words spoken from the edge of sleep briefly halting the servant.

“Love you too.”

-

Case Study Five:

Love is Compassion

-

Chapter Text

White had been her favorite color. Back then. A white so radiant and blinding, it held the world in its thrall. That had been so long ago though. So very long ago.

The door closed with a tiny thunk, the dark of her room welcoming the Queen of Sheba. A wave of her hand lit up the room, the small confines alien to her. How long had it been since she got here? A week? Two? The queen did not know. There was so much she had wanted to do at first, but now all she could do to fill her days was sneak around Chaldea, searching for a distraction.

Master had suggested that she take on this observation, an activity to fill the Caster’s days. The queen had decided to observe the romance of the myriad servants. She really didn’t know why. Perhaps she had been struggling to understand the happiness that so many had found here in Chaldea, but now…

The leather pressed into her hand, a heavy reminder of what she had lost. Dark eyes stared down at the notebook, unknown emotions swirling in their depths. Small sparks of fire raced from her fingers, tracing through the cracks in the leather, lighting the small book on fire. The fire was beautiful, shining brightly in the room. Reflections of the fire stared intently, watching the blaze with a veiled passion.

The fire burned out.

The Queen of Sheba shook herself away from her trance, returning her gaze to the present. Falling heavily onto her bed, the queen looked up at the ceiling, counting each tile slowly, carefully, trying not to lose focus. One. Two. Three. A single tear. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Another tear. Eight. Nine. Another. Ten. Another. Another. Eleven. Another. Another. Another. Another. The tears fell quickly and quietly, a silent plea.

No one heard.

The caster cried for a long time, the quiet sobs quaking through her body. Looking upwards towards a sky beyond the walls of Chaldea, the caster felt the weight of regret pressing into her shoulders.

“I wish you had waited just a little longer.”