Chapter 32: I Don't Mind

Beta read by Shigiya, GameCrusher55 and Darklord331

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-Emiya Residence-Dojo-

When it came to combat, confrontations that required close contact with the opponent and a sturdy overall physique was something— Shirou had to admit that he was somewhat lacking in that department. 

There was only so much damage he could sustain, so many broken bones, torn ligaments, and internal bleeding to bear before everything broke apart. 

Not to say he did not have experience or training, but compared to the people he met so far. The discovery of how far behind he was in that aspect struck the boy like a wrecking ball. From getting overwhelmed by Luvia when they first met to getting absolutely pummeled by Bazett nearly dying in the process of escaping. 

Granted he personally believed his specialized field lay in long-range shooting than anything else but having an overall balanced arsenal felt ideal. A small part of him wanted to believe that he at least managed to get better, to have improved to a certain degree so that past incidents would not repeat themselves anymore. 

Bang! 

"Gah!" 

Yet here he was, coughing out blood and spit, rolling onto the dojo's floor with his body drenched in sweat. Breathing haggardly and seeing twos from his vision. Overall… a pretty miserable situation. 

"Stop trying to rush your opponent, keep your guard up, as well as your distance. Your form is not bad but you lack proper strength and technique for your strikes to incapacitate your opponent as quickly as possible." 

How many times had he been tossed like this? Ten? Twenty? Thirty? 

He lost count honestly, not bothering to keep track of the numbers with the multiple head traumas he sustained. "I think you turned me into a crippled man, Bazett." 

At his response, a damp towel flew at his face with a loud splat. "Stop whining, brat. You're the one who asked me to help you with these lessons. I am not one to let my debts go unpaid, and I also don't do things half-assedly… so you have no one to blame but yourself." 

Looking at the person standing in front of him, wearing a simple blue tracksuit that clung to her figure. Sweat trickled down her forehead from their spars, yet not a single presence of bruised skin or anything similar. She was completely fine while he suffered plenty of torment by those unnaturally powerful fists.

'And she is supposed to still be recovering, yet I feel like she has become more powerful than her past self.' 

What a monster.

 It is still not as hard to deal with compared to Rider. Of course, the latter was a Servant after all, but Rider's kicks felt more painful due to her heels, which felt no different from getting pierced by a metal rod. 

"Also you are the weird one, It's good to have the drive to get better and improve — but pushing yourself to this extent won't gain you any results." His solar plexus ached, every joint in his arms screamed in protest from the smallest movements and his legs were basically jelly at this point. 

But he didn't share Bazett's opinion that he didn't gain anything from pushing himself so far. "I become more familiar with your style." He said with great effort, pushing himself off the ground after feeling some of his energy recover. "And your lessons have helped me learn how to take a hit without something important in my body breaking. I would not have been able to learn this in such a short period of time without your help." 

"Tch, trying to flatter me won't get you anywhere." She said quietly, neither sounding angered by what he mentioned nor trying to disapprove of his statement. "Still, you do recover quicker than I anticipated. I will comment on one thing, next time, don't try to grab onto my body like that if you don't want a broken skull."

A chill ran down his spine, forcing him to look at the ceiling and be unable to meet her gaze for a few seconds. During their battle, he would occasionally use moves taught to him by Luvia, trying to get a hold of Bazett and immobilize her movements as much as possible. Using offensive attacks proved to be useless so that was his only option which he believed had a fair chance of succeeding. 

But he forgot to account that in trying to get a proper hold and with her struggling to break free, he would end up ripping apart the shirt she had on at first. 

Frozen in shock, Shirou's eyes widened as he found himself gawking at Bazett's barely concealed chest, her sports bra clinging on for dear life and revealing an ample amount of her firm, bouncing cleavage. His gaze lingered a little too long, catching a tantalizing glimpse of pink peeking out from the fabric. Before he could fully process the sight, Bazett's fist ruthlessly connected with his face, the sheer force behind the blow launching him clear across the dojo like a ragdoll. 

She pretended nothing happened after changing into a tracksuit, but that faint blush on her face was very telling. 

"Why are you not asking that Servant of yours to help you? I haven't seen her fight but she is a Heroic Spirit at the end of the day and her power and skills outclass mine. Surely she is the better option than me." 

"..." 

It was not the case of Rider not being enough as a teacher because she was, rather the issue was something completely different. 

Every time they trained, Rider seemed to favor close-quarters grappling over her signature kicks. She'd trap him in holds that left him gasping for air, his neck locked between her arms. But even as she cut off his oxygen, all he could focus on was her body pressed against his and the overwhelming scent of lilies that clouded what little sense he had left. 

Rider wore tight clothing that hid only the bare necessity, so the slightest contact made him feel her warmth as if it was her bare skin. This got worse when she once used an arm bar to move against him to hold him in place. Pulling his arms which were fully in contact with her chest and her legs locking his head into place. 

He was suffocating in more ways than one that day, an urge he would not feel normally during such a scenario washing over his body with Rider beside him. His heart felt like it was going to explode that day and he had to cut the session short in order to get a long cold shower. 

The lingering touch of her entire body and warmth made it impossible for him to come out of there any sooner. 

It was genuinely driving him insane. 

'Is she doing it intentionally?' Her tendency to do things just to get a reaction out of him started to become bolder lately. They were subtle but definitely noticeable. 

This is one of the reasons why he wanted to try out a couple of sessions with Bazett just to get a hold of himself.

But now, he wonders if he should just try looking for a male instructor.

As their little sparring session came to an end, Shirou found Bazett wearing her shoes and preparing to leave. "You can stay here if you want." 

"Hm?" 

"Here. The place is big enough to house multiple people and is far away from the main area of Fuyuki to be considered peaceful. Since you are staying in Fuyuki for the foreseeable future, feel free to take one of the rooms." 

He did not have much of a reason to extend this offer to Bazett other than plain convenience for the other party. She mentioned only doing this for him as a way to repay a favor for saving her from Caster.

"I'll have to decline," she replied curtly, having taken a few seconds to consider his offer at the very least. "I appreciate what you are offering, do not get me wrong, but it is not necessary for you to go this far for me. I already have an old resident registered under the name of my family, who was purchased a long time ago, so staying there is more than enough." 

"You never told me where this house of yours is." 

"Because that information is private and none of your business. If you need my help then a phone call is always better." So she said, but this was not the entire story, and thus decided to bring up a certain topic that had been bugging him for a while. 

"Are you being so secretive because of what that priest mentioned at the church?" 

Her body went rigid before she turned to fix him with a sharp glare. "Listen kid, some things are better left alone. Getting mixed up in business that doesn't concern you will only bring trouble you're not ready to handle."

Shirou grumbled a bit at her stubbornness. 

"Oh come on. I am a Master involved in a war where spirits capable of destroying the entity of Fuyuki fight one another for an all-powerful wish-granting device. I am already involved with matters that will cause nothing but trouble for me. I don't think your situation is any worse with what I'm dealing with right now, you know." He didn't get to hear exactly the conversation the woman had with that weird priest. Only managed to catch a few stray words.

But he did notice her bad mood as she left the church a few minutes later. She did not give him any opportunity to listen to his questions before walking away and telling him she would stop at his house the next day.

"Are you perhaps aiming to become a master as well?"

"And what if I was? She did not deny his words and instead gave him a sharp glare. "This is more reason for me to not be invited to live here. Bringing in a potential enemy to where you are most vulnerable is not wise, I could kill you at any moment." 

"So… is that a yes or a no?" 

Her eyes twitched, "See the back of my hand. Do you spot any Command Seals? I can't even become a master now even if I wanted to, I lost my spot." There was clear frustration in her tone. Enough anger that she clenched her fist hard enough to almost draw blood. "Which is why for your own sake, Just focus on getting out of this mess alive rather than thinking about helping others."

"I can't do that." 

His answer came immediately as she finished her sentence, further annoying the woman who was forced to let out a deep sigh. 

"You say that you owe me a debt but so do I. If it were not for you taking out those monsters that were prowling the city then I do not want to imagine how many people would have fallen victim. Especially with that monster we faced at the shipyard, I would not have been able to kill it all by myself if you were not here. So yes, I also owe you a lot."

"That was already paid back long ago."

"Not for me it isn't." Were she not present, or had he not been at the right place at the right time, then these monsters could have easily targeted some of the people he personally knew. His mind went back to the corpses of the policemen who were eaten alive when he encountered the monster for the first time. He truly believed this to not be a death that could be completely repaid just after helping Bazett one time.

"If you do not wish to tell me then I will not force you, instead I will find out the answer by myself."

"Don't push it, stubborn brat." 

"It is you who is being stubborn. I'm just trying to help!" 

"You can't just go on helping every single person that just happens to cross your path!" 

*I don't see why I can't! If someone is in trouble then it makes sense to help them!" 

This back and forth went on for quite a while, the longer she tried to dissuade the boy the more intent he became not willing to back down a single step. 'Something is seriously wrong with his head!' Perhaps she struck his school in the past a bit too hard and gave him permanent brain damage which made him like this, but if that were the case it made her feel even more guilty! 

"If you are not willing to tell me what problem you are facing, then I will just ask the only other person who knows and might be willing to share. I'm going to the church."

"Wait, you idiot!" Bazett lunged forward and snagged his collar, yanking him back with enough force to make him stumble. She pinched the bridge of her nose, looking thoroughly exhausted. "Of all the thick-headed, nosy brats I could've gotten stuck with... What did I do to deserve someone who can't mind their own damn business for five minutes?"

Thinking about this carefully, and after getting to know him for a bit longer, Bazett truly started to believe that he was going to somehow get involved with her affairs even if she tried to hide it from him. 

"Hah… fine, you win. But if this ends up killing you then it's your fault entirely."

Her resolve broke and both ended up facing one another sitting in the middle of the dojo. Shirou waited patiently to hear her side of the story, already coming up with his own ideas on what could have happened but not voicing them out yet. 

She massaged her temples for a few seconds and then spoke, "The story is not that complex to tell you the truth. I myself got wind of it the same day you found me facing Caster. There are some incidents that happened here and in London that are being blamed on me." 

"You're being hunted down?" Both eyes widened at that revelation, this was worse than he imagined. 

Bazett scoffed, "Ironic, isn't it? I, an Enforcer, have to experience the same thing my prior targets had to deal with. It has not deteriorated to an extent that I have multiple people flying over my head, but I can't exactly disregard the possibility of that happening if I do not resolve this issue." 

"Mind telling me the details of this incident? What exactly are you being framed for?" 

She did not give him an answer immediately, visibly pondering on her next course of action and whether or not to tell him the entirety of the story. "I will not tell you everything no matter how much you ask me to do it, but if you had to know the basics, it's because of those Chimera monsters and the one behind their creation. Somehow, I ended up in a situation where people were led to believe I was an accomplice to an extent." 

It was that bad huh… "Then all the more reason for you to stay here. I have Rider with me, if people come to hunt you down then we can help you ou—ouch!" His phrase was cut short as her fist struck his head with a light thud. 

"Don't try to be a hero, Shirou," Bazett mentioned it with a softer expression this time. "I am still more than capable of taking care of myself and the last thing I would want is to have a stranger who had nothing to do with me get involved with my own problems. Just let me handle this, I won't fail like last time." 

Seeing that he didn't say anything else, the woman felt satisfied that she finally managed to get through that thick skull of his and was about to leave the dojo when she heard his voice ring out from behind. 

"Bazett," She hoped he wouldn't try to act stubborn like he did previously. "If you ever find yourself needing any kind of help, even something very trivial, then please don't hesitate to come and see me here or in Copenhagen."

A smile graced her face and she hummed in agreement. "And you make sure you don't end up in scenarios you should not have been involved in the first place or even try to take on a Servant all by yourself." 

"I can't make any promises." 

Oh well, at least she tried. 

{Break}

While Shiro and Bazett had their session inside the dojo, in the main house both Sakura and Rider were sitting at the table in the living room silently watching the news on the TV. 

Each had a cup of tea which they drank ever so often.

Yet that was not truly the case given Rider kept noticing the violet-haired girl in front of her kept getting distracted and would look outside every so often. A worried light flashed within her eyes, though it was not that hard to figure out what was going on inside her mind. "You do not need to mind the crashing noise, It is most likely Master getting thrown around a bit or getting punched in the face."

Sakura gave her an incredulous look, "How is that supposed to help? That only makes me more worried than anything else!"

"Ah," Rider realized that she made a mistake and tried to change up her words. "Master and the Enforcer are wrestling one another which ended up with her clothes getting ripped."

"..."

"It sounds weird, but I assure you it's exactly what happened. I checked." Leave it to that boy to end up getting beaten to an inch of his life even in the safest of environments. She did not pity him, even feeling a bit satisfied by his suffering given he just had to ask Bazett to help him with combat when she was readily available as his Servant. 

Was it jealousy? Not really. 

More accurately a tiny part of her pride got hurt because she felt like he did not find her capable enough to help him in that regard. While she acknowledged the Enforcer had talents herself, so did she. 

"You have been worried more so than usual, Sakura. I am not talking about Shirou training and getting injured, but something else entirely." Rider pointed out, Having long since decided to help the girl in front of her in any way she could. 

Sakura was a bit caught off guard by what she said but did not deny it. Caressing the cup of tea in front of her she whispered quietly, "I feel like there is a wall between us." 

"Pardon?" 

"I-I have been here for a while now since he took me away from my house. This has been some of the happiest moments of my life, I get to see him every day and become a more intimate part of his life than before. But despite being physically closer and spending this entire time with him, I do not feel like anything has changed between us." 

"..."

Rider wanted to deny that claim but she was unable to do so, for the girl was correct and she could not even blame her Master for it. These past few days had been rather hectic for everyone involved, and Shirou continuously kept finding himself in precarious situations or busy improving his abilities for the future. 

For someone who was doing so just so he could protect those he cared about and to lessen the burden on herself, she just could not blame him whatsoever.

"You see it too right? It's as if nothing between us has really changed at all. I want to be more involved in his life, I want him to look at me more often and I really wish I could help him with everything he is dealing with right now. Instead, I am here, living in a safe environment while he keeps smiling at me and telling me everything is going to be all right."

Rider looked at Sakura's trembling hands. 

"... Is it getting worse?"

"Not as frequent as before, But it is getting increasingly more intense. I almost lost control of myself when I came to wake him up, I was able to leave and relieve myself in the bathroom."

She knew, given she was there as well but did not plan to stop her even if she had lost control. As a part of her new that Shirou would have tried to help Sakura in any way he could if he knew about her condition. But it was unfortunate that Sakura begged her to keep this a secret, a promise she regretted making. 

"You cannot keep it hidden for long."

"I know… I know." She answered, a trace of exhaustion flashing within her eyes. "But I am afraid he will be disgusted or put off when confronting that part of me. I do not want to shatter that version of myself he has in his mind, I want him to keep thinking of me as being someone pure rather than discovering what kind of tainted individual he had been protecting all this time."

"I don't believe he will act like that, I know that Master genuinely cares about you and won't abandon you, Sakura." This was the same person who she suspected already had an inkling of her true name, yet despite that he never changed his behavior around her. 

If a monster was not enough to draw negative emotions, then Sakura would be safe from such judgment. 

"Can you be sure of that, Rider?" She asked with a saddened smile. "Can you really tell me right now that if I tell everything will remain the same and Senpai will continue to look at me in the eyes like he used to when getting to know the truth?" 

"..."

No, as much as she knew her Master, Rider just could not guarantee the kind of reaction he would have. If she was wrong and things failed to go as told, then the damage done to the girl would be too much. 

"I know I will not stay here forever. Maybe it is a matter of days, weeks, or a month at best… I will be forced to go back and complete the preparations set up for me. It is inevitable, so before that happens, I want to make my time here as memorable as possible. Maybe I am being too greedy after all." 

Even if Sakura could not see Rider's eyes, the latter frowned heavily when presented with this situation. At the end of the day, she was Shirou's Servant and not Sakura's, so making decisions solely around the well-being of Sakura at the potential expense of her Master was tricky, to say the least. 

But she was not going to give up so easily. 

"You need to be more active if you want Shirou to see you in a different light." She said sternly, slapping the table to gain her attention. 

"Ah!" Sakura was not prepared for such a thing, almost dropping her tea. "R-Rider?"

"Sakura, I want you to understand that Shirou will not just take the first step if you continue behaving like this. It may be wrong for me to say this but he is someone who can be described as… blind. Until you just don't directly kiss him or sleep with him he will remain clueless." 

"Kiss!? S-Sleep with him!?" 

"What's stopping you?" Rider gripped the girl's shoulders firmly, preventing her escape. "Trust me, I've spent enough time with Master to notice how his body responds during our spars - he tries to hide it, but he's still just a teenage boy. And between you and me..." She leaned in closer, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I think he might actually enjoy getting roughed up a bit. With a figure like yours - which rivals even mine - all you need to do is get him alone in your room and drain him until he can't get enough."

Sakura's face burned crimson as her mind wandered to dangerous territory, those suggestive scenarios playing out in vivid detail despite her best efforts to suppress them. 

"Just imagine - pinning him down, kissing him until he can't think straight," Rider continued with a knowing smirk. "Trust me, a few well-placed touches in the right spots and he'll be completely at your mercy. Men are simple creatures, after all." 

"I-I c-can't do that!" 

"Yes you can, I believe in you. He is a teenage boy with a working libido. He is not as pure-minded as you like to think, I have seen him sneaking glances at your chest as well along with mine." 

Sakura stopped struggling and looked at her with bewilderment. "He… did?" 

"Many times. I promise you. A single wet dream and he will be unable to look at you properly without wanting to make you his woman." He was a dense person but still a man, and if she remained consistent with her pushes then he was bound to break. 

Her own experiments gave her a few ideas of his threshold. 

"Don't you want him to push you down every time he comes back home from a long day at work and have you for dinner and again during a bath?" 

"Where did you learn that!?" 

"Not important. So, what is your answer?" 

The violet-haired girl hesitated and ended up nodding her head. "Then if you follow my lead, take advantage of every opportunity I prepare for you then I guarantee that he will be yours in a matter of days. Wouldn't you be sad if he ended up in the arms of another girl? He is already being swayed by me." 

She tried to ignite the competitive spirit most young girls around Sakura's age would have, but seeing the confused stare threw her off a bit. 

"Ah, I do not mind if you also like Shirou, Rider. After all, you have kept him safe many times. I don't have the right to stop anything happening between you two…" 

Alright, perhaps she went a bit too hard on the girl and she was not saying nonsensical things due to her lower self-esteem. 

"That is why I will trust you, Rider." 

Her Master had no idea the gem that resided within his grasp and she was going to show him one way or another. 

{Break}

(A few minutes later) 

After his conversation with Bazett, Shirou returned to the main house feeling sore all over his body. She felt satisfied with what he accomplished today and was looking forward to future lessons with the woman. 

"Ah, Rider." Walking in he found the servant sitting all by herself in the living room for some reason. "Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" 

"Just looking at the news." She said while humming and took a seat as well, wanting to drink some tea to quench his dried-out throat. 

"Is Sakura still in her room? Maybe I should call her to have dinner, it's almost time." Good thing their sparring Did not go overboard and he still had enough stamina left to cook up a few simple dishes which also helped to relieve some of his mental stress. "Do you have anything you want to eat in part—woah!" 

His soul nearly left his body when he found the blindfolded woman's face less than an inch away from his neck. Her tantalizing scent reached his nose making his eyes go hazy and his imagination into overdrive. The prior fatigue he felt instantly evaporated as that same sensation he wanted to avoid started to creep in ever so slowly. 

"R-Rider?" 

Her nose twitched, and he just found himself staying completely still, completely immobile like a statue.

"Master, you reak of sweat."

"..."

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut, sharp and unexpected, snapping him back to reality. For a moment, Shirou just sat there, stunned, his composure slipping as the color in his cheeks deepened. It wasn't often he found himself at a loss for words, yet here he was, blindsided and blushing.

After a steadying breath, he glanced down, buying a moment to gather himself. But even as he did, a familiar, unpleasant scent drifted up, catching his attention. With a quick, embarrassed sniff, he realized it was him—the stale, sour smell of hours spent sparring with Bazett clung to him, seeping through his clothes and into the air around him.

He gave a small, resigned sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess so. I don't think Sakura will like sitting and eating next to someone who stinks hahaha… I forgot about the blood as well."

Their injuries were not remotely severe but he did bleed a bit after getting pummeled a couple of times. 

He tried to lighten the mood, yet instead of just agreeing with him, Rider's face came closer and he felt her breath touching his ears, her hair tickling his neck and then sensing her hand resting on his knee. "You don't smell that bad Master. Your scent is almost… sweet." She whispered that last word closer to his ears with a different tone. 

Goosebumps rose across his body yet he was not afraid of Rider, rather he started to fear what he might end up doing if she continued. 

"I am going to take a shower!" 

He quickly summoned every ounce of strength his will could muster up and left the living room with heavy steps. Uncaring weather's reaction may have conjured up any misunderstanding from Rider, it was the best course of action.

"I see, I already prepared the bath for you, Master." 

She did? 

Why?

Not important right now.

His mind played back the image of her face so close up that he could see her glossy lips. 

'What am I thinking!? I am going crazy… it must be because of the fight. I just need to cool off!' It wasn't like him to lose control of his emotions so easily just from a few seconds of physical contact, in fact, he was pretty sure he was not like this just a few days ago. 

Was Rider really not aware of her actions!?

Uncaring, he took off his tattered clothes and did not even notice the lights in the bathroom that were already on. Pushing the door open and walked inside till he was faced with a face full of steam and a fragrant scent of lavender. 

"Urgh!" 

Shirou choked As soon as he turned his attention to the bathtub and noticed a familiar gifted figure calmly lying in the water. Her violet strands of hair floated on the surface with her chest being submerged enough where that he could only see the cleavage. 

She looked back at him with an equal amount of surprise with a completely flushed face.

"S-Senpai?" 

She was here….

Sakura who he believed to have been in her room previously was actually taking a bath and he barged in without noticing. 

His prior confused state turned into complete chaos. 

"I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here." Grateful that he still had the towel around his waist, Shirou turned around swiftly and planned to rush out.

Bam!

Only to have his hopes burn to cinders when the door slid closed. He quickly tried to open it back up, only for it to not budge an inch. 

"Rider! Rider! Quickly open the door for me!" In his desperation, he called for his Servant to come to his aid as quickly as she could. 

Poor Sakura must be shaken seeing him just barge in like this.

"Oh dear, what terrible timing - the lock seems to be jammed. How unfortunate," Rider called out with barely concealed amusement. Through the fogged glass, he could make out her silhouette casually leaning against the door. "I suppose these things just happen sometimes."

"How is it broken!? I made sure to check it out last week!" Shirou rattled the handle frantically, his voice cracking slightly with panic. 

He tried to use more strength only for it to be a futile attempt with the entire thing just refusing to budge. How did the door lock become so difficult to break!?

"Rider, try open with force from your own side." 

The sound of water splashing to the ground came from behind.

"I do not think that is a good idea, Master. You did mention how to be careful with household items." She said, her tone carrying a clear trace of mirth. "Maybe we should wait a bit and see, perhaps the lock will get unstuck by itself." 

"That's not how locks work!" 

The wet footsteps drew closer and closer.

"Forgive me, Master. Modern technology still confuses me to some extent." 

"Break it then!"

"Ah, I believe I heard something outside. Please stay here while I go check, it can be an enemy for all we know." 

"Rider! Come back! If I stay here Sakura will be very uncomfortable!" 

She was messing with him!

He knew it! 

Then he realized that the footsteps sound came to a stop near him, warm wet fingers grabbing onto his wrist hesitantly. The scent of lavender grew stronger and his heartbeat reached a level it never had before. Shirou gulped, trying to calm down his nerves.

"Senpai," she called him, her voice both soft and gentle to his ears. Sounding louder than usual due to the confined room. "You can… you can look at me, please…"

His head slowly turned around, and it felt as if the world had come to a complete halt. He stared blankly at the naked girl standing there, droplets of water streaming down her inner thighs, face, and chest. 

"I… I don't mind that you are here." 

Her grasp on his wrist tightened ever so slightly. 

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.