Cross Effects 3.0 - April 13, 2015—June 23, 2016

[Kat]

"Oh? Have I? I've acknowledged your potential to be inherit the World and all the mysteries within it, but it is still simply potential. You have forgotten much but in turn you have learned other branches of knowledge. There is no doubt that there is much that humanity has learned that I do not know and it is just as true that I remember things that humanity has long forgotten."

The progenitor stood up, and vines and roots seemingly let go rather than be ripped by her movement. "Perhaps you of all my Children will succeed. Perhaps you will fail. Only time will tell, but I am more than willing to find out with another."

She took out a slightly larger vial from her cloak and nearly filled it with her blood. While ingesting a large amount of her blood provided immediate but temporary benefits a slower diet of drops over time was capable of permanently increasing one's physical abilities and reverse aging. This amount would be good for a few centuries she imagined. She corked it and held it out to the Child. "If you cannot withstand the weight of time then once you have aged significantly drink a single drop a day. It will grant you youth and the opportunity to see what will become of you Children."

Noriko

"I will take it, but don't worry about me, I'm sure I will conquer death on my own." she declared with confidence. She was a bit wary about Aisha's gift anyway, so she would study it carefully. If her words proved true, that would be her last measure in slight chance she would fail. She had to develop her own method for immortality anyway, without reliance on others. "You know, even if you recognize my potential after all, you are still mistaken, for there is no way for me to fail in my quest." Saying that, she was about to leave, but started wondering if the woman really planned to stay outside like someone homeless. "Hey, are you sure you are fine staying here?" She asked. She gave her something after all, so trying to find her (not too expensive) place to stay could be a form of repaying the favor. She didn't find it good being given something for free.

[SINIB]

Noel

Noel looked down on the sewage worker, floating just high enough to be above him. Her blue eyes were filled with annoyance at this flagrant disrespect. Did he not understand what they were doing here?

"Sir, we were authorized to come down here, my superior here should have the documentation," she said as she nodded at Tar. "I'm sorry if you're upset ,but we 'e just doing our job, the same as you." Noel said in the most authoritative boice she could muster.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Sakagami Kenzo

Ever since he walked out of the hospital, Kenzo felt something was amiss. It wasn't  before long that he realized he had forgotten about something crucial. His worst fears were only confirmed when he tapped his thigh and was shocked to realize nothing was there. How could he, how could he have forgotten?

His sword.

His eyes wide in terror, he looked everywhere for something, anything. This was bad, this was awful. If he didn't find it... No, he had to find it! He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe this happened.

His sword was missing.

So he ran, searching high and low all over the city for her. He had to find it, he had to! But no matter how much he looked for her, he couldn't find her. Little by little, panic overtook him and he began to run faster and faster. Before long, a look of terror was written all over his face. It was as if he was running from someone rather than at someone. No matter how you looked at it, his panting and terrified look was clear as day.

And then, without even noticing, he bumped into someone. Instantly, he came back to his senses and found himself butt first on the ground, standing in front of a beautiful blonde woman. Even if the impact wasn't severe enough to warrant that, blood dripped from the left side of his forehead. Instinctictively, Kenzo covered it with his hand as fast as he could and looked at her with a look of utter shock.

"Sorry! Sorry! I-I didn't mean it. I was just, I was just..."

Then, he knelt and bowed, his head practically touching the ground.

"Sorry!"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Sewage Worker

The man didn't even bother to look up and just continued to try and remedy his aching head. "You were authorized to come and find a monster. You have not done that and you have caused property damage that makes it difficult for us to contain the threats within the inner parts of the sewer. Right now you aren't doing your job. You're trying to tell us how to do ours. Let me make this very clear. We will not allow anyone whether they're the police force, a gang, or any other organization to come here and muck up the work we've bled and died for. Our organization may not be perfect but we've done rather well in containing the threats within the sewers."


Aisha

The ancestor of all life smiled. It seems humans were just as arrogant and promising as she expected. It was rather refreshing all things considered. "There's no need for me to find shelter in the city. Nature has proven itself to be more than accommodating and I am incapable of growing cold or hot. I can be comfortable almost anywhere, and there are few things that can actually kill me."

[Elf]

Rin

"Thank you," Rin said as she zipped up "Brown Sempai's" coat and flipped her hair from out under the collar.  They were going out, they were leaving the Matou house and exploring Nexus.  Shirou was doing what Shirou did, cleaning up after everyone else.  The young magus was excited, but wasn't sure why Sakura relented.

She then smiled brightly and said, "Maybe we can find a place to get a new set of clothing and maybe something to sleep in.  There has to be a store open late around here."  She took Sakura's hand and smiled, swinging it lightly.


Forest

The vampire was walking along, almost back to her beloved car when someone came barreling into her.  Automatically she shifted her weight so she didn't tumble with the impact, but the very tall person who just collided into her wasn't as fortunate.  He fell on his rear, and suddenly his hand went to the side of his head. 

The smell of blood filled her nostrils and she curbed the sudden throb in her fangs. 

"Sorry! Sorry! I-I didn't mean it. I was just, I was just..."

Then, he knelt and bowed, his head practically touching the ground.

"Sorry!"

Forest blinked and realized that people were watching.  "You were just running around nilly-willy and took a bit of a tumble into someone.  You should be more careful," she said as she helped push him upright.  "And you got into a bit of a scrape because of it.  May I see?  I just wanna make sure that you're not hurt."


Saber

Saber scowled and said, "Let us take our leave.  Lancelot is wounded and we should head topside.  I cannot believe that no one was advised of the horrors running loose in these sewers."

With that said, she started to walk past the sewage worker, Lancelot still draped over her shoulders.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Sakagami Kenzo

Kenzo smiled as the lady helped him get up, his body trembling due to the stress. While he was still panicked due to his lost sword, her presence helped him calm down a bit.

Then, she asked to see his forehead. Immediately, he face turned pale as a ghost and he shouted, backing off in fear.

"NO!"

Kenzo immediately realized what he had just done. Unwillingly, he had drawn more attention to himself. This was bad, he couldn't let her know it wasn't a scrape at all. It was his horn. It was growing back.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. You're right, I should've been more careful. Don't worry about me. You're not hurt either, are you?" He said frantically, slowing down towards the end and taking a deep breath. He had to stay cool. He had to.

[Elf]

Forest

Forest blinked as the very tall redheaded man yelled before backing away from her.  His face turned white as a ghost as he kept the wound covered.  Forest frowned at him as he babbled frantically, "I'm fine, I'm fine. You're right, I should've been more careful. Don't worry about me. You're not hurt either, are you?"

"I'm fine, but you should let me look at it.  I've got a first aid kit in my car.  Get it cleaned up and bandaged.  I can even stitch it up for you if you're leery around doctors," Forest said, reaching for him.

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura smiled back at Rin and nodded. "Mhm, I know of a few places!" She said as the three left. "They're a wee bit shady, but with us three they'll be safe enough." Sakura willed several hornets to follow her, high enough above they wouldn't be noticed.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Sakagami Kenzo

It was extremely clear that he was scared of something. Not her, definitely not her. But that horn... he couldn't let anyone see it! The thought that he'd be rejected and ostracized, the mere thought that she could judge him for it was unbearable to him.

"No...p-please don't look. You'll hate me. Please. You didn't see anything, okay? I'll do anything, just don't look." He said, his voice beginning to shake. He almost looked on the verge of tears. He wasn't like this usually, but something was missing from him. Something he didn't quite know how to live without.

And that was unbearable.


Vanguard and Sakura -A SHORT TIME AGO-

Sakura hesitantly came down into the basement, looking for Vanguard. She found him sulking in a corner, reading some book and surrounded by a huge pile of other books. He sure liked reading!

"Vanguard?" She called out to him. "I need your help."

Vanguard  lowered the book and raised his head to look at Sakura. Simply, without even bothering to close his book, he spoke up.

“Very well, what is it?” Said Vanguard coldly, unusually so. He had never spoken that way, especially in the presence of Sakura.

Sakura continued down the stairs, ignoring his cold demeanor. She didn't speak until she arrived right in front of him.

"Vanguard, will you help me protect my sister? I heard part of your outburst...and I thought that you would be a better choice than Rider because of it." Sakura took a hold of his cold hands. "So will you? Will you help me keep her from crying, Vanguard?"

Vanguard looked at her with disbelief, silent for what seemed to him as an eternity.

“Why? Rider… she is probably more suited. She is faster than I, she is more suited to protecting you than I could ever be. I… I don’t understand. Why me?” He asked.

"Because that's not what she wanted to do. Was it?" Sakura cocked her head a bit. "It was what you wanted to do, what you wanted to do so badly that you made me think we were under attack. Just because she's faster doesn't mean she's better. You know?"

Vanguard stood silent for an even longer period, trying to process what he had just heard. Then, he finaly spoke.

“I… I’m afraid. I am afraid to fail. Again. If I lost you, I… I wouldn’t be able to do anything ever again. It’s as if I would have lost what little use I have. And that… that terrifies me. I don’t think I could bear it again. I don’t want to. You… you are my only hope, Sakura. Do you truly believe someone as wretched, as weak as I can protect anyone?”

Sakura nodded without skipping a beat. "Of course, otherwise I wouldn't be asking." She smiled at him, leaning in to give him a hug. "You'll protect us, and keep us safe. I know you will."

Vanguard’s head leant back in surprise at the sudden hug. He didn’t know how to feel, or how to react to it. The silence, the damning silence simply kept going on and on and on. Her touch was as cold as everything else in the world, practically non existant. But even so, even so…

He had to believe. Even if he couldn’t believe in himself, he had to believe in the Sakura who believed in him.

Vanguard held the woman’s back slowly, his cold metal hand approaching her in a sloppy, timid attempt to return the hug.

“...Thank you.” He said.

Sakura nodded, breaking the hug. "Now, let's go. And don't break the door this time, okay?"

Vanguard nodded, closing the book and getting up.

“Very well, lead the way. And try to get larger doors, okay?” He said snarkily, letting his better mood show in his voice.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Sewage Worker

"Oh, what a surprise. The monsters and other beasts like staying in the dark, filthy area that keeps people away and makes it hard to track them. Who knew?" As they moved to leave he relaxed and began to examine the corpses of the Infected on the ground. As he checked on a Hunter he stopped what he was doing and looked up to talk to his subordinate.

"Mata, do remember to tell administration that we need to fix the hole here and that I recommend starting the Red Line. Oh, and after you lead them back out remember that we will have to talk about how you didn't inform anyone of these arrivals." The woman in question simply grumbled and stopped blocking the tunnel that the knight had burrowed into the wall. She gestured towards the rest of them to get a move on but didn't say anything.

[Elf]

Forest

"No...p-please don't look. You'll hate me. Please. You didn't see anything, okay? I'll do anything, just don't look." the redhead said in a shaky voice.  His russet eyes were bright with unshed ears as he looked at her.

He's not human and he's hiding something he think might get him . . . Oh poor thing, Forest thought as she could smell the inhuman slant in his blood.  She smiled brightly at him and reached up for his hand.

"I promise I won't hate you.  I just want to help you, that's all," she said as she met his eyes and let them turn red for just a moment as she smiled, flashing her fangs, before letting her face return to normal.

"See?" she said with a smile.


Rin

"Sometimes shady can be fun.  I have this one contact in London that I swear is a gangster on the side, but he's very nice and thorough.  Plus he does things at a reasonable rate," Rin said with a smile.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Sakagami Kenzo

"O-okay." Said Kenzo, nodding before letting go of his fore head. He lowered his head and looked down shyly, doing his best to keep from shaking. But it was okay, she was like him too, and she seemed nice. He trusted her.

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura began leading Rin down the road, holding Rin's hand. "I would really call this place particularly 'fun', but it'll get the job done. We can get you out of my clothes, and into some of your own!" Sakura proclaimed happily.

[Elf]

Forest

Forest smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.  "Come on, I'll get that bandaged in a jiffy.  I'm Forest, by and by."  With that, she began to lead the trembling man to her car.


Rin

"I think that would be a good thing.  Plus they'll actually fit," she said with a chuckle.  Then she smiled at Vanguard and said, "Thank you for coming, Armor-san.  I'm glad it's you and not Rider."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

"Yare yare. Well, some clothes would be nice." said Vanguard, nodding in agreement while laying against the wall. He had been chosen to protect the two and he would do so as long as he stood.

Then, he advanced to follow the two sisters.

"At the least, a bit of fashion might make people just a tad bit less likely to run away. Right, Rin?"


Sakagami Kenzo

"Thanks." He said, smiling as he followed her into the vroom vroom thingy. He was pretty excited, he never ever tried it.

"Name's Kenzo by the way. Sakagami Kenzo."