Haruka & The Great Holy Grail War
"Are we all here now?" Jeanne asked once Mordred had settled down.
"Everyone that opposes Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, I think," Haruka said, yawning. "Let's get this over with before I fall asleep." True to her word, she was leaning on Karna's shoulder, eyes half-closed and her head buried into his fluffy fire cloak. Karna gently pushed her away and nudged her until she was sitting up straight.
"I was about to ask you for your input since you said you knew everything that was going to happen, but…" Jeanne trailed off as Haruka yawned again, clapping her cheeks to wake herself up.
"It'll take Semiramis and Amakusa around three days to prepare themselves to manipulate the Greater Grail to fulfil his wish," Haruka said. "You're going to have to figure out a plan to get into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon by then, disable the automated defences, take down the Red Servants and hopefully stop Amakusa from even making his wish. Which, by the way, is currently impossible with the Servants we currently have."
"What do you mean?" Vlad asked.
"Semiramis's defences are top-notch due to her Double Summon ability; allowing her to manifest as an Assassin with the abilities of a Caster. It's not like any of the Servants here have Noble Phantasms that nullify magic right now. I mean, I could summon Medea here…"
"Absolutely not," Karna and Arthur spoke in unison.
Haruka scowled. "You guys are no fun. I just need her Noble Phantasm. Please? It'll be temporary and she won't need much mana."
Karna and Arthur exchanged glances, mentally conversing for a few seconds before Arthur spoke. "Only if there is no other choice will we allow it."
"Love you guys too," Haruka sighed.
"Actually, I have a Noble Phantasm that can completely nullify magic," Astolfo piped up.
"What?!" Caules cried.
"I can only activate it the night of the full moon, though. Plus, I also forgot its True Name." The androgynous Rider giggled sheepishly.
"The next new moon is in 4 days… it will be too late by then," Fiore said.
Haruka groaned. "So this is the price I pay for speeding things up by a day. I'll think up something later. You guys can think up a plan to successfully distract the Red Faction, right? The more firepower or decoys the better. Now if you'll excuse me I really need to sleep." As soon as she finished her sentence, she closed her eyes and fell back into Karna's cloak.
Wordlessly, Karna lifted Haruka up, turning to Vlad. "Is there a place for her to sleep? From her current condition, she will remain asleep for a significant amount of time."
Vlad nodded and turned to a homunculus standing behind him. "Prepare a room for her."
The homunculus bowed, gesturing for Karna to follow him before he left.
"Father, are you staying?" Mordred asked Arthur.
"I will stay to pass on any further information on to Haruka," Arthur replied. "You can hold your discussions without her input—she can add her information tomorrow."
"All we need right now is a plan to attack and infiltrate the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, right?" Sieg asked.
Arthur nodded.
"Well then, can I propose something…?" Caules asked.
Vlad turned his eyes on the younger Forvedge sibling. "What do you have in mind?"
With a slight stutter in his tone, Caules began explaining his plan.
***
Haruka opened her eyes to find herself in her bedroom back in Chaldea. "Huh… was I dreaming the entire thing?" Sitting up, she glanced around her room. Her charger was still stuck in the wall, and everything remained the exact same as she had left it.
Wait.
Her belongings had been moved around slightly. Maybe Emiya had gotten in to clean up a bit? A more possible candidate would be Mashu, though. The candy basket on her desk was gone as well, replaced by an apology note written by Robin.
Sorry for taking your candy, Master, but I needed some way to bait Ibaraki. I'll make it up when you come back. ~Robin
Haruka got out of her bed, and only then did she notice her entire body was transparent.
"Oh great, I'm dead. Best way to come back home," she groaned.
Deciding to explore the rest of Chaldea, she walked through the door and into the hallways, making her way to the cafeteria. On the way, she noted that no one acknowledged her presence, which meant she was definitely dreaming. She passed by an arguing Nero and Elizabeth (with an exasperated Tamamo watching both of them), Gawain flirting with one of the staff (what was the person's name again?), and surprisingly, even her beloved kouhai dragging Lancelot away from Da Vinci's workshop.
(She snickered at that scene, knowing that the purple-haired Saber would be thoroughly scolded by Mashu later.)
Peeking into the kitchen, Haruka saw Emiya cooking with Boudica. Saber Alter lurked outside in casual clothing, munching away on a burger. She smiled at the familiar scene and turned to leave, but then she heard Emiya say her name.
"…Wonder how Haruka's doing."
"I do hope she's safe," Boudica said worriedly. "Karna and Arthur may be there to protect her, but I doubt it's enough. She wouldn't have ended up in a place with a harsh climate, right?"
"No," Emiya replied. "I asked around regarding the Great Holy Grail War. Romania is a relatively mild place. Haruka will be fine as long as she keeps a cool head. The problem would be how she manages herself in a true Holy Grail War."
"You're right," Boudica replied. "It's nothing like the singularities. A full-out battle between magi and other Servants, and she has close to no support from us. Speaking of Chaldea though… we're still able to contain the more chaotic Servants, right?"
"Worse comes to worst we'll just incapacitate them," Emiya said with a shrug. "She's been gone for about three days and Zelretch said she'd be back in a week, so we just have to hold out for four more days. I never expected that many to go crazy the moment she disappeared, though. Guess that shows just how much control a Master has."
"Do you really trust that… that vampire?"
Emiya shook his head, exasperation in his features. "I've dealt with him a number of times. He does a lot of things out of boredom. Including messing with universes."
Haruka turned away and ran down the hall before she could hear Boudica's reply, as she had just seen Kiyohime approach the kitchen. She did not want to go near the Berserker, no matter if she was a spirit or not.
She stopped near the general room, looking inside to see Marie and Jeanne conversing with Mozart playing the piano nearby. Sanson and D'Eon hovered in the area, both shooting wary glances at Caster Gilles de Rais, who was staring at Jeanne. Farther away from them was Edmond, watching the entire scene with a dispassionate gaze. Jeanne Alter was nowhere to be seen, which was mildly strange because she usually hung around her fellow Avenger. Maybe she was sparring?
Haruka drifted closer to Edmond, settling down beside him on the couch. She jumped, however, when she heard him speak. "Welcome back to Chaldea, my Master." He turned his head to meet her gaze, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Y-you can see me?!" Haruka squeaked.
"I can hear your voice and sense your presence, but I cannot see you. How the Great Holy Grail War goes?"
Haruka gave him a brief breakdown of what happened as well as her current problems. Edmond listened silently, his face unreadable. When she finished, he spoke. "Do not be afraid to try what seems to be impossible."
"…Edmond?"
"If you call for me, I will come, no matter how far away you may be, Master. Now, you should wake up. Bring down your enemies with no mercy." His smirk settled into a small smile. "Do come back quickly; or else Chaldea will fall into a state of disorder."
"Got it. Thanks, Edmond!" Even as she spoke, Haruka could feel herself floating away from Chaldea.
The last things she saw were Edmond's golden eyes, alight with amusement.