log; complete

[heroshirou.livejournal.com]

When; December 19th, evening
Rating; G
Characters; Hotaru silence_bringer and Archer heroshirou
Summary; The bond between Servant and Master grow as Hotaru and Archer learn more about each other. Perhaps even a hint of a little more?
Log; Hotaru wiped her sleeve across her forehead and picked up the rest of the scallions, running them under the water to remove any traces of dirt from the veridian shoots. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she reached up with one hand to turn off the water and shake any excess moisture off of them. Turning slightly, she set the damp vegetables on the cutting board that rested on the countertop next to the sink. "Archer-san, can you hand me the knife?"

Archer reached across the counter and grabbed the knife. He held it out to her hilt first.

She smiled and took the utensil from him, beginning to cut the green shoots into small pieces. She chatted to him, more talkative then she'd been the entire time since his arrival. In truth, she was thrilled to simply have someone to talk to. But be that as it may, she wasnt' paying enough attention. Silver metal met flesh in a painful clash. She yelped and dropped the knife, pulling her hand back and putting the abused finger into her mouth, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. It had been a long time since she'd done THAT. Not since she was a little girl, teaching herself how to cook for herself and her father.

"No, no. If you cut your finger, you run it under hot water. Putting it in your mouth is asking for you to get sick." Archer said calmly. He slowly pulled her hand out of her mouth and ran it under the water, making sure it wasn't to hot. Using his left hand, he wiped the tears from her eyes. "Would you like me to cut the food for you?"

She chewed on her lip thoughtfully as he ran her finger under the water, then felt her cheeks redden as his hand gently wiped away her tears. Feeling momentarily speechless, she simply nodded.

Archer bent down and picked up the knife. Effortlessly, he tossed it in the air, grabbed it, and began to easily dice the scallions. He pushed them to one side of the cutting board and asked, "What's next?"

Violet eyes widened at his easy display. "Wow....you're a lot better then me..." Glancing around, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her hand to quell the bleeding before picking up a bunch of carrots and some other vegetables. "Can..can you chop these too?"

"I'm only better because I use bladed weapons all the time. I think you should learn how to defend yourself too." Archer took the vegetables from her and quickly cut them up too. He pushed them to another side of the cutting board. "Is there anything else to slice, or are we on to cooking?"

"There's the chicken, still. It's in the refrigerator. I'll get it." She pulled out the package of chicken and set it on the counter, pulling the plastic off of the raw meat before handing it to him. She seemed quiet for a moment, as though contemplating something. "I...I can defend myself. I just...I'm not supposed to show it to anyone..."


"Not to show anyone? Then what's the point of having it. As partners, it would be best for me to know what you can do. You wouldn't mind telling me, would you?" Archer gave her a reassuring smile and took the chicken. Once again, he cut that up into designated pieces.

"I..I guess..." She took a step or two back and closed her eyes, whispering to herself. She'd found that recently, she didn't need to use her henshin pen in order to transform. It had unnerved her at first. When she'd simply been thinking about her short time as Saturn and had found herself suddenly shifted into her other form. But in a way, it was helpful. Unlike the other Senshi, she'd never had much of any training, and she really didn't KNOW how to use the pen. Either way, it was of little importance as she felt the energy crash over her, washing away Tomoe Hotaru and leaving Sailor Saturn behind. Opening dark eyes, she reached out a gloved hand to the side and the Silence Glaive obediently slid into being in it's master's hand.

Archer opened his eyes a little and quickly turned around, focusing on the cutting board. "You're a magical girl? Although unexpected, it should be quite natural. But what can you do?" Archer's voice was slightly muffled by him cutting the chicken more than it already was, making very very small pieces.

She stared up at him, eyes carrying a slightly different tone then they had a few moments ago. "Destroy."

Archer's head turned slightly. This wasn't the demeanor of the girl that had summoned him. Although not as moe, her being like this would make it easier for him to kill people in front of her. "Alright. Good. But how? Do you shoot laser beams? Slice people? What?"

She cocked her head to the side and nodded. "I can show you, Archer-san. But... we have to go outside. I don't want to destroy our home."

"Well, if you are up to it, sure. The food can wait for a few minutes."

She nodded and led him out the door and down the stairs. As they reached the courtyard in front of the apartment buildings, a large group of the strange black creatures converged on her. Rather then backing away, she simply stood her ground.


Archer crossed his arms across his chest. He didn't know what to expect, but if they decided to take a lunge at her, he'd be there to stop it.

She glanced over her shoulder to see him watching her, and gave a small smile before her expression hardened and she turned back to the hoarde of creatures advancing on her. She brought the glaive up vertically in front of her and closed her eyes as the tip of the bladed edge began to glow with a dark light. "Death Ribbon Revolution." Eyes slitting open, she swung the glaive, sending it into a whirl around her with a snap of motion. Black filaments like silken threads erupted out of the end of the blade to surge towards the black creatures. As each one was touched by the threads, they let out a scream of agony before exploding into nothingness. Another whirl of the glaive cut down the second round of them, the filaments finishing off any that survived the lightning-slash of the silvery metal. Letting the blade rest against the ground in front of her, she turned to regard Archer. "See?"

"Interesting. You are going to need that sometime in the near future, I bet." Archer nodded and turned around to head back inside. He grabbed the door handle and held it open for Hotaru. "Maybe after dinner, we could find an ice cream place to get dessert?" Archer asked. He wanted ice cream pretty bad, so he was hoping for a yes.

She nodded, mentally willing away the glaive. As she turned to walk towards the door, she staggered and fell to her knees, shifting back into her normal form.


Archer let go of the door and and jumped forward. "It wears you out that fast? If we ever get caught in a fight, save that as a last resort, okay?" Archer reached down and picked her up gently. He carried her inside and laid her down inside the living room. He pointed a finger at her and said, "You wait here and I'll finish dinner for you, alright?"

She nodded. "I...it's only since coming here that I've actually been able to summon it up on my own. It used to just manifest when I was threatened. A self-preservation act, I guess. But...I can't control it. If...sometimes it...it takes over and...I wake up and I don't remember what I did..." She tried to get up and follow him. "No, I..I can't let you do that. I...I was supposed to make dinner for you.."

Archer gently pushed her back down and lightly thumped her on the forehead. "I don't take no for an answer. At least not like this. You can make dinner tomorrow or something. Right now you need rest."

She flinched slightly as he thumped her on her forehead. "But...." She tried to protest, even though she knew it was probably futile. With a sigh, she gave up and simply nodded. "Alright...."

"Now be a good girl and rest for a bit." Archer walked back into the kitchen and stared at the ingredients. He had no clue how to make a Thai meal. So, he improvised. He quickly sauteed the chicken. While doing that, he grabbed more lettuce, chopped it up a little, toss it and put it in two bowls. He then put carrots and onions in the bowls. After the chopped chicken was done, he put that in the bowls. He grabbed a couple forks because he felt they were going to be better than chopsticks and walked it out to Hotaru. "I didn't know how to finish, so I made some salad with sauteed chicken. I hope you like it!" He set a bowl in front of her and gave her fork. Archer sat down opposite of her and waited for her to eat.

She smiled at his improvisation. "It looks wonderful, Archer-san. I'm sure I'll like it." She picked up her fork and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully before smiling and nodding. "It's delicious! You really are a good cook, Archer-san."

Archer waved his hand. "It's not problem. I used to live by myself for a long time, so learning how to cook for myself was needed." He took a few bites of his own food and smiled. With no other servants around, it was really relaxing. He could easily get used to living in this type of environment.

Hotaru nodded, and continued eating. "Ne..Archer-san? What...what's it like? Being a spirit, I mean..."

"A spirit? It's different at times. Sometimes you feel the weight of the world on your back. Others, you feel as light as a feather. I'm granted alot of power. Some feel they can abuse it, especially if they have abusive masters. I think you're a pretty good master though. Perhaps one of the best."

Her cheeks turned pink at his assertion that she was a good master. "R..really? But...I'm not that strong...and I can't control my power..." She took another bite of her salad. "How..how did you get the way you are? Did...did you die?"

Archer frowned. "I did not die. I made a poor decision about myself. It's not something I'd like to get into."

"Oh...." Now she felt badly, that she'd brought up unpleasent memories. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean...."

"No. Don't get yourself down over my own problems. Say, what if I told you I knew King Arthur?" Archer was desperately trying to cheer her back up. Being sad didn't suit her cute face.

The tactic worked. "Really? What was he like?" Now this was interesting. She'd never met anyone who actually knew the figures and names in her history books. Though....she still couldn't shake the desire to know more about him. But it wasn't as though she could force him to tell her. Well...her eyes flickered to the mark on her hand and she crushed the thought, appalled at her curiosity. No. Forcing someone to talk about something uncomfortable was a monstrous thing to do. Certainly not something she wanted to be responsible for. But the mark's presence still unnerved her. It was like a leash, in a way. A leash that kept him bound to her, bound to her orders. The entire thought made her nervous. She mentally shoved the turmoil back into her mind and smiled at him. "Can...can you tell me?"

"You probably won't believe me, but King Arthur is a woman. She's pretty up tight too. Her sword, Excalibur, is good, but I have one too." Archer finished his salad while explaining this to her. He set the bowl on the floor and waited for Hotaru to finish her's.

Her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her fork. "He....he's a...a woman?!" THAT was shocking. Nowhere in her history books had it mentioned anything like that.


"Surprised me too. I've met quite a few other people in my time. People like Hercules, Medusa, and so on. It's people like that who become servants after they die. Although I'm not a hero like them, I still became a servant."

"But why aren't you a hero? I...I think everyone can be a hero, if they want to be..." She finished up the last few bites of her salad and set the bowl aside. "Can...can I ask you....what your old life was like?"

Archer paused. That question again. He sighed and submitted himself to answering the question. "When I was near your age, I was a master. I had summoned King Arthur, although I knew her as Saber. I feel in love with her, but that didn't work out since she dissapeared after the war was over. Then I feel in love with the girl Illya. She was killed in the next Holy Grail War, so in anger, I made myself a hero, betting everything that I was going to be summoned in the past so I could stop myself from falling in love with her."

She watched him, trying to read his eyes. It was obviously painful for him to talk about his past. She understood that very well. Hotaru nodded slightly. "But...I summoned you instead...."

Archer thought hard. It was hard to work out. The time paradoxes were so large. So, he ended up just agreeing with her with a nod of his head.

"I'm sorry...." She paused, thinking over her next words carefully. "But...I sortof envy those girls. They had you, to care so much about them. I...no one's ever loved me.." Drawing her feet up underneath her, she draped her arms loosly around her knees. "Except Papa. Until..." She bit her lip, painful memories welling up.

No. No one should be crying. Not only did it go against him being Archer, but it went against him being Shirou. He slid forward and gave her a hug. "It's okay. The present is the only thing that matters and I am here for you right now."

She bit her lip and tried to be strong. But failed, and nuzzled her face into his chest, hands clenching into his shirt as she cried softly. He was right. He was here. After being alone for so long, now she wasn't anymore. That in itself was nearly overwhelming to her.

Archer held her tight. He knew the best type of reassurance is to let someone know you are there. He rubbed her back and hoped for the best.

After she had cried for a few moments, she pulled back, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I...gomen. I..I didn't mean to..."

"It's better to cry. Don't feel bad about it and don't let anyone make you feel bad about it. Now, are you feeling tired?" Archer put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

She shook her head. She wanted to tell him. She felt that she owed it to him, especially after she had made him share his painful memories. "No, I'm not tired. I....I wanted to tell you....since you told me about you..."

"Wanted to tell me what?"

"About me...." She pulled away, almost reluctantly, and smoothed her skirt. "I..Momma died when I was just a baby. It was just me and Poppa. He was my only family. Poppa was a scientist, at a school. They were studying something, a kind of other dimension. Trying to understand it. I came to the lab, after school, to look at it, like always. There was...an explosion. Poppa...was the only one who survived."

"So you died?"

She nodded. "Poppa was so sad. He...he wanted to do anything to bring me back. The explosion..it wasn't a normal one. Something....came through the dimension. It spoke to Poppa. And told him it could give me back my life if he agreed to serve it. Poppa did, but...he wasn't Poppa anymore. It...it took him over. He...he put a demon inside me...Mistress 9. And...started serving Pharoah 90, the demon who'd spoken to him. They attacked innocents, stealing the hearts of those whose hearts were pure. And...waiting for me to get older. When... when they found out about the Senshi, they started attacking them. Because they knew where the Holy Grail was. They wanted...to use it's power to open a permanent doorway to their world. I..I don't remember much of it. The other Senshi, they....they attacked me, the me that was Mistress 9. Sailormoon...she...she called up the Holy Grail when Mistress 9 promised to let the other Senshi go and stop hurting people but....she took the Grail and...put it into the portal. It...everything was being destroyed...that's when...I woke up. As Saturn." She was trembling, staring at her lap. "I wanted to stop it all, to save everyone. But I can't do that. All I can do is destroy it. End it all by bringing down the Silence and returning the world to nothingness. So..." She paused and took a deep breath. "That's what I did..."

"You know, some of us getting dragged into what fate desires. We can't do everything, even though our heart wants us too." Archer reached out and put a hand on her head. "Some of us though, have the perserverance to live on. People like you. That is where true strength lies. The ability to love, feel for others, and perserve makes us people, and strong people that that."

She shook her head. "But...I didn't live. The Silence...killed me too. So I don't...I don't understand how I'm here, alive. I should be dead..."

"No, you are alive. Even if by the sheer will of your heart. That's the thing that can make the impossible possible."

She cocked her head to one side and smiled at him. Without warning, she threw herself foreward and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shirt for a moment before looking up at him, black bangs hanging slightly in her eyes. She stuck out her tongue at him. "Ne, what's your favourite kind of icecream, Archer-san?"

Archer smiled back, grateful that she had cheered up. He got up on his feet, picked her up and put her on his shoulders. "I'm thinking about chocolate ice cream. What about you?"

She let out a slight yelp as he picked her up, setting her on his shoulders. Hotaru wrapped her arms around his head momentarily, squeezing her knees together against his head in alarm. It had been a LONG time since anyone had carried her like this. Not since before the explosion, when Poppa used to carry her on his shoulders to get icecream.

"Hey! I can't see! We can't leave unless I can watch where I'm going!" Archer grabbed onto Hotaru's ankles, pried them from his head, and held on to them so she could keep her balance easier.

"I..I'm sorry!" She instead wound her small fingers through his white hair, trying to make sure not to pull too hard.

"Hold on tight, because we are going to get there pretty fast, alright?" Archer said walking out the door.

"O..Ok..."

Archer jumped upwards, put his foot against the side of the building and pushed off. They landed on the roof of the building beside them, whereupon he broke out into a dead sprint. He jumped from roof to roof, skipping many place along the way until the arrived at the ice cream shop. He quickly stopped in front of it and knelt down on his knees so Hotaru could get off his shoulders.

His sudden stop unbalanced her and she grabbed on tighter to his hair as she lurched forward, almost falling over his head. Regaining her balance, she let go of the white strands and slid down off of his back.

Archer stood up straight, and reached out and offered her one of his hands. "What kind of ice cream do you plan on getting?"

She took his hand, lacing her fingers through his. "Hmmmm.....I like vanilla. With strawberry sauce."

As they walked into the place, Archer gave her a wierd look. "Strawberry sauce? Never tried that on vanilla before." He lead her up to the counter, where they ordered what they wanted respectively. "So, would you like to walk back and eat this or eat it here?"

"It's up to you. But...with all the strange things around, it might be better to go back home.." She glanced around, unsure of whether the black creatures were still about.

"Going home is the best idea. But don't worry. Nothing will touch you on my watch, alright?" He walked outside with her and they began to head home.

She nodded. As they walked, she licked her icecream thoughtfully. "Ne, Archer-san? Can..can I ask you something?"

"Sure, as long you you drop the -san."

She smiled. "As long as you stop calling me 'Master'". She stuck her tongue out at him before resuming her consumption of her treat. "Did...did you follow me...yesterday?" She didn't have to say where. She knew he'd been there. She just wanted to hear it from him.

"Followed you? Of course I did. I won't leave your side unless there is an emergency." Archer explained this is a look on his face that made it seem like it was all obvious.

She nodded slightly, not looking at him. So he had followed her. Which meant that he knew what she'd done. "You...you won't...tell anyone?"

"What you do is none of my business. The only thing that concerns me is your safety. And right now, that is not looking very good. So I just have to be more vigilant."

"What do you mean? Why doesn't it look good?" She didn't understand what he was talking about. Despite what the other people, the ones who claimed to know Itachi, had said, the man had made no move to harm her. In fact, he hadn't even tried to keep her there. Hotaru felt fairly sure that if he only wanted to use her, that he would have tried to hold her prisoner or otherwise entice her to stay.

Archer shook his head. "It's nothing you need to worry yourself about. If you get nervous about things this late, you won't be able to sleep tonight."

She nodded slightly, finishing up the icecream. "I guess you're right Archer-sa, I mean Archer." As if to punctuate his statement, she yawned, covering her wide-open mouth with one hand.

"I'm feeling a little tired too. It wasn't easy, fighting all of those things today. Sleep sounds like the best idea." Archer lead them back and walked inside. He then allowed Hotaru to lead the way.

She headed back inside, before going into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. She trusted him, certainly. But she was still a 15 year old girl. And thus, after a few moments of privacy, she came back out clad in a simple pair of lavender flannel PJs with black cats printed on them. She looked up at him somewhat sleepily. Wow, she hadn't noticed how tall he was...

"Are you ready for bed? Would you like me to stay with you tonight again?" Archer asked. Archer was still a guy at heart, no matter if he was a servant, and he could say that Hotaru was very cute. Probably more so than Tohsaka.

She nodded. "H..hai. If..if it's ok.." She didn't want to admit that she'd liked having him there the night before. Even though she'd just held his hand, the knowledge that someone was there beside her, combined with the absence of the ticking, had made all the difference in the world and she'd slept well for the first time in a long while. But...she didn't know how to say that she wanted him to be closer then that...

Archer walked over to the bed and flopped down. "I didn't want to tell you last night, but I haven't slept in the longest time. It's not that I'm tired, it's just that I want to do it again. You don't mind if I sleep with you, do you?"

Her eyes widened for a moment, but she shook her head. "N..no. I..I don't mind." She slid over to allow him room. It was a fairly small bed, but Hotaru was also a fairly tiny girl. She curled up on one side of the bed, watching him as he lay down.

Archer closed his eyes and thought about everything. So much stuff that he regretted. And now. That was the most important thing. And with that thought, he dozed off. But like a dolphin, half of his brain was still awake and focused on Hotaru.

She watched as he shifted around slightly before his breathing relaxed into an easy rhythm. Hotaru bit her lip thoughtfully as she contemplated what she was about to do. Would he mind? Somehow she didn't think he really would, but it still seemed like such a foreward thing to do. Frowning slightly, she pushed herself up on one elbow and stared at him. She really hadn't gotten a chance to just look at this man who'd appeared in her apartment. He was really quite good-looking, with his white hair and grey eyes and his complexion that was several shades darker then hers. And the red and black clothes. Hotaru decided she liked red and black. And that the shades went very well with his colouring. Turning slightly red, she carefully pushed the portion of her brain that was beginning to ogle back into the back of her mind. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and scooted over next to him. Hesitantly, she rested her head on his shoulder, one hand settling softly onto his chest. Within a few moments, she was asleep.