Sakura's Dream/I hate love.

...So, you are here. I figured if anyone would come, it would be you people.

What...what are you doing?

This must be some kind of mistake, right? I mean, we all fought Caster together.

I thought you couldn't stand to see AIs being mistreated so horribly, just like

You thought wrong.

I only fought Caster because my Master ordered it... Because Sakura wanted me to.

That was all there was to it for me.

So what, you're telling us she wants you to do this now? Because I don't see her anywhere.

She is back there, sleeping.

Hold on. I can't see her very well, but it seems like she's having trouble breathing.

Let me take a look at her!

Keep your distance. I know what is wrong with her.

She is dangerously low on Raniment.

Hm!?

She has only enough to sustain her AI body, and barely at that.

In fact, she doesn't have enough energy to so much as sit up.

No... As things are, she'll disappear soon.

Th-then we need to get her more Raniment immediately!

I have a meal right here! I can even lend you some Raniment directly if that will help.

What a strange AI you are. You do know she's an enemy Master, right? I suppose your base repair programming overrides the rest.

At any rate...it would be easy enough if replenishing her Raniment was what would help her. But that is not possible.

Every bit of Raniment she gets now, she automatically feeds to her Servant.

That is, me.

？！

I admit it. I know I screwed up here.

She has been doing that for some time now. Since a certain something happened. I just...never noticed.

Everything she got from materials... From other AIs...

Every drop of Raniment Sakura acquired, no matter how...

She was sending as much as possible to me, her Servant.

And she held on to just enough to maintain her form, no more.

This whole time she has been dancing on a razor's edge. Perhaps she even went over it at some points.

？！

No. I saw her consuming materials at that time with my own two eyes.

So this condition is not a result of a lack of sufficient replenishment.

Hold on. You mentioned an incident. You don't mean

It was when she was injured during Caster's familiars' first attack on Grow.

...So yes, she has been like this ever since you treated her.

I knew it! So she IS suffering lingering effects from the damage!

Those wounds were really deep.

I know I repaired her AI parts perfectly...

...but there were many parts about her newly added Master functionality I couldn't make heads or tails of.

The only thing I could do was wait and see if any adverse effects presented themselves...

Right. And unfortunately, they have.

I interrogated the Type R that examined her, and I got her to tell me the truth.

Apparently, her internal pathway that feeds Raniment to her Servant...

...is broken beyond repair.

The Type R told me it is like there are holes in the conduits connecting us.

When she tries to send me Raniment, most of it leaks out through those holes, wasted.

So, in order to make sure I have the Raniment I need to function normally...

...she has to send much more than usual to make up for what is lost in the transfer.

To do that, she has been using Raniment she would normally reserve for herself.

I hate to admit that I've only recently realized this.

After she fed me a large amount of Raniment so I could fight at my full strength...

...she began losing her balance and could no longer walk straight. That was when I realized something was wrong.

She said she would prioritize her own well-being, but instead, she

I remember. She used her Command Spell on you back when that second colossal writhing fiend showed up. That was it, wasn't it?

Yes. Why has she been doing this all this time? Why did she use her Command Spell? The answer to both those questions is the same.

She just wanted me to protect her home. That was the only reason...

Why didn't she tell me!? She had plenty of chances to bring this up!

I even told her there could be unexpected side effects and that she should let me know immediately if something was wrong!

I asked her the same thing. But ultimately, this was Sakura's decision. I imagine she had her reasons.

One of them is probably that the Type R determined her condition was untreatable, even by you.

I think Sakura herself sensed the same thing.

No way... We don't know that for sure. If she'd just let me examine her, then maybe

I also believe she did not want to be any more indebted to you than she already is, since you are ultimately enemies.

After that...she smiled.

She said that, no matter how defective she might be...

...she would never willingly forgo her duty to protect this place just to save her own life.

She said she wants to do everything she can to protect it...even if that may ultimately be a selfish desire.

... ...

When she used her Command Spell on me...she wished for it to keep this place safe.

That Command Spell is still in effect. At least, I think it is.

So I'm going to protect Grow. Because protecting this place is functionally the same thing as protecting her.

And I'll do anything to protect her.

Even if it means sacrificing every other AI outside of Grow.

I'll use this sword to produce Demonic Beasts...

...and use them to collect enough Raniment to make up for what Sakura has lost.

Then, if I give it to her all at once, she'll wake up again. She has to. This...this is the only way!

I...I understand how you feel. I do. But, this

I think it's fine.

Huh?

I've always thought the only thing we can truly know for sure is our own desires.

What sense is there in thinking about other people? Why give up on something just because someone else wants it too?

Finding some halfhearted justification not to go for what you really want... Don't you think that's doing your own desires a disservice?

That's why I think what you're doing is fine.

Do what you want. Take what you desire. That's completely normal.

However...

Sometimes, your desires come into conflict with someone else's.

When that happens, a lot of things go into determining whose desires are satisfied and whose are not. Social standing, money, physical strength, that sort of thing.

And since I'm the greatest and have all that and more going for me, I've pretty much always gotten what I wanted.

And right now, I want to win this Holy Grail War and get everything that entails.

Which means those AIs you're hurting are my future property, and nobody messes with my property without my say-so!

That's so nakedly selfish it's almost refreshing. But don't worry, I think it's great. Desire is the fast track to depravity. Teehee.

Being who I am, I am more inclined to approach this rationally than emotionally, and rationally speaking, we were going to have to defeat either Saber or Lancer next anyway.

So I see no point in letting Saber go now. If she cannot get support from her Master, that just makes our job easier.

We should take her down here and now.

Wow, so cold.

Just so you know, Master, I'm fine with whatever you'd prefer.

？！

Assassin. You and Sakura look similar, so I would prefer to not kill you if I don't have to.

But if you insist on getting in my way, I will show you no mercy.

I am going to save Sakura. This time...it's going to be me.

That's weird. The way you phrased that, it sounds like someone else saved her first.

I don't know anything about that. This is just how I feel.

...No, that is not true. I do know.

My wishmy need, to save her myself, rather than let anyone else save her...

...is foolish, narrow-minded, shortsighted selfishness.

Otherwise, I will never get what I really want, in the true sense of the word...

I admit, in some ways, this is purely an ego trip.

But, even so, it is what I want, and I refuse to give up.

Ha! Well said!

However, while I don't know how much Raniment you've had your little doggies collect...

...I can't imagine it's enough to make up for your obvious lack of resources.

And that's not even getting into how the more Raniment you use, the harder it'll be for your Master to wake up. So if I were you, I'd just give up.

That's why I am going to use any other source of power I can to make up for it. No matter how much I hate it.

Up until now, I have only been drawing on this power for my Noble Phantasm, but now, I will completely cloak myself in it.

If you are so desperate to be involved in my destiny, Athena, then I shall devour and use you, whether you like it or not!

This is the golden gleam of my monster-birthing sword, wielded by another monster who once consumed divine flesh.

It will be the last thing you see before you die.

...You who were born from my blood alongside winged Pegasus. You who bore this sword and fathered countless monsters.

This is the light that carries our vengeance to the gods. With these Mystic Eyes, I grant you my blessing.

Chrysaor!

Khh...!

Ahh. You may not be Sakura, but...you really do look alike.

I did get the feeling something about me dulled your blade at the last moment, though I didn't know what.

But, me being me, I wasn't about to let that stop me from going to town on you. Too bad for you.

Aside from that...I don't know what else went wrong for you.

Hehe. Hehehe.

How strange. I thought love was the one thing I hated the most, but here I am, doing all this for it.

Once again, it is a perfect reminder that love never leads anywhere good.

And yet...now that I have it, I don't want to let it go, no matter how its thorns might prick me.

So tell me, god of love. Is that what love truly is?

... ...

Hell if I know.

Hey! What do you think you're doing!? She's trying to get away!

Dammit!

Whoopsies, I let my guard down. Sorry about that♡

Still, we wounded her quite badly. I expect she is but a step away from sustaining direct damage to her Spirit Core.

She cannot have gotten far. We should go after her.

...Yeah. If we let her go, she might start attacking other AIs again.

If nothing else, I can tell she's not going to give up for anything...

Hehe. Saber...

Oh!

Look at you...leaping around, carrying me in your arms...

You're like...some kind of Prince Charming...

You're awake, Sakura? ...How are you feeling?

I'm okay. I'm still...full of energy.

Look... Hup! ...See? Still got it.

... ...

But, since I don't know...when I might just drift back off to sleep...let me say this now.

Thank you, Saber. I'm sorry...I...

I don't want to hear it.

Huh?

We are running away right now.

I've not given up on you.

This isn't over yet. I will run as far as I have to.

And one day, you will get your wish. ...I know it.

But...where are you going to run to?

I don't know. Wherever you can stay alive.

Rani-XII...the central governing AI. As the overseer, she must have spare Command Spells.

If I can take them from her, then maybe...

Ghh...!

Saber! Oh no, your leg! What just happened!?

I...don't know...!

(That attack came from extreme range. It could easily have killed me.)

(Whoever fired it aimed for my leg. They're as good as saying they won't kill me, but they won't let me escape, either.)

(Could it be that Assassin...? No, it's not her. Lancer? ...No, it probably wasn't him, either.)

(But then, who could have done this? And why...?)

Listen, Saber. If you go on without me, you should still be able to

Don't be ridiculous, Sakura.

No... If anyone here is being ridiculous, it's whoever fired that shot.

Saber?

Whoever did this has to be too far away for me to see them.

But they must be able to see me if they are able to attack.

And that means there is still a way to fight back.

My Mystic Eyes, Cybele, were originally made to turn anyone who looked at me into stone.

So if this attacker is looking at me now, I can trace their gaze back to petrify them from here...

Stay out of my way...

Limiter released... Cybele!

Gaah!

Saber!? What happened!?

They deflected my Mystic Eyes!? Powerfully enough for me to feel it from here!?

This magical energy... This power... They must be a Divine Spirit...a Servant!

What does that mean?

(Yes... What DOES it mean? There shouldn't be a Servant like that here...)

(But there very clearly is. And that must mean...)

...

？！

I see. So they want to make sure a participant of the Holy Grail War finishes me off.

I don't know what you're talking about, but I do know you have no chance at escaping now. Just give up already.

Though...for some reason you do seem more beat up now than when you ran.

Oh, I've got it. Your fruitless attempt to run away opened the wounds I inflicted on you!

Bahaha, talk about pathetic!

You sure about that? Because this looks way worse than just an injury reopening.

Saber. Are you

If you are not going to let me go, there's no point in telling you what happened.

Come, then. I am not about to give up, not while my body still has life in it!

Saber!

Stand back, Sakura.

It's okay. No matter what happens, I will always be on your side...

...Sakura. Can you hear me, Sakura?

Saber...

...I'm sorry. It's my fault you became a bad guy.

Even though you're really more like a prince...

...No. I am not. Even if I seem otherwise, I assure you, I am no prince. I am nothing like one.

... ...

If you cannot believe me...

...then I'll just go back to speaking to you as I always have.

...Okay.

I like you fine either way, but, no matter what, you're still you...

Yeah. I haven't changed at all. I'm still just your pet monster.

You were right to use me as you liked. You don't need to apologize for that.

I think...I must be a monster, too.

I only cared about one thing. I would've done anything for it.

But that one thing seemed crazy to everyone else; it was ultimately meaningless.

Worse still, I wound up hurting people because of it, even if I didn't mean to.

I suppose you could say that, but that does not make it true.

I was enough of a monster for both of us, so that you wouldn't have to become one yourself.

And you stayed you, right to the end.

So, I think...we were a perfect match.

...Yeah.

Then, at least let me say...thank you.

Thank you for trying to be like me.

Maybe you wished I had kept my distance, or you found me really annoying...

...but I still want to thank you for being with me this whole time.

That was...just me trying to hide my true feelings.

I wasn't used to this sort of thing either, so I was being awkward about it. That's all.

I'm glad to hear that.

I hope, one day, you and I can go for a walk and have a picnic again, as friends.

Then we can both come home, to a place we really care about...

Yes. I'd love that, too.

Looks like my time is up.

Don't worry. I came to an agreement of sorts with them while you were asleep.

...Anyway, I'd better get going to what's next for me, so...

...Yeah. See you...later.

？！

Now that Saber is gone, there is likely to be another rotation.

This probably goes without saying, but...I'm not going to last much longer, either.

Whether I get caught in the rotation or not...I barely have enough Raniment to maintain my structure.

... ...

Please, don't be sad. I'm sorry if I made you worry.

It's not your fault. This was always going to happen sooner or later.

Thank you for saving me, even though we're enemies. That made me really happy.

As prime AI of Repair, I...can't help but feel like there's more I could have done.

I should have been able to fix you...but I couldn't. That's my failure.

And if your condition is the reason this happened, then I don't feel like I've actually won at all.

We might have been enemies, but I didn't want things to end like this. I wanted to have a real, honest battle...

...I'm sorry.

Could I make one last request?

I'd like to be alone, please. There's something I want to talk about.

Hm? Hang on. How does that work?

Who cares? Come on, let's go.

Besides, I've got to prepare myself to be a cushion for my Master again.

It's okay. They're all gone.

... ...

I, uh... I just wanted to say...

...I'm sorry.

For what?

Because I...

...I realized there was something wrong with you. I think I knew before Saber did.

I could tell you were so low on Raniment you could barely walk.

Did you? Well, I'm glad you didn't say anything.

No, you don't understand! I was the only one who realized it at the time. If I'd just said something, then...

...maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe you, and Saber, would still be...

Well, why would you? It only makes sense that you'd keep quiet about it.

I mean, you and I are supposed to be enemies, right?

Yeah. I know.

...Haha, I know it's weird.

But, even so...I still feel guilty about it.

I feel so damn guilty, it makes me want to puke. Makes me wish I'd never been born!

More than anything, I wish I could escape that guilt, but it just won't go away...

That's why I wanted to do something about it. But there was nothing I could do!

And now...now that it's all over, and we're past the point of no return...

...all I can do is talk to you about it, meaningless as that is.

Even though you were nice to me when you had no reason to be. Even though it should be me dying instead of you...

Haha, I really am trash, aren't I...?

...Guilt, huh.

Is that why you didn't fight much?

I'm not sure. Maybe.

I have no right to fight. Or to a wish.

I have no right to anything at all.

I just feel so guilty, all the time. It's like I did something so terrible it's constantly weighing on my mind.

I don't know why, or what that thing could've been, but it's there all the same!

Aha... I see. I thought that might be the case.

...Huh?

Now that my AI functionality, my structure...

...and my randomized personality are all coming apart...

...I can see things I couldn't before.

I can't see the source, so it just looks like meaningless numbers being spat out of a black box, but...

...I think it means we're both fragments of our real selves.

...Huh? What do you mean?

I don't know.

But, I think you and I are more alike than you realize.

So, as long as you stay who you are...I think that's probably enough.

Maybe you can't fight because of your guilt, but that doesn't mean you have to feel guilty about that, too.

You just have to stay true to who you are.

...Why's that?

Hehe. Because...

...when you disappear, you'll be able to do so with at least some satisfaction...just like I am now.

W-wait. I still don't

Oh, but then again, the opposite might be true, too. That's how it was for Saber.

She was so focused on what she wanted to avoid...that she was brought to face it more directly than ever.

It's like when you approach something familiar...from a different angle...

So that may not be...a bad thing...either...

Come on, Sakura! I still don't get it! What do you mean!?

Sorry, Master, but I have to hold on to you now. We're about to be sent flying.

...Don't worry about her. She's already stopped working.