Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though the feeling of being watched had faded, Musashi spent nearly two full days transferring between various Bounded Fields before coming to a stop outside a small forest shrine hidden away in the mountains of Japan.

No matter how many worlds and timelines she had traversed, Musashi always found herself visiting her ancestral homeland whenever her thoughts were in turmoil. This was also the location they had designated for establishing contact if they believed the enemy had tracked them, so, understanding Caenis was close to her breaking point, Musashi brought her to a place where they could both rest.

As Divine Spirits, Musashi and Caenis didn’t have to worry about food and water, but, as they were both humanoid Divine Spirits, they had never outgrown the habits. Musashi, in particular, was quite fond of Sake, but, having been born during the so-called Japanese Renaissance period, she also had a weakness for hard liquor imported from overseas. It was one of the methods she used to calm her mind outside of battle, as, despite achieving the coveted state of Nothingness, the vices she defined her life as a human were like an anchor for her Spirit...

After unsealing a small barrier that prevented the Shrine’s offering box from being opened, Musashi pulled out a large gourd, a ceramic jar, and several shot glasses. She then tossed one of the glasses to the moody Caenis, adopting a smile as she said, "We probably have a few hours to kill before any of our allies show up. Come, have a drink with me and stop pouting. It’s not like there won’t be even more opportunities to fight. You need to learn to relax properly if you want to become truly strong."

Though she had caught the glass thrown her way, Caenis immediately tossed it back, her expression still dour as she stated, "You know I hate that rice wine of yours. I prefer port wine and honey mead, not that bitter water you call alcohol..."

Since it wasn’t like she could force Caenis to drink with her, at least without beating her in a duel, Musashi just shook her head before taking a seat on the cold stone steps and enjoying a drink. The ceramic container she used was actually an item she had picked up in her travels after defeating a hermetic priest worshipping Inari Okami, one of the various Gods of Sake. It was a special ceramic jar that could produce a functionally limitless supply of high-quality sake, albeit at a rate of 12oz every five hours.

If left within a Shrine dedicated to Inari, the sake within would ferment once the container was filled, becoming richer and more flavorful with each passing day. Thus, whenever she was busy with other things, Musashi would leave the ceramic container and her personal wine gourd stowed away inside the Shrine, visiting periodically to transfer the contents into larger ceramic wine jars that now filled the entirety of the Shrine’s interior.

After emptying half the contents of the ceramic container without bothering to dilute the flavorful alcohol within, Musashi released a hot sigh as her face almost immediately became red. Despite her love of sake, there was a reason her legend mentioned various drunken escapades and brawls. She had always been rather weak to all forms of alcohol, and, while she could even drink some Dwarves under the table, it only took a few mouthfuls of the potent liquor to get her drunk.

Knowing how clingy and easily agitated Musashi got while drunk, Caenis had already disappeared into the surrounding mountains. There was little she could do against Musashi, even while the latter was drunk, so, after learning a harsh lesson several times in the past, Caenis set aside her pride and decided on a swift retreat the moment the disc-shaped glass reached her companion’s lips.

Though she had sensed Caenis disappear, tempting her to give chase, Musashi felt it was too much trouble pursuing the horse-like woman. Caenis’ foot speed easily eclipsed her own, so, while it was possible for her to cut off the former’s retreat, Musashi felt it would spoil the taste of her alcohol if she went out of her way to exert herself. Sake was best enjoyed in good company or while behaving as lazy as possible, so, rather than give chase, she lay back against the cool stone, enjoying the fresh breeze and the gentle rays of the sun while nursing her faithful gourd...

Several hours after Musashi had started her private drinking session, she ended up sprawled out in a slovenly mess atop the Shrine’s steps. Despite this, she still possessed an ethereal beauty, something that far exceeded the limitations faced by most mortal women. This was one of the perks of being a Divine Spirit, but, in spite of this, the man looking down on her partially exposed figure had a look of frustration and resignation on his face as he lightly nudged her with his foot, muttering, "It’s time to wake up, Musashi...hey...hey, can you hear me...?"

Seeing Musashi ignoring his attempts to wake her, laughing drunkenly in response, the man couldn’t help releasing a tired sigh before wondering whether or not he should seek out Caenis’ assistance or call for additional support. Musashi was notoriously difficult to deal with while she was drunk, but, as someone who vehemently hated most men, Caenis wasn’t exactly easy to deal with either.

Deciding he would rather avoid another beating from the drunken Musashi, the man pulled out his Communicator, walking well away from the slumbering landmine to say, "Send someone else down. I can’t deal with Caenis and Musashi while the latter is drunk."

Following his transmission, the man looked around the area, trying to sense the location of Caenis before ultimately deciding to ignore her as he pulled an ornate sniper rifle, a bolt-action rifle that had risen to popularity in the 1980s due to its impressive accuracy and portability. This one, however, had a sleek black luster that seemed glossy at first, but, when observed closely, it actually absorbed the light around it instead of reflecting it. It was also possible to make out thousands of small runes that had been painstakingly engraved along its surface, indicative of more than a hundred different enchantments.

Since it would take a bit of time for Headquarters to send support, the man decided to perform a bit of routine maintenance on his trusted firearm. While this wasn’t exactly necessary, due to the fact he was a Heroic Spirit, it was a habit he had formed in his past life. This was similar to Nobunaga’s need to conduct maintenance on her weapons and, while not exactly the same, it had a few parallels with Musashi’s incessant need to drink herself into oblivion...

By the time he had finished brushing down the firing pin and cleaning the chamber of his rifle, two additional figures had appeared within the man’s perception. The first was the woman who had been assigned as his partner, much like how Caenis and Musashi had been paired together. She was the same ’Saber’ that had been assigned to assist during the previous mission while, at her side, Alice, the resident mascot of their operation, led the way by pulling the former’s hand.

Seeing the white-haired man in the distance, Alice’s face brightened into a lovely smile as she broke out into a fumbling run before diving toward him and shouting, "Brother Shirou~" in a happy tone.

Though he caught Alice out of the air, Shirou had a wry smile on his face as he set her back on the ground and whispered, "Alice...I told you not to call me by name when we’re outside Headquarters. It is also too dangerous for you out here...who let you come outside?"

Hearing her beloved big brother’s words, Alice puffed out her cheeks adorably before ignoring his question and asking, "Are you not happy to see me...?" in an aggrieved tone.

In response to Alice’s pouting, Shirou released a small sigh before adopting his most comforting smile, gently caressing her head as he replied, "I’m always happy to see you, Alice. It’s just...well, all big brothers can’t help but worry about their little sisters. Since you’re so adorable, I worry that any random stranger might try to pick you up and kidnap you...hahaha..."

Finding her big brother’s response to her liking, Alice’s smile returned even more radiant than before as she threw her arms around his neck and chimed, "Big brother is the best~!" before planting a kiss on his cheek.

With a wry smile on his face, Shirou lightly pinched Alice’s cheek in response before rising to his feet and greeting his usual partner, his expression immediately becoming a mask of professionalism as he said, "Berserker...are you the one who decided to bring out Alice?"

Without any change in her expression, the woman with features similar to Artoria, the only exception being the color of their hair and eyes, stared blankly back at Shirou before answering, "Assassin...she offered me her cake...Besides, I don’t like it when she pouts...it is troublesome...you should play with her more often..."

As if having successfully read a script, ’Berserker’ sent a thumbs-up toward Alice, earning a similar expression from the small girl who now clung to Shirou’s side. At the same time, Shirou released a tired sigh, something he found himself doing with increasing frequency ever since coming to this world.

Before things became more hectic, Shirou grabbed Alice’s hand, intending her to have her wake up Musashi while leaving Caenis to Berserker. The two had a bit of a rivalry between them, but, due to Caenis’ hatred of men, it was easier to let one of his female companions deal with her. Most of their group was actually female, the only exceptions being himself, Archimedes, Lovecraft, and ’another’, so it wasn’t difficult to have someone else rein her in.

With Alice in tow, Shirou made his way over to where Musashi, now with her kimono slightly open, continued napping away with a silly smile on her ruddy face. Seeing this, Alice entered ’panic mode’, pushing away her big brother as she shouted, "Brother Shirou, you can’t look! Bad...!" Then, after making sure he was facing away, she went over to the sleeping Musashi, shaking her shoulders rather vigorously in order to wake her.

After experiencing a nightmare where she was trapped on the open seas during a storm, Musashi woke to find the familiar face of Alice glaring back at her. Though she was still considerably drunk, the angry face of the adorable little girl had a sobering quality to it, forcing Musashi to quickly fix her clothes as she sheepishly asked, "What are you doing here, Alice? Shouldn’t you be back at home...?"

Before she could finish her line of questioning, Musashi saw Shirou standing off to the side with his back turned, realization dawning on her at the same time as her expression reddened. She wasn’t the type that cared if her body was seen by others, but, as Shirou had already resisted her teasing quite, she had developed a certain ’awareness’ of him that was hard to put into words. It wasn’t anything remotely resembling love, but, as a man with a respectable character, it made Musashi feel slightly ashamed to behave in her usual slovenly manner around him...

Seeing Musashi’s expression redden, Alice’s face immediately formed into a pout as she moved in a way to block the former’s view, her posture similar to a mother scolding their child as she said, "You shouldn’t be sleeping outside! If you’re sleepy, you should return home and use your bed properly!"

Musashi was at a bit of a loss as to how she should respond, but, fortunately, Shirou came to her aid, saying, "Don’t blame her too much, Alice. Musashi has been on the run for the last few days in order to avoid leading the enemy to our home. She was probably very tired so don’t be too hard on her..."

Grasping the lifeline that had been thrown to her, Musashi nodded her head, immediately adding, "Assassin is right. Caenis and I have been on the run without resting for two whole days so I couldn’t help taking a nap while waiting. Please forgive me, Alice, I promise I won’t sleep outside anymore..."

Though her frustration had little to do with the fact Musashi was sleeping outdoors, Alice ultimately decided to forgive her after hearing her big brother’s words. Thus, while not as vibrant as the smile she reserved for her big brother and favorite uncle, Alice adopted a kind smile before lightly patting Musashi’s head and saying, "You worked hard. Let’s go home so you can get some proper rest."

Musashi felt a slight urge to tear up in response to Alice’s perceived gentleness, but, as she wasn’t absolutely certain it was safe to head back, she shook her head and said, "I’d like to return but there are a couple of things I need to take care of before then. I know you don’t like being away from your big brother, but, can you give the two of us a few minutes to talk? There is something very important I need to discuss with Assassin before we can all head back together..."

Hearing Musashi’s words, Alice had a complicated expression on her face, but, with Shirou following up by saying, "Alice, be a good girl...please...", she begrudgingly decided to give them some privacy. She knew they needed to talk about the previous mission, and, while it made her a little upset to be excluded, Alice knew everyone just wanted to keep her safe.

After Alice was out of earshot, Shirou’s expression immediately became serious as he asked, "Have you been compromised? Tell me what happened after you were captured. Did they...do anything to you...?"

Though she knew he wasn’t alluding to anything sexual, Musashi’s already red face became slightly more ruddy as she issued a few coughs to cover up her embarrassment. Shirou’s face also became a little red once he realized the hidden meaning in his words, but, unlike Musashi, it only took him a few seconds to recover. When she did, Musashi also adopted a more serious expression, her drunken state quickly fading away as she began to recount the details of her battle against Vahn, the method used to contain her, and the rather one-sided negotiations that had led to her release...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’[Endless Bottle of Sake:B]’,’The advent of Assassin Shirou and Berserker!?’,’You better stay away from Musashi-chan you white-haired Octopus...’)