Fate: A Dragon's Journey

Fuyuki City was divided into two sections by the River Mion.

Miyama Town, the residential area, and Shinto Town, the newer district with more modern structures. To be honest, Haruki preferred the old town because of its traditions. The new town had been rushed after the fire ten years ago, lacking a certain appeal.

To go to Mount Miyama, the shopping district, one had to pass by the bridge connecting Shinto and Fuyuki. Haruki stumbled into an unexpected person there.

A man gazing at the river with his hands tucked in his black jacket. His short golden hair glittered in the night sky.

Gilgamesh, the survivor of the last Holy Grail War. The corrupted Holy Grail had given him a physical body, now he was contracted with the Sadist Priest for magical energy.

"Master?"

"It's nothing."

This man could annihilate him in mere seconds as he was right now. But he couldn't quench the thought of beating the hell out of him. These violent thoughts rarely occurred to him.

'Is this a side effect of being a dragon?'

Dragons are known for their personification of strength and their lust for battles. He might also become a battle junkie the more he awakens.

'Damn it!'

He calmed down his boiling blood and kept walking.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Servants do not need food to survive. Master's magical energy will suffice," Medea replied.

"You might not get another chance to live like a normal girl. It's better to make the best use of it."

She assumed silence, pondering over his words. Haruki looked over his shoulder. Gilgamesh was curiously staring at Medea. Her supernatural beauty must've garnered his suspicion. Frankly, Gilgamesh will ever be attracted to someone since he put every woman beneath himself except for one woman.

Artoria Pendragon.

'What a weird guy.'

Medea seemed to be lost in thoughts. Curious, he asked Arch for Medea's current status.

Medea's current status — You want me to live a normal life, is that even possible? No, it isn't. I must win the Holy Grail and fulfill my revenge… that I must do.

So she sought the Grail for revenge against Jason and Aphrodite. Nothing out of his expectations.

Haruki gave Medea an assuring smile. "Don't worry. I promise we'll win if you keep following my orders."

The knowledge of the entire war and his system might just be enough to turn the tables.

She stared at him as if doubting his words. Now wasn't the right place to go deeper in this topic.

Soon, they arrived on the bustling street of Mount Miyama. Medea didn't pay a single glance to the numerous eyes following her. Instead, she chased Haruki with her eyes. Curious of her thoughts again, Haruki tried to open the privacy breach expert. A nudge from Medea stopped him.

"Master, why do you seek Grail?"

"Don't you know that by now?"

"To revive your mother?"

"Yes. She committed suicide… or so the detectives said. But that letter made me realize the truth," he said and clenched his fists. "It was a murder. Whoever did this, I'll kill every last one of them."

"We might be more similar than I thought," Medea whispered.

"Well, I don't know about that," Haruki muttered and stopped by the famous ramen stall.

Medea looked around with a frown while he waited in the queue. A super beauty at a local ramen stall gathered quite the crowd. The chef grinned as he saw more and more people flocking beside Haruki.

'Free promotion.'

The chef tried to hold off Haruki's order to maximize the gain. A glare from Haruki stopped him from doing so. The middle-aged man rubbed his head before he quickly handed over the order.

'Sheesh. My time is precious, you know.'

"Let's go. We've got a lot of work to do."

Medea merely nodded her head in response.

***

Medea stopped in the alley before the house and snapped her fingers. Her robes slipped out of the void and wrapped around her. In a flash, she was back to her 'Caster' mode. Lowering her hood, she revealed a cold smile befitting an evil witch.

"Master, do I have permission to deal with the trash?"

Some people had stalked them all the way to Haruki's house, their objective being Medea.

"Go ahead," Haruki said with a shrug.

He couldn't care less about those guys. They asked for death by chasing the wrong woman. Crossing the street, Haruki entered the home.

"Senpai!"

He raised a brow at the girl sitting at the door. A charming young woman wearing a light pink cardigan and pale yellow skirt. She tucked a strand of purple hair behind her ears, brushing the red ribbon with her fingers. She got up and glanced at the bags in Haruki's hands. A dejected look crossed her face before her usual sunny smile replaced it.

"Sorry for being late," she said. "Senpai, you don't need to eat unhealthy food. I can cook."

"I can't trouble you every day. You should focus on your life more."

Haruki walked past Sakura and inserted the key into the door.

"Stonehead senpai," Sakura muttered behind his back. She usually whispered things, but he couldn't hear them clearly.

'My hearing seems sharper—truth or placebo effect?'

He chuckled, getting a frustrated groan from Sakura. Of course, he understood her feelings. But for the sake of avoiding building turmoil in her heart, he always acted oblivious to her feelings. She carried the pieces of the Holy Grail tainted by the Angra Mainyu inside her. Any strong emotion would lead to a life-threatening situation for either of them. [1]

Also, he couldn't see her as a woman. After all, he had known her since she was five or six. It'd be weird if he developed any romantic feelings for her. Despite that, he admired her courage for enduring hell for over a decade.

Shaking his head at the troubles awaiting him in the future, he unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Sakura, come on. I brought your favorite Miso Soup with extra chicken toppings."

He expected a word of gratitude from her, but she replied with silence. Haruki turned around to find Sakura staring at Medea, her violet eyes filled with hostility and wariness.

"What is a Servant doing here?" she asked in a cold voice.

Medea ignored her and looked at Haruki. "Master, is she an allied Mage?"

"Master... you mean Haruki-senpai?" Sakura raised her voice as her head snapped toward Haruki. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We'll talk after dinner. The ramen is getting cold."

Cold ramen never tasted good.

"Senpai… okay."

***

[1] - Haruki's stance regarding Sakura is gonna piss a lot of people. I can feel that xD. Jokes aside, it won't last long. He'll come to the right side soon.