A Twist of Fate (Fate Zero & Fate Stay/Night:UBW)

Sonnet 19: Chapter 2

Diarmuid remained where he was, paralyzed by indecision. Half of him wanted to follow Eritrea's command, the other half wanted to charge forward and save her from the enemy. But how does one fight an enemy they cannot even see?

For the first time throughout his lengthy history of combat, the First Spear of the Fianna was completely helpless. Trapped in the hands of the monster, Eritrea watched its mouth open wide, ready to swallow her whole.

"Nake, Benihime."

A crimson arc of energy cut the creature, splitting its mask and head in two before it disappeared into specks of ash. With the creature no longer looming above her, Eritrea saw the figure of her savior.

He was clad in white and dark green. With shrewd, piercing eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat.

Urahara-san?

Before Eritrea could open her mouth, Urahara helped her to her feet.

"Why don't we answer all your questions while I patch up that wound?"

Urahara Shop.
"In this world, there are two types of souls. The first are called 'Plus', the ordinary spirits. And the others are called 'Hollow', which is the creature that attacked you earlier. They consume the souls of the living and the dead indiscriminately. In other words, bad spirits. There are also guardians of the souls known as Shinigami. They have two jobs, one is to lead the Plus to Soul Society through a process called a 'Soul Burial', the other is to kill Hollows and purify them."
"Then am I correct in presuming you are a Shinigami yourself?"
"You give me too much credit, Eritrea-san. These days I'm just a plain old candy store owner."
"Why was I the only one who could see the Hollow?"
"Only those possessing a Shinigami's spiritual energy can do that. Though rarely found in humans, yours is capable of transitioning into a Shinigami's."
"So you're saying that if I want to, I can become a Shinigami?"
"Correct! There's been an increase in the number of Hollows appearing in the human realm lately. So if you do, it would be a big help."

Urahara's cheerful tone turned serious,.

"It's a very big decision. You are of course under no obligation but I thought you should know that you have that power."

Eritrea nodded once before looking at the black cat beside Urahara. A tingle of suspicion nagged at her when faced with the piercing yellow eyes of the feline.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid but there's something odd about that cat, though now isn't the time to ask about that.

"The wound is a little deep but I've patched it up with this bandage containing special herbs. Just change the dressing when you get back home tomorrow."
"Won't the Hollows simply follow me back to Fuyuki?"
"I've placed a spiritual seal that will mask your energy until it's removed. You should return, you've got something to think about."
"Are there any more Hollows in the vicinity right now?"
"No, it's clear."

She headed towards the door with a manner of restrained urgency. As though she couldn't wait to get out of there but wanted to appear otherwise.

"Good. I need some air."

Once the door closed, Urahara began making dinner while Diarmuid sat at the table with his head down.

"I'm glad to have finally met the woman you told me about when you first came to live here, Diarmuid." remarked the cook, buoyant as always.

The lack of response halted a knife against a chopping board.

"Diarmuid, tomorrow is never certain. If you have something to say, now is all you have."