From the "This could be really awesome (in a totally cracktastic sort of way)" department....
The King of Heroes lazed on his throne, idly eyeing his favorite pet's pet. "Such a defiant expression in those eyes, still," he mused cheerfully, enjoying the thrill of fear that down his pet's spine beneath his hand. "In my time, such common trash understood better than to dirty their monarch with their worthless gaze at all, much less with such disdain." Yes, his pet's pet was very much like a cat in that respect. He'd always enjoyed showing the arrogant little vermin their place, and his pet's pet was so much more enjoyable. It would be a pity, the day she finally broke -- he would have to find new entertainment. But in the meantime--
"Yes, another round of discipline is called for, I think," he said casually, relishing the oh-so-subtle flinch from both women. The one kneeling beneath his hand drew breath, hesitated, then dared to speak... but only in the meek, proper voice he had trained into her.
"My Lord, if I may be so bold... she is rather... breakable."
"Hm, yes," he agreed, as if surprised at the reminder. "Well then, there can be only one answer for it: you, my dear Saber, will apply the lash, taking care not to go too far." The once King of Knights froze beneath his hand into utter stillness, already seeing the second blow of the combination falling, but helpless to avoid it. Ah, she was a treasure, this one! "And I shall supervise to ensure that you do not indulge your lamentable tendency towards leniency."
The involuntary cringe of the hapless so-called "magus" was sweet as any wine in his treasure house, and her own evident self-contempt at her inability to control it sweeter still.
The male voice that interrupted his savoring of the moment was a sour, putrid shock.
"The only one being disciplined here tonight, 'Kind of Heroes," is you," that hated voice stated flatly, sneering the title into an insult. Gilgamesh sprang upright from his sprawl, partly in shock and partly in fulminating rage at the sheer effrontery--
He was quit proud of how calmly he replied as he deigned to gaze upon the impossibility before him. "The fake mongrel. So you lack even sufficient couth to remain dead after being executed by Our royal hand." He paused, magnaminously, to allow the garbage a chance to apologize for the insult by expiring upon the spot. "Did you somehow slink away from your just execution, by some other craven Fakery?"
"Oh, no," Emiya Shirou replied evenly. "I died. And passed on. And fell into a new War, one waged by Hell against Heaven. And when that war was done... I returned."
Trembling with rage was beneath his dignity, Gilgamesh mused, even if he did feel as if he might truly become Berserker in his next breath. But the tiny shred of hope he felt from his pet and her pet mollified him -- taking that away from them by crushing this cur again, and this time guaranteeing that not even a single mote of his soul remained, would be his just recompense for this effrontery. "Well, then, I shall be more thorough this time."
"No, you're going to lose this time," Emiya stated calmly.
The Gates of Bablyon opened with a single thought, his treasures in glorious array readied once more to grind the mongrel into dust. "And what, pray tell, makes you think that anything will be different from last time?" Despite his towering righteous fury, Gilgamesh found himself honestly curious -- perhaps the Faker had learned some new pathetic trick that might grant the Monarch of All a moment's novel entertainment.
"Because I learned many things. Made many friends. And saw many swords." Emiya's lips curved in a tiny, bloodless smile. "Weapons that your precious Gates know nothing of... because these blades have never been part of this world." And the world changed.
There were differences this time, Gilgamesh noted. The hill was taller, the gears in the sky ground bone between them, but most of all, there were the swords. A legion of swords that reeked of power... and not one of them was familiar.
Not that it mattered. "Bah. New fakes. I'm actually disappointed. What's so special about these?"
Emiya's lips tightened back further into something nearly a rictus. "This."
"BAN KAI."
Wow, that ran long. But using Gilly as a POV character wouldn't let me cut down on the pomposity.
Where did this come from? Shirou is swords. Bleach has lots of swords that arguably would not be part of the Gates. Very powerful swords. And if Shirou can spam bankai the way he does Noble Phantasms... Plus, Shirou and Ichigo would get on like a house on fire... in a lake of napalm... in an atmosphere made up of a perfectly stoichiometric mix of H and O2.
As for the possibility of Shirou going Vizard... well, on the one hand, that would get away from his sword theme, and honestly seems like overkill. On the other hand... Shirou's eyes are already the right color. That thought gave me some real pause.
The King of Heroes lazed on his throne, idly eyeing his favorite pet's pet. "Such a defiant expression in those eyes, still," he mused cheerfully, enjoying the thrill of fear that down his pet's spine beneath his hand. "In my time, such common trash understood better than to dirty their monarch with their worthless gaze at all, much less with such disdain." Yes, his pet's pet was very much like a cat in that respect. He'd always enjoyed showing the arrogant little vermin their place, and his pet's pet was so much more enjoyable. It would be a pity, the day she finally broke -- he would have to find new entertainment. But in the meantime--
"Yes, another round of discipline is called for, I think," he said casually, relishing the oh-so-subtle flinch from both women. The one kneeling beneath his hand drew breath, hesitated, then dared to speak... but only in the meek, proper voice he had trained into her.
"My Lord, if I may be so bold... she is rather... breakable."
"Hm, yes," he agreed, as if surprised at the reminder. "Well then, there can be only one answer for it: you, my dear Saber, will apply the lash, taking care not to go too far." The once King of Knights froze beneath his hand into utter stillness, already seeing the second blow of the combination falling, but helpless to avoid it. Ah, she was a treasure, this one! "And I shall supervise to ensure that you do not indulge your lamentable tendency towards leniency."
The involuntary cringe of the hapless so-called "magus" was sweet as any wine in his treasure house, and her own evident self-contempt at her inability to control it sweeter still.
The male voice that interrupted his savoring of the moment was a sour, putrid shock.
"The only one being disciplined here tonight, 'Kind of Heroes," is you," that hated voice stated flatly, sneering the title into an insult. Gilgamesh sprang upright from his sprawl, partly in shock and partly in fulminating rage at the sheer effrontery--
He was quit proud of how calmly he replied as he deigned to gaze upon the impossibility before him. "The fake mongrel. So you lack even sufficient couth to remain dead after being executed by Our royal hand." He paused, magnaminously, to allow the garbage a chance to apologize for the insult by expiring upon the spot. "Did you somehow slink away from your just execution, by some other craven Fakery?"
"Oh, no," Emiya Shirou replied evenly. "I died. And passed on. And fell into a new War, one waged by Hell against Heaven. And when that war was done... I returned."
Trembling with rage was beneath his dignity, Gilgamesh mused, even if he did feel as if he might truly become Berserker in his next breath. But the tiny shred of hope he felt from his pet and her pet mollified him -- taking that away from them by crushing this cur again, and this time guaranteeing that not even a single mote of his soul remained, would be his just recompense for this effrontery. "Well, then, I shall be more thorough this time."
"No, you're going to lose this time," Emiya stated calmly.
The Gates of Bablyon opened with a single thought, his treasures in glorious array readied once more to grind the mongrel into dust. "And what, pray tell, makes you think that anything will be different from last time?" Despite his towering righteous fury, Gilgamesh found himself honestly curious -- perhaps the Faker had learned some new pathetic trick that might grant the Monarch of All a moment's novel entertainment.
"Because I learned many things. Made many friends. And saw many swords." Emiya's lips curved in a tiny, bloodless smile. "Weapons that your precious Gates know nothing of... because these blades have never been part of this world." And the world changed.
There were differences this time, Gilgamesh noted. The hill was taller, the gears in the sky ground bone between them, but most of all, there were the swords. A legion of swords that reeked of power... and not one of them was familiar.
Not that it mattered. "Bah. New fakes. I'm actually disappointed. What's so special about these?"
Emiya's lips tightened back further into something nearly a rictus. "This."
"BAN KAI."
Wow, that ran long. But using Gilly as a POV character wouldn't let me cut down on the pomposity.
Where did this come from? Shirou is swords. Bleach has lots of swords that arguably would not be part of the Gates. Very powerful swords. And if Shirou can spam bankai the way he does Noble Phantasms... Plus, Shirou and Ichigo would get on like a house on fire... in a lake of napalm... in an atmosphere made up of a perfectly stoichiometric mix of H and O2.
As for the possibility of Shirou going Vizard... well, on the one hand, that would get away from his sword theme, and honestly seems like overkill. On the other hand... Shirou's eyes are already the right color. That thought gave me some real pause.