Mash ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her joints burning with every step having long been overworked, her breathing deep, and rasping, her body burned but she didn't stop, she couldn't stop yet.
"Please don't die senpai, please," she whimpered to herself. On her back was the limp bleeding body of Gudako Fujimaru. She glanced back to find that she had outrun her enemy, but she didn't stop for fear they would catch up if she slowed down for even a second. Once she was positive she had escaped the demi servant dug her heels into the ground as she came to a stop. As delicately as she could she laid the limp body of Gudako Fujimaru on the ground.

"Senpai please wake up. I'm sorry I failed you but please wake up!" Mash screamed, tears streaming down her face as she clutched Gudako's motionless body. She had been fighting an enemy servant and through a single poorly chosen move had been disarmed as her foe fired an arrow at her, but Gudako had knocked Mash of the way and been pierced through the chest with an arrow fired from the knight Sir Tristan, it hadn't killed the young mage, but she had been left not far from death.

"Da Vinci, Doctor Roman! Someone, summon one of the healers or get senpai back to Chaldea, please!" Mash wailed to the sky trying to get her allies to save the person who meant the world to her. A blurry image of a middle-aged man with long unkempt orange hair appeared with a look that sent horror down Mash's spine.

"We can't. We're having power problems at the worst time, to summon another servant to you may leave you stuck there permanently, and we can't get you two out, we barely have enough power to get one of you out. We wouldn't be able to get both of you out, and even if we could Gudako wouldn't survive the trip." Doctor Romani trembled weakly, Mash could see tears in his eyes as well.

"NO!" Mash screamed in horror, she had more magical talent than almost any mage alive apparently, but she was unable to use even the most basic of spells, she knew how to survive and thrive in nature but nothing about how to heal someone and certainly not from something this bad. All the knowledge she had was useless when it mattered.

"I'm so sorry senpai! I'm so useless, you needed me more than ever, and I failed you, you're going to die because I'm so useless. Why did you have to save me again? You should have just run." Mash's tear fell onto the red-haired woman in her arms.

"There may be one way," a woman's voice drew Mash's attention back to the hologram, standing there now was the Mona Lisa with a pair of glasses and a staff, it was Leonardo Da Vinci.
"What? I'll do anything to save senpai!" Mash whimpered as she clutched Gudako tightly, her black and purple armour staining red with her master's blood. Da Vinci was silent, she looked scared, but Mash was in no mood for caution.

"DA VINCI WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO!" she snapped at the inventor who swallowed nervously.
"Die! You'd have to sacrifice your own life to save her." the inventor's voice trembled as she spoke.


"What?" Mash stuttered weakly.
"Her body could heal rapidly if she had enough mana, but it's too much to get even from the age of the gods so neither Camelot nor Egypt could save her. She needs a large amount of mana in a short period of time, and the only way to do that - to do that would be to-" Da Vinci's voice trailed off. What she was about to say made her want to vomit, to break down in tears because she knew Mash would do it without hesitation.

"Would be for her to eat a heroic spirit or divine animal, but the only one nearby is you. Even the closest, Sir Tristan is already halfway back to Camelot by now, Gudako wouldn't survive until then." Da Vinci trembled weakly at her own words. Mash looked down at the young woman she held, Gudako's smooth red hair brushed across Mash's hand, the mage's caring orange eyes might never open again if nothing was done.


"Senpai, you were always so kind to me, you never saw me as a resource, as an item to be used and thrown away even though that's what I was made to be. You always treated me so kindly, you protected me even though it was my job to protect you. Since I won't get a chance to say this to you again. I love you Senpai." she kissed her master's forehead with a quivering smile. She placed her hands into Gudako's mouth she was surprised by how easily it expanded to accept her. Her hands easily slipped into Gudako's throat.

"Oh, I should get rid of my armour," a golden shimmer dispersed her black knight's armour as she pushed her elbows into her master's pulsing gullet. Gudako's warm struggling breath washed over the young demi servant's arms as they continued to vanish into the woman she loved. Gudako's body began to take charge as her pulsing throat started to pull Mash deeper in, the shielder's head passed into the oddly cold jaws of Gudako. Mash shuddered but made no attempt to escape her fate, she wasn't scared of her death. But the idea of Gudako dying terrified her far more than anything else.

"Senpai, please enjoy your life. I want you to live a long happy life full of love." Mash mumbled as saliva soaked into her head, her hair and clothing clung to her skin. Cold breath washed over Mash's body yet she felt both warm and cold with every breath the mage took. Mash kicked against the ground lightly to further her descent into her beloved master but not so fast that she would hurt Gudako. Her breasts popped into Gudako's mouth making the purple-haired girl whimper. She wasn't afraid, but oddly excited, the feeling of her chest bouncing against Gudako's teeth made her feel oddly warm and happy. She didn't know why, but it made her happy that she could enjoy herself as she vanished into the pulsing throat. Soft whimpers echoed through the silky flesh around her. Her head soon entered the tight stomach of Gudako, she could already feel her mana sapping out of her, she hadn't realized it until now since she had been so focused on making sure Gudako didn't get hurt, but now the feeling was unmissable. The stomach was already starting to fill with acid, her instincts told her to use her skills to protect herself but she knew that would only defeat the purpose. Her thighs passed through Gudako's jaws, gently scraping across the mage's teeth.

"Doctor Romani, Da Vinci is senpai healing?" the shielder weakly called to the observers she had almost forgotten about.
"Yes, she's doing much better already. She's at least stable now." Da Vinci shook the shock of what she was watching off and replied to the girl she had helped raise.
"If I were to try to escape now would senpai still be stable, or would she relapse?"

"She'd relapse again almost immediately. I'm so sorry Mash." Da Vinci's voice wavered as she answered the shielder. Mash didn't say anything but pulled her legs through Gudako's lips, they quickly descended into the waiting stomach. It was done. Mash had been fully swallowed and would be digested into mana so Gudako could live. The stomach had weakly tried to digest her but as she curled herself up the belly roared to life. Acid rushed into the pit submerging the demi servant's waist in the acidic liquid. She cried in pain the juices began to burn her flesh, it was weak compared to some of the pain she'd experienced in the last year but it still stung across her body.
"Senpai, I'm sorry. I know I'm leaving you with a large weight on your shoulders, but I'm sure you will be able to save the world without me. I'm sorry I won't be there to help you, or to see the world you worked so hard to save." despite the pain and impending fate, Mash smiled. She knew Gudako would live, that made her happy, and the idea of becoming part of the woman she adored was a better death than she had imagined she would get. Mash closed her eyes for the last time as she remembered all the fun, the adventures, the sweet moments and everything else she had experienced with Gudako Fujimaru.

"I love you Gudako." Mash rolled the name with a smile. This was the first and last time she would ever call her Senpai by name.


Gudako groaned as her eyes slowly lifted. She was almost blinded by white. White walls, a white ceiling, a white floor around her and people in white coats murmured over her.
"Mash? Where's Mash?" the redhead weakly rasped, her body slowly being raised from the floor by two technicians. She locked her eyes on the familiar figures of Da Vinci and Doctor Romani.
"Where is she? Is she alright?" The woman croaked again, her throat burned, but the pain meant nothing to her. Her only concern was Mash. Her last memory was that Mash was about to be shot with an arrow. Gudako thought she tried to knock her out of the way but if she had, were was Mash now? The horrified faces on the two only served to worry her further.

"WHERE IS MASH!" Gudako shouted ignoring the pain that burned through her body and the strange weight that seemed to way her down. She glanced around the room, everyone looked either pale at best or horrified at worst. No one answered her question.

"DA VINCI WHERE IS MASH!" the woman grabbed the Italian woman by her shirt lifting her off the ground.
"Dead," Da Vinci replied weakly, she watched to colour drain from Gudako's face. The mage turned trembling to Roman, surely this had to be Da Vinci messing with her again, but the doctor looked at the floor with despair.

"No," Gudako choked as tears began pouring from her eyes.
"Give her back," the mage whimpered as she turned back to Da Vinci who was still dangling off the ground. "Give her back!"
"There's nothing we can do, Gudako. She gave her life so you could live. You were the one shot with an arrow, not her. She fed herself to you so your body could absorb her and her abundant mana" the inventor placed her hand on the petrified mage's.

"Than resummon her, we've lost servants on the field before, and they always come back, bring her back too!" Gudako cried her voice jumping from a weak whimper to a scream only for it to return to a helpless whimper.

"We can't, she wasn't a normal heroic spirit, so we can't summon her back. She was still human as far as the throne is concerned."
"THAN USE THE FUCKING GRAILS!" Gudako dropped to her knees "Use them all if you have to. Use every ounce of mana I have if you have to. I don't care if I die, just bring her back." Gudako cried.

"Don't you dare say that!" Romani turned to the sobbing woman with a look she had never seen on him before. Pure anger.

"Don't you dare tell us to kill you after Mash gave her life to save you! She gave everything she had to make sure you could carry on and save the world! She bel-" the doctor screamed as he stormed over to the crying mage, several technicians tried to hold him back but failed to stop him.
"I don't care about the world!" Gudako cut his rage off. The room fell silent hearing that the woman who had been fighting so hard to save the world didn't care about it.
"I never cared about the world. Far as I'm concerned it can burn to dust. I hate people. It's why I get along so well with heroic spirits! Because they aren't normal, obnoxious, stupid people. When I found out Solomon wanted to destroy humanity I thought let him do it." everyone stared in shock at the enraged mage.

"But, you fought so hard to protect it?" Da Vinci muttered baffled by what she was hearing.
"Because of Mash. The moment I met her I was in love. The moment I met her I knew I would do anything for her. People never meant anything to me, not my friends, not my family, not even myself, but Mash was so full of joy, so full of happiness. A happiness I had never experienced before meeting her, so when she said she wanted to see the world, I leapt at the chance to save it just so I could show Mash the world she loved. But now what am I supposed to do?" Gudako bellowed angrily as she slammed her fist into the marble floor. The tile shattered along with the mage's hand upon her punch.

"SHE WAS ALL I HAD! ALL I WANTED WAS TO SEE HER SMILE!" Gudako slammed punch after punch into the floor, each punch was accompanied by the cracking of bones and splattering of blood.
"ai,"
"So why? Why did someone who had everything to live for have to die such a horrible death, but I who welcomed it have to live on knowing I failed her? That I killed her!" Gudako cried ignoring the pain that tore through her body with every stone shattering punch.

"sen,"
"Why? Why couldn't it have been me who died and Mash lived?"
"SENPAI!" Gudako froze as Mash's voice called to her. Was she going crazy?
"Romani, Mash's existence has been confirmed again!" a technician shouted drawing everyone in the room to them.
"She's being detected inside Gudako though."
"It must be because she was absorbed right down to the soul. She's part of Gudak-"
"WHO FUCKING CARES! SAVE HER! Get her a body, use the grails anything just save her!" Gudako shouted as her hands clasped her head terrified that at any moment Mash might cease to exist.

"Sorry Senpai, I didn't mean to break your heart. I just wanted to protect you." Mash tried to comfort her sobbing senpai "and I didn't know I meant that much to you."


Gudako ran a brush through Mash's hair, happy to have her back even if she was in a temporary body. It had been almost a week since Mash had died only for her soul to be placed in a new body.

"Senpai, your hands are shaking. Are you sure you're okay?" Mash's soft caring voice pierced the air like a knife, but it was a welcome knife as far as the mage was concerned.

"I was so scared you were really gone. Please, never scare me like that again." Gudako trembled as she spoke, but she kept brushing Mash's new long hair. It was still her signature purple but was far longer and thicker than before.

"I'm sorry senpai. I love you and the idea of you dying was more terrifying than anything I'd ever experienced. So I was happy to give up my life for you." Mash tried to turn to face Gudako, but her new body wasn't as flexible as her old one so she could only slightly turn. But her attempt must have worked since she could see a faint smile.

"Jeez, what a pair we make. You refuse to let me die and I refuse to let you die either. But if one of us were to die it seems like the other would follow them. Maybe I should talk to Vlad about his offer of immortality after all." Gudako nervously joked.
"By the way how are you holding up in the new body?"
"It's a bit stiff, so I can't move as freely, but it is kind of nice to be so tall." Mash chuckled.

Ya, you're even taller than Vlad. That must be nice." Gudako smiled as she brushed Mash's coarse hair.
"Plus, even though I'm not as strong as I was, I feel stronger." Mash blushed.

"Ya, you're going to have to work on that while you wait for Iri and them to finish your proper body."
"Yes, I will. Um, senpai. Am I still cute?" Mash stammered weakly. She turned to face Gudako giving the young mage a full sight of her beloved kohai. Her body didn't look human anymore, it was a homunculus body provided by Paracelsus. A towering mass of hair in a vaguely humanoid shape with gleaming eyes and long arms that reached her knees. It was the same shade of purple as her hair had been so it was distinguishable from a normal homunculus, to further convey that it was mash Da Vinci had made a special version of Mash's outfit to fit her new body, complete with glasses even though she didn't need them. She knew the answer was no, but she wanted to ask regardless.

"Mash, can you lean down a bit?" Mash was confused by Gudako's response but did as she was asked. Gudako shot forward with a kiss to the giant hair covered woman. Mash turned bright crimson with a blush that showed through her layers of hair.
"That's not fair," Mash weakly stammered with a smile. Gudako smiled even brighter.
"Yep, just as I thought. Adorable." Gudako beamed while wrapping her arms around her kohai.
"And what if I stayed in this body? What if I couldn't get into my replacement body and was stuck in this, would you still love me?" Mash had to ask, this was the first chance the two had had to talk since she died. And now they both told the other how much they loved each other so she needed to make sure she understood what was going to happen.
"Mash, I don't love you because you look cute, I don't love you because you have nice soft boobs or anything that childish. Though they are nice benefits. I love you because you are so pure-hearted, so kind to everyone, so cute in your actions, so pure you have to ask me to explain when someone makes a dirty joke, and above all, you are the most amazing person I've ever met. So if you end up stuck in that body or you chose to stay in it, I will still love you, and if anyone mocks you I'll break their legs." Gudako wrapped her arms around her beloved kohai. She swore almost a year ago that she would protect and love Mash and that promise remained unchanged.

---

Gudako is fatally injured and Mash discovers that the only way to save her is to sacrifice herself. But how will gudako take the lose of her beloved kohai