This Game of Ours

by waywardstranger

Right in the heart of Fuyuki City, a phenomenon known as the Holy Grail War occurs once every thirty years. Seven mages are chosen to participate. Seven servants are summoned. All of them compete to win the Holy Grail, a magical object that allows the user to grant any desire they have in the world. (basically the Haikyuu characters in the Fate/stay night universe).

p style="text-align: center;" align="center"strongspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"begin/span/strong/p
p style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start:/span/p
p style="text-align: center;" align="center"emspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"a/span/ememspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"ṭ/span/ememspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"ivai-ttal /span/emstrongspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"| /span/strongspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode';"āmukha /span/emstrongspan style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode';"| /span/strongemspan style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode';"arch/span/em/spanemspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"ḗ/span/ememspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /span/emstrongspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"| /span/strongemspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"chuàng /span/emstrongspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"| /span/strongemspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"hţ/span/ememspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"ẖ/span/ememspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"yl /span/emstrongspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"| /span/strongemspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"incipere /span/emstrongspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"| /span/strongemspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"bd/span/ememspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"ạ/span/ememspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"̉/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emHot. Hot. Too hot./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emHisashi tried to push himself up to a sitting position. The air around him was filled with the scent of smoke. He coughed several times into his hand, feeling his lungs cry out for fresh air. His ears still rang from the sound of the blast that threw him out of the building. He got up shakily to his feet and stood up to find everything burning around him./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"Impossible…" Hisashi whispered as his eyes took everything in. The entire building was gone, only the charred remains of its foundation were left behind. The other buildings all around him as well as the roads and cars weren't safe from the explosion either. Only rubble remained of the city he knew and grew up in. And as he surveyed the destruction all around him, one clear thought echoed sharply in his mind./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"You did this."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emHisashi froze. His ears were still ringing from the blast but he heard that voice as clear as a bell. Or it could just be his imagination making him hear things. Either way, he turned around./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"You did this."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emThe Sawamura woman, Sawamura Meiko, stood behind him. Her clothes were torn and filthy but she didn't seem to care. Her bright red hair spilled around her shoulders, making her face look as if she was framed by fire. The expression on her face showed furious rage, and her dark, onyx eyes burned brighter than the flames all around them./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"So you must have seen it then," Hisashi answered back. He didn't see Sawamura Meiko inside the building when he was busy fighting the last Servant. But if she was, she would have then seen that Hisashi use his own Servant, Sugawara Koushi of the Archer class, destroy the Grail. A few minutes before the Grail exploded, he managed to use an 'Accelerate' spell and cast a portal to exit through. However, he was too slow to enter the portal and the blast managed to reach him even as he teleported outside the building. As for Sawamura, well he wasn't that interested to know how she managed to survive./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emBecause in the end, the destruction really was his fault./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"Is this what you wanted?" Sawamura asked, her voice as sharp as the edge of a dagger. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"You can kill me, if that's going to satisfy you," he said, holding his hands up in a look of surrender. "It doesn't matter now anyway."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"No," she shook her head. "You're free to burn yourself here if you want to. But if you do make it out alive, I'm going to make the rest of your existence as miserable as possible." And with that, she turned around and left, running past the flames, unafraid that they were going to consume her. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"IWAIZUMI!" /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emHisashi turned around sharply, detecting the scream coming from the building's direction. And sure enough, out of the flames and smoke, he found his Servant walking out towards him. Sugawara Koushi always appeared calm and collected when he was around him. But now, it looked as if he was a completely different person. His clothes were mostly burnt off and the skin that it revealed was either red or black. His silver hair was almost gone. But even though the explosion and flames took most of his face, Hisashi could still see the burning hatred and anger on Sugawara's now ugly and twisted face. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emThe blast should have killed him. But then again, Sugawara Koushi is considered to be one of the most powerful Heroic Servants./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"You! You made me destroy it!" he yelled. He was limping even as he walked towards Hisashi, brandishing a dagger in his right hand./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em'This is what happens to those who are obsessed with the Grail's power,' Hisashi thought as he calmly lifted up his right hand. He wondered if he could have ended up like Sugawara./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"Go ahead, do it then!" he screamed once he saw what Hisashi was about to do. "Use it to send me away."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"Shouldn't you be begging me not to do that?" Hisashi asked, frowning at him./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"It doesn't matter. I'm going to come back anyway," Sugawara laughed. "I'll always come back, Iwaizumi Hisashi."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emA wave of unease washed over him after hearing Sugawara's words. He was right. Sugawara Koushi was too powerful a Heroic Servant to not be summoned for the Grail War. Hisashi had hoped that the Grail was going to be completely destroyed, but the amount of mana he detected after it exploded seemed to suggest the opposite. His only hope would be for the future generation to destroy it completely. Hisashi glanced at the back side of his right hand which contained the last Command Seal. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"We'll see about that then."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emSugawara Koushi disappeared as soon as he uttered the command to banish him. Thunder rumbled in the skies above him. Droplets of rain began to fall. Slowly at first, and then soon enough, Hisashi's clothes and hair were soaked. He stood in the same spot as the fires were slowly quenched by the rain./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"emAnd with that, the Grail War ended./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Kenma opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling overhead./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"It was more than twenty feet above the floor and made of solid concrete. It had to be, it was for the Combat Magic Training Room after all, a place where young mages could go all out with their powers. Kenma was very familiar with this ceiling since Shouyo came here often to practice. Sometimes Kenma would train with him, if he wasn't too tired. But most of the time he ended up helping Shouyo train him even if he was tired. His friend was very persuasive./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Kenma yawned and rubbed at his eyes. He had dozed off again on the soft, mattress-like floor in the place where people usually practiced their high jumps and gymnastics. Combat Magic wasn't one of his strong suits so he rarely used the area except for when he was trying to take a short nap while Shouyo was training./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"He turned to the side and found that his friend was still practicing. Shouyo was probably going to stick around for a little while longer, which Kenm didn't entirely mind. Waiting for him in the Combat Magic Training Room was infinitely better than going home. Anywhere was infinitely better than home. Kenma stayed in the dorm on campus in order to give him an excuse to not go home. But today, his father was requiring him to attend a family dinner./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Kenma sat up so he could get a better view. Shouyo ran on top of one of the steel beams that hung from the ceiling, his movements so fast and quick that even Kenma could hardly trace them. But he could definitely tell that Shouyo was using the tiniest amount of wind magic as well to increase his speed, no normal human being could possibly move that fast./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"In just a few seconds, he had reached the opposite end of the training gym. Kenma recognized in the split second before Shouyo vaulted himself off a beam that he was practicing the same move he'd been dying to perfect. Even in mid-air, his movements were lithe and graceful, kind of like a cat leaping in the air. Shouyo yelled out a quick incantation, which Kenma immediately recognized as Arabic, before slashing through the air with his right hand. The gust of wind that Shouyo created sliced at the wooden dummy he was targeting on the floor. The mage-in-training himself, however, was hurtled through the air by the force./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Kenma held out a hand, stretching out the shadow of his arm which then took hold of Shouyo's ankle before he hit the floor. His friend dangled in mid-air for a few seconds before Kenma lowered him gently onto one of huge, air-filled cushions inside the gym./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Nice catch, Kenma!" Shouyo laughed and flashed him a thumbs-up as he tried to sit up. Kenma shook his head and stood up, trying to look annoyed or indifferent despite the small smile on his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""You could have really fallen this time, Shouyo," he scolded him slightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""No. You're always there to catch me anyway," Shouyo grinned and slid off the large cushion. He was right, Kenma felt as if catching him was already an instinctive habit. He watched Shouyo stretch his arms over his head and turn towards the wooden dummy he was trying to target earlier. His previous cheerful expression was now replaced by frustration when he saw that the gust of wind he tried to do didn't cut through the dummy completely./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Kenma quickly noticed the change in mood and put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "You were pretty close this time," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yeah but it's been weeks already," Shouyo groaned./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""But does it have to cut all the way through?" Kenma pointed out, cocking his head a bit to the side as he looked at the wooden dummy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Huh? What do you mean?" Shouyo asked, turning his attention to Kenma./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Well, you're trying to add more force so that you could slice the wooden dummy in half, right? But that only means that the force will hurtle you back quite a lot as well, which isn't a good thing," Kenma began to explain./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Hmm…" Shouyo held a hand under his chin as he mulled the thought over. "So instead of just doing one big 'Zoom,' I can just do something like a bunch of 'Whoosh-es.' That's what you're saying, right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Uh… yeah…" Kenma nodded slowly. He would never get used to Shouyo's way of talking./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I see! That way I can try doing two slashes at the same time but with less force and the damage would be just as great!" Shouyo looked at Kenma, his eyes gleaming with excitement./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I'll try that now."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""No." Kenma immediately reached out and took hold of Shouyo's wrist. "You've been practicing for hours already, you don't have enough mana now. You'll probably fall straight to the ground before you even try it out."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""No way, I'm still fine," Shouyo brushed it off. Kenma stared at him before reaching up and poking his friend's forehead with two fingers. Shouyo fell and collapsed backward./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I guess you are fine," Kenma said. Shouyo looked up at him and pouted, sticking his bottom lip out slightly. He looked just like a little kid instead of a grown adult training to be a mage./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Tomorrow then," Shouyo gave in. He got up shakily to his feet and Kenma put an arm around his waist to steady him a little as they walked out of the training gym to their lockers. Kenma could feel Shouyo's legs shaking and hear his panting breaths. 'He pushed himself way too far again,' he thought, frowning slightly to himself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""So you're really going to the family dinner later then," Shouyo said, easing himself down to sit on one of the benches in the locker room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I don't really have much of a choice," Kenma sighed. When it came to his father, he never had much of a choice. The Kozume family was one of the three major mage families in Fuyuki City; they were also one of the oldest ones. His father, Kozume Seikyo, was the head of their family. He was a stern and cold man who never showed a single facial expression other than that of complete indifference. Besides that, he was also a very traditional man who held much of the Kozume's family values at heart./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Kenma was his fourth son and since he was the youngest among his siblings as well, he was the one who his father paid the least attention to. When he was accepted into Fuyuki Academy, the best magic academy in Japan, his father allowed him to move out and stay in a dorm on campus without batting an eye. Kenma was thankful for that, but it didn't exempt him from the occasional family gatherings during dinnertime./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Right, sorry about that," Shouyo said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""You don't need to apologize," Kenma shook his head. Before getting his towel out of his locker, he paused and turned to his friend. "Are you sure you can't wait for me to arrive before you go to the museum."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yes, Kenma," Shouyo said exasperatedly. "I've got the route and plan memorized in my head. I'll be in and out as quick as I can." He looked up at him with eyes that said 'Trust me, I've got this' but Kenma couldn't completely erase the doubt from his mind. Hinata wasn't exactly the stealthy type, his abilities were more suited for open-area battles. Kenma, on the other hand, could easily use his shadow-type magic for situations that demanded stealth. Museum robbery, to be more exact./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Fine," he lied. "But don't do anything rash without me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I won't," Shouyo said lightly. "After that we'll head right to Yamagi Forest. Hopefully before the full moon." That was the reason why the two of them couldn't reschedule the summoning of their servants. It was the Summer Solstice, and at midnight, the mana fields were strong and ripe for a summoning. He and Shouyo were definitely going to put that to good use./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Even without having mentioned it exactly, Kenma could tell how excited Shouyo was. He remembered how long they had waited for this day, how long they talked and planned and dreamed. And once this night was over, they would be one step closer to achieving their goal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"It wasn't just Shouyo either. It was as if the entire city of Fuyuki was quivering with anticipation. Even with his simple skills in sensory magic, Kenma could tell that there was a change in the mana fields within the city. The air itself felt charged with energy. The stadium was filled, only the players were needed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"The players for the Holy Grail War./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Shigeru stepped off the elevator and scanned the different faces of the crowd in the airport. He didn't have to look around very long and easily found the person he was looking for. In his expensive-looking, tidy black suit and tie, Iwaizumi Hajime was a hard target to miss. Shigeru never met him in person before but he had no doubt that it was him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yahaba Shigeru?" he asked in a deep voice that was polite nonetheless. Shigeru nodded./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""You must be Iwaizumi-san then," he smiled. "Thank you for taking the time to fetch me from the airport," he bowed. The look on Iwaizumi's face was one of unexpected surprise which then slowly melted away when a smile came over his features. It was a small smile, one that contrasted greatly with his somehow rough facial features. 'Rough on the outside, soft on the inside,' Shigeru quickly deduced./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""It's no trouble at all," Iwaizumi shrugged. "It wouldn't really be great for the both of us if you got lost on your first day. How long has it been since you were in Japan again?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I left when I was thirteen so… about ten years then," Shigeru answered. The two of them began walking past the crowds of people in the airport. Iwaizumi walked in front and Shigeru got a good view of how large he actually was compared to him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Well, Oikawa's still at the house since he had some 'important business to attend to' but I'm guessing he's probably sleeping under a pile of books again," Iwaizumi said in a slightly irritated tone. He walked ahead straight towards one of the cars parked in the parking lot outside. After unlocking it, he opened the trunk and loaded Shigeru's suitcases in. He didn't pack a lot of clothes and personal belonging with him, just enough to fill up one suitcase. The other one, however, Shigeru had placed a charm on so he could fill it with as many books and scrolls as he can. After getting into the car, Iwaizumi switched on the engine and pulled out of the parking space./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Fuyuki City had changed a lot over the years since he was gone. Shigeru lay back against the car seat and stared out the window, taking note of all the new buildings, shops, and restaurants that he didn't remember seeing when he used to live in the area. There used to be a sports stadium that was only half-finished when Shigeru left the country. Now, it was fully constructed and gleaming as the afternoon sunlight hit the glass windowpanes. He took his time reading the shop signs as they drove past, trying to get himself used to reading in Japanese again. Having to speak in it proved to be a bit of a challenge earlier since Shigeru had already grown accustomed to speaking in English back in his home in London. But it wasn't altogether impossible./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Iwaizumi drove past Fuyuki Academy, which immediately caught Shigeru's attention. He had gone to the Academy back when he still lived in Japan to get his basic magic training. The campus was much bigger than he remembered. The Combat Magic Training Gym wasn't there before, neither was the large building for Magical Research and the Sakura Residence Hall. 'I guess their budget went up,' Shigeru thought, smiling to himself. A lot of new things had changed when he was gone, however he wasn't just taking note of the physical changes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Shigeru could sense it. The awakening of the Grail's power. He wouldn't be surprised if there were mages already starting to summon their Servants. Once all Seven were summoned, the Grail would be fully awake./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"His hands curled on his lap and he felt his body stiffen as he looked out the window. Iwaizumi seemed to take notice of this and looked over at him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""You've been told why you're here, I'm sure," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yeah," Shigeru nodded in reply. "My father told me. You two have met, right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""A few times, I still remember him visiting when I was younger," Iwaizumi said. The Yahaba and Iwaizumi families had been close allies for the longest time. Shigeru's father, Yahaba Shinsuke, was the head of the family. His mother, on the other hand, was the daughter of the head of the Blackwood family, an old mage family from England. Their marriage tied to the two families together which led to Shigeru receiving his education from the London School of Magical Arts when he was older./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"The ten years of special training he received served a much greater purpose./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I'm guessing you and Oikawa-san haven't summoned your servant yet," Shigeru inquired, turning to look at Iwaizumi./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""No," he shook his head. "But we're planning to do it tonight, and you're right on time too."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Right, stronger mana fields since it's the Summer Solstice," Shigeru nodded./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Oikawa has it marked on every calendar in the house, and we have five of them," Iwaizumi shook his head and chuckled. Then his expression was serious again and he turned his head to look at Shigeru./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""One question though, if you don't mind me asking…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Is it about my age?" Shigeru guessed. He wouldn't be surprised if it was a question about his age. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had asked for help from the Yahaba family. And since his father promised to always help the Iwaizumi family when they were in need, he sent help in the form of his twenty-three year old son. Twenty-three was quite a young age for a mage to be experienced in the magical arts, but Shigeru had always been exceptional beyond his years./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Well, yeah that too. But from what I heard from your father, you're quite the genius," Iwaizumi said. "But my main question is: Why would your father send his own son to join us in fighting the Grail War?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"'He's perceptive,' Shigeru immediately thought, pleased at the new discovery. "Well, besides the fact that my parents have always trusted in my abilities, they thought that it would be good training for me to take part in this Grail War. After all, I am from both the Blackwood and Yahaba family. There are certain standards that I have to live up to."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Sounds tough," was Iwaizumi's response. Shigeru felt himself smile. He felt himself growing to like his new companion more and more. Instead of trying to feign sympathy, he gave an honest and direct answer and didn't ask him to say anything more. Shigeru leaned back and relaxed against the seat to look out the window again. This time, he wasn't paying any more attention to the physical changes. Years of Sensory Magic training have allowed Shigeru to detect even the slightest changes in the mana fields around him. They were barely there, but he was able to detect the faintest disruptions in Fuyuki City's mana fields which were no doubt caused by the Grail./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Tadashi took a good long look at the calendar on his wall, with all the red X's marking the days and post-it reminders, before yanking it down and tearing it half. He crumpled the papers up with both hands before tossing it to the nearest wastebasket. He didn't need that anymore. He turned back to the wall and took down several constellation maps, this time rolling them up neatly before placing them inside one of his boxes. The box was filled to the brim with even more things: pentagram sketches, lists of runes and symbols, a simple chemistry set, and some Latin homework./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Tadashi stood back and swept over the room once more, searching for something he forgot to put away. Then, his eyes landed on the framed sheet of paper he kept hanging over his desk. 'I knew I should have packed that away first,' he thought, mentally kicking himself for not doing so as he walked over to it. Tadashi took it from the wall and held it carefully in his hands. Behind the glass frame was the acceptance letter Tadashi got from Fuyuki Academy two years ago. 'Dear Yamaguchi Tadashi, we are happy to inform you that you've been accepted in Fuyuki Academy on a fifty-percent scholarship.' Even without reading it, he still remembered the words and recited them often in his head./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Tadashi still remembered the day when he read those same exact words. His fingers were trembling as they opened the envelope to get the letter out. He had spent the past few months in a constant state of emotional turmoil, his mind worrying over whether he got into Fuyuki or not. He had wanted to get into Fuyuki Academy and become a powerful mage ever since he was young. Everyone in his class laughed at him for it. His teachers shook their heads at him and whispered behind his back. His mother never failed to make a snide remark about it. But despite all of that, Tadashi persisted./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"So when he read those words, Tadashi felt as if his world had turned upside down./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"He didn't come from a powerful mage family, in fact, he didn't come from a mage family at all. The only mage in their family was his father who wasn't even that powerful. He died when Tadashi was still young so he couldn't ask him for help either. The mage training he received mostly came from the basic stuff taught as an extra-curricular in high school and from teaching himself using books he found in the library. His mage training wasn't as intensive as the ones that other kids from mage families undertook. And with the intense competition and grading system in Fuyuki Academy, there was little hope for someone like Tadashi to enter. But he did./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"After graduating, Tadashi packed most of his belongings, moved out of his house and into the dorm rooms in the campus. His fifty percent scholarship covered most of the tuition fees but Tadashi had to work several part-time jobs to actually sustain himself. He was tired most of the time, but at least he knew the tiredness had its own reward. After graduation, Tadashi was hoping that he'd be taken in as an apprentice by another powerful mage. Then, he'd hone his skills even more and become a powerful mage himself. Then, maybe the people who scorned him would finally take him seriously./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Or at least that's what he thought./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"A few days ago, he was called into the counselor's office. Mr. Kizune was incredibly nice to him. He poured him a cup of tea and asked him about how he was and if he had any troubles at all. Tadashi shook his head and said no, he didn't have any troubles. He had been worried when he was summoned to his office, worried that maybe his grades were dropping. But then he began to relax. Tadashi thought that it was just a routine check-up on the students. That was until Mr. Kizune said those words. The words that Tadashi never thought he would hear, the words that made his blood run cold and his ears stop hearing./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"'We are taking back your scholarship, and cutting you out of the academy.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"'But why?' Tadashi asked, looking up at Mr. Kizune in disbelief. 'Are my grades dropping? Are—'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"'It's not any of those,' Mr. Kizune reassured him. The school was 'running out of funding' and couldn't afford to sustain all of the scholars they had. Because of that, they had to cut down, had to carefully select who they were giving scholarships to. Taking out students was also 'necessary' in the development of the school until only the best remained. And Tadashi just wasn't one of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"It wasn't that he wasn't good enough. It's just that there were plenty of other people better than him. Tadashi knew what kind of people they were. They were the elite. The ones who came from powerful families, rich families. Rich enough to afford personal trainers to develop their own skills. And Tadashi wasn't one of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Instead of placing it in the box along with his other things, Tadashi placed it face-down on the desk. The rest of his boxes of things were already loaded in the back of a rusty, old pick-up truck that he rented for the day. The one he had was the last one. He lifted it up and shut the door behind him as he left the room and headed down the hallway. Outside, the students were loitering around the residence hall in groups of three and more. Tadashi felt a hint of loathing when he saw how happy they were. But it was quickly replaced by self-loathing when he realized how pathetic he looked. Torn, ragged jeans and an old t-shirt. Sneakers scuffed beyond repair. A box of belongings in his hands that betrayed his situation./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Tadashi looked down to avoid catching anyone else in the eye. He tried to block out the sounds of whispers and snickers as he walked past. 'None of them matter. None of them matter,' he told himself over and over again. In his concentration, he didn't notice the foot that one of the students stuck out in his path. Tadashi tripped over it and fell forward, the box flying out of his hands and spilling on the concrete steps./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Well, well, I guess Yamaguchi finally got kicked out," a voice said behind him. Tadashi spun around and found Ryuunosuke standing above him, his mouth curled up in a smirk. He was one of the students in his class that picked on him the most. Usually he tried to keep it low-key since bullying was carefully monitored by the teachers. But now that Tadashi was technically expelled, Ryuunosuke was free to do what he wanted./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Just leave me alone," Tadashi muttered, brushing the dust off his arms. He knew perfectly well that retaliating against Ryuunosuke wouldn't solve anything. He would use any dirty trick to win, and Tadashi would still be the humiliated one in the end./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""You never really were meant to be in Fuyuki Academy…" he heard Ryuunosuke continue. "After all, it's for the elite, not the emcommon." /emTadashi blocked him out and got to his knees, he started putting things back in his box. Everything seemed to be okay, except for the chemistry set which was now mostly broken. Tadashi bit his lip in an attempt to stop the tears from coming out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"'But where's the medallion?' Tadashi realized after putting most of his things in the box. He looked around wildly and found it lying on one of the concrete steps in front of him. He reached his arm out and was about to get it when a black, leather shoe appeared and stepped on it. Ryuunosuke bent down and picked the silver medallion up right before Tadashi could snatch it from him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Give that back," he snapped, instantly standing up to face him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""This thing?" Ryuunosuke raised an eyebrow and held the medallion close to inspect it. It didn't look that special, despite the fact that it was made of pure silver. On one side was a simple engraving of a few runes for protection. On the other side was the Big Dipper constellation etched on the surface along with the words emeutolmía /emand emspan style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; color: #333333; background: whitesmoke;"sthénos/span/em. Tadashi had to have it back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Give it back!" he yelled, casting a simple magnetic spell but then having it quickly deflected by Ryuunosuke with a simple wave of his hand./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"em"Ligare," /emhe uttered. Tadashi's legs and arms were quickly bound together, stopping him from moving. Roman curses were difficult to undo, unless you had a companion, which Tadashi didn't./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""This old thing must be really special to you," Ryuunosuke smirked, dangling the medallion right in front of Tadashi's face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Haven't you had enough already?" Tadashi pleaded. "I'm already leaving, what more do you want?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Nothing really," Ryuunosuke shrugged. "I'll just miss having you around, that's all. Now, I wonder if this really is pure silver…" He held up his left hand and whispered em"Ignio/em." A small ball of flame appeared and Tadashi's eyes widened in panic./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Only one way to find out," Ryuunosuke laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""NO!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He held the medallion over the flames and was about to let go when suddenly, a shadow hand reached out and snatched it right out of his hands. Tadashi gasped. Both he and Ryuunosuke turned to look for where it came from./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I'm pretty sure this is pure silver," said a voice right beside them. Tadashi turned around and was surprised to find another student standing near him, as if he had been there all this time. He was shorter than he was. The most noticeable trait about him was probably his hair. It grew down to his shoulders and was bleached blonde except for the roots. In his outstretched hand was Tadashi's silver medallion, whole and unharmed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""K-Kozume!" Ryuunosuke stammered in surprise as soon as he saw him. "Wh—How?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Kozume?" Tadashi breathed out. The Kozume family was one of the most powerful mage families in the country, known especially for their shadow magic. Hence, the black shadow arm that Tadashi saw earlier. But he had never seen that student on campus before and he wasn't in any of his classes either. But then again, Fuyuki Academy was a large school./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"With a simple tap on Tadashi's shoulder, the Kozume student undid the curse Ryuunosuke placed on him. Tadashi moved his arms and legs, glad to find that they were back to normal./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""This is yours… I believe…" Kozume said, handing the medallion back to Tadashi who took it gratefully./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Thank you, Kozume-san…" he said, bowing slightly. The student didn't seem to acknowledge it or return the gesture. Tadashi didn't care. He tucked the medallion safely inside his box and quickly walked away from everyone else. Ryuunosuke didn't say anything nor choose to follow. Whoever that Kozume was, he seemed to scare or at least make him uneasy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Tadashi let out a breath of relief once he got inside the car and sat down on the driver's seat. He placed his box on the passenger seat beside him but took out the silver medallion that he almost lost. "That was close…" he breathed out, holding the medallion to his chest and feeling the cool metal through the fabric of his clean shirt. Tadashi closed his eyes and images of Ryuunosuke's smirking face flashed in his mind./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Soon…" he whispered. "I'll prove it to all of you. I'll prove that I am a great mage." And with that, he tucked the silver medallion in his pocket and started the car. As he drove, he felt his pockets once every few minutes to make sure it was still there. He was careless earlier, he almost lost it. But now, Tadashi was going to be more careful. The medallion, after all, was his ticket./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"His ticket to the Grail War./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Hitoka passed by the commotion on the front steps of the Academy without looking twice at what was happening. Apparently, Ryuunosuke was picking on that guy called Yamaguchi. She knew him, he was her seatmate in Magical Healing, but the only time they actually talked to each was when they exchanged the occasional 'Hello' in the morning and during group work projects. Besides the fact that he was pretty good in that class, she knew nothing else about him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The Sawamura car always arrived at five o'clock sharp in the afternoon after her classes ended to pick her up. It was one of those sleek, silver, fancy cars that Hitoka guessed caused a fortune to buy. The Sawamura family probably had five of those cars. The driver stepped out to open the door for her and Hitoka promptly got inside, placing her schoolbag on her lap. Some students paused to stare at the car as it drove out of the school. Hitoka hid a small smile in her hand. The regular appearance of the car led almost everyone in school to think that she came from one of those rich families. Well, that wasn't completely false./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Hitoka pulled out a tablet out of her schoolbag and began to check her email for any new messages from Ms. Sawamura, her boss. Finding none, she went over her tasks for the day which were always recorded on her tablet's calendar and planner./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Madam has quite a few tasks for you today," she heard Kurose-san speak up. She looked up at him and smiled slightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yeah, but no new ones though," Hitoka said, switching off the tablet and tucking it back into her bag./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Which one would you like to do first?" he asked. Hitoka looked out the window./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The museum first, to get the crown."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Hmm… Most important one first?" Kurose-san mused./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The museum's the nearest," she reasoned. "After that we can pick up the rest of Ms. Sawamura needs before we get back to the mansion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Right?" Kurose-san nodded. "Madam says we need to be back by seven o' clock."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Naturally," Hitoka said. Even though he was supposed to do it at midnight, Daichi Sawamura needed the crown on hand to make all the necessary preparations before the actual summoning. It was Hitoka's job to actually collect it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"A few minutes later, Kurose-san parked the car in front of the Fuyuki Museum of Natural History and got out first to open Hitoka's door. The building was one of the oldest structures in the city, but due to its careful maintenance, it had been preserved well. The design resembled that of Ancient Greek architecture with its large, marble pillars and stone blocks for the walls. Even the simple security and warding spells were written in Ancient Greek. Hitoka read some of them as she passed by and walked inside the museum./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The first thing that caught her attention were the three police offers talking to some of the museum's security guards and the curator, Mr. Hanzo. He looked up when he saw Hitoka enter and she flashed a friendly smile and a wave in greeting. Hitoka was often sent to the museum whenever Mrs. Sawamura ordered her to run an errand. Most of the time she picked up and exchanged documents or delivered messages. But on rare occasions, like now, she was required to pick up magical artifacts./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Misao-san," Mr. Hanzo smiled in greeting as he walked up to her, excusing himself from the police for a while./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Good afternoon, Mr. Hanzo," Hitoka bowed. Her frequent visits to the museum also allowed her to become close friends with the curator who often invited her for tea whenever she had free time. He was a friendly old man with white hair and black-rimmed glasses./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I assume you're here for the pick-up," he said, walking past the lobby and down a hallway towards his office./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""That's right," Hitoka nodded, walking beside him. "By the way, why are there police in the hallway?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Oh, that…" Mr. Hanzo paused as he opened the door to his office. "Well, we don't really want this news to become public, but you don't seem like the type to spread secrets out too much…" he trailed off, raising an eyebrow at Hitoka./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Mr. Hanzo," she shook her head. "But if you do, I promise not to tell Mrs. Sawamura about it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I trust you won't, Misao-san," Mr. Hanzo smiled at her. "Well, it appears that one of our artifacts was stolen a few days ago," he said, running a hand through his white hair./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""But, you have security guards and wards and everything," Hitoka said, putting up a shocked expression on her face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The thief went past all of those," Mr. Hanzo shook his head. "The wards, the guards, everything. But the strangest thing is, they only took one item with them."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""That is quite strange…" Hitoka mused, holding a hand up to her chin. "Did they take something of extremely high value?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Not even that,"Mr. Hanzo shook his head again. "The only thing they stole was a plain metal collar necklace that belonged to an assassin from the emYoru no Ken /emclan. If I was a thief I'd head straight for the jade collection or the gold displays but this was the only thing that was missing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""At least only one thing was stolen," Hitoka said. "But then that means that you'll have to recalibrate your security measures then in case something happens."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""That's right," Mr. Hanzo nodded and entered his office. "I've been hiring more mages to set up better wards and protection spells. Hopefully those'll prevent any more artifacts from being stolen." He walked behind his desk and opened one of the drawers. "Now, you're getting the crown, aren't you..? Ah! There it is…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"From a drawer, Mr. Hanzo pulled out a box-like case covered in red velvet and set it on top of the desk, pushing it towards Hitoka. "There it is…" he said, watching her as she flipped open the top of the case to reveal the contents. "The crown of Sugawara Koushi."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The lid and bottom part of the case was lined with dark blue silk that served as a cushion for the real treasure nestled on top of it. The crown was made of bands of pure silver and pale gold braided together to form a circlet. Golden topazes were embedded in between the strands, its bright, warm colors contrasting with the pale metals./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The crown of the Silver Emperor," Hitoka added. Slowly, she put down the lid and tucked the case into a suitcase that she brought with her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""So, the Sawamuras really are participating in this war then," Mr. Hanzo spoke up./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""That's right," Hitoka nodded. "Mrs. Sawamura said that it's going to be good experience for Daichi-san to participate, not to mention the prize he'll get when he wins."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The prize, yes, of course," Mr. Hanzo murmured. "The power to have any wish granted and the prestige that comes along with winning the Grail War. Who wouldn't want to have any of those?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"'Those who are too scared and too weak to actually fight,' Hitoka wanted to answer. But she didn't. Instead she smiled and picked up the suitcase./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I'll be one my way now, Mr. Hanzo. Mrs. Sawamura thanks you for this," she bowed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""We haven't had tea again in a while," Mr. Hanzo said as he walked her to the door of his office. "Come by again next time if you aren't too busy."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I will," she nodded, bowing one last time before leaving the office. She walked down the same hallway she had come from and smirked slightly as she passed the police who were still in the lobby. Kurose-san was waiting for her outside, leaning against the car while he checked his phone. As soon as he saw Hitoka walking down the steps he opened the car door for her. She went inside and laid the suitcase down on her lap as Kurose-san shut the door after her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"While he was walking back to the driver's seat, Hitoka looked out the window and saw someone standing on the sidewalk right in front of the museum. He seemed to be quite short, probably only slightly taller than Hitoka. He was wearing a dark gray sweater with the hood pulled up to cover his head. Standing there, he looked so out of place compared to everyone else rushing past him on the sidewalk./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The car drove out of its parking space and headed down the road. Hitoka lost sight of the boy. But if she had stayed behind and took more notice of him, she would have seen the shock of orange hair underneath his hood, and the determination shining in his eyes as he looked up at the museum building./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Here we are," Hajime said, pulling to a stop in front of the house he and Oikawa shared. It was a Western-style house with three floors, excluding the attic and basement. Quite simple actually, compared to the other house that they used to live in when they were kids which was much larger than this one. But that house burned down a long time ago, Hajime and Oikawa were just lucky that his family still had another house somewhere./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Hajime unlocked the trunk and brought out his companion's suitcases, Yahaba carried took one of them himself and stood aside as he opened the door to the house. "Nice wards," he heard Yahaba comment behind him as the two of them entered the house./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Oh, thanks," Hajime nodded. "Oikawa placed all of them." The protective wards on their house had actually been reinforced a few weeks before the Grail began to appear. A 'precautionary measure' that the two of them felt was extremely necessary. Hajime walked into the living room and placed Yahaba's suitcase on one of the couches. "So the first floor is basically the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room," he said, turning back to his guest. The living room and dining room were pretty neat and tidy since neither he nor Oikawa spent much time there. Whenever they ate, it was usually by the kitchen counter, or in the basement when they were busy. Yahaba surveyed the area with polite interest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""The bathroom's down the hall but each bedroom has a bathroom anyway," Hajime said as he walked down the hallway. "Those are the stairs that lead up to the first floor and here's the basement," he said, stopping in front of a door inscribed with more runes and wards. He could see the interest in Yahaba's eyes as he looked at it. "Oikawa's probably inside so I'll get him out to see you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Wouldn't he be busy or something?" Yahaba asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yeah, but he works himself to death all the time anyway," Hajime shrugged, turning the knob of the door. He wasn't even sure if Oikawa had lunch or breakfast yet. Yahaba stayed behind as Hajime walked down the staircase. The basement was cool and dark, dimly lit by a single lightbulb flashing overhead. There were shelves of books placed against the walls and chalk drawings of pentagrams on the floor. A desk placed against the right side of the room had piles of books and scrolls littered over it and Oikawa Tooru, fast asleep with his arms over his head, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Idiot, how long have you been in here?" Hajime scolded his friend, knocking him in the back of the head with one of the scrolls on the desk. Oikawa instantly sat up and wheeled around to look at Hajime, his hand flying to cover up the spot behind his head where he was hit./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Iwa-chan! Rude! You don't just hit people while they're sleeping!" Oikawa exclaimed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""How long have you been here, idiot?!" Hajime snapped, ignoring his comment. "Did you even eat anything like I told you?" All animosity faded from Oikawa's expression and was replaced with a sheepish and undoubtedly guilty smile./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I… forgot," he said in a small voice. "But at least you were here to remind me! What am I going to do without you, Iwa-chan?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Unlike you, flattery doesn't work on me," Hajime shook his head and took hold of the back of Oikawa's shirt, lifting him off his chair. "Come on, you're getting something to eat, after you meet our guest."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Wait, wait." Oikawa held on to his arm, stopping him before they went up the staircase. "The Yahaba kid is here already? I-I need to dress up first and make myself present—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Should have done that earlier," Hajime shook his head, smiling slightly to himself as he continued dragging Oikawa up the stairs. "And the 'Yahaba kid' is named Shigeru, for your information."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yahaba Shigeru," he heard Oikawa murmur to himself. "I better show him the incantations and runes already. And then we'll have to do the necessary preparations and—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""emAfter /emyou eat," Hajime interrupted him again, stopping in front of the basement door and finally letting go of his hold on Oikawa. His friend straightened up and began smoothing down his hair and the wrinkles on his clothes, constantly muttering about how he should have worn something other than a sweater and sweatpants. Instead of enjoying the sight of how ridiculous he looked like he always did, Hajime was biting his bottom lip with worry as he watched him. Oikawa spent most of his time in the basement, that wasn't a rare thing. But as the days until the Grail's appearance drew nearer, he began spending more time in the basement and less time outside the room, practicing magic and reading up new spells in preparation for the war. Hajime did what he could to help, but he wasn't as much of an expert as Oikawa was with those things. The least he could do was to make sure he was eating and getting some sleep, but it seemed like he was failing at that too./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""How do I look?" Oikawa asked. Hajime looked at him and saw the dark grey circles under his eyes, the wrinkles in his clothes, and the flyaway strands of hair that framed his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You look terrible," he answered bluntly. "Yahaba-san isn't going to take you seriously at all."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Do you always have to be this blunt?" Oikawa sighed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to use my charm to win him over," he shrugged and flashed a smirk at Hajime before opening the door. Yahaba was standing in the same spot he was in earlier and instantly looked up once the door opened and Oikawa stepped out to greet him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You must be Yahaba Shigeru," he said cheerily, flashing him a smile. "It is an honor to have you at our humble abode," he added, holding his hand out to Yahaba. Hajime walked behind him and rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""And you must be Oikawa Tooru," Yahaba shook his hand and returned the smile. "Thank you for having me over."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""No, thank you for coming," Oikawa waved his hand at him. "Sorry for having to greet you like this, it appears I fell asleep while reading again."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Iwaizumi-san said as much," Yahaba nodded./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Your room is upstairs, on the third floor," Hajime said. "My room and Oikawa's room are also upstairs but you'll have your own bathroom. The attic is above it but it's used only for storage. The library and study are on the second floor."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Hajime and I don't use it too much though," Oikawa butted in. "Since I use the basement room and Iwa-chan's brain can't handle reading a book." Hajime whacked him on the back of the head. "Also," Oikawa continued, rubbing the spot where he was hit. "I know you must be tired from travelling but, I suggest that we start the preparations for the summoning right away."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""It's perfectly alright," Yahaba nodded. "I would say the same thing, it is sundown already." Hajime bit his lip at the mention of this. It really was beginning, the Grail War. The magical, wish-granting, artifact that materialized in Fuyuki City once every thirty years. The one that he and Oikawa had dreamed of ever since they were kids. Hajime looked up at Oikawa who was engaged in animated conversation with Yahaba./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I'll be making something to eat then," Hajime spoke up and handed Yahaba's suitcases to Oikawa. "Show Yahaba-san to his room and call me if you need anything."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Sure thing," Oikawa nodded and took the suitcases from him before turning around and walking up the stairs leading to the second floor. Hajime stood there, watching him as he climbed up. Sometimes he could still see it, the sight of Oikawa's back turned to his with the house the two of them grew up in burning in the background./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Kozume Kenma," the guard in front of the door to their mansion said. "Welcome home," he bowed down low in greeting./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Thank you," Kenma nodded. He wished his father's guards would stop doing that. Even though it was a show of respect, the sight of them bowing down low in front of him made him feel a bit awkward. The guard stood up and opened the door for him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Are the rest of my family inside already?"Kenma asked, looking up at him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yes sir," the guard nodded. "They're all in the main dining room."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Thank you," Kenma said again before stepping inside. The Kozume mansion was located at the outskirts of Fuyuki city, quite near the mountains actually, where it was almost always cold. Kenma had to have a sweater on when he used to live there because of how chilly it was. Today was no exception, but the suit jacket he was wearing offered just a bit more warmth./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The sound of his footsteps on the cold, marble floor echoed throughout the hallway as Kenma walked towards the main dining hall used only for special gatherings. That was another thing he disliked about living in the mansion, the fact that the only thing he could really here when he walked around was the sound of his own footsteps. His eldest brother, Akira, would often take advantage of this and sneak up behind him as he walked down the hallways. Kenma hated that, and he wasn't looking forward to meeting him or any of his older brothers later./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The large doors to the main dining hall loomed into view. Kenma checked himself in the mirror first before entering. Due to the formality of the occasion, and his father's expectations of them, he had to wear a suit and tie for the family dinner. The suit jacket fit quite well, since it was tailored and everything, but he never felt completely comfortable in it. His hair, which was dyed blond except for the roots, was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it away from his face. Once he was more or less satisfied with how he looked, he entered the dining room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Kenma," Akira greeted once he got inside. "Nice of you to come." The rest of his brothers as well as his mother were all gathered around the fireplace and looked up once he walked in. Shinji, his second eldest brother, was busy talking to Kaworu, his third eldest brother. Their mother was standing quietly to the side, her hands clasped together in front of her. The long table placed in the center of the room was already set with only the food missing./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Father's not here yet?" Kenma asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked towards his family./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""He has a few things to take care of," Shinji shrugged, tucking his dark hair behind an ear. "The leader of the Shadow Cult scheduled for a last minute meeting."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Such a troublesome guy…" Kaworu murmured as he checked his nails./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""So, how have you been, Kenma-chan?" Akira smirked. Kenma ducked his head to avoid the hand that was about to mess up his hair. "Your hair's still the same, Father won't like that I think. Is Fuyuki Academy working out well with you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""It's fine," Kenma shrugged./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Just 'fine'?" Shinji said, fixing Kenma with a slightly venomous look. "Fuyuki Academy, one of the most prestigious mage schools in Japan, and you say it's just 'fine'?" Kenma swallowed and instantly let his gaze drop to the floor. He should have known better than to give such a nonchalant response. All four of them, except for Shinij, were accepted into Fuyuki Academy. Ever since Kenma got in, Shinji grew colder and meaner towards him. He just didn't really know why he was the only one he hated./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""It is a mystery how he got in," Kaworu added, not looking up from what he was doing./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"'How about cracking a book open for once, Shinji?' Kenma thought. He cast a glance at his mother who was looking away from them, trying to appear as if she didn't hear anything they said. She was always this quiet, choosing not to meddle in any of the family affairs. Maybe that's the reason why his father married her. Kenma often wondered if he got his meekness from her as well./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Suddenly, the door opened and Kenma quickly turned around to see his father striding into the room. He was wearing a dark, bottle green suit, a white button-up shirt underneath, and black slacks. The suit matched his dark green eyes and pitch black hair, making his complexion look even paler as well. Kenma and his brothers all shared the same dark hair and pale skin that often led other mages to tease them for being vampires. Kenma, on the other hand, was the only one who got his mother's golden eyes. His bleached hair was something that he did on purpose as well, a way for people to stop associating him with the Kozume family and its reputation so much. His father saw it as a way of rebelling against him. Kenma didn't fully agree with that but he didn't necessarily deny it either./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Well, you're all here then," his father said, surveying all of them standing near the fireplace with a cool, stony gaze./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""At your request, Father," Akira bowed slightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I apologize for coming in late. If the Cult leader stopped staring at his scrying bowl every once in a while he should be able to schedule a proper meeting," his father said, taking a seat at the head of the table. "Take your seats everyone. Let's get this family dinner over and done with." Kenma let out a breath of relief, glad that the issue with Shinji was stopped by his father's presence. He walked up to the table and took a seat beside Kaworu, who he only considered as his 'favorite' brother since he basically ignored him instead of picking on him. Immediately after they sat down, the servants walked in and began filling their bowls with soup for the first course./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Now, let's get straight to business, shall we?" his father said, leaning forward and propping his elbows up on the table. "I'm sure you are all aware that the Grail will be appearing quite soon, after the summoning of the seven Servants. The Kozume family has never taken any part in this… emtradition /emfor the past few years, other than the monitoring of the Shadow Cult's actions."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Will they be joining the war this year?" Shinji asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""They will," his father nodded. "Their chances of actually winning the Grail, based on what they've told me, seem to be rather slim however."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""As it's been every year," Kaworu smirked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Quite right," his father agreed. "None of you are discouraged from joining the war. If you wish to fight for your family, for glory, or for the Grail, do it for all I care. But if I were you, I'd concentrate more on the upcoming Heir Selection."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The Heir Selection. At the sound of those words, Kenma noticed the three of his brothers, including Kaworu, looking more attentive. Shinji's eyes landed on his before quickly darting away. The Kozume family loved tradition, and the Heir Selection was one that was unique to them. Once all of the head family's children were past twenty years of age, they have to fight each other for chance of becoming the next family heir. In older times, such matches often led to a single or multiple deaths among siblings. It was because of this that the Heir Selection was nearly banned. But the Kozume family bargained for it and allowed some specialized healers to monitor the selection and interfere with the fight whenever a life was in danger./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I hope you don't mind then, Father…" Shinji began. All attention turned to him. "But, I've decided to join the Grail War as well. I won't be neglecting my duties for the Heir Selection, however. I'm planning on summoning my Servant tonight, and I hope that I can fight well for the honor of our family."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""I see," his father nodded. "Very good then, Shinji. I pray you don't disappoint our family." His eyes darted to meet Kenma's for half a second before quickly moving away. A feeling of unease crept over him. Kenma looked down and concentrated on eating his soup./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You know I won't, Father," Shinji smiled./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Kenma kept silent and wondered how his father would react to him joining the Grail War./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Shouyo silently padded down the long hallway, walking carefully to avoid being seen under the security cameras and knocking into anything set out in the hallway. The security cameras had blind spots that Shouyo targeted and moved according to. The guards were much harder to hide from, but each one had a specific routine that they followed when they checked on the various exhibits./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The wards were much harder to avoid, however. There were too many layers of protective spells that not even Kenma could undo. Instead, they searched every antique store within the city for some kind of protective amulet that might help them sneak past unnoticed. Shouyo was wearing one right now. It was a simple wooden pendant that hung on a chain around his neck. It did the job quite well. The main downside was the fact that Shouyo had to control his mana by not using any magic at all./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Finally, after more than half an hour of sneaking around, he managed to reach the Weapons Exhibit on the third floor of the museum. Aside from planning how to break into the museum, he and Kenma also spent some time thinking about the Servants they were going to summon for the war. The entire museum robbery thing was for the purpose of getting the artifacts that they needed to summon their Servants./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Once the guard left the room, Shouyo quickly headed for one of the display cases that showed spearheads both large and small. From his pocket, he fished out a key ring that he stole from one of the guards weeks ago. Working both quickly and carefully, he unlocked the display case and quickly grabbed the largest spearhead that Kenma pointed out to him before and stuffed it inside his jacket. Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps in the distance./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Biting back a curse, Shouyo locked the display case again before rolling over and ducking behind a suit of armor display just as a guard walked into the room. The sound of his own heartbeat was all he could hear and Shouyo felt a twinge of fear as a flashlight beam swept through the wall near him. Finally, the guard left the room and he let himself breathe out a sigh of relief./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Luckily, the thing that Shouyo needed was in the same room as well. He ran over to a display case across the room that contained different swords. He knew that he couldn't exactly bring a sword with him if he was to make it out of the museum alive, but he could bring the scabbard. Just like what he did earlier with the spearhead, Shouyo unlocked the display case and unsheathed one of the swords from its scabbard. However, the sword was much heavier than he expected and it fell to the floor with a loud, metallic clatter just as he got the scabbard./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Shit!" he cursed, not bothering to keep quiet anymore now that he knew that the guards were going to come in any moment. The sound of loud footsteps echoed throughout the hallways, signaling their presence right before they even reached the room. Shouyo pulled the hood of his jacket low over his face to keep himself from being seen and gripped the scabbard tightly in his right hand before dashing off to one of the staircases to his right./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Halt! Show yourself!" he heard one of the guards yell behind him as he was chased up the stairs./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Not a chance," Shouyo muttered as he took the stairs three at a time. The guards behind him were drawing closer but he was confident he could make it upstairs to the roof in time… that is until he saw more guards stationed on top. Shouyo froze./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"All of his exits were blocked. He couldn't use any magic because the protective charm he was wearing neutralized his mana. And if he took it off, the wards placed on the museum would soon trap him. "Sure wish you were here, Kenma," Shouyo huffed, hoping that his friend would miraculously burst in through the doors./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Halt! Show yourself and we won't harm you," one of the guards said, stepping forward. At least none of the guards could use magic either due to the protective wards. Shouyo stepped back and held his hands up in the air, still refusing to let go of the sword scabbard. His eyes darted at the large window behind him. Then, an idea flashed in his head./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"It was a crazy, insane, life-threatening idea. He knew Kenma would kill him if he found out. Shouyo could clearly imagine the look on his face. But that was the only way out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He gripped the scabbard to his chest along with the spearhead inside his shirt, knowing that if he let go of these it would have all been for nothing. Shouyo squeezed his eyes shut and slammed his body against the window. The glass broke under his weight and soon, he felt himself falling through air with nothing underneath him. It wasn't an unfamiliar situation, he was used to it from all the training that he did. With one hand, Shouyo tore off the pendant around his neck before holding that same hand out in front of him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"em"Ry—"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Before he managed to finish the incantation, he felt something grip his ankle, dangling him in mid-air. Shouyo looked up and grinned when he saw the familiar shadow hand wrapped around his ankle that was now gently lowering him to the ground. The caster of the shadow himself was hidden among the trees that framed the park./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Do you have any idea how reckless that was?" Kenma hissed. He was still dressed up in the clothes he wore to the family dinner. Shouyo grinned and stood up./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You really do always catch me in the nick of time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You there! Stop!" one of the guards boomed from the building above them. Without looking back, Shouyo gripped Kenma's hand and ran, using the trees around them as camouflage./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""After drawing the pentagram just place the object in the middle and then begin the chant," Koutarou murmured. He looked down at the pentagram he just drew on the floor of his attic with chalk and walked around it, double-checking for any breaks in the lines or runes that he misplaced./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Looks just like the picture, right?" he said to himself, holding up a picture of a pentagram he printed out on his computer. Finally, when he was satisfied, he stepped back with a grin. 'Nice job, Koutarou,' he told himself. His fingers tingled with excitement as he took out a ring from his pocket, made of pure gold and shaped like a coiling snake with emerald chips for eyes. The ring had been with his mother for years before she passed it on to Koutarou before she died. And now, it was being put to good use./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Koutarou placed the ring in the center of the pentagram, taking care not to step on any of the lines he just drew, and then walked a few steps back before pulling out a sheet of paper where he wrote down the instructions. The next step was to read out the incantation in what appeared to be Latin (or Greek, Koutarou wasn't sure) and apparently, if he did everything right, the Heroic Servant who owned the ring was supposed to appear. Or not. After all, Koutarou only got the instructions off the internet./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He didn't even know why he was doing all of this. Koutarou wasn't even a mage in the first place, just an ordinary guy with ordinary abilities. But ever since he was young, Koutarou had been fascinated with mages and magic. He spent hours reading books about their great adventures and watching videos of magic duels on the internet. Just like almost everyone else, he had his own dreams of becoming a great and powerful mage as well. And those dreams just stayed dreams./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Until he heard about the Grail War./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Koutarou's fingers tingled slightly with excitement as he unfolded the paper with the incantation on it. "Calm down, Kou," he chastised himself. "You won't be able to say the incantation properly that way." He looked down at his set-up and inhaled a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Part of him didn't expect the summoning to actually work, but that didn't mean he wasn't filled with hope that it would turn out right./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Koutarou opened his mouth and began to chant the incantation./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Finished with the pentagram?" Tooru asked, walking out to the backyard while carrying a small, wooden chest in his arms./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yeah, pretty much," Iwaizumi nodded. He was kneeling in the grass with an open can of paint beside him. A summoning pentagram was painted on the grass in white. Tooru stood behind Iwaizumi to double-check what he drew./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Hmm… I'm surprised. Not bad, Iwa-chan," he teased./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Shut up," Iwaizumi deadpanned, standing up and flicking him on the forehead. "How are those protective wards, Yahaba-san?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at the young mage who was busy murmuring some incantations to strengthen the protective wards Tooru placed around the house./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Just finished," Yahaba answered, turning back and walking towards the two of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Excellent," Tooru grinned, already sensing the effect of the reinforced wards. He could already tell that having Yahaba Shigeru on their side was going to come in handy. He crouched down in the grass and opened the wooden chest, carefully pulling out its contents. Five small, porcelain statuettes of a few Shinto gods and last of all, a wooden mask./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Amulets?" Yahaba said, picking one of the statuettes up and holding it up to his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""To place at each point of the pentagram," Tooru explained. "They're quite powerful ones actually, they can redirect the mana coming from the Grail to our pentagram for the summoning."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Smart move," Yahaba smirked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You have no idea how hard it was to get these," Iwaizumi shook his head and picked up a few of the statuettes before placing them at each point of the pentagram./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""And last of all, the item to call upon the Servant," Tooru said, holding up the mask. It was carved out of wood and painted in black and gray to look like a dog's head. He carefully set the mask down in the center of the pentagram, careful not to step on any of the painted lines./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Which Servant Class is it going to be part of?" Yahaba asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Oh, you'll see for yourself soon, Shigeru-chan," Tooru smiled./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Is it time?" Iwaizumi asked, raising his eyebrows at him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""It will be, in a few minutes," he answered, standing beside Iwaizumi. Tooru reached out and squeezed his best friend's hand. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest and wondered if the same thing was happening with Iwaizumi./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""It's finally happening, Iwa-chan," he said softly, his voice barely louder than a whisper./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""It is," Iwaizumi nodded, squeezing his hand back. Everything was in place, everything was ready. This was the moment that Tooru and Iwaizumi had been for all their lives. When he closed his eyes, Tooru could sometimes still see the Iwaizumi Mansion in flames in front of him and feel the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth. He was a helpless child back then, too weak to actually do anything. But not anymore./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""It's time," Yahaba said. Tooru let go of Iwaizumi's hand and stepped closer to the pentagram. The air felt charged with electricity. Tooru could feel his own mana threatening to burst out of him. He inhaled a deep breath and tried to control it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Then, the summoning ritual began./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""So you have it then? Both of them?" Kenma asked, panting to catch his breath. The guards didn't chase them that far and the two of them easily lost them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You bet!" Shouyo grinned, pulling out the large spearhead that was still underneath his clothes before presenting it to his friend. "A spearhead from the Black Panther's main weapon."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Much heavier than I thought it would be," Kenma muttered, running his fingers carefully over the weapon. It was probably one and half feet long with a sharp, curved edge made out of cut and polished steel. Shouyo imagined how many lives that thing must have taken./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You got the scabbard too," Kenma said, pointing to the scabbard still in Shouyo's hand./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yeah. The sword was much heavier than I thought it would be so… I accidentally dropped it," he chuckled sheepishly. The scabbard came from a sword that was probably almost as tall as Shouyo himself. It was made out of black leather, polished until it gleamed, with geometric designs embroidered on it in gold and silver thread. A scabbard fit for the sword of a king./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You could have really been hurt you know?" Kenma frowned. "But let's talk about that later. It's almost midnight."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Right," Shouyo nodded. The two of them were in the woods that separated Fuyuki City from the nearby province. Nobody ever went there, which made it a good place to establish a hideout. Shouyo and Kenma walked to a cave built into the foot of a nearby hill. The pentagrams had already been drawn on the cave floor in red paint. They had picked a place where the mana fields were strongest to make the summoning ritual easier to do. Shouyo placed the scabbard in the center of one of the pentagrams while Kenma did the same with the spearhead in the other. Then they stood back to back, each right in front of their respective pentagrams./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""You remember how to do it, right?" Kenma said. Shouyo could hear the worry in his voice. "Control and focus your mana to the center of the pentagram and then chant the incantation. You remember the incantation, right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yes, Kenma," Shouyo chuckled at his friend. His heart was hammering in his chest with excitement. He was certain that Kenma's was too./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Just yell if you need help," Kenma added. "If it doesn't work, there's always a next time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yeah, in the next thirty years," Shouyo laughed. He looked down and gripped Kenma's wrist. "We can do this. I know we can," he said more seriously./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yeah," he felt Kenma nod behind him. "Shall we start?" Shouyo let go of his hand./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Let's start."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"em"Urakkam." /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"In a matter of seconds, Tadashi's mother closed her eyes and her body went slack as she fell asleep on the couch. Tadashi walked over and switched off the television before going up to his room. He knew that his mother hardly cared about what he did but even so, Tadashi didn't want any disturbance while he performed the summoning ritual./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He locked the door behind his room when he went in and stood on a chair to open the hatch in his ceiling. A wooden ladder leading to the attic above his room unfolded and landed on the floor. Tadashi used it to climb up before pulling the ladder back up once he was inside./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The entire room was completely dark except for a candle that he left by the window. Tadashi blinked a few times to get his eyes used to the darkness before standing up and taking the candle. A five-pointed pentagram was drawn on the wooden floor of the room with white chalk. On each of the points was a small, scrying bowl filled with a mixture of water and oil. When he looked at his entire set-up, Tadashi couldn't help but feel a shred of doubt that it was too inadequate for him to actually summon a Servant, a powerful one at the least. Usually, mages would place amulets or anything heavily charged with mana on each of the pentagram's points to enhance their mana. Tadashi had none of those so he had to make do with scrying bowls used for divination. They helped channel his mana but not enhance it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"But he had no other choice./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Guess I'll just have to hope for the best," he sighed. He sat down on the floor in a lotus position, with his legs crossed over each other, and closed his eyes. Meditation was something that he did often to help strengthen his mana circuits. Now, Tadashi tried to channel them into the pentagram, using the scrying bowls to maintain an even, uninterrupted flow. He chanted out a simple incantation in Latin again and again, adding more and more mana to the pentagram as he continued. The longer he chanted, the more mana he felt being pulled out of him. Tadashi was exhausted but he didn't stop the chant./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"After a few moments, his Servant appeared before him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Daichi could feel the intensity of his mother's gaze on him as she studied his every move. He tried not to let it show that it bothered him as he carefully made the preparations for the summoning. Meiko Sawamura, the head of the Sawamura family and his mother, stood near their house with her arms crossed over her chest. No one else was around, not even her young assistant, Misao Hitoka who she abruptly sent home after she did her errands. Daichi assumed that it was because she didn't trust anyone else in bearing witness to her son summoning his Servant for the Grail War. His mother didn't trust anyone, except for Daichi./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He planted his palm on the ground and a pentagram appeared, the lines burnt into the grass. Then, he stood up and walked to his mother. She smiled at him and held out the box that contained the artifact for his summoning: Sugawara Koushi's crown. "You know what to do, son," she said. Daichi looked up at her and nodded. It was hard to miss the hungry look in his mother's eyes. If Daichi messed up here she wouldn't forgive him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"He picked up the delicate, silver crown and carried it over to the pentagram burnt on the grass, carefully placing it in the center before stepping back. em"'Nrgyh," /emhe uttered and flames appeared on each of the pentagram's five points. Unlike the usual bright orange color, these flames were a much darker red, almost like blood. They were charged with his mana./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Daichi pressed his palms together and focused his mana, imagining it flowing through the five points of the pentagram. He could feel the mana fields around him charged with power. The flames grew brighter and bigger until they resembled columns of fire. And once he reached his peak, he began to chant./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"The pentagram glowed brightly until it became one full circle of light with columns of fire surrounding it. Daichi held up an arm to shield his eyes, still not breaking away from the chant. He sent forth a burst of his own mana and then the light died down./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Daichi fell to his knees, breaking away from the chant and panting for breath. His mana circuits felt as if they were sucked dry. The flames were gone. The pentagram was now just a circle of burnt grass. But those weren't the only things that changed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"In the middle of the circle of grass stood a man dressed in a long, flowing, purple and silver kimono. His silver hair shone in the dark, almost as bright as the silver crown that was now placed upon his head. And his face… Daichi was completely taken by surprise at just how beautiful it was./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Before him stood his Heroic Servant. Sugawara Koushi, the Silver Emperor./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"A hooded figure stood beside one of the trees in the courtyard of the Sawamura Mansion. The protective wards surrounding the rest did little to detect her presence. The invisibility spell around her prevented both of the Sawamuras from seeing her so she was free to stand and watch the summoning ritual happen./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"'So, he managed to summon Sugawara Koushi,' she thought. There was no surprise there, Daichi was a pretty powerful mage. Almost as powerful as his mother, Meiko Sawamura. They would be a hard team to defeat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Satisfied with what she's seen, the girl turned and exited the residence, walking past the guards unseen. The protective spell she cast on herself was a powerful one, passed through her small family for generations. It was how she managed to steal from the museum./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Once she was at a good distance away from the Sawamura Mansion, she dropped both the protective and invisibility spell. As soon as she did, her Servant appeared before her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Shimizu-san," she greeted./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""My lady," the dark-haired woman bowed before her. Shimizu Kiyoko, a Servant of the Assassin class and a member of the emYoru no Ken/em. She was summoned just a few hours ago. The mana fields weren't especially strong but the girl knew how to manage./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Have you gotten the needed information?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yes, my lady," Shimizu answered./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Please, don't call me that," the girl shook her head./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""How shall I address you then?" Kiyoko asked, her face was stoic and emotionless./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yachi. You may call me that," Hitoka ordered. That was her name. Yachi Hitoka, not Misao Hitoka. Misao was just a stage name, a play on words for what she really was./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yachi-sama then," Shimizu nodded./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Have all the Servants been summoned?" Hitoka asked, resuming her walk down the empty street. Shimizu followed behind her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Yes, Yachi-sama."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;""Excellent." Hitoka smiled, pulling down the hood of her cloak and letting her short, blonde hair spill around her shoulders. The rest of them weren't important, they could all fight and kill each other for all she cared. But the most important thing for her was that she was going to be the one to bring down the entire Sawamura family, and she was going to join a deadly competition just to do it. Hitoka didn't want them dead, that was too easy. She wanted them disgraced, their name raked through the mud./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"Seven Servants. Seven Mages. Hitoka and Shimizu were just two of the pieces in this deadly game. Two pieces fighting for the top./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"And with that, the Grail War began./p