Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything... yet. It's gonna happen. Eventually. Possibly?
The idea for this story came from... well, to be honest, I just really wanted to do a CMSPC crossover. It might have something to do with the fact that I've been catching up on my Econ lately. I'm not entirely sure where Fate came in, but I figured what the hay. Sooooo, here's a short prologue, just so you guys can see what it's like! I wrote it in about three hours, but I think it turned out pretty well. Read and review!
You Have Control
[FOREWARNED]
"The company hired you right off the bat?"
"Yeah, I'm surprised myself. It's not everyday a place like that hires it's interns."
Emiya Shirou turned around in his chair and gave his friend a smile. "That's good! I bet you'll be rolling in dough in no time!" He idly shut the textbook he had been studying, opting instead to sit down on the couch. "A big law firm like that, they're gonna need you there."
In contrast to his friend's easy-going demeanor, Ryuudou Issei had a look of exhaustion upon his face. "I guess, though it's tiring having to work there. I get that the pay is good, but I just can't see myself there in five years." He let out a sigh. "I just don't think law is for me."
"What's the big deal?" The grating voice of Matou Shinji drifted from his room, blending with the tin sound of explosions and guns firing. "A job is a job. Quit complaining and get on it!"
It was a good thing Shinji wasn't in the living room, because if he was, he would never have been able to withstand the utter look of loathing emanating from Issei's form. "I don't wanna hear that from the guy who plays video games all day and lives off his family's inheritance money!"
There was silence, before Shinji drawled out, "... don't be jelly."
"AUUUUUGH!"
Try as he might, Shirou was unable to resist the temptation to palm his face. Sometimes, his roommates could be a handful.
The three men, Shinji, Shirou, and Issei, were all childhood friends from Fuyuki City. Well, it was more like Shirou was friends with the both of them, while Issei tolerated Shinji's existence and Shinji could care less what anyone thought of him. It was a strange dynamic, one that caused more trouble than it was probably worth. It was only through Shirou's valiant efforts as negotiator and being an all-around nice person that the two hadn't torn each other apart.
They lived together in a spacious house in the suburban part of Tokyo, sharing the rent equally. Shirou was the caretaker of the house, cleaning and cooking when he wasn't busy with his multiple part-time jobs. Issei interned at a huge law firm downtown, a monthly allowance from his family allowing him to stay relatively comfortable. And Shinji... well, he just kind of stayed at the house lazing around all day, mooching off the absurd amount of money his family had. His presence was tolerated because Shirou considered him a friend, and because the he bought the giant 55' inch 4kHD curved-screen plasma TV in the living room. With Netflix.
All three of them worshiped that TV.
"Can't you guys be nice?" Shirou pleadingly asked. "Just for once?"
Issei scoffed. "I can hardly be expected to be civil to that leech of a human being. He doesn't do anything productive, he's always raiding the refrigerator, he constantly sneaks pornographic material on my computer-"
"HAH!"
"-and I just plain hate his guts!" The last three words were bellowed out with the fury of a thousand unpaid interns rooming with an annoying layabout. Or just an extremely annoyed former monk.
"Whatever, man." The sound of footsteps upon the wood-paneled floor could be heard, and the sulking form of Shinji Matou walked into the living room. He stalked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of soda, before plopping himself on the couch next to Shirou and flicking the (glorious, glorious) TV on. "Personally, I think you just need to get laid. Maybe then you'd stop bitching all the time." Ignoring the spluttering indignations of Issei, the blue-haired rich boy turned towards the janitor. "Oh yeah, by the way, we're running low on food." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large chunk of money, unceremoniously shoving it into Shirou's hands. "So... you know, go get some more."
Shirou, for his part, just frowned, before standing up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it." He flipped through the bank notes, removing a third of the paper and throwing it back onto his friend's lap, where Shinji promptly ignored it in favor of the action movie his eye were glued to. As Shirou made his way to the front door, he turned to look at Issei. "Make sure he doesn't burn the house down, okay?"
Issei opened his mouth, shut it, then folded his arms. "I can't guarantee it won't happen, but know that I did try my best."
In the background, a shot of a mushroom cloud appeared on the TV, Shinji letting out a loud woohoo!
[C]
"Mezzoflation, six million!"
[MEZZO - ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGE]
There was a flash of blue light, exploding outwards and creating a strong wind. After moment, it condensed, taking the form of an armored warrior before shooting off towards him.
Not good, not good, NOT GOOD! Nakijima Kaito rushed to get out of the way, dodging by just as the blue streak passed him and crashed into his Asset. The resulting explosion threw him even further off away, and as he tumbled across the ground he almost fell off of the building. Shit! Somehow he found purchase, and he managed to grab the edge just before he fell off. With a heavy grunt, he pulled himself back onto the roof of the building, panting heavily.
"Is that all you have?"
Kaito glanced up at his opponent, a sneer on his aged face. "You think just because you got the drop on me you've won?" He pushed his hands together, summoning a dark green shaft of light with yellow highlights. "You really shouldn't underestimate your opponents like that!" He sprinted towards his opponent's diminutive form, bringing down the deadly blade of light on her head.
[DIRECT]
She had moved her head at the last second, so Kaito's sword was embedded in her shoulder instead. The aged entrepreneur smiled as black liquid gushed out of the wound he created, Midas Money flying through the air. Off to the side, his Account grew exponentially in size as his opponent's shrunk. "I can't believe I got you this easy," he huffed. "You were moving all over the place earlier!"
"Was I?" she asked in a haughty voice. "Odd, I thought I was just taking a stroll." To Kaito's amazement, she smiled. "You're not getting winded, are you Old Man?"
Furious at his opponents disrespect, Kaito raised his sword back up. "You little brat, I'll teach you some manners!" He brought the sword down, intent on smashing her head open-
And then he couldn't move. It was like he was encased in metal, with the way his body refused to move an inch. "Wha- what's going on?" Then there was a sudden burst of pain from his chest, and he stumbled to his knees, his sword dissolving into motes of light while he clutched his chest. "Why do I-?"
"Assets are a reflection of their Entre's future." His opponent grinned wildly at his pain, her voice dripping with malice. "So, it only makes sense that the two are connected. Which means, if one of them is near death," at this, she turned her head to look at something. Entranced, Kaito couldn't help but look in the same direction as her, only to blanch when he saw that his Asset was covered in black liquid, dangled over the top of the building by the enemy Asset.
"And that's checkmate." The woman pointed her hand at Kaito's head, her other arm balancing her hand as if she were shooting a gun.
I can't lose like this! I haven't earned enough money! With shaking hands, Kaito reached for his Midas Card, hoping against all odds he might be able to pull off a flation and win the deal-
[DIRECT]
The pain was agonizing. Through the haze of pain, Kaito could see that her Direct was thin as a stick, almost like a rapier, and that it glowed a sickly dark crimson. And past that, just beyond the enemy Entre's shoulder, he saw his account being absorbed into hers. Smaller and smaller it became, until it disappeared completely.
[CLOSING - YOU HAVE GAIN]
She idly flipped her silver Midas card between her fingers, smiling at the bright blue circle that appeared around it.
In contrast, Kaito could only look on in despair as his own card fell to the floor, shattering upon impact, and finally dissolving into streams of light. He could feel his existence in the District unraveling, and there was a pull in his chest and there was a bright light that was warm and cold at the same time then there was a never ending blackness and-
[YOU ARE BANKRUPT]
The sound of static could be heard, and then Nakajima Kaito was banished from the Financial District, his future gone.
The woman frowned at the disappearance of her opponent. Bankrupting someone was never an easy pill to swallow, but she saw it as either them or her. And since she had no intention of losing either her money or her future, then she would gladly take away from others.
She turned around and began to make her way down the building. She ignored the spectators who whistled at her from a parallel building, choosing instead to address her Asset. "So, how did it go?"
There was a shimmer of light, and then her Asset appeared before her in a kneeling position. The Asset was also a woman, and she wore a blue dress with armor segmented in different places. In her pommeled hands was the hilt of a sword, the actual blade itself covered by a barrier of wind that made it transparent. The crystallization of her future stood before speaking. "The enemy wasn't as skilled as I thought they would be. I was able to dispatch them with ease."
"Well, that's good." She walked passed her asset, and the warrior fell into place behind her.
"On the contrary, Master, I have some issues with the strategy you chose to employ."
"Oh?" The female Entre turned around, idly brushing a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear before facing the stern expression of her Asset. "And just what would those be?"
"Using yourself as bait," the armored woman bit out. "I am your sword, and as such there is no need for you to take drastic measures such as those!" As if to emphasize her words, the sword in her hands seemed to pulsate in agreement.
"Oh, you worry too much Artoria." The woman brushed off her Asset's concerns. "As long as I have you around, I'll be fine."
Artoria huffed in disappointment at her Entre's flippant dismissal of her worries. "I swear Rin, that attitude of yours will be the death of us."
[C]
"Hey mister, are you okay?"
Shirou stared in worry at the man next to him. In truth, he wasn't even sure when he had gotten there, only that the man was sweating heavily and a look of absolute despair was on his face. The man had been fumbling through his wallet for a while now, and had emptied it's contents onto the platform. There were credit cards mostly, but there was a picture of the man, standing on the left side of a grassy field as though waiting for someone.
To say the man looked disturbed was an understatement.
Shirou had just come from the grocery store, food laden in plastic bags held in his hands. While there were plenty of stores near the house he and his roommates lived, Shirou knew of a specialty store that sold organic food at a cheap price. It was across town, so he had to take the light rail there.
There wasn't anybody on the platform, aside from himself and the man who looked to be breaking down. He stood a couple feet to the right of Shirou, shivering in place. The man turned towards the red-haired teen, his expression reeking of desperation. "I-I'm fine," he reassured Shirou. "Just... just a little tired, is all."
The platform started to rumble, signaling the arrival of a train. It was the express headed further into Tokyo, not the one Shirou planned to board. It would go unstopped past this station.
As the vibrations grew the man started to shiver harder, and Shirou wondered just what had the man so worried.
The man began to pace away from him, abandoning his wallet altogether. Normally, any Japanese citizen would leave well enough alone, but Shirou was not someone you'd call a normal individual. He sighed, and left his groceries on the ground to pick up the wallet and all that had fallen out of it. As knelt to the floor and scooped the many cards into his hand, he saw the ID. "Hey, Nakajima-san? You probably already know this, but you dropped your wallet-"
When the man rushed past him and leaped onto the train tracks, Shirou knew with a terrible clarity just what had worried the man so.
There was the sound of something soft bursting against metal, screams, and then brakes.
