Disclaimer: I do not own Megami Tensei or Fate/Stay Night. The former is owned by Atlus, and the latter by Kinoko Nasu.

The Mirror Cracked

Prologue

"Aki-chan…!"

Aki Saisei paused walking and turned in the voice's direction, and smiled softly as the other girl approached. "Good morning, Hiruko." She said as the other girl came to a running stop in front of her and began to catch her breath.

"G-g-good morning Aki-chan…" Hiruko Tanamishi gasped out, but was kept from saying anymore as the school bells rang the five minute warning.

"Come on, we don't want to get locked out." Aki said, and resumed walking. Hiruko took a deep breath, and pulling herself together ran up to walk beside Aki. All around them their schoolmates made their way to the local high school, streaming through the school gates and across the quadrangle to the main school building.

"Oh? That sounds interesting." Aki said as Hiruko finished telling Aki about her and her new boyfriend's latest date. At the same time she put her walking shoes into the foot locker, and then closing the locker slid on her indoor shoes. Hiruko however pouted as she did likewise, at Aki's response. "What's wrong?"

"No, it's just that, whenever you say something sounds 'interesting', it's usually followed by all sorts of gloomy predictions." Hiruko answered. "I, I like to think Ryuuji-kun is, well, I'd like to give him a chance that's all."

"Gloomy predictions, eh...?" Aki said with a laugh. As they made their way to their classroom they continued to converse on the topic. "But, I was right with that damn Kanashiro, wasn't I? In the end, he just played Kana and Mizuki. They both had to move away after what happened, and Mizuki had to get an abortion on top of it all. And there was that Kataru and…"

"I get it, I get it!" Hiruko interrupted with a sigh. "I'll be careful. But, you shouldn't be so paranoid either, Aki-chan. That's no good."

Aki just laughed. "Paranoid, eh?" she said. "Well I'd prefer careful to paranoid, but considering how I grew up I suppose it couldn't be helped."

"That's true, I suppose." Hiruko said. "Though, you have been wrong sometimes weren't you? Akio-kun did give you your winnings didn't he, and Satoshi-kun treats Rina-chan well. And…"

"I get it, I get it." Aki said with a laugh, and Hiruko laughed at Aki's similar response to Hiruko's own earlier. "I'm not always right, and being too careful drives people away. I'll just have to try and be more, trusting, I suppose, in the future. Isn't that fine, Hiruko?"

Hiruko nodded, and they turned a corner and sliding the classroom door open joined their class for the day.

"It'll be winter soon."

"Yeah, that's rather obvious isn't it? Leaves are turning red and orange and beginning to fall away." Hana Minamoto remarked. The tomboyish-looking girl glanced at Aki who was busy playing with a Gameboy, and grinned. "And to be honest I'm surprised Aki here hasn't started wearing her school jacket yet."

"I'm not that frail you know." Aki replied, not taking her eyes off her Gameboy. "Even if I can't beat you in karate, I won't get pneumonia or a cold from a few blasts of autumn air."

"That's probably true…" Hana said with a nod, and crossed her arms. "…but considering your usual paranoia…"

"I'm not paranoid." Aki interrupted as she KO'd the AI. She glanced at Hana and smiled. "I'm just careful that's all."

"Whatever you say…" Hana said with a laugh, and the other girls joined in on the laughter. The group was sitting on the roof, having finished lunch and now simply whiling away the time until lunch break ended. The air was cold, autumn already beginning to give way to winter, but the Sun was still warm enough to keep things comfortable. Aki just shrugged and glanced at Hiruko as the girl began speaking.

"So what was that all about, Karin-chan?" she asked.

Karin Kuroshima shrugged. "Nothing, really…" she said. "…it's just that there goes another year again. Then it'll be graduation year, and then there's the future. Ah, time flies by so quickly."

"Do you have plans for after high school?" Hiruko asked.

Karin shrugged again. "I'll probably try going for university." She said. "My dad and grandparents aren't exactly thrilled about my hopes to be a doctor, damn Oldtypes…"

"Gundam shoutout, much…?" Hana remarked with a grin, and Aki and Hiruko sniggered. Karin shot them a dirty look before coughing and continuing.

"If fits, they're an old-fashioned and closed-minded bunch." She said. "Well my mom's managed to convince them to let me have a shot if I can pass the entrance examinations and graduate in the top five of our batch. And it has to be a good university: dad refuses to pay for just a second-rate or some no-name college. And he implied I should get a scholarship, otherwise I'll have to get a job and study med-proper on the side after my pre-med."

"Well it stands to reason they'd be old-fashioned." Aki remarked. "You're from an old and rich family after all. To be honest, and no offence, it is rather surprising you're in a public school with us plebes instead of in a posh private school."

"Well despite being a bunch of fossilized Oldtypes…" Karin said. "…they've got enough sense to realize that getting into a public school in our Japanese educational system usually carries more weight in your record than attending some private school."

Aki shrugged and glanced at Hana. "What about you?" she asked. "Any plans for college?"

The girl shrugged and grinned before placing her hands behind her head. "Nah…" she said. "…we've still got one more year to go, so I'll just take it easy and deal with things as they come."

"That's easy for you to say…" Hiruko said. "…you're a shoe-in for Karate Team Captain next year, and if you give a good showing, you'd have a good chance of getting a sports scholarship."

"That assumes I'd want a college degree." Hana said. "I'll probably inherit grandfather's dojo after all. Though with that said, he'd probably want me to have a college degree to go with that. As for what degree, well we'll see."

"That sounds just like you." Aki said, and the girls laughed.

"What about you, Hiruko and Aki?" Hana asked. "Any plans…?"

"I'll need a scholarship." Aki said at once. "Orphan, remember…?"

"Oh right, sorry."

"Whatever for…?" Aki asked, perplexed. Hana shrugged and Aki continued. "Well if I can't get a scholarship I'll probably have to become a salary-woman, at least for a while. I'll try and see if I can save enough to study for a degree on the side. After that, well we'll see."

"And what degree are you aiming for?" Hiruko asked.

"Probably business or something related to making money…" Aki said with a shrug. "…I hate to sound materialistic, but it is true that money makes the world go round. Or rather, money isn't everything, but without money you won't be able to do anything."

"Being rich is overrated." Karin said deadpan. "But I can't deny that last part. And being an orphan and all you'd know all about it, eh Aki?"

"Well yeah…" Aki said with another shrug. She then glanced at Hiruko. "What about you, do you have plans or ideas for after graduation?"

Hiruko thought for a moment before smiling and shrugging. "Not really…" she said. "…though pastry chef might be nice…"

"Seriously…?" Karin deadpanned. "That'll be expensive, and it's not exactly easy to find a job as one, at least not until you get some experience on you."

"I know that." Hiruko said. "But, we still have a year or so to go right? That's why for now, it's just an idea. Right…?"

"Well, I suppose that's true." Aki said, picking up her Gameboy and starting a new game.

"True." Hana said with a nod, as did Karin.

"No argument there."

Aki was packing up her things at the end of the day when her phone buzzed and beeped, indicating a new message. Aki pulled out her phone, and her eyes narrowed at the number. She then opened the message and read it silently.

We have a job tonight. The Fifteenth Cabal is to assemble at the usual assembly area before heading out. Bring your COMP and prepare yourself. Start time will be at eleven o'clock at the latest. Don't be late.

Aki didn't bother to reply, instead deleting the message before putting it back in her pocket. She then continued fixing her things, and once that was done, double-checked to see if she'd left anything behind, and whether or not her COMP was in her bag.

"Aki-chan…" Hiruko said and approaching as Aki finished packing up. "…do you want to go with us and get some cakes and coffee at the usual spot?"

"Hmm…? Oh sorry Hiruko…" Aki said with an apologetic smile. "…something's come up at my part-time job, and I need to take care of it. How about I make it up with ice cream before the week ends?"

"Promise…?"

Aki laughed. "Yes, I promise." She said, and Hiruko beamed.

"Alright then…" she said, turning to leave. "…bye Aki-chan."

"Bye, bye." Aki said, waving at her. Hiruko waved back and left, leaving Aki alone in the classroom. She sighed, and looked out the window at the orange and red of the afternoon. "Now then, let's get to work shall we?"

A/N

It's been a while, what with real life pressures and writer's block. Hopefully we can keep things on the roll from here on out, and this new story isn't just a one-time thing.