'The sky is vast, unending, full of promise and opportunity, but as mankind's souls are held down by gravity, just as their bodies, they cannot take flight but rather fall to earth. If, however, a man is willing to reject the reality of this world in pursuit of his ideal, then perhaps he can break free from his restraints and take to the skies. Only then, can he hold his destiny in his own hands.' – Lord John Blackwood, Mentor of the British Assassins, CE 1745
Prologue: The Visitor
The sun had barely risen when several knocking sounds were heard on the front door. Strong winds carrying the winter cold swept through the compound, as if showing the visitor the atmosphere of the household. A few leaves were still dangling from the shriveled branches of trees in front of the doorway, struggling to resist being carried away by the relentless wind. He was up early somehow, and had just finished making breakfast when the knocking came.
Who would come to this place at this hour? Who would come to this place at all?
Regardless, it would be bad manners to just ignore someone like this, so he limbered to the doorway, shook the morning fatigue off himself, and opened the door.
There was a man outside. The visitor was almost half a head taller than him, dressed in a white trenchcoat with what appeared to be a white hooded jacket underneath. The clothes appeared to be somewhat saggy when shrouded over the man's lean build. A hood with a strange, pointed beak-like end covers the upper part of his face, revealing only a clean shaven, slightly pointed chin and a sharp, roman nose, along with what could be passed off as the thinnest of smiles on his thin, pale lips. Although the man looked like he could have been swept away by the wind, his feet were rooted to the porch, his body unmoving, but somehow alert, like it could spring into action on cue.
The visitor surveyed him quickly as well, noticing the scruffy black hair, unshaven chin and half a cigarette in his mouth.
"Mr Emiya Kiritsugu, I presume?"
"Ah…yes, yes." He replied, reluctantly. People looking for him were generally undesirable, and this man appears to be no different, if not more so.
"If possible, may I come inside? It is rather cold out here isn't it?"
"R-right. Please, come in."
He led the man to the living room. Food meant for breakfast had been laid out on the table. The visitor took notice and just for an instant, he could see a slight frown on the man's forehead, but it quickly disappeared as the two of the sat down on the floor. Before he could initiate a conversation, the visitor stood up again and bowed, with his upper body inclining almost forty-five degrees downward, like a traditional Japanese warrior.
"Firstly, Mr Emiya, we would like to express our deepest and most sincere condolences for your late spouse. It was a terribly unfortunate incident, one that we cannot say that we bear no responsibility in."
"T-thank you, really," He did not expect that at all. Few people were aware of that incident, and fewer yet were still alive, "but how-"
"Also, we have contacted the Einzbern family regarding your daughter, but the old man was very stubborn on this matter. His exact response to our request for her to release your daughter to you was 'Over my dead body'. Few people could say that to me straight in the face, and fewer still could do it with a tactical nuclear warhead in the room, if you would like to know. Still, we did not think that wiping out the Einzbern family would be beneficial to both ourselves and you, so we relented on that matter. We apologise for this incompetence on our part, and hope that this will not affect your disposition of us in any way."
"Yes, thank you but-"
"Ah, terribly sorry, where are my manners, I have completely forgotten to introduce myself. Pleased to meet you again, Mr Emiya, I am Edward Mass, we have worked together in North Africa some ten years ago, if you would recall, on that incident regarding that illegal vampire lab. You were on commission to us and the Church, remember?"
"Y-yes, that incident, right."
His memory was still fragmented, perhaps because it was morning, or perhaps due to what happened a few days before. However, he can roughly recall the case in Algeria and working with a hooded man, somewhat.
"Yes Mr Emiya, you do remember. Now, you do know the nature of our organisation, do you not? I imagine that a well-informed person such as yourself would be aware of this. We are here today, to offer you a proposal."
Another one of those, it has barely been a week and now they are at it again.
"I am sorry, I do not do freelance anymore, not after what happened. If you…would understand."
"Oh no no no! Mr Emiya, we are not offering you an assignment. We are offering you employment. You do know what we do, right? We are offering you a chance to join our organisation, more specifically our section in dealing with magic-users. After all, having the renowned 'Magus Killer' would be a great boon to our operations, will you not agree? "
"I…"
"Of course, not with your current state of health definitely. If you decide to take up our offer, we would have you drop by our local headquarters in Osaka to get a full treatment before going out on assignments."
So, this is what they want. He could remember now, this man's organisation, one which claims to work for the benefit of mankind, using whatever methods that suit them the most. It was a feel-good story: a group of highly skilled individuals working to save mankind from whatever dangers that sprouted.
A group of so-called superheroes. Much like himself, really, or what he wants to be, what he tried to be.
"No, I'm sorry, I can't"
He couldn't become a superhero. When he tried, he destroyed everything that once mattered to him.
"No? Come now Mr Emiya, we know you are not a man who would give up on something this easily."
"No, really. I…don't want that now. I only want…to live here, with my son. That's all."
Yes, that is all. He couldn't save the world, he couldn't protect everyone. But he could do this. He could protect his son. That is all that mattered to him right now.
The slight, near-invisible frown returned to the visitor's forehead, and disappeared just as quickly.
"Please, Mr Emiya, we both know that you do not have a son."
"I do, now."
With that, he looked the man straight in the eyes. Strangely, the man had not removed his hood indoors, but the slight shift in his head showed that he was aware of this gesture, and was returning it. Where his eyes were supposed to be, there was only the shadow cast by his hood. There was no killing intention in the void of his hood, only vast emptiness drawing him in, little by little. He would not give in, he would not let his man take him away from what mattered. He would not let this man take him away from his life, his house, and his son. He could not give in, he must not give in.
It had lasted only seconds, several painful seconds is all it took, before the visitor finally averted his gaze and spoke again.
"Ah, I understand now, Mr Emiya. That explains the breakfast for two persons then. Honestly, at first I had thought that you have acquired a new love interest within this short period of time!" The visitor started laughing heartily. He was slightly astonished by the sudden action, but managed to join in the laughter a few seconds later, again just to show good manners to the visitor.
"Of course," continued the visitor after composing himself, "I will not force you into doing something you do not wish to do. Still, I hope that you would at least accept our offer to help you with this health condition you have. I understand that it has taken quite a toll on your body."
"No, it is fine. At least I'm forced to stay at home like that."
"Mr Emiya, I do urge you to reconsider, helping you with your health is the least we can do for you, after all the assistance you have granted us over the years. If you ever change your mind, please visit our headquarters in Osaka," re-iterated the visitor, "I should not be around as our section usually works in the United Kingdom, so you should speak to our Japanese compatriots, and just tell them your name. They will know what to do."
"Right, I will think about it sometime."
And just like that, both of them knew that the conversation was over. The visitor rose and was shown to the door. The wind outside was stronger now, tearing off the remaining leaves on the barren tree. Snow is bellowing down with the winds, shrouding the yard in a thick white veil. The visitor took a step into the snow, and paused, then without turning, spoke for the final time, "Mr Emiya, I had thought that I come today seeking to save a man. However, it appears that someone else has got there before me. Treasure whatever time you have left, if you decide against seeking treatment, and I hope for your sake, that I will not return."
With that, the man laughed again, louder this time against the howling of the winds, and disappeared into the snowstorm, his white clothing lost blending into the colour of snow and ice.
Fortunately, the man never returned, at least while Emiya Kiritsugu was alive.
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Lampshading, background info, disclaimers and other misc items that should be read and acknowledged before starting this fanfic
Firstly, this fanfic is a standalone Fate/Stay Night fanfic, not a crossover. There are obvious and obscure shout-outs, cameos and expys from other works such as Tsukihime, Gundam, Assassins' Creed and Martian Successor Nadesico, but it is not a crossover fic and you don't really need any prior knowledge of those works to appreciate this one since everything has been made plot-relevant and explained in-story, though some prior knowledge of Tsukihime is very much appreciated.
Next, this work is intended to be a sequel to Fate route, with all characters maintaining similar mentalities (character development aside), i.e. Shirou still loves Saber, which will actually be the main driving force of the plot. There may be certain inconsistencies and route-mixtures, which will be lampshaded to be the side-effects of FHA's parallel-universe effect. This issue will not be discussed further in-story and will not be a plot element or device whatsoever. Regardless of canonity, we hope that you will enjoy this work nonetheless.
Finally, Fate/Stay Night and all works mentioned in this fanfic are owned by their respective creators and that this work is a fan-work and should not be used for any commercial purposes. Also, this work of fiction is created by a multi-national and multi-religious team with no bias against any nation, religion or culture. If we have any lapses in these aspects, please let us know immediately and we will make the necessary changes. Thank you for taking time to read his, and please enjoy your time reading our fanfic.
-Teh Arbiter, February 2013