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Disclaimer: Don't own KUROSHITSUJI or any of the FATE/STAY NIGHT, FATE/ZERO, FATE/ect., /ect., and such-like stuff.
The previous chapter was short and to-the-point. Let's see how this one goes…
Oh, and I found an interesting word that I'd like to share with you all.
"Philology is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection between textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics.[1] Philology is more commonly defined as the study of literary texts as well as oral and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their original form, and the determination of their meaning. A person who pursues this kind of study is known as a philologist."
Copied from:
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Philology
~ On a side note you wouldn't believe how much trouble I had getting that site's address to show up properly here!
This stopped being relevant a long time ago, but I thought it was a good word to describe one of the things Ciel did in an earlier chapter when he suddenly found himself summoned into a modern-day Japan in another world and wanted to learn more about the place. I have not decided whether or not Ciel chose to go deep enough into it to try his hand at the ART of painting or calligraphy or if this might even be something that Demon Ciel already knew a little about from Sebastian (while in Hell and no doubt receiving a further education), who seemed a bit fond of Japanese aesthetics (as seen from the demon butler's constant use of 'bocchan' and knowledge of Japanese food and traditions). Then again Heroic Spirit Ciel WAS stuck alone in his mansion in the Throne of Hero's with nothing to do for who-knows-how-long. In a situation like that he'd have been willing to try anything at least once and who knows what books were in his library.
I get the feeling, though, that if Ciel did try out his hand at art, he might not have cared to make a hobby of it. As a character, he just doesn't seem like the type to me.
Sorry for the Long wait. Hope you like this. Please Review.
Also, the Author's Note At the End might help a little.
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CHAPTER7
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It took Assassin no time at all to meet up with his summoner and shadow him carefully to make sure that he wasn't followed by any person or familiar as he secretly made his way to the Tohsaka mansion to meet with Tokiomi. This task was simple to accomplish and he was easily able to carry it out while thinking of his recent meeting with young Sakura.
While it was unfortunate that the girl has become so unhappy, it is very much to my advantage. As her situation deteriorates and the distance she feels between herself and others increases, then, provided that nothing changes the situation, I can easily turn this to my advantage by making her more emotionally dependent on me. However, I still need to know the reason that Sakura is being treated like this.
The beauty of this turn of events was that he had nothing to do with it. For that reason, no matter what might happen in the future, none of the blame would ever fall on him.
Kirei Kotomine shortly arrived at the Tohsaka mansion and had his meeting with Tokiomi in the mages workshop.
Kirei was wearing his usual priest cloths and Tokiomi was likewise dressed in his usual redish-burgundy suit. The well used room was dimly lit by several oil lamps and there were a great many books and papers placed neatly upon the bookshelves lining the walls and partitioning the room, as well as on certain of the various sturdy tables situated in the large basement.
Assassin cheerfully made his presence known, assured the two that no one knew of the meeting, then smilingly faded into the background so the two men could focus on the reason for their meeting.
It wasn't anything too important.
First Tokiomi questioned Kirei a bit on the progress of his mage-craft studies and was a bit impressed at how far his oldest student had progressed. He even remarked that it was a pity the young man belonged to the Church, since he had made a surprising amount of progress in his mage-craft and had enough talent to become a fine magus. There then followed some tutoring to help Kirei find the areas of his mage-craft that needed more work or could be expanded upon. It was only after these matters had been taken care of that Tokiomi got down to the real reason for their meeting.
"The Einzbern's have begun to make their move," said Tokiomi. "With the decline of the Makiri family, now called Matou, and the fact that the other Masters are most likely to come from lesser mage family's, the Einzbern family are highly likely to be our greatest foe during the war. Furthermore, it is no secret that they have grown increasingly frustrated by their string of losses in the past battles and have secluded themselves. For that reason it is extremely difficult to gather information on their movements."
"I take it that you have learned something." Kirei said.
"That is correct," Tokiomi replied. "Although the news is somewhat dated and I will have to investigate more to gain greater details, I have learned that the Einzbern's have brought in an outsider to help them with the war."
"Do you know who it is?" Kirei asked.
"Not at this time," said Tokiomi, "however, given what is known about the Einzbern's, it is unlikely that they would involve themselves with anyone weak. Thus, whoever this magus is, they are likely to be our greatest obstacle in the upcoming Grail War."
"I take it that your current focus will be on investigating them?" said Kirei.
Tokiomi nodded.
"That is so. I have yet to hear news of the other Master's that will compete, so for now we can only keep our ears open and focus on our own preparations."
It was at this time that another voice unexpectedly cut in on the two's discussion.
"Is this really all you called us over for?"
The two men turned to face the Servant who's presence suddenly made itself known as he stepped into the foreground and leaned against the nearest table.
"If it was only this much, you could have written a letter or used the phone."
As usual, Assassin's tone was friendly and he was wearing a smile that failed to reach his one visible eye.
"I felt that this was the more secure way," said Tokiomi, hiding his irritation at the Servants intrusion on their conversation.
"Oh really?" questioned Assassin. "In an age of technology where all your rivals still stick to medieval methods, you thought that meeting in person to share such a small amount of information, and late at night I might add, was the wisest choice of action, as opposed to picking up a phone or waiting until your next mage-craft lesson with my Master."
Tokiomi didn't bother hiding his frown. The young Servants tone didn't match his words, this added to boy intruding on his conversation, with his apprentice/ally only served to irritate the magus.
"It's not your place to question my methods, Servant."
Assassin's smile grew and he waved his hands in apparent fluster as he seemed to backtrack and quickly apologized.
"Of course, of course, you're right and I should have just stayed quiet and kept my opinions to myself." The Assassin Class Servant suddenly pouted and said, in a rather put-out tone, "It's just that this is so boring, and there's not enough information worth paying attention to, and," here the boy's voice rose in obvious complaint, "this place is so gloomy! The atmosphere in your whole house is gloomy! I feel depressed just being here!"
"Assassin," interrupted Kirei, "control yourself. This isn't the time for your usual antics, nor is the Tohsaka household any of your business."
"That's where you're wrong Master." Assassin said decisively and, with a small hop, seated himself on the edge of the nearest table. "This is the home of Master's precious ally and teacher. It logically follows that if there are any problems in this place they will naturally spill onto you and thus end up causing the two of us trouble. Spiritually speaking, I'm pretty sensitive and I can feel a lot of negativity permeating this house and it's especially strong upstairs. How can I possibly be at ease if I don't know what trouble is brewing, quite literally, above our heads? We're all in this together and if one of us is suffering from some difficulty than how can I ignore it?"
"Nothing troublesome is going on Assassin," said Tokiomi.
"Then how do you explain your houses depressing atmosphere?"
Tokiomi answered with an annoyed sigh, "I want my daughter's to grow up to become excellent magi. However, I can only have one heir and I wish to avoid any resentment that may grow between the girls regarding who that should be. Therefore, since Rin has the greater ability I have decided to find another family to adopt Sakura. My wife, Aoi, is saddened by this decision, but as a woman that married into a magus family, she understands that this is the correct choice."
Assassin stared blankly at Tokiomi for a moment before replying.
"In my time, the mortality rate among children was fairly high, so there was a tradition of having 'an heir and a spare' in case of some tragedy occurring. As a Magus, you 'walk with death' and are soon to be involved in the deadly Grail War. Don't you think it would be smarter to treasure both your daughter's in case something unfortunate happens or at least wait until the War's end before making such a choice for them?"
Tokiomi's answer was swift and to the point.
"Sakura is at the perfect age to begin learning family mage-craft and has already nearly mastered all the basics. Since I will not be teaching her the jewel-craft that is the Tohsaka family's specialty, then, in order for her to progress, I must arrange for another family to take her in."
"Have you decided on the family? How do the girls feel about this?" asked Assassin.
"I have not yet chosen a suitable magus family nor in formed my daughters of my decision. I have, however begun preparations for Sakura's departure. Aoi and Rin need to get used to not having Sakura here and as much as possible I've been isolating Sakura in preparation for her departure. The three of them may be unhappy now, but in the future they will see that this is the correct choice to insure the greatest happiness. No doubt this is the source of the negativity you sense."
Assassin continued to stare at Tokiomi a moment longer before his ever present smile returned.
"I see, so you want to foster her talent elsewhere. But to use such methods… Magi sure are different. Well, since this will not cause trouble for my Master, I guess I've no need to care."
Tokiomi continued to frown down at the young Assassin (why did he feel like the child's words didn't match his real opinion?), while sternly replying.
"While your concern for the matter's surrounding your Master are laudable, it would be wise to curtail your curiosity. The personal issues of my family are not something you have any need investigate." He then turned his attention to the young priest, "Your Servant is very out-spoken, you should be stricter with him."
"Heroic Spirit or not, he is still just a child." Said Kirei.
Meanwhile, the boy lightly inclined his head in apparent apology, accepting the lecture.
"Indeed, it is as you say, I should mind my own business and leave you to yours. Please accept my most sincere apologies."
So saying, the young Servant hopped off the table and stepped back from the adult's, fading into the shadowed background of their attention, while the two men went back to talking of their plans. However, the demonic boy was no longer paying them any attention. He was more focused on his own thoughts.
Apologizing like that makes my fangs ache, I really want to kill that man. He thinks far too highly of himself and takes me too lightly. Child I may be, but I surpass him in every way.
That aside, I now know what the plan is for Sakura. From the point of view of a magus, it's a good plan. However, as a well off father that is rich enough to easily support two children in this modern era, he is a complete failure. He could have just made some plan for her to take up a useful position in mundane society that would be of benefit to his family or even supported her in finding her own area of specialization to focus on. That is what a family head who truly cared for his daughter would do.
Well, all that is neither here nor there.
The most important thing for me, though, is to consider this one key point: Will this prove to be a help or a hindrance to my plans?
Tokiomi should carefully research each of the prospective family's and pick the best one for Sakura. However, there is no doubt that even if they treat her well she is still a young girl and will be feeling deeply hurt for being discarded by her birth family. She will cling to me even more tightly if I make myself available.
In fact… Depending on the situation, it might even be a better choice to just kill them all and just take Sakura to raise myself.
No matter what, as long as she is no longer a member of the Tohsaka family I will have a much easier time dealing with her.
He had just thought up to this point when he noticed his summoner asking him a question.
"What do you think of that Assassin?"
Not wanting to admit that he hadn't been paying attention, the demonic boy quickly thought of the best thing he could say.
"It's an important matter indeed and requires due consideration. Perhaps Master will be kind enough to share with me his thoughts about it?"
"With Tokiom's recommendation, I can formally enter the Clock Tower and further my studies in mage-craft. There is very little time left before the Grail War starts, and the Mages Association would undoubtedly be the best place for me to go to improve my knowledge."
Assassin realized that he was being asked about going to England. Suddenly he realized that a big opportunity had just dropped into his lap and he'd have to be a fool to let it get away. This could be the answer to several long-term problems he'd been considering for some time now.
"This is outside my expectations Master, but I think it is an Excellent idea!" Assassin said excitedly. "It feels like forever since I was last there. Furthermore, you need not worry about your safety. It is the land of my birth, the setting of my legend, and I am stronger there, all my powers as a Servant will receive a bonus. Even if that was not the case, it would be a simple matter to hide your Command Seals with either makeup or gloves. With these truths on our side, even if some fool tries to target you, your life will never be in any danger."
"I'm glad you approve." Said Kirei.
"I do indeed, Master," Said Assassin. "I also want to take this chance at travel to see how well we can work together."
Kirei looked blankly at his Servant.
"And by that you mean…"
"I know that you are a killer for the Church and I want to see you fight, Master. I want to see what you can do and I'd like the chance to show you a little of what I can do. I would also like to see how well the two of us can fight together. It's a good chance to practice our team work."
The boy nodded in apparent satisfaction to himself, "Yes, this is definitely the best plan! You can study at the school and then occasionally we can go out on a few missions to keep your senses sharp while giving me a chance to see how magi fight. Not to mention, in the unlikely event that you are gravely injured and unable to move freely, you can teach me all your codes and protocols so that I can act in your stead should the need arise."
"Assassin," said Kirei, "your first few of your points are excellent, but your last is not acceptable. Surely you understand that those are secrets that I cannot share with anyone."
"Indeed, I do understand that," Assassin said. "But if there's a need to communicate with the Church and you are in no condition to do so, then as your Servant I will need to be able to do it for you. Given the secret nature of the Grail War you undoubtedly want as few people as possible to know about it or of your participation. By being able to act, or at least speak, in your place, should you find yourself unable to, I will be able to fool them and aid you in keeping all this," the boy waved his hands in a way that seemed to encompass not just the basement workshop, but the entire issue of the Grail War, "secret. Your life is as precious to me as my own, Master. Indeed, your life supports my very existence in this world and is very important to me.
The eye-patch wearing boy attempted to look up at the priest with what he no doubt thought was a 'cute puppy-dog like' expression.
He failed miserably at it.
The Servant of Assassination just could not make his one visible eye look innocent, or kind, or anything other than as cold and empty as the eyes of the two men sharing the room with him. Neither of said men felt like giving the boy any points for trying though.
"I only want to protect you and be the best Servant I can for you. Please understand and rely on me, Master."
Kirei could understand the logic of what the young Servant was saying. It was not impossible that such a troublesome situation could occur between now and the start of the war, and if it did, then he might end up needing the boy to act in his place. Furthermore, there was no reason to doubt the boy's motives. Assassin might have acted out a few times up 'til now (children were like that sometimes), but he had always been very obedient and reasonable (if annoyingly cheerful) and there was no cause to doubt the boys concern for his life, since the boy truly did depend on having a capable Master to support him.
But none of these points were good enough to Kirei to convince him to agree, and this was for one particular reason.
"No, Assassin, it is against policy and my superiors would be very displeased if they ever found out I broke one of the most important rules of the Churches Burial Agency. Besides, I would have thought that someone of your profession would be enough of a professional enough to understand the reasons why such a request should be made in the first place. Now you will drop this matter and not bring it up again."
The priest's stern frown when he said this made it clear how non-negotiable and serious he was about this.
Assassin pouted (this was an expression he could do very well) and obediently backed off.
"Okay Master, I get it, I get it. I'll drop this topic for now. But I definitely intend to revisit this later! I'm sure I've gotten to understand you well enough by now to know that you don't even care about church policy or procedures anyway."
Kirei had no intention of admitting that the boy was right. Then again, it's not like he ever tried to hide the fact that there wasn't much of anything that he did care about.
"If Master no longer has need of my presence, then do you wish me to patrol around the mansion until you're ready to leave?"
It was Tokiomi that answered this time.
"Perhaps that might be for the best. I still have many things I need to discuss with your Master and I have a feeling that you are already quite bored with our meeting. Fresh air might help to cure your restlessness."
Assassin sent an enquiring glance toward Kirei.
"Master, with your permission?"
The Servant left the moment Kirei sent him a nod of agreement.
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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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Sakura was sitting on her bed, quietly listening to the last of the secretly recorded conversation that Assassin was playing for her.
: …
Assassin:
"'Have you decided on the family? How do the girls feel about this?'"
Tokiomi:
"'I have not yet chosen a suitable magus family nor in formed my daughters of my decision. I have, however begun preparations for Sakura's departure. Aoi and Rin need to get used to not having Sakura here and as much as possible I've been isolating Sakura in preparation for her departure. The three of them may be unhappy now, but in the future they will see that this is the correct choice to insure the greatest happiness. No doubt this is the source of the negativity you sense.'"
Assassin:
"'I see, so you want to foster her talent elsewhere. But to use such methods… Magi sure are different. Well, since this will not cause trouble for my Master, I guess I've no need to care.'"
Tokiomi:
"'While your concern for the matter's surrounding your Master are laudable, it would be wise to curtail your curiosity. The personal issues of my family are not something you have any need investigate. Your Servant is very out-spoken, you should be stricter with him.'"
Kirei Kotomine:
"'Heroic Spirit or not, he is still just a child.'"
*click*
Assassin stopped the recording.
Sakura didn't say anything as silence filled the room.
Then, after a few moments of silence…
"As I suspected, the adults were indeed up to something." The demonic boy attempted to make his voice sound caring. He didn't succeed; instead he came off sounding condescending, as if what he was really saying was 'I told you so.'
The Servant waited a bit longer, but the girl still stayed quiet.
"Although I can easily guess what you're thinking," continued Assassin, "would you like me to ask anyway?"
"If you can guess, then there's no point in asking." Her voice was almost a monotone, but the demonic boy could hear the hurt in it.
Sakura hadn't lifted her head since Assassin had returned, announced that he had found the answer to her question, and then sat down at her desk and started the recording. She'd smiled when the first thing she heard was her father praising her and his wish that she'd become a great magus. However, that moment of relief and the smile born of it both vanished when she'd heard her father's intention to send her away.
The following conversation only made her feel worse.
"I wasn't thinking about asking for my sake." Assassin said, putting the player away. - Sakura absent mindedly wondered how he did that since he didn't seem to have any pockets to hide it in. It was like a mundane magicians trick: it was there one moment, gone the next. - "I thought you might want to talk. You seemed to feel a bit better after I listened to you last time, so I thought I'd repeat the offer."
"I'm an unwanted child and my family is giving me away to strangers. There's nothing I want to talk about."
Assassin just stared at her as she, in turn, continued to keep her head down and stare at her bed cover. She might not be in the mood to talk right now, but he was certain that once Sakura had some time to fully process what she had just learned she would definitely have a lot to say. From his observations the little demon knew that Sakura was not the type of girl to throw tantrums or break things in a fit of temper, but given what she'd just found out about her situation, he wouldn't blame her if she did.
"Then do you want to cry?"
"I'll do it later. I think I've cried myself out for now."
Assassin understood what she meant and nodded.
"Then I'll get going and leave you to your thoughts."
He stood up, tucked in the desk chair, and leisurely headed toward her window.
"I guess this is goodbye. I probably won't see you again until the War starts."
"WAIT!"
Assassin paused, then casually turned around to face the source of the shout.
"Yes?"
Sakura had been distracted by her own emotional pain, but once Assassins words registered she immediately snapped out of it to stop him from leaving. She felt like if he left now, she'd regret it. Plus, she felt like there was something she needed to know.
"What you said just now, what did you mean?"
She might not have noticed, but there is no way the little demon failed to detect what was in those words, and he had to hide his pleased smile. The thought of him leaving her alone and not coming back, especially now that her world felt like it was ending and she was most in need of a friend, hurt her. Sakura would miss him if he was gone. Even having a fake pillar to lean on was sometimes better than none at all.
Furthermore, it seemed that she'd overlooked the fact that if he'd really wanted to leave, then he could have vanished fast as a blink. This meant that given her current emotional state, there was no way Sakura would notice that he'd wanted her to stop him.
This was good for his plans. Her guard was down and it was unlikely that the usually observant little girl would notice any of his subtle manipulations.
"I mean that I'm leaving. Your father has decided that it would be for the best if my summoner went to England and studied at the Clock Tower until just before the start of the Grail War. Since Kirei Kotomine is currently my 'Master' for the 4th Heaven's Feel, I will be leaving Japan with him."
Assassin made a point of putting all the blame for his leaving on the father that was planning to abandon his daughter. As far as he was concerned, it was fine if Tokiomi became an object of Sakura's hate.
"He has promised to make all the arrangements so that there will be no trouble attending as a student there. It's not a bad idea and I can think of several advantages to going. However, before that happens, I have a number of things here that I'll need to arrange before leaving Japan."
"Like what?" Sakura asked, a sinking sensation starting to weigh her down. She didn't want the only person she could actually talk to to leave.
"Well first, I need to make some arrangements for my mail and make sure my business will be in order before I go. As to what that business is, you don't need to know for now. Secondly, I need to make sure I have plenty of time to scour the battlefield of Sekigahara in present-day Gifu Prefecture for arrow-heads. Considering how big that area is, there's no doubt it will take a long time. Third, I need to make some arrangements for a mail box and a suitable land purchase in England. If I want to be recognized as a member of the nobility and regain my past titles, there will be a number of things I'll need to do, and the sooner I can start setting them up the better."
Sakura could only sit there and blink at him. Although Assassin had only used small words and hadn't gone into much detail, Sakura felt like she couldn't understand. It seemed like the Servant had packed some really big things into just a few words, and even if she was a magus, she was still a little girl with no real world experience. However there were a few things that even she knew.
"Bu- but hold on, that doesn't sound right. Why does a Servant have a business? Why do you need to go to some old battlefield? What are you trying to accomplish in England? All else aside, I once heard my father say: 'The world is for the living, the dead have no place here.' As a Servant you count as being dead and shouldn't be drawing attention to yourself or do anything that could have an effect on the world."
The black-clad boy chuckled darkly.
"It seems that you'd rather focus on my matters than your own."
He chose to ignore the scowl the little girl made at his remark, and instead answered her question.
"In regards to your first and third question: I'm not like other Servants. I'm different and I have my needs. In fact in order to use my Noble Phantasms to full effect I need a little help from one of the member's of England's Royal family. Although it will be troublesome to set up, I have confidence I can do whatever needs to be done to meet the requirements. There are a lot of benefits for me if I can use my power to the fullest, and once it's done it can't be undone."
Sakura did not mistake the way Assassin bared his teeth as a grin, it was nothing so nice.
"Once a 'Guard Dog, always a Guard Dog.' The balance to those benefits, though, is that it is a lot of trouble to go to. Fortunately, I only need to meet the letter of those requirements, not honor their spirit. That's good since it would be very troublesome for me to handle it all the way I used to. I have neither the time, nor the interest to do a Queen's dirty work ever again. Luckily, Land and Titles can be bought, a modern-day identity can be arranged, while assistants and managers can be hired. Money can solve these problems easily and I know how to get it. The most problematic part for me will be my old nick-names: 'Watch Dog' and 'The Queen's Guard Dog.' Fortunately, I believe I can get them back by giving them new meanings. Instead of policing England's criminals or guarding the Crown's interests, I think I'll aim at being the puppy that sends Her Majesty interesting foreign films to watch. I'm sure that if I ask for it in just the right way I will have no difficulty."
Assassin smirked and gave Sakura a meaningful glance.
"I can be very persuasive when I put my mind to it."
"And your trip to the old battlefield?" reminded Sakura.
"Yes, your second question. I don't think it would be wise to explain about that, though I promise to give you the details later. I'll give you a hint though, maybe you'll know enough to guess… The Japanese habit of honoring their Ancestors and worshiping their warriors is very convenient for someone that intends to mess around with a Master's summoning ritual and doesn't care about how weak the result is."
"You're going to interfere with someone's Servant Summoning?! Who's?!" for a moment, Sakura thought of her Father and panicked.
Assassins smirk took on a cruel edge as he looked at her knowingly.
"Oh, what's this? Are you thinking of your father? He's not the only magus that hasn't summoned their Servant yet; besides, why would you care? A little while ago weren't you upset that he was abandoning you?"
"That's different!" She protested.
"Is it?" He slowly walked over to her and leaned forward, the tip of one black-gloved finger extended to more forcefully lift her chin. "Could it be that you still care?"
"He's my father."
"He is your father, and he's giving you to strangers."
"You're avoiding my question!" said Sakura.
"And it's clear that this is a topic you don't want to talk about, though I note that you seem to have gotten more of a grip on yourself." said Assassin. He had realized a while ago that she calmed down the more she focused on him. Right now Sakura was probably craving any distraction from her problems.
And it just so happened that right now he wanted her distracted.
He released her chin and stood up straight, looking down at her. He theatrically paused and then sighed, as if surrendering to some terrible opponent.
Then he relaxidly lied through his teeth.
"Be at ease, my target isn't your father. I have a special way of finding out when a Magus enters Fuyuki and am already monitoring those already here. One or more of them is sure to do their summoning here, especially if they've chosen a Japanese Hero in order to make use of the bonus that comes from summoning a Hero in their homeland. It will take them some time to gather the materials and properly set up the ritual. Once I notice one of them doing this I will hurry over and pick the right moment to interfere."
Sakura frowned.
"Why don't you just kill them instead of letting them do the summoning?"
Assassin smirked and answered somewhat condescendingly.
"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura." He shook his head from side to side as if disappointed that she asked a seemingly stupid question. "Seven Servants must be summoned. There has never been a Grail War with less than that and there never will be. If a prospective Master dies before summoning, or gets their Command Seal stolen, then either someone else will be chosen to take that person's place or someone will end up having more than just one Servant. The protocols of the Heaven's Feel Ritual demands that all slots be filled. 6 Servants (or an equivalent amount of power) must be sacrificed to call the Grail so that the remaining pair can share a wish, and 7 Servants must die (or an equivalent amount of power collected) to open the way to Akasha. For that reason, it's pointless to try to stop the summoning by killing the Master first. However, if a Master summons a weak Servant, that makes solving the problem easier."
The little girl frowned, and thought about what the black-clad boy had said.
"I guess that makes sense…"
"Of course it does. I'm an Assassin, not a warrior. I'd rather not fight someone magically or physically stronger than me if I can help it. A straight forward fight isn't my style, and I'm not just saying that because I'll probably be the smallest of the Servants. There is a reason why the weak are able to beat the strong you know."
She looked up at him curiously.
"What's the reason?"
"Why don't you think about it while I'm gone. Book learning will only get you so far, so you need to try being a bit more creative."
"Assassin?" Sakura hesitantly asked.
"What?"
"Would it be ok if I write you? You said you have a mail box so…"
"Hmm… It would be best for us not to exchange letters. I doubt that your new magus family will want their newly adopted daughter writing letters to strangers, plus they might intercept them and we can't have that."
Assassin seemed to hesitate a moment, then continued.
"But I'll tell you what, I've already said that I intend to find you after you're sent off. That would be much easier if I know where you are, so before you leave for your new home, write me one letter that says what family you're going to. I'll come check up on you the moment it's convenient, ok?"
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SKIP TIME • SKIP PLACE • SKIP LOCATION • SKIP VARIOUS STUFF
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DATE: Oct. 21, 1600 – the Edo period
LOCATION: Sekigahara, present-day Gifu Prefecture
RESULT: Decisive Tokugawa victory, beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate
TERRITORIAL CHANGES: Tokugawa gains nominal control of all Japan
Belligerents:
WESTERN ARMY: Forces loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, many clans from Western Japan
EASTERN ARMY: Forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu, clans of Eastern Japan
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Inspiration for the Personal Skill: 'Demons Temptation' comes from the circus story arc, specifically Vol. 6 Ch.28 Pg. 27 to page 37 of the manga. If you don't know the manga, it's the part in the anime spin-off KUROSHITSUJI: BOOK OF CIRCUS where Sebastian seduces Beast.
I've made some changes in STATS since last time. For example, on CHR it was pointed out that B+ is a King and Gilgamesh was A+ so I changed it to C+. A rank of D+ or C gets bumped up to C+ 'cause of demon influence. That sound about right?
Many STATS have been affected by rebirth and fusion.
Rebirth type changes being the resulting change to Ciel's base self (Origin & Elements) from when he went from being a weak human child to a demon child through the sacrificial utilization of two powerful demons (one who's affinity was with snakes while the other was with spiders).
Fusion type changes being the result of Heroic Spirit Ciel Phantomhive (including base STATS) and the Demon Child Ciel Phantomhive (and his base STATS).
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Servant Class: Assassin/?
Name: Ciel Phantomhive/?
Master: Kirei Kotomine (temporary)
Gender: Male
Height/Weight: ?
Alignment: Neutral Evil/Unlawful Good (Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)
Element: Fire, Fire, Shadow, Shadow (Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)
Origin:
~ Blessing: Light/Salvation
~ Darkness: Damnation/Corruption
~ Web
~ Scales
(Note: Affected by rebirth and fusion)
Strength: E+ - EX
Endurance: D+ - EX
Agility: E+ - EX
Mana: ? – EX (Despite having no known magical background, at age 10 when a cult intended to sacrifice him to gain a demon he somehow usurped the ritual and the demon came to him instead. Given his original unknown potential for magic and the fact that he is now a demon that specializes in magic, rather than physical combat, this strange ranking is only to be expected. This is especially true when you consider that two different versions of this same boy have blended together.)
Luck: B+
Class Skills:
Independent Action: EX – Capable of remaining in this world without an established contract and strong resistance against the orders of those who do not meet the needed prerequisites.
~ Prerequisites: Requirements of the Watchdog and willingness to pay the price for The Mark of the Demon.
~ Note: As a Servant, 'Independent Action' is not a skill that Ciel Phantomhive would normally have unless he was summoned in England and some method was used to especially boost the power. In this case the skill rank would be 'F+' to 'C' and the Servants ability to resist orders would depend on whether or not the summoner was England's Queen, a direct ranking member of England's royal family, or not related in any way to England's royalty.
This is not a skill that a Demon would or should ever have in the first place since no demon should ever be summoned as a Servant for the Grail War from the Throne Of Hero's (It is questionable if that is even possible in the first place). This case is unusual in that Ciel was summoned and is also a demon. As a result, the demon Ciel Phantomhive gained this skill and the strength of its rank ('Z-' to 'EX') can change depending on certain details. A Demon will feel no obligation to obey a human without a good reason, and even then, should they feel inclined or the order is not 'tight' enough, it is not out of character for a demon to deliberately misinterpret an order. Furthermore, if a contractual agreement exists between a demon and a human, and nothing prevents the demon from choosing to cancel the contract, then a demon can refuse an order by canceling the contract. Beyond the demon losing the right to the humans' soul, it will suffer no negative consequence. The human, however, is still damned and his/her soul will not be welcome past either the Gates of Heaven or Hell.
Presence Concealment: C+ - EX (The capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. Furthermore, since there's that demon thing added on, he can also just plain hide completely if he wants.)
Personal Skills:
Bravery: A+ - EX (The ability to negate mental interference such as fascination, confusion, beguilement, and pressure.)
Charisma: C+ (Suitable for the combination of a young successful Noble Earl and a young eye-catching demon. I would like it to be higher, but is something likes a C+++ even possible without just flat out making it a 'B' and being done with the matter? Then again there IS that bonus from being a demon so would it be wrong to make it 'A+'?)
Riding: E - EX
Demons Temptation: B – EX (One of a demon's most basic skills. An instinct to obtain their wants by sensing the weakness in others and persuading their target to succumb. To find the crack in the human heart and take advantage of it. "To deceive pray and drag them into the Darkness." "To not notice the demons concealed power… skillfully… sweetly… quietly…To not notice the monster behind the mask. It's a demons whisper… The breath that destroys reasoning and allows it to simply fall.")
Knowledge Of Magic: ?
Battle Continuation: B+ - EX (Ciel nearly died many times during his life. However, he somehow, mysteriously, survived one way or another. His strong determination to drag his enemies down into Hell with him has been burned into his very being. - One of the miracles of his potent hate. Were he not already damned to demon-hood and the Thrown Of Hero's, he would have been a likely candidate to become an evil spirit or a ghost.)
Expert Of Many Specializations (False): D – EX (possesses many different skills, but most of them are a result of him being a demon, not a Servant.)
Eye Of Mind (True): C+ (Capable of calmly analyzing troublesome situations and deducing an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities. So long as there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chance of success.)
Path Of Will (True): A+ (As long as the determination to continue forward toward does not end, he will neither fail in achieving his objectives nor permanently fall in to ruin.)
Noble Phantasms:
1). Master of Servants (Passive): allows him to easily gain the loyalty of his servants and other subordinates as well as bring out their full potential and boost their capability. It is a passive skill and is effective on all he judges as being under his command and in his employ. The longer his subordinates stay in his service and at his side, the greater their loyalty and resolve to prove themselves become.
2). Mark of the Contract: is
3). Unrelenting Watch Dog: is
4). Fiendish Child: is
5). Beguiling Temptation: is
6). Territory Creation -The Phantomhive Estate (Rank D+): is an impregnable fortress that enemies will have a tough time entering, and an even harder time leaving. During his rule as the Phantomhive Earl, many killers' sought Ciel's life or tried various methods to take advantage of him. Because the young boy spent most of his time at his ancestral home these enemies would often focus their attention there. When enemies were expected, various traps would be set up to in anticipation of their arrival and trigger automatically when encountered. If there was no forewarning, then the Phantomhive servants would take up both arms & pre-selected positions to begin their attack & counter-attack. Under the direct guidance of the Young Master or Butler the long hallways and numerous rooms have the ability to slightly warp space, turning the already large and maze-like interior into a near labyrinth; sometimes was assisted with various spooky or dangerous additional affects.
~ The enemies of the Earl always met with a bad end, and because no one who knew the truth about what happened to these people, the rumors gave birth to an additional power (Rank E) to this territory: Those foes who entered would disappear without a trace. Enemies that enter this territory would be wise not to lose track of each other in order to avoid this particular affect (Note: almost never effective against Servants whose' normal Ranking is more than 2x higher than Ciel who is normally considered as being a Rank D- Servant).
~ Unfortunately, due to the Phantomhive Estates long history of having experienced mysterious fires, explosions, and collapses of walls and rooms, this territory is easily defeated by attacks of mass destruction or by smashing through enough walls. Although this is a weak Phantasm, this fact is somewhat balanced by its quick recovery from any damage suffered. This is due to the unusual speed of repair that always followed after having suffered damage. The mystery of the endlessly destroyed and repaired Phantomhive Mansion gave birth to countless rumors of ghosts, haunting, and black magic. This added to the legend of both the estate and its owner. When active, adds a 35% boost to the phantasm and its special effects & inflicted negative status'.
7). Requirements of the Watchdog (Passive): is only possible to make use of if all basic conditions are met. Grants additional bonuses to Charisma, Intimidation, Temptation/Seduction, Business Acumen & General Prosperity, Luck, Endurance, Perseverance, and Independent Action (Note: Independent Action is affected by the will power, amount of emotional loyalty and/or pride, degree of choice in the interpretation of instructions to obtain objective, and the Watch Dog's reputation for using any method to obtain results)
Requirements:
~ Must be Earl of Phantomhive and the Head of the Phantomhive family
~ Must be recognized at least once in their life by the English Queen (or English royalty of equal and/or greater rank) as being 'The Queen's Watch Dog' and having pledged oaths of loyalty to the Queen
~ Must have land/estate/holding/territory/ect. as well as all other qualifications for being a successful English Earl
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NOTE: Among their own kind, demons (from the KUROSHITSUJI universe) have their own status and rankings of power. However, from a humans perspective, a demons capability is just too ridiculous, so I'm just going to say that a demons STATS should be mostly EX as humans/magi judge such things. Demon Ciel is a bit weak due to his status as a former human that wasn't very strong to begin with. This is the reason that, if ranked as STATS, not all of his statuses would be EX. Of course Sebastian would have ALL of his STATS be EX, just saying. I am certainly NOT saying this because I'm a fan of his and my opinion is a bit biased. Really, that's the reason. I'm not kidding about that. You can definitely believe me on this. Seriously.
Anyway, Heroic Spirit Ciel Phantomhive, on his own and without any sort of enhancements, is weak. Very, very weak.
Don't get me wrong, he's definitely capable of crushing most humans as long as the opponent is not some ridiculous kind of existence like Bazzet or that assassin-turned-high-school-teacher from the 5th War that Medea fell in love with (I forget that guy's name and I'm too lazy to look it up right now).
But yeah, on the whole The Assassin Class Servant, Ciel Phantomhive, is weak and most of his STATS would range between Rank E to C, except for LUCK. He always had pretty good luck and was really smart. He wouldn't have much Mana, but as long as his Master could supply enough, he'd be able to use it to use his Noble Phantasm "MARK OF THE CONTRACT" to summon and support Sebastian. So on the whole, Ciel would be weak, but since his Noble Phantasm could summon Sebastian he could be a very dangerous foe if used right or left to handle things in his own way.
The current Ciel Phantomhive is a combination of two different versions of himself (Demon Ciel & Heroic Spirit Ciel) so his STATS are a bit odd. In spots they are enhanced, in others combined or jumbled, in some they melded together smoothly, and in yet more places the two differing STATS are sharing space.
This is the reason he can have a STAT for things like 'AGILITY' be both Rank E+ and EX. Meanwhile, 'CHARISMA' would simply be A+ (by human standards his CHR would be around C or C+ and as a demon he'd be around B+ to -A and I figure that if you combined that together and then translated the resulting rank into human standards it'd be A+ instead of EX. Thus giving him the CHR of a king, instead of a cute little Earl or the high level of a normal demon. And let's not over look the fact that not only is Ciel not a pure normal demon, but he is also not a fully mature demon so he still has a long way to go before he can grow into his full power.).
Wow, that bit really dragged on a lot. But I felt it needed explaining.
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I got some things from a great story called "WORLD ASYLUM" by A Magician. It looked like pretty important/useful information that anyone that's interested in the Nasuverse or just FATE/STAY NIGHT should be at least a bit aware of. So I thought I'd copy that part down so I don't have to keep referring back later. I haven't actually gone out and verified things on my own yet though, so that's a point to keep in mind.
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Is this timeline correct?:
First Holy Grail War- 1814
Second Holy Grail War- 1874
Third Holy Grail War- 1934
Mahoutsukai No Yoru- 1989
Fate/Zero- 1994
Kara No Kyoukai- 1995 to 1999
Tsukihime- 1999
Fate/Stay Night- 2004
Something about this timeline just seems 'off' to me. Anyway, this next part is from the bottom of chapter 29 of that story. The Grail Wars are set in Fuyuki City, the events of KARA NO KYOUKAI (Garden Of Sinners) is set in Mifune City, and the events of LUNER LEGEND TSUKIHIME are set in Misaki City.
"Dead Apostle.
They are humans who became vampires either by the use of Magecraft or by the actions of another vampire of a similar nature. Among the creatures that fall under the vampire category, they are the most numerous.
And among the Dead Apostles, those who are classified as Ancestors are particularly powerful. The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles Ancestors are the aristocratic elite of the vampires. They are very powerful beings, and many have the ability to utilize Reality Marbles.
Theirtitles and names are:
1. The Beast Of Gaia, Primate Murder
2. The Original Dead Apostle, The Dark Six
3. Ultimate One of the Moon, Brunestud of the Crimson Moon
4. The Second Magician, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg
5. Ultimate One of Mercury, ORT
6. The Black Knight, Rizo-Waal Strout
7. Disemboweling Sea Of Trees, the Forest of Einnashe
8. The White Knight, Fina-Blood Svelten
9. The Eclipse Princess of Black Blood" and Contract", Altrouge Brunestude
10. Nrvnqsr Chaos" (also called 'Nero Chaos') ", Fabio Rown
11. The First Wraith, Stanrobe Calhin
12. ?
13. Night of Wallachia, Zepia Eltnam Oberon
14. Van-Fem of the Demonic Castle, Valery Fernand Vandelstam
15. The Artist's Lady, Rita Rozay-en
16. The Black Wing Lord, Gransurg Blackmore
17. The White Wing Lord, Trhvmn Ortenrosse
18. Knight of Vengence, Enhance
19. ?
20. Crown, Merem Solomon
21. The Water Demon, Sumire
22. ?
23. ?
24. Refraction, El Nahat
25. ?
26. ?
27. Dead Apostle of the Millennium Lock, Caubac Alcatraz
Their general rankings are not determined exclusively by how powerful he or she is individually, but rather the paramount danger he or she poses to humanity. Those within the first ten ranks cannot be defeated by normal concepts, as they, themselves, are fantasy much like members of the Phantasmal Species.
Those who live in fantasy can only by defeated by fantasy that is greater than themselves. Furthermore, for those who have reached the Ancestor class, it is possible to exist as a phantom even after losing the physical body.
The Holy Church may target these vampires as the Executors of the Burial Agency, an organization created for the purpose of stopping the spreading of the heresy known as vampires, exterminate the Dead Apostles and seal The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors with their utmost efforts.
Lastly, unique existences even among the vampires are the True Ancestors. They are incarnated nature spirit and vampiric creatures from birth, however, unlike the Dead Apostles and other blood-sucking species, the root of their bloodlust is psychological rather than physical.
Also, because they are part of nature, they can use the power of Marble Phantasm to change the world around them accordingly to their thoughts. They can be classified as a type of large fairy and their foundation is of a Mystery that cannot be reached through Magecraft. They are said to be Planet-Class Spirits, a rank higher than Divine Spirits."
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I'm pretty sure this list isn't perfect. The rankings among the top 27 Dead apostle ancestors are subject to change depending on if one of them gets stronger, gets defeated, or gets killed. For example, you'll notice that 'The Serpent of Akasha, Michael Roa Valdamjong' and 'The White Princess of the True Ancestors, Arcueid Brunestud' from the manga/anime/novel/game TSUKIHIME are not on the list.
Just now I was looking on Wiki and it looks like the 10th spot got replaced by someone named Louvre, and the 13th spot got replace in one of the MELTY BLOOD paths by his descendant 'Dust of Osiris' Sion.
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Note To Self: Kirei was in the Burial Agency.
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Anyway, please review.
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`\(-;-)/'
11/12/2018
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