Man Plans, Fate Laughs -unknown
Of course, of course the Root had it out for him. Here he was, thirty nine different plans made for the best result in this war, and the Root shot them all down with one act. Kiritsugu felt like smashing his head against a post as everything made sense to him. Lancer, that was Ivone. That was why she had looked so familiar. That gunman, who else but Keiko fired magic bullets? The hooded Berserker, only Haru and Dante had weapons like that, and that was definitely not Dante. The whole lack of guns and giant sword gave it away. And now, Chiyo was Archer and summoned by Tou-san. What's next Ichigo as Saber? Karin as Assassin? Hell, why not have Eiko summoned in the Fourth war in place of Gilgamesh just to make his life a living hell.
He dodged a swing from one blade and barely blocked the second. No matter what anyone said about her, Chiyo was anything but the weakest of the clan. Her swordsmanship was probably the third or fourth best in the clan. Only He, Takeshi, and sometimes Arika were better than her at swordsmanship. Still, as a Servant, she must have gotten some sort of enhancements. True, she is Archer in this war, the natural prey for Riders, but there are always exceptions to the rules. Besides, if she was like he remembered...
Chiyo flipped a sword in the air and reached for her belt faster than the normal eye could see. Kiritsugu instantly leaped back and shielded his eyes as a stun grenade went off at point blank range. Kiritsugu didn't bother opening his eyes as he knew a second one was already on it's way towards him as well as either a sound grenade or a frag grenade. No matter the age, Chiyo was almost unmatched at traps. Heck, her against an army, and he'd bet on her one hundred percent of the time. Still, if you knew her patterns, she was fairly easy to deal with-
*Clang* Sword collided with 'spear' a hair's breath from his neck. Of course, traps were the least of his problems right now. He opened his eyes and grinned looking at her serious face. Again and again their weapons collided. Kiri knew he could force her back, but it would reveal that he was not using a spear, but a sword distorted to look like a spear.
In his head new plans were beginning to form. If the Servants were mostly, if not all, children of Shirou, then several things needed to happen, and above all, some must die. The world cannot endure an endless Grail War. Even if they all ceased to fight, someone, somewhere would get a hold of one of the Masters and use them as leverage to continue the war. Instead of a few weeks of combat, the War could be drawn out for years, maybe decades. Kaa-san had been able to remain under the radar from the Tower because she had lost a great deal of her power when the Grail ceased to support her. As long as Kaa-san had not fought, the magi had ignored her and saw nothing more than a woman.
Well, most magi anyway. Nothing got past the Magicians.
*Smash, Clang, Slam, Bang*
Again and again they clashed weapons. Kiri had to refrain from biting his lip. She was good, there was no doubt of that. The problem was he was at a major disadvantage. He dared not to use his Mana Burst or his true skill lest he give himself away. If he had to reveal himself, he would do it on his terms.
*Bang*
"What's wrong Lancer?" Chiyo mocked him, "Where is the fabled ability of the Lancer class."
"Like you're one to talk Oujo-chan, since when does an Archer use swords?" Kiri countered with Cu Cuchulain's image.
"Is it required I use a bow?" Chiyo mocked as she nearly sliced his leg. "Many an Archer had to be as good with the blade as a bow."
'True enough,' Kiri thought thinking of the previous Archers Counter Guardian Emiya and Gilgamesh. "Ah well," Kiri said aloud, "This is interesting anyway."
"As expected of a fool," Chiyo said dropping a smoke bomb while slashing. "No tactics, no strategy." The smoke bomb burst covering the area with thick black smog. Kiri closed his eyes and continued to fight.
"What's this?" He mocked, "Trying to blind me? Interesting." He grinned harder. Back and forth they danced their dance of life and death. Neither of them bothered using their full abilities and instead focused on seeing what could faze the other. Kiritsugu was pleased to see his 'weak' little sister had become so strong. She had always believed that she was the weakest of them all. He never believed it for a minute. Though she lacked the advantages of her siblings lacking magic and alien abilities, she had more than made up for it with raw skill and talent.
Again and again they fought for several long minutes uncaring for what might lay beyond the walls. Had they focused a bit more they would have heard a second battle just outside the residence.
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Haru punch and kicked at his opponent as fast as he could, yet the enemy was using her innate speed and unmatched flexibility to evade every attack. Haru was curious of his opponent. He knew it was Assassin of course, who else could sneak up on him like that. Nearly killed Rin when he back was unguarded. Too bad for his opponent he had been faster.
The woman, and he could tell she was a woman easily from her breasts was wearing a strange outfit. It looked like a skin tight black straight jacket covered in black belt buckles The jacket had covered the lower half of his opponent's face leaving only a hole where the mouth was. Assassin was also wearing ridiculous looking black goggles that obscured the eyes. The only distinguishing feature was her long purple hair. Assassin chose to attack with her shoes that were lined with bladed wheels that reminded him of the old manga Air Gear. One her hands were claw like gauntlets that kept trying to rip his eyes out. On her forearms were metal guards that held spikes designed to stop a blade. He was reminded of shinobi from the look of them.
Again and again he tried to hit her, and again she evaded. At least she hadn't been able to land a blow on him either. Whoever this one was, she was good. Still, if this was a match to the death, Haru was sure that he would come out on top. Unfortunately, this was merely a delaying tactic. She had said at the beginning of the match to "Do not Interfere." She had said it was such venom that it seemed like it was personal.
At least judging by the explosions that seemed to emanate from the Emiya residence, Saber-kaasan was giving Lacner a hell of a time. That small consolation allowed him to concentrate fully on his enemy and not worry about his father. If Saber-kaasan was summoned, then there wouldn't be a problem for a little while.
At least until she tried to kill him. Oh boy, this was going to get awkward fast. The good news is that she should remember him since she would not enter the Throne until she had died. Therefore, she would remember the son of Altrouge. At least that was what he hoped. It could be that he was summoned in an alternate world with an Alternate Saber-kaasan who would not know him and therefore fight him. That would be really awkward; and painful.
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Kiritsugu jumped back a great distance evading an overhead swing. He relaxed his stance a bit and asked, "I'll ask you just in case since this is our first meeting. Do you want to call it even?" He shifted his stance so that the spear was pointing to the ground. A signature move for the Hound of Ulster. "It's not a bad deal right? Ya see...that Master of your is useless and out of his depth, and my Master is a coward. I think it's in both out interests to hold off this match until we're better prepared.'
Chiyo stopped and considered her options. Lancer had clearly been holding back. Now, however, he was preparing to use his Noble Phantasm to kill her. Unlike Saber-kaasan who had an inhuman level of Instinct to let her avoid an instant killing blow, she did not possess such an ability. In addition, she already knew who his Master was while Tou-san was probably confused out of his mind. Besides, there were two more Servants outside the Residence. She sighed then relaxed.
"Very well, but let's not call it a draw, lets just say the battle is on hold." She offered. She knew it would appeal to him. Honestly, she and the rest of her siblings respected the man from what they had been told about from his actions in the Fifth Grail War. Betrayed by Kotomine he stabbed himself in the heart, yet had the sheer will to continue to live long enough to kill Kotomine and chase off Shinji. A man like that deserved to have his one wish fulfilled. A good fight.
She watched as he raised his spear until it rested against his chest. "Good idea Ojou-chan. Well then, until we can continue the battle." He turned and hopped over the walls and fled the area. She turned back to her father who comes out of the shed.
"Who are you?" He asks.
"Servant Archer," She replies calmly smiling her soothing smile at him. "I apologize, but it's a bit complicated Master. For now, just call me Archer."
"Archer." He said tasting the word on his mouth. "I am Shirou, Emiya Shirou, and I live in this house." She smiles as he stumbles over what he's trying to get across. She knew what his smile was doing to him. Yet, she couldn't help but smile. She was here, where it all began. Where everything about Tou-san truly began and eventually lead to her. Yet, she also felt such sadness. His hopes, his dreams, they had died on that fateful day. The day Ichigo died.
"Ah actually," He said interrupting her thoughts, "I take it back, what I really want to ask you is..."
She held her hand up stopping his rambling. He was kind of cute when he was flustered really. "I know, you're not a formal Master, you're out of your depth. Don't worry, as long we maintain our contract, I will not betray you. You needn't be cautious of me Master."
"Ah um," He is trying to gather his thoughts. He hasn't had enough years to take surprises in stride yet. "My name isn't Master."
"Then would you prefer if I called you Emiya-san or Shirou-san?" she asked. Unlike Saber-kaasan she understood what leaving out the honorifics meant in Japanese culture. Saber-kaasan...a horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. If she was here, taking Saber's place, then this War had been thrown completely out of the water. Any script for this war was useless to compare to. Without her, the future was uncertain...and Kiri and Arika were never going to exist. Her heart wept for them. The twins had been good support for her and the clan. Even if Kiritsugu was the worst cook in the world.
"Ah um, either is fine then." Shirou answered.
"Then I will go with Shirou-san." she said. She continued to listen to the battle outside the house. Though hard to hear, the two were still going at it. That suited her fine. The more they tired themselves out, the easier it would be to intervene.
She stopped thinking and focused on Tou-san when he cried out and held his hand as the command seals burned themselves onto his hand. "Those are Command Seals Shirou-san. I'll explain them later, but basically they are trump cards, and you only have three of them."
She then held her hand out to him, "Shirou-san, please grab my hand ,there is something you need to see."
"Huh? Nani-" She grabbed his hand and leaped in the air dragging him with her. The two landed no the walls and looked on as they saw a hooded man fight a woman in a straightjacket.
"Wha..what is this?" He asked aloud. Below them, the two beings that felt like Archer and that Lancer stopped and looked at him. The woman fled in an instant, but the hooded man did something else entirely.
"Chiyo?" the Hooded man asked staring at Archer.
Archer blinked then held a grenade up, "Who are you?"
To answer her question, the hooded man pulled back his hood and revealed a gray haired man with red eyes. His very being exhumed power.
"Haru-nii?" Archer said surprised.
"What's going on Berserker?" a fourth person asked in the shadows.
"Long story Rin." Haru called back. "You should come out. Things just got interesting."
Rin stepped out of the shadows and looked up.
"Eh? T-tohsaka?" Shirou stammered.
"Good Evening Emiya-kun." Rin said pleasantry. "So you're a Master too huh?'
"Eh? Um." Shiro uwas at a loss of words.
"He's not a formal Master Rin." Chiyo filled her in. "He probably doesn't have any idea on what is going on."
"Ah." Rin said then looked at Berserker. "You two seem to know each other."
"I should, she's my little sister." Haru responded.
"Eeeeh?" Shirou exclaimed, "you don't look alike at all."
"Different mothers" Haru explained, "Long story. You might learn about it one day."
Chiyo smiled her warm smile. Rin felt her mistrust lessen in the presence of that smile form the pure kindness
"She doesn't seem that strong Berserker." Rin commented.
"Ha," Haru barked, "She's a one woman army. She hunts Dead Apostles for week long excursions. Hell, she could put the burial squad out of business in a year."
Rin recalculated that and found herself nodding. "Yes, this could work." She smiled, "This is interesting. She began walking towards the house, "Let's discuss this inside."
"ah. Um, eh." Shirou was trying to get everything processed, but there had been just too many surprises.
Chiyo held his hand, "Don't worry, Rin is a splendid Magus, she should be able to explain everything."
She was about to take him down from the wall when something slammed into the wall next to them embedding itself within. Chiyo acted instantly pushing him off the wall and pulled out her swords. "Who's there?" Nothing answered her. She looked and saw that Haru had thrown his body atop his Master protecting her.
Chiyo when to the impact site and found that it was a rock with a message written hastily on it.
Seven Serpants have gathered tonight.
Each ready to test their wits and might.
Full of confidence and plans are they
Each prepared for what comes after today
Yet, blind are they to the doom
That comes for each of them soon
Only united will they see
The fate that all should be
Doomed are they lest they unite
Against what lurks in the blackest of night
Chiyo carefully folded the note. This needed to be analyzed later. Right now, the safety of the Masters was paramount. Then, she would deal with the contents of the note. She leaped back behind the wall and grabbed Shirou dashing into the House with Haru beside her holding Rin.
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Kiritsugu watched them from his hiding spot. Content that the ball was now rolling. They would soon see who they were fighting, then the alliance would be obvious. Now, he just had to play his part and the scenario would play out fairly well. "I will not ask forgiveness." he whispered, "I am already kinslayer. Only in death is there redemption."
Unseen to him, Assassin heard his words. Though she did not know who he was, she found him interesting. She opted to wait and see what he would do before she killed him. He was too open, too trusting of his environment. She smirked, she wondered how his blood tasted. Would it be sweet and innocent, coarse and evil, or bitter and cynic? She couldn't wait.
She did wonder what the note he threw said. She'd have to investigate herself in the fullness of time. But first, time to see who he works for. She watched him go, always shifting into the shadows or taking shapes of ordinary people. She was impressed by this. Had he possessed a shred of Conceal Presence, she was sure that she would have lost him. But, because he did not, no matter what form he wore, he was like a beacon to her always. She followed him as he weaved and whirled through the city almost at random, but...she noticed a pattern. He was circling something. Circling something in the middle of the two cities. Was it his Master? Was it a base? She was intrigued as she followed him. She had grown to love the hunts, the silent stalking.
The mortals were...boring. They were like sheep to be culled, but this one...this one was like a prize fox. Doubling back, making false tracks, yet a patient huntress could see through them if she was careful. She watched as he crossed the bridge again heading back to Fuyuki city. This time, he was suddenly going straight. Unwavering or altering his path. She smiled, it seems his paranoia had run out. Everything else must have been a ruse to lead to this position. Of course, why hadn't she seen it. Like a fox, he goes around avoiding his home leaving foolish hunters assuming that there is something precious elsewhere.
She smiled as she tracked him to the church. So, he was Kotomine's dog. That was interesting, that explains much to her. She considered making him an offer, she would kill Kotomine and he would serve her, but she would never do that to any of the retched clan. They condemned her, they cast her into a pit where she never saw light. They kept telling their children horrible stories about her ever increasing her infamy. And when Haru and Reiko abandoned them to go make a better time line, they turned to her. Oh the irony, the monster was their only hope to regain power.
She had feasted well on their bodies before she died. Oh of course she had waited, acted like their little dog, but she remembered Kiritsugu. She remembered the horror in his eyes as he sat in her cell looking at his hands all but convinced that they were permanently stained in blood. She remembered, and she had her vengeance. Most, if not all Magi in the family were dead, the Sekirei had fled into the forests, those that had not been terminated anyway. It took the one who possessed the Fifth to take her down, and it had cost him his life in the process.
She decided she had seen enough. Time to go back to Tou-san and see what her Siblings were going to do to alter the time line.
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Shirou sat there taking it all in. Servants, Masters, the Holy Grail. Rin's explanation had been highly detailed, but the whole thing made him feel disgusted. People were being killed just to obtain such a thing. If no one had died, he might have been interested in the Grail, but after the recent murders, he held nothing but scorn for such a thing.
An abomination this War was. Fighting and killing was not his way. Not his ideal. He wanted to save people, to help them in their need, not kill them for selfish desires.
Rin was also thinking many things at the same time. Shirou was a third, if not fourth rate magi with the most screwed up training she had ever seen. She didn't hate him for it, but she did hate the one who taught him. Such half-assed training was almost guaranteed to kill apprentices. Reinforcement, she had thought that was such a worthless skill, until Berserker pointed out he knew an entire family that had taken that basic spell and almost made it into sorcery. Whoever that family was, she did not want to face them in hand to hand combat. She knew kenpo to protect herself, but a family that had taken Reinforcement to such a level would be monsters in the field.
She also thought that Structural Analysis was a useless magic, but Berserker was insistent that he knew an Incarnation, a magus that was lucky enough to be completely in tune with a unique affinity that he were considered a sorcerer in his own right, that relied on that spell to work. Of course, said Incarnation was able to use a Reality Marble, but Shirou didn't look that talented.
Still, the fact that the two Servants were relatives struck her as a lucky break. The two probably knew each other so well that they could cover each other's weaknesses. She looked around at the room and saw signs of struggle. "Emiya-kun, were you fighting someone?"
"No, Lancer just beat me up." Shirou answered.
Rin smiled lightly, "Hmm, so you don't show off. I see, I see, you're just like you appear Emiya-kun." She approved of his attitude. No boasts, no bragging, just the honest truth no matter how bad it made him look. A rare person indeed.
"It's strange though," Shirou continued. "The first time I saw him, he didn't show any mercy, but the second time, he waited till I armed myself. Said he hated killing unarmed people."
Archer and Berserker thought that was fairly accurate for Lancer actually. He was an honorable person when he wasn't being ordered by an amoral priest.
Shirou went on, "As I was looking for a weapon, he yelled at me, told me to just make one instead of jury rig."
Archer and Berserker both suddenly inhaled sharply. This was not right, this was not right at all.
Shirou went on without notching the Servant's reactions. "He just told me to think of a weapon and make it. Of course that's impossible, you have to judge the concept of creation, hypothesize the basic structure, duplicate the composition material, imitate the skill of its making, sympathize with the experience of its growth, reproduce the accumulated years, excel every manufacturing process, and then execute the actual projection."
You'd think at this point that Shirou would notice how all three of his guests were looking at him like he had grown a third head. Two of them because they knew that was the exact process their father needed to create a weapon, while Rin looked at him like a chimpanzee had suddenly written quantum mechanics.
"As I thought about this, a sword was suddenly in my hand. I still have no idea how I did that." Shirou finished.
"Emiya-kun," Rin said carefully. She didn't want to lose this precious tidbit of knowledge. This was too good a discovery to pass up. "Could you try it again?"
Shirou nodded then began inserting the mental metal rod down his spine. "Trace on," Before he could get too far, Archer and Berserker both slapped him.
"Stop!" They both yelled. Rin found she herself was about to slap him as well. She could tell exactly what he was about to do and it frightened her. How had his teacher not noticed? Emiya-kun was channeling his Prana through his nerves instead of his circuits. The fact that he did that naturally scared her as he should already be dead or crippled.
Archer was the first to collect herself. "Shirou-san, please refrain from doing that again, you're performing magic so dangerously, it will kill you."
Rin nodded, "How dare he, how dare your teacher let this happen."
"Oi, he was against me learning," Shirou countered.
"That's no excuse," Berserker added his two cents, "Once he started, he needed to do the best he could at teaching. Not letting his son and student attempt to kill himself every time he tried to perform magic."
Rin stood up suddenly, "Berserker, we're heading to my house. Emiya-kun, Archer-san please follow me. We're going to correct this right away."
"Eh?" the three asked in various degrees of surprise. Shirou's being the most of them all.
"Um Rin, you're not going to get them confirmed by the supervisor of the war?" Haru asked. True, the Grail Wars script had gone out the window, but some things might need to follow the old script anyway.
"The priest can wait." Rin said angrily, "This is an outrage that needs to be fixed now." She stormed out of the house with the other three trailing along carefully lest the wrath of Rin fall upon them as well. Yet, Berserker smiled as he heard her mutter in a voice so low only he could hear.
"After all, I can't let him die. He is my ally."
Tsundere till the end. Never gets old.
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"Well Rider, what have you to report?" Kotomine asked.
"Servant Archer has just been summoned by a boy, Emiya Shirou." Kiritsugu answered.
"Emiya." Kotomine said with eyes that widened for just a moment. It was clear he knew the significance of that name.
"Archer is...strange." Kiritsugu siad, "Relies on twin swords for combat with a few explosive balls...grenades I believe the word is."
"Oh, what a strange combination." Kotomine said with a smirk. "This war is interesting. A Rider without a mount. A Lancer without a spear, a Caster with a gun, a sane Berserker, and an Archer that uses swords. How interesting."
'Rider without a mount?' Kiritsugu thought. Then it dawned on him, if he was truly a stock hero, there would be nothing for him to ride. The true Black Knight, the figure of myth and legend has never been mentioned with a legendary horse. Half the time, he's not even riding the horse. The other half, he just rides a black colored mount.
Kiritsugu smiled. All the better to hide his trump cards.
"Continue your mission Rider." Kotomine ordered. "Find the last two Servants and gauge their ability."
Kiritsugu bowed, "As you order Master."
With that he turned heel and left the church. He then went back to going random directions. This time, his instincts were not screaming that he was being watched. Whoever that Assassin was, she had been good, but she had slipped up once. He had caught her, almost by chance in the reflection of a window. He had originally planned on going straight to Bazett, but once he had glanced at Assassin, that he had to delay his plans.
This time, he went to a convenience store and bought a few box meals with the money he had taken from the thugs he had murdered. Then, he had wandered a bit, eating one of the box lunches along the way making sure one last time that he was not being followed or watched by a Servant. When he felt that it was safe, he went to the wrecked ship.
He knocked three times then two followed by four in a pattern that Bazett would recognize as another freelancer asking permission to enter the safe house of another. Freelancers had to develop such signals lest they kill each other when not on the job.
Sure enough, Bazett peeked out of the door and stared at his armored form.
"Good evening Former Master, may I come in?" he asked.
"Rider?" Bazett asked cautiously. She knew he had warned her that he was compromised, but the knock was one that signified that he had no intent to kill her. Any freelancer who broke that trust of a knock was soon considered a pariah among their kind and hunted down on sight.
Kiritsugu held out the box lunches. "Thought you might want something different." Bazett unlocked the door and asked, "You were a freelancer?"
Kiritsugu shrugged "Sort of, it's a long story. One you need to hear. Someone needs to understand how messed up this war has become and what better person than the one who has been taken out of the war early on."
With that, he entered the room and began to tell a story. The story of a boy who was distorted, of a Grail War that was very different than this alternate one. Of the boy becoming a man, making alliances and marriages with many woman, and the world as it might have been.
It was a long night in that ruined ship.
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(Right, hope you guys enjoyed it. Send me feedback.)