CHAPTER 20:

LOVE & MONSTERS

Later that day, Harry had suggested to Medusa that they try their date again, though at lunch time rather than dinner time, given how Ryuunosuke and Caster ended up being murderous gooseberries last night. Plus, using the Reality Marble had been taxing, and he was hungry. Medusa agreed, and the pair of them set out for a good restaurant, while Kariya and Medusa's sisters entertained Sakura and Illya. The two of them made their way through Fuyuki, looking an odd couple: Harry, a dark-haired, green-eyed European, and Medusa, buxom, with purple hair that went down to her calves, wearing glasses over her exotic eyes.

Harry also had to discuss something with Medusa. After this morning, when he used the Stygian Terminus, things had begun to shift within him. He realised he could begin to access the memories of Thanatos consciously. More to the point, it was as if they were always there, hidden behind mist and clouds, and only now was that mist beginning to lift.

It was one thing to suspect you were the partial reincarnation of a death deity, and to be considered one by the woman who loved said deity in another life. It was another thing entirely to know this for certain. By this point, Harry had no doubts whatsoever that he was once part of Thanatos, the part that was in love with Medusa. And with the memories, he realised, the strength of his affection (could it be called love yet?) was growing towards Medusa. Transferring Irisviel's soul had eroded some of the partition between himself and Thanatos. Some of it must have eroded when he fought off the monsters Ryuunosuke sicced on him.

Such thoughts preyed on his mind as they ordered at the restaurant. As they waited for their meal, Harry erected Privacy Charms. Medusa then remarked, "Something troubles you. Or perhaps a great many things do. What are they?"

"Well, first off, the Grail War's going to heat up. Three Servants down, four to go. Hermione and Waver still have Eve and Iskandar, Tokiomi still has Gilgamesh, and Kiritsugu has Arturia. Either Tokiomi's going to be bolder than he was, or Kiritsugu is going after Hermione and Waver next. Probably Hermione alone. As powerful as Eve is, she's probably the weakest Servant by now. I just hope what I did for him means that he won't hurt Hermione in any real way."

"He said he would already. He may be the sort who may break a promise or use loopholes…but I believe there is just enough humanity left in him to consider another way. That being said, I think Tokiomi may make the next move. The Magus Killer may be considerably more proactive, but Tokiomi may feel confident enough to use Gilgamesh, in all likelihood against Eve and Iskandar. Gilgamesh would be powerful enough."

"Great," Harry muttered. "Will he stop Gilgamesh from killing Hermione and Waver?"

"I doubt you could stop Gilgamesh from doing anything, except with smooth talking," Medusa scoffed.

Silence fell on the two for some time, before Harry broke it. "Medusa…the feelings you feel for me…are they for me, or for Thanatos?"

"Harry…I don't see the difference. Even if you weren't Thanatos' reincarnation, you are a good man who deserves love in his life after having so much stripped away from you. Even without his memories, you were very much like him…albeit less grim. Besides…you like me, don't you?"

"Of course I do! You're affectionate, beautiful, and smart. What's there not to love?"

"The fact that I'm an infamous monster from myth?" she remarked wryly. "Yes, I know you see past that. But others would not."

"Most of those I've divulged your real name to seem to be okay with it."

"Yes…but when most people thing Medusa, they think a horrible snake monster with a petrifying glare," Medusa said. "Even now, you, along with my sisters, are probably the only living beings immune to it."

"Which is a shame. Your eyes, and sorry about the cheesy line, but your eyes are one of the most beautiful things about you. Then again, you've got a lot of beautiful features."

"Flatterer," Medusa said with a wry smirk. "Then again, my sisters and I were born from the minds of humanity to be perfect goddesses."

"True, but beautiful though your sisters are, I'm not into anyone who looks too young, even if they're older than I am, reincarnation notwithstanding. Do you think they'll be happy in this time and place?"

"With me, yes. And I am happy with you. Even now, I feel my body is almost completely manifested. I am no longer a Heroic Spirit, but manifested wholly. I couldn't even Astralize if I wanted to. It is my bond to you, I believe. Even if you weren't Thanatos, I find myself enjoying your company all the same. I feel different to what I was before. I feel like I can be happy, enjoy life again."

"I'm glad. Even so, let's not count our chickens," Harry said. "While they are forbidden from attacking us, I'm still uneasy about the Grail War. Especially with what Zelretch revealed. At least Kiritsugu and his allies have listened, but I'll have to notify Tokiomi, just in case. Ditto Hermione and Waver."

"We'll do that after lunch. Oh, here it comes…"

The meal was eaten in companionable silence. It was strange, the juxtaposition of the mundane with the exotic. Here he was, eating lunch with Medusa, the most infamous of the Gorgons. But it had the feel of a normal date, and like any gentleman, he paid for both of their meals.

Then again, it wasn't like she had any money yet. He'd fix that when the Grail War was over. Maybe he could have Risei fix up some documents for her identity.

They made their way to the church, where they found a very sullen Lord El-Melloi, and a less sullen but rather despondent Sola-Ui sitting on the pews, the latter sitting as far away from the former as possible. Kirei was speaking to his father on some matter or other, only for the older man to notice Harry's arrival. "Harry? Ophis? What are you doing here?"

"We needed to discuss something. Tokiomi may need to know as well."

Risei nodded. "Very well. Kirei, please keep an eye on Lord El-Melloi and his fiancée…"

"Those are very serious allegations, Mr Potter," Tokiomi's voice said from the gramophone-like intercom. "Indeed, the only reason that I am even considering them to be remotely possible is that it was the Wizard Marshall himself that brought it up."

"I warned the Magus Killer while I was on an unrelated errand," Harry said. "Irisviel confirmed that there was something potentially wrong with the Lesser Grail, but Kiritsugu Emiya doesn't intend to act until there is further evidence."

"Neither will I. Do not mistake this as my refusing to believe this, Mr Potter. Any contamination of the Grail is a serious matter, especially if it reaches the Root. But I refuse to act in any manner other than one of scrutiny until I see more proof. The hypothesis of Avenger having something to do with it is a little plausible, but it is in the end a hypothesis. Bluebeard being summoned as a Caster is definitely a concern, but again, it's a scrap of evidence, not definitive proof. I would consult Zouken Matou on the matter, but I doubt he would give any useful information, especially now that his pet Master and intended heir is dead. We do have an alliance between our families, but I doubt he would accede to honouring it beyond the bare minimum."

"I'll go back to the Black Library, see if there's any notes on the Grail War I may have missed. Kariya might know something too. He learned some stuff from Zouken, and he also raised the possibility of there being something wrong before Zelretch contacted me. I'll contact Hermione and Waver. Hopefully, this is just some paranoia. But as one of my old teachers used to say, 'Constant Vigilance!'"

"Indeed."

Then came the sneering voice of Gilgamesh. "If there truly is a taint on one of my treasures, then we must find a way to remove the taint. A King would not deign to drink from a tarnished cup, after all. Keep an eye on matters, Potter, you and your pet serpent."

After the conversation with Tokiomi was finished, Harry flinched. "I forgot about bringing a new Command Seal to the Magus Killer," he muttered. "Given all the crap with Lord Jell-O and Sola-Ui, I'd forgotten entirely."

"It's understandable," Risei said. "I am truly grateful to you intervening. Both Lord El-Melloi and Sola-Ui told me of what happened last night. Lord El-Melloi's account was rather more coloured by his antipathy towards you, though Sola-Ui is upset over the demise of Lancer. As Overseer, I would suggest not interfering to the degree that you did last night. However, personally, I am glad. Kiritsugu Emiya's actions push the boundaries of what is acceptable in the Grail War, even if it technically didn't breach the rules. He should have had more confidence in his Saber Servant."

"He doesn't. I think he considers her abilities top-notch, but her character…he's got a chip on his shoulder about chivalry."

"Is that so?" came the deep tone of Kirei, who had come down. "Then again, considering his ruthlessness and pragmatism, I shouldn't be surprised. I know Saber is Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights. For a paragon of chivalric tradition to be under the aegis of the Magus Killer…"

"Sadly, she is probably stuck with him," Medusa observed. "I pity her for that much, if nothing else. In truth, I envy her resolve, in spite of how her Master treated her. Then again, the Magus Killer at least recognises her skills."

"Whereas Lord El-Melloi considered Lancer useless," Kirei said. "He has gone on many a rant to that effect. It'd be more amusing if he weren't so damned repetitive. Incidentally, father, as much as we are meant to be a place of sanctuary for Masters whose Servants have fallen, it may not be wise to house Waver Velvet or Hermione Granger here while Lord El-Melloi is present should their Servants fall. Crippled though he is, spite is a powerful motivator for him to try and kill them. Given that he didn't care about you being the Overseer, Father, he may attempt to violate more rules."

"We will work on that when the time comes. In any case, if either Hermione or Waver lose their status as Masters, they can stay with their partner until both lose their Servants. They can then claim sanctuary at the Black Library for up to 12 hours, and that may be enough time for the Grail War to conclude in any case," Risei said. "Of course, if need be, Harry can send them back to Britain via Portkey."

"I may just do that, or else send Lord Smelly and Sola-Ui back," Harry said. "Anyway, I'll deliver that Command Seal to Emiya."

"Very well. Keep in mind, I will be modifying the transfer procedure. You will not be able to use the Command Seal yourself, only another can. And while I trust you to deliver this to Emiya, tell him to contact me by telephone to let me know."

"Got it."

"Hold out your arm, then," Risei said, and when Harry did so, Risei took hold of it, and intoned quietly, "Take this and drink from it: for this is my blood, the blood of the everlasting covenant that will be poured out for you and all mankind. Do this in my memory."

Harry hissed softly in pain as the tattoo-like marking suddenly appeared, but not on his hand, but on his forearm. "Okay. How do I make the transfer myself?"

"Recite the same words." Risei handed over a piece of paper. "I thought you might need crib notes," he added with a gentle smirk…

Kiritsugu didn't seem to expect Harry and Medusa coming back. Harry called the Magus Killer first, and they agreed to meet at a neutral location, away from the house Arturia and Irisviel were using. They chose the café near the Black Library again.

Kiritsugu peered at what was now a quartet of Command Seals with grim satisfaction. "Thank you. I hope I don't have to use them," he said.

"Risei wanted you to call him, to make sure I hadn't used the Command Seals for anything else."

"Got it," Kiritsugu said, pulling out his mobile phone and dialling a number. After it was picked up, he said, "This is Emiya. I received the Command Seal from Potter. No, I don't intend to, Father Kotomine. I would suggest keeping a better eye on your son as well. Hmm? Yes, I will consider that. I will send my representatives later. Goodbye." Kiritsugu shut his eyes as he hung up. "Potter. The Grail War is entering its final stages. If something does go wrong…remember to keep Illya safe. For Iri's sake more than anything."

Harry nodded. "I've warned Tokiomi about the possible taint on the Grail. I'll warn Waver and Hermione shortly. I'd wish you luck, but you already know how I feel about your wish."

"Maybe…but if I don't win the Grail…at least I've kept the only remaining things left in my life that matter," the Magus Killer said. "And Harry…in the unlikely event that Saber survives until the end, and the Grail can't be used…you may take her as your own familiar. It is possible under certain circumstances, and I believe she would better appreciate your company than mine." He had a tired, sardonic smile on his face at that. "She likes you, Harry. Not in a romantic sense, but she wishes that you had her for a Master instead of myself."

"I like her too. And don't you like her, Medusa?"

The purple-haired Gorgon nodded. "She would be a welcome addition to the household, as long as she doesn't have any designs on Harry."

"No, it's nothing like that. I think she just wants a friend who understands her," Kiritsugu said with a bitter chuckle. "Saber knows of your story, after all." With that, he stood. "I need to go. I have urgent business to attend to…"

CHAPTER 20 ANNOTATIONS:

Well, this is the calm before the storm. And the storm is definitely going to hit. I've got a rough idea for how the next chapter, and the rest of this story, will go. Hopefully, this story will be actually finished before long.

Incidentally, for those of you who don't follow my Potterverse-related sample chapters and deleted stories archive The Cauldron, I have posted the first couple of chapters of a Fate/Stay Night crossover, hopefully the first of many. Yes, you read that right, not Fate/Zero, but Fate/Stay Night. I am currently watching through the original Studio Deen adaptation, along with the Ufotable adaptation of Unlimited Blade Works (and holy crap, is the latter better when it comes to, amongst other things, character development: Rin's way better in that version).

Anyway, this first story, with a Harry/Sakura pairing, and inspired partially by Satire Swift's Shirou Kotomine stories (not to do with the character from Fate/Apocrypha, just a Shirou who has been adopted by Kirei, and Satire Swift has been notified), is called Hadrian Kotomine. It will be posted as a full story before long.

There's also at least one Harry/Medea story on the cards, as well as a few others.

In addition, I have posted a challenge (no, not a fic, not a fic answering a challenge, but a challenge) on the forums of DZ2 and whitetigerwolf, called 'Harry Tohsaka'. Basically, Harry turns out to be the long-lost twin of Rin. There's also a more open crossover dealing with Shirou's mysterious pre-Fuyuki past, inspired by fics like In Flight, called 'The True Shirou'. Details are on the forums above.

Review-answering time! Reishin Amara: Sadly, they haven't seen fit to release Fate/Grand Order outside Japan or the US. And I really want to play it. Gah! You'd think with mobile games, release would be universal to all English-speaking countries if they have an English localisation. The closest we're getting is the film adaptation in March.

EDIT: A lot of people have been sending me PMs about where to play it. Please stop sending them. NOW.

kyugan: …Really? I just guessed, frankly, that Uryuu's family may have been involved. Huh, serendipity. And that makes too much sense, though it may also be a Lancer-like luck when it comes to Tohsaka summonings: there's a wonderful line from Mozco's Chaos Theory (which comes highly recommended) which goes like this (regarding Shirou being nice to Illya during their very first meeting)…

And though neither of them knew it at the time, they had just ensured that the plans of basically every single person in the conflict to come were going to go wrong. Except Rin. Her plans went wrong just fine without any outside help.

Leicontis: Probably. But if he uses it in anger, I think Highway to Hell would be more appropriate anyway.

No numbered annotations this time.