This is a teaser chapter for Fate/Confictura, our next Fanfic due to be uploaded after we have reviewed and uploaded all chapters of Fate/Eleutheria. Again, nothing in this chapter has been finalised so changes may be made with notice in the future.
-TehArbiter, 1st April 2013
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Confictura Teaser: Old Flame
The scenes of night flashes pass as he moves through the myriad of rooftops. Step by step he crosses the uneven arrangement of roofs, leaping from one to another as cars and pedestrians pass sporadically below, unaware of the presence above them scanning the streets below. The streets of the suburban neighbourhood where his target is located are too narrow for the vehicle, and so he took to the rooftops. Not that it is any more difficult than using the vehicle, since there is no difference between the rooftops and the ground itself.
The latest satellite images have shown that his target is in the vicinity of the neighbourhood, and although resolution was faint, the image was unmistakable. The church would have found their quarry a long time ago were it not for their prejudice against technology and over-reliance on traditional magecraft and Holy Scriptures, which grow increasingly obsolete in the face of technological progress. It will be another hour before the next set of images will be taken, and so a manual search of the target radius is necessary. His coat flaps unsteadily behind him as he leaps, crossing the street and the cars moving past rapidly below. Cold wind rushes past his exposed face, the sign of winter setting in on the country. If things are to move as expected, he will not feel these winds for long.
His leap brings him above a dimly lit alleyway. There lies the target, dressed in a white blouse, brown pants and high heels, her red hair tied back in a ponytail as per her usual fashion. Although she appears to be unaware of his presence as her footsteps forward do not falter, it would be impossible for someone of her aptitude to not notice a breached boundary field.
With another leap he propels his body onto the unlit signboard hanging across the alley, then releases his weight to fall straight down, landing silently right in the face of his target.
"And of course it must be you." Aozaki Touko sighs as she catches a glimpse of his face under the hood.
"Indeed. Your boundary field of suggestion would have repelled any unprotected human, though of course you cannot detect any magic energy from me."
"Can't say I'm entirely glad to see you though, given this little pinch that I'm in," she instinctively reaches into her pocket, then with a sudden revelation, withdraws her hand.
"Looking for this?" he extracts the box of Dragon Smoke cigarettes from his coat pocket. It had been difficult to track the manufacturer of these things, but once that was done it was only the simple task of acquiring a whole shipping container of it from their derelict warehouse.
"You do know how to please a woman," she smiles as he helps her with lighting the tobacco.
"Indeed, and I would be further invite you to entertain my request for dinner, if you so wish."
"Is it secure?"
"Is that question necessary?"
"You know, for a man of your standing, I did not expect that you eat in this kind of places."
"Oh, but I was transferred, you see. I now work for the archeological division and so gone are my privileges and expenditure capacity."
"Don't give me that kind of crap, Edward." Aozaki Touko frowns while sipping on her bowl of ramen soup, clearly not amused by his humour, "you're just being a cheap bastard."
He laughs. It was difficult to find a place for dining this late in the evening, and this ramen stand is the closest to their original location, with the added perk of being within Yamada's area of influence, so security is not a concern.
"It's for security, just as you wanted. I cannot guarantee the hygiene level, but the taste is one of the best in Tokyo."
"Hell yeah, you tell'er man!" the chef is clearly pleased by his opinion.
"Whatever," Aozaki Touko finishes her soup. Over the years he has come to observe that her personality can be starkly different when her glasses are off, which has been the case since encountering her today.
"A Sealing Designation is not something to be taken lightly, though I do admire your continued success in eluding them."
"Those guys are the most idiotic bunch of idiots I've seen in my life. I mean, the only one they send against me is that Ciel girl who just happens to be a friend of my darling sister, and so she never actually tries to kill me straight off but instead wants to make everything look like an accident. Right now the only problem is running into stray Executors or members of the church who will tip them off."
As usual she spit the word "sister" out like an insult to someone's mother.
"I see…"
"So, what do you want from me?"
"Straight down to business then," he takes the file from his coat, "we need to have you eliminate a certain someone who threatens the survival of human kind."
"Business as usual I see," she opens the file and flips through sheets of paper. Her expression slowly changes dynamically, first a serious frown, then into a devilish grin.
"I see, you want Shiki to do this for you, but why?"
"As you know, our organisation is eternally short on manpower, so we would greatly appreciate your aid if you are still in touch with them."
"What's in it for me, then?"
"Of course," he beckons the chef, who reaches under his stand and brings out a large cardboard box. The package has been delivered to this ramen stand as soon as he confirmed their destination. No point wasting time while waiting for the package to arrive.
"Assuming you consume ten per day, these will last two months," he tears open the box to reveal cartons of Dragon Smoke cigarettes.
"Just to keep me coming back, huh?" Aozaki Touko quickly appropriates the box, "I swear I'm going to kill you one day."
"You might have to get in line then. Come, I will drive you to your place of lodging, or wherever your original destination was," he pays the bill and ushers her towards the carpark across the road. Again, the vehicle has already been delivered to his location beforehand for convenience.
"Oh no, no no no no no!" Aozaki Touko sees the vehicle under the dim streetlamps.
"Yes."
"No, you are not going to put me in that widowmaker of yours again. NO!"
"There has been a great increase in safety rating of three-percent from the Mark-VI to the Mark-XII over the last eight years, so there should be no need for concern. In the worst case scenario you would still have a backup body somewhere, would you not?"
Reluctantly, she enters the passenger seat as he initiates fuel injection.
"So, where would it be tonight? Your place or mine?"
"Neither," the soundproofing of the vehicle has definitely seen improvements as their conversation is actually audible under the noise of the engine, tires and wind.
"Straight in the car, huh? I like that."
"No, not tonight. I will take you back to your hotel, after which I have a flight to the UK in three hours."
"Aw come on! How many long has it been since the last time? Two years?"
"One year and nine months, since we came to assist you in recovering your stolen puppet."
"And I thought we were friends, Edward," Aozaki Touko sighs again, "friends with benefits."
"Indeed, as I have made it clear to you that I do not form romantic relationships."
"You are the worst kind of man a woman can meet, you know?" she spits her cigarette into the built-in ashtray, specifically installed for this operation.
"Because I want to be," he reaches for another cigarette and helps her with it.
"Right, how in the world can I forget that? Anyways, I'll call Mikiya for you and see if they can make it, you can count on that."
"Likewise, we are grateful for your assistance in that matter.
He pulls the vehicle into a half-drift and straight into the parking space between two other cars, its long fuselage barely fitting snugly between their bumpers.
"We are here, do take care when exiting the vehicle."
Aozaki Touko staggers haphazardly from the door, almost tripping over the curb.
"You…take care too," she waves without turning around and slowly proceeds up the stairs into her hotel, her sense of balance still impaired by the ride in the vehicle. Closing the door, he casts one last glance around to make sure there is no nearby threat, then initiates acceleration again, and speeds into the night. The coming days will be crucial to their success, and his own lack of direct involvement will be detrimental. However, if everything proceeds according to the plan, then there will be little cause for concern.