Things begin to spiral out of control for those who thought control was all they had, while our four heroes prepare for what comes next. Right now their focus in on the Owls, but soon enough they'll need to get back to work on the War. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the Fate series, Lupin III, Ni No Kuni, or My Hero Academia.
Chapter 23: The Cracks Begin
"It's hard to believe," Chief Makoto said, "Yet the evidence is too clear cut to ignore. But to think that these people are supposedly employing 'magi'…" "It doesn't matter whether magic exists or not," Zenigata assured the chief, "What matters is these people are dealing heavily in drugs and human trafficking. That alone should be enough to convince Interpol to act." Makoto nodded. "Agreed. This is truly an important action to act upon. I notice several politicians on their client list. Enough that Interpol will take immediate action. Go ahead and contact them. I have some calls of my own to make." Zenigata nodded.
Not far away, Lupin was listening in on Zenigata's meeting. 'Evan mentioned those Owl bastards are trying to strong-arm Kayneth for something. That'll end poorly for them. They wound up tipping their hand in the attempt.' 'Well, this is mess,' came the mutterings of Chief Makoto, 'I should inform Tohsaka about this…' "How do you like that?," Lupin said, "The old chief is in Tohsaka's pocket. Probably getting paid to let him know whenever something possibly magi has sprung up. This should make things interesting." He then noticed a man in a black suit approaching him. "Excuse me, I'm here on behalf of Mister Fujimura."
"You're here a little earlier than I expected," Lupin noted. "Well, Mister Fujimura put a rush job on the request once he heard who it was from," the man explained, "He wants me to let you know that the items you requested have been obtained, and that other thing was also taken care of. He also requests you not contact him again until your current business is resolved. He wants to keep the heat low, you understand." "Also was a cautious guy," Lupin mused. The man adjusted his glasses. "It's mostly for the sake of his granddaughter, so she doesn't get caught up in his business." Lupin nodded. Family was always important to these guys.
Tokiomi had never felt so stressed. Not only did he learn that a splinter group was operating with intentions to manipulate the War, but he hadn't heard a thing from Kirei in weeks. It was as if he going completely off the rails without a coherent plan, something that didn't set well with Tokiomi's need for order. To top it off, he had learned from Risei that Sakura had disappeared from the Matou home. Police had raided the place on evidence of child abuse and pornography. That painted a very clear picture of what Zouken was really doing to Sakura. Seems he was going too far with his magecraft.
Tokiomi only wished he had known beforehand, he would have sought other families to send Sakura off too. He was starting to understand why Kariya hated him so much, thinking of Sakura's future didn't excuse all that happening to her. She would have better off getting sealed. 'Zouken didn't take her somewhere and hid, did he? No… He wouldn't have let Byakuya get arrested in that case.' In the last few hours, he had gotten numerous calls from newspapers who had realized who Sakura's birth parents were and curious if he knew what was going on in the Matou household.
Needing to clear his head and refocus his efforts on the Grail, he walked over to his Victrola and pulled the lever. "Risei, are you there?" 'How can I help you, Tokiomi,' Risei replied. "I need to know what is happening with Kirei. He has not contacted my for several days." 'I haven't heard from him either. I assume he wants to stay hidden from Archer. Don't forget he'd be likely kill Kirei, and you if he knew you two were in league, for his association with Assassin. But you shouldn't worry. Don't forget Assassin's actions thus far have led to the death of both Caster and Lancer. So far your path to the Grail is still set.'
Tokiomi couldn't argue with that. "Forgive me, Risei. But I'm under a lot of stress recently, and I need to know things are still under control. Especially since I keep getting hounded by reporters who heard about Sakura's disappearance." 'Yes, I heard of that. I'm not sure where the police got their information. Tell me, how much did you know about Zouken's work?' "He only gave me sparse details," Tokiomi replied, "It sounded disgusting, but I felt Sakura could brave it until she was strong enough to become a magus in her own right. Only now I get the feeling Zouken might have intentionally left out some details."
'I know you only had the best of intentions,' Rise said, 'But you should at least have gone through more options and inspected each one thoroughly, instead of taking the first offer that sounded good. You are my friend, and I am willing to help you because I feel you will use the Grail in the proper way, but sometimes I think you don't pay enough attention to important matters. Not as a magus, but as a human, a father, a man. Anyway, I have duties around the church, so I'll have to cut this short.' Tokiomi sighed as he sat down in a nearby chair and buried his face in his hands. 'Have I really been making such bad decisions in the course of my dream?'
Lupin was busy melting down Gae Buidhe into small bullets usable from both a sniper rifle or a Walther. There was plenty of material to use. "So Kirei, why did you become a Executor in the first place?" "I thought it was the correct path," Kirei replied, "I knew of the problems with my mental state from an early age, and thought taking on my father's path would see God correct that for me. I've never doubted His existence, but I am often confused by his actions sometimes. They way he makes certain people. Not their skin or anything prejudiced, but how some people can suddenly become serial killers or sociopaths, often with little to no explanation."
"Well that explains why you got into the Church," Lupin admitted, "But I asking about the Executor position specifically." "Well, it was the only position that would satisfy me," Kirei said, "It seems I'm always shuffling from one expectation to the next. Just like how I agreed to become Tohsaka's apprentice so I could sustain a Servant for the War. But now I wonder if I was really chosen to allow Tohsaka to obtain the Grail. The Grail only selects those who need it, but for a while I was wondering why I would need it. Then I started to wonder… Perhaps I was chosen in case Tohsaka was truly unworthy, so that the Grail could instead be placed in the hands of the Church."
He leaned back a bit. "Why the sudden interest in my backstory?" "Just needed to kill some time while I waited for these babies to cool off," Lupin explained, "They'll be my insurance against Goldie, and if things go well, I have a few aces to deal with any other Servant. I mean, working with Evan, Jojo, and All Might is nice and all, but sooner or later we'll have to turn on each other. Only one Servant can win the War for their Master, after all." He grinned as he admired the finished product, a golden bullet well designed for a sniper rifle. "Now we need to set up for our next real job." Kirei raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Our familiars keep getting discovered and trashed," the Count said in frustration, "And now our hideout in Fuyuki has been discovered." "Interpol has already been informed of our operations," one of the lesser members said, "We never expected him to act this thoroughly. We also discovered that he has gained a Stand." "We have to assume that it's only a matter of time before the Association and the Church discover our presence as well," the Count noted. "Perhaps all the sooner," the Owl clarified, "One of our members noted that Kayneth Archibald's fiancee has a Servant of her own." "So she is the Master of Avenger," the Count realized, "He someone slipped under our radar while at home. Just how fortified is his kingdom…?"
"What is our next move?," the Owl asked, "I know you do not wish the death of Inspector Zenigata, but we must still do something to prevent our loss so early into our plans." The Count considered it. "There is but one choice. By now Interpol will be dismantling our empire, and both the Church and Association will be sniffing out traitors. Therefore, we must travel… To Fuyuki City. The city where heroes fight and die for just one dream. We will obtain the means to make that dream our own. We will obtain… The Holy Grail!" The rest of the room erupted in cheers, even as they made preparation to move out.
The Owls are down, but not out. They're ready to put it all on the line, and now we know what they really want. But will they get it? You do remember who's writing this story, right...? Anyway, more action buildup next chapter. Read and review.