Reunions and a Fateful Meeting

That night, Reika dreamed. She was in Touma's memories, intangible like in a Pensieve flashback from Harry Potter. She saw Touma at about 17 years old, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He and a tall man in a black trench coat with red hair and a barcode tattoo on his face were in an office building facing a man in a white suit with green hair. There was also a girl with long, black hair in a hime-cut dressed like a miko standing nearby and an unconscious girl in a white nun's habit with long silver hair lying on a table.

The man in white, Aureolus Izzard, gloated that he would use the miko Aisa Himegami's powers to attract a vampire, then force it to turn the unconscious girl, Index, into a vampire to save her life. When the man in black, Stiyl Magnus, explained that Touma had already saved her life, Aureolus lost his temper and used his powers to pin the two to the ground, accusing them of trampling on his dreams. Aisa tried to intervene, but Aureolus told her to die and to Reika's horror, she immediately dropped dead. However, Touma broke free and caught her before she hit the ground. To Aureolus' shock, she started breathing again.

Touma put the unconscious Aisa down and charged at him. Aureolus caused him to choke, but Touma touched his throat with his right hand and it stopped. Aureolus summoned a lightning strike, a noose, and a falling car, but Touma touched them with his right hand and made them all disappear. Aureolus acknowledged that Touma's right hand could stop even his reality warping powers, but it would be useless if Touma couldn't reach him. He summoned a gun to his hand and fired on Touma. Touma tried to dodge, but Aureolus summoned a second gun, then made his guns sprout dozens of gun barrels. Reika screamed as Touma was hit several times, but he remained defiant despite his injuries. Stiyl, who was still pinned, started taunting Aureolus, asking him why he didn't just summon a vampire or turn Index into a vampire himself if he could really warp reality. In response, Aureolus caused Stiyl to instantly be skinned alive. Reika screamed again while Touma struggled not to vomit, but then Touma had an epiphany and stood up.

Aureolus boasted that Touma was nothing with his right hand, then summoned a sword that flew through the air and chopped his right arm off, making Reika scream yet again. However, Touma did not fall and did not scream, even as his blood sprayed everywhere. Aureolus gave an evil laugh, only to be shocked when Touma gave an eviler laugh and slowly advanced on him. Frightened, Aureolus launched another sword, but it missed. Aureolus launched dozens of swords, but they went through Touma without harming him. Aureolus then summoned dozens of guillotine blades over Touma's head and dropped them, but they disappeared. While Reika was amazed, Aureolus screamed at Touma to stay away from him and tried to hide under his desk, asking what was going on. Touma said it is simple: if he warps reality, anything he thinks of comes true, including his fears and doubts. He idly commented that Stiyl was fine, and in an instant, Aureolus' stray thoughts caused Stiyl's body and clothes to repair themselves. As Aureolus started freaking out, Reika gasped when an enormous, invisible dragon head, only detectable via the blood and dust on it, emerged from Touma's stump. Aureolus' screams of horror were cut off when the dragon chomped on his head.

Reika woke up gasping, noting the sun was barely rising, then smelled something good. She stepped into the dining room to find Touma had prepared coffee and was cooking a big omelette with eggs, ground beef, onions, salt, and pepper, as well as rice.

"Oh, good morning! You're just in time. It's just about done."

He served her half the food and ate the other half.

"Normally, Servants don't need to eat, but we can in order to replenish Mana. We'll need all our resources to succeed."

After thanking him for cooking much better than Hyouma, she sighed.

"Touma, I dreamed of your battle with Aureolus Izzard."

He made a double take.

"Oh, did you see how he died?"

"Yes."

He sighed.

"I didn't want to do that, but I didn't have control of the dragon inside me at the time. Aureolus' crimes were inexcusable, but at the same time, he did them because he truly loved Index and wanted to keep her safe. It's too bad he let his obsession turn him into a monster."

"... I see."

When they finished eating and cleaned the dishes, Touma laid out the plan. They would gather all the money in the apartment and her belongings, then travel to Fuyuki to meet up with the Black Faction after he disposed of Hyouma's body. As she gathered her belongings and put them in a suitcase, he quickly cleaned the apartment of fingerprints and other evidence that she had lived there, then wrapped Hyouma's body in toilet paper. Once she was ready, he soaked the body in rubbing alcohol, then ignited it with the cigarette lighter he had acquired, thankful the floor was stone instead of carpeted. With his Noble Phantasm, Whatever Works, turning the lighter into a Rank E Noble Phantasm, the body was reduced to ash in a matter of minutes. After turning Jack the Ripper's belt of knives to spiritual form, the two stepped outside, walked until they could hail a taxi, and made their way to Fuyuki.

In what had become a routine for the past few days, Celenike, who was telling the truth about not needing to sleep, would rape Cendrillon from midnight to sunrise. Because she never slept, she never experienced dreams of Cendrillon's past. She didn't care, seeing her as nothing but a toy. One thing that irritated her was that she was unable to break Cendrillon's spirit. As soon as the sun rose and her powers returned, she would casually break her chains and leave the room. Celenike was not brave enough to give her orders outside the time she was weakened, so she was glad that Cendrillon did not tell anybody about what she did, likely out of embarrassment.

As the Black Faction prepared for the War, Fiamma of the Right converted the mansion into his territory, tapping into a leyline and turning the mansion and its grounds into an area where the Servants of Black could freely absorb Mana, making them all stronger, while the grounds developed automated defenses against attack. Cendrillon, Kaori, and Itsuwa, who all had skill in Magecraft, would often assist Fiamma in tutoring Roche, Fiore, and Caules. The kids mostly became able to cast spells more efficiently, resulting in Roche being able to speed up the production of his golems. Cendrillon would often spend time with Mugino and Misaka, whom she explained were her closest friends. Mugino did not speak much thanks to Mad Enhancement claiming her sanity, but she allowed Cendrillon to sit on her lap and played with her hair or held her hand while Cendrillon talked to Misaka. These were the only times Mugino would smile.

When they weren't helping tutor the kids, Kaori and Itsuwa mostly sparred. Gordes only saw Servants as tools and made no effort to bond with Kaori, while Darnic did not think much of Itsuwa due to her only having one, rather lackluster Noble Phantasm, lamenting his luck and racking his brain for a way to tip the scales of victory in his favor. In turn, they did not think much of their Masters.

At around 9 AM, Fiamma detected two strangers entering his territory. He activated a monitor and recognized one, so he commanded the defenses not to engage. Everyone gathered outside the entrance of the mansion. They saw a man driving a high tech motorcycle and wearing a full body riding suit and helmet, with a man in black leather sitting behind him. Darnic and Gordes recognized Kairi Sisigou, while the Servants recognized the motorcycle and Shiage Hamazura. They dismounted and Hamazura made the motorcycle, suit, and helmet disappear. Hamazura's eyes lit up when he saw them.

"Hamazura!"

Before the others could react, Mugino roared and charged at him, firing Meltdowner blasts. Kairi screamed and dove for cover. Hamazura charged, dodging blasts along the way. When they met halfway, he wrapped his arm around her body and slammed her to the ground (it would look like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Rock Bottom finisher). He then put her in an arm triangle choke on the ground. Her Meltdowner orbs disappeared as her concentration was disrupted, but she struggled. Although her strength was superior, she did not have the leverage and the blood flow to her brain was cut off. When she started to slow, he released her.

"Are you calm now?"

She nodded, then the two started kissing with a savage hunger.

"Oh, I missed you so much, Mugino!"

The other Servants chuckled and let them have their moment, while the humans stared in disbelief. Caules was jealous. Mugino was a beautiful woman, so it was natural that he would have a crush. In the past few days, he had tried to form a connection with her, but faltered due to his shyness and Mugino's inability to speak properly. To his chagrin, Mugino paid more attention to Misaka, Cendrillon, and Fiore, helping the two Servants train Fiore's legs. While he was happy that his sister could now stand and walk, he couldn't help but be envious. He had seen Hamazura in his dreams of Mugino's memories, but so far, they were only of the two fighting, ending with Mugino nearly dying. He couldn't believe that they were kissing now.

The two stopped kissing and stood up, holding hands. Cendrillon stepped forward and he kissed her too, making Celenike seethe.

"Cendrillon, you're here too? Is… Takitsubo here?"

"Sorry babe, she's not."

"Oh, I see."

Cendrillon turned to the Masters.

"This is Shiage Hamazura, the man Mugino and I was married to whom I told you about."

"Hello, I am Assassin of Black. This is my Master."

Kairi walked up and shook Darnic's hand.

"Hello, Darnic. It is me, Kairi Sisigou. It is nice to actually meet you in person instead of over magical communication. You have my word that my Servant and I will do our best to ensure the Black Faction wins."

Now that Darnic knew Assassin of Black's true name, he could see his full stats and Noble Phantasms, including Whatever Works, since he had already turned Kairi's various weapons into Noble Phantasms. He saw a path to victory.

"Toole, show Mr. Sisigou to his room. Once Hyouma arrives with his Servant, we will begin to seek out the Red Faction."

"Yes, sir."

Toole performed her task while Fiamma quickly repaired the damage Mugino did to the surroundings in her brief rampage thanks to his control over the surroundings. Hamazura began to mingle with the other Servants while Celenike internally raged and Caules pouted.

At around 9:30, the taxi arrived in Fuyuki. Touma and Reika paid the driver and stepped out. A passing bird almost pooped on Touma's head, but he dodged it.

"Yeah, I have very bad luck, but I'm experienced."

The two started walking around with Touma pushing Reika's suitcase, which was on wheels. Eventually, they saw a woman with an instant camera taking pictures and watching over two children who were playing with a ball. One was a seven-year-old boy with red hair and the other was a six-year-old girl with black hair. The ball rolled into the street and the girl went after it, not noticing a car coming. As the woman screamed, the boy ran into the street and stood in front of the girl, holding his arms out in a T pose. The car didn't slow down, but Touma quickly ran in, scooped the kids up, and jumped away. The car didn't stop, so Touma insulted the driver under his breath. The woman ran up and hugged the children. Reika caught up to them.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, thanks to you! Oh, where are my manners? My name is Hiyoko Sakatsuki, and these are my children, Shirou and Miyu. Me and my husband Hiroki just moved here, so I was getting the lay of the land."

"Hello, I am Touma Kamijou and this is Reika Rikudou. We're new in town too."

Shirou gave a cheeky smile.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, we are here on business."

Touma didn't notice Reika pout.

"Shirou, a question. When the car came, why did you jump in front of Miyu and hold your arms out?"

"Duh, I was saving her. I'm going to be a hero when I grow up, and I will save everyone!"

Everybody was taken aback. Hiyoko facepalmed and muttered about him going through a phase, while Miyu frowned and went deadpan.

"Sorry, my brother's an idiot."

"Miyu! Don't mock my dream!"

Touma waved his hands.

"Okay, settle down. That is an admirable dream, but you made a mistake. If I hadn't been here, you would have died, then how would you be a hero? It would have been better to pull Miyu out of the way instead of using yourself as a shield. If you really want to be a hero, you have to play smart, not hard. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"You're still an idiot."

"Miyu, shut up!"

Hiyoko laughed.

"How about we have a group picture so we can remember this day?"

She handed her camera to a random passerby and told him to take three pictures of the group. Once it was done, she kept one photo, handed one to Reika, and handed the third to Touma. After putting the photos in their wallets, they left the family after warning them that the town could be dangerous and to stay indoors at night, not wanting them to get caught up in the Grail War.

After a bit more walking, Touma detected where the Black Faction was. They got attacked by a random street gang, but Touma beat them up and stole a bicycle and helmets from them. After using Whatever Works on the suitcase (after all, you can use a suitcase as a weapon) and turning it to spiritual form, they hopped on the bike and Touma rode them towards the forest.

At around 10:15, Fiamma detected two more strangers. When he raised them on his monitor, he gasped and told everyone to receive them.

Everyone gathered outside again where Touma and Reika rode up. The Servants all gasped when they saw him, as did Fiore, who saw him in her dreams of Misaka's memories. His eyes lit up when he saw them.

"Hamazura, Itsuwa, Biri-Biri?"

As soon as he said that, Misaka was beside herself.

"You idiot!"

She fired a lightning blast at him, but he gently pushed Reika out of the way, then casually held out his right hand and the electricity disappeared on contact, making the Masters gasp. He looked wistful.

"Just like old times."

Misaka closed the gap and tackled him to the ground. Reika yelled in worry, but she looked in awe as they started kissing. They separated and Touma quickly ran up to Kaori and Itsuwa and kissed them too, which they returned with gusto. He high-fived Cendrillon, Mugino, Hamazura, and Fiamma.

"I can't believe you guys are here! And Mugino and Fiamma, you got your arms back! This is awesome! No, wait. Othinus isn't here. Darn it."

Gordes interrupted.

"Who are you!?"

"Oh, sorry. I am Avenger of Black, Touma Kamijou."

He pointed at Misaka, Kaori, and Itsuwa.

"I was their husband."

He pointed at Reika.

"This is my Master."

Reika nervously waved.

"Hello, I am Reika Rikudou."

Darnic walked up.

"Wait, I recognize that name. You are Hyouma Sagara's lover. Where is he?"

"That bastard actually mentioned me? I'm flattered. He's dead."

"Oh well, it's not too big of a loss. I only had a few conversations with him and he proved himself a raging egomaniac, certain to be a liability."

Darnic sensed that Reika was an ordinary human. This was good news for him. After learning Touma's true name, he could see how powerful he was, but Reika was vulnerable, so when the Red Faction was defeated and he inevitably turned on his teammates, he could simply kill her to get rid of him.

"Toole, show Miss Rikidou to her room."

Toole walked up. As soon as she and Reika made eye contact, they blushed.

"This way, madam."

As Touma returned her suitcase, she led Reika by the hand. Touma and a few others realized they were attracted to each other and were delighted. Misaka, Itsuwa, and Kaori, who were suspicious of Reika, immediately stopped being jealous once they realized she was not a competitor for their man. Once she was settled in, he asked a question.

"It is almost time for lunch. What is available?"

Toole shrugged.

"Misaka, Cendrillon, and Mugino are usually the ones to cook. They have been teaching me, and it is about time for them to start."

"I see. Well, I'm sure they won't mind if I give it a try. Reika, would you like to come with us and learn a thing or too?"

"Sure."

They went to the kitchen, where Touma, Misaka, Cendrillon, and Mugino made chicken soup for everybody while Reika and Toole watched. It was enjoyed by everyone. As they ate and Touma learned everybody's Classes, he joked that he was glad Berserker of Black wasn't Accelerator, or worse, Gunha Sogiita. Accelerator would have destroyed the city, while Gunha would have driven them all crazy.

Around this time, in the Tohsaka mansion, Tokiomi and Kirei were making final preparations while Gilgamesh lounged on a couch, having changed out of his armor into modern clothing. Hassan of the Hundred faces materialized and went to one knee. Kirei faced him.

"Assassin of Red, report."

"Eight Servants of Black and their Masters have assembled. Unfortunately, their Caster has the grounds too well guarded, so we are unable to see inside. As for the Red Faction, all Servants and Masters are accounted for except for Saber and Caster."

Tokiomi cursed.

"According to the rules, we are not allowed to start until all the players are in this city."

Gilgamesh scoffed.

"Bah, I am the rules! I have laid low long enough. I am bored, so I am going out to see what this world has to offer."

He got up and left, quickly using his infinite wealth to hire a chauffeur to drive him around. The other three did not dare stop him.

After lunch, Kaori made an announcement. Now that all of the Black Faction was accounted for, until the Red Faction made itself known, she, Misaka, Cendrillon, and Mugino would go out on the town, because they were bored and wanted to have fun. The Masters reluctantly agreed, as it was daytime and it should be safe. Kaori borrowed some of Celenike's casual clothes, as they were roughly the same height, while Cendrillon did the same with Fiore's casual clothes. Misaka and Mugino's clothes were normal enough. They drove off in a rental car with Cendrillon behind the wheel. Itsuwa, Fiamma, Hamazura, and Touma stayed to guard the mansion.

After sight-seeing for a bit, they came to a casino and entered. They had of course brought money with them. They all turned heads because of their beauty, especially Cendrillon, who was an obvious foreigner. Mugino went to the roulette table, Cendrillon went to the craps table, Misaka went to the blackjack table, and Kaori joined a poker tournament. Kaori had Rank EX Luck while the other three had Golden Rule, which ensured that they would almost always win. Since Mugino didn't speak much, she simply pointed at her target bet. Since her Golden Rule skill was Rank D, she only won roughly one out of five games, but that was enough to turn a profit. Cendrillon and Misaka had Golden Rule at higher levels, but they were no fools. They threw games once in a while so they would not be suspected of cheating.

Kaori was a different story. She aimed to win the whole tournament. She won hand after hand, but another contender was also making his way up the ranks, Gilgamesh, who won each hand due to his Rank A Luck and Golden Rule, plus Sha Naqba Imuru to predict the future. It eventually came down to her and him. Tokiomi and Gordes, who were looking through their eyes and could see their stat sheets, quickly told their Servants they were facing Saber of Black and Archer of Red respectively, but they retorted they could sense each other. Everyone was amazed when they drew cards with the same value, resulting in a tie. They had a tie breaker, but Gilgamesh folded. As the crowd cheered for Kaori, she and Gilgamesh shook hands.

"Ha ha ha! I am glad there are interesting people in this world! Collect your winnings, for we will meet again."

She frowned when she noticed his eyes roaming over her body. She went over to the others and said it was time to go home, so they cashed in their chips and drove back.

At around 4:30, the plane with Irisviel and Arturia arrived in Fuyuki. Irisviel was wearing an elegant white fur-trimmed coat and a white fur cap. She stepped out and lit up in delight as she beheld the sights.

"So this is where Kiritsugu was born."

Arturia stepped out, wearing a black business suit and with her hair in a ponytail. After a discussion where she said she was not impressed with the modern world and could fly the plane if she wished due to her Riding skill, she learned this was the first time Irisviel had been outside her castle. She decided that before they regrouped with Kiritsugu and the Red Faction, she would escort Irisviel through the city in a rental car.

Author's Note:

I planned to show all the memory dreams of the Black Faction, but I wasn't sure what to put and realized it would take way too long.

Normally, dying and becoming a Servant would fix physical ailments, but there are exceptions like Okita still having tuberculosis, Nero still having migraines, and Benienma still missing a tongue. Touma is still missing his memories. That is why Reika dreams of his encounter with Aureolus, since that is his first significant memory.

I know that in canon Stiyl claimed that Aureolus is still alive, but I'm pretty sure he's dead and Stiyl just said that so Touma wouldn't worry. In both the light novel and the anime (in a flashback), you can see the dragon chomping his head into pulp. In this verse, Touma didn't use consciousness right away, so he knows what happened to him.

I'm not sure about Fuyuki's layout, but if the Einzbern Castle is in the forest, Darnic's mansion is in the forest too, just in a different area.

Fiamma basically used Territory Creation to make the mansion and the grounds emulate the Star of Bethlehem.

I have seen asshole drivers who don't stop after they almost hit you. You can imagine that the driver was Ryuunosuke if you wish.

Yeah, I made Shirou and Miyu biological siblings in this verse. In this verse, the Sakatsukis have no knowledge of Magecraft, but have magical potential. Miyu's mother is known, but not her father, so I just made up a name.

In Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, EMIYA accused Shirou of having no passions of his own and just copying Kiritsugu's dream of being a Hero of Justice. Shirou's flashback of the Fuyuki Fire caused him to realize he wanted to be a hero even before he met Kiritsugu. That's why Shirou is already obsessed with being a hero here, so don't go attacking me about continuity issues.

Yes, I'm shipping Reika with Toole. Deal with it. I like love at first sight, but know that it isn't realistic and romance takes work.

Remember, Mugino's Mad Enhancement is Rank D. That is the same level as Frankenstein. Other than being unable to talk most of the time, Frankenstein was pretty normal when not in battle and could understand people. That's how Mugino can cook and gamble.