Chapter 5: Snowflakes

"Don't you know, Master Rin? Cranes dance in the snow."

Rin raised an eyebrow, when the door to Emiya residence opened before she managed to knock.

"Good morning, Tohsaka," Shirou said, more courteous than ever. "We've been expecting you."

"I can see that." She gave him an awkward smile, but didn't move. The two were staring at each other for a moment, in a very uncomfortable silence, not knowing what to say or do next.

Afraid that they will spend the entire day at the doorstep, Tsurumaru decided to take action and waved a paper bag above his head.

"Greetings, Master of Saber! I understand that our arrival wasn't a big surprise for you, but this" – he emphasized the last word, shaking the bag – "is something you couldn't expect! Freshly made mochi, the best in town!"

"Better be careful, Tsurumaru." Saber's amused voice came from the kitchen. Judging from the noise, he was serving the tea. "They say that these things can be quite dangerous, you may choke yourself to death!"

"I don't think a sword can choke itself to death with a rice cake, Mikazuki."

"Maybe a Servant can?" - Shirou asked, truly curious about it.

"Only if it's some kind of a divine construct, I suppose," Tohsaka replied, surprised that she'd got maneuvered into joining their ridiculous conversation.

"Well, its taste is divine for sure!" With a wide smile, Rider passed his Master by and joined the other Servant in preparations for the meal.

Rin rolled her eyes and finally stepped over the threshold, letting Shirou treat her like an honorable guest. She had nothing against being spoiled every once in a while.

"You're quite eager to leave me alone with another Master, Rider," she teased, taking a seat at the table.

"Why not, when I'm sure my Master is capable of beating him at any moment?" Tsurumaru smiled, literally dancing around them with a plate full of mochi in his hand. Shirou paled visibly, already imagining the sounds of broken glass, but he had underestimated Rider's agility. The white Servant moved gracefully like a real crane, not even staining his long sleeves with tea or sauce. "No offense, of course," he added, glancing at Shirou.

"None taken," the boy replied, sitting face to face with Tohsaka. He knew his own limits and did not intend to get angry at Rider for simply saying the truth.

"Well, don't forget that a Servant counts as a part of its Master's power, Tsurumaru," said Mikazuki, who finally joined them in the dining room. He put various dishes on the table with a proud smirk of a talented cook, although all he did was kicking Shirou out of the kitchen a moment before their guests arrived. "And that would make our teams even."

"Whoa, do I hear a bragging of a dusty antique?" Rider laughed at loud, not hiding what he thought about Saber's self-proclaimed superiority.

"Think of it as of an advertising, if you must, Tsurumaru. After all, we're about to join forces, aren't we?"

"About that…" Rin shifted nervously in place. She didn't want the situation to turn out like this. It almost made her look like she needed their help. Good no other mage was there to witness such embarrassment, it would totally ruin her image. "Let's call it a ceasfire until other Servants are dealt with."

"An alliance then," Shirou said so innocently that it was really hard to get angry at him. And there was something more about the way he did it… For some reason Tohsaka felt that Emiya won't ever betray her, no matter what, just like Rider had said before.

After the delicious meal the conversation went way smoother, as if sweets and hot tea finally helped them relax. Rin told Shirou about her weird encounter with Lancer and - surprisingly pacifistic - Archer. It was all nice and fun, until Emiya shared his plans to defeat Berserker. After such bold declaratin only a heavy silence filled the room. The boy found it somehow irritating.

"Tohsaka! Don't tell me you don't believe we're able to defeat them!"

"Of course we can win." Rin frowned at him for such ridiculous accusation. "But we need to think about tactics first. You didn't want to run in there blindly, did you?"

"Well…" A hot blush on Shirou's cheeks didn't work to his favor. Both Rider and Saber chuckled openly, although they admired his enthusiasm. "I thought that… if we just work together…"

"We can defeat them, especially if we combine our Noble Phantasms, there's no reason to doubt that." Mikazuki did not intend to let his young Master embarrass himself any further. "But the cost may be too high, at least at this phase of the War." He kept smoothing his clothes while thinking intensively. "If there's only two of us against Oodenta and you two against Illyasviel, someone will get hurt. And I, as the oldest one here, am obliged to prevent it."

"Another alliance then?" Shirou didn't seem to have problems with that and Tohsaka thought he trusted people too much. His weird 'friendship' with Shinji was enough for a proof, at least in Rin's opinion.

Saber either didn't notice the girl's troubled expression or just ignored it and nodded.

"Preferably a magician. If we were to just kill Kiritsugu's daughter, it would be much easier. Defeating her without causing damage is the real problem."

"So you want to talk with Caster?" Tsurumaru crossed his arms. "I heard he's never left the temple grounds."

"That just makes him easier to find," Rin said so seriously it sounded ridiculous. She wasn't against Mikazuki's plan, just the opposite. The sole thought of facing Illyasviel again in a battle of mages made her shiver. If a Servant was willing to aid her, she wouldn't decline such kind offer, the less damage they take, the better. "But we shouldn't assume he's going to help us just because we showed up. Let's be careful, ok?"

"Still a safer bet than Lancer or Assassin" Rider shrugged. "But I wouldn't mind working with Archer. Seemed like fun to me."

"About Archer…" Shirou nervously rubbed his chin. "I think I know who his Master is. Should I speak with them about joining forces?"

Tohsaka looked at him with raising suspicions, but remained silent. It was about trust between allies, right? She shouldn't doubt Emiya's abilities to do what needs to be done, so she gritted her teeth and smiled awkwardly.

"Sure, if you think it's a good idea, do it."

The boy stared at her, not understanding what had just happened. Since when Tohsaka agreed with him so easily? Either the tea was this delicious or it must have been something she wanted from him…

Rather from Mikazuki, Shirou realized, seeing Saber's self-confident, cheeky expression.

As to prove his theory, Rin sat closer to the crescent warrior. She clearly wanted to start a conversation, but had no idea how to do it. Watching her in such unexpected state of confusion was quite amusing, especially for Tsurumaru.

But it was Mikazuki, not his crane-white friend and kin, who made the atmosphere in the room truly awkward.

"You can touch me if you want, Missy. I don't mind."

"Huh?" Tohsaka's face went red, when she jumped back, looking like she was going to explode.

"Hey, what are you trying with Tohsaka?!" - Shirou asked with a mix of anger and astonishment in his voice.

"Me, trying? Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Even his Master couldn't understand how Saber's typical chuckle could sound this creepy. "Nothing, Miss Tohsaka looked like she wanted something and I don't mind being touched by attractive young ladies."

"Dirty old geezer." Tsurumaru sighed, shaking his head. "I will appreciate you staying away from my Master."

"So this is it, huh?" Mikazuki replied all-knowingly. "You should have said that sooner."

"This is what?" Rin looked like she wanted to punch someone.

"Said what?" Rider blinked, not sure if he understood what was going on around him.

Shirou almost groaned, gazing at the ceiling, as if he tried to find there some help to deal with that crazy bunch.

"Can you please stop already? Tohsaka just wanted to ask Mikazuki about the last War, right?"

"Y-yes." Rin sat back at her place, pretending to be totally absorbed with her tea. To show his support, Tsurumaru poured more into her cup.

Mikazuki sighed painfully.

"It was such a nice day… but I guess it can't be helped." He put away the empty plate and smoothed his clothes again before continuing. "It's not easy to say it to such a charming young lady, but… Miss Tohsaka, your father was cheating during the last Holy Grail War and it cost him his life."

Assassin hid in the shadows in the darkest corner of the church. He needed to use all his scouting skills to remain unnoticed. There was a small chance his enemies knew about him from the very beginning and just allowed him to listen… No, it wasn't wise to test his luck. Not when he had such important job to do.

Gritting his teeth, Yagen almost crawled in the shadows behind one of the benches. He would like more the view from above, most preferably from the small balcony in the rear part of the building, but this perfect spot had been already taken.

Kirei Kotomine himself observed the meeting below with a glass of fine wine in hand. It was impossible to read the priest's expression from Assassin's temporary hideout, but his general posture spoke of content and self-confidence. Not very surprising, considering the fact that his creepy and powerful partner in crime stood just few meters away, ready to summon an army of shadows at the slightest sign of danger.

Assassin ignored his target-to-be for now and focused on the meeting near the altar. He was a bit late for the beginning of Berserker's explanatory speech but hoped that Lancer or his Master would have questions to at least clarify some things.

"…to reclaim it? Such ridiculous stories…"

"They make us what we are, brother." Tonbokiri's deep, strong but also calm voice resonated strangely in the empty church. From his hiding place Yagen could see only Lancer's back, but weird tension of the large warrior's muscles and slight trembling of his voice were enough to tell he was nervous or angry. "To be a Sword Warrior is to serve humans, not to judge or correct them."

"But don't you think that correcting those… harmful rumors… would be the greatest service we can give to our Father?" Berserker's demonic eyes were shining brighter with every word, his voice seemed full of irresistible sweetness, as expected from the Bewitching Blade. "To cleanse his name, to right the wrong! To prove that I am not a bloodthirsty madman to blame for every failure of my wielders."

"You're doing poorly with the last part, from what I see," Tonbokiri mercilessly cut him off. Maybe it was their common origin or just Lancer's iron will, but he seemed immune to the other Servant's charms. Bazett too – she just stood next to Tonbokiri and listened carefully, trying not to judge anyone… yet. "You should know that Father didn't care for such things, at least admit it's for your own sake, not his."

"I said what I wanted to say." The mad warrior looked like he planned to add his typical chuckle to those words, but restrained himself in the last moment. His mood was changing rapidly – too rapidly, in Tonbokiri's opinion. "The Grail is mine, you know none of the other Servants can stop me. You two can join me to speed up the process and have your wishes granted alongside mine."

"And if we won't?"

Berserker shrugged.

"Next time we meet it will be as enemies," he replied simply, but something in his voice told everyone it wasn't something he truly wanted.

Bazett looked questioningly at Lancer, waiting for his reaction, but he only stood there, unmoved like a bronze statue, with his eyes glued to the other Servant. The tension in the air became hard to bear, so she inhaled deeply and decided to speak up:

"You know what I think, Berserker? You don't need our assistance but rather approval. Our understanding or assurance that all you're trying to achieve is right and justifies your shameful deeds." She narrowed her eyes, determined to defend her point. "But you won't get anything like this from me. Because all about you is wrong and, deep inside, you know I'm saying the truth."

Berserker clenched his fists and stood still for a surprisingly long moment, trying to suppress the unexpected wave of anger. It was the worst kind of rage – cold bloodlust, almost unstoppable, which could be sated only by taking life.

Assassin needed to fight the urge to retreat at the view – he had already tasted this Servant's blade and would do much to not be in its range ever again. If all Muramasa's swords were as finely forged as this one, to effortlessly cut bones like butter, Yagen could understand why they were considered enchanted or cursed.

Tonbokiri reacted to unspoken danger by moving slightly forward, with a hand gripped on his spear. He placed himself between the potential enemy and his Master, but still gave the swordsman a chance to regain composure…

The mad Servant took it, although reluctantly. It cost him much to withdraw purple flames crawling ominously on the surface of his blade.

"And I suppose you will just mindlessly follow your Master?" – he spat out in the last attempt to provoke Lancer.

"What my Master said was true and we both know it. I think you've lost yourself and must be stopped." Despite his stern expression, Tonborikiri's last words sounded almost imploringly. "There's still time to get back, brother. Just get hold of yourself!"

"Huhuhuhuhu… Huhuhuhuhu!" Berserker's arms started shaking from this disturbing laughter. "Now that was an interesting conversation." He stopped suddenly and added in a voice as cold as the winter breeze: "Negotiations are over. Get out."

Yagen was more than eager to leave the church, so he didn't need further encouragement. Retreating quickly, he glanced one last time at the silent balcony, and almost froze, not believing his own eyes.

Kotomine was smiling, clearly enjoying the fact that the war between two Muramasa's blades had just been declared. It looked like the priest, not his partially insane ally, was the one who seeked destruction.

Assassin frowned. As the conversation flowed, he became certain that Zouken knew what he was doing. No matter what motivated the old Matou mage, at least this one task given to Yagen could be considered the right thing to do.

Kirei Kotomine, who seemed to be the source of all the problems with this Grail War, needed to be eliminated. And, judging from the gloomy but determined expressions of Lancer and his Master, the right moment to strike the false priest down will come soon.

All Assassin had to do was to keep an eye on them and wait for the right moment to act. He might even survive this mission, so he did not intend to let such chance slip.

Sakura Matou was sitting on a bench, letting the snowflakes slowly fall on her hair. The evening was just too beautiful to care about cold – and she could finally discuss some pressing matters with her Servant far from the prying eyes of potential enemies.

"Is it this bad?"

"It is," the Sword Warrior replied quickly, still invisible, just in case. "From what I managed to catch, the Grail is almost completely under their control. All they need to start the ritual is a vessel."

"And that's exactly why we can't let them have her." Sakura waved her feet in the air, as if she was simply enjoying the trip to the park, not talking about possible magical catastrophe in the city. With so much to constantly hide from others she became quite a good actress. "Observe the Einzbern forest. And if the worst is about to happen…"

"Of course, leave it to me, Master!" He was about to say more, but something in the distance alarmed him.

Sakura did not turn around until the thin layer of snow creaked under someone's boots right behind her back.

"Shinji! You came all this way to bring me home?"

"Don't get the wrong idea." The young Matou heir winced and reached out his hand to grab Sakura's arm. He didn't even try to be delicate. "I'm here only because grandfather ordered me to find you. Now come."

"Stop." Although the girl didn't resist, she was forcefully pulled up from the seat. "It hurts."

"Shut up and hurry! Do you really think I have nothing better to do than walking around in the snow, searching for you?!"

Shinji wanted to pull harder, but stopped suddenly, feeling a cold metal touching his temple. An ominous click of pulled trigger almost made him wet his pants.

"I would try not to shake now, if I were you. My hand can slip if you move too much, you know," said a man with a weird accent, dressed like a samurai. Despite the obvious threat, his voice and expression remained cheerful. Disobedient black hair and fur details of his mostly red outfit made him look like a big, good-natured dog.

"S-s-s-servant?" Shinji froze obediently, only his hands couldn't stop shaking. "Impossible! Grandfather is already a Master, how…? Eeeek!"

The last humiliating squeak escaped the boy's throat in reaction to Archer pretending to take aim and fire. When the expected pain didn't come, Shinji just fell to the ground and desperately covered his head with his arms. He clearly had enough for today.

"Wow, just look at you! You seemed so brave just a moment ago, towards your little sister, and now? I'm not even sure if you're a man or still a child." Archer laughed at him, dispersing his weapons. He seemed more relaxed than before, but still was standing between the scared boy and Sakura, ready to protect his Master. "What a disgraceful sight… What should we do with you now, hmmm?"

"Enough, Mutsunokami," Sakura said in a decisive but calm voice. She wasn't angry and knew Archer wouldn't hurt her 'brother', but also understood the troubles that will soon fall on their heads because of her Servant's intervention. All their efforts to hide his existence from the other inhabitants of the Matou residence were now meaningless. "You've gone too far."

"I couldn't just sit and watch how he's abusing my Master," Archer said, crossing his arms. He didn't feel guilty at all. "I would be a failure of a Servant if I let him."

"I understand that and I'm thankful for your assistance." Sakura smiled gently. For the Sword Warrior it was the best praise imagined. "But now he's going to tell everyone our little secret."

"Nah, he's not." Mutsunokami leaned over the boy and patted his arm. Shinji just moaned in response, this time more embarrassed than scared. "He knows that we still can be friends, if he behaves, right?"

He reached out his hand to help the boy get up. Shinji stared at it hesitantly for a moment, analyzing possible gains from such 'alliance', and grabbed it eventually.

"Yes, friends. Of course." He gave them a weird, nervous chuckle, while getting up and brushing the snow off his clothes. But there was a wicked, cunning sparkle in his eyes – a clear sign that he was already plotting something. Maybe he could convince this Servant that he would be a better Master than his weak, silly 'sister'? "Let's talk about this when we get home. Shall we?"

Bazett raised an eyebrow, surprised to see it was snowing outside. She wasn't sure how much time they spent in the church, but she could clearly hear her stomach rumbling, demanding attention.

"We still have time until nightfall to think about our strategy, so let's eat first." She stretched out and gave Lancer a faint smile, trying to sound casually. At this moment she would do much more to cheer him up. "I found a nice place with a huge choice of desserts and, honestly, I didn't know so many types of daifuku even existed…"

She remembered well his reaction after eating the first thing after gaining human body – a look of absolute delight on his face. Since then daifuku became his favorite treat.

"Ah, as you wish, Master," Tonbokiri said after a moment, distant and sad, worrying Bazett even more.

There were so many things she wanted to say, but all of them seemed meaningless and cheap in face of Tonbokiri's troubles. So she hesitated, took away the hand which was about to pat Lancer's shoulder, and remained silent, strangely sure she would regret it later.

They walked down the empty street to the town. Only snowflakes were moving slowly around them, making the entire scene even more unreal than it already was.

"You know you can trust me, right? With everything," Bazett tried again, glancing at Tonbokiri through her shoulder.

"You're too kind to me, Master. I don't think I deserve it."

"Let me be the one to decide about that."

"As you wish, Master."

Her heavy sigh meant it wasn't the answer she expected to hear. Bazett didn't feel ready to face her Servant's problems, not yet.

First, she needed sugar. A lot of it.

"Look, Master Rin! It's snowing!" With a smile even wider than usual, Tsurmaru jumped off the veranda of the Emiya's residence. "What a surprise! Who would have thought, we had a storm just last night!"

Tohsaka blinked several times, like if she tried to wake up from a deep, bad dream. Mikazuki's story about her idolized father hit the girl hard; she needed time to think and accept some difficult truths.

"I told you I wanted to be alone…"

"Alone but with me, of course!"

Something in his voice told Tohsaka there was no room for discussion. Such stubbornness, barely hidden under cheerful attitude, seemed unlike him. Or maybe was just like him and Rin didn't truly know her own Servant?

After all she'd discovered today, she wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, she curiously glanced at Tsurumaru, only to find him swirling on the backyard. Both rhythm and precision were visible in his movements, when he tried to cut falling snowflakes with his blade.

"What are you doing, Rider?"

"Dancing. Don't you know, Master Rin? Cranes dance in the snow."

Tohsaka slightly tilted her head, judging him in silence.

"You look more like a jester than a crane… Well, maybe except these white sleeves."

"That hurt, Master Rin!" But he laughed at her comment anyway and did not stop showing off. He added a few jumps to the sequence of movements, still perfectly keeping the rhythm. It looked quite impressive, to be honest. "Here I am, trying to be elegant and all, only to hear you making fun of me?"

For some reason his words left Rin shaken. Did Tsurumaru mention her family credo on purpose? Be elegant – her father kept repeating during all his lessons. Gain total control over the flow of magic. Stay calm, even when facing your worst enemies.

Or even while cheating, father?

He managed to build an image of a perfect magus and kept it for long, at least in the presence of his daughter and chosen heir. And now he was gone, killed by side effects of his own shady plans.

Rin sighed and stared blankly at her Servant, desperately seeking answers that weren't there. Tsurumaru seemed totally absorbed in his dance, or rather in a snowflake hunt, an activity as graceful as it was useless.

Yes, this is it! All the Tohsakas really did all this time was chasing snowflakes.

Surprisingly, realizing that simple truth didn't hurt even half as much as Rin expected. More than anything it was a refreshing, almost freeing experience.

All those efforts… meaningless, huh? I'll be the one to decide about that. I'll be the one to give this snowflake chase a meaning, no one else!

She smiled to her own thoughts and glanced again at her Servant. She hadn't noticed when he stopped dancing and was only standing there, letting the snow cover his hair and clothes. He looked… pleased, like if he knew from the beginning what exactly was going on in Tohsaka's mind.

Although it was unexpected, his full support and approval made Rin feel even better.

"You could have said something," she blurted accusingly, drawing circles in the snow with the tip of her boot. "Not just have fun watching my internal struggles."

"It was not my place to lecture you, Master Rin. It would be just wrong, both for a Servant and a Sword Warrior." He sat next to Tohsaka and smiled. "I was interrupted the last time I started this topic, so maybe it's a good moment to bring it back up… Do you know, Master Rin, what is the original purpose of Touken Danshi? Did you ever wonder why mages decided to materialize us?"

"I guess it wasn't the same reason which made us summon Servants?"

"Not exactly, but a similar one. To some extent, at least." He nervously ruffled his hair, surprisingly out of words. "Ah, I knew Mikazuki will be better at explaining such things! You see, Master Rin, the true meaning of Touken Danshi…"

"Here you are, Tohsaka. It's getting late, so I though you'll be needing assistance."

Rin, a bit angry that Rider was interrupted again, looked up and saw Shirou in the open door. He was wearing a jacket, evidently ready to go out on a patrol to the Mount Enzou in search for Caster.

"Oh? And what exactly gave you the idea that I need your help with such an easy task?"

"We're allies now. You don't expect me to let you wander the streets alone while Lancer, two weird Berserkers and who knows what else are on the loose."

His words must have triggered something within Rin – Tsurumaru realized that first, watching with a smirk how his Master was getting back to her usual, aggressively cute self. She stood up and accusingly pointed one finger at the boy, pretending to cast a spell on him.

"We can take care of ourselves, you know?!"

"Of course you can, but what if our adversaries made some alliances as well? Anyone who face them alone will be annihilated, no matter how strong they or their Servants are. I'm just making the fighting fair again, that's all."

In response to this declaration the Command Seals on Shirou's hand glowed ominously. Tohsaka stared at them for a moment, captivated by their deep color and unusual shape. While most of the Masters in this war, including herself, had sword-shaped marks on their skin, Emiya's looked rather like… an anvil?

"If you put it that way…" She was thinking about it for a while, visibly conflicted, but then just smiled. "Fine. Let's go."

Shirou nodded and the two walked slowly through the corridor. Their Servants smiled to each other confidentially, dematerialized and followed the young mages in silence, ready for anything the night would bring.

Even the non-magical inhabitants of Fuyuki started whispering about a ghost at the holy grounds of the Ryuudou Temple. Some said they had seen a monk in bloodstained robes, with a pale, beautiful face, who was praying quietly in the moonlight. Others could swear they had noticed a shadow of a sword with a rosary tied around its hilt, stuck into the ground at the entrance, or heard the sounds of blood dripping to the gravel, one drop after another.

Like every rumor and local legend, also this one was partially true. A silent monk indeed resided at the top of the mountain, weak, wounded and covered in blood. Almost fully transparent at the moment, defeated Caster looked more like a ghost or a shadow than a Servant.

"I don't think I'll last much longer," he said quietly to himself, looking at the night sky, straight into the falling snowflakes. "Please, hurry up, young Master Swordsmith. Your destiny awaits you."

"Ugh, I think I ate too much sweets."

Bazett curled on the bed, pressing a hand to her stomach. She was prepared to be scolded by Lancer - to be deservedly called a glutton, and to defend herself by reminding him that he has a sweet tooth as well...

But no one answered to her moans and whining. She sat straight and looked around, suddenly feeling lonely in the small hotel room.

"Lancer?"

Calling out to Tonbokiri was pointless, the mage already knew he wasn't there. An ancient, powerful spirit like him couldn't possibly hide his presence in such limited space. Tonbokiri must have sneaked out when she was asleep and Bazett knew exactly where he headed to.

"What an idiot. Was it this hard for him to trust me?"

She could bind him to her will, using a Command Spell or two. She could even kick his ass and beat the stupid ideas out of him with her bare fists.

But Bazett understood. To Tonbokiri it was something more than a matter of loyalty, more even than a matter of honor.

It was about his family.

Bazett understood. So she prepared quickly, hanged Fragarach's sheath on her back and hurried to the church, ready to witness everything with her own eyes.

Instead of preview: a kind reminder that in Fateverse being a Lancer is suffering.

Thank You for reading and being so kind to me when I needed it the most. Hope You liked the chapter!