The blaring of an alarm continued to ring out within a tattered room. Broken furniture was cluttered to the side and remnants of ash trays spilled their contents over the polished tile floor of the Tiger Syndicate's main underground building.
It was part of a basement suite expansion renovated from the foundations of a high-rise building the syndicate had confiscated from one of their riskier loan-shark settlements. More specifically, it was one of the rewards given to them by their most profitable employer. Eizan.
It was after many stable years with working alongside Eizan that the Tiger syndicate had built and solidified its foundation, making them similar to Eizan's right hand in the Underworld and its market.
Yet this time, why did things turn out so wrong?
This was the only question running through Kiba's mind as he and his attendant were forcibly dragged by three of the Fujimura group's men.
In an earlier bid to escape the building Kiba had been recuperating from, both Kiba and his attendant were captured before they could even exit the building due to the Fujimura group's extensive network. Bound tightly in rope, both Kiba and the attendant were transported into window-tinted vehicles and transported to their current location.
The captured and raided main building of the Tiger syndicate.
Kiba was still feeling nauseas as the thread of the ropes around him dug into his skin, but he only felt worse when he considered the situation.
"You bastards, are groups are separated by thousands of miles," Kiba forced out, feeling light-headed. "How could we possibly have had offended you all?!"
The three dragging Kiba and his attendant by the ropes didn't speak, instead directing heated glares in Kiba's direction while a few simply scoffed in contempt.
It wasn't their place to say anything, and so they merely continued to follow the instructions of their eldest miss.
Kiba began to despair in the subsequent silence much like the attendant beside him. Growing up, he'd heard numerous stories of the Fujimura group's exploits and he was terrified. They single-handedly eliminated all nearby syndicates to establish total control in their area of operation in their hay-days. Furthermore, it was rumoured that the mysterious Assassin with the Thompson Contender was still tightly kept in the Fujimura group's reserves, biding his time till he was needed again.
Kiba racked his mind furiously for anything that the Tiger Syndicate had done recently, but other than the latest harassment assignment Eizan had paid them for, there was nothing else. The realization sent Kiba into a maddened fluster. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to. Why would the Fujimura group stick their nose into something as minor as harassment? In the first place, Eizan had two specific requirements for the task.
One: Present Eizan's gifts to the blond-haired woman while denouncing the boorish one.
And Two: Inflict no physical injury.
The most the Tiger Syndicate was asked to do was just give a feeling of pressure, and they decided to do so by stationing their men and women nearby. Did their minor actions really warrant such retribution by the Fujimura group?
Kiba inwardly felt like crying, but on the outside, he was too busy preparing himself for who he was about to meet ahead. Over the course of being escorted by the Fujimura group's men, he had been separated from his attendant and was now being forced into what was once his father's office.
Kicking open the thick oaken doors in front of him, Kiba was tossed forward onto the floor of the room. Tumbling on his side, he just barely managed to stop himself from crashing into a wooden book shelf.
It was then that a feeling of danger assailed him.
A thin line of sweat formed over his brows as a shudder travelled down his back. He was being stared at. By whom, he didn't dare immediately turn his head to look, but it didn't matter. From the corner of his eye, he could see the reflection of a cold gaze directed his way.
Kiba swallowed, gathering the courage to eventually face the individual who had caused such misfortune to befall the Tiger Syndicate.
Despite being uncertain of what caused everything, surely, he could still plead for leniency?
It was with such thoughts that he opened his mouth to address the individual he had seen reflected from a mirror. However,
"T-This is all a-" the words he wanted to say were unable to leave his mouth, but rather, he was forced to choke on them as a wooden sword was placed directly beneath his chin.
His eyes widened as the hairs on the back of his neck stood-on-end.
A Shinai?
It was a standard Kendo sword made of dried bamboo and held together at the hilt. A small tassel was attached on the pommel of the sword near a smaller tiger strap that dangled just within vision.
Just from appearance alone, it seemed like an average practice sword, however, goosebumps were forming over Kiba's skin just from staring at it. It was like it was cursed, the resentment of hundred of slain enemies creating a purple miasma-like aura. Kiba was certain that he was hallucinating, but he didn't have to long to consider it before the blade was moved away from his neck.
Kiba let out a breath in relief as he focused his full attention on the woman who sat on his father's office chair, legs crossed and glaring at him with fierce eyes. She was young, perhaps still in her twenties, but her disposition was terrifying as rows upon rows of suited men and women stood behind her.
"I'm a gentle teacher, I really am," the woman said absently, her light brown hair swept up to reveal her forehead. It gave the woman an inviting appearance, but the frostiness of her features offset any thoughts of admiration from Kiba's mind.
"You, w-what do you all want?" Kiba asked nervously, his eyes darting to discover his father and other associates tied up to the side of the room. At the very least, they weren't dead, which meant that he probably wouldn't be killed either. However, perhaps it all depended on what he would be asked?
The Fujimura group of the past was known to be merciless. They wouldn't hesitate to kill if they had to.
Kiba's countenance faltered, shifting into an unhealthy pallor.
The woman's expression didn't shift at all when she noticed, rather, she motioned for one of the men beside her to untie Kiba.
Feeling the ropes that bound his arms and legs removed, Kiba rubbed at his wrists to alleviate some of the soreness on his joints. In the same instance, his body remained taught. The sheer tension he could feel in the air was almost palpable.
"What do you want?" Kiba asked again. Seeing as his father was already off to the side, his father was most likely already questioned. In that case, what more information could he provide that his father had not already divulged?
"You all dare to make light of the Fujimura group and then ask us what we want?" Another man beside the woman spoke up in outrage.
"W-We wouldn't dare! This is a misunderstanding, a SET UP!" Kiba's father yelled from the side, causing the other associates of the Tiger group to join in and plead their case.
The woman at the center simply raised a hand to silence everyone.
"A misunderstanding?" The tone of the woman's voice was eerie. "Your syndicate targets my little brother, and you call everything a misunderstanding?"
The woman's words dumbfounded everyone in the Tiger Syndicate. In fact, Kiba's father had reddened into a rage.
"Which one of you bastards did it!" Kiba's father seethed. By now it was clear in his mind what happened. One of his men must have directly picked a fight with the Fujimura group.
Unrest began to spread as people looked at each other in accusation.
"Enough," The woman's voice silenced all commotion once again.
By now it became evidently clear to Kiba who his Tiger syndicate was dealing with.
The sole Princess and Heiress of the Fujimura Group. Granddaughter of Raiga Fujimura, and pampered since young.
Taiga Fujimura.
She was as beautiful as the Underworld's rumours described her to be with a short bob-cut hairstyle and a soft complexion. Kiba wouldn't have minded staring at Taiga all day but it wasn't appropriate given the situation.
He bowed his head submissively. Offending Taiga was the same as offending her Grandfather and that was certain death. In the same line of thought, every member of the Tiger syndicate soon lowered their heads.
Taiga for her part felt as if she'd vented enough of her anger, and the sternness of her expression gradually softened.
She was never a vindictive woman, but even she had her bottom line. When she had felt something off about Shirou in a certain period of two-weeks during Homurahara's school semester, she had been unable to help then, but now was different. Her little brother had given her a call.
Was he forced into a position where he had no choice but to call her?
Was he tortured, beaten, blackmailed?
Or perhaps, was it worse?
No matter how Taiga had thought about it, there was only one word in her mind.
Unacceptable.
As all kinds of thoughts filled Taiga's head during her last conversation with Shirou and she had inadvertently crushed the phone in her hands before obtaining all the details. But regardless, once she informed her surrogate uncles and aunts of Shirou's situation, they dropped everything they were doing in anger. Not only was Taiga seen as a surrogate daughter to the men and women in the Fujimura syndicate, but Shirou was too.
Most of the members of the Fujimura syndicate could recall the little boy who didn't care for their reputation as an Underground syndicate and smiled at them despite the contradictions of their work. Shirou was as much their light as Taiga was their joy.
And for anyone foolish enough to impeded the brightness of their light, then one must remember, that the stronger the light, the darker the shadow. And this Shadow was threatening to swallow all Underground syndicates near Totsuki after being provoked.
Even Taiga, kind as she generally was didn't raise a complaint and instead acted as a figurehead.
Glancing coldly at the wreckage of the Tiger Syndicate, Taiga turned her attention towards Kiba as Kiba's father was too angry to cooperate properly.
"I have only one question," Taiga said, moving back to sit down on a prepared seat as she adjusted the open fur-coat she was wearing. "Where is Totsuki, and where is this Villa?"
Taiga's words hit Kiba like a sledgehammer.
I-It really was because of this minor job. Kiba's thoughts ran rampant as he considered Taiga's earlier words. Such an easy job was actually directed at a core member of the Fujimura Group? The horror of it all caused Kiba's breath to hitch.
Kiba wasn't the only one to realize this fact as Kiba's father looked as if the man had bitten a fly.
Regardless of how Kiba and his father felt, they were helpless. All they could do was answer Taiga's questions as best as they could and hope to be let off.
"I-I can take you there," Kiba volunteered after careful consideration.
Taiga merely nodded, no longer paying too much attention to the current situation as her thoughts moved elsewhere.
She stared out to the open streets outside and pursed her lips in determination.
Don't worry little brother, big Sister's coming.
Shirou's everyday life in Totsuki could be broken down into three segments, namely feeding Arturia, magic practice, and culinary practice.
Feeding Arturia was a given, but there were times that Shirou was secretly forced to wrack his mind over Arturia's growing appetite. She simply ate way too much for someone of her stature and it was impossible for him to chastise her either. She enjoyed eating to the point that she seemed to glow while she was chewing her meal. Who was he to ask her to stop doing something she enjoyed?
He wouldn't stoop so low, but at the same time, he couldn't ignore the steadily accumulating debt he felt that he owed to Totsuki Academy.
Shirou wasn't rich and therefore, the proceeds necessary to continually feed Arturia five meals in a day came from the Academy's resources. Although the academy staff didn't say anything, Shirou felt obligated to pay their kindness back, not make the debt even bigger.
Scratching his head over the problem, Shirou chose to dismiss it for now and instead focus on what he was currently doing.
Initially, he wanted to do some more magic practice with Rin, but culinary practice was taking up most of his time due to the Shokugeki with Eizan.
He was presently on his way to one of many Totsuki Academy practice kitchens when he felt that something was off. It wasn't a lethal sense of danger as he would have immediately reacted, but it was instead something else. It was his intuition warning him of trouble, but ignorantly he continued on his way.
By the time he neared the location of the kitchens, it was to see Rindo Kobayashi leaning her back against the entrance to the room.
His lips thinned instantly. Rindo wasn't a bad person per say, yet using Rin as a basis, he was apprehensive about meeting other women. The process with Rin involved a death match, unlikely alliances, and a lot of Gandrs. He didn't want to imagine what he'd be in for if he didn't immediately extricate himself from Rindo's clutches. After all, warning signs were flaring in his mind.
Swiftly, he decided to try and find a different kitchen to use.
He turned to leave, but by then it was too late.
Just as he had seen her, she had seen him.
Rindo smiled ambiguously as she sauntered her way over, flashing her teeth at him.
Shirou considered pretending he didn't see her, yet not only would doing so be rude, but there was no reason for him to go out of his way to avoid her either.
"Rindo," he greeted courteously while sighing inwardly.
Rather than act nonchalant as she usually did, Rindo was oddly serious with him today. She stopped around a meter in front of him and crossed her arms beneath her chest, a frown on her face.
"I heard some interesting news," Rindo began slowly, twirling a lock of her hair with a finger. She was looking at him with a pout, her lips curled downwards in accusation.
Shirou raised a brow.
Sighing Rindo closed her eyes before opening them again. "We're friends, aren't we?" She asked.
Shirou stared at Rindo with a deadpan. At most they knew each other for an hour or two when he'd occasionally run into her while practicing. Moreover, the majority of the time spent together was just him cooking as she watched silently. Therefore, the amount of personal interaction between the two only totalled to a few minutes at best.
Shirou didn't know how Rindo's personality could be so carefree, but at the very least her heart was in the right place.
"Friends," Shirou conceded with a nod, watching the way Rindo's eyes brightened before she grinned.
"Alright, other than Eishi, you are the second friend that I've invested so much effort in," Rindo said with a laugh. "You should feel proud."
"Thanks? I guess," Shirou wasn't in the mood to comment. He just wanted to practice and get his Shokugeki over with in the next three days. "If there's nothing else, there are things I need to do."
Hearing Shirou's words, Rindo sobered up as she pondered to herself. "Eizan right?" She said knowingly, taking Shirou by surprise.
Shirou paused in the midst of pushing passed Rindo.
"You knew?" He asked to clarify.
"I know a lot. Let's leave it at that," a vagueness flashed across Rindo's face before she placed a thumb to her lip. "I also know a few other things. Do you want to hear them?"
Shirou weighed his options before opening his mouth to speak.
"Depends on what you want to say," he spoke. "If its just Academy info then the Head Master said he'd teach me the ins and outs when the time comes."
Rindo's eyes widened. "T-The Head Master?"
Shirou nodded, not seeing the need for an overreaction. His calmness inadvertently left an unfathomable impression on Rindo. Of course, she'd already done her research on Shirou, but she didn't expect that even the Head Master of Totsuki would treat him so kindly. Could it actually be like the rumours said? That Shirou was a prodigy in cooking that even the Head Master couldn't classify?
She needed to assess everything for herself.
Her curiosity was reaching its peak. Furthermore, she wanted to nag Shirou about the matter concerning the knife she still kept as a personal possession.
"Is that so," Rindo rolled her eyes at Shirou's reply. "How about if I told you that the theme of your upcoming Shokugeki was pork?"
Shirou stilled. It was impossible for him to ignore what he'd just heard. "How did you-"
Rindo winked at him and said nothing more.
"I have a proposition," Rindo raised a finger up in front of her. "Why don't you come spend the last three days before your Shokugeki with Eizan at my place? I can help you practice there."
Shirou considered Rindo's offer, but he didn't take her up on it. Rin and Arturia had taken the trip to Japan on his behalf and he didn't want to leave them unattended.
"Sorry, but I'll have to refuse," he stated firmly.
Rindo's expression fell.
"Oh, come on," she whined, clasping both of her hands over his. "It's only for a few days," she insisted.
Shirou however was adamant.
"I'm sorry, but I'll still have to refuse," he nodded politely to Rindo before stepping passed her.
Left standing where she was, Rindo could only sigh dejectedly as she watched Shirou moments away from entering Totsuki's practice kitchen. Her back was hunched and her shoulders sagged. This wasn't part of the script she had envisioned in her mind and it disheartened her.
"Well," Rindo murmured despondently. "There goes the plan to ask about that weird thing he did with the knife."
Rindo spoke in a voice only intended for herself, but as soon as she finished her muttering, it was to her surprise to see Shirou frozen in the midst of opening a door. He seemed awkwardly stiff and there was a vague tension forming in the air that Rindo couldn't make heads or tails of.
She blinked, feeling as if she'd done something wrong.
Her index finger made its way to place itself just beneath her chin while she stared at the back in front of her.
Shirou was acting weird. He'd stood in the exact same place for almost a minute, and it was evident that he was in some sort of daze, almost panicked even.
Was it something she said?
And what does 'Trace On' mean anyway?
She opened her mouth to speak, but unfortunately, she was unable to.
A shadow passed over her head, and before she even knew it, she was unconscious.
For the briefest of moments, she could have sworn that something had spontaneously formed above her.
A-A frying pan?
She couldn't remember anymore, only the odd dream that Shirou was repeatedly banging his head on a wall and calling himself an idiot Third-Rate.
In a certain location near Totsuki Academy's perimeter there resided a villa being targeted with a growing number of horrid rumours.
It was a cursed land where hundreds of thousands of people were once massacred, their souls haunting all those who trespass within.
It was a place where eerie laughter echoed within one's ears.
At first, the rumours were targeted solely against the outsiders of Totsuki, but lately their numbers had been dwindling. As such, the rumours soon spread to Totsuki Academy students themselves who Eizan hired as replacements when the Tiger Syndicate suddenly ceased responding to his calls.
Within the villa Shirou was currently residing in, Arturia was staring at Rin with a concerned expression, a frown on her face as she observed another victim fall prey to a Gandr.
"Rin, don't you think you're taking this a little too far. They're good people," Arturia attempted to persuade her friend. As Arturia had always posed as a male, it had actually been her first time being praised for her beauty by others. It felt oddly…Good. Moreover, she could see from the expressions of the people that had complimented her that they were all sincere which made her even happier.
"No Saber, it won't end till they've all suffered," Rin seemed to cackle as she controlled the effects of Shirou's bounded field that she had tampered with. No longer did people just see simple illusions upon trespassing but Rin had laid petty traps everywhere. Pitfalls filled with dog-shit, magic that cursed one's hair to be forever curly, and even one that left lingering foul odours. "Whose fault is it that they can't see a beautiful gem when it's right in front of them? It's like comparing me to Luvia, and we all know the answer to that."
Rin was not in the most pleasant of moods. She'd thought that things would settle down after the Tiger Syndicate people stopped coming, but that was when wave upon wave of Totsuki students took the Tiger Syndicate's place. Worse, each and every one of them treated Arturia like a goddess, offering poetry, gifts, and luxurious lavishes, while Rin was relegated to the side and treated like dirt. A tick formed on Rin's forehead before she had utterly snapped.
No one messes with a Tohsaka.
Rin's expression twisted in fury, unable to accept the blow to her pride.
You're not exactly helping your image Rin, Saber chose not to comment on Rin current appearance. Instead, her lips were steadily pulling upwards into a contented smile as she enjoyed the literal mountain of confections given to her in offerings.
Was that a Truffle?
Lemon Brulee Tart?
Honey glazed cake?
Arturia's eyes were shining as her mouth started to water. There was a flush on her cheeks as she'd never felt so fulfilled and contented even during her rule in Medieval Britain. Everything about her recent life was endearing to her. The care Shirou had for her, the friendship she had with Rin, and the flattery she felt for a sudden wave of admirers left Arturia smiling without end ignorant to the jealous gaze constantly beside her.
In fact, Arturia herself was perhaps the guiltiest in regards to egging Rin on further and further off the deep end.
The disparity was too much to take.
"HHEHHEHHHAHHAHAhahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahhahah," Rin chuckled darkly, as the cup she was drinking from in her hand shattered in her grip. From the bounded field she was controlling, she could sense another wave of individuals making their way towards the villa. When she considered how likely it was that they were bringing more gifts for Arturia and nothing for her but contempt, Rin could no longer tolerate it. "When I'm done with all of you cretins, you'll wish for death!"
"N-Now Rin," Arturia could no longer ignore her friend anymore. "Perhaps you should take a break from personally controlling the bounded field?"
Rin ignored Arturia, continuing to glower within a black aura that surrounded her.
It's no good, she's no longer listening to reason. Saber pursed her lips solemnly before she grew firm.
"Enough Rin," Arturia said, placing a hand on Rin's shoulder. "You yourself should know the consequences of continuing your current behaviour. Starting rumours are fine, but if you go too far and the existence of magic is exposed, the Clock Tower won't sit idle."
Arturia's words were sensible, but Rin was still unwilling, her expression reluctant.
"Rin," Arturia advised further. "You had once made a statement that Shirou would be the first between the two of you to accidently expose your individual magics, are you going to prove yourself wrong? If Shirou can keep his magecraft secret than so can you."
"This, uhm…. Fine," Rin finally relented, but if these people dare insult me in the face, I swear-"
"I'll admonish them on your behalf," Arturia interrupted with a nod. "We can't go making trouble for Shirou, now can we? Besides, its like something about him is changing the longer he stays in Totsuki."
Rin considered Arturia point and gradually conceded. Arturia was right. She didn't want to cause trouble for Shirou and something about him actually was changing. This was good news, happy news even. She'd rather Shirou be anything else than the man of Wrought-Iron she'd once seen in her dreamscape traverse through a personal hell. Besides, she made a promise to look after Shirou, and she was never going to break it.
Memories of an Archer in Red filtered into her mind before she fell silent in calm reminiscence. The only sound in the villa was the noise of Arturia chewing as she ate her offerings in delight, her cheeks bulging like a hamster.
Rin ignored it, because if she paid too much attention, it would be impossible to hold back her anger. As such, rather than focus on Arturia, she turned closed her eyes and turned her attention to the coming visitors.
As the person currently manning the bounded field around the villa, Rin could choose to allow people entry or deny it on a whim. When she closed her eyes, she was entering a form of scrying which allowed her to magically view the appearance of any newcomer.
The current visitors to the villa were neither common thugs, nor students hired by Eizan. They were a small group of five huddled together due to the eerie rumours Rin had inadvertently developed causing them to be fearful.
At the very back of the group was a blue-haired girl with her hair braided on either side of her head. She was shivering uncontrollably and her eyes were constantly darting around the thick mist the bounded field naturally exuded. She was holding onto the sleeve of the person who stood in the front of the group while a tanned blond girl on the side was eying the interaction with unconcealable envy. Meanwhile, there was a fatter individual next to a relatively skinny blond youth trailing along the middle.
Rin had the mind to activate the bounded field and send them on their way, but she froze in the process.
Was that Shirou?
No.
As soon as the question entered her minds, she was quick to deny it.
Red hair, bronze coloured eyes, and an easy-going disposition. Everything seemed the same, but they weren't identical, they were just close.
As confusion ran through Rin's minds, it didn't take her long to come to a conclusion.
Based on how similar the youth in her vision appeared to Shirou, there was only one possibility when she recalled the reason for Shirou's abrupt return to Japan.
He had a family.
A father and a brother.
The person in Rin's gaze leading a group of four others, it was undoubtedly Shirou's younger brother.
Soma Yukihira.
Thanks for Reading! And thanks to my newest patrons: Rick S, Mangesh, and Akiraverson.
Note: This chapter was originally meant to be out yesterday, but due to a wedding I had to attend I didn't have enough time to complete it.
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious