A/N: Wow, 2000+ views, 8 reviews, 13 followers and 11 favorites! Arigatou gozaimasu! –bows down in deep gratitude-
I hope you enjoy the chapters so far.
Italics for emphasis or thoughts
CAPITALS for when someone is inserting a word in English or for emphasis
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Credits go to Hiroshi Shiibashi for Nurarihyon no Mago and Gen Urobuchi and Type – Moon for Fate/Zero
Chapter 9: Interlude: Sitting on the Edge
The Church is responsible for the happenings around Fuyuki City. You might say they will be like a cover – up to the events that took place. Most notably said cover – up will be about gas leaks, which will be published in tomorrow's newspaper, reported on television and heard on the AM radio. One of the men in charge of the cover – up is Kotomine Risei, the current judge for the Fourth Holy Grail War. And the other one in charge of it, and at the same time a watcher, is…
Kotomine Kirei, a man with brown eyes devoid of interest and an expression reminiscent of boredom. Yet he fulfills his task wilfully, in order for his teacher, Tohsaka Tokiomi, to win in the Grail War. After he cuts off Assassin's shared perception, here he is right now; answering phone calls and directing the men responsible for the cover – ups left and right to ensure that the events that happened will not be reported. One witness alone is enough to alarm the Church and Mage's Association alike, since this ritual has threatened the secrecy of Magi many times.
As he goes over what transpired in the war, he knew that for them to win they have to eliminate Berserker. It seems that Lancer is their only logical choice for Gae Dearg's property of cancellation of Magic. Other Servants have proclaimed their identities outright, which simplifies matters as they now only need to know the name of their Noble Phantasm and how strong those Phantasms were. Saber will be at her disadvantage the most since she has a wound that will not heal due to Gae Buidhe. Now they'll just have to wait for them to eliminate each other before they decide to put Archer in the final stage.
While he was still deep in his thoughts, the female Assassin with long purple hair tied in a ponytail has manifested from the shadows. Kirei knew that Assassin will not appear like that without a reason.
"Master, I found this while I'm searching for the area." She showed him a dead bat with a miniature CCTV camera. This one was still fresh from the kill, judging by the warm body of the bat.
It seems to Kotomine Kirei that someone doubts the neutrality of the Church. At any rate, this will pose a danger to the alliance of Tohsaka and Kotomine being exposed. Only one man comes to his mind that will doubt the neutrality, and for some reason he felt his blood boil. Is it from excitement? Anger? Fear? Only one man will answer his questions, the one whom he thought was the same as himself.
Emiya…Kiritsugu. He thought about him with great fervor, but different from his usual zealous chases around heretic Magi and Sealing Designates.
In a dark alley, Matou Kariya limped his way towards his home. Berserker's a monster when it comes to absorption of prana. Once he is let out of the chains, there is no stopping him, not even his Master. But then again, it is to be expected of the Berserker class. Only one thought comforted him from his agony of having the worms act as Magic Circuits to his body:
Sakura...
He only wanted Sakura's freedom, but he cannot tell Aoi that Zouken had violated her body through his "education". But this is not the right moment to contemplate on his future plans. Right now, he must find a way to replenish his lost prana reserves.
Fortunately, he saw a fountain. To others, it was an ordinary sewer manhole, but to him, it's a refreshing fountain of prana just waiting to be absorbed. He opened the heavy steel lid for about a whole hour, and inhaled the leaking prana. Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, he closed the lid afterwards and he went home still limping with only one thought playing like a soft melody inside his head.
Wait for me, Sakura. I'll bring you home safe and sound.
If only he knew what was inside that manhole, then he will not dare to inhale it, much less take a whiff of it. For inside that hole are countless lives flowing and sacrificed needlessly for the sake of someone's "masterpiece" that rivals that of famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo.
Upon arriving at their location provided by Nurarihyon, Kejoro decided to take a bath first, while Caster placed a Bounded Field around the area. She really needed a relaxing activity if she wants to think things through. She thought about the Servants that they saw: Archer, Berserker, Rider, Lancer, Saber and Assassin. After she dried herself with a towel, changed in her human clothes, perfuming herself and getting out of the bathroom, Caster had slapped Kejoro comically many times in the face for such an idiotic move. If this war is a chess game, they will be out in one move. Thankfully, Emiya Kiritsugu did not pull the trigger on them…yet. Caster is really sure of his personality. The next time that he sees them, they will turn into Swiss cheese courtesy of his Calico sub-machine gun model.
"Be thankful that my slaps still has no prana. The next time that you do that, I'll charge this one with flames to slowly burn your face." Caster reprimanded Kejoro harshly. Kejoro just rubbed her face to ease the painful slaps that she received from that fox lady as soon as she was out of the bathroom.
"I trust him that he will not shoot me. Besides, even though that gun is lethal, we can disappear at will." She replied as she dried her hair. Caster just heaved a silent sigh.
"Yeah, right, while we don't know if the bullet loaded in it, or worse, the gun itself, is a Mystic Code or not. Unless we find out what his weapon is that made him the famous Magus Killer, we will be like meat hanging in the air, waiting to be devoured by a snake." Caster mused at the situation.
Kejoro "applauded" Caster's "wise words from a goddess". But then again, she's right. Unless they found out what his Mystic Code is, they were only waiting to be slaughtered by others.
"So, what's the next plan of action, Goshujin - sama?" She addressed Kejoro as coldly and as formal as possible after that incident that Kejoro placed herself into. "We only know that she is King Arthur, King…or should I say Queen of Knights?"
Kejoro was snapped out of her thoughts when she mentioned about King Arthur being a Queen. "Hold that thought, Caster. I realized just now that King Arthur is a lady." To which she earned an almost skull breaking fist putdown courtesy of a comically enraged Caster.
"Did you only realize that just now?" Caster followed it up with successive finger jabs through her chest on her every word to emphasize her point before landing her final finger jab on her forehead. "And I thought you were good at formulating plans."
"But we are not sure of her identity unless she reveals her Noble Phantasm. Am I stealing your line now, Caster?" Kejoro still attended to her sore injury which could cost anybody an instant death. Caster calmed down instantly the moment she realized what Kejoro was talking about.
"You do have a point, Kejoro – san. We can't depend on rumors and firsthand accounts unless we have the real deal." Caster mused. "Casting plans aside; do you want me to craft a Mystic Code for you?"
"My weapons are enough for melee combat. But what about your weapons, Caster?" She asked with great concern towards her Servant. Caster waved off Kejoro's worries with one hand.
"No need to worry about that, Kejoro – san. Though I need a few additional weapons to my set." She mused, looking for a different weapon aside from her Dirks.
"Such as…what?" Kejoro asked her with a tinge of curiosity mixed with the right amount of dripping cynical tone. Caster class Servants are the best when it comes to casting spells, but it seems that Caster is avoiding her class designation entirely. Kejoro already warned her that they will have to go all out if they want their mission to be complete, but it seems that she is still hesitant about her powers. Shapeshifting is one thing, but avoiding offensive magic altogether is rather disturbing.
"Ano, a metal stick?" It was Caster's turn to be an idiot. To which she was rewarded by a big umbrella over her head.
"Ow! That one hurt!" It was now Caster's turn to attend to her injury, complete with comical tears. But as she saw the umbrella, she was now filled with indescribable joy.
"Found what you're looking for?" Kejoro asked, still in her cynical tone. Caster grinned as she saw that paradise and engulfed her umbrella in flames with her single chant and a talisman, leaving only the metals in place as the flames died down.
Kejoro fanned down the flames in a frantic attempt to still save the umbrella. "What was that for?!" she exclaimed in disappointment that the prized umbrella that she bought turned into a good – for – nothing metal stick.
"Just because." She skipped towards the metal stick, closed it so that the metal sticks from the umbrella will not harm anybody else, and hugged it in glee before skipping back to create an area designed for crafting her own talismans. Even though she will have a hard time creating an area for crafting due to her Area Creation rank C, at least she saw in her eyes the glee of someone who wanted to try something outside her comfort zone for a change. She then decided that it will be on Caster's time that she will reveal her true powers.
But for now, she may have to ask some help from a friend of theirs. She took her mobile phone out of the bag, and after finding what she is looking for in the list of contacts, she entered the number and waited for someone to answer.
Tohsaka Tokiomi is not amused, not in the slightest, of many things going horribly wrong with this war. It was only supposed to be an elegant ritual in order for him to reach the Root, more specifically the Akashic Records, through the Third Magic. Seven Servants are needed in order to fill up the Grail. The Command Seals are there for the sole purpose of letting the last Servant commit suicide. It is supposed to be as simple as that. He trusted Gilgamesh well enough for him not to know about the innermost secret of this War. Even if Gilgamesh is the reputed King of Heroes, he is still a Servant, not meant to remain in this world, and meant as such to be used as a tool for his advancing development in the Craft. He also trusts Kirei to keep that secret to himself, as he knew that he is only an apprentice and does not care about the ritual itself, as long as it does not endanger the citizens living in Fuyuki.
But some things that are not meant to happen have occurred. For one, there is the issue of having eight Servants, which is a big issue for the Mage's Association and the Church itself. The ritual itself will prove to be a real danger to the citizens until the discrepancy was solved. The closest thing they got from the records of the last war was with the Einzberns' tampering of the Class System, which resulted in Avenger instead of Berserker. But he saw that there is no record of the after – effects. If only he knew of it, he would have abandoned the ritual altogether. Also, two sides of Saber have been summoned by the Edelfelt sisters, reputed to be as famous as the founders of the Heaven's Feel ritual itself.
For another thing, the extra Servant is a Caster. Good thing she is only a Caster – class servant, but something about her made him reconsider his opinion of the Caster – classes in general. If he is to research every book possible in his house for Caster class legends, he only narrowed down to one person. That person is Scathach, the famous immortal from Irish legends. She can be a Caster and a warrior at the same time, given that she is Cu Chulainn's lecturer when it comes to casting runes faster than any other modern Magus while fusing it with her own combat ability at the same time.
But based on Kirei's descriptions, she is not that person. A pair of fox ears and a fox tail meant something entirely different for him, and that one awakened his suspicions. So he took the time to search some information in the public library, which he detests the most since it's not elegant for a gentleman like him to be in a public library. But it is the only lead that he had, so he had no other choice but to go there. If he wants to identify her, he must not depend on the books on his home, since all of those books mainly held the topic of Western legends. And almost all of the Servants that he saw were Western and he can recall them at one glance. He is glad that he will not stay there for long, since he found out what he is looking for, but at the same time feeling a dread washing over him the moment he laid eyes on a Japanese mythology booklet. He quickly skimmed it, and he found one name that he felt dread on…
Tamamo – no – mae.
The fox lady with nine slender tails, one of the facets of Amaterasu, sentenced to death by an emperor due to the onmyouji's reveal on her being a fox spirit. She has slain tens of thousands of warriors with her spells. But at the second encounter, to which she pleaded to the people instead of killing them, an enchanted arrow found its target to her head.
After her death, many say that she turned into a killing stone, capable of poisoning animals, humans and plants alike. One priest intervened, shattered, and scattered the stone to three locations. In a way, she can be compared to Medea, the former princess of Colchis turned into a Witch of Betrayal from Greek legends. But she is different from her in some ways.
For one, she is a faithful wife. Although she is widowed, it is by the emperor's death. And she still longs for the emperor's love. For another thing, she pleaded with the people in the second encounter instead of living in a life full of lies, deceit and betrayals. The last one that made her different from Medea is this tidbit of information guaranteed to confirm his suspicions and fears:
While Medea is a human who was used by the gods and goddesses, Tamamo – no – mae is a goddess who let herself be used by man and was killed because of it. All because of her curiosity for humans, treated by the gods, Tamamo – no – mae included, as mere insects, or, permitted by Gilgamesh to use the analogy of the King of Heroes, "mongrels", serving her.
To experience what is like to serve the people. To experience what is like to love. And to experience what is like to be human. Misukume, her human name, lost all of her identity as a goddess. All for the sake of her love for her people.
Now she has a chance to serve her own people again by being summoned in a Western Ritual, this time no hiding of her own status as a goddess, and worse summoned in her land of all things being considered by a newcomer Master in this war. If this newcomer only knew how much potential she had.
He indulged himself for a short while, gritting his teeth silently and clenching his fist, unbefitting for a Tohsaka, before returning the booklet to its place. He then walked as briskly as possible to the black Mercedes car, and he entered there and motioned for the driver to take him home immediately. He used the minutes in his car to ponder his thoughts about the last piece: Saber's Master.
Initially, he thought that Emiya Kiritsugu serves as support for the Einzberns, since the Einzbern homunculus, Irisviel, went out with Saber as her Servant. But then again, no Magi will ever appear in public, especially in a war like this. This increased his doubts all the more on who's the real Master of Saber. Is it the Grail, who can have limitless Command Seals at her beck and call? Or is it the assassin who disguises as a support? Either way, this made him perplexed to no end.
As he entered the house, Archer was there, holding a feral smile.
"I noticed that you have found something interesting, Tokiomi." He mused as he stirred his wine in his golden goblet with one hand. Trust the King of Heroes to put more salt in the wound and more fuel to an already explosive forest. This young Servant is really keen when someone found information. He can use that information to stir up someone's anger solely for the King's entertainment. But for now, this will have to do.
"None that you might trouble yourself into, my King." He politely bowed after he entered their quarters.
"I see." He flatly replied. It seems that the King of Heroes knew how to wait until an opportune time came. But it will be best not to make him wait for too long, as he also knew that the King of Heroes will be bored by the time he commanded the Servant to actually fight.
"I will still serve you as your lion, but don't dare to spoil my entertainment again, Tohsaka Tokiomi." It is a sign that he is getting bored of all the waiting. He must appease the King of Heroes a little longer by showing him around Fuyuki, not knowing that the King of Heroes had indulged himself in the exploration of the whole city while he was gone.
"Your command will be done, my king." He still politely bowed, but he gritted his teeth silently, hoping that Gilgamesh will not hear it. Or else it will be mistaken as an act of displeasure towards his Servant.
As Archer had put it, a bored king is an extremely dangerous one indeed.
On the other side of the country, Tokyo, the 28th Heir has been pacing up and down since the day that she heard from her friend that one of his comrades is participating in the Holy Grail War. She made a research on the archives of their country and found nothing about that war, especially the shrine on the Ryuudou Temple, which is supposed to be an open gate for the onmyouji and youkai alike. The whole archive on Fuyuki is a clean slate when it comes to those wars. But then again, so does Misaki and Mifune city, who have different situations on their own too, all related to the paranormal and both have clean slates too.
Back to Fuyuki, onmyouji were supposed to be notified of this, as this war is repeated three times in their country. But for some reason, neither youkai nor onmyouji were there to provide an inkling of information at least about that war, except for suspicious gas leaks as reported on newspapers. So where will she get that information? A phone call from nowhere?
As soon as she thought about that, their phone rang noisily, and she promptly reacted to it by dropping her small case full of shikigamis by accident. As she ran towards the phone, she saw in the caller ID that it is only registered as a number. Maybe it's a prank caller from the other side. Either case, she hastily reached for the phone, and answered the phone as nicely as possible.
"This is Keikain Yura speaking…" She answered in a tone reminiscent of a refreshing liquid down to a dry throat.
Footnotes:
Misukume or Mizukume (however you spell it, the latter is Fate/Extra's spelling of it by the way) – human name of Tamamo no Mae
Area Creation – enables the user to create a field specifically for powering up weapons and/or enhancing talismans. Caster's rank on this is rank C. Combined with her disposition inappropriate for this skill, she can have some difficulty in creating a small area, maybe it will take her about 2 – 4 hours at best.
Misaki City – this is the setting for the visual eroge novel Tsukihime by Kinoko Nasu. You can ask me for details in the PM.
Mifune City – this is the setting for the light novel series Kara no Kyoukai. For details, refer to above.
A/N: I think this will be considered as a cliffhanger for the moment, as they go over their plans, especially Emiya Kiritsugu's plans.
Please rate and review. XD