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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.
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Chapter 25: Legs of a Mermaid
With a chance to prevent a potential Beast-Tier issue to eventually appear, I decided I had to get to Kiara, heal her, and bring her out of the nasty place that was her home.
And before anyone laments over the notion of straying from Fuyuki as a potential issue since there could be a threat unfolding while I was out of town, I had purposely taken steps to make sure things would keep fine while I was out of town. To prepare a trip like the one I was interested to make, I had to take a few steps to make sure that I could leave without worrying about any issues: First, setting down special 'radar-like' devices which worked as alarms for eventual new issues about Goetia; Second, a few mana batteries which Setanta, Eli and Medusa could use to be independent without having me around; Third, have Tamamo with me during the journey.
This third option was more of a safety-driven choice since... I will be honest, even with Quartz with me, the chances of getting screwed by the cult I was trying to deal with were quite high. Surprises could happen and I saw no issue in having back up for that eventuality. Plus, Tamamo was a Caster and her capacity to deal with any unexpected magical issues which could happen to me was going to be deadly useful. Once I had that much set up so that the Servants back home could deal with any new issues, I took a weekend off and called Taiga to explain why I wouldn't be around.
She was a bit surprised about my departure, but seemed to understand that I wasn't going out of town for a holiday trip. I didn't give her many details, but mentioned that I may return home with a young individual in need of a safe home environment to live in. It was implied it was an abuse victim and- Yes, I was firmly confident Kiara was an abuse victim due to her upbringing and the cult she was groomed to eventually lead once her father died.
Kariya had an address and yet he warned me that the village I had to check was, as I had assumed, full of people deep into this 'religious school of thought'. Not a pleasant detail to be made aware of since it made any potential escape particularly dangerous, but enough to give me a few ideas on how to solve this.
The trip itself was not a hassle. Despite the village being quite far from Fuyuki, it was still near to major cities in the Kanto region. The train trip was smooth and devoid of issues, but the real dread started to rise as we arrived at our destination. The place was... rightfully haunting. There were people around, all smiling happily, but all wearing white outfits which were simple and yet... carrying that sort of smell one would rightfully keep away from. It was a disgusting walk, but one Tamamo and I endured as the Caster took a few notes of things I couldn't see on the spot.
"There are a few seals around," She commented. "Some of which are meant to numb minds."
So yeah, consent here was highly debatable. Good to know and enough of a reason to see this place on fire. Quartz glowed a bit as the Kaleidostick put a small barrier around me which prevented the seals from getting to my brain. The last thing I needed was to be brainwashed by these bastards. The journey to reach the 'Head Teacher' of this village was surprisingly brief, as the man's house was literally in the middle of the village.
And, despite some initial doubts that he would just let us in and give us the chance to check his daughter, the man was more than happy to allow us to do these things. After getting the chance to stare quite creepily at Tamamo, the woman having 'hidden' her ears and foxy features through a few illusions. Bald, fat, and with that lewd glint on his face- this was just a cesspool for nasty tropes, wasn't it? I was growing quite convinced of this right as we finally got to the girl's room and the fat pervert said something along the line of 'letting us be as he had much to do to prepare our stay in this place'. When I made it clear we were not staying.
Once he was out of sight, Tamamo had to make sure I was aware of what was up. "Master-"
"We will not linger, worry not," I hummed, my face showing some sympathy at the fox-girl's genuine upset over this situation. "First, we have someone to patch up."
We entered the room after knocking, and the girl inside there, bedridden greeted us with a confused look.
"W-Who are you?"
Kiara was quite small, her hair and visage similar to those she would have as an adult, but more youthful and her cheeks still full with some baby fat. thus I had reason to believe she was not 14. No, she was younger. Maybe even younger than Sakura and... roughly Illya's age.
"My name is John Bukharin. This is Tamamo," I introduced ourselves, the kimono-wearing Servant waving nicely at the child. "And I am here to heal you up."
Little Kiara's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" She coughed a bit. "But father told me that my sickness was one of the mind and that only love can cure."
I decided against asking what she meant with 'love', being quite aware that this place was best to not be addressed by any introspection considering what I already knew about it. I had to get this kid out of this little nightmare or real shit would hit the fan when it comes to the planet's survival and sanity.
"Your father is a bit of a dolt, and I can tell you hardly believe that yourself."
She hummed. "I am still- still sick."
I nodded, approaching her bed and crouching a bit. I retrieved Quartz, causing the brunette's eyes to widen.
"Oh? What's that?"
"My name is Quartz, young child, and I will be the one assisting your recovery."
"It talks!"
"Quartz is a Kaleidostick. A special device provided with intelligence and capacity to use proper magic," I explained curtly. "By the way, I don't think you have introduced yourself yet."
"S-Sorry- I... I am Kiara."
"Kiara? Do you know what it means?"
I distracted her a bit as Quartz took care of her illness, curious to see how much I could discern without stepping into some awkward topics. After all, Kiara's backstory was quite bare-boned up until she took over her father's role for the cult, and I had some questions relating to her childhood.
"Hmmm, mommy said that it meant 'Light' where she came from. But daddy wanted it to be similar to others so he changed it a bit."
That response actually had me pause for a moment. Her original name was not 'Kiara'? That comment confused me as I couldn't understand why they would need to change it. Unless... the kid's father was quite active around women, so it was possible he didn't want anyone to ask why his daughter, his main heir, was given a name that wasn't acceptable. And since it was Japan, there was a potential assumption I could draw about it and I was quick to check if it was indeed the case.
"I know this may sound a bit sudden, Kiara, but the bit your father changed was perhaps the first letter?"
She frowned and then nodded. "Yeah."
Her face was growing a bit more pink, showing how her sickly state was slowly being dealt with.
"I think I know what has changed. Your original name was perhaps... 'Chiara'?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, how do you know that?"
"Just a guess," I replied quietly, my mind taking a moment to understand that Kiara here was potentially half-Italian... which made her rescue somewhat more meaningful. "And it's still a pretty name for you, little light."
Her lips twitched in clear amusement.
"Say, Kiara. I have a question to ask you."
"What is it, Bukharin-san?" The child inquired, her innocence just striking, odd considering how she would end up being the opposite of what she was now.
"Are you happy here?"
The girl's good mood vanished instantly and her head bowed in slight sadness.
"Father wouldn't-"
"Your father is not here. And I want your honest opinion because I can tell you are not."
...
"I am not happy."
"What do you think of your father?"
"...He is not nice with me when I say no while he is trying to do... things."
My anger was boiling up once more at the thought, but I kept my head focused on the main goal here.
"What if I can give you the chance to leave for good, Kiara? To have a happier life?"
Kiara's gloomy look slowly faltered at this as curiosity started to take over on her expression. "A... Happier life?"
I nodded. "A life where no one is going to touch you like that, where you can have fun with friends and... be a young girl living a normal childhood."
She blinked, then took a moment to think about it and... smiled. "That would be nice. Are you... offering me this chance, Bukharin-san?"
I nodded.
"Would I really have friends?"
"Sure you would, kiddo," I hummed and reached out for her head. She was confused, eyeing the palm nervously but then suddenly tensing up as the hand landed on top of her head and the patting started.
From nervous to melting into a happy humming puddle due to the care she was being given.
"What's... that? It feels nice. So... nice," She muttered, leaning more onto the palm as I continued to pat her head. "Bukharin-saaaaaan."
I chuckled at that reaction, yet felt upset that the kid didn't even know what a head pat was. That's it, I am going to bring the whole rotten place down once I am sure Kiara was safe.
"It's done," Quartz soon confirmed, his energy-transfer concluded. "I managed to solve Kiara's issue and... we will discuss it once we are back home."
I frowned at this last bit, the hesitation being something I didn't expect from Quartz and I suspected there was something big for the Mystic Code to be this nervous. Right as he said that, the door of the room opened and a familiar fat bastard came through.
"How are you all doing?"
"Your daughter has been healed," I replied flatly, the man looking quite happy.
"Glorious day! My child, finally devoid of that nasty sickness and ready to rejoin us in our rituals," The man announced, Kiara fidgeting in clear distress at the news. "And now, I have to humbly ask you two to join us. Two glorious people that-
"Nope."
Quartz's comment was followed by a flash of light that slammed the fat idiot against the wall, rendering him unconscious. My attention was on Kiara and, while part of me worried she would have reacted negatively to the sight, I was given full confirmation that she made her choice and she regretted none of it as she raised her hands to me and gestured to me that she wanted to be picked up.
The girl was instantly wrapping arms and legs around my neck and waist respectively and I held her tightly as we approached the door.
"Tamamo?"
"Yes, John?" The fox-girl inquired.
"Can you give him a compulsion to admit the truth to his followers?"
I didn't have the patience nor the time to personally dismantle the place, but I could have the mastermind behind the shitty cult confess the truth and let the rest rip him and everything else apart. Tamamo nodded, placing a special seal on the man's arm and then walking back to me as we all left undisturbed.
We didn't bother looking behind us as we paced fast towards the train and... got safely back home. And while we were busy with that trip, Kiara and I continued to talk. Despite being quite shy, the girl suddenly got chatty and inquisitive about many things.
Especially when fishes and aquariums were brought up. It would seem like the Little Mermaid's tale was still a major thing for Kiara and I made plans to get her to visit one of those aquariums near Fuyuki in the near future.
But first, we had to get her accustomed to her new life. And that's where the real hassle was going to start...
AN
Kiara rescued!
P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c