I want to thank Fenerath for make this chapter possible and CyberAngelOne for his support.
Since the day that Tatsuya arrived at the Emiya mansion and was accepted as part of their lives, he had experienced a lot of emotions. Surprise, astonishment, disbelief, and shock, but also happiness. All of those emotions were Tatsuya's proof that he was still human, that just like his older siblings his power didn't change him into something inhuman, and he was thankful for that.
But right now those same emotions where the reason why he had a face where if someone were to take a picture of it in that moment, it would become an excellent piece of blackmail material against him. The only good side of that situation was that he wasn't alone. Leysritt, Sella, Aoi, Iris, and even Kiritsugu were making the same shocked faces.
The reason why was simple. Just after the family ended their breakfast the girls, with a really nervous looking Shirou, said that they had something very important to say. This had happened before when they had made a great discovery many times in the past. But this time what they told the others was something unique.
"We have decided to share Shirou and start a big family with him." said Illya.
"We know that it won't be legally recognized, but we want to have a private ceremony just for us." added Sakura.
"We've also been thinking about changing our last name to Emiya too." finished Rin.
It took them all a moment to realize that they were not joking, and when it happen the expected round of questions began. How, when, why, and the most important question was, "Are all your about this?"
"We've been sure about this for years now." said Sakura.
"Besides, weren't you the ones that told us to give you grandchildren soon? Well, with this your desire is one step closer." added Rin.
"After all, the ones that gave us the idea were both of you." lied Illya, just to have a little extra fun at her mom and aunt's expense.
"Son, you've been silent all this time. I want to know, how do you feel about all this?" asked Kiritsugu for the first time since this little meeting began.
"In the immortal words of my father, I will say: If you know a way to stop them from getting what they want, please tell me. But even if I knew of one, I will never do it, because it's my dearest desire to make them happy."
After that came more questions, but it was evident that with each question, Aoi and Iris were becoming more used to the idea, and soon they were already making plans about their future grandchildren.
At all this, the only thing that Tatsuya could say to himself was, "I guess that things will never be boring in this house."
Miyuki's POV
Today was the end of the first week of classes, and Miyuki felt that it had been a full year. Ever since the surprising meeting with her brother and the revelation about his past, of what he had to suffer, it was something that had caused her a great deal of conflict in her emotions. She still didn't understand why her mother had to send him away, because even if he didn't have any magic talent he was still part of the family, and the possibility that someone inside the Yotsuba really did try to kill him was something that caused great pain in her hear. Especially because she felt that there was a big wall between them. The order from her mother to keep her distance while she gathered as much information about him as she could didn't make things easier for her, because deep inside she was afraid that that information could be used to hurt him. Even if they didn't have any contact over the last years, she didn't want that the information gathered could be used to hurt her brother.
Those were the worries that Miyuki had in her head when a voice made her return to reality.
"Good morning Miyuki-san."
"Good morning Honoka-san." was Miyuki's reply to the happy, twin-tailed haired girl that was in company of a serious looking one.
"Good morning Shizuku-san." The now named Shizuku nodded her head to acknowledge the greeting.
"I can't wait to the end of the day, the last few days had been very intense." said Honoka.
"I heard that the next week is the club's recruitment week." added Shizuku.
"Will you join any club?" asked Miyuki.
"I'm not sure about which one I'll join." answer Shizuku.
"Me neither." added Honoka.
For Miyuki, her two new friends were a welcome support in the last few days. She remembered how Honoka fell when she was trying to introduce herself. Maybe it was the innocence that she felt from the girls that made her become their friend, but it also had the effect of keeping Morizaki and his group away from her. While she didn't hate them, she didn't like them either. And the fact that she preferred to spend her time with her new first course female friends was something that they seemed to tolerate better than seeing her in the company of second course students.
"By the way, did any of you have any plans for tomorrow?" asked Shizuku.
"I am free." answered Honoka.
"I am afraid that I have to decline, my mother and I will be visiting my aunt tomorrow." answered Miyuki.
"Oh. Ok then." was Shizuku's reply.
"It is a special occasion?" asked Honoka.
"Nothing special. I was thinking about buying a present for my little brother." said Shizuku.
"It is his birthday?" asked Miyuki.
"No, it's something else. You see, he was able to cast his first magic spell yesterday, and he is very excited about that."
"That's great, and it is very nice of you to give him something nice." said Honoka.
"There are some special circumstances." When Shizuku saw how their attention was focused on her, she continued "My mom is a magician, but my dad is a normal person. As you can imagine, many people opposed their union, but that didn't matter to them. They just wanted to be together because they loved each other. When I showed talent in modern magic, the pressure that the magic society put on them reduced, but when Wataru didn't show the same talent, the critics came back and that made Wataru feel bad about the situation, as if he was disappointing the family. We told him that that didn't matter, and that we loved him no matter what."
For Miyuki who was listening, the story was becoming very familiar, with the difference being that in Shizuku's version, the family supported each other no matter the magic talent.
"But if you are buying him a present for him casting his first magic spell, it means that he was able to use magic after all." added Honoka.
"Yes, a couple of weeks ago while he was playing in the garden, he saw a cat on a tree branch. He first tried to climb the tree, but failed. After that, he tried to jump up to get the cat. While mom and I were watching everything from the distance, it was a huge surprise when he managed to jump up to the branch. My mom and I almost had a heart attack, and we used magic to run over there quickly so he wouldn't get hurt, but he managed to land with no problems. When we looked over him to see if he was injured, we could see that there were some bright green lines over his body."
"Does that mean that...?" Honoka trained off.
"Those were magic circuits, he is a thaumaturgy user." answered Shizuku. Miyuki and Honoka remained silent to allow her to continue her story.
"My mom said the most powerful magic is love, and my father told us that all the power and money in the world means nothing if you cannot be with your loved ones. So nothing will change the fact that we all love Wataru, but he was very excited when he learned that he could use magic, even if it's different from mom's or mine."
"I'm very happy for you and your family." said Miyuki, while keeping her intense emotions under control. 'If only my family was like that.'
"He was able to do a minor spell that manifested a small flame, and when I told him how the first placed student of the first course, second years lost against a thaumaturgy user like him… Well, he was very impressed and began to study every piece of information about magic circuits, thaumaturgy, and how to use them to cast spells. I'm very impressed by how fast he advanced."
"It's true, the news about the defeat of vice-president Hattori against Tatsuya-san has spread all over the school." added Honoka.
"Morizaki and his friends aren't too happy about that." commented Shizuku.
"I hope that they don't do anything that can cause Tatsuya-san any problems." said Miyuki without thinking.
Before any of the other girls had a chance to say something else, the teacher arrived and the class began. After a couple hours, when the class ended, Miyuki excused herself to her friends and left to go to the student council room as she told them that once a week the student council had lunch together.
What Miyuki didn't realize was that after she left the classroom, her friends started a completely different conversation that would have an impact on her relationship with her brother in a way that she didn't expect.
"Have you realized that every time that Tatsuya's name comes up in a conversation, Miyuki begins to act strangely?" asked Honoka.
"Yes, and when we are at the lunchroom she keeps stealing looks in his direction when he's with his friends." Added Shizuku. "That's something strange, don't you think?"
"I believe that the explanation is really simple." commented Honoka.
"Do you know what it is?"
"It's very simple. Miyuki-san is in love with Tatsuya-san" answered Shizuku.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Shizuku.
"Yes I am, it's really obvious. Miyuki-san must have fallen in love at first sight with Tatsuya-san, but with the incident with Morizaki she is now afraid to cause him any other problems, and because of that she keeps her distance." Looking at Shizuku with fire in her eyes, she continued. "We have to do something or Miyuki's love story will become one of unrequited love, and Miyuki will suffer due to that."
"Are you serious about this?"
"Of course I am. After all, every girl deserves a love story with a happy ending." finished Honoka with great determination.
With all that said, the two girls began to plan about how they could make Tatsuya and Miyuki get closer together.
Student council room.
It was lunch time, and all the members of the student council were having lunch together, with the exception of Hattori. He was out taking care of some business related with the administration of the club events for the next week. With that exception, each one of them was enjoying their lunch.
"Your lunch looks well prepared Tatsuya, the cook at your home seems to be very talented." said Mari.
"Actually, it's my big brother who prepared our lunch."
"That's interesting. Unless they choose to become professional chefs, many men don't want to do this kind of chore." commented Suzune.
"My brother said that it helps him to relax, and the fact that he had the talent of a five star chef made sure that everyone in the house supported his hobby. In fact, my sisters even said that that they should chain him to the kitchen, or publish an article about the kitchen's true magic."
"Come on Tatsuya-kun, even if he is good in the kitchen, that's too much." Spoke Mayumi for the first time in the conversation.
None of them realized the look on Miyuki face each time that Tatsuya mentioned his family.
"Really Mayumi-san? Then how about you take a sample?" answered Tatsuya with a mischievous smile as he offered her a piece of his own lunch.
Feeling the silent challenge from Tatsuya, Mayumi took a piece of his food with her chopsticks. Her reaction as she tasted the food was epic. The way that her eyes shone, and how she put her other hand on her cheek, clearly displayed her enjoyment of the dish.
"Oh god Tatsuya! This is so good, are you sure that he didn't use alchemy to make this?" asked Mayumi with a happy face.
"Told you."
"I wonder if you are learning to cook like him." Mayumi stated inquisitively.
"Yes, but I am not at his level yet."
Seeing this as an opportunity to have a little fun with Tatsuya, Mayumi made a little joke.
"You know, if you keep on improving your magic and cooking skills, you'll surely made a good wife one day Tatsuya-kun."
"Is that a proposal Mayumi? Because you hadn't taken me out on a date yet." Tatsuya smiled when he saw how Mayumi's face blushed.
"Excuse me Mayumi-san, Tatsuya-san, but I was under the impression that both of you just met at the entry ceremony?" asked a shy Miyuki.
Trying to recover from Tatsuya's counter attack, and to have a little fun with Miyuki as well, Mayumi continued to play.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. It could be that in a distance past, we meet on a fateful day. Our souls linked as one, but since then a tragic event forced us apart, and all this time we have been praying to the heavens to allow us to meet again. Then, when we met again at the entrance ceremony, we felt like it was the destiny's work and we hoped that this time we can remain together." said Mayumi jokingly. She was about to end the joke when Tatsuya held her hand with his own.
"But now that we are together again, we are willing to face the world so we can be together for the rest of our life. Even if the rest of the magical society doesn't approve of this because we belong to different groups, we don't care, because we are willing to do anything so we can keep this feeling that now we share in our hearts. Because we know that this meeting is our destiny." said Tatsuya with an intensity that made all the women blush, Miyuki and Mayumi more than the others with the later skipping a heartbeat. At the same time, the temperature suddenly dropped, freezing the drinks that were on the table.
"It would be very interesting if that was the case, but that is not because without a doubt that was the first time that we met."
"That was very interesting Tatsuya-san." said Mari after she saw how her friend became speechless.
"Mayumi may be good at these kind of plays, but she is not yet at the level of my aunties." With that said, he turned to see Mayumi, whose face was returning to her normal color. "By the way Mayumi, I win this round." he stated, causing her to blush again.
For Mayumi, this was a completely new experience, because every time that she pulled a prank like this, people reacted in different ways. Some became intimidated by her position; others just followed her due to obligation. Only her female friends really understood her, but now Tatsuya-kun proved to be different. Not only because he didn't get intimidated by anyone, but because of the way that he behaved with her, like she was just another girl, and that sparked her interest in him.
When she realized that she had been silent for more than a few moments, she chose to change the topic of the conversation.
"By the way Miyuki, your magical interference sure is strong for you to be able to use magic without your CAD." said Mayumi as she pointed to their drinks and food.
"I'm so sorry! It's just that that was very intense, and I don't know what happened to me." said an embarrassed Miyuki.
"Don't worry about that. Tatsuya and I were just joking, ne Tatsuya-kun?" said Mayumi in an attempt to save face.
Tatsuya just nodded, and soon all of them had to leave for their afternoon classes, but not before Mayumi thought to herself, 'It's as you said Tatsuya-kun. You won this round, but the game has just begun.'
Classes had ended for the day, and Miyuki was approaching a car while Honami was waiting to open the door for her. Once inside, she could see her mother seated inside the car, not that this surprised her since her mother told her that they were going to pick her up after school. This was so that they could leave to see her aunt as soon as possible due to how serious the matter was.
"Hello mother."
"Hello Miyuki. How was your day?"
"It was interesting." answered Miyuki, not wanting to reveal the event between her brother and Mayumi. For some reason it really bothered her, even though she knew that she didn't have the right to say anything about what her brother did.
"Is there anything new that you've managed to learn about him?"
"He looks like he's a social person that enjoys being with his friends and making jokes with them. He's very intelligent, and was able to defeat the unbeaten vice-president from course one in under two seconds."
"Is that true?" asked Miya with a great interest that she hid under a mask of indifference.
"Yes. He used a spell based in thaumaturgy that looks like an energy ball. It hit the target after he used his magic circuits to avoid the incoming attack, and placed himself behind his opponent. Also, by what he told us that spell, called Gandr, could very easily kill his target if he wanted."
"Very interesting." said Miya, with hidden pride that her son had become so strong.
"There is something else. He seems to be very close to the Emiya family, and considers them as his true family. The way that he talks about them made me believe that they spend a lot of time together."
"I see." Miya answered with a little bit of sorrow that once again she kept under her mask.
"Miya-sama, on the right side." said Honami.
Following that information, Miya turned to look, only to see the face of the son that she hadn't seen in seven years.
He had become a handsome young man, and the way that he was talking with his friends made him look like a normal teenager that only had to worry about the things that any other boy of his age had to worry about. God, how she wanted to allow him to live his life that way, but she couldn't because he is not a normal boy. He was her son, even if she kept her distance from him to allow him to have the type of life that he now seemed to have. Especially if his history is true, and his life is really in danger. She would protect her son with her life, even if he hated her. It was something that she needed to do, because it was time for her to face her responsibilities and make up for her mistakes.
When she saw her son turn to look at their car for a moment, she felt like he was looking right at her.
"Honami, it will be impolite if we arrive late. After all, we were the ones that requested a meeting with Maya." said Miya so they could leave that place. She may have had all the intention to recover her son, but she wasn't ready, not yet anyway.
"Is there something wrong Tatsuya?" asked Erika when she saw that her friend had stopped walking with them and was looking in another direction.
"… No. It's nothing. I just thought that I saw someone that I knew, but it was my mistake." Tatsuya said as normally as possible. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to leave."
"Do you really have to go so soon? We were hoping to get to know you better." asked Honoka, with Shizuku nodding her head.
It was just after when classes had ended that the duo had come over to them and introduced themselves, saying that they were sorry for the problems that their classmates caused the other day. They then asked if they could walk with them to get to know them better when Tatsuya suddenly stopped.
"I'm sorry, but I already had others plans with my family. If you want however, next Monday after school we can go all together to a café and talk." offered Tatsuya.
When all his friends and the new two girls agreed to that idea, Tatsuya proceeded to return to his home with his guard up. He didn't need his elemental sight to know that his mother was in the same car that Miyuki got in. He didn't know why she was there, and he didn't care as long as she kept her distance, but he knew that if she or her family tried something he would face them.
But now he had other worries, because that day was going to be his first public appearance as an Emiya. So far, he had kept his distance from public events that would put his face in the social section of the newspapers because of the risk of being discovered by the Yotsuba. But now it had become a necessity, because as Rin told him, "Now is the time to show the world that you are part of this family". So it was decided that that night he would go with Aoi, Iris, Kiritsugu, Ilya, Rin and Shirou to a charity event. All of them had agreed that in the event that something happened, one of them should remain in the mansion, especially now that the threat of the Yotsuba had become even more serious, and Sakura was the one that volunteered to stay in the mansion with Leysritt and Sella.
It was about eight at night in a fancy hotel that had a social events room. Tatsuya and the others had arrived an hour ago, but he felt like it had been five and he already wanted to leave. However, now that Kiritsugu had introduced him as his nephew to many of the more important people of the business and political world, he now had to keep up appearances. At that moment, he was heading to a balcony so that he could get a little break from all the conversation and having to smile to people that he didn't know. This was now the game that he was going to have to learn how to play.
He had just stepped onto the balcony to enjoy the cool air of the night, when he felt a presence behind him. He couldn't detect any hostility from it which made him believe that it was someone from the party that wanted something from him. Placing a stiff smile on his face, he turned to see this newcomer.
"It's a beautiful night." said Tatsuya as he turned, only to be surprised as to who the visitor was.
"It certainly is." said Mayumi as she approached him. She was wearing a beautiful nightdress that, while being modest, also had an element of grace and elegance which seemed to enhance the daughter of the Saegusa family. "It's a surprise to see you here Tatsuya, but I have to admit that it is a pleasant one."
"I'd say the same Mayumi. I suppose that the normal question would be 'what are you doing here', but as member of the Saegusa family that's pretty obvious. Still, it's indeed a great surprise."
"I knew that the Emiya family was invited to the event, but because they rarely come I know that most of the people here weren't expecting your presence."
"Yeah, it was something on that was decided on the last moment."
"You know Tatsuya, if we will keep meeting like this I may end up believing what you said about our fated reunion." said Mayumi as she got closer with a sly smile.
"Well, if that's the case, I could say that it would be an honor if my destiny is to be with you." was Tatsuya's answer which made her blush.
'Damn.' thought Mayumi. When she saw Tatsuya when she arrived at the party, she believed that it would be the perfect time for her rematch after the events of this afternoon, but if everything kept going like this it would just end up the same.
It was at that same moment that the band began to play a waltz, causing Mayumi to come back to reality with an idea after hearing the music.
"Ara, ara Tatsuya-kun. Don't tell me that with music like this, all that you're going to do is stand there by yourself while such a beautiful girl is right in front of you."
"That's something that can be easily fixed, if you allow me." said Tatsuya as he offered his hand to lead Mayumi to the dancing area. There, the two of them allowed the music to guide their movements.
"I have to admit that I first thought that this was going to be another boring party, but finding you here was a welcome surprise." said Mayumi.
"I have to agree, this event turned to out to be better than what I expected."
"By the way Tatsuya, those two women that are looking at us in a funny way wouldn't happen to be the wife of AvalonTech's CEO Iris and the director of the PR Aoi, would they?" Taking a look, Tatsuya could confirm that his aunts were looking in their direction. He sighed, knowing too well what will happen when they went home.
"Yes they are, but to me they are my aunts."
"Aunts? Wouldn't they be the aunts that you said that are on their own level when it comes to teasing?"
The sight of Tatsuya as he turned pale was all the answer that Mayumi needed. Meanwhile, Tatsuya realized that he was between a wall and a sword.
"Don't tell me that this small dance will give your aunts some material to tease you with?" asked Mayumi with a mischievous smile.
"Not really. If I told them that we're both members of the student council and go to the same high school, they may play a little with that, but it wouldn't be too bad."
"Really?" asked Mayumi as the song ended. Then, standing on the tips of her toes, Mayumi placed a small kiss on Tatsuya's cheek. She then took a step back and gave a curtsy with her dress. "I really enjoyed the dance, and hope that we can do it again. Oh, and Tatsuya-kun… I win this round." and with that, Mayumi left.
Tatsuya, for his part, saw how Mayumi was walking away, and when he turned to see where Iris and Aoi were he saw that for some reason they had a camera in their hands. They were also looking in his direction with an expression that told him that it was going to be a long trip home with those two and the material that Mayumi just provide them.
'OK, I admit that I walked right into this myself.' thought Tatsuya resignedly.
Outside the Emiya's Mansion.
Completely unaware that their main target was not at home at the time, a black suburban with seven occupants parked next to the tree line close to the mansion.
"We are ready Akira-sama." said one of the men.
"Is there any confirmation about the target's location?" asked the leader.
"By your order, we cut all links with the main force of the Guardians, and that includes intelligence group, so there's no way of confirming if they are home without contacting the main house." answered Aoki. "But the Emiya are known to spend most of their time in the mansion."
"It doesn't matter now. Even if they are not at home, we will wait for them, and when they return we will finish the job." said Akira.
"Akira-sama, don't you think that this mission is very strange? Why would Maya-sama would order this attack, and later tell us to cut all contact with the main house? Up to date information on the targets is vital for the success of the mission after all."
"Our duty is to follow Maya-sama's orders, not to ask questions." lied Akira. "Besides, I believe that she wants to cover all tracks that could cause trouble for the Yotsuba".
With that, the assassin group moved to the external walls that marked the limits of the Emiya mansion. Five of them were train assassins from the best inside the Yotsuba clan. Chosen by Akira and Aoki, they were there to make sure that this time the disgrace of the Yotsuba died.
When they were in front of the wall, the group used weight magic to jump over it. The moment that they landed, they felt a strong desire to leave the area appear in their minds. If they were any other group, that desire alone would had been enough to make them leave that place, but since they were not a normal group thanks to their training, they were able to resist the suggestion.
"What was that?" asked one of the assassins.
"Some class of mental interference magic." answered another one.
"But only Miya-sama could have done something at this level!"
"We will worry about that later. For now, we need to move fast." ordered Akira.
As they moved through the garden, getting closer to the mansion, a thick fog appeared out of nowhere. Getting on guard, the leader of the assassin group said, "They know that we're here."
"Yes, I know." said a voice from behind them. What happened next was something that the Guardians of the Yotsuba would remember forever, even if all they wanted to do was to forget.
A few minutes earlier, inside the mansion.
Leysritt and Sella were sitting in the living room with Sakura, all of them looking at some lingerie catalogs.
"I still can't believe how you and the girls agreed to share Shirou that way." said Leysritt.
"How do you know that Shirou wasn't the one who seduced us into that idea?" asked a playful Sakura.
"Because we know that Shirou is many things, but a lady's man is not one of them." answered Sella. "Besides, we know that when a woman wants her man, there's nothing that can stop her. We're just curious about how you came to this agreement."
"It wasn't easy, because Rin, Illya and I knew that the others were in love with Shirou. In fact, I believe that the only one in this household that didn't know was Shirou himself." Looking at how Leysritt and Sella nodded, Sakura continued. "That's why we decided to stop playing around, and advanced to the next level."
"Next level? You girls practically gave him his own harem! Are you sure that you're fine with this?" asked Sella.
"In the beginning, we agreed to this so that we could all be happy, but later we found that it was necessary as well." said Sakura with an odd little smile.
"Necessary?" asked Leysritt.
"That night, Shirou made us feel a world of pleasure that we had never thought existed. Climax after climax, each one making us feel that every nerve in our bodies were overloaded with ecstasy, each orgasm so strong that they made us forget our own names, and in the end, neither Rin, Illya, or myself could move a single muscle. We had to remain in our place in bed because we couldn't, or better said, we had no desire to move." Looking at the blushes on the face of her friends, she added with a playful smile, "So can you imagine what would happen if only one of us were to take care of Shirou's needs?"
"Damn! It's always the quiet ones." said Sella.
"Are you sure that you don't need any extra help?" joked Leysritt.
"I appreciate your interest in our little club, but unfortunately we are not looking for new members at the moment." was Sakura's reply which made all of those who were present laugh.
"And this lingerie will be the new uniform of the club?" asked Sella.
"We'd been holding back for over ten years, so I believe that we need to make up for lost time." was Sakura's reply.
They would have continued with that conversation, but the alarm crest that connects the members of the Emiya family with the bounded field warned them about the presence of intruders.
"I feel the presence of seven intruders, all magicians." said Sakura.
"Should we call the others?" asked Leysritt.
"No, I already send them a telepathic message and told them that I will take care of the situation."
"Are you sure? They are seven, and most likely Yotsuba." said a worried Sella.
"I can feel their power. It's strong, and different from normal magicians, but with their level they are not a threat. Now, I want you to remain here, and no matter what happens, do not go out." said Sakura as she turned into blue sparks of light and disappeared.
Reappearing in the garden in a spiritual form that made her invisible, she could see how the intruders were getting closer to the mansion. Casting a thick fog to prepare the battle field, she came close enough to hear one of them say, "They know that we're here."
"Yes, I know." She replied, and with a strong grip on the shoulder of the assassin, Sakura threw him into the fog.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" was the scream of the poor bastard which ended with the sound of an impact and something getting broken. After that, just silence.
"Defensive formations!" said the leader as they broke in two groups of three with their backs to each other to cover all possible incoming attacks.
"Anyone see happened to Turtle?" one of them asked.
Just at that moment, they began to see different figures begin to take form inside the fog. First there were small kids playing with a ball, followed by small dogs, deer, and birds, all of them seemingly harmless. That confused the intruders until the figures in the fog got closer, and as they did their harmless features turned into rotten meat, with the animals changing into creatures that seemingly came from a horror story.
"Good evening, have you come to play with me?" asked Sakura in a childish tone, her voice echo through the fog.
"What do you want? Who are you?" asked one of the men.
"It's very impolite to ask questions without introduce yourself." was Sakura's reply.
"Stop this nonsense, and show yourself!" ordered another one.
"Do you really believe that there's someone stupid enough to follow that order in this situation? You must not be very smart, are you?"
"You have no idea of who you're dealing with, or you wouldn't be so full of yourself".
"Well, if I had to guess, I would say that all of you are Yotsuba. Am I correct?" after a few seconds of silence she continued. "By your silence, I would say that I am right."
The fog figures got closer by the moment. When one of the assassins punched one of them, his fist pierced the face of a boy that looked like a zombie. He felt his hand get cooler when he did so, but nothing else.
"They're just illusions! They can't hurt us!" he said.
As he finished those words however, the fog that made up the figure wrapped itself around the man, and before he had the chance to do something it threw him upwards about ten meters before he stopped in midair for a few seconds. Then he was just thrown again in the direction where the first assassin was last seen. All this happened before the eyes of his companions, who could only hear his screams that, just like the first time, ended with the sound of an impact. Then the fog began to become denser as it also began to spin around them.
"VIPER!"
"What were you saying?" asked Sakura
"DAMN YOU!" shouted one of the assassins as he got his CAD ready to attack. He was interrupted however when some roots shot out of the ground in front of him and entangled his feet. Then, with a strong tug, threw him to the ground, and a second later dragged him at great speed into the fog.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"TIGER!" and with that scream, the last of that group took his CAD and cast a spell to send ice spears in every direction, only to find that when they were headed in the direction of the mansion, the fog stopped them as if it had turned into an iron wall.
"Stay focused Fox, and come over here!" said the leader that remained in the other group with Akira and Aoki, guarding the member of the main house. As for Akira, he couldn't believe what was happening. His life was in danger, not only from the Yotsuba if Miya found out what he did, but now also this situation that looked like it came out of a horror movie.
When fox joined their defensive formation, the fog began to reduce its density just enough to see a figure, a woman by the looks of it, that was walking in their direction.
"Do you understand your situation now?" asked Sakura.
"What did you do to my men?" asked the leader.
"The real question is, what I am about to do you?"
"Don't you dare look down on us!" said Akira, recovering his voice. "Use your rings!"
With that order, the remaining two assassins, Aoki and himself, exposed unornamented rings and activated them, sending waves of Antinita particles, hoping that with that they could stop the girl from using her magic. The fact that it looked like she didn't care didn't help their confidence.
"Now you'll pay!" screamed the youngest one of the group as he charged at the girl.
"Wait Fox! There's something wrong!"
Not paying attention to his leader, he took out his combat knife and charged at the girl that seemed amused at the scene before her.
"DIE!" said the man known as Fox.
However, the girl before him just moved a little and avoided his attack. The other intruders watched on while they kept up the Antinita interference, hoping that it would give their partner the advantage. But the girl kept avoiding his attacks as if she was playing with a small child.
"I'm afraid that I can't keep playing with you because I have some questions that need answers." Sakura said with a smile as she caught the arm that had the knife with a single hand. "And you can be sure that I will get my answers." Then, as her eyes seemed to disappear in a dark shadow, she made a quick twirl that broke the man arm and left it in an unnatural position.
"MY ARM! AHHHH!" Whatever he was about to scream ended when Sakura grabbed his throat and lifted his body, all the while the poor man was struggling to breathe.
"FOX!" said the leader.
"You must be leader of this group, but those two behind you must be important if you keep guarding them even in this situation." said Sakura while keeping her hold on her enemy. When the man seemed that he was about to lose consciousness, Sakura just threw him with a force that made him look like he was a doll.
"Now, it's time to end all of this and get my answers."
"Dragon, do something!" said Akira, fear now overflowing in his mind. 'This can't be happening!' thought the poor idiot.
"Keep the Antinita over her!" said the named Dragon as he jumped apart from Akira and Aoki. The plan was simple, while Akira-sama and Aoki stopped the girl from using her magic, he would cast his magic from another direction so he could finish her. Her abnormal strength wouldn't save her from a ranged attack.
"Eat this!" screamed Dragon as he sent countless ice spears at Sakura's direction, trusting that they would end her life.
But what they saw was something that they thought was impossible, as wind twirled around her, forming a shield that protected her from the incoming attack. After a while, it ended without causing a single scratch on its target.
"How is this possible? How can she use her magic with the cast jamming active?" said Aoki, now on the edge of the panic.
"Both of you are cowards, but the fact that you're here means that you had a personal interest in being here. I wonder what it could be?" said Sakura while looking at Akira and Aoki. Then she turned her eyes to the last standing assassin. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time or the mood to be gentle with you." And with that, she began to walk towards her new target.
"Stay away!" said the leader as he used his magic again. But this time instead of using the wind as a shield, she moved at high speeds, avoiding the attack. "This magic already proved to be useless against me, so why are you bothering to use it again?" came her voice from behind the man, who never saw how she got there.
"If you want to finish someone else, you need to do something like this." said Sakura with a dark tone as she placed her hand on the man's back. Soon, a sphere of wind surrounded the man like a prison, and then, as the wind started to spin, a lot of cuts began to appear on the man's body as a new cry of pain and terror could be heard in the Emiya's mansion garden.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Then, to finish him, Sakura gave a small punch that sent the sphere and the man inside it in the same direction that she had sent the others. Again, the sound of an impact could be heard when he got lost in the fog.
"Now that there's no more distractions, both of you and I will have a nice little conversation." said Sakura with a voice that no matter how sweet she made it, Aoki and Akira could feel the killer intent behind those words. Knowing that they had no chance of winning against the insanely powerful magician, they tried to escape using the flight magic that ironically was developed by this same family. But before they could ascend one meter, hands made of soil caught their feet, stopping their escape even before it could start.
"It's too late to leave now. I have some questions, and I know that you have the answers, and you can be sure that by the end of this night you will have told me everything."
"You crazy witch, don't you know who I am? I'm a very important member of the master clans! If you touch me, it'll be your own death sentence!" said Akira, trying to avoid what he knew would come next.
"Just release us and turnover that useless failure that you protect, and we'll decide to spare the lives of you and your family." added Aoki.
"So you are Yotsuba after all." said Sakura in a low voice.
"If you know that, you better do as we said and give us that failure." said Akira, hoping that the name of his clan would get him of this situation.
"As if we would ever betray a member of our family like that." was Sakura's answer
"Idiot. Do you really believe that you and your pathetic family have a chance against the strongest clan in Japan?" Akira tried to push.
"If you do anything to us, the Yotsuba will make each and every one of you die a slow and painful death." continued Aoki.
"By threatening my family, you've made a terrible mistake." said Sakura in a dark tone. She began to activate her magic circuits, forcing more and more prana to surround her, making it visible to the men who were now scared shitless.
"Before this moment, I was only planning to get the information that I wanted. But now that you've dared to threaten my family, I'll have to do something very special." With that said, she forced the two men into the ground, making them go so deep that only their heads were visible. When the two of them saw her eyes, for a moment they believed that they were in the presence of the Shinigami herself.
"I will get my answers and more from you, and I will not be gentle. I will teach you new levels of pain that you had never thought possible. In just a few moments, you will feel centuries of agony while I learn all of your and your clan's secrets. And when I'm done with you, I'll pay your lovely clan a visit, and I'll teach them a lesson that they will never forget."
And with that said, a duo of screams could be heard, but different from the previous ones, these were longer, and carried a level pain that no living human should be possible experience.
While all this was happening, inside the mansion Leysritt and Sella were at the window trying to see what was happening. However, with the fog, all they could do was hear the screams. The fact that all the screams were male was something that they considered a good sign, they hoped.
"Remind me never to get on Sakura's bad side." said Leysritt, as Sella nodded in agreement while the pleading of the men for Sakura to stop were being ignored.
Yotsuba Main House. A few minutes later.
Miyuki's point of view.
For Miyuki, the Yotsuba main house had never felt like a home for her. It was more like a prison, one made of gold, but still a prison. She always had to act like the perfect heiress of the Yotsuba clan in front of everyone, even with her mother, with Honami being the only friend that she had that treated her like a normal girl.
Yet over the last few years, she had seen a change in the relationship between her mother and her aunt Maya. There was still some tension, but they were both improving as time passed, all thanks to the medicine that had saved her mother's life. Now, they were acting more like sisters, with good and bad times, and for that she was thankful.
But now she could feel the tension in the private studio of her aunt Maya's where she, her mother, and Honami were having a very important meeting about a very delicate topic, her brother.
"You can start with your report, Honami-san." ordered Maya. Ever since she had learned about the situation, she had taken great interest in it. Whether this was something good or bad, Miyuki didn't know.
"As you command, Maya-sama. It is true that about seven years ago, two members of the Guardians Corps died in what was reported a plane accident when they were returning from a routine mission."
"Who ordered the mission?" asked Miya with worry in her voice, as the story given by her son had been confirmed, at least in part.
"It was Akira-sama."
"That man was always too ambitious, and not as smart as he believed himself to be." commented Maya. Her interest in the matter was deeper than she wanted to admit.
"What about Kogoro-dono? Did you manage to find out the truth?" asked Miya.
"I sent a team of my most trusted men to visit his home. I am sorry to report that it was destroyed in a fire seven years ago, and the body of Kogoro-dono was found in the remains."
"How is possible that we hadn't learn about this until now?" asked Miya.
"We're still looking about this, but the team that I sent was able to learn that the funeral was paid in cash by someone said to be family to Kogoro-dono, and because of that the authorities didn't try to look for any more people that may have known him. Also, because they paid in cash there is no way to trace the money."
"But Kogoro-dono didn't have any family members. Was there any information about Tatsuya then?" asked Miya.
"The same person that paid for the funeral also went to his school to inform that Tatsuya would be moving in with another relative. However, what's interesting is that the description of that man is very similar to Aoki."
While this was happening, Miyuki felt as if a fist was closing around her heart as her worst fears were becoming a reality right in front of her. Members of the Yotsuba clan had tried to kill her brother, and now he believed that her mother was the one responsible. Now she was afraid that Tatsuya was going to hate them, if he didn't already.
"You should have taken Tatsuya back as soon as the new magic system was made public knowledge." Maya said to her sister.
"We both know what the clan thinks about that system." was Miya's reply, yet deep inside she knew that her sister was right. She should have taken Tatsuya back then.
"What about the Emiya family?" asked Miyuki to keep the meeting going.
"Besides being the owners of AvalonTech, the CEO, Kiritsugu Emiya, is a war veteran and a magic engineer, and his wife Iris is the last member of a noble family of Germany, their daughter and their adopted son. With them also lives Aoi Ito, the ex-wife of Tohsaka Tokiomi, and she and her two daughters are under their protection. Another fact is that their kids are all thaumaturgy users, but there is nothing to special about them from what we could find."
"Is there any evidence that links them to Akira, or the death of Kogoro?"
"Nothing that we could find, but with your permission we would like to start to send teams to find out all that we can about them, and their relationship with Tatsuya-san."
Honami was about to continue with the report that the guardians corps had sent her, when a large explosion could be heard from the main gate of their complex. Soon, more explosions followed with the alarms that indicated the presence of an intruder in the complex.
Soon, every member in charge of the security of the main house took their stations and got ready to defend their clan. Shortly after, more explosions and battle cries were heard in the distance, but they didn't stop. Instead, they were getting closer by the minute.
A new explosion occurred that could be felt in the entire mansion. It could only mean one thing.
"Maya-sama, an intruder has gotten inside the complex." said a Guardian that entered the room. He closed the door and, with Honami, they took defensive positions to protect their leaders. As time passed, more fighting noises could be heard, and each one was getting closer than the last.
"Any ideas about the identity of the enemy?" asked Maya as she was getting ready to use her magic.
"Only that it's one girl." said the Guardian.
"One girl? Are you sure about that?" asked Honami, surprised that not only there existed someone crazy enough to attack the Yotsuba clan, but that it was only one person.
"I'm not sure, the reports are confusing. The only thing that we know for sure is that whoever it is is very powerful." The sounds of battle were getting so close that they could also hear the cries from the guardians.
"Stop her at all cost!"
"The Antinita doesn't work!"
"We need backup!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Soon the battle cries were replaced by moans of pain and calls for help. But what worried Miyuki more was that the sounds of fighting just ended outside the studio where they were in.
"Miyuki, stay behind me." said Miya, worried about her daughter, and ready for anything except what happened next.
Knock-knock. Someone was knocking on the door.
"Excuse me, but I really need to talk with the leader of the Yotsuba, Maya." said a girl's voice.
"Is this a joke?" asked the Guardian.
"It's a matter of great importance, and I will not leave this place until I've talked with her." said the voice, again ignoring the last comment. "I know that there are five people in there, and that one of them is Maya. I will talk to her now, whether she wants to or not." and with that, the door opened to reveal a beautiful, violet haired girl.
As soon as she entered the study, the Guardian took his CAD, which had the form of a customized naginata, and charged at the girl. In a fraction of second, with a swig of her hand, she sent a wind blade that cut the guardian's CAD in half.
"If you cannot remain silent while we are talking, then you will have to wait outside." With that said, she sent out a wind wave that sent the Guardian through the window. She then began to walk into the room, allowing them to see that she was levitating something, or rather, some ones.
"Stay back!" said Honami as she raised her shield to protect the main family. But to her great concern, the girl didn't seem worried about it. She just walked in front of the shield, and placed her had on it. Soon, Honami could feel a great pressure coming from where that girl had placed her hand, and soon cracks could be seen on her shield. She put more power into the shield to stop the girl, and the girl placed more pressure in return. "This isn't good. I won't be able to hold this much longer. Get ready to escape, I'll hold her off as long as I can." said Honami.
"Sorry, but I can't allow you to do that." Sending more Mana to her hand, with a single punch Sakura not only broke her shield, but sent Honami flying to end up crashing against a bookcase.
"Honami!" cried Miyuki. Seeing her friend get hurt, she took her CAD and cast one of her strongest spells, Niflheim.
What happened next was something that neither Miyuki, her mother, or her aunt believed possible, as the frozen wave caused by Niflheim's magic, which had advanced towards Sakura, suddenly began to swirl around and began to gather into Sakura right hand. After a few moments, her Niflheim was nothing but an ice ball that, when Sakura dropped it, shattered into thousands of pieces.
"If you're done with your games, there's something of great importance that we need to discuss." saying this, Sakura canceled her levitation spell, dropping the two unconscious bodies that they immediately recognized.
"Akira! Aoki!" said Miyuki.
"There are five more that I left at the main gate. Some of them will need months to recover, but they are still alive. Barely, but still alive."
"I believe that you have us at dis advance Ms.?"
"Sakura. Sakura Ito, soon to be Sakura Emiya. And I just said, we need to talk." By the way that Sakura said those words, all of the members of the Yotsuba clan knew that at that moment, they had no way to say no to her. They were no longer in a position of power, and this was a new experience for them, an experience that they didn't like. What they didn't know was that this would be the first of a series of events that would show that the world of magic still had many surprises.
