Fate/Kyon's Order: Arcueid's Arrival

A Haruhi Suzumiya & Fate/Grand Order Crossover Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

Part 7-Perceptions And Reality

The full moon shone in the night sky, its lower edge seemingly touching the mountains in the background. Blue flowers spread all over the landscape, surrounding an elaborate castle made of stone and crystal. This was Castle Brunestud, only able to be replicated by those capable of acting as a vessel for the deity known commonly as Crimson Moon. And only two beings on all of planet Earth could lay claim to this role...

And it was one of these beings who was now standing in the field just outside the castle proper, her long blonde hair swaying slightly in the wind. However, this was not the true Castle Brunestud, but a replication within the mental world of the Moon Cancer known as Arcueid.

The being known to most as Archetype: Earth stood silently, staring into the distance, contemplating the new knowledge her vessel had gained recently... the Evils of Humanity, beings whose intense love for humans had paradoxically drove them to wipe it out as constituted, beginning with Beast I Goetia, who had only seen humanity's suffering and countless deaths, vowing to erase their entire history and begin them again as 'perfect' beings... (What a farce,) the Ultimate One sniffed. The Beast had failed to realize that, being created by a human himself, he was just as fallible as the rest of them...

But his defeat had only been the beginning, as his manifestation paved the way for future Beasts to materialize... Beast II, the Primordial Mother, Tiamat... Beast III/R, once a human known as Kiara Sessyoin... Beast IV, who had given up its power for the sake of a human they had come to truly love and care for... But that left three unaccounted for. And Archetype: Earth was almost certain that another Evil of Humanity was responsible for the bleaching of Earth, and the Lostbelts...

And what of her Master, Haruhi Suzumiya? She had sensed her immense power almost immediately, and from what little that Haruhi had told her, was able to piece two and two together, and thus attempt to nip her in the bud before she became a threat greater than any Dead Apostle or Demon Lord... but said Master had been more resourceful than she realized, cutting her off from Earth inside her 'closed space' Reality Marble, allowing her other self to wrest back control... (I wonder... is this Master a Beast of sorts herself, who refused to manifest as an Evil of Humanity, as Beast IV apparently did...?)

"Penny for your thoughts," another voice intruded on her reverie. Archetype: Earth closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, before turning to face the source: her corrupted, bubbly side that nearly all attributed the name 'Arcueid' to. "Still mulling over what that BB told us?"

"...Yes, you could say that," Archetype: Earth kept her tone even. "Are you sure it is wise to fully trust Haruhi Suzumiya, however?"

"This again?" Arc put her hands on her hips with an annoyed expression. "She already kicked your butt once, do you really wanna try that again?"

"You're avoiding my question," the Ultimate One pressed.

"She seems nice enough," Arcueid answered. "I get you're concerned about her power that rivals our full power, but... she doesn't seem to abuse them, unlike a certain somebody..."

Archetype: Earth's eyes narrowed at this. "That is the taint of human blood that speaks now."

"Now who's dodging?" Arcueid shot back. "Look, I admit I've thought about causing all kinds of destruction on this planet, simply because I could. But then Ciel and Shiki would die, and I don't want that."

"Ciel has attempted to kill you in the past, and Shiki nearly succeeded in doing so," Archetype: Earth countered.

"Ciel was doing her job, and that was Shiki's other personality," Arcueid responded. "I like to think we've come to an understanding since then..."

"And yet, neither seem to exist in this timeline. Why bother with any of these humans, especially Haruhi Suzumiya? For all you know, she could be an Evil of Humanity herself..."

"Oh yeah, then why is she helping Chaldea take down the other Beasts, huh?!" Arc challenged. "You remember what BB told us, that the Beasts' love for humanity is so twisted, they end up trying to destroy them! But Master is nothing like that! I can see that she loves Kyon-san just as much as I loved Shiki, if not more so! So instead of trying to kill her, maybe you should focus on keeping him safe instead!"

Archetype: Earth had no answer for that, simply turning away from her counterpart. "Let us hope that your trust in Suzumiya does not turn out to be misplaced..."

Arcueid blew a raspberry at her in response. "Well, as long as you have that attitude, you can forget about taking back control anytime soon!" With that, she turned and vanished, leaving the Ultimate One alone with her castle...

*Back in reality...*

Arcueid was aroused by a sudden tremor that shook the facility. Nearby, Haruhi and Kyon were also half-awakened, the latter muttering 'what is it this time'...

But the vampire had sensed the eruption of prana deep below, which could only mean one thing... Jumping to her feet, she cried excitedly, "Master, Master, wake up!"

"Oh, come on..." Haruhi groaned in protest. "Can't I cuddle with Kyon a lil' longer..."

"What's going on...?" Kyon grunted.

"It's happened! The new Fantasia Resort is up and running! I sensed the grail's activation to jump-start the systems!"

"Fantasia... wait, WHAT?!" Haruhi abruptly threw off her sheets, sitting up straight. "The beach resort?! Sweet! Kyon, get dressed!" The shackles around Arc's wrists and ankles suddenly fell off. "Arcueid, you wait outside while we get ready! No wandering off!"

"As you wish, Master," the vampire giggled, promptly leaving to give them their modesty...

*A few minutes later...*

Mori Sonou couldn't believe her eyes. She and some of her fellow espers had taken an elevator deep underground, and yet she saw the sun blazing in a clear blue sky... "Is... is this real...?!"

"My word... it's like I'm back in Hawaii!" Director Goredolf Musik gaped.

Even Arcueid was impressed, despite having seen the cavern beforehand. "Wow... this looks so different with an actual sky! How'd they do that?!"

"Bounded field, plus an artificial sun courtesy of Nitocris and Ozymandias," Helena spoke up, now dressed in a modest lilac bikini. "We still have to do some checks to make sure everything's running properly, but there shouldn't be any major issues. After all, we've done this once before."

"So the rumors were true after all..." Goredolf shook his head. "The alien didn't help you out with any of this?"

"I was not involved in the construction of the original Fantasia Resort," Yuki spoke up, causing the heavy blond man to jump in surprise. "I did lend some assistance this time, mostly in transporting the sand and some of the chairs and other implements that I could salvage from the original after the Lostbelt Anastasia consigned it to eternal winter. However, Arcueid-san was responsible for most of the excavation of the underground chamber."

"YOU did this?!" Goredolf pointed at the vampire incredulously. "Am I glad that Suzumiya managed to tame you before you could destroy our new base, then!"

"Uh... thanks, I guess?" Arc's expression was a mix of guilt and confusion.

"Don't let him get to you, he's naturally paranoid," Haruhi put a hand on her shoulder. "I, for one, am really glad you sped up this construction! Well done, Arcueid Brunestud."

There was a brief flash as Arcueid's 'princess' form came forth. "...I thank you for your praise, Master, though as I said to Nagato-san earlier, I cannot swim. And the sun makes me slightly uncomfortable as well..." Her gaze was then drawn to a purple-haired girl making her way down the boardwalk, wearing an oversized black jacket, her lower legs replaced with long knee spikes and metal feet with elongated blades extending from the soles... Reaching the beach proper, she took off as if she were skating, soon hitting the water, leaving gentle wakes as she put on an impromptu dancing performance, drawing cheers and applause from Mori and the others... "Is that one of BB-san's Alter Egos?"

"Yep, that's Meltryllis," Haruhi nodded. "She sure didn't waste time getting down here..."

"Yes, she seems to be enjoying herself," another voice spoke up from Arcueid's other side, the princess looking over to see a nun with golden eyes. "Hmm, but where is your precious Kyon, Suzumiya? I thought he was with you?"

"Huh? Hey, yeah, where did he go?!" Haruhi looked around... but suddenly realization dawned. "Shit! Arcueid, get away from her!"

"What?!" Arcueid backed away a few steps. "What's the matter, Master?!"

"It's Kiara Sessyoin!" the reality warper hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Wait, as in Beast III/R?!" Arcueid realized, taking a defensive stance.

"Mmm... not anymore. I'm simply an Alter Ego servant now," Kiara averted her gaze. "You should be grateful, Suzumiya, that I deigned to show myself to you, that you might filter out your false perceptions..."

"F-false perceptions...? Wait, so this isn't Fantasia Resort?!" Haruhi realized.

"It's not...?! Rainbow Mystic Eyes!" Princess Arcueid intoned. "...She's right! This isn't a beach resort, it's a whorehouse!"

"Whorehouse?!" Suddenly the beach faded away, revealing the trio to be standing within a medieval Japanese-styled room.

"Ah, finally you see the truth," Kiara smirked. "Welcome to the Tokugawa Restoration Labyrinth, Ooku."

*To be continued...*

A/N: Uh oh, looks like a certain Dark Sakura servant has made her move...