November 21st, 2004 – Emiya residence
It was Saber who broke the stunned silence that had descended on the Workshop in the wake of Shirou's announcement.
"She doesn't look anything like me," protested the black knight. She had re-summoned her armor when Berserker had been summoned, and hadn't dismissed it since. "I know my gear changed colors, and my skin is paler now, but her eyes and hair are all wrong."
Shirou stared at his Servant, along with Rin and Sakura. Was she serious ? Sure, people often had difficulties recognizing the similarities between their faces and someone else's, but …
Then he understood. "You haven't seen yourself since the end of the last War, have you, Saber ?"
The unimpressed glance she sent his way made it clear that no, obviously, she hadn't seen her own reflection since being dragged into a prison of perpetual darkness and torment. And it wasn't as if she had spent a lot of time during the Fourth War taking care of her appearance, either.
"Right. Of course. Wait a moment, there is a mirror in there somewhere ..." he muttered, moving to look in the boxes piled against one of the walls, before finding what he was searching for. "Ah, there. Look."
He pulled out the full-body mirror that they had brought in the Workshop during their experimentation, so that Shirou could see what he looked like while drawing upon his power.
"Do you see the resemblance now ?" He asked, putting the mirror in front of Saber.
Saber stared at her reflection with wide eyes, reaching with one gauntleted hand to toy with her hair. Like her skin, it too was pale, and Shirou had to assume that it had been deeper in color before the Servant had been trapped in the Grail's darkness. The biggest shock, though, had to be her eyes, which were now yellow – exactly like the Servant of the Mount's.
Eventually, Saber tore her gaze from her reflection to turn to Rider, looking the other Servant up and down before asking :
"Are you ... one of the parts of me it tore away ?"
Rider cocked her head in confusion. Saber explained, though her tone made it clear she wasn't enjoying reliving the memories :
"After I was drowned into the black mud of the corrupt Grail" - Rin had already explained her part in the Fourth War and its end, though Saber's identity hadn't been revealed until Shirou had told them what his eyes had seen - "I remember it tearing pieces of me. I don't remember what those pieces were, because along with them went my memories beyond the start of the Fourth War. I thought what was torn from me had been destroyed, but …"
"That might make sense," said Rin. "I think I have an idea as to what might have happened. King Arthur's legend is one of the best known in the entire world. And he – sorry, she, would qualify for almost every Class. That must have had an impact on her Spirit Origin."
"What do you mean, Nee-san ?" asked Sakura.
"According to Shirou's Mystic Eyes, Saber resisted the corruption that afflicts her sword," answered Rin. She had already gotten over the shock of her Servant's identity, noted Shirou, and gone in full lecture mode. "If the Grail tried to damage her Spirit Origin in order to make it easier to corrupt her, it would still have … pieces, for lack of a better word, left over from the process."
"I am not sure I like where you are going with this, Master," frowned Rider. Rin shrugged.
"Sorry, Rider. I don't like it either, but we need to consider every possibility. So I need to ask, what do you remember ? Of your life as a human, as a King, I mean."
Rider smiled, the expression as beautiful as it was intimidating. "I remember battle after battle. I remember riding out against those who would invade our lands and crushing them on the field. I remember battling men and monsters alike, safeguarding the borders of my Kingdom."
"Is that all ?" asked Rin. "What about the time you spent in Camelot ? What about the politics, the strategy meetings, the audiences with nobles and villagers ?"
For the first time since she had removed her helmet, Rider appeared unsure and confused.
"I ... I do not ... There are images, but they are distant, blurred. It doesn't feel like they happened to me at all …"
"And what of your death ?" pressed Rin. "Do you remember Mordred's rebellion ? Do you remember the fields of Camlann ?"
"... No." The word left Rider's lips barely louder than a whisper. "I remember battles against foreign invaders, and taking part in the Wild Hunt, but not what came in between. How is that possible ? How did I not notice this ?!"
"Your legend – the legend of the both of you – has grown since your death, to become bigger than any single life can contain." Rin went on. "For instance, the story of King Arthur joining the Wild Hunt is incompatible with the one saying he sleeps in Avalon, waiting for the hour of England's greatest need, but both of these are recorded in your legend, and both are inscribed in the Throne of Heroes. It wasn't just your memories that the Grail tore away, Saber. It was taking pieces of your legend … your Spirit Origin. As for why you didn't notice, well, you have just materialized. Maybe you would have noticed the incoherences in your memories on your own eventually."
"What you are getting to, Rin," said Shirou slowly, "is that the Grail took Saber's memories, and used them along with another aspect of her legend to create Rider."
"Yes," confirmed Rin, "that's what I think happened, at any rate. But if I am right, some of the memories the Servant your father summoned in the Fourth War should have are still unaccounted for. If Saber is 'the Artoria of the Fourth Grail War', and Rider is 'the Artoria of the Battlefields of England', then what became of 'the Artoria of Camelot' ? You know, the one who gathered the Knights of the Round Table, rebuilt the kingdom of Britain ... and married Guinevere ?"
Rin winced as she said the last part, but neither Saber nor Rider did – in fact, the former cocked her head to the side questioningly, as if she didn't quite remember who the name was referring to, but knew that it was supposed to be someone important.
"You are saying one of the other Masters could have summoned another version of Artoria ?" clarified Shirou.
"It seems very likely," confirmed Rin.
"Well ... that's good, isn't it ?" asked Sakura with a frown. "It would make it easier to convince her Master there is something wrong with the Grail, at least."
"It might look that way", admitted Rin, scowling. "But given what we know, I am suspicious of such good fortune."
"You think the Grail did this for a reason", said Shirou.
"Given their similarities and how you reacted to Saber's sword, there is no doubt that Saber and Rider were affected by the Grail's curse", replied Rin. "I think something similar happened in the Third Grail War, when one of the Servants summoned was an 'Alter' of their original self. Did it just need to something with the 'pieces' it had torn from Saber, or was there another motive ? For that matter, was the Grail already corrupted during the Third War ? Saber and Rider both resisted the Grail's corruption, but did the missing pieces manage it as well, or were they successfully corrupted ? We don't know. We can't know, not until we have more information. So when we meet the Master of the hypothetical third Artoria Servant, we are going to need to be very careful."
"Regardless of how or why," Rider growled, "the Grail toyed with me. With us. It will pay for that transgression."
"That it will," agreed Saber with a cold smile. "That it will."
The silence that followed was ended by the simultaneous growls of several stomachs. It had already been several hours since the teens had eaten breakfast, and the summonings had taken a lot of energy out of them.
"Alright," declared Shirou. "That's enough speculation for now. I am going to prepare lunch, and we can discuss our strategy meanwhile. Saber, Berserker, Rider, I don't know if modern cooking will satisfy your palates, but I am hoping you will join us anyway ?"
".. We do not need to eat," pointed out Berserker, speaking for the first time after several minutes of silence. "All we require is prana from our Master. Food is wasted on us."
"That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, does it ? And it would be rude of us to eat without you."
"Just accept it," advised Rin. "He isn't going to let you avoid it. Besides, his cooking is really, really good."
Whether due to curiosity or politeness, the three Servants eventually accepted, and they all relocated to the living room. Sakura brought some clothes from their room for Berserker and Rider to wear, in case Fuji-nee came by unannounced, as she often had in the past. The presence of the Servants would already be difficult to explain, as would Saber's gothic dress : having someone else in armor from head to toe and a third in what could generously be described as a black bikini would be much more challenging. Berserker's blindfold would still require some minor hypnosis to explain away, though.
Shirou very carefully did not notice how Berserker's frame stretched Sakura's clothes, nor how they clung to Rider's legs and waist once the Servant of the Mount had unsummoned parts of her armor to sit more comfortably, and focused on preparing the meal.
As he cooked, Shirou gave more information to the three Servants. He told them about Avalon being implanted inside him, about the strange abilities he possessed whose origins they still didn't know, about the situation in Fuyuki and the call he had received from Lord El-Melloi II.
Shirou didn't know how much a Servant would eat, but he decided to go all-out on the quantity as well as the quality. Any leftovers could be put in the fridge : it was, after all, unlikely he would have time to cook properly again with the Grail War in full swing.
Five minutes after serving, he understood how foolish he had been.
The single male in the Emiya household wasn't stupid enough to even think that a woman had a big appetite : Taiga had long since taught him the perils of doing so. But Saber, Berserker and Rider certainly had been hungry. While the Masters ate their portions, the Servants took seconds, then thirds … The feast he had laid down was devoured in its entirety, with not a scrap left. Even Berserker, who had claimed not to need food, ate just as much as the deceptively slender Saber.
Shirou decided that he was going to need to buy more food soon. There were still enough supplies in the fridge and the freezer to last them a couple more days at this rate, but he didn't want to find out what would happen if he couldn't feed the Servants.
Still, it was nice to see that his cooking was good enough for people who had been kings or had lived during the Age of the Gods. Rider and Saber had been almost effusive in their praise, and even Berserker had broken her silence to quietly thank him and praise the quality of his cooking.
Although, come to think of it, Berserker had lived on an abandoned island, and Rider had been king of England, whose culinary reputation was … what it was. So maybe he shouldn't let their praise go to his head.
Once the table was cleaned up and the dishes done, they resumed their discussion.
The goal of their newly founded alliance was twofold : to prevent the corrupt Grail from manifesting, and to keep casualties to a minimum. Even Shirou was bitterly aware that the chances that no innocent would perish in the coming conflict were slight, but they were still going to do their best.
The first step would be to convince the other Masters to not fight, and to investigate and deal with the Servant responsible for the destruction at the Animusphere Castle. Then they would need to deal with the Grail itself, by learning more about the details of its corruption and then figuring out a way to defuse the threat it represented.
None present were blind to how daunting the task that laid ahead of them really was. And none of them were going to give up.
"Normally, this is the point of the War where we would introduce ourselves as Masters to the Overseer," said Shirou. "Of course, we aren't going to do that."
Rider frowned. "Why ? Wouldn't pretending to follow the rules of the War give us more time to find and convince the other Masters ? In fact, shouldn't this Overseer be the first to be informed of the threat ? The knowledge of the Grail War I was given indicates that this situation would fall right within their purview."
"That would be the case," agreed Shirou, "if not for the fact that this War's Overseer is Kirei Kotomine. The man was a Master in the previous War, and by all rights he should be dead. Dad shot him in the back at almost point-blank range with his Contender gun – which, for those of us not versed in modern firearms, is a weapon powerful enough to have completely obliterated Kirei's heart. This happened right before the destruction of the Grail and the unleashing of its curse. Kirei's corpse was near ground zero at the time, and he showed up right after to contact the Association and the Church in order to deal with the clean-up. A clean-up that, despite the sheer malevolence of the curse unleashed and the number of victims, somehow didn't raise any eyebrows in either organization. Do you see where I am going with this ?"
The Servant of the Mount nodded in understanding. "You think he was brought back to life by the Grail, and would therefore serve its will."
"We cannot be certain that the Grail's corruption has a 'will' to speak of. But given what happened to Saber, we have to act on the assumption it does. Besides, even if we were to consider the remote possibility that Kirei survived through other means and somehow missed how incredibly dangerous the Grail is, there are other reasons we cannot trust him." He went on to explain what he had learned from the Azoth dagger – about Kirei's betrayal and murder of Tokiomi Tohsaka.
"I see," said Rider, her face a picture of calm that masked the disgust Rin alone could feel through her bond. The King of Storms was outraged by such base treachery. "Then we will need to deal with him in due time. This shouldn't be too difficult. Even with the blessing of the corrupt Grail, he's still only human."
"We'll need to be careful," warned Rin. "He is a retired Executor of the Church, and much as I hate to admit it, he was one of the best in generations. There is a reason he was chosen as the administrator of the War, and why his word was trusted by both the Church and the Association."
"And there is a reason Dad told me to avoid him rather than arrange for his death himself," added Shirou.
"I would think so," remarked Saber. "Even with the wounds he sustained from the end of the War, surely Kiritsugu could have orchestrated Kirei's demise at some point before his own death otherwise. He was certainly capable enough during the Fourth War."
"Really ?" asked Rider with an air of curiosity. "What was he like ?"
"Brutal," said Shirou, cutting Saber off with an apologetic look. "And we aren't going to imitate his tactics unless we absolutely have to. His goals were to defeat the other Masters anyway, so that wouldn't serve our own objectives."
"I know we said that was our goal, Shirou, but the Association won't look kindly on our efforts to stop the War," said Rin. "There are provisions in the rules for this scenario. They were written in case the Masters decided that having the services of a Servant was more interesting than risking everything to pursue the Grail, but they can be applied to our situation."
"Especially given how paranoid, short-sighted and petty the magi of the Clocktower are," interjected Sakura, casually insulting some of the most powerful people on Earth without batting an eyelid. "They must have been terrified by the idea of someone without ten generations of interbred ancestors utilizing a Servant's help to reach the greater Mysteries."
"... Right. Rin, what's the protocol in that situation ?"
"If the Masters refuse to participate in the War, the Overseer must contact the Church and the Magus Association. Specialist exorcists and Enforcers will then be dispatched to neutralize the Masters, weakening the Servants enough that they can be banished. This has never happened in the previous Wars, and honestly, I think the Founders might have been a bit optimistic about the chances mere mortals stand against a Servant, but it would still be bad for us."
"Lord El-Melloi II has promised to help keep things from escalating at the Clocktower," Shirou reminded everyone, before adding for the Servants' benefits : "He is one of the twelve Lords of the Clocktower, and someone we have had dealings with in the past. At the very least, we should have advance warning if the Association decides to move against us in force."
"If we can trust him," said Sakura, making it clear that she did not think they could. The younger girl had never forgotten the fact that, in the eyes of the Clocktower, what had been done to her would have been entirely worth it in order to continue the Matou Magecraft.
"We are going to have to, Sakura," said Shirou with a grim smile. "I know you don't like him, but he has dealt fairly and honestly with us so far."
"Which leaves the Church," continued Rin. "But if Kirei is involved with the corruption of the Grail, then he wouldn't want to draw the attention of his superiors. Especially if we are right and his continued existence is the result of the Grail's interference : the Church looks very poorly on its members using unnatural methods to expand their lifespan. He might keep things under wraps as much as he can, which ironically would be his job anyway."
"We don't have enough information to know how he will act for sure," said Shirou. "But I think I know someone who can help us quarantine Fuyuki from the rest of the Moonlit World for the duration of the War."
"Who are you …" began Rin, before blinking in realization. "Oh. Of course. Still, are you sure you can convince them to help ?"
"Maybe, maybe not. There's only one way to know."
Shirou briefly left the room, returning with an unmarked envelope. He opened, revealing a scrap of paper on which was written a series of numbers. He picked up the phone – a recent model, which had been discreetly sent to one of the Fujimura Group's contacts to make it as difficult to tap as possible.
"Who are you calling, Master ?" asked his Servant, looking at the phone in his hands. Apparently, the knowledge of the modern era that was instilled into the minds of summoned Servants had survived the Grail's violations.
It felt strange that Saber, despite hailing from medieval times, was somehow better with modern technology than a typical Magus. When they had started to interact with each other more often, Rin had been absolutely hopeless with these things, Shirou thought with a wistful smile. It was fun to look back on it – and only in looking back on it. At the time, it had been a terrifying nightmare. Rin had been almost as bad with modern appliances as Kiritsugu had been with cooking.
"There is a … group of people that might be able to help us. Not magi," he hastened to add. "They are called the Mihashira Conglomerate, and are one of Japan's top companies, with branches in almost every industry. I learned that they had a presence in the Moonlit World last year, when I stumbled on the aftermath of one of their failed projects. I haven't investigated them, mostly because I don't want to make them angry at me, but it seemed to me that they have a lot of influence with both the mundane and supernatural world."
"Merchants and craftsmen dabbling in Magecraft ?" said Saber with a slight sneer. "Are you sure they can be trusted ? The greed of such men could easily be played on by the Grail's promises."
"They have known about the Grail War for years and haven't shown any interest in it before," calmly replied Shirou. "They sent me this letter after we made contact for the first time – it just showed up in the mailbox one morning, completely blank except for the Conglomerate's seal. I think I know whose number it contains, and that person treated with me fairly the last time our paths crossed."
"If you think that's for the best, Master, then I shall trust your judgment."
He smiled. "Thank you for your trust, Saber."
He imputed the number and waited. On the third ring, the call connected.
"It has been some time since we last spoke. Hello, Emiya-san," said a voice Shirou hadn't heard since that night in the construction site in Kumamoto City.
"Hello, Kodai-san. Sorry to call you on a Sunday, but this is an emergency."
"Do not worry, Emiya-san. I was expecting your call."
"You were ?"
"Yes. We have detected a perturbation in the ley lines converging on Fuyuki. There are only a few possible reasons for this, and none of them are good."
"The Fifth Grail War has started earlier than anticipated."
"I see. Troubling, but not entirely unexpected, given how the previous War ended. But I assume you have more information to share ?"
Shirou gulped. This was it.
"Exactly. I have evidence that the Grail was corrupted, at least as early as the Fourth War, possibly before. If it reaches completion, we might be looking at an apocalypse-class scenario."
"... Explain, please," commanded the voice. Shirou obeyed, revealing as much of what he knew as he dared, even over a secure line. He kept his own nature to himself, but shared what his father had told him, and the fact that his Servant remembered the previous Grail War and had been summoned in several Classes.
Saber didn't look happy that he was telling someone else what had happened to her, even without the full details. He would need to make it up to her later.
"… This is indeed a most grave situation," said Kodai when Shirou was done. "The evidence you have wouldn't be enough to convince the Association or the Church to intervene, especially if measures have already been taken to prevent them to. But we have long suspected that there was something more to the end of the Fourth Grail War than the official version."
"You believe me, then ?"
"Yes. You were right to call us, but our ability to intervene is limited. We will dispatch agents across the country's entry points in order to keep members of the Moonlit World from interfering. Our media teams will also work to help keep events in Fuyuki under wraps, and prevent evidence of Magecraft from spreading. But as Masters, it will be up to you and your allies to deal with the situation in Fuyuki."
"Thank you," replied Shirou sincerely. "That's what I was hoping you could help us with. But there is something else. You told me once that you could stop the Grail War if needed, Kodai-san. Is that still possible ?"
"... Yes. But we won't use this option until the very last moment."
"Why ?" Shirou's grip on the phone tightened. "People are going to die. People have already died, according to Lord El-Melloi II."
"Emiya-san. When I told you that our option would cost us dearly, I was understating things. Unleashing assets capable of dealing with the situation would, at the very minimum, lead to the death of everyone in Fuyuki. You might be able to survive, given your past prowess, but the death toll would be in the tens of thousands, and the fallout would be almost impossible to contain."
Shirou gulped. What kind of 'assets' was that ?!
"That's … alright. I understand. But what if the cursed Grail materialize ? My father didn't tell me the details, but he believed it could be a threat to the entire world."
"In that case, we shall enact our doomsday protocols, whose costs would be even higher."
"How much higher ?" pressed Shirou.
"The entirety of the Japanese archipelago", said Kodai without any emotion audible in his voice, "and every single soul in it."
Shirou sat still, stunned, his mind briefly refusing to process what he had been told.
"... I am not sure how I feel about a private company having access to that kind of option, Kodai-san."
"We aren't comfortable about having it either, Emiya-san. We would dispose of it if we knew how, or hand it over to someone else if we knew we could trust them to keep it secure. I very much hope you can keep things from reaching that extremity."
He shook himself. "Alright. I understand. I won't let it come to that."
"See that you do. None of us would survive this eventuality … though that might be considered that a mercy, I suppose."
On those ominous words, the line went dead. Shirou put down the phone, and found himself stared at by five women. He had set the phone on speaker before calling : everyone had heard his exchange with Kodai.
"We are going to need to learn more about the Mihashira Conglomerate once this is over, Shirou," said Rin with a frown. "I don't feel comfortable living in the same country that a megacorporation could apparently wipe out with a push of a button."
"Yes," sighed Shirou. "Probably. But that's a problem for latter. Right now, I need to go ask for Fujimura-san's help as well. His influence could really help keep things from going too badly."
"I am coming with you," said Rin and Sakura immediately.
"No, you are not," denied Shirou. He forged ahead quickly, before either of them could protest. "I have my reasons for that beyond just wanting to keep you safe." There was no point in pretending that didn't play a part in his reasoning. "We don't know if any of the other Masters already made it to Fuyuki, and while it's still day outside, that doesn't mean they won't attack us if they get a chance."
"Then you shouldn't go at all," argued Rin. "Can't you tell the old man whatever you need to tell him on the phone ?"
"I am going to ask him for a momentous favor while discussing a threat to the entire city, Rin. It would be an insult not to do that in person."
"Then why should you go alone, Senpai ?"
"First, I won't be alone : Saber will be with me. Secondly, because I have Avalon," he answered, pressing a hand to his chest, "and my own innate power. Of the three of us, I am the strongest, the hardest to kill, and the one whose visiting the Fujimura family will draw the least attention. I often go there to talk about my jobs for them, after all."
"Master," asked Saber. "Who are the Fujimura, and why do we need their help ?"
"You don't know ?" Shirou frowned. "I am pretty sure Dad had already made contact with them during the Fourth War."
"He may have," admitted Saber with a scowl, "but my relationship with my previous Master was … far from ideal. He didn't share much of his plans and preparations with me."
"… I see." He looked at Rider and Berserker. "Well, I guess I better tell you so that everyone is on the same page."
He ran the three Servants through a quick recap on the history, nature and resources of the Fujimura Group, before explaining his own relationship with the grand-daughter of its leader as well as the more 'professional' ties he had with the organization.
"It sits ill with me to associate with knaves and scoundrels, even if they hold to their own honor as you claim, Shirou," said Rider with a scowl. "Yet given the circumstances, we have little choice but to use every resource at our disposal."
"Yes," said Rin, "but that doesn't mean you should needlessly put yourself in danger ! What will you do if you are attacked by several other Masters, or by the Servant that destroyed the Animusphere Castle ? Yes, you are strong, but you have limits, Shirou !"
"The contract between us is still stable," replied Shirou. "I know we haven't figured out how to send actual messages through it, but if anything happens to me, you will know at once."
"Do not worry," intervened Saber. "I swear to you that I shall keep my Master safe."
Rin and Sakura spent a long moment looking between Shirou and his Servant, as if weighing Saber's reassurance against what they knew of Shirou's character. Eventually, they relented, though not without making Shirou swear to be careful a few more times.
"Saber," asked Shirou after dressing to leave the house, "can you go into Spirit Form ? I would rather keep your presence hidden for as long as possible."
"Of course, Master."
The Servant of the Sword dissipated into golden motes as she let go of her incarnation -
- and immediately, Shirou felt an overwhelming sense of panic come through his link with Saber. Before he had time to react, she all but slammed back into existence, trembling, her porcelain skin looking even paler. She stumbled and fell on her knees, hugging herself, trembling.
"I … I …" Her voice was small as it pierced the stunned silence that had descended on the room.
Gently, Shirou sat next to her, carefully putting a hand on her shoulder. She reacted to his touch on instinct, but instead of lashing out as he half expected, she threw herself in his arms, pressing her head against his chest. Even after everything that had been done to her, part of her recognized the presence of Avalon, and whatever was causing her distress made her seek its comfort.
"What happened, Saber ?" asked Shirou softly.
"I was scared," she whispered. "I couldn't feel anything … It was … It was like I was back there. Back in the blackness … I – I can't ! Please, Master, don't ask me to do that again …"
"Alright," said Shirou soothingly. "I won't. I promise."
Saber not being able to go into Spirit Form made sense when he thought about it. He had no idea what dematerialization felt like, but to someone like Saber, who was obviously traumatized by her time in the Grail's clutches, the loss of sensation would apparently trigger a panic attack.
This … this wasn't ideal. Rin had explained the advantages of Spirit Form in the War to him – lower prana consumption, almost impossible to detect without powerful Bounded Fields or ancient Mysteries, and in the case of most Servants, the ability to accompany their Masters in public without endangering the secrecy of the Moonlit World. Having one of the three Servants on their side not able to use it was a huge blow to their battle potential.
Looking at the trembling girl in his arms, however, Shirou found that he couldn't bring himself to give a damn about the tactical side of the situation.
"You don't have to go into Spirit Form," he decided. Eventually, that limitation would cause problems, but right now, they were easy to fix. And it wasn't as if they were going to try and win the War anyway. "We can work around this. Rin, we are going to need to borrow some of your clothes."
Saber and Shirou left the Emiya residence twenty minutes later. Saber had collected herself, and walked proudly at Shirou's side, dressed in clothes borrowed from Rin (her black dress would have raised too many questions, especially with how cold it was outside).
They went straight for the Fujimura residence, and were shown inside by the guards without fuss, though the men couldn't stop themselves from looking at Saber with wide eyes. Her Charisma might be only E-ranked in her current form according to the knowledge Shirou could glean from their connection (he was almost certain that the Skill had been higher before the Grail had captured her), but that still put her head and shoulders above normal people.
"This place reminds me of a fortress," mentioned Saber as they walked through the sprawling Fujimura estate, briefly out of earshot of the guards. There were, Shirou noticed, more of them than was usual, especially on a Sunday, when even Yakuza took a break from their activities.
"I thought you didn't remember your reign ?" he replied.
"I don't, but that's the impression I am getting from it."
Raiga was waiting for them in the same room where they had discussed Sakura's fate over a year prior. The Oyabun hadn't changed one bit since then, seemingly impervious to the ravages of time.
Just like then, there were two cups of tea waiting for them.
He is stronger than he looks, sent Saber through the Master-Servant link as the two of them approached. The connection was much clearer than the one Shirou had with Sakura and Rin through their contract, allowing for instant communication and sense sharing. Sharper, too.
Yes, replied Shirou in the same way. He keeps the appearance of a kindly grandfather, and that's really who he is most of the time, but there is a reason he's still the boss of Fuyuki's underworld.
"Hello, Shirou-kun," Raiga greeted them warmly. "And who is that guest you bring with you ?"
"Hello, Raiga-san. This is Saber", said Shirou.
They had considered using a fake name, but ultimately decided against it, at least while talking with Raiga. The wily Oyabun would detect the slightest hint of deceit, and they couldn't risk alienating him.
"That is an ... unusual name", noted Raiga, looking at Saber intently. "Then again, I suspect it is the least unusual thing about you. Welcome into my home, Saber-san. Please, sit, and drink. It is quite cold outside; some tea will warm you up."
Once they had sat down and taken a polite sip – and then another, because this truly was excellent tea – Raiga continued :
"I confess that I am curious as to why you are here looking so serious, Shirou-kun." There was an amused twinkle in the old man's eyes as he continued : "The last time my grand-daughter's ward came here accompanied by a young girl, it did end up causing quite the commotion, after all."
"This isn't like with Sakura. Bad as it was back then, I am afraid the situation now is much, much worse. I am here today to speak with you about a threat to the entire city of Fuyuki."
With impressive speed, all trace of amusement vanished from Raiga's face, leaving only the visage of the dreaded Oyabun behind.
"… Go on."
"Do you remember what happened ten years ago, before the Fuyuki Fire ?"
Raiga's face darkened even further. "Yes, I do. How could I forget ? Terrorist strikes at a hotel. Children disappearing, never to be seen again. Some sort of hallucinogenic gas deployed at the river, causing mass panic. And then of course, the fire itself … It was a dark time for everyone in this city. I lost many of my men back then, and afterwards too. They just … vanished, without any trace."
"It is starting again," said Shirou "Three of my father's old associates have come to help me stop it before it gets as bad, or worse, as it did back then."
"… I see. And I suppose Saber-san is one of these 'associates' ?"
"She is one of them, yes. All three are relatives of someone who worked with Dad ten years ago."
Raiga took a sip from his cup, gazing at Saber thoughtfully.
"… Your father knew the most fascinating people, Shirou-kun. Very well. I understand that the situation is grave. You wouldn't have come here without a plan. What do you need me to do ?"
"If I am not mistaken, the danger will be limited during the day, but it will be grave at night. I need you to put pressure on the authorities to declare a curfew across town. Make up some excuse about criminal or terrorist activity, but the less people are out after dark, the less casualties there will be before this is over."
"That'll be difficult. People tend to protest any disturbance to their lives, even when there is a good reason for it."
"I know." It hurt to know that people would die before the city would take things seriously, but that was the consequence of separating the Moonlit World from the mundane one. "Please, just make sure that the option is in the minds of the authorities. And you also need to decide whether to pull your men off the streets at night, or tell them to be careful and watch out for anything out of the ordinary. I would prefer if you took the first option, frankly."
"You don't think my people can take care of themselves ?" asked Raiga with a raised eyebrow.
"Against thugs and foreign criminals ? Yes. Against what is coming ? No," answered Shirou as bluntly as he could, desperate to convince the old man of the gravity of the situation. "They would be slaughtered if they got caught in the cross-fire, nevermind if they encountered one of the actors on their own."
"If a curfew is announced, it would behove law-abiding citizens such as ourselves to respect it," announced Raiga. "But until then, I won't ask my men to abandon their duties and leave the people who rely on us for protection defenceless. I will order them to spread the word to avoid being outside at night, though. Our 'clients' trust us enough not to ask questions, especially in the current climate."
"In the current climate ?" repeated Shirou. "I didn't notice anything strange going on." At least, nothing that the normal side of the World would notice.
For a moment, Raiga looked at his cup, frowning.
"There have been ... developments", he finally said. "You may have noticed that we are on high alert in this house. In recent weeks, my men have reported a surge in violence across the city. We have had more attempts by foreign groups to muscle in on our territory in the last month than in the last two years, and the people who come from oversea are some of the worse of their kind. They don't seem to be working together. In fact, some of them come from organizations that have been feuding for decades. Could this be related to what you are talking about, Shirou-kun ?"
"It ... might", admitted Shirou, thinking furiously. Could the corrupt Grail be responsible ? Fuyuki stood at a crossing of multiple ley lines, and every ley line was connected to every other somewhere on the globe. But surely if the Grail's influence had spread that far, Rin would have noticed ?
Did you not tell me, Master, that the girl's teacher was in the Grail's thrall ? cut in Saber's mental voice. She had been following his thoughts, not that he had tried to hide them from her. Could he not have kept this hidden from her ?
That was ... possible. Likely, even, if the corruption of the Grail was as bad as they all feared.
"It is possible", he told Raiga out loud, "though that would only be a side-effect at best."
"I see. Well, it will help push the case for a curfew", mused Raiga. "I don't like drawing public attention to our activities, but gang violence is one of the things no one with any sense would hesitate declaring one about."
How much does he know about the Moonlit World ? silently asked Saber.
I have no idea, replied Shirou. He always seemed to know more about Dad's real work than he let on, but I didn't want to push it.
"I want you to keep me informed as much as you can, Shirou-kun. I understand that there are secrets you must keep, but I will be most cross with you if they end up hurting those under my responsibility."
"I promise you to do all I can to keep the damage to a minimum", said Shirou truthfully. "And I will tell you what I can."
"Then you will have my assistance and that of the Fujimura Group. Now go. I have several calls to make."
"Oh, and … one last thing. Could I borrow a few bikes ? My father's associates are quite good on wheels, but they didn't bring theirs over."
Next to him, Saber noticeably perked up at his words.
"Well, that's a much easier request to grant," laughed Raiga. "Of course ! I will have someone bring some of our best ones to your home before evening. Take care of them, though, alright ?"
For a moment, Shirou imagined what a Servant fight could do to a bike.
"We'll do our best," he promised weakly.
After a final round of goodbyes, Shirou and Saber left the estate.
"Master ? Before we return home, there is somewhere else I want us to go …"
Saber's face was as cold as ever, but Shirou could feel a sense of trepidation through their bond.
"So this is the place ..."
Saber stood next to Shirou, looking around at Fuyuki Park.
In truth, the location hardly deserved the name. A few sickly trees rose amidst dead grass. Entire stretches of ground were bare, nothing at all growing there despite the efforts of the park's keepers. Behind the thick cloud cover, the sun was half-way to the horizon, and the thin shadows it cast only made the area look more desolate and haunted.
"Yes," replied Shirou. "This is where Dad told you to destroy the Grail at the end of the Fourth War, and where the curse inside it was unleashed in the form of a great Fire."
"And this is where he found you ?"
He nodded. "It's the first thing I remember. Walking through the flames, then falling and crawling … until he found me, and saved me."
"I am … sorry, Master. You shouldn't have had to go through this."
Though Saber's face barely changed, Shirou could see the anguish in her eyes, and feel it through their bond.
"I told Dad that it wasn't his fault, and it certainly wasn't yours," he answered firmly. "The Grail was already corrupted long before either of you joined the War. This ..." he gestured to their surroundings, "this is the result of you two choosing the lesser of two evils."
"'The lesser of two evils' ?" She repeated his words, as if testing them. "… Yes. Yes, I suppose it was."
Silence descended between Master and Servant, the two of them lost in contemplation.
Despite the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon, no one else was there. There were very rarely people here, Shirou knew. The remnants of the Grail's curse kept them away : even people utterly clueless of the Moonlit World could tell that this was a bad place. The only interesting feature of the park was the monument that rose in its center, where the Civic Center had once stood.
The monument was simple. A stone was laid on the ground, on which were inscribed a description of the public version of what had happened ten years ago, along with the usual oaths of remembrance and prayers for the dead.
There was no list of the deceased; as far as Shirou knew, no exact count of the dead had ever been possible. The confusion of the Fourth Grail War, combined with the efforts of Church and Clocktower to preserve the secrecy of Magecraft, had made such a record impossible.
Perhaps if they hadn't, Shirou would know the name of his birth parents. Perhaps he would know his own birth name. He was more interested in the former, of course – whoever he had been before the Fire, he was Shirou Emiya now.
And just like he had been, for all intents and purposes, born here, so too had Saber. His Servant was looking at the stone pensively, but he could feel her thoughts were elsewhere entirely. He didn't try to pry into her mind, unwilling to disturb her privacy in what was clearly an important moment to her.
Instead, he looked around, and let prana flow into his eyes.
Looking at the curse still coursing through the land made his head hurt slightly, but he forced himself through the pain. Over the years, he had kept watch over the park, returning here once every few months to remind himself of where he came from. After his mishap with Reinforcing his eyes, he had started using his new ability here as well, trying to get a sense of the force that had all but destroyed him and had, in the end, killed his father.
There was no mistaking it : the taint was stronger than last time. Even the ravens that nested in the trees were gone. The birds were a rare sight in Japan, and the subject of several urban legends gleefully swapped around by the students of Homurahara, each more disturbing than the last. They were also nearly the only wildlife that ventured in the park – or they had been, at any rate.
"Shirou", said Saber suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. Her eyes were sharp, and she was looking around them intently. "I sense someone nearby. We are being watched."
Had one of the other Masters found them already ? This wasn't entirely unexpected : the two of them had walked across the city for over an hour, and Saber was very eye-catching.
"How many ?"
"Two people … and one of them is a Servant."
This wasn't ideal. Despite what he had told his lovers, he had hoped to only trigger a confrontation with Sakura and Rin at his side. Having an overwhelming advantage and yet not making use of it to slaughter the competition would have lent weight to their words when they tried to convince the other Masters of stopping the War.
But if it came to a fight, well, this was the perfect place for it as far as he was concerned. No innocent to get caught in the crossfire, and nothing of value to anyone to be destroyed – except for the monument. He would have to try and preserve it.
He owed it to the dead, along with so much more.
Shirou looked around, starting to flick his Circuits open, drawing power into himself.
"There they are," he muttered to himself as he saw them. Two figures were approaching from behind, walking slowly down the path that led to the park's entrance.
Saber's fingers clutched, and he could feel her desire to summon her sword and armor.
"Wait", he told her. "Let's try talking to them first."
A pulse of shock and recognition came from Saber through their bond as the other Master/Servant pair approached them. They stopped about ten meters or so in front of them, and Shirou finally got a good look at the girl and the woman who had braved Fuyuki Park's curse.
The girl looked like a beautiful doll. She was pale, though not quite as much as Saber, with long white hair and ruby-red eyes. She wore a purple coat with a hat of the same color, and a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
At her side was a tall blond woman in a blue suit, whose face Shirou recognized, having seen it less than two hours before. It was Rider's face, though the skin was healthier-looking, her hair (which was held in a bun above her neck) was less pale, and her eyes were blue.
A long and thin scabbard hung from her waist, and despite the containment spells engraved in the object, Shirou could sense the power that radiated from it. It was … familiar. He had encountered that weapon before, he knew he had. But now was hardly the time to search his memories.
"Hello, Onii-san," said the young girl in a sweet, beautiful, venom-filled voice. Next to him, Shirou heard Saber gasp. "I am so happy to finally meet you. My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, and I am going to kill you."
AN : Hello, everyone !
This chapter was finished earlier than I thought it would be. The reason for this is that, on my FGO account, I just summoned Murasaki (5 stars) and Valkyrie (4 stars) in a single 10 pull with free quartz. Those of you who have played this game will recognize how lucky that was.
Not wanting to draw the ire of the gods upon me, I immediately set to work finishing this chapter. I mean, I am not the most superstitious soul, but even I can take a hint when it's big enough. Praise be upon the Random Number God, and may They accept this meager offering.
And yes, Saber's reason for being unable to use Spirit Form is different from the canon one. I have said it before : this is a crossover using an AU of FSN, where things are slightly different. For instance, here, Kiritsugu Emiya summoned Artoria Pendragon as a Saber-Class Servant from the Throne of Heroes, instead of calling her human self from the battlefield of Camlann. Therefore, the Saber that got caught in the mud of the Black Grail was a Heroic Spirit.
The whole division of Saber into several Heroic Spirits probably breaks more than a few rules of Magic in the Nasuverse. But since the creators of the Nasuverse themselves regularly change the rules whenever it's convenient to the story, I am not going to let that bother me. I will do my best to keep things coherent within the bonds of this fic.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Writing dialogue remains difficult, but I think it's starting to get easier. Next chapter will contain a proper "anime" battle, so I need to do a lot of research on how to write it (it's a different style from the Warhammer-type battles, after all).
As always, please tell me what you thought of this chapter and what you are thinking/hoping to see in this story going forwards.
Zahariel out.