Black Cat's Luck (VI)

The residents of the Hinata-sou plus Illya had gathered in the common living room of the building, sitting on sofas and couches around Haruka. Shirou elected to remain standing, leaning against a wall.

Kanako, on the other hand, was notably absent.

It was hard to say how much sleep any of them had. Not much, judging from their faces. Weirdly enough, the one more at ease was definitely Motoko, despite being the only injured. Kaolla ranked a close second just because she was unusually quiet, but despite her placid behavior she looked perfectly fine.

Shinobu, who was sitting between Naru and Kitsune, was putting up a brave front but her pallor was a giveaway of her emotional state.

"Keep in mind, I don't know all the details myself either," said Haruka as she blew out a cloud of smoke. "This situation dates back before I was born."

"That's fine," said Shirou. "Knowing the current circumstances is better than nothing. What's the problem with that woman who hired the mercenaries?"

"Kyoko? Well… she's the first born child of your grandfather, Urashima Akihito. Under normal circumstances, that would make her the head of the family, if Akihito hadn't remarried with Granny Hina, thus leaving the position with her after his death."

"What about his first wife? Kyoko's mother?"

"Passed away from natural causes for what I know. I never looked too closely into that. In any event, she was raised to become the next head until the day that your grandfather remarried and fathered a male heir. That's your father, by the way."

"Let me guess, first male heir takes precedence over first born in absolute terms."

"Yes, having been born a woman, Kyoko had her spot almost stolen by your dad."

"Almost?"

"Well, Granny Hina was… an exception to many rules. Your grandfather had to jump through many hoops with the council in order to marry her. He eventually got away with it, but most people didn't approve. As far as most people were concerned. Kyoko was the true inheritor and so long as she gave birth to a male heir, her son would be the successor."

"Then, what happened?"

"She gave birth to a girl."

"How long ago was this?"

"It was forty years ago, more or less."

"And so what?" asked Naru. "She has been plotting murder ever since?"

"I don't think so. Back then, she was a young woman in her early twenties who had yet to step into a role of actual power in the family. She had the support of the council because she was the child of the proper marriage, but she didn't have means of her own to carry out such a task. I'd also like to believe that she wasn't quite that twisted yet. More importantly, there were still other avenues to bring control of the family back into her hands."

"Such as?"

"Marrying her daughter off to your father, of course. They were about the same age, so she secretly brainwashed her own child into pursuing the affection of her half-uncle. They were also being raised close together, so fostering an affection between the two wasn't at all impossible."

"That's… that's incest!" shrieked Naru, horrified.

"It wasn't all that uncommon in the past, even between siblings," Haruka said with a shrug. "Especially for wealthy or noble families. In this case, the degree of relation wasn't even too close to becoming an issue. Most people in the elder council of the time would have approved too, had they known of Kyoko's plan."

"I take it didn't work out as intended?"

"No, it actually worked out pretty well. Her daughter and your father grew together as childhood friends and when she was old enough to have such feelings, she fell for him just like Kyoko had expected."

"So what went wrong?"

"Your mother happened. She came out of nowhere, throwing a wrench into Kyoko's schemes. She was a schoolmate of both your father and Kyoko's daughter. They formed a strong friendship and before the school term was over, they were completely in love with one another."

"That can't have been good. Did Kyoko's daughter…?"

"Surprisingly, although a bit heartbroken, she was mostly fine with how things turned out. She had become good friends with your mother and could see how she and your father were made for each other. Additionally, she started developing feelings for another schoolmate as well, therefore it wasn't that big of a deal for her."

"But not for Kyoko."

"Oh, no. She went ballistic, especially when her own daughter refused to do anything to break up the new couple. Her plans had been completely trashed and she developed a blind hate for your mother. Two women of low birth in succession had stolen what was rightfully hers."

"Did no one in the family support her stance?"

"Not by that point. The old guard had changed in the council. Granny Hina had taken over control of the family after Akihito passed away, and poor Kyoko had been left off to fend for herself so to speak. With your father as the male heir, she no longer had any standing worth mentioning. She went from the star child of the family to be a reserve at best, and an uncomfortable nuisance at worst."

"Then Fuyuki happened," said Shirou.

"Then Fuyuki happened," Haruka agreed. "With you and your parents seemingly out of the picture, everything was almost back into her hands, and she even birthed a male heir to make the succession ironclad."

"Then why are we having this conversation?" asked Kitsune.

"It wasn't quite as simple as I made it sound. Even though you were thought dead, Shirou, Granny Hina had had two decades to consolidate her power within the family, while Kyoko could really start undermining it only after your disappearance. Of course, Granny Hina was adamant that you were still alive and most people believed that you were just being fostered elsewhere in secret for protection. However, since no one had ever seen nor heard from you in fifteen years, they slowly started to fall in Kyoko's camp."

"And then I returned."

"Oh, yes. Just when she was about to get a majority on the elder council and have her son nominated as successor, you actually came back from the dead, proving that Granny Hina was telling the truth all along, and ruining nearly twenty years of Kyoko's hard work. Pretty much like your mother and Granny Hina had done in her time."

"That's three generations of people she must think as her sworn enemy."

"More than that. At this point, she wants to completely eradicate everything that your side of the family has even remotely touched. She wants to make sure that there are no secret offsprings waiting to show up twenty years from now and boycott her efforts."

"Is that why she also wanted to kill us?" asked Kitsune. "We have no connection to the Urashima bloodline whatsoever."

"I think she doesn't want to take any chances, after almost six decades of power struggles. Also, I don't think that she's entirely rational at this point. She'll never be able to rest easily again if she doesn't eliminate every potential threat, no matter how remote. That's just my supposition, though, and there could be more to it than that."

"Uh. That explains why she's out for blood though," said Kitsune. "I mean, I'm not condoning her or anything, but I dunno what I would do in her place if my ambitions were foiled by the same people over and over again for sixty years."

"Yes, that certainly puts things into perspective, although there's a lot of information missing," noted Shirou. "For instance, what happened to Kyoko's daughter?"

"After she refused to seduce your father, Kyoko cast her out of the family. Granny Hina took pity on her and adopted her herself. I've heard that she no longer has any interest in the affairs of the Urashima conglomerate and that she makes a living running a modest tea shop somewhere around these parts."

"..."

"..."

"SHE'S YOUR MOTHER?" erupted the room, Shirou included.

"I haven't called her that in over twenty years. Not since she threw me out because I refused to hurt people I loved to further her interests."

"You understand that I plan on killing her, right?" asked Shirou.

Haruka sighed.

"We haven't so much as exchanged words since I left home. She refused to acknowledge my existence. When Granny Hina took me in, she must have thought that I had switched sides and branded me a traitor. She considered me an enemy since then and last night she didn't mind killing me with the rest. I think that there's not much that can be salvaged at this point."

"But… but still… Are you okay with that?" asked Naru.

"Of course not, who do you think I am? I'm not okay with anyone killing anybody else, much less my nephew killing the woman who brought me into this world, no matter how twisted a person she has become. But I do know her. Ever since I was a child she would have the things she set out for, regardless of who got in her way. Being betrayed by her own daughter didn't help her mental state either, I think. Still, I thought that it would have been fine as long as we stayed out of her way. That she would not involve people who didn't want to get involved. I have been terribly mistaken and it's partly my fault that things have gotten to this point. I should have known better."

"Haruka-san…"

"It's fine, Shirou. You are correct. She's the type of person who stops at nothing. Having been foiled this time will only make her try harder, or more subtly. Next time she'll put poison in the water reservoir and kill half the city just to get at us. Then she'll have someone else to take the fall for her just to put a cherry on top. No, she has to go, otherwise, she'll just keep spreading misery and murder. The council won't do anything and the police don't even enter the picture. Unless we want to wait for her to get to us, the only thing we can do is get to her first."

"Does it really have to be like this? Kill or be killed?" asked Shinobu in a trembling voice.

"Even God can't save everyone," said Shirou. "As much as I would love otherwise, I can only protect the people I side with. I'd rather have blood on my hands because I protected you all, than because I didn't."

"It's useless thinking about it. We are not really being given a choice here," said Kitsune in support of Shirou.

"How do you plan on doing it, anyway?" asked Naru. "Are you going to just storm the place where she's at like you've done for Motoko?"

"No. Unlike that time, she'll be expecting me, so that won't work. Plus, I'd rather not involve people that have nothing to do with her. I'm sure she's got plenty of security around her especially right now that she knows I can bite back just as hard. I don't want to harm someone who's just doing their job. Besides, do we even know where she is? Haruka, can you find out?"

"No, she has covered her tracks too well. There's no way that anyone not in her pocket knows where she's staying, and unless you plan on beating the information out of people that are just watching out for their own, then I don't know where to start."

"That's okay. Now that I'm no longer pressed for time, I can track her down on my terms."

"How? Do you know anyone in the Urashima group high enough that they would tell you?"

"It's better if you don't know, really" he replied. "I'd rather you had nothing to do with what I'm going to do. The only reason why I've let you sit on this conversation is because you deserve an explanation. Anyway, it's impossible for anyone to disappear completely, unless one is willing to abandon everything and go live in a forest, far away from civilization. That woman is too involved in her own schemes and worldly affairs to stay away from them for any stretch of time. I'll find her."

"You need to be careful, Shirou. Right now, the elder council is sitting on the fence, so to speak. With Granny Hina out of the picture they might still fall in line with and join forces her if you give them reason to think you are dangerous to the family as a whole."

"You don't need to worry about that. By the time she realizes I'm onto her, she won't have anywhere to run anymore."

"Just don't underestimate her. She can be cunning as she can be vicious. If she can make you appear as a threat, you'll have the entire clan coming after you and us, even if you do manage to kill her. The reach and means of the Urashima Zaibatsu in Japan are immense."

"I understand. Please, rest assured. I won't make the situation worse or drag more people into it. There's already plenty enough."

"Are we sure that killing just her will be enough?" asked Kitsune. "Will her faction just disband without her? What about her son. Your brother, Haruka?"

"I have never met him. Not once. I don't even know his name. I can't guarantee that he won't pick up where she left, but what I do know for certain is what's going to happen if she lives."

"There's an easy solution to that problem, Shirou," said Illya. "Just accept the role of Urashima successor so that you can use the clan's influence to prevent this from ever happening again."

"I don't want to become the heir," he objected. "It was never my intention."

"Someone has to be, at least in name," said Haruka. "Otherwise, it will fall on my brother, who might just want to finish what his mother started. Besides, it's not like the heir necessarily has to do anything. In fact, most people would be thrilled if a young man with no formal education didn't try to interfere with their business. Take the job, name a trustworthy proxy to make sure no one drives their part of the family businesses into bankruptcy and forget about the thing entirely."

"Would that really work?" he asked.

"If it didn't, Granny Hina could have never left for a world trip. It's not the first time either."

"If... if he takes control of the Urashima, then maybe he doesn't have to kill your mother?" suggest Shinobu.

"It's not that simple. Kyoko's grudge is personal. Even if the inheritance was forever out of her reach, she would still try to reap her vengeance somehow. She really won't stop until she's dead, and she only has to get lucky once. Besides, her roots are deep. The matter of succession won't ever settle with her around, just as it won't for her while Shirou still lives. The more we skirt around this problem, the more people are going to be caught in the crossfire. Two years from now, five years from now, even ten years from now…. Kyoko has shown that she can bide her time."

"Unfortunately," sighed Shirou. "Alright. If that is all, then there are things that I need to prepare. For the time being, Rider will stay here with you and watch over the place."

"Where is she anyway? I didn't see her since last night," said Kitsune.

"Oh, she's around here, don't worry. Just because you can't see her doesn't mean she can't see you."

"Besides that, I called over some bodyguards too," said Illya. "They will be here soon."

"Thank you Illya," said Shirou.

"Hmph! What good would it be, being the head of the Einzbern if I couldn't do at least this much? We won't lose to some minor house like the Urashima in terms of influence and resources. Not even on their own territory."

"Just don't start an invasion, please. I don't want Japan to declare a state of war."

She unceremoniously punched his shoulder.

"That wasn't very ladylike of you," he complained. "What will your maids say if they saw that?"

"They would blame you for making me do it."

"Don't they always?"

"It's not like they are wrong."

"There is that. Alright, as long as this place is secure, I can do my part without worry. Please, stay safe and do not leave the inn without my say-so."

"Sensei… are you sure you don't need any help?" asked Motoko.

"Motoko, your wounds are still fresh, but even if they weren't I wouldn't want to make you complicit in what I'm going to do."

"Sensei, I never had to take a life before, but as a practitioner of the God's Cry school I have been taught since childhood that to wield a live blade one must be ready to use it for its intended purpose."

"Even so, Motoko, it's not your responsibility. Please, let me take this burden upon myself. There's no need for two people to soak their hands in blood."

"You would have soaked yours for me," she muttered under her breath.

"Don't bother trying that logic with him," said Illya. "It won't work."

"Yes… I already realized," she sighed.

Some people wouldn't change until their dying day. For good or for worse.

[br]

That evening, several cars arrived in front of the inn, and from them descended several women all dressed in sharp, black Armani suits. Two things stood out about them.

Red eyes and white hair.

They came up the stone stairs silently like unquestioning machines. When they arrived at the top, the sight of them sent Kitsune reeling.

"Holy shit! It really is an invasion!"

Their identities were never in doubt. Even if Illya hadn't said they were coming, it would be impossible to mistake them for anyone other than the Einzbern.

There were at least thirty of them, and maybe it was because they were all foreigners, but to Kitsune they almost looked perfectly alike. As she looked better she found some differences in body proportions but their faces were all eerily alike. She wasn't sure she could tell one apart from another at a first glance.

Illya came out of the Inn to greet them.

"Ma'am! We are at your service."

"It was about time. What took you so long? Never mind, at least you are here now. I need you to secure the area. Your job is to protect this land and the people living upon it. No one comes in and no one leaves unprotected. Get to it!"

"Yes, ma'am!" they chorused.

Most of them immediately deployed in the forest around the building, disappearing from sight, while a handful entered the inn with Illya.

"They are going to watch over you until this matter is solved," she said to the residents. If you absolutely need to go somewhere, they will escort you, but it would be better if you didn't leave the premises."

"Wow, you really didn't hold back, did you?" said Kitsune

"Of course, I held back. If I didn't, I would have gone to war with the Urashima Group."

"Is that something you do regularly?" asked Naru.

"Of course not. Hardly anyone is so foolish to force my hand like that. It just goes to show how out of her mind that woman is. She's lucky that Shirou got to me in time, otherwise, there wouldn't be a single stone left upright of the entire Urashima Zaibatsu."

"Are these kinds of fights common occurrences in your world?"

"More than you'd like to imagine, Miss Narusegawa. You might think that we live in a peaceful age, but that is merely an illusion. The ways and motives for which conflicts are waged have changed, that is true, but they never stopped. The law is only a protection if everyone agrees to be bound by it and unfortunately, there will always be those who don't."

"Yeah. I guess that's become pretty damn obvious," she agreed ruefully.

"I never thought I'd have been caught in a situation like this without having it brought upon myself," said Kitsune. "I guess life's full of surprises."

"Why, you expected to be in a situation like this at all?" inquired Naru.

"Ah, you know how I get when I'm curious, right? It was only a matter of time before I stepped on someone's toes, but at least then I'd have done something to deserve it."

"You really do worry me sometimes, Kits," sighed Naru. "Maybe this will teach you not to put your nose where it doesn't belong."

"If anything it's the other way around," scoffed Kitsune. "If things like this are going to happen anyway, I might as well have done something to warrant it."

"Kitsune… there is a time for jokes and this is not it."

"Fine, fine," Kitsune sighed, throwing up her hands. "I can tell when I'm not appreciated. I'll be around the place getting drunk. Come find me the bullets start flying."

"There's won't be any bullet flying, not while we're here," reassured Illyasviel. "I'm going to keep this place safe until Shirou returns."

"Where has he gone, anyway?"

"He's out hunting. Believe me, there's not a rock under which she could hide where he wouldn't find her."

[br]

Urashima Kyoko blew out a cloud of smoke from the thin kiseru pipe she had inhaled it from.

The situation was worrisome. Extremely so. Her attempt at killing the bastard offspring failed, and so did the plan to enact vengeance upon that old hag and her own traitorous daughter.

Kyoko was used to facing setbacks. After all, her whole life had been one setback after another. She had long since learned to roll with them, recuperate her losses and come back fiercer than ever before. However, in this case, it was clear that she had greatly miscalculated her opponent.

Keitaro Urashima was not the easy picking that she had expected him to be. Of course, she didn't think from the start that he could be completely defenseless, but certainly surviving an assassination attempt carried out by veterans in the field was no small task. However, tracking the mercenaries she had hired back to the place where they were keeping the hostage and killing them all was beyond her wildest expectations.

Not to mention that woman that had shown up to stop her from finally carrying out a portion of her vengeance. Until a while ago, Kyoko thought it was the old hag's doing. That in the past fifteen years she had somehow built another faction from the grounds up without Kyoko being none the wiser.

Kyoko didn't think it possible, considering how closely she had kept an eye on all of the hag's movement and finances. Not a single yen could have gone in any suspicious direction without the knowledge of it making its way back to her ears.

The truth became apparent on its own when her lookouts revealed an army of white-haired women standing guard around the inn.

A quick investigation revealed they came from Germany, belonging to a reclusive family known as the Einzbern. Incidentally, that was the name of the woman that had been taken hostage. Further investigations showed that said young woman was the biological daughter of one Emiya Kiritsugu, the man who had been hiding the bastard under a different name.

She had not looked into the past of a man long dead, merely thinking he was a secret pawn of the hag. Therefore his connection to a mysterious European family had not come up at all. Not that it would have come up either way. It was only by researching the background of Illyasviel Von Einzbern that it led back to Emiya Kiritsugu and by extension to Emiya Shirou.

Either way, it had been a major screw-up. Trying to gather information on the Einzbern family bore little to no result. Most informants reported nothing of interest, while others did not report back at all. That suggested the Einzbern being a power group not unlike the Urashima themselves. A group that she had unknowingly provoked.

However, every cloud had a silver lining. The bastard's association with a foreign power was proof of collusion that she could use to discredit both him and the old hag. If there was one thing that the elder council would never approve of was foreigners getting a foot into their business.

He might have made killing him slightly more difficult, but he had made striking him out of the running for the succession all the much easier, and once she had the support of the entire family, the table would turn in her favor once again.

Then, he would get what he truly deserved, even if she had to wage a war on the other side of the world.

[XXX]

AN: Hi everyone. It's been a while, isn't it? By explicit request of the people on my Discord Server, I decided to start posting chapters on this site again. If you want to join my Discord, send me a PM and I'll give you an invite.