The Stains of Time
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Once morning had peaked, Kiritsugu Emiya had got up and ready himself to not only make his house secured from any unwanted eyes, but also investigate on all the servants and masters his son had revived.
Granted, Shirou would say their only real threat at this point was Gilgamesh, but Kiritsugu wasn't one to take any chances as he changed into his work attire.
Upon walking his way around the house, he was surprised to see that Shirou and Saber were up and early at this hour.
"Oh, morning dad" said Shirou as he had finished making breakfast for him and Saber, "Morning son, Saber" said Kiritsugu as he greeted the pair, "Morning Emiya Sama" said Saber.
"What are you doing up and early at this hour" asked Shirou as Kiritsugu was about to tell a lie but felt the intense pressured gaze of Saber to speak honestly.
"I'm off to acquire things that we need to fortify and defend the house" said Kiritsugu, "Oh, I see" said Shirou as he wasn't expecting his dad to be that serious when he gave the orders last night.
"No worries, I'll be back before sunset, be sure to tell your mother" said Kiritsugu as he began to head towards the estates main entrance.
"Have a good day" said Shirou, as Kiritsugu turned back to smile at his son, "See you later" said Kiritsugu before he finally left the couple alone.
While happy that Kiritsugu was a changed man in one sense, and still the same in another, Saber could only let out a sad sigh as she wished this man could have been more compassionate during their time as master and servant.
"Everything alright Saber" asked Shirou as Saber looked at Shirou with a glum expression before letting out a deep breath.
"It's nothing, let's finish up breakfast and start our training" said Saber as she wasn't ready to share some of the atrocities and the selfishness of Kiritsugu yet with Shirou.
"Alright" said Shirou as they both sat down and enjoy their breakfast while their minds wondered where Kiritsugu was going.
Elsewhere
Finding the Tohsaka household wasn't a problem, nor was getting inside of it as Kiritsugu was familiar of the place as he had prepared to, if necessary, to attack Tohsaka back in his home during the 4th Holy Grail War.
The only thing that did caught him off guard was seeing his son, was cooking breakfast almost naked in the kitchen.
"This… is unexpected" voiced Kiritsugu as both men made eye contact, "Dad!? What, why are you here" exclaimed Archer as he began to blush over standing in his boxers while making eggs.
"I wanted to talk to you about some important things and get your assistance on an urgent matter, and since I saw Shirou awake I only assumed you'd be awake at this hour as well" said Kiritsugu.
"Archer, is breakfast ready" cooed the voice of Rin as she made herself present to the duo as she wore only a hip length camisole and white panties underneath.
Realizing that Kiritsugu was here, Tohsaka bolted back behind a door with an audible 'eep' as Archer began to blush and Kiritsugu turned his head away.
"I can come back later if now's a bad time" said Kiritsugu, "Sigh, it's fine, just give me a minute to finish up here and let me talk to Rin alright" said Archer as he knew it was gonna take a lot to calm her down.
Regardless, Kiritsugu was patient enough to let Archer do his thing before he felt the prying eyes of someone gazing upon him.
Turning his head to the left, Kiritsugu met the gaze of Rider before she let out a gasp that she had been spotted out.
Seeing as to how there was no point in hiding, Rider had decided to make herself known before she saw the sight of Archer still being nearly naked and taking a plate towards his and Rin's room.
"Morning Archer" greeted Rider, as the man froze in place before turning and greeting Rider as he rushed back to get changed.
"And you're Emiya San" said Rider as she turned to the man, "Yes, it's… good to see you again" said Kiritsugu as Rider merely nodded, before walking her way to the kitchen counter and preparing herself some coffee.
"Kiritsugu San, may I trouble you in asking you something" asked Rider, "Shoot" said Kiritsugu as he wouldn't know whether to feel offended or suspicious till she asked.
"I came to understand that you were in the 4th Holy Grail War, so what I like to know is, did you, on any occasion, had an opportunity to kill the one called Kariya Matou" asked Rider.
"To be honest I never did as I could never locate him, why" asked Kiritsugu as Rider was told of how Kariya had indeed came back to rescue Sakura, but had died right at her feet, which lead her to be this broken doll to obey Zouken Matou.
"No it's… nothing, thank you" said Rider as she began to pour herself a now fresh hot cup of joe, as Kiritsugu decided not to pry on the matter.
It was about this time did Archer finally returned fully dressed wearing black pants and shoes, a white t-shirt, and a red coat in his hands.
"Alright old man, let's go" said Archer as both men bid farewell to Rider as they left the Tohsaka estate.
"Alright so I'm here, fully dressed, and a girlfriend who's embarrassed to face you, so what's up, what do you need me for" asked Archer, "I apologize for my sudden appearance this morning, however I do need help in preparing some proper defenses around my house" said Kiritsugu.
"What kind of defense are we talking about here" asked Archer, "While I'm willing to put enough trust in Rider as she lives under the same roof as you, I fear for any other master or servant that might come and attack my family, especially since last night's late encounter was a wakeup call" said Kiritsugu.
"Why, what happened" asked Archer as his interest has been peaked, "Last night we were visited by a servant who's power scares me to no end, as I had previously faced him in the 4th Holy Grail War as I learned you, Shirou and the others have as well" said Kiritsugu.
"You're talking about Gilgamesh aren't you" asked Archer as Kiritsugu nodded, before his son let out a sigh as they continued to walk.
"Yeah, not gonna lie, the dude is a wild card and a spoiled brat who doesn't understand the word no, so I can't blame you wanting to stay safe, though my question is what was his reason for visiting you guys" asked Archer.
"He never did say anything, but the fact a servant, a powerful servant at that, would trespass into my house, with the capability to kill us in our sleep doesn't ease my mind" said Kiritsugu.
"Fair enough, though what do you need me for" asked Archer before Kiritsugu stopped in his tracks and turned to face his son.
"If there are servants and masters out there who are just as powerful as Gilgamesh, I need you to point me out to who they are, where they are, and what I can do to better prepare my family in case they want to attack us" said Kiritsugu.
"I see, well if you withhold how you probably got nothing to worry about from either me, Saber, Rider, and Berserker, that still leaves 3 other servants and their masters, and even then I can say that they've no interest in us" said Archer.
"But I digress, I think it's better to be safe than sorry since you never know" said Archer as he began to lead Kiritsugu back into same shopping plaza as yesterday.
Working at the butchers stand this time, we see Lancer at work as he seems to understand the concept of customer service with a smile routine pretty good.
"It's him, the one called Lancer" said Kiritsugu as he narrowed his eyes at the man, "I take it you're acquainted with him" said Archer as Kiritsugu said nothing but lead them both to lean against the wall.
"What are you we doing here with are backs against the wall" asked Archer, "Just trying to figure out Lancer's game by working out here in this shopping plaza" said Kiritsugu.
"Well he is working to provide for 2 girlfriends, if you haven't already know" said Archer as Kiritsugu did recall Lancer saying something like that to Caster when they have chatted.
"Hmm, noted" said Kiritsugu as they would have spent the next half hour on merely stalking the former servant, but Archer decided to speed up the process by going in head first.
"What are you doing" demanded Kiritsugu, "Relax, I got to buy some meat for tonight's dinner" said Archer as he went up to the stand and was greeted welcomely.
"Archer, you guys are back in town now" said Lancer, "Yeah, just last night actually, which means you and I will be seeing each other around more often" said Archer.
"That's cool by me, say have you decided where you plan to work at" asked Lancer, "Not yet, really Rin wants me to try to secure a job that involves sitting in a cubicle and work my way up to like board director from there" said Archer.
"I kinda figured the girl had high standards" said Lancer, "Not to mention expensive taste, though really that's the kind of work I'm interested in" said Archer as the 2 continued to hold a friendly conversation as Kiritsugu continued to watch.
"Well hey man, if you're looking for part time, I can put in a good word in for you in just about any place within the area" said Lancer, "I might have to take you up on that offer, for now, mind setting my up about a pound and a half of sirloin" said Archer.
"Sure thing, though tell me, who's your friend hiding over there" said Lancer as he was referring to Kiritsugu.
"That man is my dad" said Archer as Lancer looked at him with a slack jawed expression.
"Huh" responded Lancer, "Yeah, that's my old man, believe it or not" said Archer as Lancer still was having a hard time to process this newfound information.
"Hold on now, that doesn't make sense, you were like a servant like me and the others, and to my knowledge, none of our parents are alive now" said Lancer.
"True, we're all heroes throughout time, me being one from the future you can say, and the fact me and Shirou are one in the same person and well… to be fair it's a bit complicated" said Archer.
"I say man, this whole traveling through time seems confusing" said Lancer before both made the exchange between meat and cash, before bidding goodbye.
"Come on, he knows about you now" said Archer to get Kiritsugu to come out of the shadows as he began to glare at his son.
"Why would you blow my cover like that" said Kiritsugu, "We weren't exactly being stealthy here, besides I just needed to prove to you that Lancer is a guy we can trust" said Archer.
"But what about his master, for all we know they may not share the same sentiment" said Kiritsugu, "Actually Lancer's original master is eternally grateful to Shirou and we all formed a peaceful alliance since our time away from home, while his master during the war, Kotomine, is dead and will remain dead" said Archer as Kiritsugu stopped in his tracks upon hearing this new set of news.
"Wait, don't tell me Shirou didn't mention that last part to you now" said Archer, "You mean to tell me that Lancer had served under Kotomine" demanded Kiritsugu.
"Easy, it was out of reluctancy, if anything Lancer hates Kotomine with a dying passion as much as all of us, since he not only witness him nearly killed Bazett, but in one of the time lines forced him to commit suicide if that does anything to help ease your mind" said Archer.
Taking in this newfound information, Kiritsugu dwelled on the matter for a minute, before ultimately choosing to drop the subject.
"Alright, I'll let the matter go for now, but please I expect you to remain like the shadows for the next servant and master we come across" said Kiritsugu.
"Fair enough" said Archer as both were preparing to meet Caster and Assassin at the temple, but instead ran into them, plus Soichirou out on the streets instead.
"Well, ain't this a big reunion now" commented Assassin as Kiritsugu damned the gods for just having bad luck today.
"Archer, it's good to see you again" said Caster with a warm smile, "Likewise, so what is it that you guys are doing out here on the streets" asked Archer before Caster erupted in a tongue tied blush, thankfully Soichirou was willing to step in.
"Caster here was planning for the 3 of us to help in preparations for our wedding" answered Soichirou, "Well now, kind of figured something like this would happen, congrats" said Archer.
"Thank you, oh and the next time you see that boy Shirou, please send him our deepest thanks" said Caster, "Will do" said Archer before ethe trio gazed upon Kiritsugu.
"Oh aren't you the man whom I saw yesterday" said Caster as Kiritsugu should have guest she could have easily saw through his disguise as he began to grit his teeth.
"Yeah, everyone, I want you all to meet Kiritsugu Emiya, Shirou's dad" said Archer much to everyone surprise.
"Hold on now, I was more than certain Shirou had no parent other than his teacher acting as his legal guardian" said Caster, "Well it seems that after our business with Avenger, he went and gave this man along with Illya's mom a second chance at life" explained Archer.
"Well that's interesting to know" said Caster as her eyes fell on Kiritsugu as did everyone else as the man had nothing to say but rather have panic in his eyes.
"Emiya San, I've no idea if you know this or not, but like you, none of us would be here without your son, so please be proud of him and let's remain as friends" said Caster as she and her group bowed their heads down.
Really not sure what to expect, or to trust them, for now Kiritsugu chose to play along with their offers of peace.
"Very well, I shall accept you as allies in peace" said Kiritsugu as they decided to depart and go about their day, but in all honesty neither one trust each other, and yet none of them wants to start another Holy Grail War without the Holy Grail that is.
For Caster, she knows that Kiritsugu doesn't trust anyone of these servants, and seems to have lost some trust in Archer in the process of them introducing one another.
Assassin could tell Kiritsugu was a killer like him, and his intuitions say that he can't be trusted.
While Soichirou was honestly afraid of Kiritsugu, since he was aware of the man's reputation as being a mage killer, and one who's not afraid to do so out in the open at the cost of dozens of innocent lives in the process.
"See, we're all good friends now" said Archer as Kiritsugu remained silent and continued to walk on.
"Look, I'm not as naïve as Shirou believe it or not, but trust me when I say that no one here is looking to become enemies with us, not that we can all have a second chance of life" said Archer.
"Exactly, a second chance to either seek revenge, to conquer, to cause needless anarchy" said Kiritsugu as Archer sighed and allowed him to think of it negatively, which to he'll admit isn't a bad thing.
"Look, you won't believe me until you see for yourself, which is fine, but by all means don't stop me or anyone in proving that you're right in any of this" said Archer.
"Sigh, well now that I'm well acquainted with everyone, why not go back home to your girlfriend already son" said Kiritsugu as he wanted to be alone and brood.
"You sure" asked Archer, "Yes, though please, find some time either today or tomorrow to visit your mother, knowing her she wants to make in effort to be a part of your life" said Kiritsugu.
"Alright old man, I'll see you around" said Archer as Kiritsugu waved him off and went off to procure some needed ingredients to keep his house safe from intruding eyes, while also figuring out who many of these servants are in their past life.
My day just got a little bit tougher, thought Kiritsugu as he had a feeling that war was soon upon him.
At the Emiya house
Having spent the last 4 hours of practicing, Shirou and Saber made their way back into the main house, where they saw Irisviel playing on the new Xbox he had got for Illya.
"Son, Saber perfect timing, I could use some help in telling these brats to shut up and not curse at me anymore than they already have" said Irisviel, "Um, sure here let me take over for a second" said Shirou as he began to show how to send messages amongst your teammates.
"Now how do I actually talk to them" asked Irisviel, "We're gonna need to buy a separate headset for that" said Shirou.
"Than let's go buy one, and those things you told me last night so I can watch movies again" said Irisviel, "Yeah, sure thing" said Shirou as Saber was preparing for a family stroll into town.
"By the way, any idea where did your father go" asked Irisviel, "Kiritsugu San has left to get things to fortify our house after last nights intrusive guest" said Saber.
"Yes, I remember now. Well no need to worry than, now let's go and explore the world again" said Irisviel, "Indeed, come Shirou, let us make haste" said Saber as Shirou didn't need to be told twice.
Alright, another chapter down, I know it wasn't as dramatic as the previous ones, and I assure you the next one won't be as well as we'll now shift focus onto Shirou spending the day out in town with Saber and Irisviel.
Otherwise just want to thank you guys for your continued support, and I'll be posting the next chapter soon enough.
Until than, be safe, be good people, and please support your local fandom communities.
This has been your Humble Narrator and official author Tobi Yaza. =3