Mind of a Genius

2012

"Could you pass me the soy sauce, Aoko?" Touko asked with a thin smile on her face.

"Sure. Here you go." Aoko responded, passing the sauce that was beside her plate.

And sitting in the middle of them, eyes moving back and forth like she was watching a slow tennis match, was the young Ayako. Her brows were furrowed as she glanced at the adults with simmering patience. Then, when that patience reached its lowest, she sighed. The tension that was building within her body leaving her faster than it built.

"Guys, this isn't the family dinner I had in mind."

Her voice carried itself through the room, as it needed what with both adults sitting at the edge of a long dining table, with Ayako right at the center. The soy sauce was floating towards her mother, basked in the blue light of Aoko's magecraft. Her aunt was smiling jovially at her, while her mother simply smirked in amusement. Aoko's smile turned to laughter when a pout found itself on Ayako's face.

"I thought you guys were doing better." She complained, not amused by their actions that night. "You know it's not often we get to be together. As a family."

"I know, I know." Aoko waved down her niece's concern. "Come on, you know it's not all sunshine and daisies between us yet."

"You hugged it out on my 10th birthday." Ayako complained, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, but we secretly wanted to stab each other then." Touko joked, though that didn't calm her daughter.

"No you didn't. You told me you two had buried the hatchet. That's why I remember that day so much, even though we didn't do anything." She sunk back deeper into her chair, ignoring their eyes.

Both sisters glanced to one another, sighing in defeat before they stood up and, along with their dinners, moved to Ayako's side. Touko on her right, and Aoko on her left. That still didn't sway the young Aozaki, still sulking in her seat as she tried her best to ignore the two adults. They both shared another look, with the younger of the two signaling to the other with a nod. Taking the lead, the older Aozaki wrapped her arm around Ayako's shoulder, bringing her daughter into a hug. She didn't resist her mother's efforts, but she was still sulking. She calmed down when Touko kissed the top of her head, nuzzling into the girl's hair. They sat together in silence with Aoko looking over them, until Ayako finally relented with a long sigh, returning Touko's hug with her own.

"This is all I ask for." Ayako said, though her words were muffled from Touko's chest. "To spend one last time as a family before I leave for the Clock Tower."

"We're sorry, dear. It was just a joke." Her mother placated, patting Ayako's back comfortingly.

"Yeah, cheer up, Rainbow. Is this how you wanna leave Japan? Being all sad?" Aoko said, ruffling Ayako's bright orange hair.

Ayako shook her head, though she still held Touko in the hug. The older Aozaki caught her sister's eyes again. "Are you staying for her graduation?"

"Hell yeah, I ain't missing this. And I haven't been in Japan in a while, so might as well see what's new." Aoko answered with a chuckle. "Besides, Lord knows the Clock Tower doesn't really bother with that nonsense, so this is the closest we're going to get."

"Not unless I go back to college when I'm done." Ayako commented, earning chuckles from the two adults.

"Degrees don't really matter dear. People still turn to me when they have need of my skills, and I don't have any of them." Touko said, looking down on her daughter.

Ayako shook her head, looking back up. "It's not about recognition, mom. It's about these moments like this, together."

Touko sighed, tightening the hug herself. "Well, you're not wrong about that."

"Enough of this sappy stuff." Aoko called out, turning back to her dinner. "Let's finish our food so we can all have some fun."

Ayako nodded as Touko gave her one last comforting rub, the two of them turning back to their own meals. The three Aozakis; A single mother, the carefree aunt, and their pride and joy. A huge contrast with the previous generation; A dying magus family, a monster of a grandfather, and a feud between sisters that could rival the world wars.

A huge contrast, but one that they embraced, after discarding their old ways to carve a path for the new.

2017

Ragged breaths filled the almost empty training room, currently being used by a single person in the early morning within the facility. The main section of the gymnasium now housing a handful of the many people within, with two of them being Master Candidates themselves. The single person inside the training room, resting herself as she leaned on her knees with her hands. The clothes she wore soaked to the bone with her sweat, the outer most layer looking like it had been through a storm. She shook her head, letting the precipitation that hung on the tips of her hair to fly off, moving to a corner where she had placed her belongings. In this case, it was a filled bottle of water, a hand towel, and her phone that was still playing music.

She shut the music off, picking the hand towel and wiping her face as she stood back up with the bottle in her hand. She threw the towel back onto the floor and began drinking from the bottle. Her swallows were both visible and audible, almost echoing in the empty training room. The bottle reached its halfway point before she paused, taking in a lungful of air.

"Are you part of A Team?" she called out in the room, before she turned to face the archway that separated the training room with the rest of the gym, her golden eyes meeting a distressed yellow.

At least, that's what Ayako assumed when she eyed the man that was standing before her, white disheveled hair and the shadows under his eyes making him look like he hadn't had a wink of sleep in weeks.

"Do you just, dance?" he asked, trailing his eyes across the room, looking elsewhere but her.

"I've dabbled in a few martial arts, but I prefer to dance. It's the closest thing to exercising for me." She answered, picking up the rest of her things before she closed the distance between them. "You A Team?" she repeated.

His gaze finally landed on her, startled by how quickly she had reached him. He nodded. "Kadoc."

"Ayako." She replied back. "What's up?"

He stared at up at her, which was peculiar since she wasn't that tall to begin with, by virtue of being Japanese. The way his knees were never straight and how hunched he looked made him appear shorter than he actually is. "Are you settling in?"

Her tenure within Chaldea was just under a week, and she had spent most of the time either with Koleen, keeping the not so demure girl company; with the other member of B Team, spending the closest thing to a team building exercise among the three women; dancing in the training room, keeping her body in shape; and alone in her room, still taking inventory of the many things inside the special box inside her closet.

So all in all, "Doing good." She answered. "How about you? You doing okay?"

He chuckled dejectedly. "Everybody keeps asking me that."

"Maybe because it looks like you haven't slept in months." He flinched at the casual observation on his being. "You stressed out?"

He sighed. "I guess." He leaned his shoulder on the archway, and just for a moment he stood taller than her. "I saw your simulation."

"Oh yeah?"

"And Wodime told us about that duel with the Spaniard." He trailed.

"Oh yeah, you know how he's doing?" she asked.

He shrugged noncommittally. "I heard he was cleared from the infirmary last night."

Ayako nodded with concealed relief. "That's good. Didn't want to kill him."

"You're talented." He looked at her, meeting her eyes again.

She would've smiled, but she felt it didn't match the mood of her partner. "I had good teachers."

"Not good genes?" he asked.

She shook her head with a frown forming on her face. "The Aozaki's are worthless." She told him. "My mom and aunt got to where they are through their own efforts, and they helped me in the early years of my life."

"And because of that, you're a prodigy that can rival your mother." He let out another defeated chuckle.

"Are you okay?" she asked him again, this time genuinely concerned for this pale man.

He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Everyday, I question my worth. I'm reminded that compared to them, and you, I'm nothing."

"That's not true." She answered. "You're A Team. You're handpicked, so without a doubt there's definitely some worth to you."

He sighed again, turning away from her. "All the Doctor and Da Vinci told me is that I have an exceptionally high compatibility as a Master, especially compared to the rest of the team."

"And that's a great thing." She said without a hint of sarcasm. "That is the one measure that determines whether any of us either go out on the field, or stay here as part of the crew. That's a meaningful distinction if I do say so myself."

He turned back to her, his eyes widened in surprise. She didn't wait for him to respond, moving on and patting him on his shoulder. When she was a good few feet away, she spoke up again. "Cheer up dude. It won't do you any good to wallow in self-pity. Because that will tear you down faster than anyone else's words."

He kept his gaze on her even as she left the gym, and only when she was out of eyeshot, did he turn his eyes downward, reflecting on her words. He sighed, as he made his way to one of the empty machines, going back to what he had initially intended before he got sidetracked. So closed off was his thoughts that he didn't notice his own team member, the tall flamboyant man who was also exercising, chuckling amusedly at the scene that had transpired.

He will not particularly enjoy their next team meeting.

"Most people don't do this, right?" Koleen asked, standing in the corner of the sparse room and surveying the little bit of mess they had created.

"No, people are rather solitary." The Japanese redhead replied, placing the weathered tomes on the single desk, before plopping herself down on the floor. "Which is pretty understandable, all things considered. Their mysteries can trace back to before the birth of Christ, and some of them are even more ancient."

"How about you?" the blonde asked, taking a seat on the single chair. "I asked around, like you told me to, and people said the Aozakis are also old."

"They're also pretty much nothing now. Their lineage is dead, especially since for all intents and purposes, my mom started a branch family with me." She answered, before locking eyes with the blonde. "How about you? How far is your lineage?"

Koleen looked unsure, before shrugging at the question. "We're not really sure. My family stopped practicing the craft just at the end of the 19th century, but they still kept maintaining the tomes."

"You know people think that Abigail Williams is your ancestor?" the meek young woman furrowed her brows at that.

"I don't know about that. Maybe, since some of my great aunts and uncles talk about her, but we don't really have any evidence to support the claim." She told the young Japanese woman.

"Did your parents take issue over you taking up the practice? I assume so, if they haven't touch the craft in a couple centuries."

"A little bit." She replied. "They're just worried, like any self-respecting parent would be for their child. All I've been told is that the craft in these tomes can be very dangerous."

"And you haven't even read that far into it?" Ayako asked curiously.

Koleen shook her head. "I read most of the things from here." She patted the tome that was closest to her. "But I took to things that are simple in nature that I can exploit for better use. And also to not touch things that would make me a stereotypical witch."

"So no throwing frog's legs into a boiling cauldron of death?" she asked in a lighthearted manner.

The blonde chuckled as well. "You joke, but there are recipes here to make my curses more potent." She then leaned forward, reaching for an unkempt straw doll. "For the most part, this is the heaviest thing I can offer at the moment."

A shiver ran up Ayako's spine as she eyed the doll that was delicately held in Koleen's hand. "And yet you don't need to use it?"

Koleen shook her head. "I've spent a couple of years practicing this, just so I don't have to rely on a doll."

Another shiver ran up her spine, an involuntary reaction to the blonde's witchcraft. "I know it's a bit too late, but you should be careful about how many people know your craft."

"I know." She answered with a nod. "But I trust you."

Ayako's eyes widened in genuine surprise, before she smiled in reply. "Thanks."

"How about you, Ayako? Do you plan on doing anything?" the blonde in turn asked her.

"I've been planning on making a gun."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, modeled after the M1 Garand. I got the supplies I needed before I even got the call to come here. But then this came and it's been put on hold." She elaborated.

"How would that work though?" Koleen asked, the unsaid question heard by Ayako.

"I've been meticulous in making sure the supplies are crafted from select materials. Like making use of wood carved from Mímameiðr." She sighed. "It's a long process in making sure the magic in all of them stays intact, and a lot of people says it's impossible. But," she looked up, her golden eyes meeting Koleen's unique pink. "Do or do not. There is no try."

There is one room within Chaldea that only a select few can enter, and only two people can enter without hoping to catch her on a good day. Her skills were needed and necessary for Chaldea's efforts, which was why everyone gave her the space she had silently declared to everyone when she made her ire towards Chaldea known. Not the organization specifically, and not their efforts specifically. But the top brass that runs the projects. Even the Director couldn't do much to her. This is why Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop is often ignored by the lower ranking crew and candidates as if it never existed.

Except for one person, who was leaning on the wall across from the closed door that led to the workshop of Chaldea's third Servant. Ayako didn't know what had transpired, all she knew was that the Mona Lisa wasn't a particularly huge fan of Chaldea. And it wasn't for lack of trying on her part, most people simply didn't know. And she'd rather not push the buttons of her superiors. She ignored the looks she got from the people that passed her as she mulled over her choices, or lack thereof.

How could she approach this? A knock on the door was too overt, even though it's probably the most sensible approach. She was sure her pass wouldn't work on the door.

Could it be that simple? Should she just knock?

She pushed herself off the wall, taking strides that got concerned and pitying looks from the passerby as she reached the object of her fascination. She held breath as her hand was raised, closed to a fist ready to knock. And it did. Three steady knocks.

"Yo, Ayako."

She turned to her right, seeing a familiar man approach her, now dressed in Chaldea's crew uniform.

"Sinclair, it's been a while." She said with a pleasing smile. She patted his shoulder when he was in reaching distance.

"Yeah, it sure is." He said back, scratching the back of his head. "This place is huge. You don't really see it from the outside."

"That's 'cause it's in a mountain. It's all inside." She told him. "How's it like, being a techie here?"

"It's actually pretty good. I'm on the software end of the management." He said to her. "The Doc's been good to us as well, when a lot of us are so lost around here."

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "I thought the Doctor was head of Medical."

He grimaced, as if the topic wasn't a welcomed one. "He is." He answered with a shrug. "Technically the head of our department is Da Vinci, but from what I heard, he- uh, she- damn it! They aren't fully cooperating with Chaldea, so Dr. Roman is acting as some sort of intermediary."

Even locked in her room, she was still producing results. That's a genius for you. It made Ayako even more excited in meeting her. While in her thoughts, Helix continued speaking. "What about you? What are you doing?"

She pointed with her thumb at the still closed door. "I actually wanted to speak with Da Vinci myself. Dunno if the door will open though."

The sound of a door sliding filled their ears as if on cue, with the both of them turning to face the now opened workshop. On instinct, Helix looked around as well, seeing the corridor suspiciously empty.

He held his hands up. "Okay, is this some weird magic shit?" he asked worriedly, taking a step back.

"I wish." Ayako replied with an eager smile and an excited glint in her eyes. While he retreated, she took a step forward, towards the workshop.

"You're just gonna walk right in?" he asked incredulously.

"Obviously." She answered. "I knocked." And with that, she crossed the threshold.

"Wait!" he called out, chasing after her.

He was met with the cold steel door as it closed right behind her, causing him to stumble back. He kept his footing, though he was now nursing a bruised face.

It says a lot about the power of a Caster-Class Servant's power that the moment one steps into whatever it is that they had deemed their workshop, it feels like they had crossed into another world, or a different time entirely. That's what Ayako felt when she took that step forward, her golden eyes roaming around the room in childish wonderment. A brown, almost golden atmosphere as the heart of the renaissance was encapsulated within the workshop. A bookshelf housing some colorful books just from the spine of it from what she could see. Various artifacts and contraptions that wouldn't look out of place from the era. An artificial window that was covered by blinds that looked right at home in the 15th century. A mechanical bird, eyeing her with lifelike mannerisms. The only thing out of place was the computer atop the desk in the middle of the room, with a smiling Servant now looking at her.

"Never seen anyone so excited about my room before." The Caster-Class Servant commented with an amused grin.

Ayako's eyes met with the blues of the Servant's, the elation within them tamed as she addressed the mesmerizing individual. "Well it's not every day I get to go back in time."

"Well if this project ever gets off its feet then you'll be going back in time like it's going out of style." The world renowned polymath responded.

Ayako's brows furrowed in thought. "Isn't that just our subconscious that's being sent back?" she asked, recalling the orientation she took part in.

"A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B." Da Vinci said, as she stood up, pushing herself off the table. "So. What brings the Japanese prodigy to my neck of the woods?"

At this, her smile returned. "I just wanted to talk." She answered truthfully. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for anyone to talk a genius like you."

She rolled her blue eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "The 21st century isn't starved with geniuses as well, you know."

Now it was Ayako's turn to roll her eyes. "Yes, but the idiots are even louder now, having the platform to scream as loud as they can." She sighed dejectedly. "Besides, I never got the chance to meet any of them as well. I doubt Stephen Hawking's in any condition to travel down here."

Da Vinci laughed heartily, clapping her hand on Ayako's shoulder. "I like you already, Ayako Aozaki. Come, you wanted to talk? Then let's sit and have a chat, shall we?"

Time flies by quickly when you're having fun. That had never been truer to Ayako as she stretched her arms above her head within the confines of her room. It reached to the ends of the night, the conversation she had wanted to have with the Servant. They talked mostly about inconsequential things, yet she could not help but feel enlightened by it all. She never personally took much stock "older is greater" mindset that most, if not all magi had. It wasn't in her nature to do so, yet the insight she gleaned from the Renaissance genius felt like it allowed her to open up her mind more to newer possibilities.

And of course, the closing topic was something to be immortalized, just for the look on Da Vinci's face when she offered her opinion on the legacy she had left behind.

"I'm just saying, I don't think Mona Lisa is all that special." Ayako commented with a shrug, earning a betrayed look on the Servant's face in return. "Not the painting. That's a masterpiece. The woman who modeled, I think you could have done better."

"But the Mona Lisa is the epitome of beauty!" Da Vinci half shouted, not in outrage but more flabbergasted. She then gestured to herself. "How can you see this and disagree?"

Ayako once again shrugged. "Maybe back then, but using the standards of the 21st century? Please." Ayako rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Besides, are we really certain that you're beautiful because of the Mona Lisa, and not because you're a Servant?"

Her laughter filled her room, just from the memory of Da Vinci's face when she offered her opinion, whether the Servant wanted it or not. That conversation alone had made this journey for her entirely worth it, and they barely even started the project. She sighed happily as she pushed herself off her desk, stretching herself before she plucked her towel from the back of her chair and made her way towards her bathroom.

Three knocks coming from her door halted her steps, and she sighed. It seemed like it was becoming a habit, for people to approach her room after dusk. And she was not a fan of that. She detoured towards the door, opening it with her pass, and was met with nothing.

Her eyes narrowed as she took a step outside, looking down the corridor. And again, she saw nothing. Then she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Her eyes widened, taking a step back inside and closing the door again. She locked it with her pass, turning around to face her room.

And right now, she was face to face with a materializing Servant, arms crossed with a smile on her face.

"What's wrong, Da Vinci? Still bitter about the hard truth you had to swallow?" she couldn't help but jab the Servant, now with a twitching eyebrow.

"That is not a truth. And no. I'm here, for other things in mind." She approached the Japanese redhead, who backed up into the door, now with worry creeping up in her. "How often do people call you a genius, Ayako?"

"Not often." Her own voice was calm, despite the building worry as she kept her eyes locked with Da Vinci's. "People often downplay my efforts, especially since I'm from the Orient."

"That's a damn shame. Because I'm sure everyone will benefit if they had to hear what you have to say." The genius said genuinely.

"What are you getting at?" Ayako asked as her eyes narrowed on the Servant.

The Servant smiled a knowing smile. She glanced to where the room's closet was, no doubt knowing what was inside, before turning back to Ayako. "You've set up a contingency plan for yourself?"

"Always." She answered without missing a beat. "I'd have more, but it'd exceed the limit for what I could bring here. And I wouldn't want to wake up on the other side of the world."

"So it really does run in the family?"

"My mom has way more puppets stashed around the world. You're interested in our puppets?"

"Yes, but not for me." Da Vinci replied. "I've got my own contingency plans. I'm talking about Chaldea."

"You're asking for one for the Director?" now she was slowly following along, especially taking into account her own suspicions she had regarding the death of Olga Marie's father.

The smirk on the Servant's face grew wider if it could. "I didn't ask for anything. Aside from a little bit of help." Da Vinci leaned closer, until her mouth was just shy of Ayako's ear. She could feel the Servant's breath. "Just imagine what two geniuses can create together."

Ayako covered her ear when Da Vinci straightened back. "You didn't have to make it sound so sensual." The Japanese redhead complained with a frown on her face.

The Servant chuckled amusedly. "Well, how about it?"

In truth, Ayako already knew her answer. She simply held it to herself for a few seconds, looking off to the side where her closet. When her gaze returned to Da Vinci's, she replied the Servant's smirk with her own confident smile.

"I'm in."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

shit's getting real hectic in my life right now people. and the good kind. i'm finally getting my life back on track after years of nonsense. so, things might take a little longer to update, for this and other fics i wrote. but it's all for a good thing.

the flashback sequence is a way for me to have Touko and Aoko still be "present" in the story despite them not being around. especially when things get real.

and reviews! i forgot to respond to them last chapter, so i'll be doing them both now.

Lia and primus: thanks for the reviews! and some Servants are obvious, in who would be summoned. but, i'm thinking that most that do get summoned are ones that i've personally summoned. because that way i'm more familiar with their characters.

Emiya: pretty much like that, and we'll be seeing more of them in that fashion as time goes on.

Albertrojas: thanks dude!

thanks again you all for reading! how you drop another reviews and have a great time!

see you all next time.