"We're going to have to do something about this," Goredolf said once the Count had left, not that it would have done anything if he was around, "Not Inko of course, we all knew that was an inevitably, not a possibility… but the police, the heroes and such. We don't have the UN and Mage's Associations backing anymore, we can't just ask them to make Izuku's disappearance go away."
"Yes," Sherlock said, tenting his fingers before pressing the intercom, "Sion, Anderson, Nursery and… hah… Moriarty? Can we see you in the CIC?"
"What are you planning?" Goredolf started, "wait, don't tell me… not that you all bother to tell me half the time. Sion, Anderson, Nursery Rhyme… hm… you're planning to do memory modifications?"
"Light, non invasive ones," Sherlock said, "or as non invasive as a memory modification can be. We simply add that after Izuku went missing, he was recovered from a kidnapping and we, as Chaldea Security, offered to take him in until such a time that it was safe for him to return."
"That sounds pretty invasive, Sherlock," Da Vinci said, "We're going to have to add memories of a sting operation or something to explain why it's safe for him to come back now."
"True," Sherlock nodded, "fine, it won't be noninvasive, but it's necessary."
"I didn't say it wasn't," Da Vinci said, "Lily?"
"Jimmy is wrapping up his bar keeping," the younger Da Vinci said, "and Sion is making some last checks on the engines now that the resonance is reaching its peak. Nursery and Hans are on their way, though."
"What's Moriarty for, if you don't mind me asking?" Goredolf finally asked with a sigh, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow.
"I hate to admit it," Sherlock said, "but if we're going to be here, and we are, then every human on the Border is going to need an identity. Birth certificates, IDs, passports, the works. If there's anyone on this world that can counterfeit those to the point nobody will be able to tell they're false, it's Moriarty."
- X Reines X-
Reines twisted her head to look up at the speaker, before looking back down toward James and sighing, "Any chance I can take the bottle with me?"
"It will cost you," James said.
Several synthetic crystals appeared in her hand, and she passed them to the barkeep, "I don't get why we use this stuff, it's only valuable because we say it is."
"That sounds dangerous communistic, my dear," James said, handing her the bottle and turning towards Drake. The privateer had already piled enough crystals, toasting Reines.
"Ain't gonna get out of this so easily," Drake said, swigging back the brandy, "Thanks for this, James. Sailing this bastard nearly blind was stressful enough, then you add that arse Nemo and… aye, I needed this drink."
"Any time," James said, pulling down the reinforced and enchanted sheet metal to lock up the store of alcohol, "so long as you're paying."
Drake barked a laugh as she vanished down the hall, and Reines watched the bartender finish his work before leaving with the wine bottle and glass in Trimmau's hands.
Two lefts, up a flight of stairs, a right and…
"I'm back," Reines deadpanned, pushing open the door with her foot, "I hope you didn't stay up."
Gray looked up from the textbook she was reading, biting the eraser of a pencil in bewilderment. Her mostly grey hair, interrupted with a single streak of blonde she normally kept hidden under her hood and in her braid, was hanging loose.
While the life of a Servant didn't quite suite Reines as much as it did Gray or Waver, in her opinion, she would quietly confide in herself that it was worth it just to see Gray's slow transformation into a perfect clone of Artoria Pendragon she had played witness to stop.
While it hadn't ever been as bad as the first night, when her face had begun to become a replica of Artoria's, according to Gray, that just made things more haunting. Reines had watched her de facto best friend writhe as her spine violently aligned itself. Watched bones snap like twigs and heal as excess fragments had pushed themselves out through Gray's skin. The Magus in her found it utterly fascinating, the part of her that she tried to kill, that cared (because Kayneth and Waver had both cared about someone, and look where it got them.) found it utterly horrifying.
"What was the lights going out about?"
"I don't know," Reines shrugged, taking her drink from Trimmau, "How's the school work?"
"It's… going," Gray said, glaring at the math problem.
"Missing Izuku yet?" Reines asked, smirking as Gray locked up… though regretting it a second later as Add finally decided to make himself known.
- X Gray X-
"Ihihihi," Gray's head snapped towards her Mystic Code, who was hopping up and down in his birdcage, "Yeah, are you missing Izu yet, Graaaaaaaah!"
"He really does just ask for it, doesn't he?" Reines asked, sipping her wine as she watched Gray viciously whip the cage up and down. Shut up. About. Her feelings. You stupid box!
"He likes it, I think," Gray said, dropping Add onto the table and ignoring his theatrical groaning.
"Why would I like it?" Add protested. Gray steadfastly ignored him, biting the eraser of her pencil-
Sharply enough to tear through the rubber as Reines continued, "And I wasn't talking about your feelings for Izuku. I just mean, well, like I've had to be on my best behavior without him around. It's so boring!"
"I," Gray spat the eraser, feeling heat crawl to her face as she leapt up, "I don't have-"
"Pull the other one first," Reines deadpanned, "at least it has bells."
Ohhhh… that… that…!
Gray grabbed a pillow, tossing it at Reines who batted it aside.
"What is it about him anyways? I mean, I get you not having any interest in Svin, he's cute but his behavior around you-"
"Uhg," Gray muttered, hearing the ghostly noise of the Beast Magus sniffing around her. It had taken her a couple of years to realize Svin was attracted to her, not that he hated her, "I… don't remind me."
"And I'm pretty sure Flat isn't interested in girls, assuming he's even interested in anyone," Reines continued, checking her communicator and eyes widening, "b-but you had plenty of people interested in you at Clocktower. So why Izuku?"
…
"He was… the first person to look at me like I was normal since this," Gray finally said, reaching up to touch her face, "ever since, I was Gray the cute," Reines jerked at that, "or pretty or… even Sir, he looks at me and sees Artoria. That's why he has me wear my hood around him. But Izuku… he recognized Goddess Rhongomyniad when he saw me for the first time, despite his amnesia… but he never let that make it so he looked at me as anything but, but just "Gray"..."
"...Yes..." Reines sighed, finally, "I suppose that would do it, wouldn't it?"
"Why do you think I keep bringin' it up," Add said, the cube hopping in place and forcing the cage back into position, "Master can't be that oblivious, sooner or later he'll catch the mem-"
"Izuku," a cold voice said, and all three whipped around to see Anastasia standing there, "is willfully oblivious. And you should have talked to me about it."
"What… I… why…"
"How else was I supposed to use you as evidence that people care about him to get through his thick skull," Anastasia huffed, "We're showing Inko around the Border, come on."
"Showing…?" Gray stopped, before hoofing it towards the Grand Duchess. Standing there, hand held by Jeanne Lily, was Inko Midoriya while Mash talked to her.
"This is where some of the female British Servants live," Mash was explaining.
"I se- hello?" Inko started, tight lipped, before they fell open as her eyes landed on Gray.
- X Redacted X-
{Classified channel}
Reines-{Redacted}
You were right, ME-phenomena confirmed. Type unknown, suspect having to do with similarities between IM and MM, more information coming when I have the chance to gain it. Keep this low, has the potential to be dangerous to everyone, but mostly him.
- X Inko X-
Inko stared at the girl with long hair and a face similar to that of Artoria and Jeanne. Looking between the two, she worked her lip before saying, "Are you… related?"
It was, she felt, a fair question given how similar the two looked. Both had nearly identical facial structures, both had hair in shades of grey with a strand of hair stubbornly out of place… but the minute the question was asked, the older girl visibly recoiled before rushing back into her room. The noise of rustling clothes came a second later as the blond with her retreated back into the room.
"Gray isn't my sister," Jeanne said.
"Cousin?"
"Don't have any of those," Jeanne said, "Just Perè and Jeanne and Jeanne Alter."
"I'm… sorry?"
"Jeanne Lily is a… unique Heroic Spirit," Mash said as she made her way over to the open door, "One moment- Gray? Are you- oh, you're just-? Do you want to come with us? We can wait a minute, of course. Sorry, Lily's full name, as it were, is Jeanne D'arc Santa Alter Lily."
"Midoriya," Jeanne said without any room for argument. Inko considered trying to explain to her that Izuku was too young to be a father, that her and Hisashi were too young to be grandparents, only for Mash to cut her off before she could start.
"Midoriya," Mash agreed after a giggle, "She is a… fragment of the Heroic Spirit Jeanne D'arc Alter… she was the girl I was with when we met."
"Right," Inko said. This was still ridiculous, but everyone seemed to believe it so fervently.
"Jeanne Alter is in turn a darker copy of Jeanne D'Arc, the Maiden of Orleans. Those are her sisters. Technically, Jeanne Alter could be called her mother, but-"
"-She's more like a sister," Lily said.
"Then how is Izuku like your father?" Inko asked, grabbing onto the hole in the logic.
"Perè… he worked really hard to keep me alive," Lily said, "I'm not something that should exist normally, Grandmerè. Alter already stretched the limits of what a Heroic Spirit named Jeanne D'Arc could be, and I'm a step further than that. Perè… is probably the world's expert on Heroic Spirits, so he found a way to give me something to latch onto and make me Jeanne D'Arc too."
Inko felt a headache building at that. What did it even mean? "And what was that?"
"He took me to see the sea," Lily said, a happy smile spreading across her face.
"Jeanne only saw the sea at the end of her life," Mash explained, "so by making Lily "Jeanne who saw the ocean as a child", Senpai managed to make her enough of a Heroic Spirit to keep on existing. Like how Alter is "Jeanne who hates France"... it can be confusing, I know. Heroic Spirits are as much concepts as people. The wishes of humanity crystalized… you still don't believe us, do you?"
"It's hard to believe," Inko protested even as the nugget of doubt wormed in her gut.
"Wait," Anastasia said, "She doesn't believe us? About what, that we're not actually Heroic Spirits? Does she think we're using code names based around legends?"
""She" can hear you," Inko bit out, breathing in, "That's a more believable explanation than magic and legends and everything but… if I were to believe you, and I'm not saying I do… why do you all work for Izuku? He's just a boy."
"Why would we work for him if we were secret agents?" Serenity said, causing Inko to jump as she realized he had completely forgotten the girl with dark purple hair had been behind her, "We follow Izuku because he is our Master and friend."
"And he's my Perè," Jeanne said, "like Jack and Leonardo Lily!"
Just as Inko's mind began to wrap around the situation, it broke again, "Jack and…? There are more?"
"Yeah," Jeanne nodded, turning to Mash, "can we go show her them?"
"Give us a second," Mash said, "We're waiting for-"
"Sorry that took so long," Gray said, stepping out of the room with a cloak over her head, covering enough of her features to make her look almost plain, "I had to-
Inko pulled down the hood gently, "why are you covering your face? We're indoors, and someone as pretty as you-"
"Please," Gray said, grabbing the hood and pulling it back up, "let me? I'm a bit conscious of how I look-"
"That's an understatement," the other girl said, before curtseying to Inko, "I am Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, Sima Yi and Rider Class Servant of your son. A pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, yes," Gray said, bowing once she had put her hood back on, "and I'm Gray, Assassin Class Servant. Please take care of me!"
-X Jack X-
Jack breathed in, staring down at the body and raising the forceps. Slowly, carefully she reached into it and-
BBZZZZZ
Bugger!
Dropping the "funny bone", Jack fell back from the operation game and huffed. She knew how to do surgery (kinda… sorta… ok, she was better at vivi, viv- cutting things open), why was this so hard?
"Hey, Jackie?" A voice said from all around her, and she looked up.
"What's it, Leo?" Jack asked, kicking her feet. There were so many Lilies and Alters and… bleh, that it made life so hard to do. So as far as she cared, Da Vinci-Chan Lily was Leo.
"Are you wearing the dress that padre got for you? We've got a surprise of ya, but you need to be wearing that."
"We're wearing the dress that Mommy got us," Jack said, tugging at the white dress.
"Alright then," Leo said, before continuing, "then get ready because-"
"And this," Mash said, pushing open the door and letting a woman Jack recognized, even if she had never met her, immediately. Long green hair in a ponytail, only a couple of centimeters taller than Mash, slightly chubby, "is Jack. Jack, this is-"
"Grandma!" Jack cried, throwing herself at the green haired woman and crashing into her waist, causing her to stagger back and let go of Jeanne Lily's hand. Green eyes blinked at her in confusion, "You are Grandma, right? Mommy's mommy?'
"Mommy?" Grandma said.
"Izuku," Gray said, sliding into the room with Reines, who looked like she was watching one of Edison's shows, "Jack calls him Mommy because… well, she does."
"Mommy is Mommy," Jack said, continuing to hug Inko.
"Then… yes," Inko said, "I am your Grandma."
Jack beamed up at her, squeezing harder.
- X Inko X-
Inko's heart melted as the white haired girl, and she couldn't help but wonder if all of Izuku's "adopted" children had that trait, seemed to do her best to melt into Inko. After a second, Jeanne joined in, both of them hugging her. It was a familiar hug, the type of hug she had given her own grandmother after a long time away.
It, more than anything, convinced Inko that they were telling the truth. She knelt down, hugging them both just as tightly as they hugged her and met Mash's eyes.
"I've never heard of a Hero named Mash before," she said.
"I'm fused with a Servant," Mash said, "Mash Kyrielight was the name I was born with. I hold the power of Galahad, Knight of the Round Table. I am Shielder, the Heroic Spirit of the Shield and your son's loyal kouhai."
"And his leg and the stab wound?"
"I didn't have my powers at the time," Mash said, "I have them again, and Izuku will not be harmed so long as I remain standing. That is my oath as a knight."
"He won't be hurt so long as I'm around either," Anastasia said, her eyes as hard as ice, "I lost loved ones before. Ones I'll never see again because my Mystery is stronger than theirs. I refuse to lose Izuku until the chance that we will be reunited by the Grail's call is a hundred percent."
"Everyone on the Border would sooner die than see Izuku hurt again," Serenity said, "There was a day where he… he was comatose and began to vomit up blood. I remember him being rushed to medical to be given a transfusion. The Count was by his side in a heartbeat, and every one of us would have been if we could. Don't worry, Inko, your son is in the best hands possible. As little as it is, I swear that on my position as Hassan-I-Sabbah."
"We care about him," Gray said, simply and without the flourish of the others while Reines shrugged.
"I'm not head over heels for Izuku like them, but he's a source of constant entertainment. I wouldn't let that disappear for anyone."
"That's her way of saying he's her friend," Gray said, smiling at Inko before she could open her mouth.
"I don't have friends."
"Keep telling yourself that," Gray said.
"We'll protect Mommy too," Jack said, "if we gotta dissect some people to do it, we will."
That was… disturbing… really disturbing, "Who are you, Jack?"
"People call us Jack the Ripper," Inko closed her eyes and internally screamed. Her son... Had adopted… the most infamous serial killer of all time, "I'm Jack, or some people call me Jackie."
-X Musashi
"-Please," Izuku's voice cracked, tears welling up as the Border flew towards the rift. Musashi laughed, reaching out to wipe away the tears in his eyes.
"C'mon, don't be like that," Musashi said, "I hate sad goodbyes."
"I don't-" Izuku's tears grew worse, if anything.
"Want this to be goodbye?" Musashi asked him, giving him a smile, "Neither do I, Master, but that's not a choice we have anymore. Ah, hell, I might as well."
"Might as well-?" Before Izuku could finish, Musashi swept in and give him a kiss on the lips, pulling back with a teasing smile.
"Give you something nice to remember me by," Musashi said, shoving him into the arms of the Count and turning towards the approaching Dyson Sphere, Chaos. A beam of energy strong enough to kill gods fired at the Storm Border, and Musashi unsheathed her sword and activated her Mystic Eyes of the Empyrean. The blast that should have destroyed them was deflected along the first of her four blades while it disintegrated.
"I am Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu," Musashi said, magical energy crystalizing the air around her as she reached for a single sword. The founder of Niten Ichi-ryū gripped one sword, the Myoujingiri Muramasa, "the flower of Tengen. Not once have I swung a perfect swing."
Wind, fire, earth, water, void all howled around her as she pushed the sword up just enough for the blade to glint in the flames of Chaos. She shifted raising both hands above her head and breathing in as the hellish noise of Chaos preparing to attack howled again.
This will be my last slash. It will be perfect, and it will keep Izuku safe.
"One" wouldn't do it.
"Zero" wouldn't do it.
If she wanted to stop Chaos, she would have to use " "
"For the first and last time," she said, the tranquility of the dead falling across her like a shroud. There was no escape from this, no trick to do it and walk away laughing. If she did this, it was the end.
But Izuku, Mash and the Missionary too, but Izuku… he'd walk away alive. Was this what people meant when they said love made a fool of people?
"I swing perfectly and claim my place at the throne of gods!" Musashi said, sheath falling away and blade fully drawn, "My roaring sword is now unsheathed! (Six Realms Five Rings) Ishana, Daitenshou!"
The world faded from her eyes as she swung the blade, becoming nothing more but herself and the portal leading to Chaos. The blade slid from her hands as the portal faded, leaving her in a void with a figure in red.
"So this is the Root all those mages want to find?" Musashi said, feeling herself fade, "Not all that it's made out to be, I guess.
- X Count X-
The Count pushed the cup of tea into Izuku's hands, waiting for the inevitable explosion. Izuku couldn't hold anger over long periods of time well, but when he exploded, he exploded with the best of them. And the explosion was-
"Why?"
Imminent.
"Why did you STOP ME!" Izuku snarled, smashing the mug and slamming his cane into the ground, "I could have- have-!"
"Stopped her and got us all killed?" The Count shot back, "We had to-"
"What kind of hero stands by and lets their friend kill themselves-"
"The kind that can't afford to count the costs!" The Count barked, "Izuku. I say this as your friend, but we need to focus on your priorities right now."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Izuku demanded.
"We're the last holdout of Proper Human History," the Count pointed out, "I know losing Musashi hurts you, but you're not thinking straight. Billions of people are reliant on us to save Proper Human History. A few sacrifices, except for you, are acceptable losses. We are ghosts who died, our lives don't matter!"
"You matter to me!" Izuku snapped, "You're my friends."
"I know," the Count said, "and if it were that easy, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But it isn't.
- X Moriarty X-
"Can you do it?" Sherlock asked Moriarty.
"I'll need help," he said, "Hassan of the Hundred Personas and Evil Wind… but yes, I can fake IDs for Izuku, Mash, Gray and the others. It won't be too hard.