DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.

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Chapter 19: Snek Waifu? No, Friend!

A full day went by after the date with Taiga, and I really saw no major hints to the issue that came up around midnight.

I had been asleep for some time at that point, thinking that I wouldn't be subjected to any sudden emergency since things in Fuyuki had been fairly... peaceful. I was wrong on many levels. Especially when Quartz came close to blasting me off my bed due to a new issue that just happened mere minutes before his 'gentle wake up call'.

"W-What?" I gurgled while getting off the floor after being subjected to an unceremonious 'sparta-kick' wake up.

"Master, this time a Servant actually got into the real world. I have their location saved but-"

"But?" I asked, my tone far from pleased or calm as I rushed to put on some clothes.

"From my estimations, it seems to be near the location where one Matou Sakura lives."

...Shit. Actually no- double shit.

Once I was done dressing, I quickly had Setanta and Eli brought out of their beds and briefed on the situation. The pinkette looked ready to murder without hesitation, while the one that would 'become' the Hound of Ulster looked ready to just do his job and then walk back home to resume his much-needed sleep.

No one was happy about the late disposition, but we quickly moved to handle this situation. This was, after all, an anomaly beyond the standard. This time the Servant we had to deal with was someone that was acting on the real world rather than a mirror one. Which meant any damage here was not only going to linger within the real world, but if we got 'too loud' then we were really to get some issues beyond a boosted Servant on the loose.

After roughly ten minutes of sprinting around and the two morons 'slowing down for my sake', we managed to finally reach our destination and... there was already some damage. Sakura didn't exactly live in the Matou Manor- or what one would remember it as that specific Manor. I could tell Kariya had it fixed up to look more like a modern home than the old relic it once stood as.

The door was broken down and pieces of furniture were scattered all over the lobby's floor. A frantic search ensued as it was quite clear that the Servant we were looking for was after Sakura. The first floor had been turned into a warzone, but there was no sign of Sakura around. Worry was piling up, so I asked Quartz for some answers.

"Is the Servant still in the area?"

"They are in the building, yes," Quartz confirmed, justifying why Setanta and Elizabeth looked ready to jump anyone coming from around the corners we were passing by.

We were soon looking upstairs and that's where Elizabeth tensed up and looked in a specific direction. "Someone's crying nearby, Mastah."

The next few minutes were tracking the source of the weeping, and we happened to find her curled up in one of the bedrooms on the floor. It didn't look like she was injured, but she was shaking and I rushed up to check on her. She perceived my arrival, but was too frightened by my approach to actually move. Then, her tense body stiffened as I pulled her in a quick hug.

"Sakura, I'm not here to harm you." The girl tensed as I called her and she looked up at my masked face, recognizing my name.

"S-Sensei? W-What is going on?" The crying girl asked, fat tears still rolling off her cheeks. "Th-There is someone looking for me- she is so scary and- and the phone didn't work so-"

"Later. I need you to tell me what is going on and-"

"Sa-ku-ra~ Where are you~?" A womanly voice called from somewhere nearby, the whole group looking at the entrance of the room which seemed to come from. And it sounded quite close. "Dearie, I just want to make you into a pretty statue. There's no need to hide from me~."

Oh God, this is the 'demonic killer on the loose' kind of situation, isn't it? Also, 'statue'?

I tried to think of any potential Servant which may have an obsession in turning things into statues. My first guess was Medusa and... I was partly correct in that regard. Thinking back of the character and the various versions that exist, I realized that the one we were currently dealing with was-

"There you are and- oh my, you brought new guests? What a pleasant sight for sure," The voice had a clear owner, and I gritted my teeth as I was proved right with my assumption.

A fairly tall woman stood before us. Medusa Alter looked absolutely terrifying, her violet hair slightly 'duller' in shade to her original self, with her eyes flashing a pale gold compared to her usual purple-colored orbs. She was wearing a cloak over her head and part of her body as the robe was open to reveal a fairly revealing white and black armor that did very little to hide her cleavage and show a lot of skin.

"Mastah-" Elizabeth half-commented, glaring at the humming individual as she advanced, lance and chains already preparing for a real fight.

"Oh, a Master? So, my kind benefactor was right. There's a form of Holy Grail War going on in this dimension."

I sighed. "No Grail, just a reaction to your 'kind benefactor' and their plans to yeet super-Servants in this dimension."

"Ah~ that explains a lot. Now, I understand we are foes but... what's your opinion on becoming a lovely piece of my garden, 'Mastah~'?"

She purred that last bit, but it just irritated Eli even more as she grasped her sword even tighter. "That's not a right you have! He is my Mastah, not yours!"

The brief bout of possessiveness wasn't missed to me, and it definitely was amusing to Medusa from the chuckle she let out.

"Oh my, what a jealous girl you are. One that is so quickly upset for such a little thing and yet is going to be hurting much more as I go through... THIS!"

She glared at me, and I could feel a degree of drain as Quartz fought off the influence of her Mystic Eyes. My saving grace was that I wasn't staring at her eyes as she did that, my gaze aimed a bit lower to more intriguing details of her curious armor. And this offered me a chance to actually get this tight situation solved ASAP.

Quartz, prepare the 'Shotgun Reckoning' Protocol.

'Got it, John.'

Telepathy was no anomaly between a Mystic Code and its user, however the commands were unique to us. As I was experimenting with my powers, we ended up establishing a 'standard rule of commands' which was meant to help us deliver quick orders without wasting time explaining what I wanted. And as the name may suggest, I was about to do something which was going to demand the might of a super-shotgun against this foe. She was about to get closer to us. Willingly.

"W-Why isn't this working?"

"Maybe because you are still Meduseless, Meduseless."

The woman went full stiff and frustrated at that response. "What?"

"Oh? You are also deaf? I guess that's something your godly sisters didn't notice out of their kindness towards you."

"My sisters- they weren't kind!" She snapped, baring her teeth and looking ready to jump Sakura and me. "You pathetic bastard, if you think you will get a rise out of me-"

"I mean, aren't you the most pathetic of them all?" I interjected fiercely. "They were right. That's the point of why you are so shitty. Not only did you fail to keep up with them, but you also betrayed them out of you being an utter failure. Since birth, you have been that. A bad product."

"I-I was not-!"

"Who are you lying to? Me or yourself?" I stabbed further and she roared inhumanly before throwing herself at us.

The result of that rage-blind assault was a quick push back from numerous energy pellets that shredded into her skin and forced her to back away due to the agonizing pain. Before she could react, both Setanta and Eli jumped into action and skewered the woman up with their swords. Sakura was not looking as I had turned her to look elsewhere before Medusa could have hit her with her Mystic Eyes and- let's just say she was spared by most of the gore as only the noise reached her.

Luckily for me, I didn't need to explain what kind of organs were now in full display as the usual blinding light came and engulfed most of the room, 'cleaning' up what was left of Medusa Alter, and leaving behind a very unconscious Medusa Lily. Clothes were provided for when she would wake up, but before that happened, there was an explanation to give and a girl to calm down as the worst of this matter was now over.

And boy, oh boy, was I 'loving' it that it was so late in the night and I had to calm down one of the unluckiest souls in the whole Nasuverse...

Explaining to Sakura what was going on proved to be simpler than expected.

Why? She likes Kamen Rider and could understand how the concept worked. And with that base set up, I could explain to her what my job was and why I couldn't exactly tell anyone in town what was going on unless pushed into that corner. The girl was literally giving me that 'Oh my God, my anime were real' kind of gaze, but sort of dimmed down by her general shyness. And maybe because of how traumatic this experience was.

Not as bad as her childhood had been, but definitely another reason to eventually seek some talk with me once she was recovering with her medicines. Speaking of which, she retrieved some clothes and sleepwears before we left her house because I refused to let her stay there until it was all fixed up and clean. A job I was going to take care of by the next day.

Next on the list was Medusa 'Lily'. I wasn't sure she could be called as such despite her reduced form, even though the young girl definitely behaved a lot like Ana from the Babylonia Singularity. Very restrained, apologetic and somewhat guilty for what had happened. After letting her put on some clothes to pass unnoticed by anyone else, the girl kept away from Sakura out of genuine concern. She looked extremely mortified and was apologizing to her from a certain distance.

Sakura was, obviously, very distraught by this development as she didn't know how to react to this. I promised to get this situation sorted out in the next few days and... yep, I was piling a big list for tomorrow's me to deal with. And now, the question here was: will I take her to my flat or... do something a bit more appropriate in this case? And the answer to that was me checking if I could disturb a neighbor I recently gained by the same floor of my building.

"John, long time no see and... quite the unusual hour to visit."

The mistress of Dun Scaith was still wearing some clothes as she went to check on us. No nightwear, but actual work clothes. Did she even sleep at this point? Did she need to sleep?

"I'm afraid it's not one of courtesy," I remarked as I looked right at Scathach's eyes while I said that. "It's urgent."

She gave a long look at the whole group I was leading and then hummed. "What's going on?"

"What is your opinion on housing a student for a few days?" I asked back, getting a frown from the woman as she tried to deduce what the hell I was talking about.

It was at that point that Sakura raised her hand unconsciously drawing Scathach's attention to her.

"Oh, Matou-san. Yes, we've talked before and... I see that you are doing well. Yet, you look shocked."

"It's my fault," Medusa blurted out nervously, getting subjected to the chilling gaze of the Queen of Dun Scaith. "My previous form ruined her place and tried to kill her."

"..." Scathach didn't say much at first, but then aimed her eyes back at me. "I suppose it will be for very little."

I nodded, but the woman was far from done.

"Also, why don't you house her? I doubt it's a matter of space."

"Mostly because she is not willing to trust Medusa just yet after what happened at her home," I commented, ignoring the aforementioned Greek Servant's flinch at that reminder. "But there's also an ethical matter. I can't house a female student of mine without receiving authorization from her legal guardian, and right now her uncle is unaware of this situation."

"And he will learn from this."

"He will," I confirmed. "He is already aware of the 'other world'. And I think it would be best if he isn't left in the dark in this regard."

With the fright Sakura went through, it was for the best that the one that was taking care of her knew what could be causing her any form of distress. A nod came from Scathach and she made no fuss in allowing Sakura to stay with her for the time being. There wasn't much more to say, only to do as I had to set up a room for Medusa.

She couldn't exactly fix it properly to fit her tastes. Either because it was way past midnight or because she felt too guilty to contemplate doing her room some justice. Maybe both. And, at that moment, my brain just didn't have the mental might to handle that mess. I just needed to fall asleep and let tomorrow's me deal with this shit.

This just wasn't going to be a fun week for me with how messy tonight has been. Oh well, at least I had someone to cuddle with as a cheeky PJs-wearing Eli had snuck to my bed for some hugging and that's where I remembered a common rule about dragons or those with dragon features.

They can purr as cutely as cats do.

AN

I initially planned for the next Servant to be a guy too, but decided to not press too much on the 'gender-ratio' at the moment and focus on providing those Servants which have multiple canon versions when possible. And Medusa Alter counts as Lancer in the list.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

REVIEW Q&A!

Sugoijack9: That's something one would say if they were to see the Ainsworths as the Anime has shown them. I suggest reading the Manga and see what's Darius is up to. And yes, as expected, it does go Eldritch after a certain point. And time travel is involved because of how bullshit that situation is.

Halo: A hug and someone to 'corrupt' through British Comedy.