Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi
Chapter 4: Il Mondo (Part IV)
"Hmm…this is going to complicate things."
Sakura stood on a hilltop at the outskirts of Fuyuki City, looking out over the intervening space to the towering, tree-grown bulk of Mt. Enzou. And at its peak, there was a collection of low wooden buildings, clustered together behind a wall of whitewashed stone: Ryuudo Temple. It was at the latter that Sakura kept her gaze on, eyes narrowed and face set with irritation.
"In what way, my lady?" Elisa asked, standing to one side, and closer to Sakura than the other guards, all of whom kept their distance, but forming a protective circle around their mistress and her convoy.
"Disconnecting the Fuyuki Grail from the local ley-lines is easy enough, it'll just take time and a lot of effort." Sakura replied. "But even if you disconnect the Fuyuki Grail from the local ley-lines, that just makes it inactive. Reactivating it would be as simple as reconnecting it to the local ley-lines. And considering all the trouble that thing's brought and will bring again otherwise, taking things in hand here in Fuyuki will require the permanent…neutralization, of the Fuyuki Grail."
"Hmm…and with all those buildings on top of the mountain," Elisa made the connection. "Blowing the Grail isn't really an option."
"Indeed," Sakura sourly said with a nod. "For all we know, the damn thing is load-bearing, and physical destruction could cause the entire mountaintop to cave in. Even if we forcibly evacuated the temple beforehand, the subsequent spectacle would simply draw too much attention."
Giving a sigh, Sakura crossed her arms in thought. It took her a few minutes, but eventually she came to a decision, and gave a nod.
"Disconnecting the ley-lines will do for starters," she said. "As for the Fuyuki Grail itself, that'll have to be a long-term project."
"I assume you have a solution in mind?" Elisa asked, following Sakura as she headed back to her car.
"Yes." Sakura said, though she declined from explaining until she was sitting in the back with Elisa, and they were driving away with the rest of their convoy. "The details will need to be filled in, but the gist of it is that we evacuate the temple, excavate the Fuyuki Grail, and then airlift it for final disposal."
Elisa raised an eyebrow. "Isn't the Fuyuki Grail supposed to be a massive construct, at least according to the official record?" she asked.
"Like I said," Sakura said with a wry smile. "The details will need to be filled in."
"Yes," Elisa said with a nod, before narrowing her eyes. "Though, knowing you, Sakura, you already have some ideas on what 'final disposal' actually involves."
"My first thought is to just dump it into the sea." Sakura said. "Somewhere deep enough that even if it can avoid getting crushed by the pressure before it reaches the bottom, it would be so deep nothing can possibly bring it back to the surface."
"I imagine you know of such a deep place?" Elisa prompted.
"The Marianas Trench off the Eastern Philippines seems to qualify for such a disposal site." Sakura said.
"I…see…"
Sakura briefly closed her eyes. "But," she continued. "It's a long way here to the Marianas, enough so that someone can intercept and acquire the Fuyuki Grail along the way. That, and it complicates the whole issue of how to airlift the Fuyuki Grail in the first place."
"An alternative would be needed then." Elisa said.
"Yes…and fortunately, there should be plenty close by." Sakura said with a smirk. "Again, the Fuyuki Grail will be airlifted out of the mountain, and then brought to an active volcano, disposed of in a lava pool."
"…that does seem simpler, and more final, than dumping it into the sea." Elisa remarked.
"That it does, doesn't it?" Sakura asked with a smile. "Once the Fuyuki Grail has been disposed of, we can fill in the empty cavern, reconstruct the mountaintop and the sacred precincts thereon, and then allow the monks to come back. Naturally, their memories will have to be suitably altered."
Elisa nodded slowly. "It seems a solid outline." She said. "Just…expensive, both in terms of financial and material resources, manpower and equipment needed to perform it, and of course, detailed planning to actually guide the operation."
"Quite…this will be a long-term project." Sakura said with a nod of her own. "Though, this assumes the College of Law doesn't have its own plans for the Fuyuki Grail. It's quite possible they might claim it for themselves, on behalf of the Mages Association's Clock Tower as a whole."
"What will you do then, Sakura?"
Sakura shrugged. "If the Clock Tower wants the Fuyuki Grail, they can have it." She said with a small smile. "One less problem off my hands, so more power to them if they want to solve it for me."
"That much is true."
Sakura nodded. "Well," she said. "For now I'll just have to work to sever the connections between the local ley-lines and the Fuyuki Grail, though that'll have to wait until the timing is right."
"Oh?"
"The rituals will be less likely to fail and more likely to succeed if I sync them with a natural cycle." Sakura elaborated, and Elisa nodded in understanding.
"I see your point." She said.
"That doesn't mean, though," Sakura continued with narrowed eyes. "That I'll be sitting idle on my responsibilities as Second Owner. The Fuyuki Grail is just one pressing issue that needs to be dealt with to bring this territory back in hand. If others can be resolved in the meantime, then why not?"
"On that note," Elisa began while taking a file next to her on the seat, and handing it to Sakura. "I've located the quarry and compiled the relevant information. If you want, you can take care of it as early as tonight.'
"Very well done," Sakura said while looking over the file. "Yes, this will work out very nicely."
"Shinji Matou," Sakura began, later in the evening. "I can see why the College of Law let you go with only a token examination and some basic questioning."
Pausing, Sakura tilted her head at the faint expression of outrage and frustration on the young man's face. They were in his apartment in a working class district of the city, bounded fields keeping anyone outside from seeing what was happening inside through the windows, or hearing through the walls.
All around the apartment, Sakura's PMCs stood with silent watchfulness and looming menace in their camouflage-pattern BDUs and flak jackets, H&K MP5 submachine guns held relaxed but ready in their hands. Elisa was among them, though in her case, she kept her MP5 on her back, instead pointing her sidearm at the back of Shinji's head.
That was the reason he was kneeling on the floor, hands pressed over the back of his head. Not that it would do much good if Elisa ever pulled the trigger, the nine-millimeter would still punch through his hands and the back of his head to bury itself in his skull.
Then again, it wasn't supposed to.
"Are you angry?" Sakura asked. "Don't be: it's just a statement of fact. You lack the ability to use magecraft, and therefore the Mages Association gains nothing from taking you into custody. That said, you're not completely worthless…though not to me, or the Association."
In an instant, Sakura had a dagger pressed against the side of Shinji's neck, expertly held in such a way that the pulsing of his carotid could be seen against the blade, but not enough to actually break skin, much less rupture the blood vessel beneath. She did, however, raise an eyebrow at Shinji wetting himself at feeling cold steel against his neck.
Pathetic…and this is my sister's fiancé?
Just what the hell was my mother thinking, betrothing Rin to this nobody?
"You might have no ability to use magecraft, but you remain a descendant of Makiri Zolgen." Sakura continued, and graciously deciding not to remark on Shinji wetting himself. "In your veins flows its blood, from the days before it threw away its Humanity to become a monster that feeds on Human life. Your blood…its blood…blood is the stuff of souls…"
Shinji visibly sagged in relief as Sakura pulled her dagger away from his neck. "But," she continued. "I am not entirely without mercy. Makiri Zolgen may still be alive, but it may also be dead for good, killed by my sister."
"Sister…?" Shinji echoed in disbelief. "That's impossible…Rin doesn't have…"
"You don't need to understand." Sakura interrupted. "All you need to know is that I am indeed Rin Tohsaka's younger sister, and her…provisional, successor as the Second Owner. And I intend to clean house while I am here."
Sakura paused and drew herself up. "As I was saying," she continued. "Makiri Zolgen's current status is still in air. If it is alive, then you are a potential threat, but if it is dead, then killing you has no purpose. I won't hesitate to kill, but I don't kill for the sake of killing. So I'm willing to offer you a deal."
"A deal?" Shinji echoed.
"Yes." Sakura said with a smile. "Leave this city, and never come back. Do so, remove yourself from potentially directly threatening this city as a…vector, for your patriarch's taint, and I will spare your life."
Shinji's face was a mask of shock and disbelief. "W-wait…" he protested. "You can't be serious…where am I supposed to go? You can't just throw me out and force me to fend for myself!"
Sakura shrugged. "In the order of your questions," she said. "I don't know, and I certainly can."
"This isn't right, damn you!" Shinji raged, despite the gun aimed at the back of his head. "I have rights too!"
Sakura looked unimpressed. "I'm not here to discuss philosophy or legalities." She said. "I am here to put Fuyuki's supernatural affairs back in order. And as far as those affairs are concerned, you are a loose end that needs tying up, one way or another."
In the next instant, Sakura's dagger was back, and once again pressed against Shinji's neck. "I've made my offer." Sakura coldly said. "Take it or leave it."
"I'll take it." Shinji squeaked, and wetting himself a second time.
"Splendid!" Sakura said with a beaming smile. "I'm glad we were able to come to a mutually-satisfactory arrangement. You have one week, at the end of which I expect to see you gone."
"…A WEEK?" Shinji exploded in outrage, only to be reminded of his place by a nudge from Elisa's pistol.
"That one week is already quite the risk for me." Sakura said, before narrowing her eyes. "That said, it would be prudent to take certain measures to ensure your…abiding, by our mutually-consented terms."
Then reversing her dagger, Sakura cut the front of Shinji's shirt open, and exposing his scrawny frame. "What are you…!" Shinji began only to be cut off as Elisa put him in a neck lock with her arms, pistol pressed against one of his temples.
Meanwhile, Sakura pulled out a piece of jade from Imaginary Numbers Space, and pressed it against Shinji's chest, over his heart. Then she began to cast a spell in Finnish.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!" Shinji screamed as his chest exploded with excruciating pain, writhing in Elisa's grip as glowing light erupted from the gem pressed against his chest. All the while Sakura continued to chant her aria, and then the gem sank into Shinji's body.
"W-what…what have you done to me?" Shinji gasped as the light faded, and the pain receded to an enduring ache in his chest.
"Simple, really," Sakura said, and poking a finger against the flesh and bone over Shinji's wildly-beating heart. "I just made sure that loose ends would be tied up once the seven days I've given you runs out. If you still haven't left this city by sunrise on the eighth day, that spell I bound to your heart will corrode your body from the inside out."
"…WHAT?"
Sakura smirked. "The bonds that hold your body together will literally fall apart," She said. "And your body will melt into a liquid mass of organic chemicals of completely no use to anyone, much less your wretched monster of a patriarch. Don't worry too much, though: so long as you leave Fuyuki before sunrise on the eighth day, nothing will happen."
"…and if I come back?" Shinji snarled.
Sakura's smirk turned vicious. "Try it," she said. "And find out. The same goes for trying to have some dime-for-a-dozen spell-caster or upstart magus that you might know get rid of this spell."
"You…you…"
Sakura's smile didn't waver as she pulled out another piece of jade from Imaginary Numbers Space. "Just one more thing," she said. "And our business tonight will be concluded."
"Wait…stop…please…! I…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"
Shinji screamed and writhed as Sakura again pressed a gem against his chest, forcibly weaving her spell around his heart and binding her concepts into its being. And from there, just as blood was sent by the heart to all corners of the body, Sakura's spell and its concepts would spread over the whole of his body.
"There we go." Sakura said, and stepping back with a grateful nod at Elisa, who let Shinji go. Exhausted by the trauma of the spells cast on him, the young man immediately collapsed onto the floor, heaving and gasping. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Just a little something just in case that damn Makiri Zolgen catches up to you."
"You…you…" Shinji gasped before glaring at Sakura. "…when Rin finds out about this…!"
"I'll deal with that when the time comes." Sakura dismissively replied. "If she finds out, that is."
"The police…!" Shinji shouted while struggling to push himself off the ground. And then he was tumbling away, a Finn shot blowing him across the room at a single gesture from Sakura. Then he was vomiting his guts out, his already debilitated condition worsened eightfold by Finn's curse.
"Don't even think about it." Sakura menacingly warned. "You know as well as I do that that would only count as a threat to the Masquerade. I will not hesitate to end you if it came to that, and even if you could bring me down, the other magi will hunt you down."
By now Shinji had finished vomiting, but was now instead lying in a pool of his own fluids, twitching and gurgling amidst a convulsion. Sakura didn't waste any more words, instead turning to leave, Elisa gesturing for the PMCs to follow, and leaving Shinji alone in his misery.
"You'll have to keep an eye on that boy." Elisa warned as they drove away back towards the high-end districts. "If he doesn't leave by the end of a week, that spell of yours will melt him down. Only, if he gets melted down in public…"
"…it'll be a problem, I know." Sakura said with a nod. "I'll have a familiar shadow him. If the spell ever goes active for any reason, the familiar should be able to contain the situation. That, and give us a warning if that damn vampire spawn tries to break the Masquerade."
"And protect it at the same time, right?" Elisa asked with a smile.
Sakura nodded, and smiled back. "Precisely." she said before sinking into her seat. "Though, I'll be able to keep an eye on him myself while at school."
"So you're really going to attend a Japanese school while you're here?" Elisa asked. "Not that I have anything against it, and I understand your reasons, but it's not like you really need it."
Sakura shrugged. "Like I said before," she began. "Marjatta's advice is a good one. This job would be less tedious if I find something worth cherishing in this city. Friends…good memories…"
The young woman trailed off, but Elisa nodded in agreement. "Lady Marjatta always gives good advice." She said.
"I know, right?" Sakura said with a laugh. "I guess it's probably because of how…sheltered, her upbringing was, compared to my own or our other cousins, or even Luvia's own upbringing. Together with Marjatta being such a romantic…"
Sakura paused and sighed, looking out the window at the passing kaleidoscope that was the Fuyuki nightlife. "…she always sees the better side of the world, of people and happenings," she said softly. "And with such clarity too. More than that, she's more than happy to share those insights with others, and to help them see just a bit of what she sees."
"You really love your cousin, huh?" Elisa asked.
Sakura gave another laugh. "I don't think it's possible to not love Marjatta." She said. "She's such a dear…though, if anyone ever hurts her in any way…"
Elisa nodded, her own expression stern but understanding. She didn't say anything, because there was no need for words, not between them.
The rest of the trip back to the hotel was spent in silence, Sakura staying at the five-star New World Hotel and Casino until the refurbishment of the local Edelfelt mansion was complete. Well, one of them at any rate, Edelfelt having two mansions in the city, and Sakura only needed one.
"Would you like to spend some time in the casino or bar, my lady?" Elisa asked as they crossed the foyer. "Or perhaps a late snack?"
"No, I don't think so." Sakura said with a shake of her head. "I'm tempted, of course, but tomorrow's a school day. It's best to go to sleep early to wake early."
"That much is true." Elisa agreed. "Though, if I may say so, it's already quite late as it is."
Sakura laughed. "Yes, I know." She said. "But it can't be helped, considering this evening's important business. And all the more reason to tuck in already, isn't it so?"
"Yes, it's as you say, my lady." Elisa said.
Sakura nodded, even as they arrived at the elevators, and waited for one to take them to their floor.
"Good morning," the newly-arrived foreign student greeted her class come the following day, and bowing low Japanese-style. It was…different, very much so from the elegant curtsies or the sharp, cavalry-style salutes she was accustomed to, but it was a novel experience. "I am Sakura Edelfelt-Tohsaka. It's nice to meet you all, and I look forward to working with you all."
The class stared in fascination, more than one boy mentally thinking that the new student was essentially a warmer and friendlier Rin-lookalike, but with bigger breasts. To be sure, she didn't wear her hair in pigtails, but her bigger breasts made up for that, and those ringlets her hair was styled in were a refreshing change from the norm.
And then realization of what her name was sank in.
"Wait," Ayako Mitsuzuri began. "Edelfelt-Tohsaka? Any relation to Rin Tohsaka? Um…no offense…"
"None taken." The new girl – Sakura – cheerfully said with a nod. "And yes, there's a relation. She's my sister, you see."
"YOUR SISTER?" the class shouted as one.
"Yes." Sakura said with a nod, looking rather lost. "I'm surprised she never talked about me, though I'll admit we could have been closer."
"But…" a boy on the front row began. "…your name…"
Sakura blinked, then turned to the chalkboard where her name was listed down in a mix of kanji and katakana. "Oh yes…" she said with a smile. "Well, it's complicated, but our paternal grandmother came from a really old family in Finland, so when I was born they insisted I grow up over there, and add their name to my own. Like I said, it's…complicated, but we're still family for all that."
Sakura shrugged and gave a beaming smile, one that immediately endeared her to more than a few of her classmates. Unsurprisingly, most of those were boys.
Teenage boys and their hormones…what can you do?
What was surprising, though, was that quite a few girls were also included in that group. An interesting development, no doubt, one that might have Sakura scratching her head should she ever find out.
That, or she'd be left speechless, at a loss for words at such a turn of events.
The teacher for the class gave a cough. "Anyway," she began. "I'm glad to see you're all getting along so well from the start. Sakura-kun, you can sit over there, next to Takashima."
"Yes, teacher."
The teacher nodded, and looked on as Sakura made her way to her seat, and sat down. Then turning back to the rest of the class, took a deep breath.
"Right, then," she said. "Let's begin with today's lesson. Morikawa-kun…"
"Alright, start talking." Ayako said, cornering Sakura during morning break, and practically pressing her against the wall. "What happened to Rin, and where is she? And none of that happy family bullshit and cheerful and friendly foreign country girl stuff you went with earlier during classroom introductions."
"What?" Sakura asked in confusion.
Ayako rolled her eyes. "Please," she said. "I've known Rin for years now, and you look like her enough that I can tell when you're bullshitting. It doesn't work when it comes from Rin, and it sure as hell isn't going to work coming from you."
Sakura blinked, and then narrowing her eyes, dropped the façade. "An answer for an answer, then." She said. "Rin's in London right now, dealing with family business."
"What kind of business?" Ayako asked.
"Answer my question, and I'll answer your second one." Sakura replied.
"…fine." Ayako conceded after a moment. "Ask away."
"Who are you to her?" Sakura asked.
"I was her best friend." Ayako replied.
"Hmm…it seems like there's more to it than that…"
"…and that is absolutely none of your business." Ayako interrupted, and causing Sakura to raise an eyebrow. Ayako was unfazed, and the two young women stared each other down in the eyes. After several moments, though, Sakura smiled, clearly impressed, and when she answered it was with newfound respect.
"I wasn't lying when I said our paternal grandmother was from an old family in Finland." Sakura said. "The problem is that our grandparents got married without the permission of the bride's family. You know as well as I do how problematic that can be."
Ayako winced. "Yeah, I suppose I do." She grudgingly said. "So when will she back?"
"We don't know yet." Sakura honestly answered. "Our cousin, Luvia, is helping Rin out over there, but it's gotten really complicated. So much so, that the family sent me here to make sure things stay in order for when Rin comes back home."
"Will she really come back?" Ayako asked with genuine concern.
"…I don't know." Sakura admitted after a long moment.
Ayako tutted, stepping away and a few steps further along the wall, and then punched it hard. "Damn it, Rin." She muttered. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"
Sakura stared at the other woman, and then slightly lowered her face. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry it's come to this." She said. "I'd really prefer it doesn't end in a way where everyone's left feeling horrible about how things turned out."
Ayako glanced sharply at Sakura, who met her gaze evenly. "You're not being completely honest with me." Ayako accused, and then taking a deep breath, sighed. "But at the same time, you're not bullshitting me either. Fine…I can accept that…complicated family business especially since big time foreigners with old family are involved…"
Sakura nodded in silence. "I'll be seeing you around, then." Ayako said with another sigh, before storming away.
"If you're interested," Sakura said before the other woman could leave earshot. "I'm able to send letters to Rin through our cousin, and pass any reply back to you."
Ayako turned back to Sakura. "Letters, really?" she asked.
Sakura shrugged. "We're an old-fashioned family." She said. It wasn't completely true, Edelfelt made good use of modern communication methods like satellite among others, but the Clock Tower…
…outside of the Department of Modern Magecraft Theories, such things were rare, given the arch-conservative bent of the place.
"I'll think about it." Ayako said with a nod, and then continued walking away. Sakura stared after her until she was out of sight, and then sighing to herself, ran a hand through her hair.
Well, that was unexpected.
Still…it wasn't a bad start, all things considered.
A/N
Sakura's off to a mixed start, isn't she? As Second Owner, she's certainly got her priorities on straight, i.e. get rid of the Fuyuki Grail and boot Matou (or what's left of them) off her land, but playing pretend as a student? Well, Ayako doesn't trust her, even if the boys – stupid teenagers – are quite interested.
