Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Aozaki and Tohsaka – The Serpent's Feathers

Chapter 4

Benedek returned from his phone call to find Touko sitting by herself in the suite's living room. The Grand Magus' apprentice was nowhere to be seen or heard, and said Grand Magus was silently buried in her thoughts, blue eyes unfocused and distant. And then she blinked, and Touko was back in the present, eyes turning to Benedek.

"Where's your apprentice?" he asked.

"I sent her down to have lunch ahead of us." Touko replied. "No doubt she's already pigging out in the hotel restaurant's buffet, not that that's any surprise. She's always done that wherever and whenever we could eat all we could."

Benedek raised an eyebrow, and then made his way over to sit across the coffee table from Touko. "That's…a strange quirk." He finally remarked.

Touko shrugged. "There are stranger and worse idiosyncrasies to have." She said. "Again, it's not surprising she has that kind of quirk. She might have moved up in the world, but growing up not knowing if she could have more than one meal – if even one at all – a day had left a mark on that girl."

"…what?"

Touko smirked, and briefly closing her eyes, shook her head. "No," she said. "I've said too much. And? How'd your phone call go? What'd your associate say?"

"Andrade will be sending an agent to meet us tomorrow." Benedek answered. "As a show of trust, he allowed me to set the place. There's a park not far from here, where we could set up in advance, just in case."

"And?" Touko prompted.

"The agent will be providing us the price for Andrade's services." Benedek continued. "We'll need to provide them a copy of the map, to be converted to a modern format, and with it the Mayan pictograms to be translated."

"How long will it take?"

"At least a day." Benedek said. "Once it's done, the agent will meet us at the same place, to give us the reformatted map and the translations, as well as to receive their payment."

"Payment for services rendered…" Touko said softly, before her eyes narrowed. "And for keeping this business of ours secret."

"Yes." Benedek said simply.

Touko silently sat back in her seat, fingers tapping on an armrest. "Is that all?" she asked.

"…I dropped your name." Benedek said, and quickly raising his hands in a placating fashion. "Just…just to impress on him who he'd be dealing with if he ever stabbed us in the back. You are quite famous, after all. Not just in the Moonlit World, but also in the criminal underworld."

"Hmm…I wonder why…" Touko murmured self-mockingly.

Benedek stayed silent, but after a few moments, Touko turned back to him. "Any hint on how much he'd be asking from us?" she asked.

"He said he'd check in with his sources for an exact amount," Benedek said. "But he also said it'd cost us at least one hundred thousand American dollars."

Touko smiled and shook her head. "Expensive…" she said. "But then again payment is only due for good service. And if nothing else, people's sense of self-preservation is quite reliable. As you say, I've got quite the reputation. Enough that someone with at least a couple of brain cells to rub together should be hesitant to even think of seeing if reality matches the claim."

Benedek stayed silent, and then Touko leaned forward. "Alright then," she said. "After lunch show us this park we'll be meeting at tomorrow. Sakura and I will handle setting it up, while you go start getting us everything else we'll need."

"Such as?"

"Transportation from here to the Yucatan, for starters. Touko said with a roll of her eyes. "Then transportation for when we get there, and remember that the Yucatan is quite a rural area. We're almost certain to go off-road, and even if we aren't, the roads aren't likely to be in the best condition. We'll also need supplies, and equipment for when we can't count on modern infrastructure and the like. Don't worry about archaeological tools and specialist equipment, or even manpower for things like digging. Sakura and I already have the former, while the latter…well, I am a puppeteer."

Benedek nodded, not even bothering to take down notes when as a magus, he already had an eidetic memory. "Is that all?" he asked.

"Guides who know the land the way we don't and can't." Touko added. "And seeing as the magi behind this morning's stunt had gunmen of their own, it might be wise if we could get some hired guns of our own."

"That's going to be expensive." Benedek warned. "And it might take a while, if only to make the men we get are…reliable. I wouldn't want to be guarded by a bunch with ties to any one of the cartels or gangs around here, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't." Touko said with a nod. "I'll leave that to you."

Benedek sighed and nodded. "Leave it to me then." He said.

Touko nodded, and then got to her feet. "Come on then," she said. "Let's get something to eat first before getting to work."

Sakura gestured with a hand, reality rippling as her master's puppets disappeared into pockets crafted into and from Imaginary Numbers Space, anchored into an area defined by a bounded field. Said bounded field was merely the first, a means by which environmental prana could be harnessed more easily and at greater amounts by friendly practitioners within, and to more readily anchor their mysteries within.

These included not just pockets for Touko's puppets or Sakura's own bound and contracted spirits until they were called on to fight, but also additional bounded fields. There was one which boosted the physical attributes of friendly practitioners by a number of points, one which kept the bounded fields from passive detection by other practitioners without, no less than six bounded fields to keep ordinary people from noticing what was happening within, as well as three to detect intent of all kinds and two to protect against active detection from other practitioners without.

Then there were the combat fields, including a number which manipulated the local gravity field for various effects. These ranged from simply holding an enemy or enemies in place, to throwing them around or even crushing them as one could crush an egg in one's hand. There were fields which targeted an enemy's mind in various ways, from manipulating their perceptions to crushing it under the weight of their own fears and flaws. And then there were the elemental bounded fields, set by Touko herself and featuring creatively-brutal applications of the fire element.

Not for her simply setting an enemy on fire or blowing them apart. Oh no…

…one bounded field would set them on fire on the inside…

…another simply blew apart the lungs, leaving the rest of the body and organs intact…

…one set fire to the genitalia…

…another melted the eyes…

…you get the idea.

"I'm all done over here, master." Sakura said, while walking over and sitting on a bench.

"Very good, Sakura." Touko said, while fine-tuning the configuration of bounded fields and how they interacted and meshed with each other, sharing their strengths and covering for each other's weaknesses. Strength in unity and diversity in equal measure alike. "I'm just about done here, already."

Sakura hummed cheerfully to herself as she relaxed on the bench, and looking around the park. There weren't that many people right now, which was a good thing, considering what they were doing. Those that were here when they started though…

…mystic eyes were such useful things.

"And done!" Touko said, jolting Sakura back to reality.

"Now what, master?" Sakura asked.

Touko sighed and walked over to sit next to her apprentice. "Let's rest a bit, shall we?" she asked.

Sakura nodded, and continued to hum from where she was sitting. Her soft humming faded into the background of Touko's consciousness, along with the rustling of nearby leaves on the breeze, the twittering of the birds, and the sounds of the city around them. It was a strangely relaxing thing, enough that the Grand Magus allowed her thoughts to carry her away in countless, half-remembered directions of whimsy and arbitrariness.

And then Sakura spoke, her voice jolting Touko back into reality.

"Ever been to the Americas before, master?" she asked.

"Yes…" Touko admitted. "But nowhere in Central or South America. I went to the USA, to Washington D.C., to be specific."

Sakura regarded her master quizzically. "Business?" she asked laconically.

"Not completely, no." Touko said with a shake of her head. "Yes, the reason I went there was due to an official, if private, arrangement with the Smithsonian, but once that was over and done, I took the time to take a tour of the region. Washington D.C., New York, Richmond, New England…it was an enjoyable four or five months going around."

Sakura nodded with a small smile, before tilting her head. "What was the arrangement with the Smithsonian that made you go to America in the first place, though?" she asked.

Touko snorted, and smiling at her apprentice, lifted up a hand to grab her by the top of the head, and affectionately dragged it around. "I said it was private, didn't I?" she chided. "Ah well…you're my apprentice, so I'm sure you understand it's private with you too, right?"

"Yup."

"Good…it was an exchange of exhibits." Touko explained. "I gave them the body of a Buddhist monk from the sixteenth century, who had apparently died and then mummified in a meditative pose. In return, I got the frozen corpse of a Neanderthal."

"…considering your avenue of research master, that was a scam."

"Oh, you noticed."

Master and apprentice shared a laugh as the former playfully dragged the latter's head around again. And then sighing, Touko relaxed, leaning back and bracing herself against the backless bench with her hands. "Come to think of it," she remarked. "This is the first time you've been to the Americas, isn't it?"

"First time I've been outside of Asia, actually." Sakura said, and Touko looked at her curiously.

"Really?" she asked, and Sakura gave her a look.

"Yes, master." She said. "We've been to China before, and India. I was eleven…and thirteen…respectively, if I remember right."

Touko took a few moments to think it through. "Huh…" she said while scratching her head. "That is true…"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course it's true…" she said. "The trip to India was only last year! Remember? It's the one where we ended up getting chased by an angry mob not once, but twice! Thank the gods they didn't catch us they'd have strung us up if they had."

"…eh, I'd fry their brains before they had the chance if it came to that…" Touko dismissively said, before shrugging and smiling at Sakura. "But yeah…now that I think about it, it really is the first time you've been out of Asia, isn't it?"

Sakura nodded, and Touko tilted her head. "I'm pretty sure I've asked you this before," she said. "But you don't mind, do you? Going around all over the place like this?"

"No, I don't mind." Sakura said with a shake of her head. "I mean…it's not like we don't go home regularly, so being able to see different places like this, experience different cultures…oh, and enjoy wonderful food I wouldn't be able to back home…"

Sakura broke off with a grin as Touko burst out laughing, the older woman shaking her head with amusement. "…I might want to settle down eventually…" she continued after a few moments. "But right now…I'm just fine tagging along with you, master."

"Hmm…and learning everything I know along the way too…" Touko quipped.

"Well, I am your apprentice." Sakura replied with a shrug. And then a mischievous light came to her eyes, and with a cough, deepened her voice. "Two there must always be, no more, no less, a master and an apprentice. One to embody power, and the other to crave it."

Touko looked at her curiously. "What was that?" she asked.

"Rule of Two," Sakura said with another shrug, speaking normally now. "A guiding principle of the Sith Order, from one of the fiction books Mikiya-nii owns."

"Huh…that was…surprisingly deep, insightful, and able to…speak to me, in a way I didn't expect a fictional work to…"

Sakura raised an eyebrow, and then snickering, shook her head. "Don't worry, master." She said. "I won't stab you in the back."

Touko looked at her curiously. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Well…you see the Sith Order…mastership among them isn't granted, it's taken. When the apprentice learns everything the master has to offer, stolen all their secrets, and surpassed them in every way, the master becomes redundant. The apprentice then kills them, and becoming the master in turn, takes on a new apprentice, thus continuing the Rule of Two."

"…that is…interesting…"

Sakura glanced at her master, mouth open in shock. Touko chuckled at her apprentice's expression, and patted her on the head affectionately. "Don't worry, kid." She said. "I trust you. Both to watch my back, and to be the best you can be. So when the time comes, and I have nothing left to teach you, I'll be proud to give you your own Azoth Dagger, and address you as 'apprentice' for the last time."

Sakura smiled back, and nodded. "I'll be looking forward to it, master." She said, and Touko nodded back.

"As will I, apprentice."

"How's it going?"

"Arranging transportation when we don't have a fixed date for when we go to and into the Yucatan isn't easy, you know?" Benedek crossly asked back. "The best I can do is find – but not book – a flight to the nearest airport, and then find a train that'll take us as close as possible to the Yucatan."

"And then?" Touko asked while sitting down across the table from Benedek. Gesturing for a waiter, she ordered herself coffee, and looking around, confirmed Sakura at the buffet's grill, looking on as the chef prepared her a steak.

"Hopefully, we can get some guides there before heading into the countryside." Benedek said with hands held up in a 'what can you do' pose. "That said, there's a rental service available in the that town, so we can get trucks and jeeps and whatnot for when we go into the Yucatan."

Touko nodded in approval. "What about supplies though?" she asked.

"We can get them wholesale here, and just fly and ship them with us." Benedek replied. "The escorts though are proving as difficult as I told you. I'm looking further afield, and calling up my contacts, so it's not like I'm not doing anything, but it's going to take more time before anything real shows up."

"I see." Touko said with a nod. "Oh well…we still have a little time left, so do what you can."

"Hmm…"

Silence persisted between them, the sounds of the restaurant filling the air, and then the waiter arrived, bringing Touko her coffee. Nodding her thanks, Touko took a drink, and then resumed the conversation. "I don't have many contacts in this part of the world," she said. "But I'll see what I can do on my end to speed things up on that angle."

"It'd be much appreciated." Benedek said with a nod.

"Very good, then." Touko said, taking another drink. And then getting to her feet, she smiled down at Benedek, whose plate already had food on it: vegetables cooked in light sauce, roast meat, and bread. "Now if you don't mind, I'll go and get some dinner for myself."

Benedek waved her off before returning to his meal, and Touko strolled off. She nodded once at her apprentice, gently shaking her head at the steak, roasts, and green vegetables on Sakura's plate, and chuckling at the way her apprentice's cheeks pinked ever so slightly at the sight.

Typical…

…now then…

…what should I have for starters?

Hmm…cold meats are always an option…or fresh vegetables…

…though I could also go straight to the real deal like Sakura has…

…hmm…what to do…

"So where is this person?" Touko impatiently said, spent cigarette butts lying all over the ground between her feet. It was almost eleven, and it was starting to get hot as the Sun climbed up towards the zenith.

The few other people in the park gave them a wide berth, thanks to the bounded fields surrounding them. Touko sat on the bench, Sakura lazily paced nearby (or so it seemed – her mind was linked to numerous spirits flying around the park both outside and inside the bounded fields), while Benedek stood nearby, also smoking, though not to the same extent as Touko was.

"Patience, Touko." He chided while blowing out a stream of smoke. "They said they'd be here between ten-thirty and eleven. That's a full thirty minutes, and it's not over yet."

Touko growled impatiently, and took a calming drag from her cigarette. "Master," Sakura chimed in a moment later. "Someone matching Benedek's description of the broker's agent has entered the park. They're headed for us."

"See?" Benedek cheerfully said. "They're here."

Touko took another calming drag, and then throwing down the cigarette, put it out under her boot. She stayed seated though, even as the agent came closer, and then entering the bounded fields, made a beeline for them.

"Mister Zobor?" the brunette woman in business attire began as she stepped up. "Miss Aozaki? I am Fatima Sanchez, here on behalf of our mutual associate to receive the materials to be processed, and to deliver the terms and conditions of service."

"…so?" Touko asked. "How much will it cost? Both getting what we need, and your employer to keep his mouth shut about for a time?"

"Mister Andrade will need to ask for a payment of no less than three hundred thousand American dollars for services to be rendered." Fatima replied. "This will cover the service fees of all those involved, operational costs, and…miscellaneous sums, such as those needed to keep the transaction…below notice."

Fatima opened her bag then, and pulling out a sheet of paper, handed it to Benedek. Benedek took a look, and then handed it in turn to Touko. Touko studied it for several moments, noting it as a breakdown of costs and the like, and then narrowed her eyes. "This doesn't include withholding information on our…business transaction, from the market, does it?" she asked. "This is just getting us what we need, and discreetly at that."

"That is correct, Miss Aozaki." Fatima said with a nod. "You ask for two transactions. The three hundred thousand I mentioned is only for the first. The second will require separate payment."

"How much?"

"You are a very high-profile individual, Miss Aozaki." Fatima replied. "There are many who would be interested in your person and activities. The same would go – if to a lesser extent – for Mister Zobor."

"How much?" Touko repeated, in a tone that brooked no disobedience.

"One million American dollars," Fatima said, and then held up a hand to forestall any reaction. "However, Mister Andrade is prepared to waive this fee, in exchange for a…mutual, concession."

Touko looked expectantly at Benedek, who sighed. "What does he want?" he said. "Or rather, which favors and obligations owed does he want written off in exchange for waiving the fee?"

Fatima opened her bag again, and pulled out a sealed envelope. "None of them," she said. "He merely asks that unless you are killed on this expedition, then within the next three months, you are to deliver these documents to the Suchanek and Associates Law Offices in Prague."

The blood drained from Benedek's face, and then he clenched his hands into fists. "You're not serious, are you?" he snarled. "He's asking me to go…go back to Central Europe…that's…"

"My employer mentioned you would say that." Fatima interrupted. "He then said to tell you that he's not asking you to return to Hungary, just to visit the Czech Republic. And you would not need to stay long, or to even show your face. So long as these documents are delivered to a ranking member of Suchanek and Associates, then it will be worth one million American dollars, and your present business being off-market for a whole year."

Touko snorted, and fishing out her cigarette box, pulled out a stick with her teeth. "Seems like a good deal to me, Benedek." She said, before lighting the stick and taking a drag. "Sure, you'd be taking quite the risk, but I'm sure you can find a way around it. It'd be like Istanbul all over again."

"…you talk as though Istanbul was a walk in the park." Benedek breathed, visibly trembling with sweat beading on his forehead.

"If you are unwilling to accept this condition," Fatima said. "Then you must pay either the required fee, or risk relevant information being placed on the market."

"Just take it, Benedek." Touko said while blowing a stream of smoke. "Besides, it's not like you don't want to go because of the danger involved. I know you, Benedek. You'd laugh and just leave a trail of blood and corpses behind you. No…the reason you don't want to go to Central Europe, is because you…"

"SHUT. UP." Benedek growled, each word spoken calmly and slowly, the rage behind them cold and unyielding.

Sakura glanced his way in surprise, and then warily at her master. Touko though, just took another drag, and flicked ashes off her cigarette while blowing out smoke. "To be honest," she began after a few moments. "I don't really understand what the problem is. You've always had the answer to her questions. Just tell them straight to her face. Or kill her, if it comes to that Problem solved."

Benedek scoffed. "How could you possibly understand?" he sneered.

"You're right." Touko admitted. "I don't."

Benedek sneered wordlessly, and then turning, snatched the envelope away. "I'll take care of it." He snapped. "Three months, right?"

"Unless you are killed on this expedition, then yes, you have three months to fulfil this task." Fatima said with a nod.

Benedek briefly studied the paper slip pasted in front of the envelope, with all the relevant information for the postal services. Then turning it, he regarded the heraldic sigil stamped into the wax sealing the envelope, before lowering it and giving Fatima a curt nod.

Touko blew out a stream of smoke. "Cash or check?" she asked.

"Cash is preferred, unless you have…physical collateral, such as jewels." Fatima answered.

"Hmm…then cash it'll be." Touko said.

Fatima nodded, and then pulled out the papers to be signed to formalize their transaction. Touko took them, briefly using her mystic eyes to study the papers for any traps literally laid therein, and then repeatedly read the contract's contents before finally placing her signature.

"We will contact you once your goods are ready, and the exchange of goods and payment will be made in this same place afterwards." Fatima said, taking her copy back, while Sakura put away Touko's. Then she was handing Fatima a copy of the map, complete with the pictograms to be translated. Fatima studied it briefly, and then put it away. "Well then, if there is nothing else…?"

Touko nodded, and then with a curt bow, Fatima turned and left. The three magi followed her with their eyes, and then with a sniff, Benedek turned and stormed off. Sakura looked in his direction until he was out of sight, and then turned to her master.

"…I'll tell you someday." Touko said. "But suffice to say…people can be so stupid, and I'm not just referring to our angry colleague who left to cool off just now."

"I see."

Touko glanced at her apprentice, and then chuckled as she took one last drag before tossing the cigarette to the ground and putting it out with her boot. "Though," she said. "Some would say I'm not one to talk, considering…well, let's not ruin the mood even further, shall we?"

"Yes, master." Sakura agreed, suspecting that her master had been referring to herself before ending the tangent. And from a certain point of view, it was correct. How many people had died for simply daring to say two words in combination? It was such a small thing, incredibly petty and even stupid to hold a grudge for, no matter how…degrading, those two words used together to refer to a certain person was.

Dirty Red

Touko got to her feet, patting stray ashes off her clothes. "Now then," she said. "We'll leave the fields up, for when we get our stuff back. In the meantime, let's go get some cash, Sakura."

"Yes, master." Sakura said, and followed in her master's wake.

A/N

Some bonding between Sakura and Touko, plus some hints on their…colleague's, past. I'll keep it secret for now, but let's just say that magi – or rather nobles – can just be so stupidly evil. Or rather, as my other OC in another story once said, stupid magi and their stupid pride.

Though admittedly, it's not just magi who'd be so stupidly prideful in that same situation. Again, nobles…