Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
Cerberus
Part XIII
"So, how are you doing?"
Aoi dabbed at her eyes. It had been bad enough, listening to Sakura tonelessly tell all about what the Matou had done to her. About how the…the worms, she'd been fed to, how for three nights straight she'd been thrown into the pit and how they'd chewed or otherwise forced themselves into and nested inside her, all the while her 'grandfather' had just coldly watched, until finally she'd stopped crying and begging and just let them do what they wanted to her. Then there was how she'd been told to simply forget she had a mother and sister, and finally there was Kariya.
Kariya…her best friend…Aoi knew he'd had feelings for her, feelings she'd never reciprocated. He'd stood aside when she had married Tokiomi, but they'd stayed in touch, and had gotten on well with her girls. Aoi had cried when Sakura had told her about the worms, and had cried again when she'd learned that Kariya had tried to ransom Sakura in exchange for himself, the original Matou heir who'd abandoned the family in his youth…and now she knew why.
Tried and failed to ransom Sakura…and for his failure, Kariya had been consumed down to the bone, those same bones shown to Sakura as a warning of what would happen should she defy her grandfather. "Thank you." Aoi whispered with a sniffle.
Nearby, Rin and Sakura sat, though apart from each other. Like her mother, Rin's eyes were red from crying after hearing for a second time everything her sister had been through, but Sakura…
…she was silent, still, and completely apathetic to the world. Despite the worms' removal, she was still a doll, just like Matou wanted her. She could still recover, but that would be a long way off.
"You are welcome." Cerberus said with a smile. "Unlike other magi families, we Edelfelt value family above everything else. Indeed, family is everything."
"…what are you saying?" Aoi asked.
"I told you your husband was under suspicion." Cerberus said, beginning to pace. "But first, some context. That your mother-in-law had married your father-in-law without our family's permission is a fact, and certainly a point of contention, but it cannot be denied that both your husband and his children are of our blood. And as the old saying goes, blood is thicker than water."
Cerberus paused speaking, and likewise stopped pacing. "Reconciliation should be possible, with some concessions on both sides." She continued. "There is just one problem."
"And that is?"
Cerberus tilted her head. "Matou's infamy is well-known." She said. "So much so that your husband could not possibly have been ignorant of the fate awaiting your daughter. And more importantly, had your family been a proper branch, we would never have allowed Sakura to be surrendered to those wretches."
Cerberus paused again. "Your husband's reasoning behind sending her away was sound." She continued. "That much we will concede. However, his choice of who to surrender her to is completely unacceptable, much less the terms they came with. No contact whatsoever? All traces of her previous identity erased from the public record? Essentially, her relation to her family, whether extended or otherwise, ceased to be. Again, family is everything. This is unforgivable."
Aoi lowered her face, fresh tears tricking out of her eyes and down her face. "…will you kill my husband?" she asked.
"If I must, I will." Cerberus said. "But perhaps that may not be necessary. As regrettable as his choices are, he is still of our blood. Family…and because of that, he is due one chance. One chance to prove he is one of us not just in blood but also in spirit."
"…and if he chooses wrong?"
"What will be, will be."
Aoi sniffled, and wiped at her eyes. "Then," she began. "What of me and my children?"
"If he chooses wrong," Cerberus began. "Then you will be sent to Finland. Our family will take responsibility for you all, and provide protection from the consequences of your husband's foolishness. Furthermore, you can rest assured that there will no undue separations, and that all your needs will be met."
Aoi said nothing, just crying in silence. Rin looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, could only wipe at her eyes. After everything they'd learned, they could no longer defend the figure that had once stood in the middle of their lives.
How could they? Sakura's unfeeling expression and voice, and the poisoned shade of her eyes and hair, reminded them of everything done with his blessing.
"I take my leave." Cerberus said with a bow. "Be sure to be prepared to depart this evening. I will have you witness as Tokiomi makes his choice, and shows himself for what he truly is in the dark."
Aoi gave the smallest of nods, and with another bow Cerberus made to leave. But just as she reached the doorway, she paused, and turned back to Aoi and her children. "One more thing." She said, while activating her omni-tool.
Blue light flashed out, sweeping over Aoi and then Rin repeatedly, and then Cerberus nodded with satisfaction. "This will suffice." She said. "Thank you for your cooperation."
With that, she turned and left them to their grief and despair.
Tokiomi slammed his fist against his desk, clutching a crumpled sheet of parchment within. It was on that parchment that Cerberus, no, Kirsikka Edelfelt had issued her ultimatum against him.
Apparently, she had in her custody both his wife and daughter. And unless he came at midnight tonight to…what was it again…oh yes, Pier 34 at the Fuyuki Harbor, then he would never see them again. And that was it.
No explanation of why she had abducted his family, why she was holding them hostage, and why she wanted him to come to a secluded location at midnight. Not that any explanation was needed. The second question essentially answered the first, an old but functioning (and very dishonorable) means of forcing obedience on those who would otherwise not be obedient. Then again, what else could be expected from people who proudly compared and likened themselves to hyenas?
"Scavengers…and scavengers feed on dead meat." Tokiomi thought in disgust. "How fitting for the Edelfelt…they sell their services to the highest bidder, and along the way eagerly take any opportunity to pilfer anything and everything of value, magic or otherwise, for their own purposes."
Family loyalty (his mother had been an Edelfelt) warred with magus pride within Tokiomi, the man fighting the urge to curse and insult the Edelfelt. In the end, the former won, but not without some measure of self-loathing from Tokiomi.
But there was still the last question: why did Edelfelt want him to come to the docks at night? And that led to another question: what did she – or her family – want?
Tokiomi blinked, and then taking a deep breath gathered his resolve. No…the answer didn't matter. Not now…later maybe, after he'd reclaimed his wife and daughter. And then he would have answers from his cousin.
But first…
Tokiomi rose, and leaving his workshop made his way followed by Kirei to the living room, where the King of Heroes normally lounged at. And it seemed he was expected. Instead of the loose and comfortable white tunic the King of Heroes normally wore, Archer was in full plate, and lounged not on Tokiomi's couch, but sat on a throne of gilded cedar and red cloth, no doubt brought forth from the depths of the Gate of Babylon.
Tokiomi approached, and bowed low. Kirei also bowed, though he did not approach, and indeed, stayed bowed while backing away, rising only to stand against a wall. "You have come," Archer observed. "As I have foreseen. Speak, and tell me what you seek."
"Your Majesty," Tokiomi began, his head bowed. "My wife and daughter have been abducted by my cousin, Kirsikka Edelfelt. I know not what it is she seeks to achieve by doing so, but I beg for your assistance in restoring them to my side."
"Denied."
Tokiomi gasped in shock, raising his head to stare in disbelief at the King of Heroes. Seated on his throne, Archer smiled. "Have you forgotten what it was you said to me when I returned to my garden?" he asked.
"I have not, Your Majesty." Tokiomi answered. "I am, and remain, Your Majesty's humble Servant."
"Indeed," Archer replied with a laugh. "But of what use to me is a Servant who cannot protect his family? Know this, Tokiomi. Family is the simplest treasure of all, but it is one that any man or woman can freely earn, no matter their station. Even I cannot deny them that. It would not be just to do so. But, if you cannot protect your own family, your treasure, how could I possibly trust you to do likewise to mine?"
Tokiomi couldn't answer, and Archer frowned, tilting his head to rest it against a raised fist. "Prove yourself to me, Tokiomi." He said. "Reclaim what is yours from the one called Cerberus. Do so, and you shall have your just reward."
Tokiomi bowed low. Deep down, he was tempted to use his command spells, and while he would normally not risk it due to needing at least two to overcome the King of Heroes' willpower to force him to commit suicide to open the path to the Root…well, with the Grail's corruption that was no longer a concern…but more to the point, Tokiomi's pride had been injured. Doubly-so, first by his cousin taking his family hostage and using such a fact to force his hand, and again by Archer throwing the fact in his face.
No…he could not force Archer to assist with his command spells. To do so would reveal his pride, his ability hollow. Not just as a magus, but also as a father and as a husband.
He would reclaim them with his own hands.
"It shall be as you say, Your Majesty." Tokiomi said, and Archer smiled.
"We shall see."
They came in the dead of night, several black and up-armored Toyotas, driving through the empty and silent streets towards the harbor, and finally coming to a halt along a stretch of road adjacent to Pier 34. Doors opened and men in suits jumped out, many carrying H&K MP5 Submachine Guns, while others had Browning Hi-Power Pistols fitted with shoulder stocks.
And there was Kirei as well, quickly slipping away as soon as he got out of the Toyota carrying Tokiomi, and vanishing into the shadows. The men checked their weapons, flipping safeties and chambering rounds, and on receiving confirmation from their employer through their ear-beads, spread out across the collection of buildings clustered along the docks and on the landward side of the pier.
"Warning," Cerberus' Virtual Intelligence (VI) Assistant warned her. "Hostile forces have entered the zone of operations. Based on thermal readings, thirty-six hostiles are present within the area."
"Understood," Cerberus replied, tapping at her omni-tool while sitting on the arm of the crane which towered over the pier below. Her helmet was off, allowing the wind to blow through her hair, the young woman concealed by the dark of night and her own tactical cloak. "Standby to commence operational maneuvers."
"Confirmed." The VI replied.
Cerberus kept her eyes on the tactical display projected by her omni-tool, watching the dots representing Tokiomi's hired guns make their way through the maze between buildings and shipping containers below. To their credit, they moved slowly and methodically, sticking to cover and making sure to check their corners, always moving with their backs and flanks covered.
Had they the proper equipment, preparation, and backup, they might even defeat her.
But…from the look of things, Tokiomi was using them as sacrifices to feel out any traps Cerberus might have laid out for him. A pointless gesture, as while Cerberus had laid out a number of traps, if Tokiomi had come alone, she wouldn't have set them off.
As it was, she'd suspected he wouldn't come alone, and so she'd prepared, and would now set them off. Just a little bit more, and…
"Engage." Cerberus ordered.
Below, tactical cloaks shimmered into inactivity as automated turrets rose up, and then extended barrels forward. The hired guns opened fire, 9x19mm rounds splattering harmlessly against kinetic barriers, and then safeties were released as 7.62x51mm NATO rounds were chambered. Kinetic barriers dropped and bullets struck sparks off and left dents in titanium armor plating, and then machine guns were roaring away.
Men screamed as they were gunned down, others jumping into cover as their fellows fell dead or dying to the ground. Blood spilled, pooled, and flowed on the ground, but the fire didn't let up, the automated turrets strategically-positioned to catch intruders in crossfires and then to pin the survivors down. Every so often, the guns would stop to let the barrels cool or to reload, and the gunmen popped out of cover to open fire, only for their guns to again be foiled by the automated turrets' kinetic barriers. And then they fired again, forcing the gunmen back into cover.
"Commence stage two." Cerberus ordered.
Atop buildings and shipping containers, mechs hummed to life, unfolding and powering up systems before drawing Remington 870 12-gauge shotguns from behind them. They jumped down behind and on top of the gunmen, and opening fire at close or point-blank range wreaked utter carnage. Mangled corpses were sent flying along with bloody chunks of Human flesh as buckshot was fired again and again.
The gunmen fought back of course, and even managed to repel their ambushers in a few cases. They also and quickly learned not to get too close to damaged mechs, or to disarm them. Foucault Currents powered up in either case, reinforcing the mechs' titanium plating before they charged into the gunmen's ranks, and then self-destructed, their bodies making for a very good source of deadly shrapnel.
But the gunmen learned and adapted quickly, keeping their distance from the mechs and jumping up on the roofs to get on top of the automated turrets. And while the automated turrets were essentially invulnerable while reloading, when firing they were protected only by armor plating, which could be overwhelmed by sheer weight of fire.
All the mechs and automated turrets were eventually destroyed, but by then twenty-four men were dead, and of the eight survivors, all were injured. Unwilling to risk advancing further, they fell back towards the cars.
"Take them out, Assassin." Cerberus ordered.
"Yes, my Master." Assassin replied, materializing atop a crate along the gunmen's line of retreat. Running lithe and quiet along them, Assassin jumped overhead, across their line of retreat, and threw poisoned daggers into their ranks.
Four men fell with cries of pain, which then turned into gurgles punctuated by the sound of bodies convulsing against the ground. The four survivors stared in horror…
…and then Assassin dropped into the middle of them. Steel flashed and blood flew, and all four remaining gunmen fell dead, their necks slit. Assassin sheathed her blades, and then shimmered into astral form.
"Your move, Tokiomi Tohsaka." Cerberus said, while getting to her feet.
For several minutes, there was silence, and then finally a door opened. Tokiomi stepped out, primly smoothing his clothes before hefting his cane and then making his way towards the pier. His face was set like stone, and his eyes were cold.
As he walked through the streets, he took in the sights and smells of battle, of corpses lying amidst pools of blood, and the blackened wreckage of destroyed mechs and automated turrets. Spent casings were everywhere, along with ricochets: cleaning up was going to be hell. While nothing here indicated the presence of magic or the supernatural, so many corpses and spent bullets plus advanced technology (that shouldn't exist yet) would be much too visible for comfort.
Finally, Tokiomi emerged at the pier, and came to a halt near the water. "Cerberus!" he shouted. "I'm here! Where's my family? What do you want?"
Spotlights came to life, illuminating Cerberus as she stood atop the crane, the wind blowing through her hair, encased in white-finished, gold-trimmed armor sans her helmet. "So you've come." She shouted down at Tokiomi. "And you even brought some friends with you."
"You killed them." Tokiomi said.
"They were uninvited." Cerberus answered.
"What do you want, Kirsikka?" Tokiomi demanded. "Where's my family?"
Cerberus indicated herself. "Right here." She said.
Tokiomi grit his teeth at the mockery, made even worse by the fact that she wasn't lying. She was an Edelfelt after all, like his mother.
Like him, even.
"Let me clarify." He growled. "Where's my wife and daughter?"
"Over there." Cerberus said, raising a remote and pressing a switch.
Lights turned on at a boat docked at the far end of the pier, and Tokiomi gasped in horror as he saw Rin and Aoi tied to the mast, their mouths duct-taped. They struggled against their bonds, and while he couldn't hear Tokiomi just knew they were all but screaming for him to come and help them.
"WHY?" He demanded. "WHY GO THIS FAR? WHAT DOES EDELFELT WANT FROM ME? WHAT'S THE POINT EVEN? YOU'RE FROM THE FUTURE! AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE, IN FACT! WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"I want you to choose, Tokiomi." Cerberus demanded.
"Choose?"
Cerberus pressed another switch, and a light on a nearby building turned on, illuminating a computer. A moment later and Assassin appeared, and nudging the touchpad woke the computer from its sleep. "I know you're completely ignorant when it comes to computers," Cerberus began. "So I put a set of instructions next to the computer."
"…why should I choose between my family and a machine?"
"What do you think would happen should the Association discover the true purpose of Heaven's Feel?"
Tokiomi's blood ran cold, and for the first time in a long while, felt and tasted true fear. "Yes," Cerberus said with a nod. "I know what the Grail truly is. What it's truly meant to do. To open a path to the Root…and I also know that any and all attempts to do so, should be done under Association supervision."
Cerberus paused and chuckled. "Choose, Tokiomi." She said. "Save your family, and that computer will upload all the information on the Grail to the Department of Modern Magecraft Theories and the College of Law. Save your magecraft, and your family will die."
"WHAT KIND OF CHOICES ARE THOSE?" Tokiomi roared, his composure completely lost by now.
"The kind of choices that show what kind of person you truly are." Cerberus answered.
"THERE'S HARDLY ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM!" Tokiomi shot back. "EVEN IF SAVE MY FAMILY…IF THE ASSOCIATION FINDS OUT, THEY…!"
"…will be left alone." Cerberus coolly interrupted. "I know Association procedure. You will be placed under sealing designation, all your assets and your crest seized, and your positions revoked. However, as your heiress is still a child and your wife neither trained nor having potential, they'll be left alone…though considering Rin's potential…well, we'll claim her and her mother. Consider it quid pro quo for your mother."
Cerberus paused and smiled. "I'm sure being a branch member of our family would be far better than being a nobody magus from a backwater, Second Owner or not." She remarked.
"SCREW YOU!"
Cerberus laughed. "Thank you, but no." she said. "You have one minute to choose, and then another minute to act. If you don't act or move too slowly, we go into sudden death, that is both your family die and the data is uploaded to the Clock Tower. Now choose, Tokiomi. Choose, and tell me what kind of man you truly are."
At those words, Cerberus smiled, and putting on her helmet jumped down from the crane, shimmering into invisibility as she flipped through the air. And then silence.
Silence wherein Tokiomi was crushed by the weight of the choice before him. He could save his family, but if he did, then his family's greatest, most prized, and most dangerous secret would be exposed to his superiors. It would be the end of the Tohsaka Clan, one way or another.
But if he stopped the upload, then his family would die. Aoi…his beautiful and loving wife…Rin…his precocious and bright-eyed child…so brilliant and happy…the perfect child…heiress…legacy…perfect wife…perfect family…
Tokiomi clutched at his head, the man and the magus in conflict with each other, a conflict made all the worse at how the man and the magus were so tied to each other.
Either way…everything will be lost…everything! Our legacy…our pride as magi…
A loud beeping shocked Tokiomi out of his thoughts, numbers counting down on the computer's screen. Muffled screaming in the distance had Tokiomi reinforcing his eyes, and he saw explosives piled around the mast, timers also counting down.
Tokiomi stared, eyes flicking back and forth, shaking at the mental conflict, and tears falling down his face. He made his choice.
Forgive me.
Tokiomi ran. Eyes scanned a piece of paper, and followed what was written therein. Commands were pulled up, entered, and then confirmed. Ellipses scrolled down on black, and then…
UPLOAD ABORTED.
And then an explosion erupted in the night, water splashing and debris flying everywhere as the boat carrying Aoi and Rin blew apart. Tokiomi's legs failed him, and he fell to his knees, the man sobbing without restraint or care. He screamed, once, twice, and then with a roar, threw the computer aside.
"KIRSIKKA!" he shouted. "KIRSIKKA! KIRSIKKA! KIRSIKKA!"
"You made your choice." Cerberus' voice came from all around. "And now you must face its consequences, as all choices have."
Tokiomi didn't reply, simply crumpling with head bowed. "Oh yes," Cerberus began. "You still have one other daughter left, don't you?"
Tokiomi's head shot up, eyes wide and face twisted in horror. And then slowly rising to her feet, he growled and then roared in rage. "YOU LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!" he thundered into the night.
Laughter echoed in the dark. "I don't take orders from you." Cerberus mocked. "But if you can beat me to Matou, then…"
Screaming incoherently at the top of his voice, Tokiomi turned and ran for the cars, moving at superhuman speeds thanks to reinforcement. And still, laughter echoed in the night.
"You were right."
Kirei didn't say anything, he simply smiled smugly. Cerberus muttered in Finnish under her breath, and approached Rin and Aoi, who clutched each other while crying. "Daddy…" Rin sobbed. "Daddy would have let us die? Why? I don't…why would he…he said he loved me…mommy…so why…"
"He loved your sister too." Cerberus said, walking over and patting her gently on a shoulder. "And look what happened to her. He knew what would happen, and he didn't care. Just like he didn't care just now. Like what's been said before, if the choice is between family and magecraft, he will always choose magecraft."
"More machine than man," Kirei remarked. "Twisted and evil."
"I should have never married that man!" Aoi spat with sudden and surprising venom. "Why…why did I ever…"
"Mommy?" Rin asked, and without a word Aoi just hugged her tightly.
"Hush…" she said. "You are the only thing to come out of our marriage that I would never regret, you and Sakura. If only…if only I'd realized sooner…then Sakura…then Kariya…oh Kariya…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
Rin broke into fresh tears along with her mother, and nearby, Sakura cried as well. She didn't sob or make any noise, nor did her expression change, but tears trickled down her face as well, a crack opening in the soullessness imposed on her by Matou, and exposing the Humanity entombed beneath.
"Kirei," Cerberus said. "Why don't you take them back to Ryuudo? I'll handle the rest."
"As you wish." He said with a nod. "Though if possible, may I be the one to push the button?"
"…what button?"
"The one that will incinerate the Matou mansion." Kirei answered. "Yes…I believe such will give me an answer. An answer to how to live with myself…one way or another…so please…may I…?"
With a smile, Cerberus handed the remote detonator to Kirei. Taking it with a grateful nod, Kirei opened the safety, and then pressed the button. It flashed red, and Cerberus tilted her head. "It is done." She said. "When Tokiomi gets there…well…we shall see…"
"Yes, we shall." Kirei whispered.
"Go, and take them back to Ryuudo."
"I will."
Replacing her helmet once more, Cerberus went out, to deliver the final blow.
A/N
What? This is still Fate/Zero. So far, no one's been screwed yet, well there was Ryuunosuke and Caster, but more people need to be screwed, in line with the theme set by the Urobutcher.
Oh right, Zouken got screwed. Getting one-shot by an assassin with Mystic Eyes of Death Perception…talk about embarrassing for a 500+ years-old arch-magus who in his youth had been a correspondent of Paracelsus. Or not: that it took someone with Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to finish him off does say something about him. Oh well.