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

Cerberus

Part XV

"Impressive."

Assassin smiled, a sight as terrifying as it was gratifying, thanks to the silver half-mask that she wore. "My thanks," she said, while continuing to apply makeup to the hypnotized man before them. "But as you already know, I am and remain a seductress. And while I have been described as alluring even without the aid of makeup, in my experience, makeup can magnify the effect to affect those who otherwise would not be affected. Or, should they have different tastes, to cater to their tastes. Nor is it limited to matters of seduction. You'd be surprised what effect a touch of dye to the hair, a drop of tincture to the eyes, and some dusting on the skin of colored powder could have."

"People on the lookout just don't seem to notice?" Cerberus asked.

"Indeed," Assassin said with a nod, and applying the finishing touches. "Right up until they're choking thanks to a drop of poison on their spoon, or their throats have been slit."

"Poison on the spoon?" Cerberus asked in surprise. "Wait…why not their food…oh…oh, now that is very clever."

Assassin smirked at her Master while working on the man's hair. "Most would normally expect poison to be added to food or drink." She said. "Their means of protection are thus focused on those, most commonly by food or wine tasters. Plenty of times I've had them pronounce food or drink safe for consumption, only to be executed later on when their masters die of poisoning and they are suspected of colluding with myself, or any others of my brothers and sisters."

"Callous."

Assassin shrugged. "Perhaps," she said. "But it was nothing personal."

"Indeed," Cerberus said with a nod. "I'm nowhere near as good or as famous as you, but I can understand."

Assassin chuckled. "Regardless, I am thankful that my Master is of a kindred spirit." She said.

Cerberus chuckled herself. "You are welcome." She said.

Master and Servant fell silent for the next several minutes, until finally Assassin took a step back. "There," she said, washing her hands in a nearby basin of water. "It's finished."

Cerberus walked closer to examine the man in question, and smiled at the virtually-perfect appearance of Kiritsugu Emiya the man now sported. "Excellent," she said, before gesturing at a nearby pile of clothes. "Put those on, and then meet me at the armory."

"Yes, my lady."

The man silently stood up, took the clothes, and walked off to dress. Cerberus waited until Assassin had finished cleaning her hands, and then gesturing with her head, led the way to the armory.

Cerberus' armor stood on a rack in one corner of the room, with her bodysuit hanging on another rack next to it. Her wakizashi rested on a wooden stand affixed to one wall, while shelves held boxes full of shuriken, as well as ammunition. 9x19mm Parabellum, 7.62x51mm NATO, .50 BMG, and 12-gauge shells marked as either buckshot or slugs.

The weapons for them rested on top of tables in the middle of the room, ranging from Glock 17 handguns to H&K MP5 Submachine Guns, and Remington 870 Shotguns. Disassembled automated turrets rested in wooden boxes neatly stacked along the walls, while resting in one corner was a metal case usually used to carry heavy sniper rifles to and from the battlefield.

Other boxes carried explosives, or spare parts and tools. Cerberus ignored them all, and instead heading for one of the tables, picked up a Glock and briefly examined it. Her examinations done, she went for one of the shelves on the wall, and opening an ammo box loaded and chambered the Glock.

"Open a window." Cerberus ordered, and Assassin complied. Cerberus then raised her gun, two-handed, and fired one, twice, three times, at a tree several meters distant, all three shots striking the same spot one after another.

"Impressive aim." Assassin remarked.

"My uncle has a thing for guns." Cerberus said. "Technically illegal, but when you have money and influence, there's a lot you can get away with. My dad didn't care much for it, but uncle did teach us proper gun safety before even letting us handle one of his guns, so…"

Cerberus shrugged before removing the clip, and then ejecting the chambered round. Flipping the safety back on, she set the gun down before popping the round back into its clip, and then loaded it back into the gun.

Master and Servant then turned to look as their Kiritsugu lookalike entered, and Cerberus handed him the gun. She then pulled out a gem, and held it out for him. "Swallow this." She said. "You'll have two hours to finish the job before the effects wear off, and you won't be able to slip in and out of those bounded fields they set up around the place. So make sure you get the job done in that time."

"Yes, my lady."

The man took the gem and swallowed it, and then turned to leave to do his job. "Once you're done," Cerberus said in parting. "Find a public restroom, and then wash the hair coloring and makeup off. Go home, and forget about everything that happened today. You can keep the gun as a gift."

"Yes, my lady."

Cerberus and Assassin watched as the man left, and then turned to each other. "Now then," she said. "Shall we go and meet Lancer and his Master?"

"Yes, my Master."

Lancer sat ill at ease next to Sola-Ui at a café, a mug of coffee sitting untouched in front of him. In contrast, Sola-Ui was completely at ease, alternating between reading a fashion magazine and taking elegant sips from a cup of French Vanilla. No matter what she might think of Oriental magi, the Japanese did have good fashion sense. Already, the magus had it in mind to visit several high-end Japanese clothing stores once the war came to an end before returning to Europe.

Sensing the presence of a Servant at the same time as the café doors opened, Lancer and Sola-Ui alike looked up to see a woman in a black and white dress enter, trailed by the same woman Lancer had intercepted earlier during the day in their own hideout. "Assassin." Master and Servant shared the same thought, though their eyes quickly turned to the elusive Cerberus.

Cerberus and Assassin ignored them for now, in favor of ordering their drinks. Once they'd done that, they quickly turned to Lancer and Sola-Ui, and walking over sat down at their table.

"Good afternoon," Cerberus began. "I'm thankful you accepted my invitation."

"We arrived before you." Sola-Ui said, closing the magazine and setting it aside.

"My apologies," Cerberus said with a nod. "But something needed attending to, and it took more time than expected."

Sola-Ui shrugged indifferently. "So," she began. "What did you want to talk about?"

Cerberus hummed while taking a drink of her coffee. "First," she began while setting her mug down. "You wouldn't mind if we discussed this in…privacy, would you?"

Sola-Ui raised an eyebrow at that, and then shrugged in the next moment. "Go ahead." She said.

Cerberus smiled before muttering a few words in Russian, a finger tracing a pattern on the table as a bounded field fell into place around them. "Moving on," she said. "Congratulations on becoming Lancer's new Master."

Sola-Ui again raised an eyebrow, wondering whether or not Cerberus was genuinely congratulating her or was being sarcastic about it, and whether or not there was a threat there. It was, after all, another reminder that Cerberus knew where they were hiding, that she was watching, and as far back as when Sola-Ui had taken command of Lancer.

After a moment, she decided not to press the issue, at least at present. "Kayneth is…incapable, of acting as Lancer's Master." Sola-Ui said. "So it should only be expected that I take over in his place. And besides, I've been the one to provide prana for him all this time. You could say I've got more of a claim on him than Kayneth does, even if he was the one who summoned Lancer in the first place."

"I…see…" Cerberus uncertainly said. "How does that even work? That Kayneth had the command spells but you were the one to provide Lancer with prana?"

"Bold, aren't we?" Sola-Ui remarked with a mocking smile. "Trying to pry into Kayneth's mysteries?"

Cerberus smiled. "Fair enough," he said. "Though couldn't you at least spare the generalities?"

Sola-Ui made a show of considering the matter, and then she shrugged. "I suppose I could." She finally said. "Though to be honest I'm not entirely sure of the details myself. Anyway…despite our differences, even I can't deny Kayneth was a true genius, the kind that appears only once every few generations. And in our situation, this was well proven how despite lacking the founding families' knowledge and resources with regard to the Grail, he was able to determine the system's functions and manipulate it such that he as the one who summoned Lancer had the command spells, while I provided the prana."

"That's…not really any more than what we've already deduced."

Sola-Ui shrugged. "I won't discuss the details." She said. "And even if I would, as I said, I'm not entirely sure about them. Is there anything else you'd like to speak about?"

"I do."

"Oh?"

"I'll get straight to the point." Cerberus said, something in her expression and voice catching Lancer and Sola-Ui's attention. "There's a dead god trapped in the Grail, and if anyone uses it, it'll trigger the apocalypse."

There was dead, utter silence. And then…

"What proof do you have?" Lancer demanded.

In response, Cerberus tossed him a scroll, which he opened and read, Sola-Ui doing likewise over his shoulder. "…on pain of destruction of her mystic eyes…" she murmured. "Kirsikka Edelfelt…speak the truth…during the discussion at the following time and date…valid only for that discussion…"

Eyes turned back to Cerberus who briefly activated her mystic eyes. "Alright," Sola-Ui said, all trace of her usual childishness gone, the magus fully in control now. "Start talking. What is this god, where did it come from, how did it get in the Grail, what it plans to do, and what do you plan to do about it?"

"Lady Sola, are you alright?"

"No, I am not." Sola-Ui growled.

Master and Servant alike strolled through the ruins, making for the room where Kayneth was resting in. "Bad enough we have to clean up Einzbern's mess," she snarled. "But I actually have to get input from…well, never mind."

Lancer looked very unhappy, but Sola-Ui ignored him for now, the urgency of their situation partially drowning out the magically-induced infatuation she was under. "If this isn't dealt with properly," she muttered after a moment. "Heads are going to roll. Well, Einzbern's heads will roll, one way or another. But I'll be damned if my head will be among those."

Lancer hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up. "Or Lord Kayneth's, for that matter." He opined.

"…yes."

The rest of the walk was made in silence, until finally they reached the room. "Kayneth," Sola-Ui began as she stepped into the room. "We've…!"

Sola-Ui broke off with a horrified gasp, Lancer pulling her back behind him. Kayneth lay still and lifeless on his gurney, his face twisted in shock and agony, the white of his sheets soaked through with blood, which dripped from the edges onto the ground below.

"H-h-he's dead." Sola-Ui breathed. "Someone killed him."

Lancer grit his teeth, and then briefly closing his eyes roared his rage and grief to the skies above. "Again!" he thought. "Each and every time! I cannot fulfil my duty to my lord! Whether to serve him until an honorable death, or to bring him his prize, or to protect his life! Why? Why can't I ever…!"

He turned to Sola-Ui who staggered away at the fire in his eyes. "Is there any way to know who did this?" he demanded.

Sola-Ui blinked. "T-there should be." She stammered out. "I mean…we could tap into the bounded fields' records to see who slipped in here and did all…all that."

"Do it!"

Sola-Ui felt irritation surge at Lancer's tone, but did it anyway. In the eyes of their minds, they saw as Kayneth brooded in his bed, and then both gasped in recognition as Kiritsugu Emiya walked into the room. Nor were they the only ones, Kayneth reacting with horror and frantically pleading with Kiritsugu, only to be wordlessly cut off as Kiritsugu pulled out a gun and fired repeatedly into Kayneth's chest.

Unbidden, Sola-Ui's eyes strayed to the floor, and noted the spent casings lying around. Then she sharply turned to Lancer at the sound of breaking rock, and Sola-Ui saw he had literally punched a hole in the wall.

"Lady Sola!" he began. "We cannot let this pass! Lord Kayneth had already been beaten, stripped of his magic and power, and reduced to a cripple in bed! And yet that shameless cur would dare invade my lord's bedchamber, and kill him even though he posed no further threat! As a Knight of Fianna and his sworn retainer, this cannot be borne! And you are his wife! We both have a duty to avenge him!"

Sola-Ui didn't respond immediately. By this point, the shock of seeing Kayneth dead in his bed had worn off, and inwardly she felt only satisfaction at the fact, and knowing now there was no further chance that she would be chained to such a man as him. And she had no inclination whatsoever to avenge him.

Indeed, if anything, she was very grateful to Kiritsugu Emiya.

But…she couldn't just say as such to Lancer. He wouldn't understand, at least right now. Maybe in the future…yes…just maybe…

"I understand how you feel, Lancer." Sola-Ui began, and taking a step closer. "But we can't afford to oppose Emiya, Einzbern, and Saber right now."

"What?"

"Think, Lancer!" Sola-Ui held her ground. "We may yet have to confront a divine avatar, and an army of demons born of the Grail's corruption! If that happens, we'll need Saber as an ally, not as an enemy. And if we fight them now…which also assumes you'll win…"

Lancer drew himself up. "I do not fear death." He firmly said.

"No, I don't think you do." Sola-Ui said. "But having you on our side in the worst-case scenario would be very helpful. And if you die fighting against Saber right now…would Kayneth approve of you leaving me defenseless in the face of Emiya and Einzbern's tender mercies?"

Lancer looked away, and then with a snarl of disgust kicked away a rock. "No," he admitted. "He would not."

Sola-Ui nodded, though inwardly she was screeching in triumph. "Don't worry, Lancer." She said. "There will be vengeance for Kayneth. Emiya under Einzbern's employ was also the one who destroyed Kayneth's ability to use magic, and his family's crest in the process. El-Melloi will not allow any of his actions to slide, and when this war ends, there will be consequences, consequences Emiya and Einzbern will be made to face, no matter what."

"…in short, be patient."

"Yes." Sola-Ui said with a nod. "Be patient."

"…I understand." Lancer said, and then turning away walked off to find a quiet spot and think.

"Might I ask what purpose there was in ending Lord El-Melloi's life?"

"It's a favor to the El-Melloi in general, and to the Lord El-Melloi II in the particular."

Cerberus and Assassin were back at Ryuudo, standing in a shadowed corner and watching as Rin, Sakura, and Issei played under the watchful but indulgent eyes of Aoi. "Lord El-Melloi was a true genius," Cerberus said. "But he was also an inflexible conservative. Not much would have changed or improved under his continued leadership…assuming of course he remained leader, considering his state. But, even if he'd been pushed to the background, so long as he lived, then he'd still have influenced his successor, his younger sister, Lady Reines El-Melloi Archisorte."

Cerberus paused to look up at the sky. "There is no reason to believe that El-Melloi will not place ultimate blame on Waver Velvet for Lord El-Melloi's downfall as they did in my world." She said. "Nor is there any reason for El-Melloi to not face complete ruin in the aftermath, only to be saved by Waver Velvet's compilation and publication of his research."

"Would he still do such a thing?"

"Yes, he would." Cerberus said with a nod. "It's not in his character to do otherwise, barring his death in the near future. And here's to hoping that doesn't happen."

"May I assume you, no, we will be doing more than hoping?"

"You may."

Assassin scoffed in good humor, but said nothing. "With El-Melloi's fortunes secured," Cerberus predicted. "Waver Velvet shall be taken in by Reines El-Melloi, as the new Lord El-Melloi II. And under his leadership, El-Melloi will not merely prosper anew, but change for the better. Blood will not be primary factor in their determination of worth, but genuine talent and meritorious achievement. All will be made better by Lord El-Melloi's death."

"Assuming of course, everything proceeds as you predict, Master."

"…perhaps." Cerberus admitted. "But I see no reason why it would not."

Assassin hummed noncommittally. "In any case," she said. "It is not my place to judge your plans and intentions, Master. I am the blade in your hands, nothing more."

"Hmm…come on, we've got work to do."

"Yes, my Master."

The Moon shone down with cold, pale light as Cerberus and Assassin melted out of the shadows, and then climbing the stairway made their way to and inside Kotomine Church. Risei and Kirei were there, as were Kiritsugu, Irisviel, and Saber.

"So," Cerberus began, while removing her helmet. "What's so important we're all here tonight?"

"Tohsaka and Matou aren't here." Risei dryly said.

"No thanks to you, of course." Kiritsugu added. "Couldn't you have just finished the matter cleanly?"

"I did finish them cleanly." Cerberus protested.

"…I'll concede that much with regard to Zouken." Kiritsugu said after a moment. "And I've got nothing against you for letting Byakuya run away with his tail between his legs, seeing as I'd have done the same thing. He's not worth killing."

"But?"

"Couldn't you have just killed Tokiomi Tohsaka, instead of leaving him a delusional loon?"

Cerberus glanced at Risei. "You told them?" she asked.

"Yes." The priest said. "Kirei added further details, and Emiya has his own eyes and ears."

Cerberus rubbed her temples before turning back to Kiritsugu. "About Tokiomi Tohsaka, it was necessary." She said. "Death was too good for him. Too…lenient, a punishment for his crimes."

"Lenient?" Irisviel protested. "You made him think he'd killed his own family. That he'd arrived too late to save his other daughter…!"

"If Illyasviel von Einzbern had been kidnapped – the closest analogy seeing as I know neither of you would be pimping her out like that fool Tokiomi did to his younger child – and had been raped and tortured for a year to the point that she's reduced to a hollow shell who can't even think of defying in any way her tormentors, what would you do?"

Irisviel couldn't answer, instead looking very stricken. "Funny about Illya…" Kiritsugu began with a strange voice. "But I see your point. No…I wouldn't just have killed them. I'd send them to hell, and make sure they stay there. Alright Edelfelt, looks like you really did make the right call."

Cerberus nodded, and Kiritsugu sighed. "Anyway," he said. "Let's get to the point. Iri and I have been talking things over, and well, we've decided that if the choice is between unleashing a god of evil on the world or destroying the Grail, then we have to destroy the Grail."

"But?"

Kiritsugu nodded. "We've considered trying to fix the Grail," he said. "But without access to Einzbern's mainframes, we don't know if that's even possible. And we don't have remote access, and attempts to get Iri's relatives to do that for us have only seen one response."

"Let me guess," Cerberus said with another sigh. "They refuse to admit they did wrong about that whole Avenger fiasco back in the third war, that they have to look into repairing the Grail much less destroy it, and insist that you continue with your given mission and winning the war, bring the Grail back to Germany."

"…pretty much."

"…so, what's next?"

"As Kiri said," Irisviel began. "We're prepared to destroy the Grail to prevent the apocalypse. But, Einzbern has our daughter. She was modified in my womb while I was pregnant with her to be a homunculus like me, and given further modifications, she could become a Lesser Grail. Had we won this war, those modifications would not be necessary, and ones already made would be reversed, but seeing as this war cannot be won…"

"If we destroy the Grail," Cerberus said with narrowed eyes. "The gods know what they might do to her."

"Exactly," Kiritsugu said with a nod.

"We want an exchange, Kirsikka Edelfelt." Irisviel said. "We'll help you destroy the Grail, and in return you help us get our daughter back, before you go back to your world."

Cerberus nodded slowly. "Seems fair," she said, and holding out a hand. After a moment Kiritsugu took and shook it. "Alright, I'll draw up a plan and send it to you for evaluation and adjustment as needed."

"Good idea," Kiritsugu said with a nod. "I've spent years at Castle Einzbern. I know its layout, and its defenses, at least in part. And Iri here probably knows more than I do. Any plan we come up with will need what we know."

"Right." Cerberus said another nod.

"So," Kiritsugu began. "What's your plan with regard to the Grail?"

"Simple, really." Cerberus said. "Less chance of it going wrong that way. Basically, I cut up the Grail, and then blow up the supports."

"So…what you did in your timeline during the fifth war?"

"Yes. It worked then, so why wouldn't it work now?"

"Ever heard of the saying no plan survives contact with the enemy?" Kiritsugu dryly asked. "Can you tell me there were no complications in that fight?"

"…well, there was the avatar…its Servant…an army of demons…Father Kotomine's evil alter ego…okay, fair enough."

"I don't think it would be able to summon an avatar, though." Irisviel mused. "Not like what happened in her world. The avatar after all was based on me, because in that world, the fourth war reached its conclusion and I became the Grail in full. That hasn't happened here, and it won't, not with only one Servant dead. And without an avatar, it can't summon a Servant of its own, or even an army of demons."

"We shouldn't assume that it won't be able to do anything to resist us." Kiritsugu said. "And our daughter aside, there will likely be complications afterwards. Edelfelt…what happened after the war?"

"…the Clock Tower sent Lord El-Melloi II to confirm the Grail's destruction." Cerberus said. "They also tried Tohsaka on a number of trumped up charges, though Lord Zelretch's arrival in the middle of the trial ended up with every lord getting publicly reprimanded by both the Wizard Marshal and the Vice Director for wasting so much time and effort on a hollow basis…and oh yeah, there was this…weird, incident."

"What 'weird' incident?" Kiritsugu asked.

Cerberus made a vague gesture. "Some American magus decided to try and salvage what was left of the Grail," she said. "Brought a giant airship with her along with an army of some sort…didn't help her seeing as the King of Heroes was waiting for her. One shot from his Noble Phantasm, and the airship, the American magus, and most of her army were dead and gone. Then we hunted down what was left of her army."

"…Kiri?"

Kiritsugu pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sounds like this Grail is worth more trouble than it's worth." He muttered.

"You mean it wasn't?" Risei sourly asked.

"…yes."

Risei muttered something in Latin before gesturing to his son. "Kirei," he said. "We'll need to send a message to Rome, tell them about an American magus with an airship and an army. If it took a Heroic Spirit to deal with her, we might need to have the Burial Agency make an investigation."

"…Narbareck is going to love this." Cerberus murmured.

"You know Narbareck?" Kirei asked in surprise.

"I know of her." Cerberus corrected. "But I don't know her. And I don't want to. Last I heard of her going out on the field, it resulted in a bloodbath that would have the Mongols proud."

"That…sounds accurate."

"Except it was only Narbareck and no one else."

"That still sounds accurate."

"As interesting as this conversation is," Kiritsugu said while pinching his nose again. "We're getting off-topic. From the sound of things, if this is dealt with quietly, then the Association won't care. All well and good, but if not done properly…"

"Meh," Cerberus said dismissively. "They can have the loon. They can have his crest too, and everything else he has. As long as we get his wife and kids, then the Clock Tower can have everything else."

"As long as we get our daughter back safe and sound…" Irisviel agreed with a glance at Kiritsugu, and he nodded.

"Fair enough…" he said with a sigh. "Now then, let's talk about the Grail."

Cerberus nodded, and activating her omni-tool, projected the Grail's schematics into the air. Irisviel then used her metal strings to add onto and provide details on the Grail, and then the three of them began discussing the Grail and how to properly destroy it.

A/N

We're finally approaching the end…and Cerberus starts shows her limits. Specifically, she assumes much will go as it did in her world, in particular with regard to Waver. Only Waver hasn't had the character development he'd otherwise have, from witnessing the pile of children's corpses in Caster's lair, the Army of the King, and (potentially) the final battles between Saber and then Archer.

Apart from that though, Iri and Kiri (huh…their nicknames rhyme…never noticed that before) finally decide to go rogue. Smart choice.