Disclaimer: I do not own the Assassin's Creed series, Fate/Stay Night, or Bleach
Ichigo slept peacefully on the couch, having finally convinced Saber that between Ishida, Orihime, and Saber herself, they had enough lookouts that even Assassin would have considerable trouble slipping in. Or Assassins.
Ichigo made no comment on the fact that he didn't count in the lineup.
The room itself was quiet, the only noise being the turning of the page to one of Ishida's textbooks. The Quincy had taken up post in the kitchen, on duty for the next few hours. Small kitchen lights, mounted under the cabinets, let him read without waking any of the other inhabitants up. The muted white glow cast long shadows that stretched over the living room and Ichigo, a sliver of light catching the teen's orange hair and causing it to flash like a flame whenever he shifted.
As tranquil and calm as Ichigo's face was, his dreams were filled with death and destruction. Usually. Today, however, he dreamed of bloody yet glorious victory, and a King standing tall amidst the scattered swords and vanquished armies.
The usual guilt and regret, so ever present in his mind since the Winter War, could not be felt near this timeless figure. As filled with the dead and dying as the blood soaked landscape was, Ichigo saw nothing but the clear green gaze, focused on something far beyond the horizon and the fetid battlefield the victorious men stood upon.
Even as warriors great and small trudged heavily through the corpses, retrieving comrades and salvaging weapons, each would periodically look up at the proud King, attracted to the eyes that seemed to see something that they never could. But even if they themselves would never gaze upon the glorious future that their King could see, they would gladly follow him to the end.
For who better to lead them? This King waded through the sea of sundered spears and armor right alongside them, this King lead them fearlessly against any foe. Where each of the knights and warrior might falter, they had but to look upon their glorious leader, sword shining brightly at the head of their army, and their spirits would lift.
The dying soldiers, knowing that their time was near, would wish but to catch a glimpse of the blessed face that they followed into battle. In those eyes, each dying man would see the promise of their King.
A forest of dark pines and verdant oaks, stretching endlessly around rolling hills of pale wheat and soft grasses. Fluffy clouds in a painted blue sky. A promised land that they fought for, a vision upon death that each clung to as they lay down to their final rest.
The ultimate destination that every soldier in war stretched his aching fingers for, just out of reach for them, but maybe-just maybe-it could be reached by that King. And if those they left at home could follow that King for just a bit longer, then they too might gain peace in life.
And Ichigo saw the King, standing as if divine amongst the humans who followed her onto the battlefield, and he was reminded of Aizen.
The heat of the morning sun finally brought Ichigo out of his dreams. They were clearer these past few days than they had ever been. Ichigo was honestly thankful that the dreams were usually hazy, because it tended to be an amalgamation of his greatest two mistakes. The first mistake Ichigo hadn't realized until long after it had happened, so his mind came up with many nightmare images that he did his level best to shunt to the side. The second was all to clear, having occurred right before his eyes.
Ishida spoke up from the kitchen, "You know, I always thought Yuzu was a light sleeper for some reason."
Ichigo groaned, "Nope. I had the same notion until her alarm woke me up when we first moved in. That was a miserable morning."
A small noise of amusement, "I can imagine. Whatever possessed you to move only a few days before the school year started must have been a particularly malicious spirit."
More of a desire for change really. And insanity. Maybe my Hollow managed to hold on after the Final Getsuga and that was his last effort to fuck me over. Though that certainly turned out to be the right decision. At least until this past week.
Ichigo ignored his inner monologue and scowled at his friend. Stretching, he figured that he'd let the others sleep-in properly today. Between Saber and Orihime, Yuzu had finally been persuaded to leave her alarm off, so Ichigo could make breakfast for his little sister for once, instead of the other way around. He had learned fairly well from her if he did say so himself. Though he was mostly limited to pre-mixed and easy to prepare dishes.
Stepping past Ishida, he opened the pantry, "Oi, Ishida. Move your ass to the couch, I need room to cook."
Ishida gaped at him, "Since when can you cook?"
"Since my sister started waking me up in the morning and I had nothing better to do. Now get moving." Ichigo jabbed an elbow in the Quincy's side, other arm holding a box of pancake mix.
After a few seconds of indignant grumbling, Ishida sat down on the couch. But he didn't get back to reading until he snapped a picture of Ichigo cracking eggs with his cellphone. "Blackmail gold," he whispered.
"What was that four-eyes?"
"Nothing carrot top."
Both paused in their respective activities to glare at each other before Ishida snorted. Ichigo cracked a grin, "Been a while since I had someone who would talk back. Damn near everyone at school is scared of me."
Ishida frowned slightly, "Do you still get in those ridiculous fights over your hair color?"
Ichigo shook his head, going back to mixing the pancake batter, "Nah. Turns out that weird hair color isn't all that unusual in town. Might have something to do with this magecraft stuff. Kid in the year below mine's got red hair, and there's some freshman with purple hair. Purple! Yoruichi is the only one I've ever seen who looked like that. Not to mention that my school doesn't have many delinquents."
Ishida's frown only deepened, and he peered over his glasses at his friend, "From the way Karin and Yuzu complain, you get in random fights all the time."
An annoyed scowl, "Hey, that's just damn idiots around town tryin to start something. You know how my scowl sets 'em off. That and apparently my reputation traveled down here a few weeks after we moved."
"And you swear a lot more than you used to." Ishida pushed his glasses up onto his nose, "You've been hanging out with the wrong crowd haven't you. This is exactly why you shouldn't have moved. Useless delinquents like yourself can't keep out of trouble."
Brown eyes flared slightly, "I don't need you poking around in my business, Ishida. I don't bother you about your knitting, so leave it alone."
Sighing, Ishida nodded, "Fine. Tatsuki and Keigo just worry about you. I really wish you would call more, it might shut the whiny idiot up. Tatsuki's punches haven't been enough lately"
Ichigo began to pour batter into the pan he'd heated up. The pancakes were the easiest "fresh" food Ichigo could make, and his sister's seemed to love the American breakfast. The sound of sizzling filled the double room, punctuating the heavy blanket of quiet that overcame the two.
Ichigo finally spoke, "Everything is going fine here. Yuzu and Karin have been way happier since we moved; I think the fresh start did them good. As for me...well, it's nice to live normally. I don't, or I didn't, have to worry about anything strange intruding on our lives, and I feel much safer knowing that Karin is out of the way of Urahara and all the hollows that show up in Karakura. Plus, according to Karin, the Shinigami representatives in town are a friendly bunch."
Ishida "hmmm'd." He turned a page in his textbook, half a mind on reading while the rest wandered. "Yes, I did run into them when I entered the city. They were surprisingly cordial, for Shinigami at least. I hope your sister doesn't have any wild ideas about traveling to Soul Society and becoming a substitute."
There was an audible growl from the kitchen, "As if I'd let her. A lot of them are great, but there's no way in hell that Karin is going to become a Shinigami."
Silence descended again. Ichigo progressively filled a platter with two dozen pancakes. The smell of food ended up waking the rest of the occupants, for sleepy mumbling and shuffling began to drift from the bedroom. After a minute or two, Yuzu came blasting through the door, pointing at Ichigo as he began to set the plates on the kitchen counter, the seats crammed together even without anyone sitting on them, "What are you doing Ichi-nii! I have to continue teaching Saber-chan to cook in repayment for the fighting lessons!"
Ichigo scowled, "I'm still annoyed that you and Karin are learning to fight. We should be figuring out a safe way out of town, not teaching you two to join in on the war."
Karin spoke up as she followed her energetic sister into the living room, "It's not our fault that there seems to be a small army of hidden super assassins bent on keeping us trapped in the city. If we could get out of town without facing explosions and supersonic knives I'm sure we'd be thrilled to escape." Her voice remained even throughout, though Ichigo didn't buy a second of it.
"No need for the back talk, Karin."
Saber walked into the room, following Orihime, "What are those?"
Ichigo finished placing the utensils and food down, "Pancakes. Yuzu and Karin love 'em for Sunday morning breakfast. I figured that we could have a nice morning meal to make up for being trapped in the house for the past couple of days."
Saber nodded decisively, "That seems like excellent reasoning."
Everyone sat down to eat, though Ishida chose to grab a plate of pancakes and a cup of orange juice and sit back down on the couch, using the small coffee table to set his food down. Ichigo sat back and watched the chatter, even Ishida piping up from the couch and getting drawn into a discussion about secret assassin cults and modern day ninjas.
Ichigo paused for a second. Yep, Orihime and Yuzu started that particular topic.
He went back to examining the little group. In particular, his eyes rested on Saber. He began to get that deep longing for his power, no matter how little, to be given back to him. With barely a thought, he squashed the feeling.
I want to cross blades equally with her. I want to know if that similarity I felt meant anything. Those dreams aren't enough for me to understand.
His thoughts betrayed him, his efforts to redirect his attention in vain.
Saber glanced over at Ichigo, a slight crease in her brow the only indication to her curiosity. Ichigo turned his head away, scowling at the window. He didn't really understand why, but Saber reminded of several of his old friends and enemies. Some of those memories were not quite pleasant.
Bazzet Fraga McRemitz was annoyed. Highly annoyed. Her friend Kirei Kotomine had invited her to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail war as the representative of the Mage Association, but the whole thing had gotten off to a terrible start.
Now, she couldn't even visit him when he asked, because there was something that concerned her far more.
Someone had hijacked her summoning ritual! And, apparently, they'd done it while being followed by some invisible monster!
Lancer had been happy with the immediate challenge, remarking later that there could be no more auspicious a start to a war than a three-way duel, though the monster's main advantage had been its hazy outline. Bazzet hadn't been able to see even the outline of the monster, only the effects. She decided to take her childhood hero's word for it.
But the Enforcer couldn't take an insult like that sitting down.
No kid is going to piggyback off of my hard work! No way in hell!
So here she was, doing her best to locate some orange haired punk in the back alleys of Fuyuki City. Even though it was the middle of the school day, there were plenty of students skipping the less reputable high school of Fuyuki. She could have used hypnosis, but there was something therapeutic about knocking tough-guy teens around.
The part that really got her goat, though, was the fact that at least a quarter of the foolish children she ran across had orange hair! It wasn't until she'd interrogated the fourth one that she finally got her answer.
Some orange-haired martial artist had moved into town a year and a half back, and started whaling on anyone who decided they were tough enough to challenge him over his dyed hair. Then, the kid had joined the underground free-style fighting in town, and begun beating trained boxers and knife-fighters. He was idolized by half the kids in the city for being slightly better in a fight than your average street trash!
Bazzet grumbled under her breath, "Little knacker probably thought he was a badass, stealing my ritual like that."
It had taken a few more busted heads, but Bazzet had finally gotten a name for the original orange-haired fighter. There was no guarantee that he was the one who interrupted her summoning, but odds were that the only one with the ego to challenge an invisible monster and the sheer balls to interrupt her ritual was this Kurosaki Ichigo. She still wasn't sure how he just waltzed through the Bounded Fields she set up around the warehouse she had her base in.
He had managed to survive in the chaos that was the quickly decimated warehouse, but that didn't mean anything. He just got lucky when Bazzet had been blindsided by the monster. There's no way that he'd still be alive if it weren't for that.
So here she was, searching through the city's records for the residence of one Kurosaki Ichigo. All she had to do was take Lancer nearby and she could confirm the presence of a Servant.
Ah, there he is. Small apartment near the river, right across from Shinto. Lives with two little sisters, no parents. Irresponsible little bugger isn't he, ignoring his sisters and going out to fight instead.
It made Bazzet feel both a little better about beating the crap out of the kid, and a little guilty about taking the last living family of two girls, no matter how worthless he was. She might consider sticking around to make sure they were taken care of after the war, or even sparing the idiot's life. If she survived. Then again, with Lancer by her side she felt invincible.
The purple haired magi's grin was feral, her Servant matching the grin with one of his own. "Get ready Lancer, we might just get revenge tonight."
Cu Chulainn followed his Master as she got prepped for the night's hunt, "I don't know about revenge, but that blonde girl put up a damn good fight. I might even have to use my Noble Phantasm to finish her."
Bazzet stopped to eye him, then turned back to checking over her runic gloves, "Fine. If you feel that it's necessary, do it. No mass destruction though, we're trying to keep the war a secret."
"Fine, fine. So long as I get my good fights I'm happy." The blue haired man phased out of existence, saving prana for the fights to come.
Caster found it impossible to focus on her work, constantly distracted by her swirling thoughts.
Damn that fool boy! Why would he help an enemy Master! Even if she had turned out surprisingly helpful!
Caster had been especially surprised to learn of the Church mediator and the fact that Masters were supposed to present themselves to officially enter the war. Her interest had been primarily focused on the man's church, however. The place had positively reeked of suffering and magecraft when they visited, and Caster was determined to look into the place once her current line of research had been finished.
It had also been nice to have her Master finally display some fire, even if she didn't strictly need him anymore. The small leyline that traveled under the estate allowed Caster to power the Temple that she had excavated under the "workshop" that her Master maintained in the shed. A few time/space altering Bounded Fields had afforded her all the room she would need for her work.
The boy's sudden turn around from his primary mission, aiding her, to protecting as many innocents as possible was rather annoying, but Caster could deal with a hero complex. She had plenty of experience with the selfish bastards. Her Master's status as an orphan of a fire resulting from the last war had been interesting to learn, but for the most part useless.
Still, the boy was interesting, and she didn't really want to have to find a new base or reduce him to a mindless slave so soon.
Ah, she was getting distracted again.
Frowning at herself, Caster went back to examining the creature that she found wandering town. Her Master and that meat shield had been returning from school when Caster had noticed something sniffing around near the two. At first, her scrying had only shown a slight outline of a large creature, but with some tweaking and a few minutes of careful observation, Caster had finally gotten a definite shape.
Curious, Caster had flown out and captured the monster with her magecraft, minimal effort necessary to immobilize the beast once she had located it. To her immense surprise, the creature had gradually become more visible to her over the following night of close inspection, until it resolved into a large, monkey-like creature with a white mask and yellow eyes.
Of course, that paled in comparison to the immediate revelation that this was some sort of materialized soul. It had taken her several hours to devise a tool capable of affecting the creature, and that had only been possible by applying Alteration to her own hand to make it work as a surgical knife.
A materialized soul capable of freely interacting or phasing through the world at will, and apparently not rejected by Gaia, despite clearly being dead. More than that, Caster had managed to determine that this creature was in fact the soul of a dead human who went through some sort of transformation, becoming something more than a wraith.
After working through the night on the creature, Caster had begun setting up her network of familiars in the city again only to suddenly realize that the city was different. Or rather, the city was the same, Caster could just see new things.
There were souls, dead humans, walking freely about the city. To say that Caster had been startled would be a gross understatement.
Something about the land, about Japan, allowed the souls to linger after death without dispersing back into Akasha. At least for a while. Caster had yet to actually see a soul break apart and disperse back to Akasha, but they often disappeared after a few hours of lingering around the area, with a small number of exceptions spread throughout the city and suburbs.
The most likely explanation was the existence of some form of afterlife in Japan, which suggested the presence of Divine Spirits still active in the world. As far as Caster knew, the Age of the Gods had ended more than two millennia ago: not so here in Japan, it seemed. Of course, the fact that the Western magi had overlooked such a profound thing didn't surprise her in the slightest. The very nature of the Grail War showed contempt for the East, as the reason for its location was due to the Einzbern considering Japan out of the way of any real magical disturbances.
Eager to take advantage of her discovery, Caster captured several human and even more of the monstrous creature souls. Unsurprisingly, the former humans subsisted on the un-transformed souls that were scattered throughout the land.
Within a day, though, Caster had been barely able to contain her excitement. The human souls were rejected by Gaia, but Japan itself seemed to support their existence for a short time through the use of a chain that tied them down, supplying mana. What was truly exciting, though, was what happened when that chain finally eroded enough for the soul to lose it's attachment to the world.
When the chain eroded down to nothing, the soul began to fall apart fully, rejected by the world. But with the mana of the world still flowing into the gaping hole left by the chain, the soul swelled with power and dispersed explosively. The construct snapped apart under the pressure from inside and out.
After several seconds to several minutes of non-existence, the soul pieces gathered enough power to rebuild into a new, permanent form. It was similar to ascending to a higher plane. The soul's new structure was able to withstand the rejection of the world by drawing in mana and creating its own energy. The power generated by souls was generally useless to magi, a force that could only be made use of when it was converted by the magic circuits into od instead of being directly manipulated.
But these Hollows, as Caster learned they were named from several more intelligent members of the species, bypassed the problem through the hole left behind in their structure. The hole formed a conversion channel that turned the spiritual power into a new energy, one that allowed them to affect the physical world despite being on the spiritual plane. In essence, the human soul fell apart, reconstituted missing a crucial piece of its existence, and got the ability to form a new type of energy directly from the soul in return.
And just like magi, the Hollows twisted the laws of the world around them using this energy, though this energy was necessary both for the Hollow's existence as well as for interacting with the physical.
It also seemed that only beings aware of this form of energy, beings like Servants, were capable of perceiving the Hollows.
There was one other crucial part of the formation of the Hollows. When the soul reconstituted, the small hole that allowed for creation of spiritual energy left the creature feeling 'empty.' This feeling of being hollow, probably the source of the name for the monsters, drove them to feed. The missing portion of the soul rebuilt itself as a mask, overriding the human memories left behind in the soul's structure with the instincts and cunning that characterized the new form.
The feeding process, however, was the part that made Caster happy beyond belief.
When Servants fed on a soul, they simply crushed the structure and turned it into pure prana, giving them a large and immediate boost in power. These Hollows had a far more permanent and ingenious ability. Instead of converting the soul into power, they incorporated it into their own soul, slipping it through the hole left behind and turning it into an endless power source. Sure, the energy amount produced was small. As far as Caster could determine it was equivalent to 1 to 8 units of spiritual prana per day, depending on the soul devoured.
But the implications!
If Caster could perfect the method and utilize it herself, a Master would be unnecessary for her continued existence! She wouldn't have to rely on the Grail or a doll to get a second chance at life! It was even possible that she could return to her former glory, producing her own prana for use instead of relying on her Master's sub-par circuits and od capacity.
She had to be careful, obviously. If she screwed up, all kinds of terrible things could happen from the destruction of her soul to her transformation into a Hollow bereft of reason and knowledge. Even if neither worst case scenario happened, it was entirely possible that she would become the spiritual version of a Dead Apostle, with an insatiable need to devour other souls.
As willing as Caster was to resort to downright despicable methods, an eternity of devouring innocents didn't really appeal to her.
Besides, her Master would certainly disapprove, the naive boy. It was...nice...to have a warm place to stay. She had a chance for a new life and a new start, and didn't that imply that she would leave behind her old life as Medea, the Witch of Betrayal infamous for acts of the greatest evil? Yes, so for now she would hide her research, and as soon as possible she would attempt to live a normal life free from the interference of heroes and gods.
Caster began to hum, already mapping out the necessary grunt work and experiments that would determine the viability of her plan. It would take a week to finish her research, but in the meantime she could shore up the defenses of the house. That, and she might consider a stopgap measure of improving her Master's magic circuits. The method would be fairly basic, especially with her new insight into the nature of the soul.
Creating artificial circuits was child's play for her, but they were ultimately less efficient and more damaging than the natural circuits available to magi at birth. With a little bit of effort, Caster could work directly on the magic circuits of the boy, letting her widen and strengthen them. She might even be able to affect his prana capacity. A stronger battery could only hasten her research, not to mention further it as an experiment.
That, combined with a little bit of work on her Argon Coin, would make Caster's plans a cinch to accomplish.
Her mind multi-tasked, considering her plans, humming a lullaby she remembered from her childhood, and cataloging her discoveries.
The Altered hand continued its practiced movements, cutting away at the surprisingly human anatomy of one of the Hollows she had captured.
Ichigo sat in the bedroom with Saber and Ishida, considering their plans. He knew that any action without thought could lead to disaster, and he refused to repeat mistakes he had already made. The cost was simply too high.
Ishida sat staring at the map of Fuyuki and the notebook they had been considering, "We could always draw the snipers out. It's fairly obvious that they are Assassin, however he is replicating himself, yet the projectiles used are not consistent with Saber's knowledge."
Saber tapped the notebook where the words, "Projectiles: Wide variety of knives and bullets"
"Yes, as far as I know the last war's Assassin made use of throwing knives with the speed of bullets, but not actual bullets. Unless someone has managed to make modern weaponry deadly against Heroic Spirits, I can only see the existence of a multi-part, relatively modern Heroic Spirit being the foe."
Ichigo spoke up, "The Assassins are after me, correct?"
Saber immediately spoke up, "No, Ichigo."
Ishida fixed Ichigo with measuring eyes instead, "...Yes. That would certainly work. If you and Saber went out, and I pulled overwatch, we could draw out the Assassins and I could pinpoint them from their attacks. It would be fairly simple. After that, all I have to do is pin them and Saber could clean up while I cover you."
Saber's eyes turned cold as she faced Ishida, "No. I will not have my Master vulnerable in the middle of a warzone. There are to many skilled opponents for you to both pin them and watch for one sneaking up on Ichigo."
Ishida shook his head, "They won't expect me to be capable of fighting them. As far as they know, I am merely a visiting friend. You Servants haven't displayed the ability to sense reiatsu, so my abilities will come out of left field from their viewpoint. No offense, Saber, but you have no idea what I am capable of. I'm not even close to matching you in close combat, but my archery and power level more than makes up for it. To be honest, I could overpower you through sheer output. You might be able to avoid my attacks, but I am fast enough to avoid you by making use of the terrain and delaying you with a rain of arrows."
Saber just narrowed her eyes, "No, you underestimate me. Servants are far faster than you, even if that speed technique would help. In a long race I would run you down, despite the advantages that your skill gives you over short distances."
Ishida's glasses flashed, "We would need proof of that. But this is going nowhere. This is the only plan we have, besides sitting here and waiting for someone else to strike first. Taking the initiative is imperative in battle. I thought a King would understand that?"
Saber turned her icy eyes on Ichigo, her mouth set in a disapproving line, "I am still quite annoyed that you revealed my identity to him, Ichigo."
Ichigo shrugged, "He's my friend. Had him at my side through the worst battles I've ever faced, and he's smarter than me. If anyone could make a good plan, it's him."
Saber sighed after considering the two determined teens sitting nearby, "Very well. As soon as dark falls, we will get Orihime and the girls to stay inside the bedroom at the ready. Then you will leave and set up somewhere within range, preferably staying inconspicuous as far as the Assassins are concerned. If they attack you first, Ichigo and myself will join. If not, you will provide cover when we leave." She glanced pointedly at Ishida, "Do not fail in this task. When the Assassins strike, I want you to join in immediately."
Ishida nodded, pointing at the map, "I will set up in the observation deck of this building across the river. I have a cellphone that I will use to call you. We move out just before sunset, so that it can look like I am merely enjoying the view as a tourist from out of town. I expect them to strike either here, at this plaza before the bridge, or here, just inside Shinto where they have the best possible escape routes and angles."
Saber looked at the map for a few minutes, silently contemplating the plan, before she looked up, "And we expect them to make a try for Orihime and the girls?"
Ichigo scowled deeply when Ishida replied, "Yes. Orihime can easily hold them off: her shield is near unbreakable at this point."
Everyone sat in thought for another minute, the only sound being Orihime teaching Karin and Yuzu karate that she learned from Tatsuki.
Saber stood up, stern and confident, "Then the plan is settled. We will start in an hour."
The other two faced her, locked onto her defiant stance and aura of nobility. Both nodded decisively as soon as she finished.
The battle of Servants would begin soon. The confrontation between legendary heroes would become the shot heard round the world, the first full-scale battle of the 5th Heaven's Feel.
Bazzet got into the car she had rented for the duration of the War. Lancer slipped into the blue sports car beside her, his black suit making him look like a bodyguard. Both wore the professional look well, yet the eager smiles on the two faces and the sports car brought to mind street racing for the passersby.
The Master turned to her Servant, "You ready to go for tonight?"
Lancer smiled at the full moon just opposite and barely visible against the lingering light of the setting sun. He turn back to his partner, a glint in his red eyes, "Damn right I am."
Deep in a forest, far from the city and atop a magnificent castle, a small, white haired girl smiled. "Are you ready to visit Onii-chan, Berserker?"
A massive form materialized on the rampart alongside the surreal girl, the savage face and glowing, mismatched eyes alight with rage. A heavy growl emanated from his throat, shaking the air and rattling the castle walls with barely perceptible force. The rising moon shone down on his iron-grey skin, his muscles rippling with impossible power. Shadows crisscrossed his form, light from both the sun and the moon making his body glow with opposite auras.
The forest below seemed to tremble with fear, the animals going to sleep and just awakening erupting into a cacophony of fearful chattering and cries. The deadly eyes of the strongest Servant stared out over the sea of trees, somehow aiming straight for the city over the mountains.
Shinji smiled as the book glowed with the reception of the command spell. Finally, he would get to prove to his grandfather that he, not that whore, deserved to be the heir of the Matou. All of his hidden potential would be realized in this War. He would go out and strengthen his Servant tonight, but he would avoid battle for the time being.
A small comment from his Servant made his smile turn into something...more evil. So much for getting power one soul at a time.
Rin finished placing her last bag in the room she had dema-received from Shirou. Her Servant had recovered enough to float nearby, taking power from the environment created by Caster. For now, though, the safest place in the city for her was with her ally. The contract had been signed by both parties, and neither was able to attack the other without first getting an agreement from the fellow signatories.
She glanced out of the window as she began to set up the books. The sunset looked particularly peaceful, but she couldn't ignore the information that they had learned from that damn priest the night before. Every Servant had been summoned, and tonight the war would officially commence.
A/N: And so it begins! Got this chapter done fast, since I already had most of Caster's discoveries worked out.
I know I haven't introduced Assassin's Master yet, or even Assassin really, but that will all play out later.
If anyone has any comments about my interpretation of Hollows and human souls, I kinda want to have some counter theories. It's hard to spot flaws in my own reasoning usually, so I like to bounce ideas off of others. I might come back and re-edit this chapter if necessary.
Then again, I may leave it as is, since it is massively convenient as a plot device.
Oh yeah, one more thing: Does anyone know how to add in the bars that represent Berserker's roars? I can't figure it out, and any help would be appreciated. On that note, how do I check for PM's or however I get answers?
Hope you guys like it, should have some actual action instead of introductory battles now.