I do not own Fate/Zero or any of the characters used here.
Tohsaka Tokiomi sat inside of his study while looking out the window to his ruined courtyard with a pleased expression on his face. Despite not getting the Servant he set out for, his initial plan for making Assassin fake his death using Archer had gone perfectly. What makes it even better is that Archer had taken the familiars and other spying devices around the estate before the other Masters realized that Assassin could heal from such grievous injuries rather than dying. "Everything is going according to plan. With all the Masters thinking that Assassin is no more, Assassin can move around freely and discover the strengths and weaknesses of the other Servants and Masters. It's all going so perfectly…"
"Hello?" Archer's voice called from behind the door while he knocked on it. Apparently, the Servant could recover quickly from alcohol and become sober again within a few moments. Strange, but Tokiomi wasn't going to complain. "Master? Can I come in?"
"You may enter." Tokiomi stated with a half-groan. Archer then entered his study with his sunglasses removed and a box of those godforsaken pastries in his right hand while his left held one half-finished. Honestly, the Servant was troublesome out of battle. The man was foolish, glutinous when it came to that accursed food, and before Tokiomi informed Archer that Aoi was his wife the Servant openly admired her picture and asked him where he could meet her. Not to mention that his Servant used firearms, something that he as a Tohsaka hated with a passion. However it narrowed Tokiomi's search for the identity of his mysterious Servant considerably. There were very few legendary heroes that have used firearms. Most of them being in the American West like William Henry McCarty Jr., also known as Billy the Kid or Jesse Evans. However Archer's choice of clothing contradicted that theory, for there was no record of the clothing existing in the American Wild West or in the time after that.
"Well…" Archer began before taking another bite of his doughnut and swallowing it. "Assassin just left. He was healed enough to leave undetected and I have made sure no familiars were watching over the manor."
"Good, good." Tokiomi muttered to himself while glancing out the window. The courtyard was going to cost a pretty penny to repair… "And as for Kirei-kun?"
"Oh, he headed over to the church like you asked him too." Archer replied before finishing his doughnut and digging for another one. "But this is going to be hard for Assassin you know. He's not really the 'stealthy' type…"
"His invisibility to the other Masters will be sufficient until the other Servants are revealed." Tokiomi told Archer while picking up his glass of wine and taking a sip. "If things go well, then the other Servants shall begin fighting tomorrow."
Archer's brows furrowed at the mention of 'fighting' before his face returned to it's usual dopey expression. "Alright, well I guess I will be going out for a bit."
This surprised Tokiomi, Archer seemed content in staying within the manor until now. "Why?"
"Well, I just want to check out the sights and stuff." Archer said with a laugh. "Plus, it would be good if I did a bit of reconnaissance before the war really begins."
"Very well, you may leave." Tokiomi consented, ignoring the sight of Archer pumping his fist into the air with a cheer before de-materializing. When Tokiomi was sure Archer was no longer within the room he sighed and said, "Honestly, what a troublesome Servant…"
Elsewhere:
"Yes!" Waver cheered within his room while Rider laid on the floor watching the television. Ever since that mentally-scarring ride through the air, Waver made it clear to Rider to never do something like that again unless he gives Waver prior warning. Since then, the two returned to the house that Waver was currently taking residence in. The elderly couple who Waver hypnotized into believing he was their grandson was currently sound asleep, which was good considering Waver did not wish to hypnotize themagain to explain Rider's presence within the house. At least not yet, Waver wanted to get a good night's sleep before he did anything else magic-related. However Rider was making that hard considering he had the TV in Waver's room turned on to that 'MTV' station.
Admittedly that one band, Nirvana, was pretty good.
"Huh? What's up?" Rider asked, turning down the volume a bit and looking curiously at Waver.
"Assassin's dead!" Waver shouted with joy in his tone. "It's been not even a day, and the first of the seven is down!"
"Ah, damn it!" Rider shouted while slapping his forehead, confusing Waver. "I wanted to beat him!"
"W-why would you be upset over something like that? This is a good thing!" Waver shouted in confusion while pointing at Rider. "You are of the Rider class! You face your enemies head-on, so the guy who attacks from the shadows being taken out this early is a huge stroke of luck!"
"You dumbass!" Rider shouted before flicking Waver in the forehead once again. "I wanted to fight them all at once! I mean, this war brings seven kick-ass people over to duke it out. And I cannot think of more worthy opponents to face me, the mighty Kamina!" Waver rubbed his forehead while Rider continued his rant. "So yeah, it's a big deal that one of them died before I fought them. Because now I'll never get the chance! Anyway, who's the guy who took out Assassin?"
"I-I don't know…" Waver admitted, he had only gotten a brief glance at the Servant before he shot at his mouse familiar. "It was Tohsaka's Servant. He was in a long red coat, had blonde hair, and used a silver handgun. He only used six bullets to take out Assassin, and he spotted my familiar in a second…"
"Hm. So I guess that was Archer…" Rider muttered to himself while placing his hand on his chin.
"Probably." Waver admitted with a sigh. "I don't know any legendary hero that used a gun before…" "But then again, I never heard of a hero named Kamina who rode around in moving metal death traps…"
"Well then, who gives a crap if we don't know his identity!" Rider asked out-loud while standing up. "I can still take him on!"
"B-but we need to find more information first!" Waver protested, only to flinch as Rider prepared to flick his head again before he lowered his hand.
"Please, all the information in the world means jack squat in a fight between men." Rider shot at Waver with a grin. "And I don't need any information to kick Archer's ass!"
Waver sighed at this. It was almost impossible to argue with Rider. "Fine, but I want to go to sleep now. Its been a long day, and I want my Mana to be replenished for tomorrow."
"Alright, alright." Rider told Waver while turning the TV off. Rider then laid on the floor using a couch pillow he swiped from the living room as his own pillow and his cape as a pseudo-blanket, resting his sunglasses on the small table the room had in it. "By the way, can we get one of those 'electric guitars' tomorrow? I saw a kick-ass one I really liked in a Green Day video."
Waver truly felt like crying for his quickly depleting savings…
Elsewhere:
"My Servant has been lost. I have forfeited my rights as a Master, and cannot continue in the Holy Grail War. In accordance with the treaty I, Kotomine Kirei, ask the Church to shelter and protect me." Kirei recited the rehearsed request to his biological father at the entrance of Fuyuki City's only Christian Church.
"Your request is accepted. In my role as judge I, Kotomine Risei, shall guarantee your safety." Risei told his son and motioned him to enter. Kirei nodded his head before stepping into the church. It was a fairly simple church and although the lighting was a bit dark no one would suspect anything out of the ordinary.
Especially that this specific church watched over a secret war between magicians.
"Father…" Kirei began as Risei closed the doors, the sound echoing across the otherwise empty church. "Is anyone watching this church?"
"Of coarse not." Risei responded in a confident tone. "This place has been declared as a neutral sanctuary. The Holy Church will censure any Master who defies this decree. Also…" Risei then began to sneer in disgust. "Your Servant was able to enter here undetected and without my knowledge for a good half-hour."
Kirei mentally smirked. It seemed that his father truly knew what he had to deal with for a week. "Of coarse." Kirei told Risei with a nod. "Although he may not act like his class, he is Assassin."
"Oh, did someone call my name?" Assassin's voice asked and walked out of the back still wearing his mask however he also wore a pair of boxers with hearts on them and a sleeveless shirt that said 'I Love Bea Arthur'. Allowing Kirei to see the numerous scars, blisters, and other marks that marred Assassin's skin.
It made Kirei curious as to what Assassin looked like under his mask.
"Yes, your relaxation time is over Assassin." Kirei told the Servant, who cocked his head. "You will leave the church undetected and spy on the other Masters. Remain undetected at all costs."
"Geeze, you would think the Church would be against killing and yet here we are discussing possible murder plans." Assassin moaned while walking to the back room once more. "And also, can't you do anything else to your Servants besides turning them into glorified spies? You did it with the real Assassin in canon Fate/Zero and did the same thing with Lancer in Fate/Stay night after killing his totally hot Master…."
"Your Servant is not well Kirei." Risei told his son, who simply sighed.
"I know father, I know…" Kirei responded before Assassin walked out, dressed in his completely repaired costume.
"Now then, let's get this little rehash scene over with!" Assassin called out before pressing on his belt buckle. "Now, body-slide by two…" Assassin then seemed to blur before disappearing in a flash of light. Leaving two extremely confused priests.
"Well…" Kirei spoke after a moment of silence. "That was new…"
The Next Morning (Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel):
Sola-Ui stepped out of her hotel bathroom with steam still rising from her form after taking a shower. She was dressed in her usual long-sleeved white covered blouse with a red ribbon tie, black pants, and red high heels. She preferred to wake up early in the morning, unlike Kayneth who slept until ten in the morning. It gave her an opportunity to have a bit of 'alone time'. Catch up with her reading, look at the modern-day attires that are popular, and finally explore that wonderful device called television. "Well, with Kayneth going off into this war and skulking in the shadows like a coward I guess I will have much more alone time than usual…"
Sola-Ui then sniffed the air as a delicious scent of eggs, bacon, and toast reached her nose. "Huh? But I haven't even started making food yet!" Sola-Ui thought while walking to the small kitchen area the room provided (Thank God for Kayneth's money) and saw Lancer, clad in a small cooking apron over the strange attire he was in when summoned last night. He was over the stove with scrambled eggs cooking in one pan, the bacon strips in another, and golden brown toast pieces were already in two separate plates on the table. "L-Lancer made breakfast? A western-style breakfast?" Sola-Ui thought to herself in shock before Lancer looked at her direction.
"Ah! Sola-san, you are awake!" Lancer cried out in surprise before hurriedly placing the finished eggs on both the plates. "Y-you and Master were still asleep, so I just cleaned the room a bit and prepared breakfast. You two are from England, so I thought you would like a western-style breakfast.
"Cleaned it a bit? The place is spotless!" Sola-Ui thought to herself while looking around. Indeed, everything was back in it's exact place and the windows seemed to have been wiped clean. And…. Was the floor sparkling? "Did he actually polish the floor while we were asleep?"
"T-thank you Lancer…" Sola-Ui stammered in shock while sitting down with her plate in front of her. Lancer then placed two strips of bacon neatly by the toast and eggs. "But you didn't have to do all this…"
"Well, I just wanted to be helpful Sola-san." Lancer told her with a nervous smile. "The tea will be ready in a moment, so please be patient."
"Take your time…" She told Lancer before picking a piece of the eggs with her fork and biting into it before freezing in shock. "T-this is delicious!" "L-Lancer…"
"Yes?" Lancer asked while pouring tea into two small cups.
"Where did you learn to cook like this?" Sola-Ui asked while taking another bite of her eggs. Damn, it did not have too much salt or too much pepper! It was just perfect!
"Well, my guardian did not know how to cook." Lancer explained while placing a teacup in front of her. "So I had no choice but to learn."
"You're an orphan?" She asked in shock, only to regret it when Lancer flinched.
"M-my mother died when I was young…" Lancer explained while fidgeting a bit. "And my father… he… didn't have much use for me until later in my life…."
"How horrible…" Sola-Ui thought to herself while picking up her cup. "Mother dead and his father abandoned him. Does this mean Lancer is a tragic hero?" Lancer being a tragic hero from Japanese culture was not out of the question, due to his obvious oriental descent. Now the question was which one. Sola's eyes widened as she took the first sip. "This has to be the best tea I have ever tasted!"
"Good morning Sola-Ui." Kayneth's voice spoke, shocking Sola-Ui to some degree. He was up fairly early and completely dressed as well!
"K-Kayneth!" She shouted out in shock. "Why are you up at this hour?"
"Hm. The smell of breakfast awoke me, of coarse." Kayneth responded while sitting down and began to eat, not even acknowledging Lancer's presence. "Hm. Not bad. At least the oriental is good at something."
Sola-Ui then glared at Kayneth and said, "I don't think it is wise to insult the one who will battle to the death for you."
"Please, he is mearly a Servant." Kayneth scoffed out while sipping his tea. "It is his purpose to protect me. Lancer is hardly a person at this point. Mearly a spirit given form, and he only got that much out of chance."
Sola-Ui spotted Lancer looking down in shame and growled out, "Kayneth, I would appreciate it if you would stop belittling our Servant."
"Hm." Kayneth grunted as he continued to eat, barely paying attention to her anger. "It is unwise of you to keep coddling that Servant. He is simply a tool, nothing more and nothing less."
Breakfast continued in silence.
Elsewhere:
Hisau Maiya, assistant and 'lover' of Emiya Kiritsugu, walked down the streets of Fuyuki City in silence while carrying a brown suitcase in her right hand containing several guns, which Kiritsugu requested. Kiritsugu's wife, Irisviel von Einbern, arrived in Fuyuki City this morning along with Kiritsugu's Servant Saber who was actually Arturia Pendragon a.k.a King Arthur. Irisviel would pose as Saber's Master while she and Kiritsugu assassinated the other Masters from the shadows. Protecting the woman Kiritsugu truly loved with his heart and bore his child left a…. sour taste in Maiya's mouth. But, this was the job given to her by the man who saved her from that Hell which was once her home and the man who she felt the closest thing to 'love', even if he did not love her back. It was not her place to let such emotions cloud her judgment, and she was even trained to block out such things.
"Thus, this should not be a problem." Maiya thought to herself while passing a nearby children's park. Not noticing a tall spikey-haired blond man with blue eyes wearing a long-sleeve red shirt, brown gloves, blue jeans, and brown boots playing with a few kids before noticing her and gaining a sparkle in his eyes.
Suddenly, Maiya noticed someone following her, and her eye glanced to see the blond-haired man walking in step with her pace with a warm smile plastered on his face. "Hi there!" He said enthusiastically.
"Greetings." She responded plainly while continuing to walk. This seemed to shock the man but did nothing to deter him.
"Oh come on, let's chat a bit!" The man told Maiya in a pleading tone. "Can you at least tell me your name?"
"Why do you continue to follow me?" Maiya asked while the man hurried his pace to walk by her side, making her stiffen a bit. Was this man an agent of the Mage's Association?
"Because I feel like our meeting was nothing short of destiny." The man told her in a pseudo-husky tone. Making Maiya wonder one thing.
"Am I being hit on?"
"There is no such thing as destiny, let me be." Maiya spoke, making the man put a hand on his chest in pseud-agony.
"T-that is just cold!" The man cried out before returning to his usual cheerful demeanor. "I just would really like to get to know you! Where are you from?"
The man was truly following her around like a lost dog. They were only a block away from the hotel room she had set up shop in, and it would be only a matter of minutes before Kiritsugu arrived for his equipment. She had to loose this man as soon as possible. "If I were to give you an answer, would you leave me be?"
"Perhaps, but the arms of fate cannot keep us apart forever…" The man told her in a half-hearted attempt of a dreamy look on his face. Maiya literally had to bite back a groan towards the man's attempt to grab her romantic attention.
"… My name is Hisau Maiya" She told the man while fully facing him. The man just rubbed the back of his head while laughing a bit.
"I'm Vash Wolfwood, tourist from America." 'Vash' told her, to which Maiya acknowledged with a nod before entering the hotel, leaving Vash alone on the sidewalk.
"…She's hiding something…" Vash thought to himself before turning on a heel and leaving.
Later That Night (Docks):
Saber walked down the road that was in between two separate crate stacks with Irisviel behind her. The two had sensed the presence of a hostile Servant not even a few minutes ago, and Saber could already tell this was an attempt by the Servant to determine the battlefield.
A smart move, Saber had to admit.
Saber then stopped in her tracks and motioned for Irisviel to do the same. "I know you are here Servant." Saber said out loud to the otherwise empty docks. "Cease hiding in the shadows like Assassin and face me!"
Footsteps then echoed out from the end of the street, and Saber could not help but gasp at the enemy Servant. "A child?" Indeed, in front of her was a young brown-haired teenager, clad in strange armor and wielding a huge spear with the helical shaft twisted and separated into two bident points. "I see. This child is Lancer…"
"You were the first to arrive." Lancer stated while Irisviel gasped at how young he looked and sounded. "I'm sorry, but I now have to kill you."
"You can try Lancer, however…" Saber told Lancer before her suit disappeared in a flash of light and in it's place came her battle dress and armor, Excalibur safely hidden in her technique Invisible Air. "You will find that I am not so easy to defeat, nor will I show you any mercy for being a child." Saber then readied her stance, while Lancer gave a small sad smile.
"I see, so you are Saber." Lancer said while spinning his spear in his right hand before holding it with both hands, aiming the points towards Saber and his feet shifted, ready to sprint towards her at a moment's notice. "I'm actually glad that you are my first opponent…"
The Holy Grail War was about to begin…
Elsewhere:
Berserker grinned in delight as he felt the power of two Servants in the same area, most likely ready to begin their battle.
"It's about fucking time!" Berserker shouted while walking beside the limping Kariya. "I was startin' to think that the fighting would never start!"
"We will wait for a few moments to see if Tokiomi's Servant arrives." Kariya told his Servant while making sure they stayed in the shadows. It would not do for them to be spotted just yet. "If he does not appear, you have my full permission to take those two out."
Berserker gave his Master a savage grin and said, "You know Master, I'm starting to like the way you think…"
Elsewhere (Rooftops of Fuyuki):
Archer jumped from rooftop to rooftop in a hurried pace towards the docks. His Master had ordered him to survey the battle, and to take out the weakened Servant who won. Or both, should the two be unable to continue or they attempt to form an alliance.
However, Archer had other plans.
"I hope I can get there in time…" Archer thought to himself while leaping off the ledge of a building and to the next one, the bridge passing by to his left side. "Before anyone gets killed…."
Elsewhere (Sewers of Fuyuki):
Caster looked towards the exit of the sewers while he felt the presence of two Servants preparing for battle, and several others zeroing in on the pair. Behind him was his 'Master', dissecting the corpse of an eight year old girl with gleeful interest. It disgusted Caster that his 'Master' was this monster, and that he helped said monster in his murders. However, the faster he helped his 'Master' with his… hobby the faster the two could get involved with the war.
It was just a good thing that 'Master' allowed him to do anything he wanted when they were not killing.
"Master…" Caster spoke, making Uryuu look at him with a raised eyebrow. "I wish to… take a walk. May I?"
"Oh, sure, sure." Uryuu told Caster while turning back to his growing 'masterpiece'. "You know, I wish you could join me in my work sometimes. Art is always much cooler with your company."
Caster bit back a sneer before speeding out of the sewers and moving to the general direction of the docks.
With luck, he could eliminate all the Servants at once. And the sooner he left his 'Master', the better.
Elsewhere (Skies of Fuyuki):
"R-Rider…!" Waver whined while hanging onto the Lagann with all of his might as the machine flew over the city, which was a considerable distance from the ground. They had left the house only a few minutes ago when Rider told him that a 'fight was about to go down!'. And began to fly over the city in insane speeds much to Waver's displeasure. "L-lets go back to the nice, safe ground! RIGHT NOW!"
Waver never liked heights. He would have been having a panic attack on the plane had his mind not been preoccupied with getting back at Kayneth. And Rider's constant flights over the city were not helping his phobia.
"Why? We are not going to fight yet!" Rider told Waver, his hands on the controls, his cape billowing in the wind, and the moonlight reflecting off of his sunglasses. "We're going to wait until everyone gets there, and then we will make our kickass entrance!"
"I-I wanna go home!" Waver cried out in freight, some tears coming out of his eyes. "I want to go back to England!"
"You dumbass!" Rider yelled with a cocky grin on his face. "We aren't giving up yet! Take that fear and throw it away! You are a member of Team Dai-Gurren, so act like it! And besides…" Rider then smirked at Waver, giving him his full attention. "With me around, nothing will happen to you."
Waver didn't know why, but a part of him felt hope with Rider's words…
Elsewhere (On Top of Dock Crane):
Assassin looked through his sniper scope to the two Servants preparing for battle and said to himself, "Man, this spying crap is so freaking boring. How did the real Assassin actually go through with all of it? Then again, his and/or their character development was as rich as that thing Bob kept at the back of the fridge and told me never to eat…"
A smirk then formed under Assassin's mask before he said, "At least the author is going to start shaking things up now. Last thing the readers want is a rehash of the Saber versus Lancer fight." His eyes then widened before he shouted, "Oh no you don't! Don't cut us off here you son of a…!"
To Be Continued…
Omake- It's A Real Thing! Taiga Dojo Preview!
"Yo! I'm glad you have returned!" Taiga shouted while pumping her fist into the air in victory. "I just knew you could not get enough of me!"
"Uh Sensei, they just came for the preview of the next chapter…" Illyasviel spoke, before Taiga placed her hand on her mouth.
"And we have a special guest! Straight out of this fic is the one and only Assassin!" Taiga shouted while Assassin walked in, his mask a bit up so that he could eat from the bag of potatoes chips in hand.
"Hiya you Otaku nerds out there!" Assassin grinned while waving his hand at the readers. "Thank you ADD teacher lady and Lolicon-bait!"
"L-LOLI!" Illyasviel shouted at the top of her lungs while Assassin waved his finger at her.
"You constantly keep calling that retarded superhero wannabe 'Onii-chan' in a slightly cutesy and sexual tone. I can't tell whether half the time you want to kill him or strap him down and bang him!" Assassin responded while Taiga got between the two.
"So, what can we expect from the next chapter?" Taiga asked while Assassin lowered his mask.
"Well, you can expect some things to go way out of canon, as the Caster everyone loves to hate goes into the fight!" Assassin responded while pointing to a picture of Caster with a sharpie-drawn mustache and the balloon quote 'Haha! I'm a douche!'.
"Stay tuned for the next chapter is 'Shit goes Down!'." Illyasviel told the readers while glaring at Assassin.
"Check it out!" Taiga cheered nervously as Berserker stomped into the room.
Note- I am on a freaking role with this story! Three chapters down in less than a week! And it is all thanks to those who reviewed! I know some of you think that I am rehashing Cannon, but that is for my fans who are not too familiar with the Fate series. Things start changing from here on out. You want chapter four soon? Then start reviewing bitches!
…Please?