Well this shall be the second chapter of my fanfiction, Night of Blades. I'm actually surprised that I got positive reviews on the first chapter seeing how I thought the writing was rather choppy at points. But anyway to answer some of the questions posed, for Tatsumi what has happened to him will become very apparent in this chapter. Yes, I do plan on replacing him with Shirou as otherwise I am going to have quite a bit of trouble writing out the scenes I plan on having with the addition of the Shirou, Saber and Rin. As to the kaleido stick, well if I do put it in I plan on revealing the existence of magecraft to at least the Night Raid so the need to disguise it as a sentient teigu probably won't be necessary. As to how he can use NLBW, my reasoning is simply that since I slightly modified the events of unlimited blade works to have a few elements of heavens feel and the ability to use NLBW is one of them, considering this is about ten years after the grail war, he managed to develop a different version of NLBW that is far weaker than the original but does the same things.


Entering the gates of the Cowen manor brought an unpleasant chill to Shirou, as he could see the varying expressions of pity the guards looked at him with, and at this point he was almost certain the Cowens were the culprits of the whole incident. The gates shut ominously behind him, and the sound of the lock sliding in let him harden his resolve as he warily observed the area around him for potential ambush locations, careful not to let any of his tension show. He scanned the gate behind him, and saw the records of many people from the country entering the mansion, but not a single trace of them exiting from the front gate.

'I don't have any actual weapons on me so if anything goes wrong I'll be forced to use Tracing. One wrong move would lead me to having to kill the entire populace of guards in order to escape and conceal the existence of magecraft.' Shirou reminded himself grimly as he was escorted down a long hallway covered with the portraits of sceneries and famous figures within the Empire, taking the opportunity to discreetly cast Structural Grasp in order to get a general blueprint of the manor in the likely possibility of battle against the guards; advanced knowledge of the terrain had led to victories for the one who knew it better, and why it was not a good thing having to fight on an enemy territory – it was very likely to lead to defeat if the enemy knew how to use the terrain against you.

'I'm at a disadvantage here, outnumbered and without any support.' Shirou noting the presence of eight guards in the room alone as he walked into the lounge that the Duke and Duchess Cowen were resting in, and another thirty scattered in the mansion proper along with an unknown number more throughout the mansion grounds.

"Ahh, Aria's brought someone in again." The duke voiced amusedly, no doubt portraying a kind grandfatherly image for those pool souls who fell for the scam, but the insane glint he held in his eyes was the exact same as Aria's, promising pain and suffering to those who saw it.

"What a habit" The duchess replied in the same amused tone "I wonder how many it's been now." Her eyes shared the same insane glint, and confirmed Shirou's suspicions. The entire Cowen was directly involved in capture of people that arrived fresh from the country, most likely offering them a place of residence when they found them sleeping outside and bringing them into the mansion to serve their purposes and to sell them as slaves. The history of the chair had proven it to him, out of the 268 people who sat in the chair before him, over a hundred of them were from the country. The insane glint those eyes held, combined with the fact that of so many countrymen came to this mansion and never left… They were most likely dead or sold off to others already.

'These kind of people…' Shirou gritted his teeth as he pretended to look in awe before giving an deep bow to the noble family. " Thank you for bringing me in, I shall never forget this kindness." It was rather ironic to speaking such words of gratitude while internally plotting on how to murder the same people, but Shirou pushed past such meaningless thoughts as he settled himself into a plush armchair, picking up a teacup and raising it to his lips, but not drinking a drop until he confirmed that there were no harmful substances with a quick Structural Grasp. Swirling the contents within his mouth, he thought the tea tasted rather bland for a noble family, but plastered a smile on his face as he praised its taste, eliciting several laughs from the nobles around him; out of his foolishness or genuinely didn't matter to Shirou as long as they didn't catch on to his act.

" So why did you come to the Capital Shirou?" Aria asked, posing an innocent question; she couldn't have her victim becoming too suspicious early, no she wanted to play this game where she and her parents pretended to be kind hearted nobles, it was just too fun. Beside the cattle was meaningless anyway, being mere toys for them to play with " Was it that you wanted to gain fame and fortune within this beautiful city?" Hiding the devious grin on her lips, Aria couldn't wait to hear what kind of story this one had, she could simply use it to taunt him later, completely unaware that the cattle she had in mind was sharpening its claws and preparing for her death.

"No, its not that." Shirou answered honestly for this one question as the two sides continued the charade for another twenty minutes, with one side convinced on having the life story of the other, and the second having valuable insight into the corruption festering throughout the Empire. 'It seems that the corruption primarily stems from the Prime Minister Honest, how ridiculous. But, with open crime on the streets and being surrounded by enemies on three fronts while in the midst of a civil war means that no one will be trying to stop the suffering that these people face, and the situation is only going get worse if nobles like the Cowen are commonplace.' Shirou mused as he stepped into the room that had been prepared for him. After quick check of the room and setting up several bounded fields that would prevent anything from giving him away, he sat on the bed began plotting the best way to silently assassinate the Cowens. 'The Duke and Duchess share a room in the third floor, left wing on the manor while Aria's room is on the opposite wing.' Shirou didn't realize how much of an advantage knowing the history of the objects he grasped until he started actively scanning the battlefield in advance and knowing its history had spoke volumes about how he could use it to his advantage or easily track his targets by seeing when and where their feet touched the ground. It certainly made Dead Apostle hunts go much more easily when he could trace the exact path the damn bloodsuckers took. But on the contrary, it was utter torture when he saw how many countrymen innocently entered this mansion, believing it to be a safe haven for them and thanking the kind heartedness of those nobles, only to be dragged off to an unknown location and never seen again.

'Sniping is not available to me in this situation, it's probably best to kill them directly with my blades and fight my way out. But,' Shirou glanced at the one of the patrolling guards from the window 'the guards were probably blackmailed into keeping quiet for the sake of their jobs, I don't want to kill them unless absolutely necessary. So I need to keep this quick and clean, and minimize the number of people I have to kill. I will not endanger the lives of innocents.' Shirou clenched his fist, he would not touch upon the path of the Shura, he absolutely refused to do so. Looking up at full moon in the night sky, he noted that it was a full moon, its position meaning it was almost midnight. The perfect time to strike.

Nodding to himself and finalizing the plan he had in mind, Shirou stepped towards the doorway and traced a pair of nameless blades into his hands. There was no need to soil Kanshou and Bakuya with the blood of those scum, the married blades weren't meant for that form of backstabbing assassination but rather frontline combat, where the true glory of the blade could shine. 'Besides, Kanshou and Bakuya are impractical for assassination anyway' Shirou thought to himself, taking a deep breath to steel his nerves and enter what others called his battle mode. Where he completely shuts the Emiya Shirou of the past and takes on the persona that Archer, the red knight had, a cold cruel killing machine and ruthlessly efficient. While he hated to admit being anything close to that bastard, Shirou couldn't deny that he had been picking some of the character traits the servant; the pleasure he took in playing word games with Rin, the cold calculative person he become in battle, the complete disregard for his own safety…-No, that wasn't exactly right. Emiya Shirou was willing to put his own life at risk for others, but he was not willing to die for them. Rin and Saber held his heart, and he held theirs. This mutual bond was the reason that no matter what, he could not bring himself to lay his life down for anyone other the two of them. The fact that his death would bring unbearable sorrow and drive them into a depression to the black haired magus and blonde haired servant he loved was unthinkable to him, and after many years of arguments had finally come to a compromise with his ideals. He would focus his efforts on a personal hero for both Tohsaka Rin and Arthuria Pendragon and helping those that he could, putting his life at risk, but never ever dying for any reason. There's no telling what the duo would do to him if he actually did, 'Knowing Rin, she's most likely going to use the Kaleidoscope to find someone who knows how to use the Third Magic and make them revive me so Saber and her can torture me to death before resurrecting me again.' Shirou thought with an amused chuckle.

'Its time.' He straightened his back and tightened his grip on his swords. 'The primary targets are the Duke and Duchess Cowen. The secondary target is the Cowen heir-' suddenly he heard the sounds of screaming and one of the glass windows shattering to pieces. 'What?!' Shirou busted the door to his room down and glanced out the window. Outside, on a congregation of wires stood the silhouettes of six figures that were easily recognizable in the moonlight.

"Night Raid" His voice whispered, penetrating the silence that filled the night. The faces of a group of famous killers that slayed a number of powerful political figures within the Empire. The black haired and red eyed Akame, said to be so fast that no one could ever see her movements and best known for the killing of an entire squad of guards before they had even a chance to react. The 100 Man Slayer Bulat, renowned for his skills in wielding a spear and being a defector from the Imperial Military that slayed over a hundred skilled soldiers that blocked his escape that time. The cold and heartless Sheele, wielding a pair of scissors that could cut through anything, famous for cutting through a titanium reinforced vault in order to kill a target who had locked himself inside. His eyes widened when he saw the familiar blonde that had greeted him earlier in the day, Leone as she was known to the public. 'She was part of the Night Raid huh…' Shirou thought neutrally, the momentary shock that passed thorough him forcibly suppressed. It wasn't the time to question such things, focus on the objective he told himself. "I don't recognize the last two, but the Night Raid seems to be targeting the Cowens, but their objective is unclear. Whatever their up to doesn't matter to me, if they kill the Cowens then all I have to do is to locate wherever the kidnapped people are being are being held." Shirou muttered as he sped through the corridors, careful to keep out of view of the windows. "I've scanned the mansion and found no secret rooms or passages leading elsewhere, so…" Slowing to a stop as he reached the back exit of the mansion, pushing the doors open and hiding behind the doorway. Detecting no presences and seeing none of the Night Raid members having moved from their vantage point, he took the chance to climb into a nearby tree and checked that the foliage would hide him from view. Peeking out from his cover, he could see his objective in the distance; the warehouse that the Cowens claimed stored their merchandise for trade.

'Ten meters away.' Shirou noted as he waited for an opportunity to come when he could enter the warehouse without being caught by the assassins. The eerie silence raised the tension in the air dramatically, both Shirou and the Night Raid waiting for something to happen. Watching the panicking guards throughout the mansion as they found the dead noblewoman, Shirou watched as three of them burst out the front entrance, ready to engage the Night Raid. 'They're just going to die.' Shirou shook as his head sadly as true to his words, two of the guards were slaughtered instantly as Akame and Bulat leaped off the wires, not even managing to get near the duo. The final guard had attempted to flee after seeing his comrades slaughtered, but barely managed to make it three steps before a concentrated laser of some sort went through his head, courtesy of the pinked haired one who was wielding some sort of gun that resembled a sniper rifle more than anything.

Mentally reviewing the battle in his mind Shirou noted that Akame primarily used her speed to take down enemies and most likely used a form of poisoned weaponry seeing how the guard collapsed far too quickly after being struck by her blade. He couldn't use Structural Grasping from a distance of thirty meters away, but Bulat's spear or armor was most likely his teigu given the odd design it possessed and for the twin tailed one… The rifle was definitely a teigu, but the fact that it fired lasers that seemed to be made to concentrated But the thoughts left his mind when he noticed the presence of Aria being escorted by a pair of guards running thorough the grounds, heading towards the general direction of the warehouse. 'Shit,' Shirou cursed as he recognized the guards as the same ones that drove the carriage, with Akame having noticed and speeding towards them, they were going to die. While Aria dying was definitely part of his plans, he didn't want the pair of guards to die seeing how they were most likely blackmailed into following along with the crimes. 'Screw this' Shirou decided, forgoing stealth as he broke into an outright dash towards the guards and Aria, he didn't care if it put him onto the target list of the Night Raid, he wouldn't let those guards die – they were innocents in this crime and didn't deserve the penalty of death for it.

The changes to his body had allowed him to just match Akame's speed, and being closer to the trio had allowed him to arrive a few seconds before Akame – and just in time to fend off her initial assault against the guards. If she was surprised, Akame didn't show any signs of it and merely jumped back, changing her grip to a dual handed one. "Not a target" She stated in a rather in a rather robotic tone, having only a hint of steely emotion that lay within. Ignoring the relieved sigh that Aria gave, Shirou replied without a trace of hesitation in his voice. "Maybe not, but I can't let you kill the innocents here."

"There are no innocents here. If you get in my way, I'll kill you." Akame stated, the blank expression never leaving her face for a second.

"I don't want to fight you, but I won't allow you to kill the guards behind me." Shirou tightened his grip on the blades, a nameless pair of straight edged blades. He wasn't looking to make an enemy out of the Night Raid and Aria deserved to die anyway. The guards had both fled at this point with the girl being trapped with the warehouse to her back and Akame right in front of her, they weren't taking their chances and she didnt give a second glance towards them, her target was the girl and while the guards were guilty, they weren't important in the long run. Now the only thing standing in the way was the red haired swordsman…


This was the scene Leone walked into, as she brushed off the imaginary filth on her body.

"That's weird, Akame hasn't killed them yet?" She wondered aloud before taking a good look at her targets and involuntarily tensed, it was the same redhead man she met earlier in the day, the one that her instincts screamed at her as being closer to a sword than human. She had tried poking information out of him in her usual style, but he managed to dodge all her questions and that put him a mark above the usual idiots she scammed. And now he was facing off against Akame… Leone was sure this wasn't going to end well, but for which side she didn't know. 'Jeez, how troublesome' She sighed and palmed her face 'What should I even do now' Leone wondered as she scratched her head.

Meanwhile Shirou relaxed slightly when the guards went out of sight, Aria was right behind him and seemed to be confident in the belief that he would protect her, and he was about shatter those delusions. "Your name is Akame right," He called out, which she merely gave a simple nod to, silently wondering what he was up to; was he trying to negotiate?

"Then Akame, if your target is solely Cowen Aria, then I'm willing to back off and let you kill her." Shirou stated in an emotionless tone, causing Aria to let out a shocked gasp.

"What… what are you saying Shirou!? Are you going to just let this woman kill me!" Her words were filled with shock and anger, was this cattle serious? She had treated it nicely and even offered him a place from the cold nights! She needed it to protect her after those stupid useless guards had fled at the first sign of danger.

"Yes." His reply was short and curt, and as blunt as a sledgehammer. Aria felt her world come crashing around her with those words, if… if the pig didn't defend her with its life, then she would die, die like one of those pieces of meat from the country that were no better than cattle. No…NO! She utterly refused to let that happen! Aria didn't realize she had dropped her act started outright screaming at Shirou; she refused to die like a dog!

"YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF MEAT! I GAVE YOU A SHELTER FROM THE COLD NIGHTS, TREATING YOU SO NICELY AND GIVING YOU THE BEST FOOD AND DRINKS MONEY COULD BUY! AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!"

"Even though you planned on having me killed or sold off immediately afterwards?" The dead cold reply made Aria freeze in her tracks, how on the earth did he find out about that. She was sure her act was perfect and didn't drop any hints on what she planning, neither did her parents make any mistakes. Unless, unless …one of the servants betrayed her and sold her out?! No, impossible, her family hold their livelihoods in their hands and there's no other way for them to get any other job. Shirou merely watched as Aria's expression turned from abject horror to intense contemplation, before once again putting on a fake smile.

" What are you saying Shirou, I would never do that to do that to you," Aria stated nervously as she backed into the wall, the look Shirou was giving her was the same as cold unflinching steel, more than enough to break an average person. It was the look of some kind of monster, something that the human mind could never even comprehend. And Aria Cowen never ever felt so terrified in the entirety of her short life.

It was when Leone decided come out and put the final nail into the terrified girl's coffin, she was utterly sick of listening to her bullshit. "That's probably not exactly what she was planning young man." Leone voiced out as she approached the trio.

"Why are you here," The ever expressionless Akame asked.

"We still have time right? I rather like this guy and it would be a shame if you kill him" Leone responded cheerfully, giving Shirou a wink as she did so, which he merely acknowledged with a nod. Shirou wasn't exactly sure on her intentions and wasn't about to let him guard down, staring passively as Leone stepped towards the solid metal door that separated the warehouse from the rest of the world. Activating Lionelle she ripped through it with ease, revealing its contents to the gathered party.

It was a torture chamber. Filled the dead and decaying corpses of many who had been tortured to death within. Each of their bodies were naked and strung up, covered from head in bruises and wounds, that few that were unlucky enough to survive moaning and crawling within the cells they had been trapped inside, coughing up blood at irregular intervals. Their wide bloodshot eyes showed the complete horror and despair each of them felt; they had watched as those around them had literally been skinned alive, had their limbs crushed by heavy maces and subject to various forms of humiliation and torture. The worse fact was probably how Shirou knew exactly what happened to them, the various sets of torture equipment scattered around the room provided an exact history of how the torture was carried out, how each of the Cowens took the sadistic pleasure of torturing each of them and poisoning before leaving them for dead, how each of the prisoners suffered and begged for death to take them…. Shirou bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, suddenly reminded of the day of the fire, of how people all around died from the black mud that split out from the Holy Grail… His hands gripped his blades so hard that the hilts started to form cracks and he barely registered Leone telling him about how the Cowens lured people from the countryside and played with their lives. He had seen one of the prisoners heavily shackled and mauled to death, a blade lying just out of his grasp. The blade had told him part of the history that boy, who bore the name Tatsumi and came to the capital along with his comrades Ieyasu and Sayo. How Aria promised them a home and brought them to the mansion, where their food was drugged and they were brought to this room. How his two greatest friends were tortured to death right before his eyes, simply because Aria was jealous that Sayo had smoother hair than her… His soul consuming rage and sorrow as he failed to reach his blade by mere inches… Dying filled with the regret of being unable to avenge his friends…
At least in the case of maguses, if they did human experimentation they at least had a reason to do so, unlike the Cowens who merely revealed in the pain and suffering they caused to others…

Aria had taken the chance to try and make a break for it, not before being caught by Leone and pinned to the ground in a submissive hold. "Please Shirou I didn't know this place existed" She pleaded desperately, staring in wide eyed horror as Shirou slowly stepped towards her, his eyes shadowed by his hair. "Would you believe the words of these liars-" Those were the last words she ever spoke as Shirou swung his blade, cleanly decapitating her head in a single blow. It rolled several times before coming to a stop in an upright position, the expression of terror eternally set upon her face. Shirou sighed, his anger leaving him as he threw the blades into the forest, making sure they had enough prana to last another five hours before dispersing.

"I never want to see those blades again." He whispered, lost to the world as memories of the fire plagued him. The whole scenario reminded him far too much of that fake priest, Kotomine Kirei, and how he found the orphans trapped within the basement, who were used to fuel the existence of the arrogant King of Heroes ,trapped in a never ending cycle of pain and suffering. Leone on the other hand, was rather impressed with him.

'A perfect kill, quick and clean. He probably hated the girl with every fiber of his being, enough to not want to see the blades ever again. Even then, there wasn't an ounce of hesitation in his actions, he killed that bitch without a second thought. Moreover, he has the bravery and ruthlessness that so many others lack and the look in his eyes…' Leone shuddered 'It felt like cold steel, absolutely perfect for the job.' She smiled widely; it seems that the Night Raid would be getting a new member today.

"Ne, Akame. Why don't we take this guy with us? He seems perfect for the job." Without waiting for either Akame or Shirou to respond, she started dragging him by the collar to the other members and started chattering happily, ignoring Shirou silent protests. "Our secret base is always shorthanded. And you fit the bill perfectly, Shirou! You have the skill, courage and ruthlessness needed, don't you agree Akame?"

"Wait a minute; I need to cremate the bodies. Pay their bodies' final respects." Shirou's comment didn't Leone in the slightest as she turned her head back to smile at him, "I'll ignite that warehouse later so don't worry about it."

"Where are you taking me?" Shirou asked in a rather foul mood, not happy with the current events. It probably ranked somewhere within the top twenty worst days of his life, with the first being the day where he met Zelretch and was thrown into a parallel world where the happenings scarred him for life and he refused to even think about it.

"To meet the rest of course!" She chirped, picking up his body in bridal style carry before hopping on a nearby rooftop, before being greeted by a loud YOUR LATE by the pinkett and continued into a question of what the 'thing' in her hands was. Shirou's eyebrow's twitched for a second before suppressing it, considering he was closer to a sword than a human, it probably wasn't too far off the truth. Leone's response to it was simply "Our new friend!" and dropping him onto the ground and joining the others upon the wires.

Looking up from his prone position Shirou raised an eyebrow at her sudden declaration and Leone frowned at the confused look he gave her. "Didn't I tell you? From now on, your one of us. Congratulations on becoming a member of the Night Raid!" She shouted loudly, pumping a fist into the air.

"Am I even allowed to reject that offer?" Shirou gave a long suffering sigh, already knowing the response. 'One thing just leads to another…' He cursed as he picked himself up. Akame simply shook her head; her eyes holding a small amount of pity before answering "Give up. Once Leone sets her mind on something, she won't let it go" Wearing a Cheshire cat grin Leone patted Akame on her head "As expected, you know me so well… Bulatcchi I leave him to you!" The armored knight nodded once and picked Shirou up, whispering what he probably considered soothing lines to him. "It'll be okay. I promise it'll get better." A aura of sunshine and sparkles surrounded him at the moment, and Shirou was more than a little afraid. What kind of knight is capable of giving that kind of aura?!

"Mission complete. Time to return." Akame declared as the Night Raid jumped off the wires and into the darkness of the streets below. Shirou sighed as he allowed himself to be carried along, 'Well, this certainly is the most backward of joining the Revolutionary Army.' He muttered as he watched the streets blur at the speed they were travelling at. He wondered what kind of life awaited him in this new world; he just hoped it wasn't like the Clock Tower and the politics again.


First Night END