Author's Note: Just a forewarning. This chapter will be about Ciel. We also catch up with Yoshino and finally get a look at everyone in Misaki. People didn't like it the last time I went off the beaten path so I'm just giving a heads up because this one goes further off the rails than that one did.

That being said, let's begin our date!

Chapter Twelve

Shirou growled as he paced about the living room. Kotori sat at the table next to Tohka with a sad look on her face.

"This demands a harsh response…" he said through tightly clenched teeth.

"I agree Shirou! Let's go kick their butts right now!" said an enthusiastically angry Tohka.

"We can't just go attack them randomly. We need a plan. A very well targeted strike that will send them a very clear message and make them think twice before messing with us again..."

"What do you have in mind Pops?" asked Kotori with caution.

"Kotori… Get your phone and start searching the internet. Find out if DEM have anything official going on in our area."

"Got it. Anything specific you want me to find out?" she asked while getting her phone.

"Nothing specific. I'm looking for ideas right now," he said with a nod while taking a seat at the head of the table.

Kotori swiped through her phone and started reading news headlines. "Hmm… The most talked about thing I can find is a rumor that the DEM's regional manager has been caught soliciting prostitutes. Unless you want to humiliate him publicly I don't think that'll be particularly useful."

"It might be useful later so I'll keep it in mind. What else you got?"

"Nothing. They're being very tight lipped. Another rumor says that a lot of top DEM people have been coming over from England, possibly to work with the army on some new product."

"That could be useful. I'll talk to Ryouko and see if she knows anything. Keep looking, I need to call her anyway and fill her in on what's happened. Then I need to call Ciel," he said while fishing his own phone out of his pocket.

Kotori cringed and took a very deep and nervous breath. "Does that mean you're sending me away?"

Shirou looked at Kotori's expression and sighed deeply, "I won't lie to you. I'm thinking about it…"

Kotori shook her head, "I don't want to go. It's too unfair. This is my home. Not theirs. I shouldn't be the one who has to leave. They are! I'm not helpless. I can fight back as well!"

Shirou set his phone down on the table and moved next to Kotori where he took her into a hug. "I know it's unfair. But we've talked about this. I need to know that you're safe. Otherwise I can't do what I need to do."

"You can put yourself in danger but not me? You weren't much older than me when you started fighting life and death battles you know. Kurumi and Origami aren't much older than me. I'm not powerless…"

"I know you aren't powerless. But you're not me. I survived by luck. I survived because I had people around me I could depend on."

"So do I."

"No father wants to see their child risk their lives. Your mother and I never wanted for you to become like us. I don't want you to reek of blood."

She does literally smell like blood though… If she wanted to tell me why she probably would have included it. I'll ask about it later though.

Kotori blinked, "That's not the first time I've heard that expression. What does it mean exactly?"

"I'll tell you later, and we'll talk about this properly. But first. Let's just focus on the matter at hand. We need to come up with a plan. Can I count on you to help me with that?"

"Of course you can Pops."

Shirou nodded and then stood up to make his calls. "By the way Kotori-chan… You do actually smell like blood right now. You should probably wash up."

"Yes Pops…"

Thank god he didn't ask why...

Tohka snapped her fingers and looked up at Shirou. "What about that man who offered to help you? Why don't you call him and ask him if he has any ideas? He probably does. I mean he has to. He did come a long way to offer you his help."

"If I have to. I'm still not sure if I can trust him. He's an important member of the Mage's Association and there's a reason why Rin and I never wanted them to know about the Spirits… On the other hand. I need someone who can advise me. I want very badly for it to be him. But I can't trust him. The reason he said he came here, was a complete and utter farce. I know that much for certain. I can't trust him just because I liked learning from him in school..."

Shirou took a very deep breath. "Let me call Ciel and hear what she has to say."

"Grrr! No no no!" yelled Kotori which got Shirou's attention back to her.

"What is it?"

"DEM bought AE..." she said through clenched teeth.

"AE? What's that?"

"Asgard Electronics."

"Is that significant?"

"Yes… They're the makers of Date A Live…"

"Date a what now?"

"It's a popular augmented reality dating sim for mobile phones…"

"This upsets you why?"

"Because now every micro transaction I make in this game will give money to DEM… Grrrr! It's a big conflict of interest for me!"

"Right… Let me know if you find something we can actually work with. And stop playing that game if it bothers you..." he said while walking away to make his call.

"Back to Pokemon Go then…" said Kotori with a roll of her eyes. "Oh wait… I can't even go out on my own anymore…" she then turned to the violet haired woman beside her. "Say Tohka… Are you interested in playing a game maybe?"

Tohka raised her eyebrow, "Tell me more!"

Rome, Italy

It was a sunny morning while Ciel sat at a cafe near the Vatican. She patiently read a newspaper while sipping tea, Len in her cat form laying in the shade under the table beside her feet when her phone rang. Curiously she picked it up and looked at the caller.

"Shirou? Is everything alright? Yes… I have some time to listen."

A few minutes later Ciel nodded to herself, "I see… I'm a little far away right now but if you want to send her to stay with Shiki I can call ahead and make arrangements for her. Well… I'm in Rome right now… I can't really talk about what's going on, but don't worry. I'm safe. I have a lead on something big I'm about to follow up on with an old friend of ours. My advise is to go defensive for now. Yes… About him. He's a good man and Rin respected him, but she didn't trust him with any of this. You shouldn't either,

"I understand. Just sit tight. I'll be back in Japan by early next week and I'll be coming straight to Fuyuki… Trust me, when you hear what we found out, your head will explode. That's a good idea. You should do that. I'll call Shiki and let him know he should probably expect her soon… Take care. I love you."

Ciel put down her phone and sighed while picking up her tea cup.

Damn it… I should go back there right now but I can't just turn my back on this. Stupid Shiki, stupid Shirou. Damn you both for infecting me with your stupid!

Ciel's grip on the tea cup tightened so much the handle broke off, thankfully it only spilled on her newspaper and not her cloths.

"Was that Shero on the phone?" asked a woman in English while sitting down at the table.

"It was…"

"I haven't seen him since the funeral… Do you think he still hates me?"

"Unfortunately, he's incapable of truly hating anyone. That's what he has me for."

"It's far too nice of a day to exchange such unpleasantries."

"Rin wasn't even in the ground when you started trying to seduce her husband. He might not hate you for that, but the rest of us do. After all we'd been through together you would have betrayed her like that. It really takes a lot of my self control not to spit on you Luvia."

"Is anyone ever going to forgive me for this one little mistake?"

"She forgave you for trying to steal him at the Clock Tower. Because of him she made a huge effort to get along with you, and God knows that couldn't have been easy for her. She saved your life more times than I can count. You saved our lives just as many times. They trusted you. They invited you into their home, let you sit at their table. Let you babysit their daughter. Introduced you to your husband. It wasn't a 'little' mistake!"

"Alright… It was a big mistake. But don't tell me you've never had any impure thoughts about that man…"

"If I ever had, do you really believe I'd admit it to you? We all have temptations. But we're defined by the ones we choose to act on. So don't try to compare yourself to me. You won't win an argument that way. Now before we go anywhere else, explain to me why you're helping me now."

Luvia Edelfelt took a very deep breath, and to Ciel's surprise, for once in her life seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "There are many reasons Ciel. Yes I screwed up in a big way but. As difficult as this might be for you to believe, I adored Rin as much as you did. Yes I'm a competitive bitch. Yes most of the time I don't think before I act. But I'm not a child anymore and I can admit to my screw ups. With this I have a chance to dispense some retribution on the people who took her from us. I've sinned against her and against her memory, so I can't bloody well pass up this opportunity to redeem myself by kicking some ass in her name. Is that a good enough reason for you?"

Ciel bit her lip, widened her eyes, and after a moment, nodded along with her thoughts, "Surprisingly… It's a very good reason. I'll take it."

Luvia nodded firmly, "So where are we at now?"

Ciel leaned forward and moved her messy newspaper away to retrieve a folder she had under it. "I'm persona non grata with the Church. I was planning to retire anyway but that's neither here nor there. The Church has a number of these Sephira Crystals I mentioned to you. One of them is about to be turned over to DEM."

"I looked into this as much as I could. They're suppose to be worthless curiosities that the church gathers because of their connections to these angels, whatever they really were. But I gather someone found a way to use them?"

Ciel nodded, "Exactly. I'm not sure what DEM's plans are for them, but I'm beyond certain that no good will come of it. Based on the limited evidence I'm working with they're about to hand over one of the most powerful crystals. Containing the power of the Archangel Metatron. Based on what I've seen from the person wielding the power of Sandalphon… They can not have this power. It's just too much."

"You're concerned their research could provoke a reaction?"

Ciel nodded, "It's not beyond the realm of possibility. My sources inside, before I became an outcast, told me they only had the one Archangel. Getting the rest of their collection is beyond our means, but we can intercept this one. The three of us can pull it off."

"This whole thing is some kind of Kabbalah mystery or something. What do we actually know about it right now?" asked Luvia.

"Not much. I could walk you through the whole Sephira but it won't do us much good. Still too much we don't know. Interpreting Kabbalah ciphers is just beyond my ability. If Rin were still alive we'd be in business, but without her brains well… We're just on our own."

Luvia nodded, "I wouldn't mind taking a stab at it later. I found out that the exchange will be taking place at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. Very public location. Neither side seems to entirely trust the other. What I want to know is, what is the Church getting out of this? They don't get along with the Association I know, but why throw in with DEM?"

"That's another reason why I'm doing this. I want the answer to that question as well. Who's your source by the way?"

Luvia looked away from Ciel, "My ex-husband… He works at DEM now," she muttered almost inaudibly.

"Right… I don't think I want to know more than that…"

"That is probably for the best."

"Alright. I just need to make a quick phone call and then we can go and start planning..." she said while picking up her phone and then tapping the contact.

Misaki, Japan

Yoshino blinked at the phone ringing on her desk, with one hand she picked it up and struggled for a moment to hold it while getting her thumb onto the button to answer the call.

"Hello?" she greeted in a low voice.

"Hello Yoshino. How are you and Yoshinon doing?" asked Ciel with a happy voice.

"Well… Thank you. We were just doing our homework," she answered in the same low voice.

"How's school been treating you?"

"It's getting better. I think I made a friend."

"I'm so happy to hear that!"

"Some people were near the school. Taking pictures of me and Arcueid when she wanted to take me out shopping…"

Ciel was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, "I see. What happened then?"

Yoshinon took the opportunity to start yelling into the phone, "Arcueid was so cool! She made them piss their pants and run home to mama!"

"She also bought me new shoes…" added Yoshino while looking at her new pink shoes.

"That's nice. How are you getting along with her?"

"She's very nice. I really like her. She's been helping me a lot with everything. She told me she used to be like me once so she's been teaching me things she said she wished she knew…"

Ciel went quiet at that for a long moment, "Things like what Yoshino?"

"Like what time the movie theatres work until. How to choose good movies to watch. She also taught me how to play the games in the arcade," she listed off and she could hear Ciel sighing a little with relief at every item she listed.

"That's good to hear. So you're settling into your new life alright?"

"I think so… I don't really have any problems. Everyone's been so nice. Except a few people in school who don't like Yoshinon. But Shiki said I shouldn't pay attention to them because they're unimportant misfits who are unhappy with their own lives and feel the need to take it out on us."

Ciel chuckled, "He's absolutely right about that. I'm sorry I had to leave so soon after I brought you home with me. But this was very important."

"I understand. You're there to help everyone back in Fuyuki right?"

"That's right I am."

"Kotori sends me messages on my phone every day. She tells me funny things Tohka did, or something interesting that's going on there. Mostly she just wants to know if I'm well."

"I'm happy to hear that. She is sort of your cousin now, so it's good to keep in contact with your family. Speaking of which, I have to go now, but could you tell Shiki that Shirou might need to send Kotori to stay with you there? Things in Fuyuki aren't well right now and she might need to go there to be safe. You'll look after her like she looked after you right?"

"Of course! She was so kind to me I couldn't not return her kindness if I have a chance!"

"That's my girl. It's probably close to dinner time there so you should get going. You know how your Aunt is about being punctual for dinner. She relented on a lot of things, but not that one."

"I know. Take care Ciel."

"I love you Yoshino, and Yoshinon. To care of each other."

"We love you too Ciel!" yelled the puppet.

"Len is laying under this table I'm sitting at right now to hide from the sun, but I'm sure she'd want me to tell you she loves and misses you both."

Yoshino smiled a little at that, "We love her too. Please come back safe…"

Yoshino walked out of her room and wandered through the large Tohno mansion towards the dining room. When she arrived she quickly noticed she was the last to arrive, but when she checked the time she felt relief that she wasn't officially late. Slowly, she made her way to her designated seat at the table.

"Good evening everyone," she said softly.

"Good evening everyone!" said Yoshinon loudly.

"Good evening," replied the dark haired woman seated at the head of the table.

Yoshino took her seat which was to the left of Akiha Tohno and looked down the table at Shiki who was seated at the opposite end from Akiha where he smiled pleasantly at her. Seated across from her to the was Arcueid who also smiled cheerfully at the little girl.

"Ciel called me a moment ago…" she started speaking softly. "She said to tell you that Kotori might have to come stay with us because it might not be safe for her in Fuyuki," she explained with some sadness.

Shiki balled a fist while the women at the table looked at each other and nodded.

"She's welcome here of course. We'll make preparations for her just incase she needs them," said Akiha in a calm and composed tone of voice.

"What is that idiot doing there? I should get on a train right now and go give him a piece of my mind! I knew I should have gone there myself the moment Ciel said there was trouble!" Shiki exclaimed in irritation.

Arcueid shook a finger at Shiki, "Now now. She wanted you to stay incase there was trouble here. And she was right. There was trouble here. There could still be trouble here. This isn't a good time to weaken this house by having you leave to go pick a fight with Shirou Emiya."

"As the head of this family. I have to agree. Having all of us here at once is what's keeping those DEM lackies from trying anything foolish. This might sound improper of me to say, but I'm glad that in a time of trouble, Shirou thinks of us as the safest place for his daughter. I won't let anything tarnish that reputation. If we can't protect our own, how could we live with ourselves?"

Shiki took a breath to calm himself down, "Things in the world are getting bad again. I can't just sit here and do nothing about it… It's so frustrating. But you're right. This family has to be my first priority. If my niece needs a safe place to stay, I'll be here to make sure it's safe for her."

Akiha couldn't help the smile that crept across her face, "You've come a long way Shiki. I'm proud of you. Shirou Emiya is a brother to this house and we should act like it."

"He's no brother of mine… I'm doing this for Yoshino and Kotori."

Arcueid and Akiha couldn't help snickering.

"What is it?" asked Shiki.

Arcueid spoke up first, "Whenever the topic of Shirou Emiya comes up, you're a completely different person. I find it rather entertaining. I so dearly wish I could have been with you on some of your adventures."

Shiki sighed and looked down at his plate, "Believe me. There were times I wish you were with us. But even now looking back on it, I'm glad you weren't."

"Even after what we went through you feel like I need protecting?"

"That's not what I meant. Ciel and I only got through it all because we knew you were here, helping to make sure we'd always have a safe home to return to. Now we have Yoshino here. And knowing that you're here with her is what I'll always be thinking about the next time I go off on some fool's errand with that self-righteous hypocritical-"

Akiha and Arcueid laughed hysterically at the man down the table from them, and even Yoshinon couldn't help but catch their infectious laughter.

"I'll just stop talking. Can we eat now?" asked Shiki with annoyance.

After dinner that night Yoshino sat down on the couch next to her new Aunt for evening tea.

"It's nice to finally have someone to talk with during this time. My brother only sits with me here under duress, and Arcueid always uses this time for… Whatever she does when she's on her own time," Akiha explained while pouring out a cup of tea for her niece.

Yoshino watched the steam rise from the cup for a long moment before mustering up a response, "I like having tea at night. It's very soothing. At the Emiya house, there was always tea whenever you wanted it. But every night he would bring a tea set on this ledge he has where you can see the sky and the garden and he'd have tea there and sit down to talk with Tohka. I liked sitting with them like that. They always talked about interesting things and I wanted to listen and learn."

Akiha smiled while enjoying the aroma of her tea. "Whenever Shirou and Rin came to visit with us, he would always sit here with me and have tea as well. He told me about that little ritual of his and it honestly amazed me how we could so easily bond over something as simple as nightly tea. Sometimes Ciel does a tea ceremony here and I've grown to quite enjoy that as well."

"I like sitting here with you too Aunt Akiha. You also know a lot of interesting things I want to learn."

"Hmm… Alright. Then that's what we'll do together at this time from now on. I can start by teaching you about our family history. Yes. It's very important that you know about your family. You may be adopted into the Tohno lineage, but so was Shiki. I suppose, being a Tohno doesn't exactly mean what it did before considering how we are now, but that isn't a bad thing. I'm sure if we asked my grandfather what being a Tohno meant to him, it would be very different from what it meant to my father. Or what it means to Shiki, even myself. Or what it will eventually mean to you."

"Being a Tohno means I have a place I belong. I never had that before. It means that if I'm ever sad, I have people who will comfort me. If I'm hurt, I have people who will heal me. If I'm afraid, I have people who will protect me. It means I have a family who love me, and that I can love back."

Akiha smiled, "I have no idea what my grandfather would have said, but if he doesn't like what you just said now, then he can burn in hell," she said with a bright smile. "That's what I'd like it to mean to be a Tohno. But… The story of this family isn't always a nice one. It's one that's been steeped in blood..."

Yoshino wandered towards her room with wide eyes swirling in confusion and abject terror.

"Yoshino... The next time Aunt Akiha wants to tell you a story about her ancestors… Pleeeeease change the subject!" demanded the puppet on her hand.

Yoshino could only nod at that statement.

When she entered the room it was to find one of the two maids diligently placing freshly cleaned clothes in her cabinet. When she saw the girl enter she turned to face her with a polite bow. "Good evening Mistress Yoshino. Are you alright? You seem unwell. May I get you anything?" she asked with no small amount of concern.

Yoshino shook her head to clear her mind, and then shook her head in the negative. "I'm fine. Thank you. I'm just not used to this. Nobody ever did things like this for me before. At the Emiya house everyone had to 'pitch in' to maintain the house, and do the 'laundry' and, well, everything."

"I understand. Mistress Ciel still insists on doing her own chores. But she agreed that, as you are unaccustomed to this world, in every sense of the word, that we be at your service to help you with whatever you may need."

"It's overwhelming. Before I only had people who wanted to hurt me. Now I only have people who want to help me…"

"The world is quite two faced like that Mistress Yoshino. Nothing is ever quite as it seems. But be assured that we will all be here to help you navigate your way into life here. And if I may say so, your have improved a great deal since your arrival in this house. Your vocabulary has expanded as much as the number of words you put into a sentence."

Yoshino considered that for a moment, "I've been reading more. Learning more. It helps I think."

"You're also less shy and more willing to engage in conversation. It is most gratifying to see. I hope you will continue to progress and become a proud bearer of your family name."

Yoshino went to sit down on her bed with her eyes swirling in chaos again. "This family is a little bit scary…"

"What part of Aunt Akiha's story was a 'little' scary?!" asked Yoshinon.

The maid closed the cabinet she was working on and moved to seat herself beside the blue haired spirit. "Lady Akiha told you about the history I take it?"

Yoshino nodded.

"I see. That explains the look on your face when you came in. Trust me when I say the Tohno family has its dark secrets but those days are behind them now. Instead of dwelling on what the previous generations have been like, try asking yourself what you would like to contribute to that legacy?"

"What I'll contribute?"

The maid nodded, "Yes indeed. You bear their name now. So one day, when your descendants tell the story of the Tohno family, what would you like them to say about Yoshino Tohno? Once you figure that out. You only need to be that person that you want to be remembered as."

Yoshino blinked.

"Perhaps it's a bit too soon for you to be thinking about this too deeply. But it's worth keeping in mind. If the story bothers you, try thinking about what you can do to give that story a happier turn to brighten it for those future Tohno children so they won't feel the way you felt when you heard the story."

Yoshino nodded, "I will. Thank you Nanaya. I appreciate it."

Rome, Italy

Ciel sat on the window ledge of Luvia's hotel room overlooking the Spanish steps. She didn't care for the opulence of the suite but it offered the perfect vantage point to plan an ambush.

"So you really adopted a little girl?" asked Luvia with a big bright and overly cheerful smile.

"Her name is Yoshino."

"That's so sweet! Do you have a picture of her?"

Ciel took out her phone and swiped through it until she found a picture of her and the little girl to show her former friend and current only ally. Then handed the phone to the blonde woman.

"Dawww… She's so cute! The way she looks people would probably easily think she's your real daughter!"

"She is my real daughter," said Ciel through clenched teeth.

Luvia sighed, "That's not what I meant to imply and you know it!"

"Say what you mean then."

"I would like for you not to put words into my mouth. Not everything I say should be taken in the worst possible way."

"Then you should phrase your statements a bit more carefully."

"Damn it all Ciel. I haven't asked you to forgive me and I won't. But could you, at the very least, be civil with me?"

"I'm treating you the same way I treat everyone else who isn't my close friend or family. Before today you were at a level where I'd only use my Black Keys to communicate with you. So if you want to feel good about something. Feel good about that."

"What will it take for me to earn back your friendship then? Please at least just tell me that much!"

Ciel contemplated that for a moment, "Let's get this job done. Then we can revisit that."

"Then at least tell me where I stand with you now? Because I hate walking on eggshells."

"I'm not trying to kill you. Yet. But the more you whine about it, the more I'm tempted. That's where you stand right now."

"Fine then. Be that way. Have you figured out a strategy yet?"

"Yes. We're going to take them there at the steps. They won't open the case to confirm the contents. They'll make their exchange and go their separate ways. The moment their packages change hands, that's when we make our move."

"Are you completely mad?!"

"They'll all have bodyguards. Three wizards, and three executors. But they'll have people in the crowds too. This is the height of tourist season. Officially they'll only be allowed three escorts each. Unofficially, they'll both have at least a dozen more blending in with the common masses. They'll all see each other. They'll all know each other. They'll all be watching each other closely for any sign of treachery…"

"I think I'm following you. This plan is so mad it'll work because they'll be expecting the other side to do something rash. When we rush in and snatch the packets from them as they're making the exchange, everyone will be confused. They'll all look at each other accusingly. If they don't start fighting each other there, it'll be a precious few moments before they realize we're not with either group and come after us."

"Exactly. We'll blend in with the tourists and-"

"Why do I feel like we've done something like this before?"

"Because we have. This was Shiki's plan back in Mexico when we robbed the cartel."

"Ahh yes… The only problem is that we'll have to do this on foot. There aren't any cars allowed in this part of the city. So we need to devise an escape route, and we'll need to find you an appropriate disguise."

"That won't be a problem. I came prepared for anything."

Alright… This could be a problem… I wasn't prepared for this at all...

It was night time, the steps were crowded with tourists and locals. Ciel stood near the fountain among a group of people listening to a street musician and singing along with the crowd. She was dressed casually in some jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie with an old back back.

"Lasciatemi cantare! Con la chitarra in mano!" she sang loudly with the other Italians with bright happy face while her eyes watched the base of the steps.

Never mind that I'm about to pick a fight with over twenty Executors and DEM Wizards. I'm used to dealing with worse. But if these people found out I was actually French and singing along to this song I'd probably be in seriously deeper shit than that Warsaw incident...

"Lasciatemi cantare! Una canzone piano piano!"

She had spotted the members of the Burial Agency, three men and one woman waiting with the case in hand. The complication came from the DEM members, it wasn't an artifact they were turning over. It was a young woman with short, ash gray hair and icy blue eyes.

I'm in love with her outfit though. She looks like one of the nuns from a really good porno… Focus Ciel think dirty things you'd want to do to Shiki with a costume like that later!

"Lasciatemi cantare! Perché ne sono fiero!

Alright. Change of plans. I just hope Luvia hasn't forgotten how to improvise.

"Sono un italiano, un italiano vero!"

While everyone was busy applauding the street performer Ciel reached into the pocket of her hoodie and dropped a smoke bomb that went off with a loud bang. As intended, it was instant pandemonium. American tourists started screaming about a terrorist attack. Locals cursing the stupid tourists for not getting that it was probably just a prank. Police running around to try and calm everyone down…

Len walking by the lead executor and snatching his case. The DEM representatives slowly walking away, rightly assuming the deal would be off at this point. Luvia on queue rushing in to grab the grey haired girl and pulled her along. Ciel then conjured a black key to slit the throat of one of the DEM Wizards in the crowd. Then… It started. Pandemonium gave way to complete and utter chaos as one DEM Wizard drew a gun to shoot an Executor, the Executor blocking the shots with his Black Keys.

Ciel casually ran away among a crowd of tourists to blend in as all hell broke loose behind her. Her heart racing in her throat over all the ways that could have gone horribly wrong for her.

Shirou… This was your brand of stupid.

The sounds of gunfire echoed through the city blocks as they briskly walked away among the crowd of tourists all trying to escape the scene of the 'terrorist attack'. The sound was soon drowned out by the blaring of police sirens before they ducked out onto a side street to get out of the crowd. They then ducked into another deserted side street to back track and ensure they weren't being tailed.

"Alright. So. May I ask who you are and why I can sense more mana in you than I've ever sensed in anything before in my life?"

Ciel stopped in her tracks with her eyes widened.

This is why I'm no magus… How did I miss that?

"You're a Spirit!" Ciel blurted out to the girl.

The girl nodded, "And you must be Ciel and Luvia. Oh and of course Len!" she said happily while kneeling down to pet the little girl on the head. "You're even cuter in real life!"

Ciel and Luvia stared dumbfounded into each other's eyes and then looked back at the younger girl petting Len who didn't seem to at all mind the attention she was getting.

"Oh right… I should probably get out of this now or else they'll just find me again won't they?" she said before standing up and closing her eyes, with a hand held up in the air she became enveloped in white light which made everyone shield their eyes from the brightness before being able to look at her again in a set of cloths similar to Ciel's.

"Sorry, hope you don't mind that I copied you but I love your wardrobe. So sexy! Yes. Both of your wardrobes!"

Ciel blushed, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"You probably have a lot of questions right now. But they will be looking for us soon. So we should get going."

"So I gather you don't have a problem with us kidnapping you?"

"Why would I have a problem with that? I'm the one who made you want to rescue me! Ciel of all people knows why the Church is the last place someone like me would ever want to be stuck in."

"She's right about that too..." muttered Ciel. "Let's get moving again. I have a feeling the headache I'm getting is only going to get bigger."

"Oh. Len. Sorry dear, but. Mind if I hold onto that for you? Sorry… He's an old friend of Rasiel's. Long story, tell you later," she said with a wink while taking the black case from Len who didn't seem to mind relinquishing it.

"Alright… Since you know us. Mind giving us your name? Assuming you have one?" asked Ciel.

"Nia Honjou. Very nice to finally meet you all. Now let's run for it!" she energetically exclaimed.

Ciel flipped through the pages of a book with a critical eye. "You got my cloths wrong… Shirou has the sleeves, I have the scarf."

"Oh drat… I was sure he had a scarf as well for some reason…"

"Mind if I ask why you're drawing all of us in this… Whatever style it is?" inquired Luvia. "Also my breasts are spectacular but you really exaggerated them…"

"Artistic license! And it's Manga! I love manga. You can make anyone look amazing as a 2D manga character!"

Len put her finger on a page to stop Ciel from flipping it while she looked at herself. "Kawaii," she said softly.

"Yes! Totally! You're my favorite one to draw! So adorable!"

Ciel flipped the page to find the next was blank and then closed the book. "So. Let me get this straight. You drew these mangas in this book… And then waited patiently while everything you drew actually happened?"

"It doesn't always happen exactly as I draw it. Things can go wrong, some people can resist Rasiel's power, or I can make mistakes… But I took my time. Did my research. Learned about your characters. Figured out how you'd probably plan it. Took your individual skill sets into account… And presto. I drew the manga and then let it happen! I had so much fun with this!"

"You even drew the talk I had about what Luvia tried to do with Shirou… Now I'm wondering if that was from me or from this angel of your's…"

"Probably both. I figured the reader might want some backstory on the two of you. Exposition and all that."

Ciel gently handed the book back to the spirit, "I'm honestly more than a little afraid of this book right now… And who are you going to let read this besides us?"

"Nobody… Except maybe the internet?" she said with a shrug that drew irate glares from Ciel and Luvia. "Or not? Don't worry. I just showed you so I wouldn't have to spend days explaining it all. Show rather than tell. That's the best thing about Manga!"

"So why us? You probably could have brought even stronger people here with this power?"

Nia shook her head, "Doesn't work that way. You were both already planning to do what you did. I just found out about it with Rasiel and did my best to help you make it work. Rasiel's power is knowledge, and he has a limited ability to affect the future. It just depend son how I make use of it. Nothing is absolute, even with this. That's why I don't let it go to my head you see. If it was, I wouldn't have been in the predicament I was in in the first place. Rasiel can warn me of danger, but all I get are the facts. I have to decide what to do with those facts. Sometimes I make good choices… Sometimes I make bad ones…

It's all been made even more difficult now because DEM took part of my crystal away. So now Rasiel's power is weaker. Sometimes the information I get from him is… Just… Nostradamus levels of confusing. But. The good news is, if I focus hard enough on a particular topic, I can get all the facts about that topic. It's like Google on crack."

"Why did they extract part of your crystal? How did they even do that?"

"Really rather not talk about the how if you don't mind…" she said grimly which instantly tensed up the atmosphere. "The reason is because they wanted to be able to use my ability. I wasn't exactly cooperative with them in volunteering my services. The only good news is that, now that I'm not being taken to the Church, I can actually block their ability to use this power. That's why I need your help. All of your help. I need you to help me stay away from them so I can keep blocking them. In exchange, I'll offer you my help to fight back against them."

"You don't have to offer us anything in exchange for helping you Nia. If you need our help, you'll have it. No strings attached."

Nia nodded, "I know… Shirou and Shiki's 'stupid' affecting you. But you can't turn down the kind of help I can offer you. Right now Shirou is feeling a little lost without someone who can advise him…" she said while flipping to a page she drew on the subject. "I can be that person for him. For all of you. It's really all I can do. I can't fight. My powers don't work that way. But this I can do."

"So your power can actually let you see the future?" asked Luvia. "Would you mind if I asked you for a few lottery numbers and stock quotes?"

Nia laughed and shook her head, "I know Jewel Magic is expensive and that you have expensive taste. But like I tried to explain, my power doesn't work that way exactly. It's a little complicated. I can use facts that I gather to 'describe' a possible future, and if I do that well enough with all the correct elements included, I can significantly increase the probability of that future coming to be. But it isn't absolute. Even less so now that I only have half my power. This doesn't override anyone's free will though. It worked in this instance because-"

"Because I got infected with the 'stupid' yes. I got that," Ciel said with a nod.

"So you gambled with us? Is that what you're saying?" asked Luvia.

Nia looked down shamefully at her book, "That's exactly what I did. I apologize for that. I'm really very sorry I did what I did and played with your lives like that… But… It was my only hope of escape..."

"I suppose I can forgive you for that. But I don't know if I can forgive you for writing a compliment to yourself about your astral dress into my thoughts like that…" muttered Ciel.

"Oh please. We both know you have a couple very similar outfits and it's exactly what you would have thought even without me writing it in!"

"Be that as it may… I feel dirty right now. So I'm going to take a shower… Tomorrow we're driving to France. So we'll have to find you a fake passport… That's not going to be easy… Or cheap."

Nia reached over to the desk to pick up a pen, "I'll start arranging that. That's actually simple for me."

Ciel and Luvia raised an eyebrow each.

"What? I just made the three of you rescue me. That was hard. Do you really think finding a guy who makes good passports for a reasonable price here in Rome will be difficult?"

"You can do that but you can't find me a lucky lotto number?!"

"Finding the right person to go see so we can hire them for a job is not the same as influencing the result of a lottery. Too many variables. Do you honestly think I haven't tried that for myself?" she said with a wink at Luvia.