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

Transposition

Chapter 19

Kirei walked slowly and quietly into the living room, and after a few steps came to a halt a polite distance from the couch. He stayed quiet, waiting to be addressed by the man lounging on said couch.

The man was blonde, and his eyes sported irises the color of blood. He wore a collared shirt of white under a black, long-sleeved jacket, and matching trousers. In one hand he held a wineglass, idle wrist movements gently swirling the crimson liquid within.

Several moments passed, and then his eyes slightly narrowing, Gilgamesh of Uruk turned slightly towards Kirei. "What is it?" he asked.

"Lancer's finished what I sent him out to do." Kirei replied. "Apparently, the recent wave of disappearances and killings have been the work of chimeras that have taken up shop in the undercity, and they've been preying on the less fortunate citizens of the city for food."

Gilgamesh snorted. "I'll come back to that later." He said with a hint of anger running through his voice. Kirei quirked an eyebrow but decided not to press the issue, lest he be seen as 'insolent'. The King of Heroes tended to have rather pathologically-violent responses to insolence, and unfortunately, his definition of the word was rather…broad.

And the violent response usually involved a Noble Phantasm or two or even more being rammed through your body until you were nothing more than a bloody smear on the ground. A rather gruesome fate, and one Kirei did not wish upon himself.

"What I wish to know is where those chimeras came from." Gilgamesh continued. "Well, speak up Kirei, or do you not have answers for me?"

"The simplest explanation, that the chimeras had always been there is nonsensical." Kirei said. "Chimeras have never been recorded as appearing in this city or region, be it as a matter of historical record or legend. Next, the chimeras just appeared there one way or another, is equally absurd."

"Oh?"

"Chimeras are hybrids." Kirei continued. "They are born of Phantasmal Species and mundane animals. The latter in general do not exist as a matter of course in this world ever since the Age of Gods came to an end, and when they do appear it is a miracle on par with True Magic."

"Get to the point, Kirei." Gilgamesh said with a hint of menace.

"Very well," Kirei said with a bow. "Chimeras would never be naturally born here, as Phantasmal Species that do remain in this world or who had one reason or another to briefly depart the Inner World only remain or do so in the most remote wildernesses, as far as possible from Human habitation."

"In short," Gilgamesh said with an annoyed sigh and wave of a hand. "Someone bred those filthy things in this city, as though it isn't already so filthy as it is."

"As you say, King of Heroes." Kirei said with another bow. "From there the next question is who? There are very few with the resources and means to do so, usually high-ranking magi and their families as well as powerful vampires. However, I believe I can discount the latter. The presence of vampires tends to be rather visible, what with hordes of shambling dead usually turning up within a day of their arrival."

Gilgamesh silently regarded Kirei's words for a moment, and then with nod gestured for Kirei to continue. "So I must assume that magi are behind these chimeras." Kirei continued. "The motivation is rather obvious too, as tools to secure victory in the Holy Grail War. As for the identity of the magi in question, two come to mind from the magi currently present within this city: Einzbern and Matou."

"Not Tohsaka or Caster?"

"Caster likely has the means and perhaps resources even, but their established methods do not support them being the ones behind the chimeras. And Tohsaka does not have the resources for the task, nor is their magecraft suited for it." Kirei said with a smile. "I know that quite well."

Gilgamesh burst out laughing. "Indeed!" he said after a few moments. "Carry on."

"The possibility does exist that other magi beyond the contestants – whose identities I know – themselves are present and could be behind the chimeras," Kirei said. "But as we have no evidence of this, I will disregard the possibility. As for the aforementioned suspects…Einzbern has the resources and means in theory, but it doesn't fit how they usually do things. Indeed, if Einzbern needed more tools than their Servant, they wouldn't use chimeras. They'd send homunculi, who are stronger, faster, and more reliable by comparison. However, that leaves…"

"The Matou…" Gilgamesh said softly and with murderous menace. "How fitting those filthy worm magi would be ones to breed such filth. They're a match for each other."

"If so," Kirei said. "Then the chimeras would be derived in part from the blood worms that the Matou favor as familiars and indeed, make up Zouken Matou's body. Despite appearances, they are Phantasmal Beasts after all. A weak and pathetic species yes, but still Phantasmal Beasts of the Monstrous Rank for all that. And indeed, their possession of such creatures makes them the prime suspect in this matter."

Gilgamesh glanced at Kirei with a veiled expression of surprise at that, and then he relaxed into the couch. "So that accursed disease is behind this?" he asked.

"Indirectly but most likely, yes."

"What?"

"Zouken Matou is old." Kirei said. "And old magi are even more creatures of habit than other old people are. He might use the winged, insectoid evolution of the worms like Kariya Matou did during the previous war, but the chimeras represent an…evolution, of incredible complexity and advancement that would be beyond what Zouken Matou would do on his own."

"Then who?"

"Most likely," Kirei said. "His granddaughter, Rin Matou."

Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed and afterwards he looked away with an expression of disgust. "That discarded child?" he growled. "That which is discarded must be disposed of properly, lest it rot and spread decay around it. How so very much like that worthless fool who commanded that damn Berserker from the previous war, chasing after something that did not and could not exist. And now she would follow that fool's example, chasing and squandering so much for something that isn't hers."

Annoyed, Gilgamesh turned back to Kirei. "What do you plan to do about this, Kirei?" he asked.

"What would you have me do, King of Heroes?"

Gilgamesh snorted. "Earlier I said I would return to the matter of the disappearances and killings." He said. "And so I have. It offends me, Kirei. They are scum, worthless dregs of a Human race already so riddled with and enfeebled by disease, and yet they remain my subjects, no matter unworthy they are of me as they are now. Their lives and their deaths belong to me, not to a worthless, discarded child to be fed to her mongrel pets."

Gilgamesh paused and narrowed his eyes. "So how?" he said. "How will you correct this situation, Kirei? If I must, I will pass judgment in person, but it disturbs my sense of propriety to grant such an honor to a discarded child of all things."

"Then I am to act as your agent in this matter?" Kirei asked with a smile. "I am honored."

Gilgamesh snorted. "As you should be." He said. "Just know that the consequences of failing to meet your responsibilities are…severe."

Kirei bowed in acknowledgement. "I understand, King of Heroes." He said. "As for this matter, I will direct Sakura Tohsaka with appropriate knowledge and guidance so as to bring an end to that which troubles your mind."

"You will not take action yourself?"

"I could, but it would reveal my hand in full prematurely." Kirei said. "It would hamper the effort to complete the Grail should my…guidance, of the contest's conduct to its proper conclusion be noticed at large."

"Certainly," Gilgamesh said after a moment's thought. "Hecklers pressing the playwright tend to ruin what otherwise would be grand spectacles. Very well, I will allow you to employ your own agents in this matter."

"I am grateful, King of Heroes." Kirei said a with bow.

Gilgamesh smiled. "In any case," he said. "I would judge Tokiomi's precious child, whether or not she has the potential to face the final test to determine her worth, or just like her father, is just another mongrel to be burned away with the filth that encrusts this once great and beautiful garden of mine."

"As you say, King of Heroes."

Tendrils of shadow sped blindingly-fast down a corridor's walls, floors, and ceiling, and stabbed out with three-dimensional spines that struck at the Dragon Tooth Warriors filling the corridor. The spines hurt to look at, shadows simply not meant to fall across open space in such a fashion, but did no damage whatsoever to the constructs they struck.

Though, they were never meant to.

Sakura grinned with triumph and satisfaction as the opal she was holding finally stopped flashing, and glowed steadily in her hand. After several hours and clearing no less than nine – including the one they were in – residential complexes, she'd finally managed to completely identify the conceptual pattern of the mystery Caster used to collect prana from the people they attacked, and thence send to their lair.

Now we can do more than just react to their attacks. We can actually take the fight to those cowards.

Sakura blinked and focused on Shirou, who was slightly past halfway through the corridor. He carried a heavy steel rod in his hands, and with regular downward blows or measured swings relentlessly chopped down the Dragon Tooth Warriors in his way.

It probably helps though that those things are rather slow and clumsy, and anyone with at least some training in physical combat could easily take care of them so long as they don't have the numbers.

Which they do…

…usually…

…and here, it's pointless, since the corridor is so narrow. At most, they can only come in threes at one time, and only from the front, what with the ones inside the rooms having flooded outside the moment we stepped onto the floor.

Sakura nodded to herself. "Let's wrap this up." She thought to herself. "Sempai, get back!"

Shirou broke the closest Dragon Tooth Warriors before jumping back, more shadows sweeping past and forming an array of multiple magic circles on the floor, walls, and the ceiling. "Stromschlag!" Sakura said loudly, and crackling electric-blue bolts wildly filled the space between the circles. After a few moments, they stopped, the vinyl flooring steaming gently and the air stinking of ozone.

Of the Dragon Tooth Warriors, only broken and blackened fragments were left on the floor, the largest no bigger than the size of a man's palm.

Shirou relaxed at the sight, and then turning jogged over to where a somewhat-winded Sakura was catching her breath. "You alright?" he asked.

Sakura nodded and straightened. "A bit winded, but yeah, I'm fine." She said with a reassuring smile.

Shirou smiled back and nodded. "That's the last of them, isn't it?" he asked, looking back down the corridor.

"Yeah, that's the last of this batch." Sakura agreed before inquiring with Archer about the situation outside. "Archer says he and Saber have also managed to finish off the ones outside. So yeah, this place is clear."

Shirou breathed deep in relief. "Good, very good," he said. "These people are safe then. Oh yeah, you still have to treat them, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I do." She said. "And more than that…"

Sakura trailed off and reached into a pocket, pulling out the opal from earlier. It glowed softly but steadily in her hand, and she smiled slightly. "We can finally find them, and take them out." She confidently said. "We'll make them pay for dragging innocent people into the contest when they should have nothing to do with it, one way or another."

Shirou nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I agree." He said. "Though, we shouldn't go too far either. I mean, yeah I know what to expect when it comes to magi, but even then, we don't need to sink to their level."

Sakura glanced at Shirou at that, Shirou resolutely meeting her eyes for a several moments. "In short," she said. "Defeating them is enough, there's no need to kill them, is that it?"

"Yes." Shirou said with a nod. "Though, we should also take their command spells, so they won't be able to make a new contract in case there's a Servant out there who doesn't have or has lost their Master. After that, whether they leave the city or go to Kotomine, they can't get involved in the war anymore or hurt people either."

Sakura nodded slowly. "I get what you mean," she began. "But…"

"But?"

"What if they refuse to surrender?"

Shirou didn't reply for several seconds, and then he lowered his face. He clenched his fists, and took a deep breath. "Magi walk with death." He finally said. "I won't let them keep hurting people, and if they refuse to give up even after we've beaten them, then…then we – I – can't hesitate."

Sakura briefly lowered her face, and then raising it opened her mouth to speak. She closed it almost immediately though, and after a few moments she nodded. "Alright then," she said softly.

Shirou nodded but didn't raise his face. Sakura looked concerned at that, and after a moment she hesitantly reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm. Shirou blinked and glanced at her at that, and while Sakura jolted she didn't remove her hand either. After a moment Shirou smiled and placed a hand over hers. "Thanks," he said. "But I'm fine with it, really."

"Sempai, I…"

"Don't worry." Shirou said, smiling wider and stepping closer, placed a hand of his own on her shoulder. "It comes with being a magus. I've always known that, and I understand."

Shirou sighed and nodded. "I don't like it, but I don't have to." He said before smiling. "And, it doesn't have to be that way. Despite being magi, we can still make the better choice, can't we?"

For a moment Sakura just silently stared at Shirou, and then she gave a small smile of her own. "You mean they can make the better choice." She said. "Though, I doubt any magus capable of doing this, much less what happened at the waterfront would. Still, there's nothing wrong with hoping either, is there?"

Shirou shrugged. "No," he said. "There isn't."

Sakura giggled. "You're kind, sempai." She said, already walking away down the corridor. "Too kind…"

Shirou looked surprised at that, but in the next moment Sakura glanced at him over a shoulder with a smile. "Now then," she said. "Shall we get started on treating these people? And after that, shall we call it a night?"

Shirou looked even more surprised that she wanted to call it a night already but…

"This is the ninth place we've stopped Caster from attacking tonight." He thought. "And while she's not letting it show, Sakura's probably beat. And if I'm honest, so am I."

Shirou sighed and walked towards Sakura. "Probably for the best too," he thought. "There's still school tomorrow, and after that…if Sakura can find where Caster's hiding, then we'll probably be heading there tomorrow night. And if we can take Caster out, we can keep them from attacking people at all."

Nodding once, Shirou stepped up to Sakura, and sharing a smile went off to visit the first of the rooms on this floor.

There were still people inside who needed help after all.

The following day was cloudy and humid, holding the promise of either late winter snow or freezing rain and sleet.

And once again, Sakura was skipping school to pay a visit to her father's former apprentice, and her mentor in turn. "What?" Sakura said, stopping in the act of drinking the tea offered to her by Kirei. "Lancer's Master reported it in? That's unusually generous of them."

"Let me guess," Kirei said with an amused smile. "You suspect the possibility that Lancer's Master could actually be the one behind the waterfront incidents, and reporting the provided information was just a means to draw attention away from them?"

Sakura didn't reply at once, and took a sip of her tea first. "It's a possibility, isn't it?" she finally asked.

"It is." Kirei agreed. "But one without proof. You could do with being less paranoid, though I have to admit it's not a necessarily bad trait to have, considering how…cutthroat, magi society is. In moderation, that is. It would not do to see plots and conspiracies where they do not exist."

Sakura again took a sip of her tea. "You…you're probably right." She said. "But, can we trust this information?"

"I think we can." Kirei said with a nod. "Or, you could trust my judgment instead, and after speaking with Lancer's Master in person, I can assure you that in this matter we can rely on their sincerity."

Kirei's lips curled with amusement as he watched Sakura mull over his words. It was all true, everything he'd said. He was Lancer's Master, and he was reporting it in to Sakura. And there was no proof that he was the one behind the waterfront incidents, simply because there was none, as he was never involved in them at all.

As for meeting with Lancer's Master…

…well, Kirei did look in the mirror this morning, and he had met Lancer's former Master before he'd killed that foolish Irishwoman and taken Lancer for himself. And just because she was the former Master, she had been the Master at the time.

Everything was true, and not once did he bear false witness when speaking of Lancer's report on what was found in the undercity to Sakura.

"Chimeras…" Sakura murmured with a mix of disgust and frustration. "Of all the damn things…worse, they've infested the undercity…this is going to be trouble both during and after the war…"

"What do you plan to do?" Kirei asked.

Sakura glanced at him, and then taking another sip of tea placed her teacup and saucer back on the table. "For now, nothing." She said. "I still need to think up of a plan after all. Just rushing into this mess will achieve nothing and waste a lot of time, effort, and resources, and would probably play into the enemy's hands. Sorry, but no thanks."

Kirei nodded. "A prudent call," he agreed. "I approve."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"On another note," Kirei said. "Do you have any suspicions as to who could be behind those chimeras?"

"Not really, no." Sakura said. "Einzbern has the resources and means, but…it's not like them to do this. They could, but they won't, if anything if they needed cannon fodder for that monstrous Berserker of theirs, they'd use homunculi, which would be far superior to chimeras in my opinion."

Kirei nodded. Sakura thought in silence for several moments, and then she shook her head. "Apart from myself – since I know for certain I did not and cannot breed chimeras – and Einzbern, I would also clear Caster. As I said before, it doesn't match their methodology so far."

Sakura paused, and then sighed. "Though," she said. "That still leaves four other Masters unaccounted for. Well, not quite; going by your confidence, I can probably rule out Lancer's Master, along Emiya-sempai, and Matou-sempai, leaving us with an unknown behind the chimeras."

"Oh?" Kirei said with narrowed eyes. "Why so confident in Matou?"

Sakura sat in silence for a few moments, and then reaching forward drained her teacup. "She's probably their Master, even if she hasn't made any moves yet so far." Sakura said softly. "But, she's not like that. She wouldn't make monsters like those, or use…no, feed them with the lives of innocent people."

"I see." Kirei said with a mocking smile. "Your confidence in your onetime sister is touching and perhaps…commendable, even. But, don't you think you are being naïve?"

"What?" Sakura asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's been ten years since you last truly knew her." Kirei said. "People change with the passing of time, and with the experiences they gather in that elapsed time. Rin Tohsaka, no, Rin Matou…just by looking at her you can see how much she's changed, and not just physically. You and I both remember how she once was, and if we compare that to how she is now…"

Kirei broke off as Sakura loudly placed the teacup back on its saucer. "She's not like that." She said coldly. "She was and is a proud, worthy, and high-reaching magus, but she's also a kind and good-hearted person at heart. And that will never change, no matter what."

"Is that so?" Kirei said with a mysterious smile.

"I know so." Sakura said softly while looking away. After a moment, she briefly closed her eyes, and got to her feet. "And besides, it's not like we have proof that she's behind the chimeras, either."

"And you think there is proof that she isn't."

"Yes, I do." Sakura said while picking up her schoolbag. "I'll think on this some more, but my focus is primarily on Caster right now. Once they've been taken care of, I'll focus on this next."

Sakura nodded at Kirei before leaving, but the priest spoke up just as Sakura stepped over the living room's threshold. "Rin Matou aside," Kirei began. "What of her grandfather?"

Sakura was silent for a moment, and then she glanced at Kirei. "Dad trusted him." She said. "He's treated her properly. There's no proof that he's involved either, and finally, I doubt Rin would let him, not when she has control of their Servant."

Kirei chuckled, and nodded. "Very well," he said. "Your reasoning is sound – to an extent – but I will accept it, so long as you think on it further."

Sakura nodded, and left the living room. Once she was out of earshot though, Kirei chuckled to himself. "Oh, you poor, ignorant little child." He chided. "If only you and your father knew what he was consigning your elder sister to when he handed her over to Zouken's clutches."

Still chuckling, Kirei began to gather the tea set. "We shall see." He said softly. "Oh yes, we shall see how kind and good-hearted she still is, when the two of you inevitably confront each other, just as your father would have wanted."

"Are you alright?" Archer telepathically asked Sakura as they left Kotomine Church.

"Of course I'm alright." Sakura replied in kind. "What makes you think I'm not?"

"Just a feeling." Archer said before pausing. "About what was said back there…you and Rin Matou…"

Archer let the thought trail off, while Sakura was silent. After several moments though, she replied. "Do you want to know?" she asked. "Well, I guess I should tell you, seeing as I already trust you with my life. You could say you've earned the right to know about…"

"No," Archer interrupted. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's clearly private business, and none of mine. Unless it affects the course of the war, you don't have to force yourself to talk about something you clearly don't like talking about."

Sakura silently kept on walking down the street, but after several moments she smiled gratefully. "Another time, then." She said. "Thank you, Archer."

"No problem."

Of course, Archer already knew, having lived this same tasteless drama an…eternity, ago. The memories were faded, and required conscious thought to recall, but when they did…

…they all came crashing back.

Still in astral form, Archer briefly closed his eyes and sighed. Not everything was the same of course, as evidenced by the girl he was ghosting behind. But enough was that he wasn't very confident how this would end, especially considering that Rin Matou was clearly a properly-trained magus, unlike Sakura Matou who'd only ever been a guinea pig for Zouken.

And what Kotomine had said…

Kotomine never lies.

Oh he hides things, or manipulates the way they're presented to twist how they're perceived, but he never lies.

But if that's the case…

…Rin, what have you become?

No…there's no proof, just like Sakura said! Even Kotomine was just pointing out how it was naïve of Sakura to dismiss her as a threat out of sentimentalism, not actually saying she was behind the chimeras!

She can still be, no she is a threat, but it doesn't mean she's the one behind the chimeras.

Archer narrowed his eyes. "Kotomine," he thought. "Could it be…you…you're trying to turn Rin and Sakura against each other? To force them to confront one another as part of some twisted game of yours? To speed up the war's pace, and summon that…thing?"

"Archer," Sakura asked. "What's wrong? I'm getting strange vibes through our link."

"No, it's nothing." Archer said, mentally kicking himself for letting his emotions get the better of him, and alerting Sakura to his perturbed state. "I was just thinking of the chimeras, and how it's going to be such a pain to get rid of them. And we might just have to fend off another Master and their Servant too while doing it."

Sakura giggled telepathically. "Yeah, I get what you mean." She said. "Gallows humor isn't really my thing, but, in a twisted kind of way, this whole mess is kind of funny."

"Quite," Archer thought before glancing back at Kotomine Church. "Considering the circumstances though, a confrontation is likely…inevitable. But even so, don't think things will just go as you'd like them to. Whether it's me, Sakura, Rin, or even that stupid boy…you won't get your way. And in the worst case and it seems like you do…"

Archer briefly closed his eyes and looked away from the church.

Then this place, and that…thing, you call a 'god', will burn, one way or another.

It's cold comfort, the comfort of the grave, but I'm used to it. And I'll take it over letting you win, Kotomine.

A/N

Stromschlag: German for 'electrocution'.

Welcome to the game, King of Heroes. Not that you'll be significant for a long while yet, that is.