An Opportunity of Fate Part 6

CG Emiya-

Emiya stared at one of the countless windows that now dotted the landscape of his Reality Marble. It was frustrating how little direct control he had. He could nudge and influence, but only some people seemed to truly take his nudges well.

But sometimes everything seemed to flow just right.

A formally dressed servant was carrying a dinner tray to one of the many labs in the Department of Mineralogy in the Clocktower. To a magus who had become very paranoid over the last few years. Almost as if he expected to face death at every turn.

Emiya smiled, "Enjoy your dinner Albernathy." If ever he had met a man who needed to die it was this one. He was far from the most evil man he had ever met, far from the most powerful. He was simply so banal about everything. Had such a high opinion of his talents and abilities, where he had coasted most of his life on his father's friends and contacts.

There were others who were more a danger to the well-being of the world. Many who did more harm to others, more who he would have prioritized for death when he was alive. Rupert Albernathy wouldn't have made the list of people worth killing when he was alive.

But this was the insect who would summon Caster. The idiot who would waste his three command spells and trust someone with the title of Witch of Betrayal not to harm him. While Caster might very well have done some of the atrocities that lay at her feet anyway, simply to gain more power. Her need for prana would not have been as great if a competent magus had been feeding her a steady stream.

CG Emiya watched as Albernathy took the tray from the servant and dismissed her without a bit of thanks. The servant bowed and left. Leaving poor Albernathy all alone.

He began to wolf down his food, not spending time to chew it.

The steak wasn't poisoned. There was nothing wrong about the food at all. Or the wine. But Emiya had watched Abernathy for a while, and while he was refined when he was with others, when he was by himself he was much less so. Prone to just shoveling in the food when he was nervous.

CG Emiya said wryly, "You really should learn to chew your food, Abernathy. It is only a matter of time. Ah, there we go."

Abernathy began to choke on a piece of steak.

CG Emiya just watched as the man began to choke to death. He felt an arm on his shoulder.

Alaya had returned. She was wearing Rin's likeness, "How are things faring?" She looked sideways at the window he was watching. "Dealing with the other masters?"

CG Emiya turned back as Abernathy lay kicking grasping his throat on the floor. This would be the fool's thirty-second brush with death over the last few years. And it looked like this one would take.

About time.

He answered Alaya, "Not too bad. The kids back in Fuyuki are training hard, even if they don't know for what yet. Rin's mansion is in the best condition it has been in for decades. This Shirou actually knows how to fight. Whether that is a good thing or bad, I am not sure. I got into enough trouble being clueless."

Abernathy went still, his eyes glazing. CG Emiya closed the window that had been watching over him.

"Have you done anything else than drive a poor man to his death?" She had her arms folded and smiled at him.

"Bazette will not be participating either, and no, I didn't kill her." He smiled back, "Something almost as effective. I got her knocked up. She and her husband, yes she got married, her family was quite insistent, are in Donegal now. She still refuses to go back to that tiny village she came from, and from what I can tell they wouldn't let her back. But her mom wants to be with her during the pregnancy."

"Huh. Unexpected. But it works." Her smile broadened, "You do realize that now you will have no clue who will show up? You can only observe so many people."

"I am willing to risk it, if it means not having Caster running her own game and Lancer being given to Kirei on a platter." He said shortly. "I am surprised at how long dear old dad has carried on. In my time line he only lived half way between the wars. We are only two years from the start of the war and he is still alive."

He gestured to a window that has Kiritsugu in a wheel chair being pushed by Taiga. "How has he survived so long? Is it Rin? Do her promises to allow a message to be brought to Ilya really help him that much?"

Alaya looked at Kiritsugu with something akin to sorrow. "To see one of my champions brought so low. I see it happen so often and still it doesn't stop the pain of watching them break."

"Dad worked for you?"

"A little during his early career. But his crowning moments in my service were during the Fourth Grail War. He almost failed me at the end, but he managed Command Arturia into the necessary actions." She shook her head. "Much too close for comfort. A Counter Guardian strike was already in the wings at the point." She held herself and shivered. She looked over at him, "You did the same during the Fifth War."

CG Emiya was silent.

Alaya continued, "Your father died so early in your life because he had no purpose to focus on."

"I wasn't enough?"

"Without you he would have died within the year. You saved him as much as he saved you. But after losing any chance of regaining or even seeing Ilya, he was listless. He stopped fighting as hard and it wore him down faster."

Emiya pointed at a window where Rin was berating a bemused Shirou staring at a line of shattered lamps. "So Rin somehow gives him the fire to continue?"

"Not Rin. Sakura."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Saving Ilya is impossible for him now. Rin may or may not be able to get a message to her, may or may not be able to have picture smuggled out. Kiritsugu would love that. But he isn't counting on it. No, he is trying to train Shirou and Rin to be strong enough to save Sakura."

A vision appeared of Sakura 'training' Emiya winced.

Alaya continued, "But he doesn't know the war is coming. How could he? Only Ilya and one other have the Command Spells yet."

"Someone had been chosen?"

Alaya waved and a new window was born. "Meet Cassandra Martel. I have no clue what she might summon." Again she grinned, "Then again. Neither does she."

-Scene Break—

Cassandra Martel

Cassandra followed her parents into Lord El Melloi II's office quietly. She kept her gaze low. She absently rubbed the runes on her hand. They didn't quite hurt, but they felt odd. Powerful in a way, oddly similar to the way her Crest felt at times.

Not that she had much of one. Her family had only been involved in magic for three generations. They were new and weak compared to so many others here in the Clock Tower. And she was never allowed to forget it.

They were waved over to a bunch of seats on the other side of a large desk. She looked up at the young Lord. His hair was dark and long, and he was dressed in red and gold. She had attended a few of his lectures and had always been impressed.

But that wasn't why she was here. Why her parents were here to beg for this man's help. Somehow he had survived. Rumor had him deliberately choosing to be involved. Even stealing the previous owner of his title's catalyst.

She ignored her father's pleading voice as he begged for this man's aid. She herself didn't know how he could help her. The message her father had sent to the Eiznberns about whether the Fifth Holy Grail was really coming so early had merited but a single word.

Yes.

She had read up on the history of the Grail Wars in the Clock Tower, all the ones she had clearance to access. From what she had read the ritual had never been successfully completed. Almost all the participants died every single time.

No chance of success. High mortality rate. In two years she would be going to a foreign land to die.

But if she succeeded, if she somehow managed the impossible…. "I swear, I swear I will do everything I can to bring you back, my love."

"Excuse me? Miss Martel. Did you have something to add?" El Melloi II quirked one eyebrow at her.

Her mother was about to speak when the young Lord raised one hand, "No, in the end it will be she and she alone who must face this." He gaze grew both haunted and awestruck, "And it will change you in ways you cannot imagine, assuming you live."

The room was silent.

Her father said, "My Lord, we will do whatever you require us to…."

"You may leave."

Cassandra and her parents rose.

"Miss Martel, I wish you to stay. I need to speak with you personally."

Her father and mother exchanged glances. Her father patted her shoulder on the back before he left. Reminding her of what he had told her. To give the Lord anything he wanted for his aid.

Anything at all. What value was money or reputation or even virtue to the dead? And this man had survived. Cassandra swallowed.

El Melloi got up, "Do you need anything to drink, my dear?"

"No sir."

"Please, this may end up being quite protracted. Let me know if you need anything, alright Miss Mantel?"

"Yes sir." She fidgeted on her chair. What did he want with her?

He poured himself a little tea and sat back down at his desk. "Do you speak Japanese?"

"No sir."

"That will have to change. I will have a tutor train you. I will contact administration and have them clear your schedule. Let me know of anything you absolutely must attend. Otherwise there is a great deal of learning to be done." He cocked his head aside, "Not much of it will be magic, and so make some time to keep up some level of personal studies."

"Sir? If you don't mind my asking, how did you survive…." She waved her hand with the Command Spells on it.

"I was commanded to by my Servant. A frustrating man, Iskander. I came to wonder which of us was truly the Master in our little cabal. I certainly learned more from him than any other of my teachers." He smiled, "This is a wonderful opportunity, you realize. For a brief time, one of the heroes of the ages will be at your side," He laughed, "And theoretically at your command."

"You sound as if you enjoyed it."

He laughed harder, "Enjoyed it? Hardly, I was scared out of my wits half the time. I spent the rest of it whining. How he ever put up with me I will never know." He shook his head and then focused his eyes on Cassandra, "Miss Martel, there is much that I will teach you. But the most important thing at this point is to decide whether to let fate decide who you are matched with, or to find a relic, anything tied to a hero. The first option will give you a hero similar in temperament to yourself, more loyal perhaps, certainly easier to get along with. The second will give you a known hero. And if you choose right, that can make all the difference."

"Which did you get?"

"I got Rider, Iskander, King of Conquerors. And if I had simply accepted fate I would never in a million years have been as lucky. Read your histories, do some research and find a hero that you think will protect you best. And summon him or her. Fate is too fickle a guide."

-Scene Break—

Sakura Matou-

Sakura was happily walking home with Ayako and Shirou. Two of her best friends. She would miss them next year when they switched to High School. But one year wasn't too long of a time to wait. Plus the High School had its own Archery Dojo.

That would be convenient. Maybe they could even walk to school together. Visions of Shirou walking her to school flowed dreamily into her mind. She stumbled and tripped.

Shirou caught her, "Hey, pay attention! You aren't home yet. I promised your brother you would get home in one piece."

Sakura relished the moment as Shirou held her. She liked it when he touched her. Her new body betraying her. A slight flush on her cheeks. Her magic had grown and so had her senses. Her sense of touch was particularly strong now. To the point she could even sense magic through touch.

Shirou's anyway. He was burnt. Horribly burnt. His body should be nothing more than animate ash, just as her grandfather was nothing more than a mobile corpse. And yet there was a golden light to him, a beautiful golden light that was both human and beyond human. Somehow that golden light had saved him.

She didn't truly understand it yet. But it called to her. In his arms she was safe.

Ayako's voice was slightly teasing, "Hey, Matou, are you feeling alright there. Your face is a little red."

Sakura's flush deepened. It had been ten days since Shinji had last…. No she didn't want to think about that. Even though her body craved it, what he had done to her was wrong.

Even if she had enjoyed it, despite the pain.

Would Shirou hurt her? Would he treat her like Shinji did? She felt as if her face had caught on fire.

Shirou placed his hand on her forehead, "Whoa. Sakura, are you okay? You didn't need to come if you were sick."

She righted herself and reluctantly pulled away, "I am fine, Emiya."

Shirou shook his head, "You know we have been friends for a while now, Sakura. You can call me Shirou."

Sakura shook her head, "I couldn't do that Emiya. You are my senior and I look up to you. I suppose I could call you sempai." She looked over at Ayako, "You wouldn't mind that, would you sempai?"

Ayako placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "Not at all my dear kohai. I certainly don't mind having big brave Emiya here to help protect you."

Sakura smiled broadly and bowed to Shirou, "I will be in your care, sempai."

Shirou just stood there looking confused.

Ayako said, "Okay, so that is settled. What now, my dear friends? The day is still young, and we have no school. Karaoke?"

Shirou shook his head, "I should head home. I will take my leave once we get to Miyama. I need to head to the market to pick up some groceries for dinner."

Sakura softly said, "Ice cream?" She closed her eyes, she didn't want this day to end yet. Her brother had stayed behind at the Archery Dojo for some reason. She seldom got time to spend with Shirou without her brother there as well.

They were friends of a sort. But Shinji was jealous of Shirou for some reason.

Ayako shrugged.

Shirou said, "I don't know…."

Sakura looked up at him and smiled at him, tilting her head slightly. "Please, sempai. Spend time with us."

Shirou looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. He opened his mouth and then shut it. He nodded tersely and led the way, muttering under his breath.

Ayako patted her on the shoulder again, "Good job, kid. Keep up the good work. It will take time to wear him down, but I think he had finally seen you for a change." She grinned, "This should be interesting."

Sakura looked at her closest friend and shrugged. She and Ayako talked to each other quietly and followed Shirou.

They followed him onto the bridge and into the other section of the City. They were still softly chatting when Ayako stepped in front of her.

Sakura looked curiously. There was a small crowd of boys just a little older than her. She even recognized a few. They had bullied her. Teased her.

A dark part of her was curious what they would do if she used her magic on them. She had studied some of the books in the library at home, had even practiced with one ice spell she could use to defend herself with.

She had worked it down to a single line aria, but while it would always work, she couldn't fully control her own power. It had a good chance of not just scaring off an opponent but killing them. She had a couple of boundary spells that might be useful too.

But this was a public place. In the middle of the day. Magic was not supposed to be used casually, in the public eye. It would draw attention that neither she nor her grandfather wanted.

Sakura winced. One did not anger her grandfather lightly. He could and would torture or kill at a whims notice. She herself was still alive, but she had felt his anger before. The pain had been excruciating. She was not eager for another dose.

Shirou said, "Mishima, Takeda, Oneida, I thought you all hated each other. What are you all doing blocking my path?"

Sakura's heart sped up. Shirou had said that so calmly. And yet she could see him tense up and calm as the serenity he had when he shot a bow took him over. A dangerous calm. The waters slowly drifting out to sea before a Tsunami.

The other boys felt it too. A few of them looked amongst each other. They were not friends. They were merely here to gang up on someone they couldn't fight on their own.

The one Shirou had refered to as Oneida sneered and said, "Oh, don't worry about that. Me and the boys decided it was time to teach you uppity rich kids your place. Just because you've got friends and contacts don't mean anything at a time like this."

Shirou just casually said, "I don't want to fight you. I never have. But I won't let you bully others. What makes you think I will let you bully myself and my friends?"

Oneida smirked, "Because there are ten of us?"

Shirou's eyes tightened, "Two, ten, or a hundred. I will not let you bar my way. If you let me escort my friends, I will return to a place of your choosing where we can settle this. Until then, all this is doing is making me angry."

Sakura's face began to flush. Her stomach began to fill with a familiar tension. A part of her wanted to unleash her half controlled ice spell so she could get rid of the annoying teens in her way. Then she would jump Shirou. Ayako could join or watch, Sakura didn't really care.

Most of her was disgusted with how degraded she had become. That she could be so twisted as to want to kill others simply so that she could have sex, in public no less, with a man who didn't see her that way. How could he when she was what she was. Surely he could see the foulness that was slowly consuming her?

Ayako stood up next to Shirou. "I am not going to let you face all this by yourself. I humbly ask you to allow me to aid you in clearing this petty rabble."

Shirou looked at her, "You do realize you are a girl, right?"

Ayako smiled at him, "Why yes. Yes I do. The day may come when I prove that to you. Today is not that day. You are not the only one who spends a bit too much time in a dojo, Emiya."

Shirou said in a disapproving voice, "Ayako…."

Ayako looked at the crowd of confused boys, "So, split them fifty-fifty? No, you are probably greedy. Sixty-forty then?"

"Ayako."

"Right. You are undergoing testosterone poisoning like my brother. Need to have bragging rights. Well, how about seventy-thirty? You aren't the only one who wants to show off in front of our kohai."

Oneida exchanged glances with the others. "Whatever. Just don't hurt the girl so much she can't show us… consideration after we beat Emiya up."

The fight began. It would have gone badly for Shirou and Ayako if their enemies weren't so clumsy and untrained. Used to dealing pain to those they bullied, they rarely faced a true threat save each other. Ayako knew what she was doing, she did indeed have training if not experience.

Shirou had both. And he seemed tougher than Sakura had imagined. Tougher than Shinji, that was certain. Because even with the unwieldiness of the attackers, they still massively outnumbered the two, and they were able to get in hits.

Sakura stood there, desperate to find a way to help. Perhaps it was her imagination, but the shadows around her began to twitch. She felt almost as if she could feel the edge where light met dark and melded, becoming something inbetween. Her body felt hot now, her circuits adding to her body heat as they switched on. The pain and discomfort did not disperse her arousal, if anything it increased it.

Her clothes felt too tight, painfully rubbing against her hypersensitive skin with each slight motion of air or body. Her breath began to quicken to a pant as her body grew ever hotter. Her friends were getting beat up and she was just standing there half way to climax.

What was WRONG with her?

She felt as someone grabbed her. Around her again the shadows twitched. Only she noticed, only she could feel it. She suddenly know they would protect her and shelter her. That she would be safe there.

Unfortunately she stood directly in the Sun's bright gaze.

She felt strong arms pull her close, could smell the sake on his breath, and could feel the sharp knife at her throat. She cried out, but it was more of a moan.

"Shinji said you liked it rough. Guess he was right. I honestly thought he was kidding, who bangs his own sister, right? But he said you were a step sister, brought in out of charity. That you would be gutter trash without the Matou."

She couldn't see him, but she could feel him. One aria. 'I call on Winter's Mist to aid me.' That was all she had to say, and this would be over.

And he would likely be dead.

No. She couldn't bring herself to kill someone. Not even someone like this.

"Be quiet now, your friends are busy now. You don't want to disturb them." He moved her around a corner, out of sight.

And in the shadows.

She could feel as a part of her woke up, as she felt the Sun's bright light no longer shine upon her. And she smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. She felt as if she were slowly drifting into darkness.

Her assailant turned her around. "You are a pretty girl. If you are good, I will make sure you enjoy this too. Wait, what is wrong with your hair? It was dark just a moment ago… and your eyes…."

Sakura felt herself falling into a deep sleep, even as she reached up to give her assailant a kiss. If only to drown out his screams. And as darkness swallowed her and she lost consciousness, she felt the shadows writhe behind her.

Feeding.

And she slept.

Author's Note—

And so here we have the next part. A bit of a transition piece really. Hopefully the rest should be up by this weekend.

Hope you all enjoy.

Oh, and let me know if you think I should slide the bar to Mature from Teen.