As early as seven in the morning, Fuyuki City is already bustling with life. Shinto's station front is crowded as per usual, chatter filling the air as people pass through, looking to get to other parts of the district. Among the crowd in her usual crimson coat, Scathach was accompanying Medusa, the latter carrying a small suitcase that nicely contained most of her belonging, not that she had many. Both of them were following behind Shirou as they headed to a supposed new safe-house.
"Medusa?" Paused in her tracks, the crimson haired woman turned to the girl lacking slightly behind her. "Something wrong? Need any help with that?"
"Hmm? Oh- Sorry, it's nothing! I just-" Breaking from her thoughts, the purple haired girl quickened her pace to catch up, but instead knocked into someone.
"Ah!" Letting out a squeal, the small girl fell on her butt. "Ow ow ow..."
"I- I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where-"
"Mordred!" A familiar voice could be heard approaching. Looking up, Nightingale came running over towards them. "I told you not to run ahead! Come now, up on your feet. You're not hurt are you?"
"Sorry, but don't worry. I'm fine, Mother!" Rising to her feet, the blond child was bubbling with energy.
"Geez, how many times have I told you to look where you're going. Sorry about that, Medusa."
"Wow... you're so tall...- Ah, I'm sorry, Onee-san." Turning to the purple haired lady, she bowed slightly in apology. "Nice to meet you! I'm Mordred, Mordred Pendragon."
"No, it's okay, I wasn't hurt or anything. I'm Medusa. Please to meet you." Bending down slightly, tall girl petted the child lightly on her head, the latter really pleased with the gesture.
"Nightingale? Right, you took the day off today, didn't you?" Scathach approached them.
"Yup! It's the school's sports festival today! Mother and Father agreed to come!" The young girl exclaimed in excitement. "I'm so gonna win first place! Right, Father?"
"Father?"
"Yes yes, I'm sure you will." A blonde lady dressed in black walked up from behind next to the mistyrose haired nurse. Although she had a pale complexion and bright golden eyes, she had a high resemblance to Mordred, or rather, Mordred takes after her. "Ho? Chaldea get another newcomer? Hmm... doesn't look like you can handle yourself."
"Come now dear, no teasing. Introduce yourself."
"Okay okay. Arturia Lancer-Alter Pendragon, you can call me Arturia if you'd like. Anyway, we should get going if we don't want to be late. Let's go, Mordred." Taking her daughter by hand, the two of them continued on, the young girl waving goodbye as they walked away.
"Well, I have to be going now. Scathach, Medusa, Shirou, see you tomorrow. And be careful." Nightingale quickly followed after the two of them.
Waving goodbye to the family, the three of them continued on their way, eventually stopping in front of a tall building. "We're here."
"This is..." Medusa had seen this building a couple of times already from a distance, but never up close.
A building covered in black glass windows, the structure stood tall among the other buildings that had Shinto looking artificial. After its construction, it had also taken the title of tallest building away from the one at the station front. Officially, the building is where the main office of one of the many shipping company's that brings in trade through the Shinto docks, but it is actually the main headquarters of the Fujimura Group, the Yakuza group that operated in the city.
"Shirou, when you said safe-house, you don't mean... Wow, guess we really are grasping at straws. How did you even get Olga to agree?"
"Yea..." A shiver ran down his spine. "I didn't, actually..." Walking towards the entrance, the auto-doors slid apart, allowing them inside the lobby.
Entering the building, they found a man waiting for them, dressed in a traditional violet umanori hakama long with a purple haori on top, matching nicely with his long indigo hair which had been tied into a pony tail. "Ah, I've been expecting you. Emiya-dono. And these are?" Sasaki Kojirou, one of Taiga's most trusted right hand men and a skilled samurai.
"These are friends from my workplace, Scathach-san and Medusa-san."
"Sasaki Kojirou, please to make your acquaintance. This way, please." Formally bowing, he led the three of them to one of the two elevators in the lobby. "You'll find Jing Ke waiting for you on the thirty-fifth floor."
"Not coming along, Sasaki-san?"
"I'm just a henchman, Emiya-dono. Whatever business or such that you have with the boss lady, that kind of stuff doesn't really interest me. Besides, I have-"
"Sasaki-san!" From the entrance, a man in a suit ran up to him. "Some of the boys got into a fight with a rival gang!"
"Of course... Well, like I was saying, I have business to attend to. See you around, Emiya-dono." Saying his goodbyes, Sasaki turned away as the elevator doors closed.
As the elevator began to ascend, the scenery changed past the tenth floor, from close off walls to windows. "Whoa..." As they climbed higher and higher, Medusa was treated to a vast and exquisite view of the city. She could see almost everything, from the Shinto district around her to even the temple in Miyama Town. So engrossed in the sight before her, the purple haired girl was only brought back to her thought when the elevator pinged their arrival at their destination.
"Welcome, Fujimura-sama is expecting you." Getting off the elevator, they were greeted by a Chinese lady. With a white lily sitting in her ponytailed black hair, she wore a snow white chinese kimono dress with a wave-like pattern on its linings along with a transparent silk scarf. Jing Ke, one of the Yakuza's deadliest assassins. Working up its ranks since joining, her effort eventually led to become Taiga's personal secretary and adviser. Extremely skilled with a dagger, her high success count on assassinations is only bested by her love for alcohol. "This way please."
Following behind her through a dimly lit hallway, they were brought upon two large doors, leading into a massive hall, lined with several pillars on the left and right side of the room. Walking across the hall, they were brought towards the back of the hall, where a short stairway led to a set of office doors. "Excuse us, Fujimura-sama."
"Come in!" Parts of the office walls were glass panels that allowed a delightful view of the city. The center of the room was occupied with a table, sofa and chair. A large black office table sat at the back of the room, with a cabinet of shelves and several shinai's on display with wall mounts.
"Heya Shirou! Thank you Jing Ke, you're dismissed." Sat waiting at one of the sofa seats was a woman in a sleek black suit, her matching black and white fur coat hanging off the seats back rest. With blood red eyes, she had golden brown hair along with... two life-like cat ears on the top of her head. "Those your friends? Come in, come in! Please, take a seat. Fujimura Taiga, nice to meetcha' moew!"
Taking a seat next to Scathach on the double sofa, Medusa leaned in to to her ear for a whisper. "Are those ears... real?"
"Yes, these are real. Wanna have a feel, meow?" The two cat ears moved slightly to show.
"What! Ah!, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"Fuji-nee, please don't tease her, okay? We actually do need your help." Shirou began to run through their situation, starting from their encounter with Medusa, to the reappearance of an ex-employee's who had hired help, all the way to the scuffle last night. Turns out, Taiga was aware of the existence of magecraft and the Association, but it appears she doesn't really care one bit since it doesn't concern her or her Yakuza.
"Well, I understand the situation but... I see no reason why I should have to get my Yakuza involved in a conflict among magi. It's not profitable in anyway for us, and brings unnecessary attention from the people in your part of the world. Or can I consider this act of cooperation a between your CSC and my Fujimura group finally entering a business partnership? We've been meaning to propose a deal with your Director for quite some time now, but she's never even bothered considering."
"Fuji-nee, that's not really my call to make." Shirou sighed, clapping his hands together in a plea. "Just... take it as you're little brother asking a favor, pretty please?"
"Mmmmm..." Musing with a hand on her chin, she turned her blood red eyes towards the purple haired girl, who shivered slightly under watch. "Okay, on one condition. While she's under my protection, Shirou! You'll cook my meals at least once a day! Got it, meow?!"
"That's it?!" Hearing her request, the boy nearly face-palmed towards the floor. "Haa... Fuji-nee... Why am I not surprised?"
"Is that all, Shirou? If so, I look forward to you cooking once again, meow! Oh, I request a seafood buffet tonight! You'll find my kitchen stuffed with raw ingredients!" From their seats, Scathach and Medusa sweat-dropped, in disbelief. The leader of the Yakuza had agreed to protect a girl sought after by a dangerous magnus and his mercenaries, and in exchange, all she wanted Shirou's home-cooked meals. "Anyway, Scathach-san and Medusa-san? I look forward to being with the both of you, meow!"
"Huh?" Taking out his mobile, the boy froze a second after glimpsing the screen, his face engulfed with fear.
Station Front
I'll be there 10 minutes
Try not to take too long, Or Else
Olga
"Okay... I'll be sure to do that tonight. Now, I have to get to work." Speaking so quickly he barely made sense, Shirou ran off back towards the elevators. "Fuji-nee, I'll leave them in your care!"
"Okie dokie, remember to be early to start cooking, meow!
...
"Haa... haa... haa..." Sprinting all the way from the Fujimura Building back to the train station in near record time, Shirou spotted the Olga at the parking lot, leaning against their company car. "Director! I- I'm sorry I'm!-"
"Calm down and catch your breath. You're not late or anything." Not looking away from her phone, she gave the boy a minute to compose himself. "All okay now?"
"Y-Yea... thanks, Director-"
"Good. Get in, you're with me today." Pulling open the driver seat door, she got in and started the engine. "Come on, let's go." Getting into the vehicle, they drove along the roads following the train tracks leading from the station front. Eventually leaving the city behind for the outskirts, their surrounding now had less buildings and more fields. When Shinto was finally far from view, Olga pulled into a parking spot near the train tracks leading further out of the area. "This is as far as we'll go by car."
"Director, where exactly are we going?"
"That way, just a little further." Pointing towards a forested area in the distance, the white haired lady proceeded on foot, Shirou following after her. Entering the embrace of the forest, after minutes of silent walking, Olga finally broke the silence. "So, how did things go with your step-sister? No problems, I assume?"
"Huh?!- O-Oh... Medusa-san will be under the Yakuza's protection for the... time being..." Stuttering his words, Shirou nearly tripped over himself. "Umm... how did you find out?"
"Deductive reasoning; in our current situation, there's really only one place left in Fuyuki that's still safe even from Lev." Stopping in her tracks, Olga turned to him with a smile on her face. "Am I wrong, Emiya-kun?"
"Umm... No. I guess...- Owowowow!"
Pinching at one of his cheeks, the white haired lady pulled him along as they continued. "Good, then you're with me today, let's go."
"Ow!- Direc- I'm sorry- Ow! OwoWOWOW!" After five minutes of following while under her iron-pinch, Olga finally let go, allowing Shirou to rub his red and aching cheek. "Owww..." "S-Sorry, Director..."
"Look, I'm not mad. But no more acting without my knowledge, let alone my consent, got it?"
"O-Okay. By the way, why exactly are you here, Director?" Shirou had been wondering for awhile. As far as he's been working for Chaldea, Olga had rarely been the one actually doing a job since they've never been understaffed. "Couldn't you have sent someone here in your place?"
"What? There a problem with your Director accompanying you?"
"Uhhh..."
"Relax, I just figured I'd do my part. And even after last night's fiasco, the others still came into work when I gave them the day off."
"Director..." Shirou always knew this, but seeing it for the first time was reassuring, if nothing else. Behind that fierce personality of her's, she does genuinely care about everyone working under her.
"Anyway, here we are." Finally spotting what she was expecting, Olga halted in her tracks.
"Huh- This is..." Police tape, stretching across in front of them, meant to block off any further access to the area ahead. "What's this doing here..."
"Remember Boudica and Scathach's theory, about the so-called natural gas explosion that damaged the train tracks outside the city? Well I did a little digging, and that 'accident' supposedly took place at the train tracks near where we parked at."
"Back there? But there wasn't anything-"
"Wasn't anything out of place there? Well according to the unofficial police report, that's what happened. Orders came through the chain of command to hand the case over to the higher ups who then swept it under the rug. Higher ups who all recently had a large sum of money sent their way, and we can probably guess where the anonymous donations came from." Lifting up the yellow tape, Olga and Shirou crossed over. "So then, what is police tape doing all the way out here, far from the scene of the crime that never happen?"
Continuing onward through the restricted area, they both eventually came upon a clearing. "That's..." Quickly ducking behind a tree, Olga peeked out. There was a wreck of some kind. She tried to get a better view, but there were several vehicles in the way. Around the area, there were men armed with rifles, of the same description from the mall attack. "Emiya-kun..."
"I count at least a dozen of them and... huh?" Narrowing his eyes, Shirou spotted two of the men lining the ground with something. "Is that... Director, they have explosives. I think they're rigging the place to blow."
"Well then, no time to waste." Raising her arm, golden light formed a magic circle around her hand. "Gandr!" Pointing at one of the men, a blast of magic shot froth from her index finger. Flying straight into the target, the curse burns a wound into his chest, the impact sending him flying off his feet. "Emiya-kun, I'll provide backup, so go do what you do best."
"Roger! Trace, On!" Projecting Kanshou and Bakuya in each hand, he filled the blades with magical energy as he threw them. Drawing an arc through the air, the blades tear through two men before intersecting on a third, rending flesh like scissors through paper. Dashing out of his hiding spot, another pair of twin swords were already projected into each hand. "HAAAAH!" Coming up at the side of one of their attackers, a deep slash forced him to drop his gun before the other blade entered his heart.
"Got you! DIE!" From another direction, two of the armed men had a clear shot of the red haired boy.
"Shit!-"
"Stars, Cosmos, Gods, Animus, Hollow, Void, Anima, Animusphere!" Skipping a stone over between them, golden light burst forth, creating a barrier just in time to save Shirou from a hail of bullets. Another stone flew towards the three men firing from behind a truck, creating an explosion that cleared them out. "Emiya-kun!" Taking aim, Olga continued firing off Gandar shots, taking out another two before ducking back behind a nearby tree.
"Now!" While the were distracted, Shirou quickly ran up to the last two, throwing Kanshou at one while he drove Bakuya into the other.
"Now then... let's see what they were trying to cover.." Walking around the vehicle, Olga couldn't believe the wreckage before her. "...up..."
"Director? What's wron- Whoa... What the heck...?"
A massive container truck sat before them in two major pieces in a crater, bent pieces of metal around it, damaged wiring hanging out from where it had been split. Looking closer, the container hadn't split, rather it had been broken in half by a huge force, from the inside. The drivers section of the car had been ripped off from the main vehicle, half of it sat a few feet away, while the other was sitting in a tree.
"Emiya-kun, see if you can find anything down there."
"Got it." Stepping carefully down into the wreckage, his nose was immediately stuck with a strong odor. "What the?-" There was a weird kind of liquid, already half dried into the ground, giving off a strong medicinal smell. Getting a small flashlight from his pocket, the light revealed a shattered cylinder within the wrecked container, large enough to hold a person. Most likely an experimental chamber, judging by the odd liquid and the huge hole in the glass. "Huh?" Bending down to examine the chamber, he found a small panel. Pulling it open revealed some sort of data drive, partly damaged but salvageable.
"Anything?"
"Yea!" Making his way back out of the wreckage, Shirou was provided some assistance when Olga stretched a hand towards him. Climbing back out, he showed her the drive he round. "Director, I found this inside. I think we might be able to get something off this."
"A data drive? Huh. I never knew Lev to use these sort of things. You know how traditional magi are towards technology. Well good job, now we should-"
*beep*
"What the-" Shirou froze, her ears just caught something.
*beep* *beep*
Looking towards the source, the sound was coming from underneath one of the mercenaries vehicles. Bending down, his eyes immediately caught the anomaly... with only five seconds left on the timer. "Shit!"
"Emiya-kun, what- AH!" Grabbing her by her arm, Shirou quickly yanked her over to his side.
"Trace! O-"
*BOOM*
"Come on in, make yourselves at home." Sliding the keycard through the electronic lock, Taiga invited Scathach and Medusa into her personal home at the top of the Yakuza building, accessible only via an executive elevator on the same floor as her office that the tiger lady had her guards around at all times.
"Excuse us..." Entering the corridor, they found themselves in a elegant three story loft, the kind of place you'd expect the richest of the rich to live in. "Wow..."
"Okay..." Tossing her fur coat to the sofa, the brunette walked over to a nearby counter-top, returning with two more keycards. "Medusa-san, Scathach-san, here, you'll need this. They'll allow access to the executive elevators to get up here.
"I'll only be checking up on Medusa while she's in your care, I won't need it." The crimson haired woman held out the card back.
"Oh? Still, just keep it anyway. You'll find the guest rooms on the third floor; Medusa-san, feel free to make use of any of the empty rooms."
"Right, so why are we staying over in your place? Not that I don't appreciate it, Fujimura-san, but why aren't we instead at a Yakuza safe-house instead?"
"Considering this is a favor for my little brother, living with me is going to be far better than any of my safe-houses. Besides, I'm hardly ever here expect to sleep, and even then it's usually not here. You'd be surprised how busy I am being the current head of the Fujimura Group." Taiga explained. "So I'd appreciate it if someone could actually make use of this place for once. Anyway, I have business to attend to so make yourselves at home. See ya later, meow!" Grabbing her coat, she quickly ran off back towards the elevator.
"Shirou's sister sure does move at her own pace..." "Medusa, you should probably unpack and get some rest. I'll be around if you need me."
"Sure, thank you."
While the purple haired girl went up to one of the guest rooms, Scathach started looking around the loft. Surveying the place for any potential flaws, she began setting up multiple runes on each floor, creating a detection and concealment boundary field around the place. "This should do, now then..." Headed over to the guest rooms to check on Medusa, she found tall girl fast asleep. Walking over to the bed, Scathach pulled up the covers for the girl. The tranquil expression on the sleeping girl's face was almost a miracle given the situation she was in. Bending down next to her bedside, she placed her hand over Medusa's. "I promise... I will find a way to finish this..."
Coughing as the dark smoke cleared, Olga struggled to regain her breath. Her senses were still distorted, eyes seeing bright flashes as her ears continued ringing from the deafening sound. "I'm... alive?"
"D-Director?"
"Emiya-kun...? What the?!-" Finally regaining her senses, the pink glow over her immediately caught her attention. On Shirou's outstretched arm, there was a massive four petaled iridescent flower, with another four circular shapes over it, in front of his palm. Whatever it was, it had shielded them both from the blast. "E-Emiya...kun... what is... this?"
Allowing the projection to fade, he let his arm fall. "T-That... was Rho Aias... a... shield projection." Shirou tried to explain while struggling to catch his breath. As usual, the cost of projection for his strongest defense was absurdly high, even when he could only manage four of the seven shield layers. And the after effects of using that much magical energy were heavy, the level of tiredness was like he had just ran a marathon. "A-Anyway, you... are you okay, Director? No injuries?"
"Y-Yea, I'm fine. Thanks, Emiya-kun." Checking herself, Olga had sustained a few minor injuries, but nothing life-threatening. If anything, the only real damage she suffered was her clothes getting covered with soot. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine. I have the drive, we should get out of here before more people show up."
...
"Olga!" Hurrying back to the office upon hearing the news, Boudica made her way straight to the infirmary. Upon seeing the white haired lady safe and sound, she ran up to her and pulled her into an embrace, unconcerned that the former was still covered in soot. "I came as soon as I heard! Are you alright?! You're not hurt anyway?! Not in any pain?!"
"B-Boudica! C-calm down, I'm fine..." A little surprised at the tight embrace, Olga tried to reassure her. "I'm fine, Boudica. Really, I am." After managing to convince the redhead that she was completely fine, Olga ran her through their afternoon encounter at the wreckage site.
"A container truck? You think that's how Medusa-chan ended up in Fuyuki?"
"Most likely, Lev's men were trying to cover up the entire thing with explosives. They somewhat succeeded, but not before we managed to obtain a data drive from and experimental pod. Emiya-kun says he should be able to get access to the files stored inside by tomorrow, whatever he can salvage anyway." Getting up off the bed, Olga picked up her soot covered coat. "Anyway, I'm going to take this to the washer."
"Wait, are you sure you're okay, Olga? I can take that for you if you-"
"Relax, Boudica. I'm fine, really. I'll promise to tell you if anything's wrong, okay?"
"Nyaa~... Oh how I've missed your cooking." With a belly full of Shirou's homemade cooking, Taiga showed no intention of moving from her spot on the sofa. Cat ears pointing forward in content, she didn't care that her tummy was bulging from her shirt, a very unladylike sight.
"Haa... Even as the Yakuza head, you're still the same Fuji-nee as before." Chuckling, he finished up the last of the dishes at the kitchen's sink before joining them at the living room, bringing along a tray of tea-filled cups.
"Yes, that was really good. Thank you, Shirou-san." Medusa offered her thanks from the sofa seat next to the lazing brunette.
"Sure, I'm glad you liked it. Fuji-nee, don't fall asleep immediately after eating. Come on now, get up." Managing to convince his step-sister to not occupy the entire sofa, Shirou took a seat next to her. "So, Medusa-san. What do you think about living her so far. It's probably not everyday you get to live in an overly expensive loft."
"Overly expensive? That's mean Shirou! I didn't spend that much furnishing this place!"
"It's a really nice place. I'm really grateful that you're willing to let me stay here even though I'm nothing more than a burden-"
In an second, Taiga was already in front of her, lightly planting a karate chop on Medusa's head. "Don't say things like that, meow! It's not your fault you're being pursued by some wannabe weirdo. Favor or not, I've already decided to help out, so feel free to ask if you need anything, okay meow?"
"I see, thank you... Well... There is one thing."
"Hmm?"
"That room on the second floor, with the filled bookshelves. Is that a private library?"
"Private library? Well that's one way of looking at it. She may not look it, but before become the current Yakuza head, Fuji-nee was an English teacher." Shirou explained.
"English teacher? I see... Anyway, I was wondering if I could maybe... borrow a few books from it?" Medusa pointed over towards the second floor. "I've sort of finished all my novels and-"
"That's it? Sure thing, go ahead meow! Feel free to bring the books back to your room if you'd like!" Taiga gave her the go ahead with a thumbs up.
"I'm back." A familiar voice called out from the doorway.
Seeing as Scathach had returned from her apartment, Shirou grabbed his bag before making his way back to the elevators. "The Director needs me for something tomorrow, so I'll be going now. Anyway, good night."
"Well, I have a business deal to attend to first thing tomorrow. Good night, Scathach-san, Medusa-san." Leaping floor to floor instead of using the stairway, Taiga quickly returned to her room.
"...What is that woman?..." Looking at the clock, it was almost midnight. "It's getting late. Medusa, why don't you go take a shower then get some rest?"
"Okay."
Note:
Hakama are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. There are two types of hakama, divided umanori (horse-riding) hakama and undivided andon (lantern) hakama. The umanori type have divided legs, similar to trousers.
Haori is a traditional Japanese sort of hip- or thigh-length kimono-like jacket, usually worn over other traditional clothing.
Shinai's are weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword, usually made of bamboo.