Chapter 15 – Arrangements
(Published: 11.11.12 - Beta: Cloud Link Zero, Zaralann)
Shirou returned home alongside Caster in complete silence. Both of them had their own thoughts to deal with.
For Shirou, the Holy Grail War was a returning nightmare. The possibility of a repetition of that tragedy was enough to make his blood boil. He didn't know what the Servant by his side wanted to do now that she knew of the truth behind the Grail. Her wish was simple and straightforward enough, but the Grail couldn't make it real unless she knew already how to realize it herself. Therefore, unless there was a energy requirement that only the Grail could provide she had no longer need to obtain it.
The problem was that she still had to survive a conflict where being killed was the requirement for the other competitors to win.
Sure, he had every intention of telling the same story to every Master and Servant he came across, but that didn't mean they would believe or listen to him. Worse, there could also be people who wanted nothing more than watch the world burn. He couldn't dismiss the possibility that the corrupted Grail would reach out to such sympathetic individuals.
That meant he couldn't just flat out reveal what he knew of the Grail without knowing the intentions of the others Servants and their Masters. However he could also hardly waltz into battle and demand to know their motives.
The easiest way out was to eliminate indiscriminately every Servant, no question asked, but then again that was something Emiya Shirou was unable to do. That in turn meant that his way through the coming conflict was going to be the hardest of all. Admittedly, it wasn't something he could accomplish on his own and truth to be told, not even if he had a Servant of his own.
He needed to become stronger, that much was painfully clear, but he also needed to form alliances with sympathetic Masters and their Servants if he wanted the tiniest of hope for this conflict to reach something akin to a happy ending.
There was of course just one person that Shirou could consider trustworthy enough to approach and discuss the matter with: Tohsaka Rin. The heir of one of the founding families was one of the most likely to be selected as a Master in lieu of her history with the Grail and he knew enough of her character to be fairly sure she wouldn't misuse his knowledge of the War.
The point was, would she be willing to trust him as much as he trusted her?
Truth to be told, Shirou wasn't that sure about it. In spite of their recent amicable history, Shirou had still to confront her as a practitioner of the Craft. Magi were a bunch of suspicious people, and suddenly revealing himself to her as a Magus after all she had already gone through because of the war, she was likely to be wary of him, if not outright distrusting him for keeping this secret so long after becoming friends.
Yeah, he couldn't see her taking it well at all. He would refrain from contacting her about it until he was certain she would be a Master. If and when she summoned her own Servant she would be more likely to listen to what he had to say. People were far more inclined to trust others when they weren't at their most vulnerable after all.
That being said, there were many thing he needed to prepare. As soon as he could he would go over the material he took from Guilford's Workshop and see what he could use to his advantage.
To be completely honest Medea could count herself to be extremely lucky, all things considered.
Being summoned by a horrible Master aside, the recent turn of events could count as an actual blessing. True, the Grail was not what she expected it to be and while that definitely wasn't something she could consider positive, the fact that she managed to discover it so soon gave her enough time to plan different options.
Yes, surviving the War hadn't become any easier a task but with far more knowledge and time at her disposal than most other Servants she definitely had the upper hand. In addition to that she was completely unbound, no longer restricted by another person's whims and desires and to make things better she was on amicable terms with a capable combat oriented Magus.
That didn't mean they would remain allies in the long run, but so long as she didn't openly act in way that conflicted with his moral compass it was unlikely that he would turn against her. Heroes were predictable like that but in this instance it was a good thing,
That being said, her utmost priority was to assess exactly how much time she had before the war officially started. In all likelihood the other Masters wouldn't show up on the battlefield long before the conflict started, unless they were native of the city. It was a risky bet to expose themselves too soon unless there was a chance to acquire some sort of advantage.
On that note, Vincent plan hadn't been a bad one, it was just poorly executed. Getting his hands on a potential enemy Master before she had summoned her Servant and 'sway' her to his cause was an excellent idea. Now she had the chance to implement it better, thanks in good measure the her new acquaintance. She didn't know what his relationship with the Tohsaka girls was, but she had little doubt that if she played her cards right she could manipulate her through him.
The two most pressing concerns she currently had were obtaining a stable source of Prana and finding a base of operation from where she could establish all future projects.
As she pondered these topics they completed the trip back to his house.
"Caster," he said as they approached the gate to his home. "do you have any idea of what you're going to do from now on?"
"I'm a bit at loss for plans as of now," she lied smoothly. "There are a number of things I need to consider before deciding anything."
"I understand. I don't suppose you have a place to stay either."
"No," she replied calmly, "though I don't really have need for a roof or anything."
"I see. Well, feel free to remain here as long as you wish."
"Truly?" she asked a little taken aback by such an open invitation. Though she planned of asking it herself she did not expect to be asked first. Could it be that he was planning something himself? "Why would you want me to remain here?... Not that I am displeased with it."
"Well," he chuckled, " it would really be bad form if I took you off the street only to force you back on it not a day later, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose, but I don't really think that is all there is to it."
"Caster, is there something wrong in helping somebody just because I can?"
"Shirou-san, as one who walks the path of Magi you should know that in this world nothing is for free. There is always a price to pay for everything we take."
"Well then, since it's not you taking anything but me offering it there shouldn't be such a problem to begin with, right?"
"… Perhaps," she finally conceded. Again she found herself unable to grasp his motives. She didn't think he had any nefarious intention as far as she was concerned, but she wasn't able to relax so long as she didn't grasp a situation entirely. Well, whatever the reason it still all worked in her favor.
"Look, it's not like you have to stay here permanently. If you wish to stay until you find another place for yourself that's fine too."
"… Thank you," she finally replied. "I shall take upon your kind offer then."
"Great. Feel free to consider this place home as long as you like."
And with that they finally walked past the gates and into the quiet atmosphere of Emiya household.
Life changing events and world-shattering revelations usually come without any forewarning.
Such was the tremendous and cruel truth that Fujimura Taiga was forced to acknowledge one sunny afternoon as she went about her business, which happened to be freeloading at her acquired younger brother.
She never saw it coming, though it explained a great deal about her ward's character. For years she wondered if the redhead just wasn't into females but the scene in front of her eyes explained why he never seemed to take any interest in one of the many attractive girls that seemed to gravitate around him for a reason or another.
Emiya Shirou was into older women.
Of course she didn't expect to find out during a surprise visit at lunchtime, when Shirou was supposed to be bedridden with a cold, while he actually looked healthier than ever and apparently in sweet company. To be honest she would have been secretly proud, and she still was to a minor extent, for the sheer gall of pretending to be sick just to spend time with his girlfriend.
If only that… that… that woman didn't have the impudence of sitting at her place at the table, eating Shirou's handmade food that was meant to be hers and hers alone.
Of course in front of such an affront there was just one appropriate and reasonable reaction:
"SHIROOOOOOOOU!"
And so the Earth shook and the Heavens trembled under the fiery rage of the Tiger of Fuyuki.
Aw, crap. Why the hell was Taiga even there at that hour? Oh, right. She didn't have any classes that afternoon and Archery practice didn't begin until much later. It wasn't surprising that she'd come to check on him, since he was supposedly sick in bed but he completely forget to consider the eventuality of her dropping by with all the other things he was concerned about.
And there she found him, sitting at the table with a foreign woman of which Taiga didn't know a thing about. Knowing her as he did, there was no doubt she'd think he made up his illness just to be home alone with Caster.
Which happened to be the truth in this instance, but he was ready to bet that Fuji-nee would come to the worst possible conclusion about the actual reason for his lie.
"What's the meaning of this, Shirou? Who is this person?" she asked pointing a finger at a surprised but somewhat amused Caster.
"Ah… Fuji-nee. I didn't expect you to come by for lunch," he tried to buy time while his brain worked out to come up with a believable excuse.
"Of that I have no doubt. Explain yourself. NOW!"
"It's a bit of a complicated story you see," he replied sweating bullets.
"I'm all ears."
She was practically in his face at that point, and Shirou could bet she was about to bite him when the one way slaughter was brought to a temporary suspension by the sound of a small cough from the side.
"Excuse me," Caster said with an apologetic tone of voice from her sitting place. "I don't mean to intrude but perhaps it would be best if it was me who explained the situation."
"It would?" Shirou asked, not really sure if it actually was a good idea. They didn't have time to go over a story to explain Caster presence in his house. Sure he was glad that the Servant had caught up quickly and didn't seem like he wanted to hypnotize Taiga, but Shirou didn't know what sort of excuse she could come up with, and just how Taiga would react to it.
"Oh? And who exactly are you anyway?" Taiga asked crossing her arms over her chest, turning around to face Caster with all the power of her wrath. "What are your intentions toward my coo… Shirou?"
"Fuji-nee…," Shirou sighed rubbing his temples, not missing the slip of her tongue and thus the real reason for her rage.
"My name is Megissa," Caster replied without losing a beat, "and the story behind my being here is rather long."
An hour later
"Uuuuhhh," Taiga wept, wiping her tear-filled eyes. "And so," she sniffed, "after making you break all ties with your family and stealing your inheritance that no-good of your husband just run off with another woman?"
"That is exactly so," the newly named Megissa confirmed sorrowfully. "If Emiya-san here hadn't kindly offered me food and shelter yesterday I don't know how long I would have survived. Without money and in a foreign country I…," she trailed off, leaving the rest to Taiga's overactive imagination. "But I understand how my presence here is improper. I shall leave immediately."
"NO!" Taiga cried out, stopping the other woman already in the process of standing up. "There is no need for that. Please, even though you are just a freeloader make use of Shirou as long as you need."
"O-oi… Fuji-nee," Shirou sweat-dropped, "should you really be saying something like that?"
"Are you saying that you would rather have Megissa-san living on the streets after all that happened to her already? Shirou, I taught you better than that."
"Shirou-san?" Caster echoed pitifully, staring at him with the eyes of a kicked puppy, though Shirou could definitely see a glint of amusement behind that. She was certainly having a laugh at his expenses though she hid it well.
"Why am I suddenly the bad guy here? I already said that she could stay as long as she wanted. Sheesh."
"Then it's settled," Taiga declared proudly. "Until you manage to get back on your feet have no fear of using Shirou and this place."
"I am in your care then," Caster said bowing respectfully to them both. She was good at putting up a façade.
"No need to be modest," Taiga laughed. "Well then, I should really go back now. Shirou I'll come back for dinner. Make sure to cook enough food for everyone. Got it?"
"Yeah, sure thing Fuji-nee," Shirou agreed. No way he'd let Taiga go starving for his own good and the world's as well.
The hyperactive woman left in a happier mood that she arrived, something Shirou was glad of.
"That was interesting," Caster said, swiftly returning to her usual composed demeanor when they both heard the gates closing behind Taiga.
"Yeah," Shirou chuckled. "Sorry about that."
"There is no need to apologize. Your guardian's concern is understandable, though I'm curious about the circumstances that caused a Magus to be the ward of a normal person."
"It's actually pretty simple to be honest," he explained. "Kiritsugu had plenty of enemies, many of which don't have a problem with moving their grudges onto me. In order to protect me until I could do it myself dad made me blend in with normal people, cutting all ties with Magi's society. To the best of my knowledge only another person knows of my Magus status."
"Only one? Who would that be?"
"A teacher from my school, actually. Let's just say that he has a big secret that he wishes to remain so and he returns the favor by keeping mine."
"A fair exchange, I suppose," she agreed. Far from having the mentality of a modern age Magus, Caster was far more accepting of him sharing his secret with a normal person. Well, not exactly normal in Kuzuki's case.
"Anyway, thank you for not using any Magecraft on Fuji-nee. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," she returned his gratitude. "It would hardly count as proper behavior to put a compulsion over my host's family, especially when a far less invasive approach is available."
"That's true, So… should I call you Megissa-san from now on?"
"I would rather be address by my title when we can converse freely," she replied. "I am not overly fond of that name if I have to be honest."
"Why is that?"
"It's the term for Witch, in my native tongue. An appellative that has been used far too often where I was concerned."
"Then… why use it at all?"
"Because no matter how much I dislike it, it's still fitting for one such as myself."
Perhaps she had said too much, Caster reasoned in hindsight. She wanted to keep her real name under wrap as much as possible but she also realized that unless she was willing to make the boy into her thrall, a modicum of personal information had to be shared.
The boy seemed to be awfully forward in that regard and he had already specified that he had no prejudice toward Anti-Heroes in general. Therefore sharing that knowledge was a very small concession on her part, and a good way to test his character.
"Witch, uh?" he mused aloud. "That does sounds rather derogatory. Nevermind, I will call you Caster as much as I can. Just know that I happen to have visitors almost every day at breakfast and dinner so I must ask you to be patient with this."
"It's all right," she conceded. "It's the intent that is used by that word that makes the difference. I shall not perceive it as an insult in this context."
"Good. That being said is there something you need? The Prana I gave you should last until tomorrow but perhaps we should start looking into a way to provide it in a more stable manner."
"The option of us making a contract is still available but I was thinking of another less binding way."
"What did you have in mind?"
"As a Servant of the Caster Class I'm able to perform all task and rituals of a Magus, save for creating my own Prana. If I were to link to a leyline nexus I should be able to sustain myself indefinitely."
"Like the Grail System does? Wouldn't that be damaging the people in town? There is already a considerable drain from the Grail."
That was what she thought he would object. He was right in saying that if she started draining more than she needed to maintain her existence people would suffer, but that was true only if she actually started using the leyline intensively to cast several high ranked spells. Well, if he didn't raise even the slightest objection to her plan it would either mean he was an idiot or that she had severely overestimated him.
"Only if I exaggerate," she explained carefully. "Simply sustaining myself and casting low level spells over the course of several days would hardly be felt by anyone. However, if I were forced in using high level Thaumaturgy people would start weakening and if pushed too far even dying. "
"Oh," he blinked. "All right then. Just make sure to be prudent, would you?"
Eh?… Just like that? He was going along with her plan with just a mild advice to use caution? Not that she wanted to complain but she had thought he would oppose every action that could potentially jeopardize innocent lives. Had she misread him so badly?
"Are you not afraid that I could abuse it?" she asked, honestly curious. She had pegged him for being the kind of hero that would only see things black or white. "Once the link is established it would take very little effort on my part to access enormous amounts of power at the expense of the inhabitants of this city."
"Of course I am," he replied, actually surprised that she asked such a thing.
"Then why are you supporting my plan?"
"… Caster," he began slowly, as if pondering his next words carefully, "are you saying that you would purposely harm innocent people?"
"I didn't say anything of the sort," she scowled at the accusation, "I merely pointing out that I could do so with ease."
"Then I don't really see your point."
"I'm saying that you don't really know anything about me. How can you be so sure I would not indulge in the possibility of draining the population of this city just to have a easily accessible stock of Prana?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't really understand why you are asking me this," he explained. "Caster, the moment I decided to save your life last night I already took into consideration that you could be a threat to just about everyone in this town."
… Her thought process halted at that. He was right, of course. Superhuman entities such as Servants are a potential risk to everyone just by existing. Yet, in spite of that he still decided to help her.
Right there and then she realized that she had severely misunderstood the person that was staring at her with kind but strong eyes.
"Then why did you save me in the first place?" she demanded to know through narrowed eyes. The possibility of him having a secret agenda had suddenly become much more realistic.
"Because I don't consider it acceptable to sacrifice someone who has yet to express the wish or the intention to harm innocent lives just to be on the safe side. And to be completely honest, if I were to eliminate every potential threat to other people's lives I would have to eradicate every single human being in this world."
He had a point, she admitted to herself. The greatest threat to a person's life was every other human being. On that note, simply letting her disappear would have diminished the probably of bystanders being hurt in the crossfire. But apparently, the thought of killing as the first choice to avoid a potential problems was repugnant to the red haired boy. But still…
"… What are you going to do if I turn out to be such a person? What would you do if I actually am an evil witch who kills innocents for her personal gain?"
He closed his eyes for a moment and when he reopened them it was like staring into golden steel.
"Then I would take responsibility for having saved your life and stop you myself," he proclaimed. There was not a threat or a warning in his voice but simply a honest statement of intent. The declaration of a resolution made before she even begun considering how he would react to her schemes.
Yes… she had severely underestimated him. She had thought, considering his approach and motives, that he was a naïve boy with no real grasp of the harshness of reality, someone who believed the best from other people. That was still probably true, but it wasn't a product of ignorance but rather a clear and deliberate choice.
It wasn't like he didn't understand how dangerous was the path he was treading on by associating with her. From the very beginning he realized all the implications of his choices and was willing to shoulder the consequences, by putting his life on the line if needed be. Even to someone like her a person like him couldn't be considered just a mere boy.
"I understand," she acquiesced respectfully after a long moment of tense silence. "I will make sure to be careful then."
It was hardly a promise of any sort. She intended to be careful in any case for a number of reasons that had nothing to do with him or his moral compass, but it nevertheless gave her a way out of the situation without openly disregarding his words. It was the best way to avoid a unnecessary conflict with the person who currently amounted as her only resource and contact . Besides, she had no reason to force her way as of now, reasoning that she could deal with him at any time if he turned out to be an annoyance later on. At the moment he was too useful of a resource to discard on a whim or to break into a mindless thrall. In any case she intended to keep a low profile until the war was actually started. Drying the leylines wasn't definitely the best way to achieve that.
"Thank you," he said with a warm smile. "That's all I ask for. Now, if you don't mind there is a number of things I need to check out. In the meantime feel free to move around as you please. If that's all right with you I can show you to the closest nexus later today."
"I would appreciate that. I shall be in the room you gave me last night until that time. It would be better if I rested as much as possible to preserve my resources."
"Of course," he agreed. "If you need anything feel free to ask."
"I will keep that in mind. Thank you."
Emiya household: Dojo
Half an hour later Shirou was sitting cross legged in the middle of his dojo. The quiet atmosphere of the wooden building helped relieve the pressure built up after lunch. The situation with Caster could be defined as very tense, if one was in the mood for euphemisms. It was obvious even to him that she didn't like being told what to do, unsurprisingly since she was the member of a category famous for their egos among other things.
He could tell that Caster he didn't particularly care about the well being of the people around her, but that could hardly be considered a reason to put her down, since the same could be said of a great number of human beings. Just because she had a greater chance and ability to become a threat to others wasn't enough of a reason to be hostile to her.
He had made his position perfectly clear, and though it had obviously put a strain on their budding relationship, Shirou couldn't feel bad about it. Whether she turned to be a good or a bad person it was Caster's decision entirely. It would have been arrogant of him to judge her before she actually committed any act that could be defined harmful or evil.
Like he said, if he considered the potential for being evil as a reason good enough to kill someone then he would become just like Kiritsugu had been. That was the one thing he would never allow because the only thing that awaited down that path was…
Never mind. He made his choice and he was happy with it. If he actually turned against Caster, driving her into a corner even before she did a thing to warrant it there was no doubt that she would really become the person he feared she could be.
No, if she didn't pursue her wish by hurting innocent bystanders he would support her as much as he could. It was after all the main purpose for his choice of being a Hero: allowing other people to live happy and peaceful lives. So long as Caster didn't become someone who denied other people's chance at life he would stand by her as long as she needed.
As usual, in times of doubt he turned to the Scabbard inside him. Focusing on the soft warmth that spread within his chest, Shirou found confirmation of his choice. Avalon hummed quietly inside him, as if approving his course of action. So long as its light shined inside him, he was sure he was on the right path.
Yes, Caster needed help more than anyone he met in his life so far. Even though she was no longer risking to die she had yet to be truly saved. It was perhaps the greatest personal challenge Shirou had come to face until now, but he was more than willing to step up to it.
With that out of his mind, he turned into a trance-like state and resumed the usual exercises her had been forced to skip the past few days. The last thing he needed was to get sloppy at a time like this.
London: Clock Tower
The Mage Association, better known as Clock Tower due to its position beneath the famous monument in the middle of London, was the place where Magi gathered to share what little knowledge they were willing to partake from in exchange for different knowledge and resources to continue their experiments.
In spite of being inhabited by rich, cultured and well educated people it was a place more similar to a shark-filled pool rather than any institute of learning. Betrayal, blackmailing and underhanded politicking were the standard, and the social status of every member hinged heavily on their ability to use such things to their advantage. The only thing valued more than heritage and money was talent, but even the most gifted individual was nothing more than a valuable resource if they didn't have the skills and political backing to survive in that environment.
Among all those a few individual distinguished themselves from the masses through sheer character, even though they had no remarkable talent or a strong family connection
One of such persons was Waver Velvet, the second Lord El-Melloi. A once scrawny and insecure boy who grew into one of the most prominent figures among the educational part of the Association.
Being born as an average Magus from an equally average family, Waver firmly believed that enough effort could make up for missing talent, and he made no mystery of it even during his teen years. It was a testament to his strength of character, considering that he managed to rise through the ranks of an Organization where such a theory was nothing short of blasphemy.
Truth to be told, the most violent death of his former teacher, Lord Archibald El-Melloi, and subsequent loss of his family Crest had offered Waver the opportunity to prove his theory with the backing of a family who still held much power within the organization in spite of having lost the entirety of their heritage.
Taking the mantle of Lord El-Melloi, Waver quickly demonstrated that a driven individual could offer a great number of things to the Magi's community. Even if he still was to this day an average Magus at best he was also one of the most well regarded teachers of the entire association. None of his students ever graduated with anything less than "Grand" and that ability made him extremely well accepted in high circles in spite of his "cheap" lordship.
Waver, of course, cared nothing for the acknowledgement of old men who lived of the accomplishment of the past but he was forced to recognize that being on their good side helped smooth things with the funding for his researches.
Now, that was something worth talking about. His research team was something to be proud of. The most promising students, all coming from families with no ties with the nobility of the association had a place in his projects.
Their very existence was a slap in the face of the common belief that history was everything that mattered when it came to Thaumaturgy. So many ground shaking advancement were made by his team that the most prominent figures of the association could no longer disregard them or brush them off.
That was his greatest accomplishment. Though it wasn't publicly acknowledged he had managed to prove that talent wasn't everything and to make things better all of his assistants looked up to him with honest respect born from his unfaltering leadership.
Harnessing the support of those who believed in him and in turn leading them toward distant goals and through seemingly impossible challenges. He hadn't forgotten the lesson taught by his King. Even now as the last living retainer of the King of Conquerors he held his head high and his back straight as he strode confidently down the path of his choice.
It was small, and perhaps insignificant compared to Iskandar's many accomplishments, but so long as Waver lived like that the reign of his King would keep spreading, if only a little.
Such was the promise he made to himself every day, even now as he was summoned by the elders of his acquired family.
"There is a matter we wish you to take care of," they told him cryptically over the phone.
That wasn't anything good. The old crones had never been particularly forthcoming with him, as expected from senile old Magi, but so long as he delivered concrete results to make up for their loss of prestige they didn't even bother him. Not much at least.
Now they actually required his presence in person, something that they didn't bother with from the day he took the lordship. Something was already smelling extremely foul and Waver had little doubt that he was about to get a mouthful of whatever was rotting under the table.
When the car entered the perimeter of the luxurious mansion that belonged to the El-Melloi since ancient times, Waver schooled his features into the emotionless mask the needed to stand in presence of the elders. Their relationship had always been cold at best and Waver was not mistaken in thinking that they wouldn't give him the time of a day if it wasn't for their precarious situation.
He was truly not looking forward to meeting them
Five minutes and several flight of stairs later, Waver was standing in front of the humongous double doors that opened over the family meeting hall.
Pushing them open with a loud creaking noise he stepped inside the wide space decorated by luscious tapestries and with several windows that opened over the estate surrounding the mansion.
"Good morning esteemed elders," he greeted walking in.
"Welcome home Waver, please have a sit," the elder man sitting at the end of the table invited. Without missing a beat under the stare of the gathered people, Waver took his place at the head of the long table, to the extreme opposite of the man who spoke moments before.
In spite of the seemingly kind welcome, Waver could tell that he was anything but. It might have had to do with him stealing the relic of the previous Lord and therefore having a part in his death and the loss of his Crest, but Waver honestly thought that if Archibald had been paired with the King of Conquerors he would have found his demise far more swiftly.
That was just his opinion though, and he had no way to prove it to the rest of the world. To be honest, if Iskandar had been able to teach the trembling Waver how to stand like a proud man he might have been able to instill a sense of humility the late Archibald.
Then again, the fact that the now deceased Master of Lancer had strolled into a deathly battle, carrying his family's legacy without a second thought meant that he was too much of an idiot to stop and listen to anyone.
In short he had been a complete fool and the responsibility of losing centuries of accumulated Magecraft laid solely on his shoulders, no matter what his surviving relatives thought about it. Then again, Magi were fast like few others into shifting the responsibility of their own folly onto others, one of the many reasons why Waver was detached from the more traditional side of the community.
"My apologies for the wait," he told politely as he sat. "I was quite engrossed in an experiment when I received your call and putting a proper stop to the procedure took longer than I predicted. Now, I understand there is something you wished to discuss with me.
"Ah, Waver," the old man acknowledged, "always in a rush, just like the rumor says. It is no wonder you hardly ever visit these days."
"I'm sorry," he replied coldly, "I was under the impression that the last time we met like this I was told, and I quote, 'to hurry up and work my back off to restore to prestige I contributed to tarnishing'."
"Yes," the old man admitted without remorse or shame, "that is what we said back then and I must admit that you have exceeded all our expectations, though the road to return to our former prestige is still quite long."
"That being said, I suppose that the reason for this summoning has something to do with this topic."
"Indeed. It has recently come to our attention that it could be possible to accelerate, so to speak, the acquisition of a Crest."
"… I beg your pardon?" Waver asked bewildered. "I think I just misheard you."
"You heard perfectly well. There are ways to obtain a Crest if one is willing to take the appropriate steps."
"If this is about a marriage proposal…"
"Nothing of the sort, Waver," the man eased him up, though Waver wasn't feeling any more relaxed. "Even if your descendants could actually inherit a Crest the Archibald family would gain nothing from it. No, I was talking of a …donation from a lesser family from a oriental country."
"Excuse me," he almost chuckled, "last time I checked the transmission of a Crest to anyone but a close blood relative is deadly in ninety-five percent of the attempts and it would imply the destruction of the Circuits as well."
"Yes, yes. Your knowledge is correct but as you have aptly stated the procedure is risky, but not impossible. There are ways to increase the success rate if one is willing to… compromise."
"What kind of compromise are we talking about?" Waver asked already fearing the response.
"Have you ever heard of Rule of Blood, Waver?"
To his credit Waver didn't give in to the impulse of bolting upright and shout in the old man's face. No, he elegantly pinched his nose and let out a barely audible sigh.
"Let me get this straight, you have contacted a notorious Sealing Designate with homicidal tendencies and a penchant for playing Frankenstein with his victims, to forcibly procure you a Crest from a family with little to no connection with the Organization, but with enough personal history to have a considerable magical value?"
"That is exactly so," the former family head confirmed with a nod.
'ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANEEEE?'
That was what Waver was thinking in that precise moment, though the only outward sign he gave was the nervous twitching of his left eyebrow and he refrained from lifting the table and smashing it violently over the senile old fool.
"Do you realize that if the upper echelons of the Association ever caught wind of any of this, they would strip us of whatever power the name or Archibald still carries and if they were in a particular bad mood send us to the lowest levels for associating with a fugitive? What possessed you to make such a… hazardous choice?"
Hazardous wasn't quite the word he wanted to use, but he thought that giving into foul language would hardly get his concern across.
"We are perfectly aware of the risks involved, Waver and the advantages simply outweighed them by a good measure. We do have very little to lose in this regard."
Yeah. Waver agreed with that. THEY had very little to lose. HIM on the other hand had ten years of hard work and several subordinates who trusted him and followed his lead that risked being banned from the Organization just for having associated with him.
If the knowledge of this came out his researches would be shut down, his team disbanded and he would spend the rest of his life in a cage so deep underground that the sunlight would be just a pale memory of the past by the time he got out. If he got out at all.
All because a bunch of wizened buffoons couldn't stand the thought of making an actual effort to restore what they had lost.
"I see," he replied with cold rage. "I suppose that since you are bothering to tell me this your contact has managed to secure what you required."
"Actually, that is not quite the case."
"Please tell me that he didn't screw up," he came out too much like a plead, but honestly, what the hell.
"We don't know. The last time we spoke he had guaranteed that he was about to get his hand on a suitable Crest, but he failed to report when expected and all our flowing attempts at contacting him have failed entirely."
"Uh. So maybe if we are lucky he died horribly without having a chance to divulge our involvement."
"I would hardly count that as being fortunate, Waver," the man scowled. "But that is beside the point. What we require of you is to travel to Japan and ascertain what happened. If Guilford has indeed failed at his task you have to remove all evidences that could connect him to us and if he's still alive hold him to his half of the bargain. We have already paid a considerable price for his services."
"In advance? Just what exactly did you give him?"
"Several crates of spiritual influenced alloys and other raw materials he was adamant he needed to perform what we required of him and that we would consider them as an advance payment. He signed a binding contract that he would uphold his word, but there was no determinate delivery date."
"So he might just be trying to wiggle his way out by buying time, I see. Well, then I suppose there is nothing more to say. I shall make immediate preparation to depart for Japan. Were exactly is this person last known location?"
"… Fuyuki city," the man replied as if he had swallowed something particularly sour.
"Oh, damn it," Waver replied in agreement. Not being one to believe in coincidences of this magnitude, he could already tell that things were bound to get much worse before they got any better.
Fuyuki city: Ryuudo Temple -Evening
Shirou and Caster headed toward the Temple at the top of the mountain. It was one of the four points in town where the leyline crossed and where it was easier to access them.
Putting aside the friction of that early afternoon, Shirou and Caster agreed that it was the best location of the ritual to connect the Servant to the native stream of energy. It also happened to be situated above the central part of the Grail System, that was buried deep inside the mountain and covered with several layers of powerful Bounded Fields to prevent tampering.
Even Servants could hardly get past the immensely powerful defenses. In fact, the only way for a spiritual entity to access the mountain was the set of stairs that climbed all the way to the top. If they tried to enter from any other direction they would rapidly lose their strength.
"It's no use then?" Shirou asked as Caster examined the invisible barrier.
"Yes," she admitted without making an effort to hide her displeasure. "This Boundary Field is especially made to ward off spiritual entities. I believe that the makers of system wanted to prevent tampering specifically from my Class."
"Uh. I hoped you could dismantle them somehow," Shirou replied dejectedly.
"Oh, I could do that quite easily but I have to give credit to whomever put these up and refrain from doing so."
"What do you mean?"
"You see, normally a Boundary Field is erected to protect a specific location and while it may draw from the natural energy of the place it's essentially a separate thing."
"I guess this isn't what we have here?"
"Indeed. In this instance the Wards are part of the Grail System itself. Dismantling them is not impossible but it would be no different from… what could it be a proper modern analogy? Ah, like removing part of an… engine while it's running at full power."
"Nevermind," Shirou commented in understanding. No doubt if they messed up with the System while it was at full power the backlash would be felt by the entire city if not by the entire region. It would make look the fire from ten years before like lighting a matchstick.
He had hoped that Caster could, with her knowledge of superior Magecraft, halt the Grail to prevent the war from happening altogether but it looked like there wasn't such an easy way out. As a human he could still go in there, presuming he could find the entrance, but once inside there was little he could do. It appeared there wasn't such a thing as an easy solution for this.
"It's a shame," Caster agreed. "If I managed to examine it from up close I could have been able to purify it."
"Seriously?"
"Perhaps. I cannot be certain but there is a good chance that I could do so even after it has manifested into a physical form, supposing that we could isolate it in some manner until I figured out a way to proceed."
"We can work on that later. Now we should take care of your Prana income. Come on, we are going up," he said pointing at the stairs.
"Lead the way," Caster agreed.
"By the way, a friend of mine lives here…."
Issei Ryuudo didn't consider himself to be anything special, but he was confident with his ability to tell people apart. It came with being the son of a monk and it was further enhanced by his career as President of the Student Council.
For that reason he was mildly surprised when his friend Emiya Shirou came to visit that evening. No, it wasn't his visit to be surprising, seeing his adoptive father was buried in the cemetery there, but rather the person accompanying him.
He was sweeping the gate when he saw them coming. Emiya spotted him from down the long flight of stairs that climbed up the mountain all the way to the temple. The redhead waved a greeting with his hand that Issei returned politely, but as his hand lowered and his eyes moved to his friend's companion he froze.
For the first time in his life Ryuudo Issei was completely stunned. The world around him shut off to the point that he couldn't hear Emiya saying something as he approached. The entirety of his senses were focused on the woman that was elegantly making her way up to him.
His veins were cold as ice but his heart was beating frantically in his chest. There was no doubt what he was feeling was…
"… ssei… ISSEI!"
"Ghaaa," he practically screamed when Shirou was forced to shout his name to catch his attention.
"Issei are you all right? You just sort of froze there for a moment," the redhead explained. "Are you sick or something?"
Moving away from woman now too close for comfort, Issei adjusted his glasses.
"No. I'm perfectly fine," he lied not looking at her. "I just spaced out for a moment. Anyway, what brings you here at this hour? You don't usually come visit your father grave and definitely not this late in the evening."
"Ah. No, it's not like that. I was just showing my friend around the city and the temple is one of the landmarks."
"Your friend?" he asked, turning to face the woman, trying his best to maintain his composed exterior. It would do no good to show that he knew something was afoul about her. Definitely no good.
"Yes," Shirou confirmed, much to Issei's charging. "Issei, this is Megissa-san, a friend from Europe. Megissa-san, this is Ryuudo Issei, a friend from school and the son of the Head Monk at this temple."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ryuudo-san," the… thing greeted politely.
"Likewise, Megissa-san," he said in return. Showing hostility wasn't a good idea as of that moment.
"I was hoping I could show her around the temple, if you don't mind," Shirou said.
"No, of course not. Actually I should show you around myself."
"I wouldn't want to impose."
"It's not an imposition at all. Please follow me."
Putting his broom aside he led them toward the main building, explaining the history of the place to both his visitors, though Shirou probably already knew most of it.
When they reached the main chamber, the woman named Megissa stopped in the middle of the room to look around, though Issei had the distinct impression she wasn't interested in the temple itself.
"Emiya-kun," he called out, "I would like to speak with you for a moment if you don't mind."
Much to his displeasure his friend turned to look at the woman who gave a short approving nod.
"What's up, Issei?"
"Not here," he hissed and grabbed his arm, pulling him into onto the nearby balcony. When he thought he had put enough of a distance between them and the … thing, Issei turned around to face his friend. "Emiya-kun, who exactly is that person you came here with?"
"Uh? I told you. She's a friend from Europe who's staying at my place for a while."
"Y-your place? Emiya, do you have any idea..? Look, I know this going to sound strange to you but that person isn't…," he trailed off.
"Isn't what?" Shirou's eyebrows furrowed.
"Isn't human," he whispered carefully so that she wouldn't overhear. He wasn't sure if his friend's lack of reaction was a good or a bad thing though.
"She isn't human," Shirou said with a tone that wasn't quite disbelieving as Issei would have liked. "How can you tell?"
"It's… a feeling I have. I know it might sound ridiculous but I have a good sixth sense when it comes to these things."
"A sixth sense?" his friend asked cocking an eyebrow. "What do you feel exactly?"
"I can't really explain, but sometimes I get this strange feelings from people that come by. Like they are… out of place."
"And Megissa-san feels like that to you? Out of place?"
"What? No, she feels completely wrong. Like she wasn't from this world to begin with and… Emiya-kun," he stepped back cautiously, "why does it looks like you aren't surprised by what I'm saying?"
"I'm surprised enough," he said rubbing his temple. "Honestly, I should have seen it coming. Tell me, Issei, does Tohsaka-san feels out of place to you?"
"Yes! Wait… Y.. You knew? You mean you can feel it as well?"
"To a degree, though probably for a different reason. Say, Issei, did Tohsaka-san feel like... this?"
It washed over him like… a wave of razors and he was forced to step further back. He didn't actually feel pain but it was like he had been scraped all over by tiny little blades. No, no it wasn't like Tohsaka at all. If he had to compare, the feeling he got from Tohsaka was like the lingering warmth of something that had been close to a flame while, right as of that moment, Shirou felt like the fire itself.
"Emiya… you…"
"Is there a problem?" a feminine voice asked from behind him. Issei didn't need to turn to understand he was caught between the friend he thought he knew and a creature that creeped the hell out of him just by existing.
"Yes," Shirou sighed, "it appears we have been found out already. As I told you, Issei-kun seems to have a keen eye for things outside the normal."
"I see," she acknowledged calmly. "Should I deal with him as agreed then?"
"O-oi… Emiya? If this is a joke…," but it wasn't a joke. He could tell by the look in his schoolmate's eyes. What the hell was going on? Was this person really Emiya Shirou?
"I'm really sorry Issei, but we can't have you running you mouth around. Do it, Caster."
"Wha…, " he didn't manage to finish his sentence that the woman appeared right in front of him, her eyes bearing down in his like bottomless pool.
Ryuudo Issei's world went dark and he knew no more.
Shirou sighed as he watched Caster hypnotize his friend. He didn't like doing this, especially not to Issei to all people, but frankly he couldn't risk him saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. He had been lucky that it was Shirou who Issei spoke to about his sixth sense. If it had been another Magus, or worse, another Servant he had little doubt over Issei's chances to live through the consequences.
He considered the option of revealing the truth to him, but it was a choice with unpredictable results especially so early in the conflict. With a number of other Magi coming to the city and six more Servants to be summoned, Issei would risk too much just by looking in the wrong direction.
It wasn't like Shirou didn't trust him to keep his secrets but the truth was that if Issei ever came across a Magus with the suspicion of him having a connection to a Servant things would get ugly. His long time friend would likely be caught into the crossfire of a war he had no reason to be involved with. Besides, if the situation ever changed he could have Caster remove the block on his memory.
He was snapped out of his musing by the sound of a footstep behind him. There, further down the balcony stood Kuzuki Soichirou, his school teacher and retired assassin. The look in his eyes was cold and calculating as usual, and was now focused on Issei's entranced face.
"Emiya-kun, what is this?" There was no hostility in his voice but it was clear that he expected a clear answer. Their relationship was odd and it was based on keeping each other secretes, so Shirou knew that Kuzuki would probably listen to all he had to say before making a decision. Differently from Issei, Kuzuki was perfectly able to hide his intentions and thoughts and more than capable of dealing with a serious threat to his person, on top of that. Honestly, if he wanted a capable person who wasn't a Magus to watch over things, Kuzuki Soichirou was the one he needed, if he was willing to cooperate.
As he thought this Shirou heard Caster shift in preparation to move, but Shirou held up his hand to stop her.
"It's all right," he said turning to her slightly. "He knows about me."
"Still…," she protested.
"Please, trust me on this," he asked before turning to the other man. "Kuzuki-sensei, I was hoping I could speak with you in private. Could you come over to my place later tonight?"
"… Agreed," the man said before returning from where he came from as if nothing had happened, leaving Shirou alone with Caster and the still hypnotized Issei.
"Who was that person?" Caster asked now by his side. "The way he moved and his lack of presence… is he an assassin?"
"You could tell that easily, huh. Nevermind, did you get what we came here for?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "The link with the nexus is properly established but unless I'm on these grounds the amount of energy I can call upon his limited."
"How limited?"
"Enough to sustain myself indefinitely but not enough for extended combat. Of course I can bolster my reserves by visiting periodically but that's about it."
"It should be fine for the time being," Shirou replied. "Until the war begins we should keep a low profile, focusing on preparing ourselves and set the battlefield to our advantage."
"I agree with that plan. I would also like to take a look at the materials you mentioned picking from my former Master's Workshop."
"Sure, but what for?"
"As a Servant of the Caster Class I'm bestowed with an A-Ranked Item Creation ability. With suitable materials and enough time at my disposal I can craft Mystic Codes of notable power."
"Really? That would be awesome," he said in actual admiration.
"Yes, though they will hardly be a match to the other Servants' Noble Phantasms unless we manage to get our hands on raw materials of exceeding quality even for my epoch."
"Honestly, I'll take whatever advantage I can get. That aside, is Issei going to be okay?"
"Yes, he will remember meeting you and showing us around but to his knowledge nothing particularly remarkable has happened. I also took the liberty to partially damper his ability to perceive the supernatural to avoid a similar situation when I come here again. He should still be able to perceive great amounts of Prana or a threatening presence, but as he is now he would not be able to tell the difference between a Servant and a human being unless it was going all out."
"Good job. It should help him avoid being noticed by eventual other Magi and Servants in turn. Thank you."
"My pleasure. Now, I believe we have other matters to attend to."
"You're right. Come on, let's get to it."
Emiya Household
It took them a good hour to drive the stolen van from the storehouse to Shirou's home, unload its contents into the workshop and drop the vehicle where it could be easily found. By the time Shirou catalogued everything with the help and appraising eye of Caster it was already time for dinner. Not wanting to incur again in the wrath of his sister, Shirou devoted himself to prepare the last meal of the day with fervor.
Admittedly, cooking helped soothe his mind a great lot, allowing him to put aside the recent concerns for a brief period of time. There hadn't been another tense moment with Caster but it was obvious that the Servant had retreated into herself a little more where he was concerned, and he actually caught her watching him as if apprising whether he was friend or foe.
On his part Shirou did his best to come out as amicable as possible but the Servant was reserved and hard to read. Still, there wasn't much he could do beside carrying on as normal. Their unspoken alliance was frail and probably based on the fact that neither was an immediate threat to the other.
He wasn't surprised. He was basically a stranger to her and while he shouldn't have given her any reason to mistrust him it wasn't unusual for Magi to have a secret agenda behind a hopeful façade. Trust was something difficult to gain but Shirou was anything but patient.
As a proof of his good intentions he allowed Caster to move around freely in his Workshop, something of which she was surprised of. It appeared that no matter the age, Magi treasured their secrets lot, but it wasn't like he had some amazing Mystery he wanted to keep secret and to be completely honest he also had no way to keep her out if she wanted in. His meager knowledge of Boundary Field couldn't hold a candle against that of a mage from the Age of Gods after all.
He so was utterly convicted of it that he couldn't immediately figure out what was wrong when she came out of the basement, occasionally glancing at him as if she wanted to ask something but without knowing how to ask. Finally, curiosity had won over what seemed to be pride, and with a bewildered expression she entered the living room holding his laptop open vertically in her hands like… well, like a book.
"What in the name of Hades is this book?" she asked entering the living room glaring at him. "No matter what kind of spell I use I cannot make the pages appear. And what's with this letters engraved on just one side? I tried everything but I cannot get a reaction. I cannot believe there is a Mystic Code from this era that I cannot comprehend. This is absurd."
"Uh," Shirou replied intelligently. "That's not a Mystic Code. Actually that's not a book either."
"What do you mean? It was in your Workshop and what else could it be with this shape?"
"Well," he reached out to push the start button.
"Wah!" Caster exclaimed dropping the piece of technology when it started up with a beeping noise.
"Wah!" Shirou exclaimed as well, as he dove to catch his not-so-cheap laptop before it hit the floor. "Safe!"
"You said it wasn't a Mystic Code," she protested stepping back a little.
"It isn't," he replied standing up again. "This is a computer. A tool made to process, store and transfer information. It doesn't work on Prana at all."
"I… the Grail didn't provide any information on such things," she admitted, blushing slightly at her loss of composure over what was a common tool. "Guilford didn't posses one either."
"I'm not surprised. It's a fairly recent invention and Magi from this era tend to despise technological advancement. Thinking about it, it was one of the main advantages my father had when dealing with most Magi."
"I see. You said it's used to store knowledge? How exactly does it work."
"Well, to be honest all the technicalities escapes me, but I can give you a general explanation if you'd like."
"That would be… appreciated."
Matou Sakura was a girl that cherished one single thing in her life: the red haired Emiya Shirou. She had absolutely nothing else to live for. No reason to live through the nightmare that was her daily life.
When she first met him she had already frozen her heart to the point that she no longer felt pain or cared about a thing. Truth to be told it was just a shell she had made for herself to continue living as a human being, but it was being slowly eroded by Matou Zouken sick Magecraft and lately from Shinji's abuse.
Because of the things she went through, because of the things she allowed her brother to do to her, because of the things she was made to crave Matou Sakura could never be his.
She had accepted that a long time ago, but even then when Tohsaka Rin stumbled into his life she feared to lose him to her. After everything had been already taken from her so that Rin could have it, Sakura wasn't all too pleased with forfeiting the one person she cared for to her lost sister.
She wanted to fight for him. She wanted to have him for herself. But why? Even if she managed to keep Rin at a distance, she could never be with him. She was too soiled for that and the thing she wanted less that giving him up to Rin was to stain him with her impurity.
Therefore, after a not small amount of internal debating she decided to step aside and allow Rin to make her move on him. Her former sister was perfect, after all. Elegant, kind, talented, beautiful. If nor for her personal grudge against her, Sakura wouldn't have any objection with her being with Shirou.
So for the sake of her loved one, she convinced herself that Tohsaka Rin was the right person for Shirou.
So who exactly was this person? Who the hell was this woman sitting so easily by his side like it was a common occurrence?
There she was, sitting at the table right by his side as they both fiddled with a laptop she hadn't seen before.
"Ah, good evening Sakura," her Senpai greeted. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you coming in."
He stood, closing the laptop as he did.
"Ano, Senpai… who is this person?"
"Right. Introductions are in order. Sakura, this is Megissa-san. She'll be my guest for a while. Megissa-san, this is Sakura Matou, a kohai and a good friend of mine."
"P-pleased to meet you," Sakura stuttered in surprise as she bowed. Guest? As she was living under the same roof as him?
"And I as well," the woman named Megissa bowed too after standing up.
"Now, since you arrived I'd say we should get started with dinner. I've already set up a few things and Taiga shouldn't be much later either."
"Oh, of course Senpai," she replied, rushing to get her apron. "Megissa-san, is there something you particular dislike?"
"I am not picky about food, but thank you for asking. Shirou-san, I believe we should continue or lesson at another time."
"Yeah, sorry about cutting it off halfway."
"It is no trouble. I shall return this to its place," she replied picking the laptop and leaving the room.
A moment of silence passed before Sakura spoke again.
"Senpai, why is Megissa-san staying here?"
"Hm? Oh she's in difficult spot right now and needed a place to stay. I've got plenty of space so I offered her to remain here for a while."
"I see," she confirmed. That was exactly like him, though it didn't explain when or how they met. "By the way, how is your cold?"
"I'm fine, thank you. I was already feeling a lot better this late morning. I even went out for a stroll this afternoon."
"… Is that when you met Megissa-san?"
"Uh… no. Actually I met her yesterday evening."
"Is that so? Does that mean she has spent the night here already?" And the entire day with him? What have they been up to, all by themselves.
"Y-yes," he stuttered in reply.
"I see, I see. And you just happened to forget telling us about it when we visited this morning?"
By then her voice had gone literally glacial. Shirou had to even taken a step away from her.
"Ah," he gulped. "Yes. It completely slipped my mind to be honest. You know, being sick and all."
"… Fine," she said finally letting him off the hook. She was being ridiculous. She had no claim over who he knew and invited into his home. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. But still…
"Senpai? Please be careful. I know you want to help as many people as you can, but someone is going to take advantage of you at this rate."
"… You're right," he sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I promise I'll be careful ok?"
"That's all I ask. Sorry, I didn't mean to stick my nose into your business."
"It's okay. You were just worrying for me. I appreciate it, Sakura."
He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but blush lightly in return. He appreciated her. He really did and her heart soared at the small acknowledgment. Oh, if only she could freeze time and live that moment forever.
"Eh eh eh eh," a evil laughter came from the entrance making the both of teenager eep in surprise. There was Fujimura-sensei, leaning against the door frame, making a bad effort of hiding her grin behind a hand. "You two are so cute together."
"Fuji-nee," Shirou cried.
"Fujimura-sensei," Sakura echoed in protest, blushing madly as she did so.
"Oh my," Megissa chuckled as she returned from wherever she had gone to. "It appears we have intruded on a private moment. Should we give them some privacy?"
"Eh eh. I didn't think my little Shirou-chan could be this good at wooing girls."
"Fuji-nee," Shirou begun with his eyebrow twitching. "If you keep teasing us like that you won't get anything to eat for dinner."
"Grk," Fujimura-sensei said as her mouth forcibly close, her eating instinct prevailing by a large margin over her desire to tease her ward. It was to be noted that even Megissa-san, thought not directly addressed hadn't muttered another word in that regard but dutifully took her place at the table. It appeared that she was already a slave to Shirou's unparalleled kitchen skills. "Shirou is mean," the teacher concluded dejectedly as she took her place at the table as well.
"Yes I am," Shirou nodded vigorously with his arms crossed over his chest. "If I wasn't, who'd keep you from stirring more trouble than you already do?"
Sakura heard her mutter something about arrogant cheeky brats but it was too low to be sure.
Five minutes later dinner was served and Sakura was brought up to speed about Megissa circumstances, which caused a reaction not too dissimilar from Taiga's earlier that day. When dinner was finally over Sakura helped Shirou in cleaning the plates, while Megissa and Fujimura-sensei watched TV.
When they finished they joined the other women in front of the screen. It was then that Sakura noticed something odd about her teacher.
"No more sightings of the mysterious vigilante dubbed Archer," the spokesman said. "Police investigations have failed to turn up any lead on the masked man who helped uncover a criminal ring with still unknown extensions. Police officers have stated that they are currently focused in gathering evidences related to the case, admitting that the whereabouts of Archer is not their priority as of now."
Sakura had heard about the vigilante, like probably most of Japan had by that point but she hadn't given it too much attention. It's not like her life was any different because of him and the fact that he seemed to be active mostly in Fuyuki was of little concern.
And yet… Fujimura-sense kept stealing glances at Shirou every now and then while the news continued talking about Archer's exploits.
Perhaps she was just reading too much into it? Yes, that was probably the case. Fujimura-sensei was probably worried that Shirou would try to emulate the masked boy. It was a understandable concern on her part, considering that Shirou was all too prone at getting into trouble for other people…
…. and that he was very good with bow and arrow…
… and he was extremely fit for his age…
… and he "rescued" a dubious woman and took her into his home…
… No. That was a ridiculous line of thought. There was no way that her beloved Senpai, her kind, unassuming Shirou was secretly a vigilante that stalked the night in search of criminal to stop and people to help. It was something she would never consider acceptable because it would have meant that the only person she believed being without a mask had actually deceived her to some degree.
Yes, she did her best to convince herself of it, though it didn't work nearly as good as she hoped it would, leaving her with an all too familiar feeling of coldness.
Emiya Household: late evening
Caster watched the two woman leave Shirou's house. They were, as far as she could tell, very light hearted and warm people, though both of them were more than they let on. Especially the Sakura girl. There was something about her that ticked Caster off. Something familiar. There had been very little interaction and so she couldn't develop a final impression on the shy girl.
The older woman instead was probably just as lively and outspoken as she looked, though Caster had the distinct impression that a good portion of her antics weren't necessarily spontaneous. In fact she seemed to have a keen eye behind that childish exterior of hers.
Caster didn't know if Taiga knew or just heavily suspected that her ward was Archer, but the glances she kept stealing at him all the evening were a pretty obvious hint that she was looking out for proof. She also didn't miss the few glances she had shoot in her direction, no doubt wondering if there was more to Caster's involvement with her ward that they had let on, probably in lieu of Shirou nighttime activities.
She refrained from saying anything to her host. Her role in his familiar issues was marginal at best, and if the moment for him to get at odds with his relatives and friends over his actions would ever come she didn't want to have a part in it. She knew a thing or two about unwanted people meddling with other's people families after all and she had no wish to relive a similar situation anytime soon, much less being the cause for it.
She was thinking about that when she heard the sound of footstep coming closer to the gates. She turned in the direction of the noise and saw the other person she was supposed to get to know that night.
Kuzuki Soichirou, Shirou's school teacher and expert assassin by the look of things. Even now that he was in her sight she could hardly tell he was there. That level of presence concealment was proof enough that as far as human skills went, that man was not to be trifled with.
She also assumed he was the person Shirou had mentioned knowing his status as a Magus, but she didn't know what her relationship between the two was. It seemed cordial, if a little cold. Definitely not something based on a mutual blackmailing. She was actually looking forward to finding out what exactly had brought two persons on opposite ends of the moral spectrum to coexist peacefully in the same city. Perhaps Shirou's view of the world wasn't as black and white as she had initially esteemed them to be.
"Good evening, Kuzuki-sensei," Shirou greeted when the man was close enough.
"Emiya-kun," the man nodded in reply before turning at her with inspective eyes.
"Ah right, Kuzuki -sensei, this is Megissa-san. Megissa, this is my teacher Kuzuki-sensei."
They exchanged polite greetings but Caster could tell that the man hadn't expressed the slightest emotion in her regard, neither positive or negative, in spite of having seen her perform hypnosis on another human being. He either lack any form of prejudice or morality. The latter wasn't that difficult to imagine considering his supposed profession. Alternatively he lacked something as a human being that left him uncaring of other people, and that too wasn't too difficult to image. Not for her.
They all walked inside, with Shirou exposing his back to Kuzuki without a problem. The young man wasn't a fool as much as she thought him to be upon their first meeting, so the assassin was definitely considered trustworthy. Having grown to acknowledge Shirou's judgment she decided to extend the same courtesy for the time being.
They sat at the table much like they did during dinner. Kuzuki didn't speak a word but he was demanding answers by just sitting there. For a person without a presence it was indeed a remarkable feat.
"So," Shirou began sitting at her side and in front of his teacher, "there are a few things we need discuss, Sensei."
The following hour was spent by Shirou explaining the concept of the Holy Grail War and Heroic Spirit in general. Caster was surprised by his openness over the argument but she was even more taken aback by Kuzuki reaction, or lack thereof.
"I see," he finally concluded. "It does sound like a troublesome situation."
Caster had to hold back a snort. Who in their right mind would consider a war between Magi and Heroic Spirits as just troublesome?
"Yes," Shirou agreed, not minding the man's lack of emotions. "In that regard I was hoping for your assistance. Ah, don't get me wrong. I don't want you to take part in the hostilities, but the temple is a strategically important location and other Magi and Servants are bound to visit it at one point or another. I would like you to keep an eye on strangers that might happen to come by. On a more personal note, I would like to step up my training. I need to be at my strongest for what's about to come."
"…" the man didn't immediately reply, reaming silent as he stared in Shirou's eyes. For almost an entire minute no one spoke until Kuzuki finally gave a brief nod. "I accept," he said standing up once more. "I shall be back tomorrow morning by five. Be ready by then."
"I will," Shirou bowed, "thank you, Sensei."
He was just about to leave when Caster finally decided to speak. "Just a moment please. There is something I would like to ask."
"What is it?" Kuzuki asked turning his cold eyes to her.
"Why are you willing to help without asking for any recompense?"
Kuzuki eyes flickered to Shirou and remained on him before returning to her. "Because he asked," was his short reply. Caster didn't know what to say to that, or even if she needed to say anything at all. She had her answer, even though it made no sense to her.
Taking the ensuing silence as his cue to leave, Kuzuki left the room with a courteous nod, followed shortly by Shirou who accompanied him to the exit, leaving Caster behind to mull over the recent development.
-oOo-
"A word of advice, Emiya-kun," Kuzuki said as they reached the gate.
"What is it, Sensei?"
"That woman is dangerous," he said without dancing around the subject. "For your sake, keep a close eye on her."
"I'm aware," Shirou replied, not really surprised. After all she…
"Very well," the teacher replied, not questioning his student's judgment. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"Goodnight Sensei," Shirou replied, closing the gate behind him.
Alone with his thoughts Shirou sighed. It had only been one day since he found out about the war and there were already far too many things to think about. The business with Issei had left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew it was for the better, and that his choice had no simply spared himself a great deal of troubles but most likely kept his friend out of harm's way as much as possible. Involving Kuzuki had been a far simpler choice, but no matter how he looked at it he had brought his teacher into the fray of a deathly battle.
Finally there was Caster. He managed to establish an amicable and respectful relationship with the Servant, but there were probably many difficult issues to face before the war even started. He would cross those bridges when they'd get there, he reasoned, but the prospect of the difficulties ahead didn't help ease his already trouble mind.
"Shirou-san," Caster called from the doorway. Not seeing him return she must went to check on him. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," he smiled. "Yes it is. Sorry I was just lost in thoughts for a moment."
"That's all right. I suppose the past two days have been quite eventful, even for a Mage."
"That's putting it mildly but it's okay. I'm going to figure out how to deal with this once and for all."
Caster acknowledged his statement with a respectful nod of her head and then returned inside the house.
Later, after providing her with all sort of clothes and other things for her daily life Shirou retreated to the dojo, taking Monohoshizao along with him.
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, Shirou allowed his mind to slip in the trance-like state that preceded the activation of his Circuit but he remained like that, focusing on the sword resting in his lap.
He closed his eyes and immediately the image of the gleaming blade formed in his mind with such clearness that it was like he was staring at it. No, that wasn't true. The image was far clearer than his eyes could ever communicate to his brain. There was nothing he couldn't see of the wonderful sword, for its forging processes, to its flaws. Absolutely every detail that encompassed the existence known as Monohoshizao was recorded within him without error.
Temporarily putting aside any concern relatively to as of how exactly he was accomplishing such a feat, Shirou delved deeper within the mass of information that Monohoshizao was to his brain and in a moment he found what he was looking for.
Tsubame Gaeshi.
A technique that broke through the fabric of space itself and cut the target from three different directions at the same time. It wasn't a mystery, or an act of Thaumaturgy. It was pure skill alone.
Shirou was impressed beyond words. That a technique like that could exist without relying on the manipulation of the World's inner workings was a feat that defied description or praise. Furthermore it was something that Emiya Shirou shouldn't have known anything about, much less replicated to any extent.
Yet he did so. In a moment of desperation he had reached for the technique engraved in the sword and replicated it. How he didn't know but the other issue was the difference in the execution.
As far as he could tell he had performed the technique flawlessly. He replayed it in his mind and he could find no difference from his execution compared to the one performed by its creator. Except that Shirou was no Sasaki.
And that was exactly the crux of the matter. That was the single fact that screwed up the technique. Emiya Shirou was not Sasaki Kojirou. Their height was different, their body structure was different, their musculature, strength and speed was different. Tsubame Gaeshi was created by Sasaki Kojirou for Sasaki Kojirou and no amount of effort on Shirou's part would change that. Considering the absolute precision required to pull it off, it was already a miracle that Shirou had managed to perform two illusory strikes and a real one.
To be honest, the entire situation had been miraculous. If it wasn't because he had stumbled both on this skill and this sword Shirou would have died at the hand of Vincent Guilford.
That wasn't acceptable. He couldn't afford to go in blind anymore. He had to find out where this ability of his came from, what it entailed and use it to become stronger. Much, much stronger.
XXX
Author notes: Not really much to say about this one. It took a long time to get this chapter done considering the final length but I really had to start over from scratch a couple of times. Caster isn't the most explored character in Canon, so writing her in depth while staying true to what is known about her is quite the challenge.
If you want to discuss something about this chapter or the story in general go to my forum (see profile).
Anyway, thanks for reading and for reviewing.