Chapter 13, Interlude - "The Hallowed (Hollowed) Psalm of Kotomine Kirei"
Sakura and Rider had missed Kotomine, as they had stopped by for a visit to the church.
But, not wanting their efforts to be wasted, Sakura had suggested that they visit the Miyama Shopping District to buy some groceries, since they were still in the area anyways.
Sakura had just gone off to buy the ingredients, while Senji had settled on just touring around the area on his own for the moment, to explore the district.
Walking around the corner, he just happened to spot an interesting-looking Chinese restaurant.
...That's right, Kirei-san always like to eat Chinese food, didn't he?
Well, it might be a good place to check it out.
Or so Senji figured.
And right as he walked, he heard the very familiar sound of someone wolfing down heaps of Mapo Tofu, all at once.
Completely by sheer coincidence, he had unexpectedly found Kotomine Kirei, the Mapo-wolfing culprit in question.
"Ah! Kirei-san!"
Kotomine Kirei looked up as he finished his Mapo Tofu, gulping it all down in one fell swoop without drinking any water, before placing his plate down gently on the table.
"Emiya Shirou." He addressed somberly, though Senji found it a bit difficult to take him seriously with the red Mapo Tofu sauce that was staining the edges of his mouth. "I do not believe we were so familiar, as for you to address me by first name?"
(In truth, Kirei didn't really mind, but he brought it up to inflict a bit of shame on Shirou, which he would sadistically enjoy witnessing.)
Rider looked a bit embarrassed, "Ah, that's right. You don't know me."
Kirei raised an eyebrow curiously, but let him continue.
"I'm not actually Emiya Shirou. Well, I am Shirou, but I'm not Emiya. I'm Senji, Senji Shirou. Well, I'm also apparently acting as the Rider for this war, though the whole thing hasn't really sunk in yet."
"I see." Kirei had heard of some abnormal circumstances in this war, but he was not expecting a Servant without a Master to approach him and admit their presence so easily, and especially not of one who was almost identical to Emiya Shirou.
"...And?" Kirei asked, coldly, but with an amused curiosity. "What would you happen to want from me, Rider?"
Rider scratched the back of his head.
"Ah, no, well, I didn't "want" anything of you particularly. I just called out to you because I recognized you, and because we were friends."
Kirei raised an eyebrow again.
"Back in my world, I mean! Or my time, I guess..." Rider laughed awkwardly, "Wow, this is all so strange..."
"...Is that so..."
Rider certainly seemed to be a very loose-lipped and talkative Servant, if nothing else. Friendly, too.
Kirei didn't know if Rider had come from a timeline where he was not born evil and sadistic, but this would be a good chance to get some insights into his own character, and maybe some answers from himself.
Not one to turn down THE LORD'S BLESSINGS, Kirei invited Rider to sit across from him.
"Come, sit."
Rider gladly did so.
Kirei ordered some extra Mapo tofu for the both of them, though Rider refused, his eyes and mouth twitching slightly at his memories of the last time Kirei had offered him some, when they had eaten together.
And enjoying each other's company, they talked about many things.
Rider had told him of the other Kirei's planned Mapo Tofu Tour across China, and his long held dream of sampling all of the Sichuan-region's local cuisine and dishes, hoping to find something that could move him just as much as Mapo Tofu had, the first time he had eaten it. The other Kirei also had a special fondness for China, being the home of Mapo Tofu and Baji Quan.
And he would cynically comment that the Church of China was just there to steal away all of China's Holy Relics. In truth, the Church (including the Church in China) had always paid the needy Chinese government very well for artifacts they didn't even care about, but Kirei always like to interpret things in a very cynical way.
Senji laughed, and noted that it always did seem to give him some sort of twisted pleasure to interpret things in such a way. He also told him that the other Kirei liked to comment that if he was reborn, he would like to be reborn in China, or even in Russia ("Because the cold weather suits my personality", he'd say.)
Kirei, from the conversation, had at least gathered that he was still of the same nature even in the other world, where apparently the Holy Grail War had never happened.
Well, that much wasn't surprising, though a bit disappointing.
Unless something had changed in the womb, or very shortly before or after conception, Kirei wouldn't have expected it to be any other way. After all, Kirei had been this way since he was born, so to change him, obviously things would have to been changed from before he was born.
Senji had eventually reached the topic of his death, of how the other Kirei cried over his death. Of the other Kotomine Kirei's kindness and tears.
"I doesn't know if you're the same here in this World, but I'm sure you're better than you think you are!"
Kirei chuckled lightly (and a bit sadly) to himself, at Rider's enthusiasm and passion.
Unfortunately, it was almost certainly not as Rider had thought or interpreted.
It wasn't out of kindness, but surely...
...Well, naturally, he himself knew the true reason the other Kirei had cried, but he chose not to divulge the truth of it to Rider. If Rider wanted to think of the other Kotomine Kirei as a good person, he at the very least wouldn't ruin that image of his other self that Rider had of him.
But still, to think close that another version of himself was close enough with this version of Emiya Shirou to actually mourn his loss in that way...
How interesting...
...
Their conversation came to an end as Sakura called for Rider telepathically, and Rider left with a pleasant smile, closing out the conversation pleasantly before heading back.
Kirei reflected on the things Rider told him in their brief but thought-provoking conversation, and again chuckled to himself.
What an interesting turn of events, really.
Making up his mind, he decided to follow Rider in secret for a little bit.
He payed for his bill, and stalked after Rider.
...
As Kotomine observed Rider and his Master from a distance, he just so happened to overhear their plans for the remainder of the war.
They had decided on heading into the forest, with the hopes forging an alliance with the original Lesser Grail, as an attempt to muster up their forces in order to stop Zouken.
...How very treacherous of Sakura, but how very excellent for him.
Kotomine Kirei grinned.
If he played his cards right, he might even be able to claim one of the Lesser Grails, if not both, at once.
Truly, this was something for him to REJOICE about.
And so he continued to stalk them, hidden in secret and cloaked in shadow.
...
Another figure, dressed in red, followed behind Kirei unnoticed.
...
...
...
Author's Notes:
...
YOROKOBE, Kirei!
...
That's not Avenger or Caster, by the way.
I already have what I think is a pretty good climax (Definitely a "Fate/Stay Night"-type Climax) ready, but the transition points are the most difficult parts to write.
Chapter 14 will be where things start accelerating towards the climax!
So look forward to it!