Chapter 3: Making Connections

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate or DxD

Beta Read by Israelgjr

Author's Notes: It's come to my attention that there are a lot of people in the Fate community that don't actually know how the Evil Piece system works; with many claiming that Shirou's Reality Marble would completely nullify the piece's ability to convert him into a Devil. Here are a few counter points:

Shirou was just formally introduced to the Moonlit World and is nowhere near actualizing his Reality Marble. Even if he is capable of calling upon some of its effects passively, at this point in time, he simple doesn't have the arsenal to deux ex machina his way to victory.

The Evil Piece system is very flexible and has reincarnated plenty of individuals that can be considered "greater" than humans such as Rossweisse (Valkeryie), Loup Garou(Werewolf), Okita Souji(Hero), Surtr Second(Fire Giant), and Tannin(Dragon King). So, if all these beings are susceptible to an Evil Piece's influence; what makes an ultimately human soul so much more superior that it could innately shrug off its influence?

This is a Fanfiction. Here, anything goes as long as it is presented in a reasonable and/or entertaining fashion. Personally, I preferred to stick closer to the outlined rules of the subject matter but sometimes you just got to bend thing here and there to make everything fit together.

Sorry, for the rant; I just hate how inflexible the Fate community can be sometimes. Just keep in mind that the world that the story takes place in leans more heavily on the DxD Universe's rules with bits and pieces of Nasuverse mixed in. Not everything is going to be one for one so please don't be so quick to bust out the rule books before I have a chance to defend myself.

On with the story!

XxXxX

Sasaki Hoshi was dying.

He wanted to cry out but his mouth was like sandpaper; his voice long hoarse from overuse. His body felt weak and frail. He was so tired. He just wanted to rest but he wasn't allowed that. She wouldn't allow that. And so, he soldiered on; bleary eyed, his consciousness hanging by a thread. It took everything he could to endure but he had to make it through; he had to survive.

He wasn't sure when it had happened. It had been a normal day. Just like always his underlings had underperformed, his superior had lost his temper and the work had piled on. By the time he had finished for the day, evening had come and gone.

He couldn't have made it three feet outside the office when he saw her.

She was a tiny thing; blonde with blue eye and pale skin: a foreigner. She stumbled around nervously; a panicked look as she stared at the crumpled map in her fists. She was lost; that much was obvious. Girls her age just didn't end up in such a bland part of town because they wanted to. At best, she could end up wandering about the streets for hours. At worst, she could end up spirited away by some kind of illegal trafficking ring never to be seen again.

Any urban city could be perilous at this time of night; Kuoh even more so with how many disappearances had been cropping up in the news as of late. Just the thought of it made him shudder. He had a little girl of his own. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

But what did he care? This girl is a stranger. It's not like he knew her or anything. She wasn't his problem. So, he did the only rational thing that a Japanese man his age would do: he bowed his head; averted his eyes; walked past her; muffled his ears to her anxious muttering…then asked her if she needed any help.

He paused, taking a second to contemplate his actions. Had he really just done that? Had he really just offered his help without expecting anything in return?

He had never been a cruel man but neither had he been particularly altruistic. His traditional upbringing usually compelled him to shy away from butting into other people's problems. But still he had approached her. It was so unlike him. He wanted to take his words back but they had already left his mouth.

She smiled at him with an enchanting sweetness and he knew she had him.

No, he wouldn't be able to go back on his word.

He looked down at her map.

That was the moment his memory grew hazy. He remembered walking, walking for so long and then…nothing.

"Ah~, Mister! It's so good!

When he awoke again, he was surprised to see he, a middle-aged office worker, being ridden by the same blonde girl that he had offered his aid to.

Dear god, she was nearly the same age as his daughter!

What was going on? How had this happened?

She loomed over him with a smugness that had been shockingly absent before. The goth lolita styled dress that she had been wearing draped over the Church's alter in a disheveled mess. Her blonde pigtails had come undone, giving her a devious appeal that sent his loins into-

Stop!

What was wrong with him? This was wrong. This wasn't him. He was an upstanding family man, not some sexual deviant. He had morals: standards.

But it felt so~ good. It would be so easy to give in. Who cares how any of this had happened? The sensations were unreal, far better than anything he'd done before. What was the harm in indulging once in a while? He was a hardworking man and what his wife didn't know about wouldn't hurt her. He could just drift off; drink in the pleasure and-

No!

This has to stop!

So it was with great difficulty that he willed himself to release her but the more he tried to break free of the nymph's clutches the more white-knuckled his grip became. The stimulation was frying his nerves to dust. He couldn't tell whether he was ascending into Heaven or plunging deeper into the pits of Hell. It was all blending together: a slurry of passion and debauchery.

Lost.

He was so entrenched in the haze that he didn't even register the church's door opening. Two figures walk into the peripherals of his blurring vision.

"Yo, Raynare, Kalawarner."

He was baffled. Just how audacious could a person be? If he had been in her place, he would have been sprinting out the door with his pants around his ankles in shame. He would have done it too but his body JUST. WOULDN'T. LISTEN!

"Mittelt, must you always bring your… "conquests" here?" A husky voice asked, sending chills down his spine.

His heart sank. This hadn't been the first time she had done this. It explained how she had been able to wrap him in her clutches. She was experienced. The thought made him feel sick to his stomach. Just how many good men had this monster lured away from their friends and families?

He felt used, dirty.

Just why couldn't he let her go?

Why couldn't he leave?

"Who cares about that? Her tastes are just plain gross."

Had he been drugged somehow? Had that been their plan all along? Tempt a man; drug him then rob him blind. Was he just another one of this group's victims? It made sense. This Mittelt girl was clearly far from innocent, hell, her and her group could very well be responsible for what was happening in Kuoh.

He cursed his luck. The one time he decides to stick his neck out for a stranger and they turn out to be a coldhearted criminal. Forget keeping his dignity, he'd he lucky if he made it out of here without losing a kidney.

His neck creaked on rusted gears. Even if they were all a part her schemes, he had to try to reach out to the others. He still couldn't speak but maybe the look on his face would be enough squeeze out some mercy from them.

All of that changed the moment he mustered up enough effort to finally turn his head. His eyes shot wide open in disbelief. Horror squeezed him tight: raven black wings; long, sickle-like claws and pronounced fangs.

As if a mist had parted before his eyes, the blonde girl's own unnatural features came into being; feathered, obsidian wings existing where there had once been empty air. Her sapphire eyes came to life with an ethereal fire; her playful smirk contorting into a menacing, fanged grin. Claws enclosed his face like an iron maiden daring him to look away, blood dribbling down his cheeks.

These weren't a band of delinquents playing with the hearts of weak-willed men; they weren't even criminals. No, they were something more, something dark; sinister: evil.

"M-Monsters-!" He managed to croak out before his entire world became red.

A lance flew across the room, burying itself firmly in his skull.

"Fuck, Raynare!" Mittelt screamed, jumping back. Bitch almost got her with that one. She nudged the body for a response but there weren't many things that could survive getting half their head blown off. She clicked her tongue against her cheek. "Didn't even get to finish."

A Fallen Angel in a red coat wrinkled her nose in disgust.

She was the most well-endowed out of the three with long dark blue hair and a stern expression that gave her an appearance a cross between a foreign model and a teenager's wet dream. Her fully clothed form somehow coming off even more obscene than Raynare's assortment of belts and leathers ever could.

"Deal with that. We're not cleaning up after your messes again."

Mittelt clicked her tongue, shying away from the woman's curvaceous form. "Whatever, he was boring anyways." She mumbled, incinerating the corpse with a flash of radiant fire.

The red coat Fallen returned to her other companion, resuming the flow of magical energy to the stub that now hung from the woman's torso like a sad growth.

"Still no luck, Kal?" Raynare asked.

"It may have been possible had you been able to return with the severed limb…"

The image of her arm flaking away into motes of gold caused a growl to well up inside her.

Mittelt's snaggle-toothed grin became downright villainous. "I still can't believe you lost to a freaking highschooler." She said while retreating into the side room that they had modified into a makeshift kitchen.

"Like you could have done any better!" Raynare shouted. Mittelt was by far the weakest of them; a runt in every sense of the word. She didn't get to judge her. That boy couldn't be normal; there was no way.

"No one could have predicted this. It's not your fault for underestimating him." Their intel had warned of Devils and the Youkai not teenage swordsmen empowered by strange light.

"Shtill goff her ass whooped." Mittelt mocked in between bites; having returned munching on a burrito bigger than her forearm.

Raynare flared her canines but that only seemed to feed the brat's mirth even more. She smoothed her scowl into a frown. "How long until the witch gets here?"

"Soon." Kalawarner said, plopping down on one of the abandoned churches many pews. "End of the week at the latest."

She grunted. She wasn't sure how much longer she could endure the humiliation. She hadn't dedicated decades of service to the Grigori only to be mutilated by a human boy of all things.

"This just doesn't make any sense." She ran her single hand through her hair.

Mittelt swallowed before speaking. "There are plenty of things out there that can tear us apart. Just be glad that you got to drag your BDSM loving ass back mostly in one piece."

"It's just-…His light…I've never seen anything like it before."

"A Sacred Gear perhaps?" Kalawarner asked.

"No…at least not like any we have record of." She gnawed on the talon of her thumb. "…It was so pure."

Just what was it? It was so bright, so beautiful. Staring at that boy had been like staring into hope itself. It made the filth The Church tries to pass off as holy magic look pale by comparison. Only the divinity of Heaven shined like that. But that would mean-. No, every Angel that had shared a bed with a mortal had fallen with the rest of them. Regardless of love or lust, none had been spared from damnation. He couldn't be one of them.

Fallen Angel heritage was a greater possibility but all of the mutts had been accounted for and the only one in Kuoh was the Redhaired Skank's own Queen. There was also the distinct lack of taint that clung to her kind's power ever since their descent. No, as much as she didn't want to admit it, that power couldn't be Fallen. But what else could he be?

Before she could dwell any further on the topic the heavy wooden doors of the abandoned church slammed open. A tall man in a leather trench coat and fedora entering the beam of moonlight filtering from the break in the ceiling.

"Dohnaseek? Where have you been? You haven't reported in all week."

Rather than approach his fellows, the man took to scanning the stained-glass windows with a meticulous scrutiny. He made sure to latch the door behind him shut. The windows followed soon after until only the light from the break above was all that was left. It was glaring weakness surely but one that would normally be inaccessible to those without flight. They would have to block it up from the inside; mundane means of course, nothing substantial. Anything supernatural in origin could tip off the patrols of Devils tasked with guarding the heiresses but fortifying the hole too soundly could very well draw the attention of something far worse.

"Dohnaseek?"

Holding up a silencing hand, his face contorting as he focused on the sounds of the building. It was only when he was satisfied that he marched up to the trio, snatching the burrito from Mittelt mid-bite before consuming the whole thing in one go. It had all happened so fast that the she didn't even have the chance to resist before her food vanished.

"What the fuck?" She screamed.

"Were any of you followed?" He asked, wiping his lips with a handkerchief.

"What?"

"I don't-."

"Fuck off, you ate my burrito!"

"Just answer the question." He didn't shout but his words were firm. He would not answer their questions without his own being answered first.

Two out of the three shook their heads.

Mittelt raised her hand. "I mean, I had to get my toy here somehow."

Their stares were stifling.

"What? It's not like it matters. Stubby over there brained his ass before he could even say anything."

"Damn, it may already be too late." His eyes were wide, darting between shadows wildly. He sprinted over to one of the shudders, opening it just enough to let in a sliver of moonlight through.

"Hey!" Raynare caught up to the man, putting a hand on his shoulder that caused him to jump in his boots. "What's wrong?"

"Does the name…Emiya…mean anything to you?"

Her brow furrowed. "I…think I remember the pervert calling the boy something like that."

Kalawarner immediately leapt from her seat; spinning Raynare around to look her directly in the eye. "How sure are you?"

Alarm bells rang in Raynare's mind. Kalawarner wasn't normally one to lose control of her emotions. The memories of that night returned to her with an eagerness. Phantom pangs filled the empty space where her hand had been; even now it still burned.

"I'm positive."

Kalawarner turned to Dohnaseek pleading.

"Who else could it possibly be?"

Her body went limp; falling back on to the pew with an audible thump. "It's over. God help us all."

Mittelt turned to Raynare. "What's going on?"

Raynare shook her head. She didn't have the slightest clue either.

Fallen Angels, as beings rejected by Heaven, don't call to their Father lightly. Whatever the problem was, it was serious.

"Magus Killer."

"…W-What d-did y-you just say?" Raynare asked, her voice trembling.

"The father of the boy you killed that night. Emiya Kiritsugu: The Magus Killer."

Everything clicked together.

"Oh fuck!"

"Indeed."

"No one ever said he had a son!"

"Ah, but he did have a wife."

"The Einzbern homunculus? You saw one?"

"Three, one of them claiming to be the boy's mother herself."

"Fucking great! This just keeps getting better and better!"

Mittelt looked on in confusion. Unlike the rest of her peers, she had not been tempted away from Heaven in the traditional sense. She had been born as a Fallen and was, in truth, not that much older than she appeared.

"I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, I get the part about the homunculi but the other one is just a human. Can't we just hold him hostage or something to keep the Einzberns off our backs." The more senior members of their group had been around long enough to survive The Great War. What was one human to the likes of them? She didn't see what the big deal was. Even if he was stronger than the average mortal, they should be able to handle him easily as long as they were able to get the drop on him. It's not like he was a Hero or anything. It seemed like a no brainer to her.

Kalawarner pinched her temples. Raynare gawked at her as if she had just said something outrageous. Dohnaseek even had the nerve to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Girl, that man is the most dangerous of the lot." Dohnaseek said.

"I don't buy it. There's no way." Einzbern homunculi are no joke. Even a lower quality one could take on an entire squad of their troops without batting an eye. There was no way one guy could hope to match them. "He's only human."

"That…human has a higher kill count than all of us combined." Raynare snorted, clutching her single arm to her stomach. "He could be watching us right now and we wouldn't even know it."

"But-."

"Mittelt, have you ever heard of Operation Chalice?" Kalawarner asked.

"The night they finally caught Valper?"

She nodded.

"Sure, who hasn't. Old fart was abducting kids left, right and center; cleaning out whole orphanages for his experiments. He'd apparently been getting away with it for decades before they finally got him."

"He was an Archbishop by then. Someone of that standing has few to answer to other than the Pope and the Heavens themselves. He was nearly untouchable."

"Well, if he was such a big shot how did everything fall apart? The entire city was basically swimming in flames when the creep's skeletons fell out of the closet." She had remembered seeing the pictures. The Holy City, God's golden jewel, burning. Hell on Earth. Centuries of human history gone in a single night. "Look, why is any of this important? All of that happened over a decade ago."

"It's important because the man crazy enough to start a fire in the middle of one of the densest cities on Earth and the man skulking about are one in the same." Dohnaseek said.

Rome was the heart of the Church's influence. The enemies of God couldn't even breath within the vicinity of the place without rousing the Church's attention. Yet, Valper had been capable of conducting his "research" there without a single Priest, Inquisitor or Paladin becoming any the wiser. For a single man to take him in alive in his own territory…

"…Oh. We're screwed."

"Glad we're finally all on the same page." Raynare mumbled from around her talon. "We're going to need more than just a batshit priest and a handful of Oath Breakers if that man is here."

"That much is obvious."

"So, what do we do?"

As if to answer for them, the sound of a bronze knocker slamming on hardwood filled the church. Each of the Fallen Angel's gazes shot to the entrance; eyes wide.

There's no way he could have found them already!

Kalawarner directed Mittelt to the basement where the rest of their forces resided. Meanwhile, the remaining Fallen Angels each readied their constructs of light. They stared long and hard at the door. Dohnaseek, as the hardiest of the three, took point.

His bangs were slick with anxiety. As he moved to reach for the handle; he felt compelled to do something, anything to calm his nerves.

He began to pray.

With a gust of wind, the door opened to reveal a tall, lithe figure. The newcomer's features were a mixture between roguish and bestial, cradling a long weapon that shined the same red as their eyes.

They inhaled deeply; the scent of fear delightfully palpable.

"Ya just going to stand their all night or are you going to let me in?"

XxXxX

Shirou found himself here once again; stepping into a den of monsters. Admiring the sway of the shapely woman's ponytail was all he could do to stave off his nerves. He couldn't say he was familiar with everyone in the club, but just days ago he had been confident that they had been regular teenagers.

That had been a lie.

They were Devils, creatures of the night…just like him. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He'd spoken with these people; worked with them; laughed with them and he had been none the wiser. What else could they have lied about? He may not feel that different from when he was human but he could very well be an exception to the rule. His parents themselves had never met a Gremory before and while most Devils were far more amicable these days, there were still those that were just as vile as history portrayed them out to be.

"Any advice?"

He glanced over to Saber; glowing with a faint light, her white dress billowing eternally to an invisible wind. While he grew, she persisted as the same stern looking child that he had met all those years ago.

"For the Hell spawn?" She asked.

He nodded, noting how she failed to include him amongst their ranks.

She crossed her tiny arms before shaking her head. "I can't say for certain. Recalling specific memories has been…difficult."

"You don't remember?"

She frowned. "I can feel them there but the knowledge itself escapes me."

"Aren't you supposed to be immune to hypnosis?"

"Via traditional means, I am all but impenetrable. The spell would have to alter your very soul before it had any hopes of clouding my gaze. Nay, the origin of my current plight lies elsewhere."

"Should I be worried?"

"Hardly." She snorted while puffing out her chest, her youthful appearance making her look more adorable than confident.

"You never answered my question." He shot a longing look in Akeno's direction. Everything was changing so fast. "Can I trust them?"

Saber followed his gaze, wrinkling her nose as if she just caught a whiff of something foul. "That one already attempted to play with your mind."

"For the last time, it was an accident. Mom even said that she couldn't have known that I was still awake for the spell to affect me."

"Be that as it may, they are still Devils; deception is integral to their very nature. They are not the kind of adversary you can challenge heedlessly."

She was right, of course. As much as he wanted to ignore it, if someone like Himejima-senpai had been able to fool him, just what else could they be hiding? Could they really be just as harmless as any other high school student or were they nothing more than rabid beast hiding behind masks of sophistication?

She took his silence as clear an answer as any.

"Very well, the brunt of my reserves may have been depleted in the duel with the creature but I will prepare what I can in the event that you require aid."

He nodded his thanks.

Saber blinked out of existence, becoming a warmth in the back of his mind. He focused on the mental sheath she resided in, taking comfort in the familiarity of her presence.

Over the years, she had come to his aid more times than he could count but what they had done in the park against that Fallen Angel: that had been a first. Never before had he felt so strong, so fast, so alive! That night her powers had invigorated him so much that he felt like he was the wind itself, that he could take on the world and come out on top. Had he been more experienced with utilizing it he was confident that he could have ended the fight before it had even begun.

He hadn't tried to use that power since but he had the feeling that it wouldn't be nearly as effective as the first time he had done it. Saber had been storing that power for years when she had helped him. He could only hope that what she had on hand was enough in case things went south.

But there was, of course, another problem. He was a Devil now and Saber's energy had felt divine in origin. He had never seen what holy magic could do to a Devil but it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. If he wasn't careful, he could very well burn away to ash the second he called for her aid. How ironic it would be for the very thing that had allowed him to be so reckless over the years to be the thing that finally killed him.

And still, he would use it in a heartbeat.

She was precious to him. If these Devils really did turn out to be the monsters that he had feared then he would not hesitate. He would rather die than have her be exploited by them.

"Buchou, I've arrived with Emiya-kun." Akeno announced to closed doors.

"What? Already?"

"We're~ coming~ in~."

"Wait no! Just let me-!" Akeno flung open the doors swiftly, giving the redhead woman inside no time to compose herself.

Rias Gremory, his new King and Master, stood majestic and beautiful with her mouth agape; her cheeks nearly as bright as her strikingly red hair. She quickly hid something behind her back just fast enough for the two to miss, shifting the object into a drawer in her desk.

With a mere clearing of the throat, the flushing teenager vanished before his eye; replaced with a regality befitting a woman of her station.

"Emiya Shirou, you are ~…early?" She turned to her second-in-command only to receive a shrug in return.

"I wasn't aware there was an order to this."

"Yes, well, you have piqued our interest for quite some time; however, we didn't expect for you to approach us on your own. It's rather rare for potential recruits to seek membership on their own you see."

"Really? You would think that a club with so many stunning members would have people lining out the door trying to sign up."

"Indeed, we are fortunate that The Occult Research Club has managed to remain exclusive for all these years."

"Then, I guess you could say that I'm just more eager than the rest."

"I'd say." Akeno said, a dreamy look in her eye as she caressed her cheek. "You should have seen him Buchou. He was just so bold."

Shirou blinked. What was she talking about?

"Oh, do tell."

"Busting into the room and taking my hand in front of the whole class while shouting to the world, "Himejima-senpai, I need you!" My poor maiden heart couldn't take it."

"Oh my, I never took you for the voracious sort Emiya."

"Neither did I but it would appear that our little handyman can be quite the charmer when he wants to be."

Shirou's eyes widened. "I wasn't-. I didn't mean-."

"That may be, but the public has already made their assumptions. To them, your lust for woman overcame you so heavily that you abducted poor Akeno in plain view to ravage her to your heart's content."

He rubbed at his temples. It was bad enough that he was a Devil now. He didn't need his reputation to match that.

There was a lesson to this. If he was going to continue down this path, people would be critical about his every action; even more so than a handful of gossiping teenagers. Devil Houses were essentially nobility in their society, acting rashly in the future would look poorly on his master.

"Truly, a sad day for The White Knight Emiya Faction."

"The what faction?"

"As if we both don't already know where your allegiances lay."

"True, they may have their merits, but their fantasy is much too vanilla for my tastes. The hedonism of The Closet Sex Fiend Emiya Faction are more my speed."

"Thirsty Bitch."

"Nudist Slut."

This was not the kind of introduction to the Moonlit World that he had had in mind. "You both know that I'm still here, right?"

With but a thought, Rias' teenage bliss was reeled behind a curtain of strict professionalism once again. "Yes, and what is it exactly that The Occult Research Club can do for you today, Emiya Shirou?"

"I wish to join you, as a member of your club."

"Really now? Won't that be rather difficult when your involvement in The Archery Club?"

"I hardly participate nowadays as is and even if I was more active, Himejima-senpai seems to manage it just fine."

"She's an exception to the rule."

"And I'm not?"

"…No, I suppose you are." A ruby eyebrow quirked. "Curious, you are…aware of your potential?"

"For the most part."

"Interesting." She leaned forward on interlaced fingertips. "Koneko."

"Hai, Buchou." A petite first year with short, white hair wearing a tired expression materializes before her leader with one knee to the ground bowing in servitude. "Would you be a dear and go fetch our other recruit?"

"…"

"…"

"…Koneko?"

"…Do I have to?"

"Do you expect poor Gasper to do it?"

Her round face twisted with discomfort. "…Fine." She finally relented before disappearing the same way that she had arrived.

"I apologize but I'd rather not repeat myself."

"It's not like I can question your authority anyways."

"True, though I'll have you know that my family prefers to teeter on the more humane side when it comes to these sorts of things. Even if you cannot blatantly go against our wishes, we are not so petty as to strike you down for simply voicing your opinion."

"Out of all the Noble Houses that I've encountered over the years, the Gremory are hands down the most openminded by far." Akeno was quick to support her master's claim.

"That's certainly good to hear." He'd come here half expecting to have to sacrifice a newborn baby as proof of membership. Maybe he wouldn't have to completely twist his moral compass after all. But he couldn't allow himself to relax, not yet. These two were Devils after all. Whose to say all of this wasn't just another part of the indoctrination process.

"Unlike the rest of the Seventy-Two Pillars, we treat our peerage members like family; caring for them just as dearly as we would any of our blood."

"Forgive me if I find that hard to believe." He crossed his arms. "My adoption into this family wasn't exactly the smoothest."

Rias' smile fell. "Yes, it was rather unfortunate. Had we arrived sooner we may have been able to intervene."

Shirou exhaled a breath, absently cupping the area of his chest that had been rammed through.

"Normally, I would have given you a choice; but with the state you were in, it was all I could have done to save you."

"How did you even fend off a Fallen Angel for so long?" Akeno asked. She'd known Shirou for quite some time but even with his skills he should have been crushed the second he defied her.

"I'm curious about that as well." Rias said. "Not only did you fight but you even managed to land quite the blow. That's not something that the average human can pull off."

He glanced at Saber who straightened with pride on her throne of open air. "I don't know what to tell you?" He shrugged. "That was the first time I encountered anything like that." He had always known that she could heal but never had he suspected that she had been capable of more. "I didn't even know any of this stuff existed until recently."

Akeno shot him a cursory look. "Then how did you know that you had been turned."

"My parents told me." If you can call being stabbed and beaten "telling".

"Your parents?" Rias asked. "But I thought you said you had been ignorant of our world?"

"Trust me, I was just as surprised as you are. It's not every day you find out that not only is magic real but that both your parents are prolific magus who've been keeping all of it a secret from you and your sister your whole lives."

"Magus…Emiya…" A cold sweat began trickling down the back of Akeno's neck. It had to be a coincidence. Their luck couldn't be that bad, right? "S-S-Shirou?"

"Yes, Senpai?"

"Your father's name…it wouldn't happen to be…Kiritsugu…" She muscled down the lump in her throat. "…W-Would it?"

"Unless he went by anything else during his travels, that's the only name that I've ever known him by."

"That's what I was afraid of." She hissed between her teeth. The lump she had swallowed becoming a mass of solid iron in her gut. Dear Satan, she knew where he lived. He knew that she knew where he lived! "That's-."

"-So. Cool!"

"Eh? / Eh?"

Where Rias had once been hesitant to stray from her regal imagine, now she had completely tossed it to the wind. She leapt over the desk, getting right into his face and clutching at his arms with a manic fervor.

Saber instinctively rose to her Master's defense; rising from her throne to heft an invisible sword in her tiny hands. "By your command, I shall smite this foul beast back down to the fetid pools with which she came."

"Please don't." Her actions seemed far from malicious. Even a normal human would have been able to escape from her grasp.

Then she began to shake him. "Is it true!? Are you really his son!?"

"Hgk…Ad-opted but-…yes." He managed to get out, growing nauseous from the shaking. So, this was the default strength of a Pureblooded Devil.

How frightening.

That was when she began to squeal. Actually squeal; ear piercing and loud like a groupie who had just been touched by the lead-singer of their favorite band.

"Rias! This isn't a matter to be taken lightly! He's the son of a hitman."

"Not just any hitman, The Hitman. Emiya Kiritsugu is basically our version of John Wick! Can you believe it? The Magus Killer, alive and in the flesh, here in Kuoh!"

"And we just reincarnated his son into a Devil!" Akeno screamed. The lights of the heiress' eyes flickered with understanding. Perhaps she had finally gotten through to her.

"That's great!" Rias clutched Shirou's head to her bosom the same way one would a prized treasure.

"WHAT?!"

"By the powers within this humbled vessel, my righteous fire burns bright! May my enemies beg for mercy fore I shall give none!" Saber glowered, red-faced with holy power eager to vanquish the hedonistic parasite that sought to defile her master with those useless sacks of fat.

Flat is justice!

"Purge the unclean!"

"Down Saber!"

"That means I can be the first one ever to get my First Edition of The Sorcerer Hunter signed! I can just imagine all the forum trolls rolling in their graves when they find out. Call me a fake-fan will they! I'll show them, I'll show them all!"

"…You can't be serious." Akeno pinched the bridge of her brow.

"I've never been more serious about anything before in my entire life." She said with a glazed expression, fishing out a laminated and framed comic book from the same drawer that she had stashed the object in on their arrival.

"…He has his own comic book."

"A Korean Manhwa to be exact. It's more of an adaptation if anything but all true fans of the series know who the author draws their inspiration from. What's even better is that there are rumors that all the action and grit depicted in it are watered down from the source material. Which is crazy because in Volume 3 Chapter 5 there's this one scene where-"

He could feel his mind breaking. He had taken his subsequent death and resurrection rather well but…this, this was something else.

"Even for you, this level of otaku is just plain excessive…"

"Is this a bad time?" Shirou heard Koneko ask from between Rias' breasts.

"Emiya-senpai?" That was Iseko. She had evidently been turned as well after their run in with the Fallen Angel. "You fiend! First you violated Akeno-senpai and now you're already setting your sights on Rias-senpai!" She cried out, squirming all the while form her position hogtied over the tiny girl's shoulder. "I'M SO JEALOUS!"

"Kill me now."

XxXxX

Gunshots sing; a smoking barrel; feet scrambling across the concrete.

"How is he?" Leysritt asked.

Fire erupted from Kiritsugu's rifle. A vase burst in an explosion of ceramic; surprise sounded from a collection of nearby crates as a series of shots returned fire on his position. They landed wide and high; puncturing the surrounding wall with fresh wounds of neon pink paint.

"Not great." He said as he stared at his son down the length of his scope. His distinctive red hair giving his position away in the artificial light despite the rest of his body being completely concealed.

He casually tossed a grenade in Shirou's direction. It landed with pinpoint accuracy. He was quick to jump to his feet, bursting from cover just as his shelter was consumed by a plume of purple. The second he had bolted into the open; a simulation round splattering the fiberboard wall mere inches from his head, halting him dead his tracks.

"Motivation?" Leysritt asked, hefting a wicked halberd over her shoulder like an oversized baseball bat.

"Later." He said as another shot rang out.

XxXxX

Another miss.

Which, ironically, felt worse than being shot itself. He had been forced to scurry about this makeshift battlefield dodging sim-rounds for well over an hour now and yet, somehow, he was still clean. He couldn't say the same for the environment, colors of all shades and hues surrounded him; the spatters of paint looking more like the gore in the aftermath of some grand battle. No, he was not spotless because of his own effort. With how frequently he pinned down his location, his father could have painted him like a fencepost the moment he had started firing. He had just elected not to.

It was all so callous. Kiritsugu had never been the most affectionate of parents buts never before had he felt so cold. He moved like a machine; unyielding and relentless.

Another hail of bullets forced him down into cover.

He could see why someone would want to serialize the life of the fabled "Magus Killer" now that he saw him in action. The man was a savant with that rifle of his. Meanwhile, the pistol in his grip lumbered, bulky and awkward by comparison. Movies had made using the things look so much easier than they actually were.

"If only I had a sword." At least then he wouldn't feel so incompetent.

He chanced a moment to peak over cover. Perhaps if he stayed low, he would be able to-

Gunfire cut off his thoughts part way through.

"This is hopeless!"

In this labyrinth of storage crates and barrels his newfound powers were basically useless. He didn't even know any magic yet to even the odds.

"A little help here." He asked, rolling out of the way of another grenade that his father had teased behind his cover. Just how did he keep doing that?

Saber shook her head. "Apologies Master but it would be dishonorable of me to interfere with your father's training methods."

"Figured as much." She had always been the chivalrous sort. He didn't quite see the point in it all but he respected her choices. Honestly, her commentary throughout the years was probably half the reason he held acts of heroism and bravery in such high regards. However, that manner of thinking wouldn't help him in this situation. He needed something; anything that could turn the tide in his favor.

Thinking on his feet, he used his Devil enhanced strength to pry a board off of one of the nearby wooden crates. It's heft and length feeling leagues better in his left hand than the metal monstrosity in his right.

It was just like the fight with the Fallen Angel all over again, only somehow his own father had managed to make the situation feel bleaker than that monster ever could. He would need to find a way to keep a real sword on his person at all times. If he was going to be facing even greater threats in the future, whatever garbage lying around wasn't going to cut it.

Shirou burst from cover; bullets greeting him. He swung. Sim rounds impacted against the board, disrupting their path and angling them wide into an adjacent wall. Had he really just done that? Deflect bullets out of the air? His new body must be even more amazing than he thought. A new surge of confidence surged in his chest.

He could do this!

XxXxX

"…Or not." He thought with a grimace.

Their song and dance had continued well into the night; Shirou's blue and white baseball tee now drenched in a healthy layer of sweat and paint despite his father's best efforts to hit everywhere but him.

He braced himself on a nearby crate while he calmed his breath. He inspected his makeshift weapon, now decorated in its own rainbow of color before tossing it uselessly to the side and collapsing on to the floor.

Kiritsugu walked into the light; offering him a canteen. Shirou drank deep; the water tasting sweet on his lips. He frowned mid-sip, looking down at the pistol in his hand with distaste.

"Shouldn't I be using a sword? I am a Knight after all."

"Only a Devil for a few days and already thinking like one."

Shirou gave his father a furrow browed look; unsure of how to take the comment.

"It's strange, isn't it? How humans continue to persist as the dominant species despite how painfully weak we are." Kiritsugu said with a far-off stare. "Unlike the rest of the world, humans have nothing of value; pitiful strength, miniscule magical attribute, and the hardiness of a wet paper bag. Yet, it is the supernatural that is waning. Do you know why that is?"

Shirou shook his head.

"A Devil's Peerage, for example, consists of defined roles: the swift melee combatant, the mystic powerhouse, the unshakable vanguard, the jack-of-all trades, the foot soldier, and the scheming tactician."

"Evil Pieces, Ajuka Beelzebub created them sometime after the Devil Civil War in order for them to replenish their numbers. The emphasis on classes allows the newly reincarnated Devils to pool their efforts into what they were the best at; allowing them to become combat ready in a shorter period of time."

"True." Kiritsugu nodded in approval. Shirou had certainly paid attention during his meeting with his King. Good. It meant he was taking this seriously. "An Evil Piece will only bond with a soul that it is compatible with. Besides the Pawn, each individual piece refines the host's parameters; theoretically making them greater version of what they once were."

"So, what's the problem?"

"It worked too well. Over time, as the Peerage System became more standardized, Devils had evolved into little more than embodiments of the pieces that had revived them; rigid and predictable."

Shirou's eyes began to widen with understanding.

"When reincarnated with the Knight piece, the new Devil is gifted with blinding speed but where does it state that they have to use that agility strictly to engage in melee? Rooks excel at defense but that doesn't mean they are exempt from learning magic themselves. Bishops are gifted with higher levels of Od but are somehow often even more physically inept than a Pawn. And the Queen, in all their hubris, has the benefit of all other pieces put together and yet are; more often than not, content functioning as glorified Bishops." Kiritsugu's frown deepened in distaste. "These days all a squad of executors needs to do is look at a Devil and they'll already have a plan on how to handle them."

"I had no idea."

"Don't be mistaken Shirou, your current nature may make you superior to a human but it is not a blessing." Kiritsugu said as he got to work packing up his rifle. "It's a curse."

Seeing that Kiritsugu was done for the night, Leysritt parted with her section of the wall; entering the arena. She gave Shirou's thoughtful expression a passing glance before hefting her massive halberd with both hands. "My turn."

Shirou began to inch away from her soulless gaze. "Can I at least get my own weapon first?"

"No."

"Run!" Saber screamed into his ear, prompting his body to act just in time to move out of the path of the halberd's blade; a nearby barrel taking his place, sheered clean it half.

"That thing is real!"

"Move now, think later! Go! Go! Go!" Shirou's legs propelled him faster than they had ever before. His speed being the only solace he would find between himself and the psychopath of a maid's warpath.

XxXxX

"Had fun?" Irisviel asked as Kiritsugu stepped out of the warehouse, her ethereal form sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the drab grays and browns that dominated their surroundings.

"Not particularly; he's rough."

"Kiri, he was just a normal boy not too long ago."

"He's a Devil, a Devil in the peerage of a Maou's younger sister."

"He'll be ready. He can already fight."

"This and what he's been doing all these years aren't the same."

She grimaced. Her boy had an aptitude for swords; that much was true. Whenever he picked one up, he always knew the best way to use them; as if he'd been practicing with that specific blade for years.

But it wasn't enough.

It was like comparing recreational martial arts to the instincts hone in the heat of battle. You could spend your whole life around padded floors and blunted blades but none of that matters if you end up freezing once the arrows start to fly.

"We have to make sure he's ready."

"…Right." Even someone like her knew when to face reality. Shirou would be forced to make a choice: to accept what it meant to be a member of this world…or die trying. She couldn't let that happen, she wouldn't. No matter his affiliation, he was still the same sweet boy that she and Kiri had pulled out of the rubble all those years ago. There was nothing she wouldn't do to protect him.

"When does he start with magic?"

"If not tomorrow then later in the week. Gremory wants him and the other recruit to tag along tomorrow night for some club activities."

"Stray Devil hunt?"

"Most likely." He nodded. "The one squatting in the mansion at the edge of town has been getting rather bold lately."

"Good, she'll be a good warm up for them."

"More productive than fulfilling contracts at least."

"Ssshh. Don't tell him yet. I want to get a picture of his face after he gets back from his first one."

"He's going to be a popular one."

"Right?" Her chest puffing out with pride. "Our Shirou is so handsome."

"If you say so. Let's just hope that none of them get too aggressive. I'm not quite ready for grandchildren just yet."

Iris took a moment to allow what her husband had just said settle in. Devil Summoning had become a far cry from the dark rituals of the past. Wanton human sacrifice and blood offerings had been exchanged for the much tamer methods of monetary payment and mana. The purpose of summoning said Devils going from promises of infinite power and riches to simple tasks like doing chores and spending time with the summoner. Even so, there were always those that pushed the envelope too far with their requests; often becoming enraptured by their benefactors and lusting after much more…carnal desires.

"Oh, dear lord, the Gal Sluts! They'll eat him alive!" She began to rush into the direction of their car. "Hurry Kiri, we need to stop them before they rob our boy of his innocence!"

"Did you at least have Leysritt fill the tank up before you got here?" He asked, inspecting the vehicle for any damages that may have occurred on the pairs drive up here. Both were absolute menaces on the road; the foliage clinging to his side mirrors and tail pipe where proof of that. Luckily, he had the forethought to enchant the black sedan with plenty of runes after the first couple of times he let either of them take his car out "grocery shopping".

She nodded in affirmation as he got into the driver's seat.

The sounds of crushing metal and splintering crates could still be heard even from here. "Should we have really left Shirou with her?"

"He'll be fine~. She's just sorting some stuff out. She hasn't been able to sit still ever since she found out what happened." Despite her lackadaisical appearance, Leysritt was equally, if not more invested in the safety of the Emiya Family than her sister was. While Sella could cook, clean and educate the children; she was really only good for one thing and one thing only: protection. Which made finding out about Shirou's reincarnation all the more tender a subject. Her vigil had been challenged. She was the family's loyal hound; the one tasked with keeping them safe when the heads of the household were away. The children coming to harm should have been a nonissue.

And yet their son had been hurt under her watch; killed by forces he had no way of knowing of.

It was unacceptable.

Kiritsugu took his wife's hand into his own. "Don't worry. She'll get through this…we all will."

"…Kiri."

He was so strong and confident in time like this. Her non-magus friends had always found him dull but that couldn't be further from the truth. Her husband did care; he cared so much that he put himself through torture time and time again to fight for a world that their children could safely grow up in. It wasn't his fault that the world was such a cruel place; that it had chewed up his ideals and spat them back out on him. He was so tired…but he still tried. He still loved despite it all. And that is what she loved about him the most.

Everything would have been just perfect…if it wasn't for just one teensy, tiny thing.

"You fucking heathenistic, semen covered whore! Once I get out of here, I'm gonna cut that shit eating grin on your face so wide that-!" Iris clapped her hands and the muffled screams and banging coming from the trunk were cut off like a needle on a record.

"We should probably get going while she has him preoccupied. Wouldn't want him to stumble on us while we have our "talk" with our friend here."

"He's quite a lively one for a Priest." She said as they peeled out of the warehouse parking lot.

"We'll see how long that lasts for."

XxXxX

Author's Note: I'm so mad that it took so long to post this. Realistically, I've been sitting on the draft of this chapter for months now but, no matter how much I rewrote it, it just never felt right. By the time I was finally comfortable it, it basically doubled in size. Part of the difficulty was honestly the nature of the chapter itself being more a transition piece than anything else. I had a lot of trouble filling it with personality. To be honest, I didn't know what I was going to do after chapter two. I obvious have a timeline for future events but finding out what to do in between in always a challenge. Luckily, I've been managed to gain some inspiration since last time so I have a better idea of where I want to go with the following chapters than I did with this one.