Chapter Sixteen
Saber stirs awake, but feels too comfortable to bother moving. With a peak from her eyes, she has confirmed that the night they shared was no dream. Shirou lay beside her bare as she is with only the blanket to cover themselves. She feels a faint blush form on her face as she smiles at her situation. The night they had was better than any night she and Guinevere had back when she was king. This love thing was definitely new territory for her, but she is determined to make the most out of it. Sure they have only a limited time to have this experience as Saber will disappear after the Grail War is over as servants do, but she is willing to take the heartbreak of their inevitable separation. She is luckier in this matter as she most likely will lose these memories once she returns to the throne before her next summons. That is if she has one. Saber has been thinking about what she truly would want with the Grail since she has been confined to this bed from the curses still on her body. She still has regrets about things during her time as king, but she can not still hold on to her belief that someone else in her time could have done better. Chills courses through her body at the thought of Morgan taking the throne. Yes, it is perhaps for the best that she remained as king. Unlike some other kingdoms, England is still alive and well in the present. Having someone else take her place may end with the downfall of England. Two arms wrap themselves around her and Saber is pulled into Shirou's embrace. Perhaps she should put a pin to these thoughts for another time, for the muscular chest that her breasts are pressed to is taking priority.
"Good morning Shirou," She greets him with a smile.
"Good morning Saber," He smiles back.
"Artoria."
Shirou arches a brow, "What?"
"Please address me by my name when it is the two of us. There is no room for formalities between us after last night." Artoria explains with a faint blush.
Shirou blushes as well, "Sure Artoria."
She kisses him, "Thanks Shirou."
"How are you feeling?" He asks her.
She thinks about it, "Well I can still feel the curses on me, but after the mana transfer they aren't affecting me as badly."
"Mana transfer?"
"You are cute when you are confused," Artoria teases. "You must be still waking up if you aren't able to put the dots together. Even if it wasn't our intended purpose last night, sex is an efficient way of providing mana to another. There is no worry of a servant becoming pregnant, so I am able to use everything you put into me towards mana. Now help me get dressed, I want to have breakfast today at the table." Shirou complies and gathers their clothes from the floor. Once they are both presentable, they make their way to the living room. However they discover that they did not think it through when they both exit Saber's room and enter the living room where everyone else is at.
"Oh there he is," Rin tells the group as they come into view. "It seems Emiya-kun spent last night with Saber." The dark blush the couple produces confirms the thoughts they all shared.
"Shirou, how could you do such a thing under the same roof as your Onee-san?!" Illya exclaims.
"My apprentice is a hormonal teenager, so it is only natural he seeks the comforts of a woman's embrace." Caster explains before holding out her hand. "Archer, pay up."
"Tsk," Said servant clicks his tongue as he drops some dollar bills into her hand.
"What was that about?" Shirou asks, pointing between the two.
Caster licks her fingers before counting the bills, "Oh just a bet on how the status of your relationship. Archer bet against the two of you actually being a thing altogether. I bet that the two of you will find each other naturally. Rin bet that someone would need to force the two of you together. On that note, Rin?" The twin haired girl pulls out money and hands it to the Greek. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Well it's good to know that we can provide you all with entertainment." Shirou grumbles.
"Don't be like that apprentice," She tells him after putting away her winnings. "In times like this we need to have something going on to keep our spirits up. On that note, congrats on finally becoming an item."
Saber regains her composure and takes a seat at the table, "Thank you Caster."
"Honestly this works out for the best as I was about to speak to Shirou about going through the process of a mana transfer with you. You're too big of a chess piece to keep on the sidelines." Caster takes Saber's arm and examines a curse that is on it. "Yes you seem to have enough mana within you that I can start removing them without draining you completely." The two maids walk out the kitchen with food and Caster can see the light in the blonde's eye sparkle. "Come by the workshop after breakfast and we will begin to remove them." Saber nods half listening as she begins to dig into the food laid before her. There is then a knock on the door.
Rin, being curious, looks out the window to see who it is. "Why are there so many black cars outside?"
"Oh, that must be the Fujimura Group." Shirou answers, wiping his mouth.
She turns her head around in shock, "You mean the yakuza? What would a crime family want with us?"
He shrugs making his way to the front door, "Well since they manage our estate, I would assume they are here for something related to that."
Illya turns to the red Servant, "Archer please explain the relationship between my brothers and the local yakuza."
Shirou leaves the room before Archer could start explaining and opens the door. Awaiting the other side is an old man with a gloomy expression. "Mr. Fujimura." The red head greets.
The old man sighs, "Please I've told you this many times Shirou, you don't need to be formal with me as long as my granddaughter considers both you and your brother as her little brothers."
"Alright Raiga," Shirou corrects himself, "What can I do for you?"
The gloomy expression does not leave his face. "I came because of my granddaughter. Is she here?"
"Fuji-nee? I haven't heard from her in a few days. I figured she was too busy with school work to make it over for dinner." He answers honestly.
"So you haven't heard from her either…" The yakuza boss trails off. "She's been missing for a few days now. We've tried calling her, but there is no answer. From the trail my boys followed, it seems she was grabbed on her way to visit me. I have tried calling you a few times, but it seems I have always missed you, so that is why I showed up in person."
Shirou mutters, "First Mason and now Fuji-nee?"
Raiga's hearing is enough to pick up on those words, "Mason is missing too?"
The red head curses at himself for letting it slip, not wanting to involve the Fujimaru Group into this. "Mason was kidnapped a few days ago."
The old man frowns, "He was? Why didn't you tell me? You know my boys care about you both and would be searching night and day for you."
"I do, however the group that has him isn't a group that even you guys can take." Shirou answers vaguely.
"Is that so?" A white brow arches. "It wouldn't happen to be a group from your world would it?"
The boy keeps his shock hidden. "My world? That do you mean?"
"I am no fool. I investigated your father the moment I learned my granddaughter took interest in him. While I may not know the full story, I know enough to figure out there is an entire world hidden from the masses and that your father was a part of it. I also know that it is a world I shouldn't dig too much into. Your father was a decent person, and that was enough for me."
Shirou lets out a breath, "If you know that much, then telling you that this group is connected to the going ons of my world is in the realm of what I can say."
Raiga clicks his tongue, "That complicates things then. You don't think that my granddaughter was taken by this group as well?"
"Honestly I have no clue, however it is possible as they don't seem to play by the rules of my world. I am planning on saving Mason from them, so if they do have Fuji-nee then I will grab her as well." Shirou tells him.
"Alright, in the meantime I will search the other gangs in the city to see if they had the balls to try and hold her hostage against me. My boys will also keep an eye out for Mason in case he escapes. Keep in touch with me until we find our loved ones." The yakuza boss then exchanges goodbyes before leaving. Shirou shuts the door and returns to the living room and tells the group what was said.
"I have thought it weird that she hasn't stopped by recently," Caster comments.
"If the cult has kidnapped Taiga as well, what is their goal with her?" Saber asks in between bites.
Caster pounders and thinks back to Mason's childhood she has seen in her dreams. "From what I gather from Mason's memories, loved ones can be used against Jedi to turn them to the Dark Side. Perhaps they intend on doing that with Taiga as the catalyst."
Shirou clenches a fist, "Then we have to stop them!"
Illya grabs her brother's hand, "And we will. Like Caster said earlier, Saber is a big piece and it seems like the cult is always pulling out more tricks everyday, so having her with us when we save Mason will help."
"Do not worry apprentice, Saber will be in fighting form by tonight." Caster reassures. "Speaking of recoveries, how is Sakura?"
Rin shakes her head, "She still is unresponsive. She should have awoken by now if it was just exhaustion from using so much mana."
"Perhaps it has nothing to do with her mana and more to do with her situation." Illya states, sipping some tea. "Though I'm still in the mind that we just kill her off and remove the risks that come from her."
"We are all aware of your feelings for her, Onee-san," Shirou says. "However she is a friend and I won't let the ones I care about die."
Illya sets her cup down, "Even if you inherited Father's dream, the method on how the two of you achieve it is vastly different. Father would not waver in killing someone if it meant saving the world." Not even his own family, she thinks to herself. For better or worse, the Grail saw fit to show her what Kiritsugu did to her and her mother in his vision after putting aside her hatred for him. Fate can be cruel.
"Well I am not our father. He passed his dream to me and decided to leave how I achieve it how I see fit." Shirou paints.
"If it's any constellation," Saber cuts in, "I much prefer Shirou than Kiritsugu. That man has no sort of honor and will use anyone to get what he wants."
"Seeing as how you are sleeping with my brother, I think your view on this matter is a bit biased." Illya pouts with her arms crossed.
Caster decides to bring the topic back to its original point, "Rin how about I examine Sakura again to see if I can find a cause for her slumber? I am working with more mana now so my diagnosis will prove to be much more accurate."
"That would be great," Rin tells the Greek.
"Saber, I should be done going over Sakura after you finish eating." Caster tells the English servant before walking towards Sakura's room.
Skorr walks towards a tunnel that the cult has been digging from the temple. He sees Valia overlooking the area and stops next to her. "How are things preceding?"
She bows her head before explaining, "Master, we are ahead of schedule. We have found where the Grail will appear. Not only that, but the magical output is higher than we originally thought. I am currently using the excess mana into shoring up our defenses after losing Berserker and all of Assassin's personas. By midnight, even the combined might of all of the original seven Servants in the war will struggle in stopping us. The only problem we now face is having a proper vessel for the Grail."
The dark lord scratches his chin, "Yes, it would appear that in my excitement of obtaining the blood of Revan, I forgot my intended purpose of going after the Einzbern girl."
"I might have a solution to that. When I captured the old man, or what was left of him, I found out that he still had some control over the Sakura girl. Not only that, but that he made that girl into a vessel for the Grail. He doesn't hold much control over her to force her to come to us unfortunately, but if I am near her again I can more easily capture her." She explains to her Master.
"There actually is an alternative option for us," Skorr points out and brings Rule Breaker from his belt. "With this being able to break magical ties with anything, it could be possible to obtain the Grail without a vessel. However, that comes with its own set of unforeseen challenges. If we are unable to capture one of the two vessels, we will have no choice but to use this."
Valia looks over the jagged dagger with interest. "This would also solve another troublesome situation that I have encountered."
"And what would that be?"
"Well after going back to the bomb site and obtaining the broken Grail from the last war, I have found another entity within the Grail itself. It seems to have been corrupting the Grail for almost a century. If we are to bring Lord Nihilus back, this entity may prove to become a problem." The female sith explains.
Skorr considers this point before handing the Noble Phantasm to her. "See to it that the entity does not become a problem. We are closer than we have ever been before. Lord Nihilus will come back during our generation, not the following ones."
"Yes my Master," She holds Rule Breaker to her chest as she bows. "By the way, how is my new Kohai doing?"
He grunts, "Stubborn. He is proving to be more resilient than I anticipated. However your idea of using his loved ones against him is having some success. I can feel him getting closer and closer to the Dark Side with every session. The only question is if the woman is able to live long enough to see him turn. I would like to keep her as insurance for him obeying us, but if she dies then she dies."
"I am not one to question your methods Master as I have yet to take up an apprentice myself, but wouldn't that only serve to turn him against us if the woman dies?" Valia asks with some concern.
"It is of little importance." Skorr brushes the concern off. "He will seek the power to destroy us and since we are the only ones who can provide such power, Mason will tutor under us until he is able to kill us. Such is the way of the Sith. I would be insulted if he didn't try to kill me after what I have done to him."
"And what if he doesn't seek out our knowledge but somehow ends up killing us?" She asks this not because she believes Mason is able to do such a thing at this point of time, but because she wants to know if her Master has thought about any possibilities.
"If by some miracle he escapes and, with the help of his friends, stops us, then the result will remain the same. For even in his current state, Mason can never return to the boy he was a week ago. The Dark Side is too close to him for Mason to ignore it and he will undoubtedly strike us down with all of his hatred. While he won't be properly trained, I have ensured the legacy of the Sith will remain alive within him after our deaths. I have invaded his mind enough that he can't be rid of me in his conscience." The Sith Lord smiles at the marvelous plan he has thought out.
Valia can't help but smile along with her lover. "I envy you Master. I hope to one day find an apprentice that can make me plan their future so deviously."
Footsteps are heard coming towards them along with a voice, "My Lords, I have urgent news."
Skorr turns to see Miller kneeling. "Raise Commander and give us the news."
Miller complies and stands with his arms behind his back. "Spies have reported that this country's government has finally discovered this stronghold and are sending the JSDF to our location. The force should arrive in the city by the marrow."
Skorr looks at Valia, "Then it is of the utmost importance that you finish tonight's project as fast as you can." Valia bows and leaves. Skorr returns his attention to the Commander and they walk out of the tunnel. "What is the status of our forces?"
"We have everyone in place and awaiting your word, my Lord." Miller answers with a little pride in himself.
"Good, the operation will commence after dusk. Have everyone on high alert and prepared for battle. We will set the stage of the fight on our terms. Tonight is the night we step from the shadows and reveal ourselves to the world."
Later that day, Caster is discussing her findings with Sakura. "Well I checked Sakura over and she appears to have a lot less crest worms in her. In fact, there is only one which normally I would call a win but unfortunately it is embedded into her heart. Most likely Zouken attempted to kill her at some point which is why she hasn't woken yet."
"So we raid the Matou house and kill the old bastard." Rin states her intentions clearly.
"It will not be that simple." This is where Rider makes her way to them. "Sakura had made a deal with the cult to get rid of her grandfather. They burnt that house to the ground and to our knowledge, they did their job. However if you say he is the one doing this to her, then that means the cult has not been truthful in upholding their side of the deal. As for what happened to the rest of the vermin that resided in her body, I removed them under her orders."
"Sakura made a deal with the cult?!" A shocked Rin says, not addressing the last part.
"She offered a piece from the last Grail as payment. However once she learned of Mason's fate, she went back on that deal and you all know the rest." Rider explains in plain detail.
"So that means the cult has some control over one black grail vessel," Illya chimes in.
"They don't have full control over her." Caster clarifies. "Zouken can't force her to do anything, just whether or not she lives or dies."
"Well if what you say is true about Makiri only having one crest worm left in her after the rest were removed or destroyed when his workshop burnt down, then it is most likely his life anchor. He would not dare to kill her at this stage until he created a new pit and found a new host. That brings us back to the cult having some control over her. They would be able to bring her close to death to better capture her. Which is another reason why I voted to kill her." The Einzbern tries to bring up again.
"We are not-" Shirou is interrupted when all the Servants inside then become on high alert as the boundary field surrounding the Emiya house is detecting a presence of another Servant. However instead of an attack, there is a knock on the door. Shirou approaches the door carefully. "Who do you think it could be? Lancer maybe?"
Archer shakes his head, "No this Servant doesn't share the same signature as Lancer. My guess would be that Assassin is finally making himself known." He sees his younger self still make his way to the door. "What are you doing? I just said it is most likely Assassin. Why on earth would you think it is a good idea for a Master to answer the door?"
"Well if it is Assassin, they wouldn't bother knocking on the door if they are here to kill me. Besides, don't Assassins have presence concealment? There must be a reason if they are making themselves known." The redhead reasons, placing a hand on the door. Even if Archer still harbors nothing but hatred for his younger self, letting the boy die would greatly ruin any plans they have. He huffs and positions himself behind Shirou to prevent any sort of attack. The door opens to two figures in skull masks and a robot?
"Question: Is this the resident of the meatbags known as Emiyas?" The bot asks.
"It is. What can I do for you?" Shirou asks with confusion.
The man in the skull mask steps forwards, "As you can most likely guess, I am Assassin. The droid is HK-47, and the female is also a fellow Assassin. We come on behalf of my Master, Mason."
"Mason?!" Shirou exclaims. "What about him?"
"Answer: Master Mason is still being held captive in the temple. During an escape attempt, he sent us here." HK answers. "Now are you going to allow us in meatbag? We are not the common folk that live in the area."
Shirou exchanges glances with Archer before letting the trio into the house. Everyone files into the living room with the three newcomers on one side and everyone else on the other. Caster is the one to begin the conversation. "So you say that my Master sent you all here?"
"Mockery: Oh good, the meatbags are able to hear. I was worried that the meat in their heads took up any room for intelligent thoughts." HK insults.
A tick mark finds its way on Caster's forehead. "If you wish, I can turn you into scrap metal."
"At least if I am scrap metal," The droid begins, "I won't have to hear your voices."
"HK!" The male Assassin shouts. "Sorry about my companion. He is very crass and likely the most murderous thing I've ever known."
Archer crosses his arms while against the wall, "Then why do you keep him with you?"
"That is not by choice," Assassin begins before going into detail of everything that happened to him since the start of the war and leading up to the escape. "When Hundred Persona surrounded us, that is when our third companion showed up to save us." The female Assassin bows her head in greeting.
"Okay I get you and the droid," Illya starts before pointing at the female. "But you I don't get. From our understanding, the cult has been in control of any Servant that the Grail has spawned. So why are you here?"
The Assassin in question takes off her mask. "It is because of the cult seizing control of the Grail summoning that I am here. The Grail's natural defenses have summoned Servants without Masters to counteract the cult's summoning."
"So there are more of you?" Rin asks.
She nods, "There were, but now there are only two of us left. The cult has seen to it that the others were eliminated. They have also since cut the Grail off from summoning any more Servants to protect itself."
Caster shakes her head, "This war is getting more confusing as the days go on. If you do not mind me asking, who are you two and who is the third Servant? Knowing your identities will help in determining your roles against the cult. That is if you are here to help."
The male Assassin speaks, "Our identities? If we are to share who we are, I hope you all intend on doing the same."
Caster sighs before pointing to each Servant on her side, "We have already figured who we all are at this point. The big Berserker one is Hercules. The blonde Saber is King Arthur. The edgy Archer in the red coat is Shirou Emiya, the future version of the redhead here. Rider, who is down the hall guarding her Master is Medusa. And the Caster before you is Medea."
"Lancer, the one not in our group, is Cu Chulainn," Archer adds in. "Now you share."
"It is only fair. I am Hassan of the Cursed Arm. It's a handful of a name, so you may continue calling me by my class." Assassin tells the group.
The female then says with a soft voice, "I am Hassan of Serenity. However, so we don't get mixed up, you may call me by Serenity instead of my class."
Shirou sticks his hand out, "Well it is nice to meet you both."
Serenity backs away from the outstretched hand. "Please do not touch me!"
Shirou takes his arm back a little dejected, "Oh sorry. Didn't mean to offend you."
"It is nothing of your doing," Assassin reassures. "She is completely poisonous. A simple brush against her skin will kill a fully grown elephant. For all of your safety, do not touch her."
"I will keep that in mind." The group takes note of that and instinctively moves back.
Illya then says, "We know you two, what about the third?"
Serenity answers, "Ah, he wishes to withhold himself until it is necessary for him to be known. He is content remaining in the shadows for the moment."
"So you won't tell me who he is?" Caster asks a little heatedly.
"It is not that we won't tell you," Assassin tells her. "It's that we can't. He holds a power over us that we cannot resist. Even if my Master is to use a command seal, I won't be able to say."
"How are we supposed to work for someone that isn't willing to be as upfront as we are?" Archer protests.
Serenity twitches before her eyes roll to the back of her head. Then a deep voice that mixes with her escapes her lips, "Rest assured. I am merely hiding myself from the enemy. If I am to be known, then the enemy will be prepared to set countermeasures that will make my efforts useless." Her pupils then return to their original place. "I hope that explains it."
Already, the gears in the counter guardian head are turning to quickly discover the identity of the unknown Servant. A light bulb shines in his head once the answer becomes clear. "Oh, now I understand. He is right, his identity should be hidden for now. If everything we know is indeed correct, then in the worst case scenario, that Servant will be the difference between success and defeat."
Caster lowers her eyes at Archer before she gives up. "Fine, I'll trust your judgment for this. We were planning on moving against the cult tonight to save Mason. Having a couple extra hands would be beneficial."
"Commentary: An excuse to slaughter a bunch of meatbags and save my new Master successfully? You don't even need to ask." HK says with excitement.
Illya leans into the group, "Perhaps we use him as a distraction." The others only nod in agreement.
Rin however has other plans, "I believe it would be better for us if I head over to the church. We still need to talk to the fake priest about having Lancer side with us. Plus even if he is a fake, Kotomine being involved with the Church may prove beneficial against Zouken."
"But I thought I said you won't be going there alone?" Shirou protests.
"If it helps soothe your concern for her," A soft voice comes in. "I am willing to accompany her. Perhaps if I explain my current reason for being here, it will help persuade this Kotomine to help."
"That's fine with me," Rin accepts. "See there Shirou, now I am not alone. With Archer and Serenity, even if we get into a fight we outnumber the fake priest and Lancer."
Rider then appears once again, "I hope you do not mind if I remain here. I will not leave Sakura's side as she is now."
"I did not plan for you to," Caster states. "Between the murder robot, the hunk of muscle, the king of knights, a mage from the age of gods, an assassin, and two protective siblings I believe we will be fine. On that note Saber, come with me. We need to make sure you are in top shape for tonight. Everyone else, prepare what you need for tonight."
Assassin makes his way towards her, "Caster, may I have a moment to speak with you?"
She eyes him before nodding. "Saber, I'll be at the workshop in a minute. Wait for me." Saber agrees so Caster and Assassin heads around the corner to talk. "What is it?"
"I merely wished to speak about the topic of your former Master as my new one." Assassin starts.
"He is not my former, Mason is still my Master even if our bond was cut off." Caster corrects.
He inclines his head, "Of course. I only wanted to let you know that despite him forging a contract with me, I am in no way here to replace you. When we save him, I'm more than willing to share Mason with you as our Master. I do not need much mana as the 'weakest' class and it would be a waste if such a fountain of rich mana from Mason is used solely on me."
She sighs, "I can't fault you on what happened since Mason has been too good for his own good. He saved me and now he saved you. I do believe it is time for the both of us to pay him back. Also Mason did have the right idea of sending you here, as we can better plan an escape with someone of inside knowledge. You and that droid can discuss a plan with Shirou, the younger one, and Illyasviel, the small albino girl. Saber and I will catch up once I'm down with her."
"Of course Caster. Thanks for hearing me out." Assassin then goes back into the living room to discuss a plan of action for tonight.
Saber meanwhile has taken up a conversation with Serenity as she waits for Caster. "If I may ask, who were the other Servants that were summoned?"
With her voice soft as a whisper, the Old Man of the Mountain answers, "Of course. Originally there were five of us. Alongside myself and the others there was Hans Christian Andersen, Mata Hari, and Gareth."
"Sir Gareth?!" Saber immediately jumps at the name. "There is another member of the Round Table here?!" Serenity is taken aback at the sudden exclamation. Saber blushes at herself and tries to recollect herself.
A light bulb appears above Serenity who then answers once Saber is settled. "Ah, you are the King of Knights. Of course you would act that way for Gareth. Yes, she was here and she did fight honorably. Before I found the other, we thought it was only the four of us summoned. We devised a plan to lure them out of the temple and take the leadership out in one go. Gareth would be the main focus as I would use the shadows to sneak around and deal the final blow. Hans and Mata would be our support. We knew they had summoned Servants, but we never expected them to have seven of them. Even if six of them were Shadow Servants, we were still outnumbered and we quickly learned that it was them who lured us into a trap of their own. Our support was the first to go, which led to only myself and Gareth to fight against nine opponents. She ended up using her Ring of Transformation to make them all focus on her so that I could escape. However I did catch glimpses of her final battle and Gareth's Battle Continuation made sure that the cult worked for her death. In the end, it was the Berserker Servant that dealt the final blow to her."
Saber has been silent the whole time to ensure that the story of her knight would forever be remembered by her. She can't be any more proud of Gareth for being outnumbered and not only standing her ground, but to give the cult a good beating before finally being stopped. The irony of Lancelot being the one to deal the killing strike is not lost to her as well. "Thank you Serenity for telling me this. I could have not picked a better knight to join the Round Table than Sir Gareth. I hope you will allow me to have some time to honor her sacrifice for you."
"Of course," Serenity accepts.
Sakura's eyes slowly open as a pounding headache greets her into the new day. Note to self: if you're going to kill someone, kill them. Don't just stand there talking about it. They may drop a mini nuke on you. The voices echoing throughout the house do nothing to help the headache. She sits up slowly so as to not get her head any more fuel to hurt more. "Master, are you alright?" Sakura lets her eyes focus and she sees Rider next to her bed with what she assumes to be a face of concern. It is hard to tell with the eye mask.
"Other than my head, I am fine." Sakura tells her Servant and shifts her feet off her bed.
"Are you sure it is wise to be moving so soon? You only just woken up after being unconscious for a few days." Yes she is definitely concerned.
"If I have been in bed for a few days already, then I have already rested enough. Mason is still out there and he needs me," She protests as she starts changing out of her sleepwear into something more comfortable. Not that it matters what she will wear as her alternate form tends to keep her covered either way, but she would rather not deal with everyone making a fuss about her looking like that all the time. Especially since Mason hasn't even seen her like that yet. Rider makes no move to stop her nor does she help. All she can do is follow her Master and do her best to keep her alive. Once Sakura is dressed, she makes her way down the hallway and the voices get louder.
"Mockery: I knew this planet was primitive, but all you have is slug throwers? You don't even have any carbonated projectiles?!" A robotic voice echoes.
A heavy sigh is heard afterwards. "I don't even know what that means, but I'm going to say no. All we have are bullets, and even with that we don't have much ammunition. Guns are banned in this country, so all Mason has been able to use is whatever Dad had left before he died."
If droids could click their tongues, HK could be doing it. "Exasperation: You meatbags really are just full of wasted meat in your skulls. However I wouldn't be the expert killer I am today if I wasn't programmed to be proficient in every weapon. The slug throwers will at least be an excellent counter to the Sith meatbags."
"What makes you say that?" Shirou asks.
"Answer: Lightsabers can only deflect energy based weapons such as blaster bolts. It cannot deflect any projectiles such as your bullets. It can only block them and even at that the block is more akin to cutting, so fragments from bullets can still embed themselves into the skin. I in fact used this knowledge to kill many Jedi and Sith in my time before, during, and after serving my greatest master Revan." A hint of pride can be heard through the droid's speaker.
Archer grunts, "And here I thought you were only a translator."
"Retort: I am fluent in over six million forms of kicking your ass, meatbag."
Shirou steps between the two with something in his hand. "Save it for the cult. HK, if you want a blaster, then I do have this one Mason brought home after saving Caster."
HK looks over the blaster, "Observation: It's an older model, but it checks out. At least with this I won't have to worry about running out of ammunition mid-fight."
"Sakura?" Rin is the first to notice the purple haired girl which gets everyone's attention.
"What is going on?" Said attention having girl asks.
"We're going to get Mason," Caster answers. "Are you sure you are alright to be up?"
"I am fine." She answers a bit forceful, having already answered the question a few minutes ago. "If you all are going to save Mason, then I am going to."
"But you just woke up after being caught in an explosion." Shirou disagrees. "You don't need to come with us. We will be fine as is, so you can stay and-"
"Don't. Tell. Me. What. I. Need!" Sakura cuts in with anger. "I am not a helpless child to be cuddled or protected! Do you realize how much emotional damage you have put me through because of it? Before I met you I was but an empty shell, but afterwards you made me fill this shell. However, each time you tried to protect me, I felt useless and worthless every single time! There is a reason I never told anyone what was happening to me while living with those people, if you can call those worms that. Out of respect for our friendship, I will only warn you once not to push me aside and call it 'protection' again. If that is all, then I suggest we go. Mason needs me and I will go after him with or without you." The air seems heavy as Sakura makes her way to the front door with Rider silently following behind her.
"Observation: Meatbags sure are annoying when their hormones get high. However the murderous atmosphere she created can only lead me to a slaughter, so I will follow her." HK collects the blaster and starts heading for the door as well.
"I spent all that time healing her, and I didn't even get a hello," Rin mutters to herself. "If you guys want to get to the temple, then you better follow them. I was watching the news and the police are creating a road block around it. The government has correctly assumed that the cult is the reason for the recent attacks around the city. Good luck and keep an eye on Sakura." Archer and Serenity follow her out of the house and begin making their way to the church. The others, baring the two maids who will hold the 'fort', all go after Sakura.
Rin arrives at the church where her mentor is no doubt waiting for. Archer has decided to go into spirit form to try to not induce a fight with Lancer. Serenity remains in physical form as she doesn't have a master to give enough mana to her to shift back and forth. Opening the door, the fake priest is indeed waiting for her as he stands in the front with a smile.
"Ah, I was wondering if I would ever see a Master journey back here or not." Kirei says, making his way to meet her down the alley between the pews. "However I only expected to see a Servantless Master, I can only wonder what it is that you need."
"Cut the crap," She tells him. "You know I am here about the cult and that I come to speak about Lancer joining us against them."
His smile remains, "But of course you are. However you must remember my role is mainly as a supervisor for the war and I cannot pick sides."
Rin gives a skeptical look. "Are you sure? Because I don't believe a supervisor killing a Master and taking their Servant counts as 'not picking a side'."
"Which I haven't. The supervisor of the last war died before the war ended. I am merely preventing the same from happening to me." Kirei argues calmly.
"I said to cut the bullshit you fake priest," She protests. "We both know that the cult's existence and involvement in the war threatens to bring our world into the eyes of mortals."
"I am afraid that it is more than that." He starts pacing to make his point before continuing, "I have not sat quietly since the last time you and the others entered my church. I used what connections I have to investigate the cult. They are almost as hard to find as Atlas, but if one knows how to look for them, then finding them is less of a challenge. The first thing I found was that the force they have within the temple is merely a fraction of their entire army. They number all around the earth in an amount that rivals both the Church and the Clock Tower put together. In fact, the associations have encountered them a handful of times. However until now the cult hasn't done anything to prove to be a problem, so both groups didn't want to waste the manpower to root them out."
This sudden influx of information makes Rin become taken back. "Wait, so you mean to tell me that the Clock Tower knows about them but doesn't bother to tell me, The Second Owner of Fuyuki City, about their existence?"
Kirei shrugs, "To the association, all the cult is a highly advanced technological organization that found its way into our world. There were no records of the cult possessing beings with actual powers until the two aliens made themselves known. So with that in mind, informing you of an organization that at the time didn't pose a threat to any magus would be a waste of time."
"Tsk, typical of those egotistical nut jobs," She badmouths quietly.
"If I may," Serenity steps in, "I believe you not stepping in to oppose the cult is out of action for a supervisor."
He shifts his gaze to the one who had not spoken a word until now, "Do explain. I am curious to hear what you have to say."
"If the appearance of me currently existing doesn't convince you, then I will explain in plain words. What the cult is currently doing to the Holy Grail will not only upset the rules of your magus world, but perhaps Gaia herself. If the cult is successful in bringing back their lord, then she will not hesitate to destroy everything within the Earth and undoubtedly make the planet mimic the others within our solar system. I was sent to help prevent this from happening." She answers honestly.
"And where were you the entire time?" He asks.
"She was here working in the shadows," Lancer answers after coming out of spirit form. "I first noticed her observing me after my fight against Shadow Diarmuid. Since then, I have occasionally noticed her culling Shadow Assassin's numerous personalities."
Kirei narrows his eyes at his Servant, "She never was seen by you since I can see what you see, so that means that you have kept her unknown to me. Why?"
Lancer then gives the fake a shrug of his own, "I didn't see a reason to. She was not targeting anyone that was worth mentioning, nor was she interfering with either of us. The way I saw it, she was doing everyone a favor and I knew that you would have done anything to have her fall under your command as you have done with me."
"Well I won't deny that since having an Assassin would have been better for spying than a Lancer," He concedes before going back to Serenity. "You do make a fair point however. The nature of the way the war is heading is not what should happen, but as long as they do not get their hands on the lesser grail vessel, then there is no reason for concern. Even with their powers and technology, getting past Berserker to get the Einzbern girl is a feat within itself."
Rin then changes her current attempts of roping Kirei in. "However she is not the only lesser grail vessel. The Matous have turned Sakura into a botched grail vessel and is able to be controlled by the old man, who is in the care of the cult. If you stay and do nothing, then it is likely that they might end up with an even worse grail vessel creation made by what the Holy Church is supposed to eliminate. It is your duty, not as a supervisor but as a member of the Church, to rid the world of Zouken."
Kirei gives a single chuckle, "And if in the process that action will not only free your sister from his influence, but even help you fight against the cult?"
"Then that will be just a coincidence." Rin answers with a smirk.
He gives a longer chuckle, "I have trained you too well it seems if you are to use my position in the Church against me. I will help, if only to finally be rid of the wraith that is Zouken who should have been taken care of long ago. Afterwards… Well, we will deal with that when the time comes."
Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry for the wait! Now I'm going to be upfront with you and say that you did not wait this long for only this. In fact, I've written much more than this however the entire original chapter sixteen ended up being almost 19,000 words! So I am splitting this chapter up and making the Mason rescue scene have an entire chapter just for what happens. It is already completed and I will release that chapter within a few days. So enough about that, let's discuss what happened in this chapter. I finally get to do an official cute romantic couple scene! (that is not sex.) I will let you know I am a sucker for ships and love to read the interactions. I have also introduced Taiga's grandfather in the story. Her family don't really appear much both in Fate or fanfics. Also I have hinted her multiple times throughout the story and now Serenity is part of the cast! Like what happens in Grand Order when the timeline is altered enough by the presence of a Grail, Servants have been summoned to here to counteract it. I'll admit I played with the idea of having Chaldea appearing to correct the timeline, but that would just add a factor to lead this story into further chaos. I have enough plot lines to deal with as is. Okay let's wrapped this up before this note becomes too long!
keybladelight: I'm glad that my first attempt with a H-scene came across fairly well. I've read a number of other people doing it as well, so it felt like I had a high standard to get to. I did enjoy writing it though. As for HK-47, in SWTOR there are a number of replicas made of him spread across the galaxy. Although they are replicas, they still possess everything that makes HK who he is even if one of them is merely a head in a museum. Cursed Arm was fantastic in Camelot and he deserves to get some love as well. Serenity on the other hand was actually one of my brainstorm Servants that Mason would have summoned properly and then fell in love with. Obviously I went with a different option, but I found another way to include her in the story still. Actually all of the Servants I named in this chapter where the brainstormed Servants what would have served a purpose. For example, one of the other brainstorms was having Obi-Wan crashing at the beginning of the Fifth Holy Grail War and end up summoning Gareth as both of them seem to focus on defense. I just wanted to give them a shout out even if it won't result in anything. I'm happy you enjoyed the Zero reference as well. As for Kirei, even if I haven't touched on him for a while, he still has a role to play. Lastly I have a plan for Mason and a lightsaber so don't worry, the story still has more to tell.
Well that is it for me! As I said, next chapter is in a few days so I advise y'all to prepare yourselves for that rollercoaster. Since it is already written, any suggestions you may have will probably not be added. Although if there are any reviews before then I will still answer them. Anyways thanks for reading and I will talk at y'all next time!