Everything for My Family! Chapter 2

Hello everyone, I am back with the second chapter of this challenge from one Gabriel Herrol. In this chapter we will begin the descent into Fuyuki and the lives of the other Masters, maybe even throw in the first battle, though I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do that since I don't have Diarmuid at the current time as the Lancer spirit.

I do not own anything from the Fate franchise nor do I own the Harry Potter books and movies.

-Turin, Italy (3 Years Ago)-

"According to occultism," the silky, yet deep voice of a tall man in a red suit said as he sat contemplating the tea cup in his hand. "Outside of the world, at the summit of dimensional theories, there is a 'Power'."

Looking around him as he took a sip of the steaming tea, he continued on, "The exact location from which all events originate. That is the dearest wish of all magi, the Swirl of Origins."

"… the Beginning as well as the demise of creation," he said as he stood up to look at the young priest that was to become his apprentice. "Where everything in this world is remembered, where everything in this world is created – the Seat of God, himself."

"Over two hundred years ago, there were those who set in motion an attempt to reach that place 'outside the world'," the crimson suited man said as he stood up from his seat to move about the richly populated office. "The illustrious and ancient Einzberns, the dark and elusive Makiri and the newly minted Tohsaka. These three great families planned a reproduction of the Holy Grail itself, spoken of in many traditions and religions."

Moving to a nearby case that held the blade of a spear with several ancient runic markings on it, he paused to take a calming sip of his tea while marveling at the weapon within.

"In order to summon the Grail, said to be able to realize any desire, any wish," the nobleman continued as he set his cup down on its saucer. "The three families of magi offered their secret arts to one another, and at last, allowed the 'omnipotent container', as we call the Grail, to appear."

"However, as soon they found out, the great omnipotent wish granter would only answer the prayers of one person, the partnership devolved into bloody conflict, as instead of a peaceful experiment, the Holy Grail War came into being."

Looking across the room at the young priest that had been brought to his attention, he made sure the young man was paying attention, "Henceforth, the Grail would be summoned in a cycle of every sixty years, coming again and again to the Japanese land of Fuyuki, the stronghold of the Tohsaka family."

"The Grail would then select seven magi or those who possess the power and authority to claim the vessel and makes it possible to summon the Servants, Heroes of the ancient past, to fight in a battle to the death to decide who would win the Holy Vessel."

"That design that has formed on your right hand," the mage commented as he pointed the tip of his ruby-emblazoned staff at the rune covered hand of the young priest. "Is called Command Spells. They are proof that you were chosen by the Grail, the stigmata granted to you for the purpose of controlling a Servant."

"… Normally, the Seven Masters chosen by the Grail should only be Magi," he said as he stared down at the son of his good friend Risei, the young priest himself staring at the archaic symbols engraved in the back of his hand with a blank expression. "But for the Grail to notice someone like you, who is unconnected to Magecraft at such an early stage… is completely unprecedented."

"… Just what exactly are these Servants that you have spoken of Lord Tokiomi?" The young priest asked as he finally turned his dull brown eyes to the crimson clad magus that had been contacted by his father. "From what you say, these Heroic Spirits are the great and distinguished heroes who have left their names and legends engraved in history… they are an existence with the spiritual rank equivalent to a God."

"It may be hard to believe, but it is the truth," the brown haired mage said with a shake of his head at the questions from his new pupil. "Just a fragment of the Grail's power can make such a thing possible. Heroic Spirits can be summoned from as recent as several centuires ago to as ancient a time as the Age of the Gods."

Pausing to sip his tea and making a mental note to get the recipe for later, he continued, "Seven Heroic Spirits will each serve seven masters, whom they will safeguard as they fight to exterminate the other servants. Heroes from any era, any nation, resurrected into the modern era to vie for the Holy Grail in a battle to the death."

"That is the Fuyuki Holy Grail War."

"Something so monstrous…" the Priest muttered as he stared at the man before him. "In a city filled with tens of thousands of civilians?"

"It is an unspoken law," an older priest that had similar to features to the young man said as he turned away from his observations at the window. "That those confrontations must be conducted in secret, lest a new Witch Trial period erupts. In order to enforce that law, the Holy Church dispatches a supervisor to contain and minimize the disasters sure to come about in the Holy Grail War."

"Our beloved church is the judge for a fight between magi?" the young man asked in open disbelief that the church he had dedicated his life to would aide in rituals that had long since been condemned by history.

"Indeed," the older priest said as he smiled calmly. "Because it is a strife between magi, a member of the Magus Association would be entangled in the interests of the various factions that fight in each war and would have no choice but to rely on an outside authority."

"Moreover," Risei continued. "The Holy Church cannot remain on the sidelines in silence when this was all started by an artifact dubbed with the name of one of our most sacred and holy of artifacts… it is possible that it truly is that glorified cup which bore the blood of our beloved Christ."

"Please wait," his junior said as he held up a hand. "Isn't the supervisor for the war not chosen from the church itself for the sake of impartiality? Wouldn't my being in the war be in violation of that pact?"

"That is true," Risei said as his smile grew at the sharp mind that his son possessed. "However, this certain set of events is what you can call a loophole."

"Father Kotomine," the red mage chided the older priest as he leaned back in his chair, deciding to intervene in the conversation. "You shouldn't trouble your son with the intricacies; we should simply enter the main topic for now."

"Hm, that's true."

Turning to his son, the old priest's face adopted a stern look, "Kirei. What we have talked about until now is nothing more than the 'External' circumstances surrounding this Holy War."

"By what do you mean?" Kirei asked as he turned his gaze to the older man.

-An hour later-

'Why was I chosen for something like this?' Kirei thought as he walked along a bridge overflowing with tourists. 'Why would the Grail choose me, who possesses no ideals or desires?'

For as long as he could remember, there was no ideal, no quest or any pleasure that could sway his heart. A soul empty in every aspect.

"I guess that I already understand…" He muttered to himself as he passed a street café. 'That I was a human who could no longer be saved, even by the grace and love of God…'

He looked down at his hand again to stare at the strange swirling symbol that had appeared on his hand a mere fortnight ago while he had been giving mass. 'I don't understand… the Holy Grail, what could be the possible reason for the great omnipotent wish-granting machine to choose me of all people…?'

-Edelfelt Castle (2 Days after the summoning of Saber)-

'It's been a couple weeks since Kiritsugu summoned Archer,' Victoria Edelfelt thought to herself as she watched her eldest and youngest daughters playing together in the courtyard of the Edelfelt manor. 'We must depart for Fuyuki by tomorrow.'

Victoria was a beautiful woman in her early thirties that possesses long golden blonde hair styled in large coils that hung down to her stomach. She wore black ribbons in her hair and the young noblewoman was currently garbed in a long blue dress with sleeves that are easily detachable for combat purposes. She greatly resembles her eldest daughter, who had taken up copying her appearance in an attempt to emulate her mother, just as her youngest, darling Miyu was more than content to emulate her quiet father who she took after the most.

The beautiful blonde turned her head to look at the study's desk where her husband was once again typing on that infernal laptop that drove her crazy in trying to figure it out, she walked over with a sway in her hips and looked at the current page over Kiritsugu's shoulder. "What are you looking at, dear?"

"A report from the group that your father had infiltrate the Grail War division of the Clocktower," Kiritsugu Emiya said as his tired eyes remained on the screen that had the multiple profiles of the masters that had applied for the war, one of which included a picture and profile of himself. "I wanted to investigate the Masters of the coming Holy Grail War…"

"… Is something the matter?" She asked when he trailed off, recognizing the solemn look on his face from their ten years of marriage.

"Einzbern, Tohsaka and Makiri, whom have changed their name to Matou," Kiritsugu began, rubbing his stubbled cheek. "The Grail prioritizes magi who are connected to the three founding families in granting command spells, but…"

He clicked on the profile of a young priest and pointed at the screen, "This man. He's someone dispatched by the Holy Church. The son of Kotomine Risei, who was a former Executor and now, serves as the supervisor."

"He has been studying under Tohsaka Tokiomi for three years?" Victoria asked as she read the info beside the picture of the younger man. "But they broke off their relationship after command seals appeared on his hand…"

"Yes, at the rate he had been going from his graduation, he might have become a cardinal," Kiritsugu said as his brown eyes remained attached to the priest's picture, committing as much of it to memory as he could. "But he left the fast track and became an Executor of the 'Eighth' like his father."

At his wife's questioning look, he explained, "They're a brigade of killers who suppress heresy and it's not something that you can just get into with half-hearted determination. Their most famous unit is the Iscariot, which thankfully doesn't take any part of the Grail Wars or hunting of magi, usually sticking to the hunting of Dead Apostles and their dick measuring with England's Hellsing Organization."

"Perhaps he was a fanatic," Victoria said as she crossed the room to pour herself a cup of coffee as she absorbed the information given to her. "It's not unheard of to be too innocent and become swallowed by your faith."

She knew from personal experience with a remnant of the 'Salem Hunters' over in America when she joined Kiritsugu on one of his jobs.

"I don't believe that's the case," her husband said as he stretched out his arms to remove the kinks. "It wouldn't explain why he consented to be Lord Tohsaka's apprentice in Magecraft for three years. Leaving for the Heretical Magus Association when you're an Executor of the Faith is asking too much."

"Dear," Victoria said with a tired look on her face. "It's true that this Kotomine is an eccentric, but is he really worth this much attention? Sure he has learned many talents, but nothing remarkable about him stands out to even a magi."

"Yes…" Kiritsugu consented as he looked back at the priest's photo. "However, that just draws me back to him more and more."

"No matter what he was allowed to try and learn, he would never have reached the 'Best of the Best' title due to his status as a first generation magus and he is a normal and average person in just about every way," the Magus Hunter paused as he cracked his sore neck and took a sip of the coffee next to him, taking a moment to savor the bitter taste. "However it is the mastery he acquires that makes him stand out and with each skill learned, when he is only one step away from completing it, he moved on to another type of magecraft with no reluctance, he abandons the skills he had cultivated as though they are worthless."

"So you believe this man to be a strong enemy?" Victoria asked as her face became solemn. "More than any other master?"

"He isn't the biggest one I am worried about," her husband said as he looked at the picture of a man with silver hair and red eyes that occupied another profile on his computer. "He chose to live in ways more strenuous than anyone else, but he has never once had a 'passion' in his life… He's defiantly dangerous."

"The only things in his heart are anger and despair," the dark haired man continued as he moved to refill his cup in order to stay awake for the rest of the studying he intended to do. "He doesn't have anything that can be called a desire. Which makes one wonder why such an abysmal and empty human would go so far to risk his life in the Grail War."

"Does the Catholic Church not want the Grail?" the Edelfelt woman asked as she began walking away to look out on her children again. "They have been after the Grail since the second war with the belief that it was related to one of their saints."

"No," Kiritsugu said as he joined her at the window. "Someone who has nothing more than a motive like that wouldn't be granted Command Spells by the Grail."

"This man was chosen to become a Master by the Grail itself; there must be at least a reason, a wish for him to obtain from the Grail. What terrifies me is how I cannot divine the reason for him to be in this war. What will happen if a human like this, so empty and lacking in desires, obtains an omnipotent wish-granting device such as this?"

Victoria felt an involuntary shudder go down her back at that statement as she turned her azure orbs to lock onto her husband's tired face.

"This man's entire life was made up only of the accumulation of despair," the Emiya patriarch said as he rested his chin in his palm while dully watching Miyu try to keep up with Luvia. "The Grail, as wish granter, might be corrupted by that despair…"

Victoria hugged her husband from behind, her generous assets pressing against his back, smiling at the tensing of his muscles before he relaxed. "Do not fear my dear, with our servant and your expertise, the Grail will be yielded to none but us and once the Grail has been filled, the one who will obtain it isn't some backwater priest, but you and only you, Kiritsugu Emiya."

"I won't lose," he growled out as his right hand reached up to cup her wrist, a crimson command spell in the shape of a bow blazing across the back of his hand. "No matter what…"

-Einzbern Castle, Same time-

Her movements with her sword as she spared against an invisible foe made the beautiful female knight looks as though she were dancing, the snow around her flung about with each swing of the sword she had borrowed from the castle's armory.

"As expected of the bearer of Excalibur," a lyrical voice said behind her as she came to a stop with one last twirl that left a large tree to fall in halves. Taking a look behind her, the resurrected King of Knights blanched as she saw the homunculus that had been next to her master in the summoning covered from head to toe in the cold snow.

"Irisviel!" Arturia gasped as she strode over to the gentle woman. "Ex-excuse my rudeness! I know that we will be leaving for the war soon and wished to train myself… I also borrowed a sword from the castle."

Irisviel giggled at the female knights abashment and dusted some of the winter powder from her hair, "Don't worry about it Saber, it was wrong of me to approach without giving you any warning."

"Where is Harry?" The Saber-class Servant asked as she looked about for her elusive red-eyed master.

"Ah!" Irisviel said as she looked about at the destruction of the trees. "He's with Illya right now, because we're going to Japan tomorrow for the war."

"If I might speak frankly," Saber said as she looked at the wife of her master, recalling her encounters with her master since her summoning, while he hadn't been rude or condescending, he had given off a strange, thoughtful aura every time she was around. "Is there something that Harry dislikes about me?"

Irisviel giggled at the servant's question, getting an indignant look from the knight, "Its nothing of the sort Saber, he has just been rather busy with the preparations needed for the trip to Fuyuki and the coming battles."

Arturia Pendragon sighed at the homunculus' answer. She honestly didn't know what to think of her ruby-eyed Master, as much of a foreign concept that was to someone who had been a King for most of their life.

For one moment, there would be a spark of mischief that would appear in his crimson eyes that reminded her sorely of Merlin before he pulled pranks on her or the Round Table, before vanishing to relay a sense of utter seriousness. There was a strength that lay beneath his flesh inside his corded, lithe frame that told her that he could hold his own in a battle and from the wear and tear she had seen on his signature four-sectioned staff that he had shown her when trying to let the servant and master get to know each other's' strengths and weaknesses, he had seen many fights and come out ever stronger.

Then there was the massive mana output that she was getting from him…

It made her feel like she could power two blasts of her Excalibur in a row with more power to spare…

It also almost made her feel like the time she and Guinevere tried to experiment with their marriage predicament in bed…

Allowing her gaze to rest back on the sheath in the grasp of her left hand as she shook her head to clear her mind of the thoughts of her long lost queen, she couldn't help the sense of awe from once again holding her beautiful scabbard in her hand, having thought the mystical faerie work to be lost to her forever due to Morgan's brutal jealousy.

However, here it was now, in her hands once again, from Irisiviel's information, having been dug up from a deep lake in Scotland after the von Einzbern's searched for it for the past two and a half centuries.

Stroking the elegant form of Avalon, she couldn't help but see memories of her time as the King of Briton, countless adventures with her beloved knights, before it all went to Hell with the discovery of Lancelot and Guinevere's affair, even though she was all for it, and Mordred's revelation of their relation and her rebuffal of the acceptance-seeking young girl.

Sighing at the painful memories of her knights fighting and killing each other and her nephew Gawain's murderous feelings towards Lancelot, the Saber servant turned her golden hair covered head towards the forest that Irisviel was staring at to watch as her grey haired master happily played with his eight year old daughter in the snow, having not noticed the two of them coming near her position.

'I hope he is a good man that I can pledge my loyalty to,' Arturia thought as she watched how the man that summoned her gently caught the tiny form of his daughter before tickling her, much to the child's glee. 'Though he does seem to have the loyalty of his daughter and wife, I don't know what he is like when interacting with others…'

"Ah, Saber!" Irisviel called from the door as she turned back from the doorway to find the female king still in the spot she'd left her, breaking the ancient king from her musing about the crimson eyed anomaly in the forest. "Come on, I had Leysritt make some scones and tea for us."

Turning towards the beautiful woman that nearly matched the Lady of the Lake in beauty, Arturia followed after the happy woman with a warm smile before helping her set up the table of the dining room and diving into questions about her master with the man's wife.

-Makiri Mansion, Next day-

Byakuya Matou gave another wince as he drank down yet another bottle of watered down sake as he heard the tormented screams of his elder brother echo down the stairs for the fifth time that day.

While he had hated and felt jealousy for his brother, who was the only one of them to possess magic circuits in the past, all he could feel now for the white sheep of the family was pity for the man, who had been infested with Crest Worms to save a nearly broken young girl from the same fate.

While he wasn't a magus due to his lack of magic circuits, Byakuya knew all about those vile familiars that were considered a taboo to any honest magi, their effect was bad enough on adults from the multiple attempts he had seen made by his father to gain an heir after his eldest son had left… but on children, a girl barely six… well, Byakuya could say that he was disgusted even more than usual at the thought of those things burrowing through and infesting Sakura Matou, violating a child of perhaps six years old at most like something out of the worst kind of hentai.

His brother had called their family a blight on the world… and the younger of the two was very inclined to agree with his estranged brother… In the privacy of his own head, anyway.

There was no way he was putting himself in their deranged ancestor's sights…

It was bad enough that he had to be related to the man that had inspired the tale of Rasputin in his attempts to grab power.

If he had been born a magi, Byakuya would have rescued Sakura on Kariya's behalf, burning down the house and killing the ancient worm in the process, hopefully purging all knowledge of his vile magic as well. His elder brother probably wouldn't be able to in his state, Kariya was sick, dying even, thanks to the Crest Worms eating him alive from the inside out.

Gradually and surely.

From his personal experience of watching the many heirs Zolgen Makiri had adopted over the years, it was very doubtful that his brother would even last until the end of the Grail War that was scheduled to start in a mere couple of days. Then again, Kariya Matou had always had a strong will, so maybe he'd win and the world would be rid of the monster known as Zolgen.

However, from what he had heard about the enemy Masters, his brother may not have a chance, even with the power of Zolgen's Crest Worms on his side. From the profiles he had read to his brother on one of the days he was bedridden from their ancestor's abusive training, Waver Velvet wouldn't be much of a threat, given that he was still a student from Clock Tower, the threat would solely come from his Servant, whom was rumored to be the mighty King of Conquerors if their sources on Kayneth El-Melloi's stolen relic and the proud lord's angry rants held any truth.

The other Masters most certainly were threats, unfortunately. There was his brother's most hated enemy, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was an expert in both Jewelcraft and Fire magic, along with holding experience in several others through dabbling in his free time. There was the fact that everyone in Clocktower knew the Lord El-Melloi to be participating from his rantings and ragings about his stolen relic, he was proclaimed often and proudly by his family as an expert in Summoning, Necromancy, Alchemy, and even Spiritual evocation. Along with the strange priest that he heard had been taken under Tohsaka's wing that had shown a small talent in many arts.

But it was the final two that his brother would have to face that were the most terrifying in his humble opinion.

The first were the rumors of the Magus Killer himself acting as the master for the Edelfelt family to make up for their loss in the previous war and unlike many of the arrogant Magi that called the Clocktower their home, Byakuya Matou knew that Kiritsugu Emiya had gained that epithet for a reason and wasn't to be underestimated in the slightest.

The last was the infamous Harry Potter, who was rumored to be immortal due to always coming back from missions without a scratch on him in the slightest, even ones holding very powerful beings like Dead Apostles and he was constantly compared on par with Kiritsugu Emiya for his effectiveness in hunting down rogue magi.

In the few photos Zolgen Makiri had managed to obtain of the man, he saw a tall, muscular man with pale skin, who possessed a powerful set of well-developed abdominal muscles and short, spiky, grey colored hair with a pair of scarlet-red eyes that made him look like one of the Einzbern Homunculi, though the predatory and mischievous look in those eyes often made that observation moot. While there was virtually no concrete evidence of his abilities or where he came from, there was a rumor that he had a variety of combat magic that he could use with utter mastery. Harry Potter was very much an unknown in the coming war, and Byakuya, for all his limited knowledge, would bet that he was the trump card of the Einzbern clan considering how often they called for his services.

As another scream echoed through the house from Zolgen's training room, he suppressed a wince when he saw his seven year old son enter the room with a panicked look on his face and with a sigh; Byakuya went to calm the insecure boy so that he didn't try to take out his frustration and fear on his adopted sister again.

-Einzbern Castle, Morning of Departure-

"How long will mama and papa be gone for work?" Illyasviel von Einzbern asked as she sat in her papa's lap before the fireplace, her beautiful red eyes locked onto her solemn father's face. "When will you come back?"

"Hmm, that's a good question, my little Illya," Harry said as he tucked a small tuft of silver hair behind her ear, eliciting a smile from his beautiful fairy of a daughter. "I will probably be back after three or so weeks… Mama might take a bit longer."

"Mama told me that it'll be a long goodbye," Illyasviel said with a cheerful smile on her face as she sat in papa's lap. "But even is she can't meet me, she'll always be by my side. She told me last night, before I fell asleep that Illyasviel and Irisviel would always be together."

"I see," Harry said with a sad smile as he lift his daughter up in his arms, marveling at how light she was. "Hey Illya."

"Papa?"

"Will you be able to wait for me, Illya?" The Master of Death asked as he hugged her close and stroked her silver hair. "Can you stand being alone until Papa returns?"

"Yep!" The tiny girl exclaimed, "Illya will be waiting for you together with mama."

Harry smiled at the girl before kissing her on the forehead much to her embarrassment, "Then I promise you, too, my precious snowflake. I won't keep you waiting."

-Fuyuki City, Japan-

"-An Oath shall be sworn here!" A nineteen years old boy exclaimed to the world as he stood before a glowing red circle. He was a bit shorter than an average person. His body appearing to be frail, he possessed black hair that was cut in a Paige's style and had a greenish tint. "I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven; I shall have dominion over all Evils of all of Hell."

"From the Seventh Heaven attended to by the Three Great Words of Power, Come forth from the Ring of Restraint, Protector of the Balance!"

Suddenly an explosion erupted from the magic circle created by rooster blood and the slip of a boy was forced to perform reinforcement magic in order to not be sent flying, when the dust cleared, he found himself confronted by a gigantic man standing over two meters in height. He had large muscles that give the boy the impression of being able to kill a bear with his bare hands his facial was sternly chiseled with ruby eyes that give off a dazzling glow, like they could overtake his soul in an instant with their sharpness, and burning red hair and beard. He was wearing bronze armor with cuffs and greaves with fringes that leaves his arms and thighs unprotected. On his shoulders was a thick mantle, with fringes like his cuffs, dyed in a similar red to his hair. It is luxuriously decorated, and looks like a curtain wrapping the stage of a theater.

"I ask of you boy!" A loud voice thundered out from the imposing giant, causing the Summoner to jump in surprise. "Is this little whelp the Master who has called me forth?"

"Wah…?"

"I'm asking you," the giant servant said as he stared down at the small boy cowering on the ground. "Are you completely sure that you are my master?"

"Huh!?" He exclaimed as he shook himself out of his daze. "Yea-Yeah, that's right! I-I-I am your Master! Waver Velvet!"

"Good, that completes our contract," the giant said as he looked around at the woods that he had been summoned in, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the diced roosters. "Now boy, take me to a library at once."

"Huh?"

"I mean," the giant said as he cocked an eyebrow and reached out to Waver, making the boy flinch back before he grabbed the scruff of the boy's sweater. "I want books."

'Am I so scared that I can't even stand up?' Waver asked himself as his dark green eyes stared into the ruby orbs of his newly summoned Servant.

"-If you are one of those Magi, then you should have prepared a library, right?" The giant continued without taking note of his Master's state. "Take me there. We need to prepare for my campaign."

"C-Campaign!?"

Hello everyone! I hope you people enjoyed this little chapter and that you'll review for once, it doesn't matter if you are a guest or have an account, PLEASE REVIEW FOR WHAT IS LEFT OF MY SANITY!

I don't really have much to say on the story this time besides that I think it is an interesting start.

I hope you guys enjoyed it.

Iskander Mandoraekon signing out, Ja Ne.