Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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14- Cold Case.

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Another punch is delivered to an unknown assailant followed by a backhand to the next one that tried to get her from behind. Yoruichi is cleaning house, almost everyone that shows up to challenge her was down on the ground and she is not stopping.

She lost count how many she had already defeated but is having little problem in keeping up. This is the kind of situation where not using her full power has the advantage that she isn't exerting everything she could do and can focus on just defeating everyone in the vicinity while making sure to not bring the whole goddamn building down.

Charging her ki on her hands Yoruichi sends a small blast to block a sphere of shadows and push the spellcaster in the wall. Doing a backflip she kicks a woman with a spear before sending her to another three people trying to get her.

A serpent made of stone emerges and flies in her direction, all the nekoshou does is raise an eyebrow unimpressed. She looks behind the giant 'snake' to see another group of magicians working together in the spell. It would be easy for her to just run towards them and beat them up but she decides to let them continue, it would be funnier and more effective this way.

The serpent charges, dragging its tail around the place and hitting some of the downed workers of the Rearguard. Yoruichi doesn't care, if anything they asked this fight and everything that is happening is their fault, regardless if she tried to invade the place or not they shouldn't have challenged her.

Once the serpent is close enough she just punches it, breaking it apart with ease. The magicians fell to the ground exhausted and unconscious, she didn't need to touch them if they were going to focus so much energy on a single attempt.

"Anyone else?" Yoruichi asks, looking around at her defeated opponents. Some died, the majority didn't because she really didn't want to leave a building full of dead bodies. "You guys are lucky that I'm in a good mood...and that I met a cool guy that probably would be upset if I killed all of you. He is nice like that"

"Monster...cat…" She hears a small voice and takes a couple of steps to find the same commander she was trying to interrogate earlier. "Monster...cat…"

"Whoa! You still alive? Lucky you!" Looking around one more time to take note if anyone else was conscious she closed her eyes once she was sure nobody else was going to try anything.

Yoruichi expands her senses to find her allies and anything suspicious. She locates them on the 8th floor with a good number of employees of the firm close to them. Their ki felt weak for one of her new friends but not in a letal way, just unconscious. There were two life forces clashing and one of them was Shirou's, she is sure of it, he felt tired while the other was aggressive, angry and chaotic.

That worries her, but the yokai knows she can't go help them just yet since she feels another life force approaching the room she was in and she could also tell that the person is strong. "You came back earlier than expected, Yurameshe-san."

Passing by one of the holes the fighting had opened was the same man in the picture she saw the other day, the actual main manager of the office of the Rearguard Accounting Firm, Yurameshe Takiwara.

Dressed in a black suit, his hair just a little shorter than hers but was let free to flow on his back. His scar is prominent above his eye and his black suit and tie looks professional but his black eyes are looking around the room without much care.

For all the intents and purposes the man looks around unamused, there is no anger in his eyes. "Can I ask why you are attacking us, Shihoin-san?"

"Ah, no reason really." Yoruichi replies with a smile. "I just had some questions and these guys didn't like me asking."

"Asking or transpassing?" He asks with a raised eyebrow while moving to pick something from his pocket. Yoruichi gets ready to charge but instead of a weapon the guy pulls out a lighter and a cigarette. "Do you mind?" She blinks twice before replying.

"Not at all. It's your building." The man nods in thanks. "Aren't you worried or something?"

"You expected a fight?" He asks after a puff of smoke.

"Yes, kinda." She replies sincerely. 'Not that I have time for that, I need to get to the others.'

"Could you please explain why you attacked us?" Time is of essence so she tries to make the explanation quick.

"You have an illegal boundary field in the middle of the town during the investigation of the surgency of an unknown ley line." She starts with the basics. "After some discoveries, this place was determined as one of the potential spots where a ritual may have happened..."

He understood what was being said. "So with an unknown boundary field around we became the main suspects." He pauses to smoke a little more. "Makes sense I suppose. We didn't make ourselves less inconspicuous by hidding."

"Are you admitting it?" She was surprised.

"Not at all. My organization had nothing to do with rituals in this region, neither this branch or the main branch." That got Yoruichi to raise an eyebrow.

"You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" Yurameshe chuckles, still smoking his cigarette.

"Of course not. But it is the truth nonetheless." The man finishes his cigarette, letting it fall down and stomping it. "Regardless of your suspicions I must ask why this place was suspect."

"It has a natural ley line even before the ritual was executed." That made the man blink.

"And that ritual is?" Yurameshe asked with patience.

"...The fire of Fuyuki." Nothing else needs to be said about the subject, Yoruichi can see the man connecting the dots on his own head and even picking up another death stick and placing it on his mouth. "Now that you understand I will ask this once; cease hostilities and answer my questions properly. If you had nothing to do with it then you have nothing to fear."

Surprising her, he nods in acceptance. "Of course. Ask away."

'Well...that was easy...shit.' Unfortunately she has no time for that in the present. "We will do that later. Right now I need to go to the top floors to stop a fight." The man in black then asks.

"A fight? Did you come here with subordinates and they are fighting as well? That certainly explains why I haven't seen a certain group of faces." Finishing his second cigarette the man lets it drop and stomps it as well. "Well, we should be going then."

"Fine! I will meet you there!" Yoruichi rushes to the top only for the man to pick up a sword from the ground and block her path. "You wanna fight or not?" Again the man surprised her by shaking his head.

"I have no intention of fighting you. But if you believe that I will allow you to leave my sight you are mistaken." He relaxes the arm that is holding the sword but doesn't let it go. "I know how fast you are and I don't trust that you will just run ahead and kill off my best subordinates."

"Are you kidding me? I barely killed anyone here!" She gestures to the place, bodies fallen all around them. "Most of your magicians took themselves out trying to contain me! Sure I took out some people but they were trying to kill me! What was I supposed to do? Sit down and let them?"

The man places the tip of the sword on the ground and shakes his head again. "No. I just don't want to risk...the lives of the subordinates I have left."

'You are kidding me?' Yoruichi has to fight to not let out a sigh. "Look. That is admirable and maybe any other day I would give you credit for that but someone up there is letting out so much murderous intent that I'm feeling it from here."

"A 'murderous intent' you say?" For the first time during that conversation the man looked nervous. 'Stupid disciple of mine. If they wanted to spy you should have let them! Not pick up my sword.' That was a rule that should have been inviolable, circumstances be damned. "Then we better run, but you shouldn't go face the person with that intent. There is a good chance you will die."

"Are you calling me weak?" Yoruichi took some offense to that. She can beat him in a fight, of that she is sure, the problem is that he isn't weak enough that a fight would end up fast and that it could be a bigger waste of time than just talking.

"Not at all. In normal circumstances I would say you can kill me easily." Yurameshe smiles when saying that, making the yokai stop to try and understand his words. "But that sword is something else. If I had it in my hands I would have an actual shot against you."

Raising an eyebrow, the nekoshous asked. "An anti yokai weapon?" Both start to run towards the stairs, she fighting against her impulse to accelerate. Running being relative to Yoruichi, for her their pace isn't even a simple jog.

"Worse. A Muramasa." She almost lost her step when she heard the name.

"A real one? Where? When?" The man chuckles while they make their way to the top floor.

"I got lucky after Sesshomaru spared my life." He places a hand on his scar for a second. "But that doesn't matter. What you need to know is that it is a real Muramasa and you, as a woman of noble lineage leading a 'nation', are especially vulnerable against it."

"I can deal with it." They were passing from the third floor to the fourth when they saw the way blocked. "Dammit!"

"There is another set of stairs on the other side of the building. Follow me." Yoruichi couldn't stop herself from asking something.

"You got that to use against Sesshomaru? Is that why you got a Muramasa?" The man shakes his head, tightening the grip on his katana.

"No. I won't ever fight that monster again. Sesshomaru of the Poisoned Wind is a creature that I don't want to ever face even if Muramasa can ignore his natural defenses as a noble. As a King."

Yoruichi knows that. It is a characteristic that all true Muramasa blades gained upon becoming Noble Phantasms, so pretty much all real Muramasas that survived the passage of time.

The swords of Muramasa are said to be cursed, but the real curse wasn't the one of bloodlust, it was the fact that the Tokugawa family found misfortune time and time again with Muramasa's swords. And that gave them fame to the point that people believed that Tokugawa was only defeated because they had gone against a Muramasa.

It isn't something unfounded, many members of that family perished to those swords and they all gained the power to take down Tokugawa and their similars. 'Kings' have no defense against Muramasa, that is a fact. If a Muramasa blade exists, it is a Noble Phantasm and if a King faces it they better have a really good weapon at their side because armors and shields are going to be worthless.

All that and combined with the quality of the work made Muramasa a fearsome weapon that anyone should fear with a particular penchant against absolute leaders, Kings.

Yoruichi is one of the leaders of Kyoto, in a sense she is a monarch, a King who had no weapons and could only fight with her fists. Her ki would fail, her youki not be enough and a single cut could be fatal.

"Wouldn't it be better if you let me go alone then to let your guy kill me?" The man shakes his head.

"If I do that then I will break my word with Sesshomaru and he will chase me to the ends of the earth to kill me." They arrived at the other set of stairs, starting running again.

"What kind of deal did you make?" She knew Sesshomaru and found the situation odd. "He is not the 'mercy' kind of guy." That made the man actually stop.

"'Mercy'? It wasn't mercy that stopped him, it was a warning." She was in a hurry but her curiosity got the better of her and she stopped as well.

"What kind of warning?" The man touches his scar again and says.

"That if I ever challenged him or any yokai again, directly or indirectly, I would share the fate of my companions." Yurameshe looks truly sad at the memories that he was reliving. "We were part of the previous generation of heroes if you can believe that. We thought we could do anything and we ended up challenging one of the strongest monsters of Japan. We were devastated and he left me as the witness, that is why he let me live: to tell the story and warn anyone to not try and fight the yokais while Sesshomaru lives. And that is why I won't let you go alone and die. I don't want to see my friends die again."

"Live! Live to be a reminder! Live, for you have bore witness to my power! Live to tell all who will hear the fate of those that challenge Sesshomaru!" A young Yurameshe is on his knees covered in blood, the yokai with long white hair standing in front of the full moon.

All around them were the corpses of the man's former companions, their faces of despair would be forever burned on his memory.

If there was more time to ponder Yoruichi would ask a couple more questions, but time was not on her side. Maybe the only person that can stop the Muramasa user was the man before her but she will keep an eye out and if necessary unleash her full power to not allow her new friends to die.

'Hang on guys! The cavalry is on the way!"

After the appearance of a second Muramasa, Sakashite can only see red. He begins a frenetic non-stop attack with his sword and scabbard combo and has no intention of stopping until Shirou is cut into pieces.

But this is not the same Shirou he faced a few minutes prior. After tracing the Muramasa, the magus gained something that his opponent lacks about the weapon they both were using; understanding. Thanks to his magic, Shirou now knows details about the weapon that his adversary had no means to know.

With his comprehension and acquired knowledge, the magus would have his victory secured if his body wasn't as damaged as it is. He can feel the blood leaving him, the exhaustion on his muscles and the weight of every parry, every blow.

But he doesn't falter, moving his arms to always stop the blade of the real Muramasa, sometimes only managing to keep it a hair of distance away. Reinforcement strengthens his muscles as he pushes back the first couple of blows and his opponent repositions to continue his assault.

To his right side he parries the sword again, feeling as the scabbard hits his knee. Shirou was expecting that however and his leg refuses to move while he pushes the office worker once again, almost cutting the sword arm off.

Muramasa can easily destroy the scabbard but Shirou avoided doing that, letting his opponent split his focus on his two hands during his angry frenzy, pushing the wood back with the side of the blade when it came for his eye and quickly returning to repel the opposite Muramasa when his opponent thought he had an opening.

If the scabbard is destroyed there is a good chance his opponent will try to adapt and do something Shirou can't predict. But angry and with his two weapons in hand all that Sakashite wasn't changing his pattern, trying to break the magus with them. A calmer man would change posture, focus on his sword alone and take Shirou out with brute strength.

His opponent is not calm at all.

However agony ran throughout his chest, the cut didn't reach any organs, even if the shield was easily destroyed it stopped the man's advance and Shirou is still in a much better condition than Liz. Except that his muscles and bones were cut cleanly and he was both feeling the pain and bleeding from the wound.

To keep his rhythm going, regardless of how much his body was damaged, Shirou was focusing exclusively on reinforcing his legs and arms, partially regretting that he couldn't have healed himself without risking Rin becoming a target or just manifesting Muramasa without trying to trick his opponent first.

But there are more factors that made sure that Shirou could survive the onslaught, easily parrying and blocking all his opponents' attacks which made the man even more furious.

The first reason is that Shirou is a magus; both Reinforcement and Structural Analysis are paying dividends for every drop of mana spent. Without the first spell Shirou would be unable to move and even push his enemy back. The second spell is what is giving him knowledge to counter and hold his enemy back, knowledge from the master that trained this person for years now.

Even if Sakashite is lost in rage he still has his habits, habits that every fighter has and preferences of how he likes to fight. His teacher likes to use the katana properly with his two hands while the apprentice always prefered to use two weapons to mix with his Iaido for more potency.

All of that is still not enough to give Shirou the win, at least not in the way that he wants to. There is more information on the blade, information his mind is still trying to wrap itself around but some of it Shirou doesn't want.

He uses it anyway, seeing the steps his opponent is taking to the side to go for a flanking maneuver but leaving his chest area open. A thrust and it would be over, Shirou can easily kill the man before him.

Instead of a thrust of his sword, the redhead goes for a swing and forces Sakashite to hold the blade back with his own sword and scabbard. 'I need to be careful. This sword only knows how to kill since its conception. Every skill in it is aiming to destroy.'

But he refused to allow that to happen, the man before him may be dangerous but much of the danger comes from the sword in his hands and how he is losing himself to it. Shirou knows he can win without murdering his opponent, he only needs an opportunity.

The opportunity will come when Sakashite loses whatever was left of his patience and goes for a kick. Taking a foot off the ground for the maneuver comes with all kinds of risks and previously Shirou wouldn't be able to do a thing about it since his opponent is fast and is used to such fighting style of high risk high reward.

It doesn't matter how used the man is to his fight style, he is a human, he can't fly to keep his balance or a stronger posture while pulling off that maneuver.

The moment comes, Shirou can see the leg get in position and his eyes don't miss the second the foot left the ground. This is the moment he was waiting for, moving his hands a bit more down after repelling the sword again.

Now there is nothing between Shirou's Muramasa and his opponent's stomach, all he needs is a deep enough cut and the fight is over. The kick is coming from the side and it will hit him but the man is going to pay for it with a slash through the stomach, after that Rin can take care of the rest as far as the temporary white hair is concerned. All he needs to do is take out the last obstacle.

Sakashite realized too late what was happening and tried to course correct by letting his balance go from the other foot, years of training and the support of the scabbard managed to get him away before the damage was too extensive. He still got hit and took a couple of steps back to check his wound, Shirou unable to pursue because of his own condition.

'Damn! I almost had him!' Shirou laments his luck. He didn't get kicked but also didn't finish the fight. 'Still, I can use this time to heal.' Letting go of his sword with one hand Shirou produces the scalps and stabs his side, never taking his eyes off Sakashite.

Around the place, people were watching the fight, many chins on the floor by the unbelievable turn of events that happened.

Between them all, Rin is watching the fight with half of her attention while taking care of Liz. 'How the hell he did that? To project a Noble Phantasm like that! This is just insanity!' But Rin still lets out a smile. 'A Noble Phantasm against another Noble Phantasm! Even if the second is a fake-'

Her train of thought is interrupted when she feels Leysritt stir under her hands. "What...happened?"

"Liz-sensei! I am glad you are awake!" The homunculus tries to get up but Rin pushes her down. "Oh no! Don't you dare! I haven't finished healing you! You are going to stay lying there until I finish!" Then she mumbles. "I really wished Emiya kept an EM for us but making a Noble Phantasm for the first time must cost a lot of mana...Probably wouldn't help since your bones were cut but at least could fix your lung...can it heal organs?"

Liz stops her from talking by asking about a single word. "Noble Phantasm?" Turning her head she can see Shirou, he is still standing but is covered in blood and full of wounds.

Without a shirt she can see the full extent of the damage Shirou took during the day. He was purple and blue in some places but the biggest wound is the sword slash on his chest. Yet, they were healing.

It is a slow heal compared to EM's normal output. Previous demonstrations indicated that there is no way that Shirou is keeping his full focus on healing himself. His mind and his attention is almost completely on his opponent. Liz goes to push herself up again and this time Rin hits her on the head.

"Stay quiet" Tohsaka orders.

"Shirou is in danger." Liz says while trying to get up again only for Rin to raise a hand.

Instead of hitting the whitehaired maiden she places her hand on her forehead. "Look, I don't know Shirou as well as you do but that guy...he just made something impossible possible. The recreation of a Noble Phantasm by using a 'useless' magic as Gradation Air." She throws Liz a smile. "Have some faith in him."

Hearing the magus' words Liz relaxes. "I will." Her red eyes weren't leaving Shirou and if something happened she wouldn't hesitate to jump in, hurt body and all.

But she will have faith in him.

'That and we can't beat a Noble Phantasm.' Rin avoids saying the sad fact of the confrontation. 'Now he is our best bet. Damned! Where is Yoruichi?'

Sakashite was glaring, not at Shirou but at the blood on his hand. 'How dare he?' The accountant looked towards Shirou who was looking back without hesitation. His eyes go a little to the side to look at his sword. "How dare he?" Begins with a whisper. "How dare he? How dare he? How dare he?" The man's voice grew louder and louder, everyone was hearing what he was saying, even if he was mostly talking with himself. That was until he shouts. "HOW DARE YOU?"

Everyone that worked in the building was shocked by Sakashite's voice, it was the first time in their lives that they ever heard their superior and comrade raise his voice on anyone.

"Is that...Muramasa's curse?" Someone asked in the crowd.

"It has to be right? That gentle Sakashite-san would never act like that right?" It was clear that they were terrified.

Shirou just stands at ready, both hands back on his sword. 'This will have to do.' He thinks to himself about his condition.

"DON'T YOU HAVE SOMETHING SAY? FAKER?" Once again the man screams, his hand getting rid of the blood while he gets the scabbard back on it.

Shirou honestly didn't know how to answer that. "Say about what?"

"HOW YOU DARED TO COPY MY SWORD! TO TARNISH MURAMASA'S LEGACY WITH THAT FAKE!" The man is practically foaming, it is more than clear he has gone insane. "YOU DARE TO TRY TO STEAL MY MURAMASA? I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"

"You were already going to do it anyway." Shirou points out and Sakashite does listen, stopping to raise an eyebrow. "Have you really fallen so hard for the 'curse'?"

"Tsk! Arrogant brat!" The man didn't like the magus observation. "The only person I want dead is you! I am a true master- NO! The real master of Muramasa! Its curse has no bearing on ME!"

"That is a misconception." The magus says with conviction, holding his own sword tightly. "The curse is not about killing, that is something that gained fame out of the fear Muramasa's swords inspired in certain circles." Shirou gives him a smile. "It's curse is 'obsession'."

"'Obsession'?" Sakashite isn't the only one to repeat the word, many are confused about what it really means.

"The real story of Muramasa is not about a man who wanted to kill. His story was of a man who wanted to reach perfection. Or maybe surpass perfection itself." Nobody could understand what Shirou was talking about.

"'Surpass perfection'? What does that have to do with anything?" Sakashite demands to know.

"It means that the idea that his sword has 'killing intent' before anything else is flawed." Shirou's smile actually grows bigger. "Sure, some would have a more killing characteristic and even the curse that most people know about. But this is not one of them! This is a sword born out of skill and obsession! Muramasa's obsession he cultivated until the last day of his life! That is why I can say this for certain! You aren't cursed to kill! You want to kill to satisfy your obsession! Your wish of possessing Muramasa and using it to become the strongest swordsman! All that the curse is doing and showing your true face!"

'My true face?' He refused to believe that. "Don't screw with me! There is no way you could know anything like that! The Muramasa! My Muramasa is a Noble Phantasm! Its legend-"

"'Its legend'?" Shirou interrupts Sakashite, still smiling. "Then tell me; what is its name?"

Nobody answered, nobody dared to say anything, they all waited, waited for Sakashite to reply. A name is very important to a Noble Phantasm, it tells everyone of its strengths and weaknesses. To be a Noble Phantasm is to have its existence carved in history.

"Its name is…" The salaryman can't reply, gulping for a second and then licking his lips. He was trying to remember, to recall if his teacher ever told him a name for the sword. But he only knew it as Muramasa.

It is not the name of the sword, it's the name of its smith, its 'father'. Muramasa is without a doubt a name that is easy to recognize. It's hard to find someone that didn't follow the path of the sword in Japan, be it as a hobby, study or to legitimately become strong, that didn't hear about Muramasa Sengo or Muramasa Senji.

It didn't matter the name he was called, all knew the stories of the man who made the finest swords, that founded a school of smithing with his techniques and that his blades were later considered cursed.

"This one doesn't have a name." Shirou decides to say after a couple of seconds. "It was made by Muramasa, it is a Muramasa but it doesn't have a fame of its own. All it is, comes from its creator." The magus looks to the man before him, notiincing how he was lowering the sword, his aura of murder disapearing. "It is cursed but not the cursed that claims the blood of new victims or its owners. It's cursed with the same obsession that its creator had when he made it; to make a sword that can cut everything."

'A curse of obsession huh? Something really dangerous in the wrong hands but useful in the proper hands.' Rin stops to think about it and deduces. 'It's almost certain that the sword is not seeking to complete its creator's work but instead to make sure its owners carry the same attitude.' She looks at Shirou and notices that he had no changes even holding the same sword.

"How? How can you possibly know such things?" A little of his former anger returned to Sakashite but Shirou wasn't intimidated.

"Structural Analysis. I can read the story of anything that I can get my hands on…But I am especially good with swords." Shirou replies with conviction.

Those that studied magic knew about the basics of magecrafts. They wanted to deny such claims but they can't. There was no way that someone was going to challenge the claim of someone that managed to produce a Noble Phantasm with Gradation Air, if anything an extremely advanced Structural Analysis is the reason that such a thing is possible.

But the explanation isn't enough, not for the actual user of Muramasa. The reply just made him angry again. "It doesn't matter!" Shirou replied back before he could say anything else.

"Yes it does! We don't need to fight!" The magus made a point to relax his arms, something that made the man take a step back, fearing a trick. "Look. There is no need for anyone to die today. I just want to ask some questions! That is it. After that we can go our separate paths."

"You called the devils!" Came the quick accusation, which Shirou nods at.

"Like it or not, they are the authorities around here. You can't disagree that you all are on their territory without permission." That actually made plenty of their audience recover their fighting spirit.

"THEY ARE DEVILS!" Someone screamed. "AND THIS IS A HUMAN CITY! THEY HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER US!"

"YES!" "THAT IS RIGHT!" "KILL HIM SAKASHITE-SAN!"

'Why do they have so much hatred?' Shirou raises his sword again, as his opponent smiles.

"See. We have plenty of reasons to fight!" Launching himself forward, Sakashite aims his sword to the side, ready to cut Shirou's arm off.

But now Shirou is more recovered, still not perfect but enough. With Muramasa on hand the magus blocks the attack, uses his arm to stop the scabrad and then uses the same arm to punch his opponent with a Reinforced hand going for a knockout.

His nose bleeding, Sakashite manages to raise his blade and parry Shirou's attack but now it is the magus on the offensive, his movements fast and deliberated like he had practiced with the katana in his hands for years.

Renewing his assault, the office worker starts with a fake kick, it is a feint, an attempt to force Shirou to raise his guard while positioning himself for a more opportune slash.

Instead of doing what was expected Shirou advances and shoulder tackles the man, almost pushing him to the ground only for the guy to use both katana and scabbard to flip himself away from Shirou.

But his back is open at that moment and going for a fast attack the magus almost cuts the man down but hesitates at the last moment, allowing him to get away. 'Damnit! Almost killed him.'

Realizing he almost died if Shirou hadn't stopped himself, Sakashite changed his position to a more defensive one. 'This is wrong! This fake shouldn't be winning!'

Even if this is the first time he is using Muramasa, the salary man had trained for it for years. His personal sword is of the same weight, the same length, every time his master allowed him to practice together he made sure to observe Muramasa to not lose a single detail of it.

After all this time, all these years, he is losing. 'I refuse! I REFUSE!' Passing by the anger the man holds his sword firmily. The salary man prepares scabbard and sword, preparing for another Iaijutsu, assuming a familiar position to all present.

Shirou grits his teeth, another opportunity to end the bloodshed wasted. But he had another problem at the moment. 'How do I beat that?'

The so-called 'Ultimate Slash' is not that great of a technique in reality, its basic and the only ultimate thing about it is that it is executed flawlessly and that the sword that is being used is monstrously sharp.

The main issue is that Shirou is not used to facing something like it, most of his spars with swords have always been with both sides with swords at ready.

'Our blades now are almost equal, mine is a bit weaker but I am sure I can stop the initial attack.' Shirou plants his feet firmly on the ground. 'The problem is a possible follow up. He has more experience than I do and I can be easily killed if I make a mistake.'

A solution was found once his eyes passed by his sword. It carries the same story of the original until the point the fight began.

'I have no choice. This is the sword of his teacher and if they trained with it, even if at least once, then I can get a glimpse of something that can help me win.' But it's a thing to get some details of a sword while making it, it's another to look for specifics of something that existed for hundreds of years. 'I shouldn't be able to make this...but I managed to do it...almost like something helped me. Then...I will have to bet on that. Bet that I can find something to give me victory.'

Circuits flare but while Shirou looks for a solution Sakashite was alrady ready, feet in position, the same attack as before but this time with only one sword to stop him. "THERE IS NO WAY SUCH A FAKE CAN DEFEAT THE ORIGINAL! FAKER!"

"MAMORU! STOP IMMEDIATELY!" The man's voice echoed throughout the whole chamber. Coming from the same side that Rin and Liz should have escaped was Yoruichi being followed by a man with a sword and black suit, the actual manager of the place, Yurameshe. "Mamoru! Cease hostilities at once!"

It was a shift in the attitude of the man, from someone ready to finish a fight to suddenly stop and just lose any will to fight. There is an admiration on his eye that turned fear quickly once he noticed the harsh expression on his teacher's face.

"Sensei? You came back early?" The man nods.

"That is right. Unlike most of you idiots, someone remembered to call me and warn of this invasion." His eyes turn to a downed Yakada. "Once all of this is settled and done you can be sure there are going to be some punishments."

Yurameshe made sure his eyes landed on the people opposed to him, his employees and subordinates and all of them retreated a step back.

While the master and disciple talk, Yoruichi approaches her allies and looks at their condition. "What happened?" She could guess but seeing Rin healing Liz and the maid not taking her eyes of Shirou while laying on the ground with clothes that indicated a potentially deadly injury made her want to be sure.

"This dunderhead almost got cut in half. That sword is a Muramasa." Yoruichi nods at Rin's summary.

"I was informed that this thing was on the place." Rin let out a frown.

"Can't you finish this already? That sword is really dangerous. Even for you." The yokai frowned.

"I can. Probably bringing down part of the building but I can." The answer surprised the magus. Yoruichi turns to the fallen maid. "How is she?"

"Healing, but costing me a lot of mana. My gems are out after fixing the bones and organs." Then Rin couldn't help herself. "'Bring down part of the building'? Care to explain?"

Yoruichi smiles and places a hand on Liz's body, Rin suddenly feels like the burden of using mana was removed from her. "I am one of the 'Kings' of Kyoto. That sword is made to kill us."

Asking anyone with the designation of King to fight against a Muramasa is to open themselves to danger. For that reason alone, if she needs to fight against that blade she wouldn't throw a simple punch; her punch will demolish everything before it ever gets too close.

But the result of such confrontation also would depend on the user. "STOP BEING AN IDIOT!" Yurameshe screams with all his strength, frustration in his eyes.

"AN IDIOT? YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS REJECTING OUR PRINCIPLES AND JOINING FORCES WITH A YOKAI!" Was the reply from Sakashite, his hand trembling with rage.

"WE ALREADY LOST! The devils are already on call and we gain nothing by splitting more blood!" The older man tries to calm down but he could see his apprentice was not having it. "Listen to me Mamoru! There is nothing else to be gained fighting! Once the devils arrive en masse we won't have a chance!"

"LET THEM COME! THEY WILL ALL DIE TO MY MURAMASA!"

"YOUR MURAMASA? YOU MEAN THE SWORD YOU TOOK FROM MY OFFICE? THE SWORD I FORBID YOU FROM USING? YOU ARE NOT READY FOR IT!"

"I AM READY FOR IT! WITH THIS SWORD I AM THE GREATEST SWORDSMAN! THE STRONGEST!"

Yurameshe wanted to hit himself. 'I shouldn't have shown him that sword.' But it was how he was taught and how he decided to teach, with steel. Muramasa is a dangerous weapon and it is imperative that the heir of the sword starts to learn about it sooner rather than later.

The whole problem is that his apprentice is ambitious in a way that is both admirable and terrible. It didn't help that the sword is a tempting target for him and its curse has already taken root on his heart.

"Listen to me, please Mamoru just listen! This situation is one of the worst that could have happened to us!" The man admits not only to his apprentice but to everyone else watching. "We were discovered but besides residing without the proper permissions we did nothing wrong. We are just going to move to another town, that is it! Those that don't want to come can stay as normal citizens."

That is a lie, not to the members of the Rearguard, but to the enemies present, especially Yoruichi who will keep an eye on them either way. They all are going to move and none will stay, that is their protocol but there is an advantage to their enemies not knowing that, thinking that some of them would stay.

And everyone of the Rearguard Accounting Firm knew that, it was Yurameshi telling them that he was on their side and that this was the best they can do, even if he is still going to answer some questions they will be fine, they are not really compromised, just their position.

"Shut up old man! Why should we run from these monsters! With Muramasa I can kill all of them!" While Sakashite firmly believed that, the others, realizing their leader hadn't abandoned them, understood that he was looking for their best interest. "Maybe I should start with the cat?"

Yoruichi actually gets up and ready her ki and youki to blow up everything in the man's direction until his teacher intervenes. "Please Shihoin-san," he stands between his disciple and yokai, "stay out of this. I shall deal with my foolish apprentice."

"Do you think you can beat me old man?" Said old man's eyebrow twitched.

"I am not that old." But he sobers up quickly. "But if someone is going to deal with you it's gonna be me. Not only you are my responsibility but if the alternative will have many more dead than just you."

"Do you think I will let you kill me that easily?" The man turns his whole body to his master, sword ready.

"It pains me to see you so lost." The teacher's sword is low, almost touching the ground. "But I shall kill you, even if it pains me more."

"Wait a second!" A voice cut the master and disciple's conversation, both turning to see Shirou, much better with all his wounds healed even if his bones weren't. "I was fighting him first if you don't mind."

"Oh! I almost forgot about you, Faker!" Sakashite turns again, back to Shirou and the magus raises his sword to eye level, one foot in front of the other, little crouched with a hand above the blade. "What are you doing?"

"What your teacher wants and stopping the bloodshed. No one else needs to die today." Shirou declares while the man changes positions again in answer to Shirou's challenge.

"Kid! What are you doing?" Yurameshe demands to know. "This is not your fight anymore! I will deal with my disciple!"

"He is right, Shirou!" Yoruichi said next. "We have no reason to risk ourselves anymore! Their internal conflicts are not our problem!"

At that moment Shirou smiled, it was a smile that surprised not only the two of them but everyone else still watching. "I could hear in his voice, both the determination to stop this fight but also the resolve to kill his student. That is wrong!" Noticing that no one was going to contest him, Shirou finishes with. "So I will stop him without killing him!"

The manager of the firm couldn't keep himself quiet. "That sword in your hands is a Muramasa! Even if it's not the real deal-"

"A weapon only has value in the hands of someone who can use it to their full potential." The man stood silent upon hearing the magus' words. "Your student didn't understand that lesson, I did!"

It was something that the older man tried to impart to Sakashite years ago, a memory he had forgotten until that moment.

"That just means that the ultimate weapon belongs to the ultimate fighter!" Said student declared. Preparations from both sides were finished and the man looked ready to cut Shirou in half. "Ready to die Faker?"

"'Faker' huh?" Shirou chuckles at that. "I kinda like the name. Most of my original stuff is worse than the rest I copied anyway. Including Muramasa."

"And for such sin," Sakashite launches himself, "you will DIE!"

"You gave me too much time!" Shirou jumps forward at the same moment, healed and ready to finish the fight. He can see the image already fixed on his minds-

He was a wanderer, someone without a path with only his clothes and a sword to his side. What was he looking for? What he wished for? He didn't know. But at every opportunity he trained. For his survival.

The times he lived were not peaceful times, death was in every corner for the careless and the new government was still stabilizing itself.

That just gave the man more reason to keep his skills sharp. Stopping in front of a tree he raises his sword, a gift from his father before the same perished, made by a swordsmith of renow.

Pointing the tip to a tree, he charged-

It is originally a killing technique, something a man practiced day in and day out to make sure he could survive in an unforgiving world and it is Shirou's best chance of winning without killing anyone.

Many were the problems of using such an attack, especially since he had no practice on applying it all together or that he is using his magic to compensate and reproduce the man's muscle memory engraved in the sword while modifying it enough to win without killing.

Originally the creator of such a technique focused on a single stab of the heart followed by a swift cut of the neck to secure the kill. A two step stroke that guaranteed death to the opposition and the man liked to compare it to the swiftness of a wolf's claws.

Modifying it to be now lethal is not impossible, doing it on the fly is insanity and Shirou knew it but it was his best bet, a gamble that he will take.

'I don't need a wolf to rip apart my opponent! I need an opportunistic bird to rip the fruit out of his hands!' An image appears on the magus mind. He knows what he wants and how to do it.

For this is the path to his absolute victory.

It was nothing else but a gamble, his opponent has a better technique, more skill and his sword is the original Noble Phantasm, superior to the copy that Shirou made even if not by much.

What the magus had more than Sakashite is experience. Not in straight combat but in fighting with disadvantages, fighting knowing that he is the weaker in the conflict and that a wrong move meant he is going to lose, he is going to die.

But that is not the only experience he is carrying anymore, now he also has the skills that were imparted on the blade, the ways of masters long gone that even if not passed to their disciples the sword never forgot.

So while the two of them jumped to meet each other, Shirou places one foot on the ground first and initiates the stab motion that would define the fight.

Sakashite didn't notice it, too blind with confidence on his sword and skill. He does the same maneuver that he did previously, holding the katana in the exact same way, confident in his strength.

Sakashite's attack is perfect, the result of years of training and effort. Unlike Shirou who is younger and practices multiple areas at once, the salaryman is just a swordsman. All he has to grow is his swordsmanship and his body that the man pushed to the limit to become the best.

"Ultimate-"

"Crow's Claw!" But Shirou attacked first. Having the notion that his opponent is stronger makes the magus take a gamble in his adversary's strength, turning it and his habits against him.

The result is a Muramasa hitting the ground, the owner's hand still firmly on the handle. Just the hand since Sakashite's arm wasn't attached to it.

Same way that it happened to Shirou and Liz, the man could only blink in surprise, not understanding what was happening and where his missing hand was. He had no time to ask or wonder since Shirou hit him on the head with the handle of the katana, ending the fight.

"What happened?" Someone asked, wondering but not comprehending the events, either for a lack of vision or skill.

'That was perfectly calculated.' Yurameshe deduces after thinking for a couple of seconds.

Yoruichi lets out a whistle of appreciation. "That was impressive, the timing was perfect."

"Wait a minute there! What happened?" Rin questioned since she was not able to keep up with the last encounter, she realizes that Shirou cutted Sakashite's hand off but not how. Before Shirou could say anything the nekoshou beat him to the punch.

"Instead of attacking his opponent directly, Shirou aimed for where the enemy sword hand was going to be." Yoruichi really did sound impressed. "He calculated exactly where the blow would go and attacked the point before the sword could get in the way. That...is a maneuver that is only possible because of the Muramasa. A normal human hand is easy to cut for a Noble Phantasm like it."

Yurameshe watches as Shirou approaches his disciple, for a second he thought the magus was going to finish the job but instead he creates a scalpel and stabs it on Sakashite's arm, using magic to stop the bleeding.

For a second the manager just watched the Faker, for this is the only name he knew the younger man by, taking care of his apprentice while taking care to not strain his side anymore than it already had been.

'How is he still moving? Muramasa cut his bones clean and he lost a lot of blood. How is that boy still standing?' Asked himself Yurameshe, turning to the fallen Muramasa on the ground. 'The hand can be reattached, the cut was clean and it's not impossible with magic. But how did he keep fighting with that much damage? Or managed to get the timing right to the point of winning?'

The man approaches his blade but before he could get it the sword disappears. Looking to the side he sees Yoruichi examining the sword.

With some care she takes out Sakashite's hand and offers it to him. "You can keep this. But you aren't keeping the sword." And he couldn't contest that.

Having survived Sesshomaru, if Yoruichi is as strong as the other yokai he knows that there was no winning. Even if everyone was in top condition, his lieutenants were able to fight and his student hadn't lost a hand, they would still lose.

Muramasa could be an equalizer, it meant that such a powerful being could be defeated with a single swing of the blade...with luck.

The woman before him is just too fast to fall for it. Sesshomaru would just cover the place with poison in such a way a human couldn't fight against him. Not that neither need such tricks.

Now that Yoruichi is close to her allies it would be supremely easy for her to just kill everyone else, either with a single blast of lighting or just by brute force alone. The sword made little difference in reality.

In these circumstances, the best thing he can do is... "Very well. I would like to offer the formal surrender of my organization. As promised previously, I shall answer any question you might have. Just allow me to settle everything with my men."

After the official surrender Yoruichi escorted every single member of the office to the lunchroom and told them that she was feeling their energy. If they leave before their boss gets them then she will show no mercy.

With everyone secured in one place it would be easy for those with medical training to treat the wounded. Both Shirou and Liz still needed proper treatment and so the yokai and older human waited until the maid could move properly again with some help from the nekoshou's ki treatment, she did the same to Shirou and both are in better condition to move to Yurameshe's office.

It was on the lower first floor, the man always preferred to do things fast on the job so he could either go train or enjoy life for as long as he still had it. Some perspective he gained after his encounter in Kyoto with Sesshoumaru.

Yurameshe is not a vain man, there is a desk, neatly taken care with a computer for work, some pictures on the wall, plenty of them with people from the place but a lot of him going to parties and such, on the other side of the wall there is a glass case that stood empty but it was obvious that is the place were the Muramasa once resided, accessible with his office and in sight if he needed.

Shirou and Liz both got some clothes from the workers of the place, shirts to replace the ones they lost. Difference between the ones that they came with is just that Shirou's is cheaper and Liz's was more tight.

"I apologize for the stupidity of my staff. They shouldn't have attacked you." Yurameshe says while mentioning everyone to sit on the chairs around the place. Unfortunately there were just two and not everyone can sit. "If you want I can get-"

"That won't be necessary." Yoruichi interrupts the man, guiding and forcing Liz to sit down in one of the chairs. "This one here needs more time to recover so let's not waste any time." She turns to Shirou. "Still have enough on the tank?"

Nodding, Shirou approaches and places his hand above the table. After a couple of seconds, Truth Bearer appears. "Fascinating. I have never seen a sword like that before." The manager observes carefully. "Where did you find such an object?"

"I made it." Shirou admits easily.

"From what I observed you must mean that you made the original and this is just a copy?" After getting a nod, the man smiles. "Could you please tell me your name? I don't believe Faker is really it."

"But it is how you are going to call him anyway." Rin decides to interrupt. "We have no reason to give out our real names and our relationship will end once you give us the answers that we seek."

Nodding in confirmation, Yoruichi steps closer to the table the man was sitting in. "I agree with her. All you need to know is that once it's active, that sword will tell us if you lie. So don't or else," she shows Muramasa, back on its scabbard and on her hands, "this one is going to have your blood."

"That won't be necessary." He has no intention of dying. "What do you need me to do, Faker-san?" The yokai in the room chuckled and nodded to Shirou to get everything ready and place the sword on the desk.

"Just place your hand on the blade." Once he did, Yoruichi grabbed the handle and started to use mana.

When everything was set she asked. "Let's cut to the chase; are you or any of your associates responsible for the fire in Fuyuki ten years ago?"

"No." Truth.

"Are you doing something that places the town of Fuyuki or any of its citizens in peril?"

"No." Truth again.

"What exactly is your purpose here in this town?"

"We are bookkeepers for our organization that has the purpose of protecting human life." The man spoke with pride.

"Protect human life?" Shirou wondered, intrigued.

Not having any problem in explaining, the manager smiled at him. "Indeed, we are the true defenders of humanity. Humans that trained and perfected our powers through many means to make sure that those of external origin can't harm us easily, be they yokai or devils."

"And you are here because…?" Yoruichi tries to get the conversation back in the direction she wants.

"We are accountants my lady." He says with a shrug. "An organization such as ours can't just have fighters. If anything, all here are rejects."

"'Rejects'?" Rin raises an eyebrow. "Elaborate."

"We are all of those that are considered weak by the actual form of the organization." The man lets out a bitter chuckle. "You fought my people, most of them are basic magicians with little variation of power between them and foot soldiers, skilled with many kinds of weapons but nothing that gives them much distinction. The Muramasa is the only thing that sets me apart but most people are afraid of the curse or have sacred gears or Noble Phantasms already that are more useful than a single katana...that and I will admit that I am older than the main team."

"What is the name of your organization?" At Yoruichi's question, he hesitated but shrugged when he realized it was either talking or dying.

"We are the Rearguard of Heroes, but that is not what you want to know. Our leaders are part of the Khaos Brigade, to be more specific they are the Hero Faction, the newer defenders of humanity."

"And you are from the older generation?" The yokai asked.

"Correct. Our group was destroyed by Sesshomaru years ago and for a time I thought that I would have to rebuild the heroes of humanity by myself." Yurameshe smiled. "However a group of young heroes got to work and founded a new group to fight those that threaten humanity. Gods, devils," he glares at Yoruichi, "yokai and some others."

"Fun." By her tone it's clear that Yoruichi doesn't care.

Shirou did. "Why that much hatred?" He asked. "The way that some people were talking about other races...it makes no sense."

"What makes no sense?" The man asked, legitimately curious. "We are humans, they are monsters. Nothing else needs to be said."

"But they did nothing, at least in general." In Shirou's mind there are criminals in every society but the members of that society aren't all criminals.

"You seem to forget that most humans fall prey to the temptation that many of those creatures offer." The manager says with disdain. "Look to the devils for example; they offer to turn us like them, devils, in return for our freedom and skills. They take some of the brightest of us and take them away from our race just to bolster their numbers when there are other alternatives."

"But they don't force anyone." The Faker comments, playing the literal devil's advocate.

"Do you really believe that?"

"I do. I was offered and I rejected the offer." Pausing to think the man nods.

"Then you met a devil that is worthwhile but I assure you that there were plenty who were reincarnated without proper permission or that after they became devils their lives were not as good as they expected." Before Shirou could say anything else Yoruichi interrupts them again.

"While I have no problem with a good philosophical debate, even if it is boring, we have more questions to ask." Yurameshe shrugs again, accepting her reasoning. "What is the goal of this Khaos Brigade?"

"I don't know." True.

Yoruichi raises an eyebrow. Her questions so far were designed so the man didn't notice that the sword doesn't compel the truth out of people while trying to get either slips of information or intel. So far he let out the existence of an organization and even its name but the fact that he didn't know their goals and only the goals of his direct superiors is telling.

"Who are the leaders of the Khaos Brigade?" Was her follow up question.

"I only know the identities of my companions, not the overall leader." The manager chuckles. "Know that if you ask me to give up my comrades I will bite my tongue first."

"That-"

"Won't be necessary." Yoruichi interrupts Shirou again and looks at him. "We won't ask for something as callous if you can say for certain they have nothing to do with the ritual and that they have no evil intentions. All of them you have knowledge about even if they are not the leaders."

Blinking for a second, the man in black says. "I can't say for certain, all I have is suspicion. Nothing concrete." Again an absolute truth.

"Why did you try to kill Sesshomaru?" That had nothing to do with the topic or the themes involved. Yoruichi is just asking out of curiosity.

"It was the beginning of a plan to kill all yokais."

"WHAT?" Shirou didn't like what he heard. "Why? Most of them never even could have done anything to you! Why kill them all?"

From the people associated with that particular faction Shirou have met Setsuna and Yoruichi, both are good people and the idea of someone just wanting to kill them for what they are makes him livid.

"It doesn't matter anyway. The plan failed and we were exterminated." Rin decides to ask a question herself.

"You don't want to surrender your comrades but I believe you wouldn't have a problem telling us why they are the main team? Are they that much stronger or something?"

"All the members of the Hero Faction either have a sacred gear or a Noble Phantasm." Then the man stopped talking. "Ah, I see. This doesn't compel the truth, only identifies it."

"Yep. And with that ends the easiest interrogation of my life." Yoruichi affirms, disappointed. Rin at least had the decency to look a little ashamed.

"Is this the part where you kill me?" Shirou took offense to that.

"No! We aren't killing you." And made sure to look at Yoruichi before looking back to Yurameshe. "But answer me this: Why Fuyuki?"

Now that the manager knew that the sword couldn't force him to answer he could avoid the question. He decides to tell him what he knows. "We have been here for five years because the ley line was good for a defensive position. That is it. Our best defense needs ley lines to be sustained or Yukino, the diviner you all faced, wouldn't be able to monitor the place and prepare decent defenses."

Again it was the truth and for all intents and purposes there was nothing to be done about the organization since they didn't know if the Khaos Brigade was dangerous or not. Without knowing their goals or intentions there is nothing to be done. They could call the devils but they also couldn't do anything about the situation besides kicking them out.

"I still want you all out of this town." Yoruichi informs the man. "This place was the site of a ritual that nobody knows anything about and I don't need any unknown element making things complicated."

"Are you sure it was a ritual?" The manager didn't hesitate to ask.

"Check the area of the fire in a map. It was a perfect circle." The manager blinks.

"We will be out by the end of the week at the latest." With that he takes the hand out of the sword.

And with that the investigation of the Rearguard Accounting Firm is officially over.

The sun was setting by the time they left the building. Shirou and Rin help Liz move to the car while Yoruichi keeps an eye on their backs, Muramasa on hand. She was debating with herself exactly what to do with the katana.

Liz was put to rest on the backseat with Rin offering her lap as a pillow, the magus will also be taking care that the woman don't get worse during the trip while Shirou drove the Lamborghini to their home first before taking the car back to the hideout.

Yoruichi suddenly snapped. "Wait a moment." The woman practically disappeared before their eyes for a few seconds before she returned, money and a document that were familiar to Shirou.

"Are those…?"

"Your document and the money you gave the guards." Even Liz was staring at her but all Yoruichi did about their incredulity was to tilt her head. "What? The picture looks too much like you once your hair gets back to normal and they let us walk in a trap. There is no reason to let them keep the money. They shouldn't have accepted it anyway."

She throws the stuff to Shirou who catches it and comments. "Kind of hypocritical for you to say that. It was your plan wasn't it?"

"And if one of my men had done that I would have them arrested. But then again, I am part of a government." She notices that Shirou looked at the objects, conflicted. "What is wrong?"

"While I don't mind you doing that...I kinda don't want the money." Shirou commented.

"Then give it to me." Rin says, trying to look disinterested but it was clear her eyes were on the stacks of cash. "I used a lot of my jewels here and I need to resupply anyway."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down a bit." Yoruichi stops Shirou before he replied to Rin. "Why don't you want the money?"

Looking at it for another moment Shirou says. "My dad is a Killer...there is no running from that. How am I supposed to know this isn't bloody money?"

It was Liz who replied. "Because most of it comes from his legitimate business."

"What do you mean?" Rin asks.

"Kiritsugu-sama does own a security company. We don't have an office, not in reality. But we have people everywhere doing lots of jobs." The maid didn't move but everyone had the impression she was almost falling asleep. "All money used on the safe house comes from that."

She is not denying that the man has bloody money but she is affirming that he didn't use it for his children, even a man like that has some morals. "Here Rin."

His fellow magus takes the money. "You sure?"

"Yeah. You did help a lot and your magecraft is expensive." Then he turns to Yoruichi. "What now?"

"You know there is nothing else we can do about the case." The nekoshou says, scratching her head. "Trail got cold and unless your father shows up with a clue, it is now a cold case without a solution."

"That is it, huh." Shirou goes to the driver seat. "Are you coming with us?"

After blinking for a moment, Yoruichi smiles. "Yeah. Why not?" The yokai sits in the car, the sword still in her hands.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" She shakes her head.

"Before that let me offer you a reward for your efforts." He sees Muramasa being offered to him. "It's not the most powerful Noble Phantasm but it is a powerful sword."

""And you are just giving it to me/him?"" Both Shirou and Rin couldn't believe that.

"This thing is dangerous but the curse seems to not affect you." Yoruichi shrugs. "So, this is actually a good reward to give." That and the fact that Shirou is trustworthy. Not to mention he already technically can already make the same sword with his magic making little difference in the danger aspect.

Surprised, Shirou looks at her with wide eyes. " That is like giving me a painting from Hokusai or Da Vinci for free."

"It's a Noble Phantasm! That is worth more than a painting! And much more dangerous!" Rin sounded panicked and no one was going to disagree with her on that point.

"That is not what I mean." Shirou replies exasperated. "As a work made by Muramasa this sword is basically a piece of art of the highest degree."

"All Muramasa's works are dangerous but Shirou earned it by right of conquest if nothing else." It was an old costume but since the redhead fought and took the blade in battle it is his by right.

"I can't accept- OW!" Yoruichi hits him in the head with the handle.

"You can and you will. I know you make swords as well but this is a good one and doesn't cost mana to use." Shirou shakes his head.

"That is not- the thing is that, once I saw this sword, I noticed how much I rushed in comparison to Muramasa." All the women in the car wait for him to elaborate. Shirou focuses on driving around the place, the first stop is going to be Rin's house. "Japan always had poorer metals than other countries. That is why we developed the forging techniques we did and ended up having katanas as our main weapons. When compared to other countries that have better metals, the development of swords is totally different which allows them to make weapons with the same weight and better reach with less effort most of the time."

With the exception of Liz, everyone else in the car knew that information from their studies but they weren't seeing why this is relevant. "So...why does that matter?" Rin expresses her confusion first. "Did Muramasa use some different kind of metal?"

Immediately Shirou shakes his head. "No. That is the thing. Muramasa perfected the method of folding so much that his sword is basically an impossibility, even before it became a Noble Phantasm." Letting out a chuckle, the magus then says. "I feel...humbled. To think that someone managed to elevate his skills to the point that the material became irrelevant, even if he failed to reach his goal at the end of his life."

"His goal?" Yoruichi was curious about the intent of someone like Muramasa.

"I don't know exactly what it was." Admites Shirou, still smiling. "But he called this sword a failure when he finished. That much I am sure." In his mind he can still see the old man finishing the blade and looking at it disappointed, something that baffles Shirou's mind. "When it became a Noble Phantasm it didn't change much. Its edge is the same as it was the day it was sharpened for the last time by its creator. Instead it gained two things, two curses: one that is the ability to ignore the defenses of those acknowledged as 'Kings' to a certain extent and another that makes the user pursue their passions with the same intensity and determination as Muramasa at the end of his life."

Rin notices the way that Shirou talked. "That sword...is one of his last works, isn't it?" All the driver could do was nod.

"I thought that I had explored everything I could about the methods of producing katanas but Muramasa showed me that I still have much ground to run." And, still smiling, he stops the car and looks at the sword. "That is why I said that I am humbled."

Muramasa, both the man and sword, gave Shirou a new perspective of his own work ethic. Since he really didn't reach the limit of making blades the magus is already planning to change his routine and adapt the pursuit of making swords better without extra materials.

'I will focus on three things;' Shirou thinks to himself, 'work on a defensive measure, develop EMs and improve my skills. Every other project is on hold until I figure out these three.' Even with one of the works of Muramasa, Shirou doesn't have all the information of the techniques used. As far as his mind could perceive Muramasa didn't do anything special, that was just skill. 'Look like I have my work cut out for me.' And he is excited by the prospect.

"Are you accepting it then?" Yoruichi asks, holding the sword, and Shirou nods.

"I will but I need to give you something for it." She brushes him off.

"No worries. You did a good job and I would feel bad if it was for free."

"At least let me make you some dinner." Shirou insists. "Earlier I was nervous so my cooking wasn't as good as it could be." They had eaten breakfast before this small adventure, Rin eating at her house while the others ate his food. "I wasn't at my best before but now I promise you won't regret it."

'That food was already better than the food I ate back home.' Yoruichi finds herself nodding in acceptance.

"Ah...can I eat with you guys too?" Rin asked out of the blue. 'Damned! I asked without thinking.'

"Sure! I was going to invite you."

"Aren't you upset that we basically accomplished nothing with this expedition?" At the yokai question Shirou shrugged.

"I told you that I would live with the result one way or another. Besides, no one died, we uncovered a possible conspiracy, even if they did nothing yet we are forewarned, and I have Muramasa to study. All in all it wasn't so bad."

'Better not tell him that I kinda killed some people...' Yoruichi scratches the side of her face, deep in thought 'It was inevitable really. I better get someone to check the place tomorrow.' Not that she believed that the Rearguard of Heroes would be there by the end of the night.

Rin had no problem with the expedition's result. Since Shirou basically gave her enough money to resupply and she managed to test many of her spells in a combat scenario. If anything the only thing she lost was the mana on her main jewel but that she can fix in time.

"Caaaaaaaaaaake." They all turn to Liz and Shioru says with a smile.

"Yes Liz. There is going to be cake."

"Yipee." The blunt way she said it was adorable to him.

"Her favorite food is cake." Yoruichi smiled and relaxed in the car.

"Noted."

Yurameshe glared at his subordinates. Most people would feel empowered to have over fifty people kneeling before them but the man could only feel frustration at the moment and his eyes didn't hide that, if anything they reminded them how much their boss is actually angry.

"Sir-"

"Save it Yukino." His eyes not leaving his top lieutenants, the three also on their knees.

Yakada's face needs more time to heal, it is practically all purple with one eye closed while the other looks to the ground, Yukino also refused to meet her boss' eyes at Yakada's side and Sakashite looked like his mind wasn't present, staring at the void while holding his hand that has been reached but still arched and he couldn't move it properly.

Behind the three of them was the rest, unaccounted for were the dead and those that were still unconscious. Still, the room is packed and the man's rage is not abating. "We are leaving the town. Tonight!"

"Sir! We should-" Yakada stopped talking when he received a glare from Yurameshe, a glare that promised death.

"Let me make this clear for all of you to understand. Even supposing that your little trap worked, none of you could have defeated Yoruichi. If she hadn't had allies around she would have brought the whole building down. Barrier and all!" Searching for something on his suit the man pulls out his pack of cigarettes, he is on his last one. "Not only that, there was absolutely no need to fight! They wanted to ask a couple questions and then leave! If they wanted us dead they would have started with a fucking assault!"

"But...they sounded the alarm earlier." Yukino tried to defend them. "We were sure that some yokai were invading! And the cat was snooping around!"

"That was because our disguise was WORKING!" The two that tried to oppose him lowered their heads again. "If I was properly warned I would have instructed you to just say you were a magician working for me and that I feared for the security of our employers! IT ISN'T EVEN A LIE!"

Logic dictated that they wouldn't know that everyone in the building was part of something and they wouldn't ask about their clients and he wouldn't have to divulge anything about the Khaos Brigade. The meeting would probably take a few minutes after he returned from his outings and everything would be settled easily. He would still have the Muramasa.

"But they invaded us!" Yakada protests.

"She wouldn't notice anything! Everyone here is a human and most of you are too weak to be felt! If she only saw the four of us as threats we could have spinned a story and no one would have died." In his rage Yurameshe ends up biting his cigarette, running it. "GOD DAMMIT! YOU IDIOTS!" He stops to take a deep breath. "Now we can't support our allies from this position! Worse even, one of the VIPs is coming to Fuyuki to observe Emiya Shirou and talk about recrutement if he- no! Someone like him is going to be recruited."

"Emiya Shirou? The Gremory's pet magus? How did you meet him?" Yakada asked and once again during the day Yurameshe felt the need to punch him in the face.

"Did anyone recognize the white haired magus? He was not familiar at all?" After a few seconds without a reply the man facepalms. "I am surrounded by idiots." He points his finger to the responsible for the security. "You two! Care to explain why you allowed entrance?"

"They bribed us." The older security guard admitted, must to the charging of the younger. "We figured that, considering our forces, it was not a problem if a punk entered. He also left a driver's license with us."

"And where is this document?"

"On our post." The older security guard, recognizing his mistake, was taking the blund of his boss anger in stride. "I can go-"

"Don't bother! They probably already got that back! The money too so you two gave us all this work for nothing!" When he could see that the two guards were properly apprehended he looked to his lieutenants again. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I thought-" Yurameshe grabs Yakada's face and thighs his grip.

"Not you!" He was looking at his student. "Anything you have to say for yourself Mamoru?"

But he receives no reply, his apprentice who was once his pride and joy is broken and that is depressing to the manager. A part of him wants to scream to the younger man, to shake him until his stupor-like state passes.

But he holds himself back. "Now you all are going to grab your things and we are going to leave! This only isn't a disaster because now we know something of value about Emiya Shirou."

"Are we sure it was him?" Yukino receives a glare for her question.

"We all received a picture of the boy! The only thing that was different is that his hair was the wrong color!" To be fair the only ones that had the opportunity to see his face properly were Yakada, a hothead, and Sakashite, who is now a disappointment. It didn't change what happened and that they failed. "Get your things! We are moving! And considering that Yoruichi knows about us now, Japan is officially too hot for us."

Because if she informs her fellow rulers there is a chance that someone is going to try and get them, either for more information or to take out the competition. The Khaos Brigade is an organization of multiple factions, all with resources that the others may want, and money is almost universal in the modern world.

Everyone started to leave, those that were having difficulty moving were carried by their companions, only two people stayed after a couple of minutes. Yurameshe and Sakashite, master and disciple.

They stay silent, the master not knowing what to say. "I don't believe that it was defeat that did this to you." He approaches Mamoru and knees before him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Son...talk to me."

It has been a long time since he had started training Sakashite, in a way the two of them are family. Seeing his student like that, with dead eyes and numbness made his heart hurt.

"Please...say something." No answer. "I am not upset that you took the Muramasa. I hate that you tried to use that thing but please, don't lose yourself for it."

"Emiya...Shirou…" Finally a reply. His eyes were still empty but he gave some sign of life.

"Yes Mamoru. It was Emiya Shirou." He can see that the younger man's mind connected the dots.

"He made...a Noble Phantasm...with magic."

"Yes, the second Muramasa. We can talk more about this later. Now get up, we need to gather your things to leave town." But his students' response is slow, almost stopping. "Mamoru please, help me with this. We can talk later about what is bothering you but we need to leave fast before the yokai send someone."

"He is a monster." That stopped the older man and had him raising an eyebrow. "The way that he intercepted my attack...that was inhuman. Either he knew that it was going to work to perfection...or he didn't care about his own life."

'That...can be called mounstruous.' Admitted the manager in the privacy of his mind. "It doesn't matter right now. Besides, when you take into account the members of the Hero Faction you can say that we have plenty of monsters."

That just made his student look down, depressed. "I suppose it can't be helped. We are too old and too weak to make a difference now."

It is one of the cruel disadvantages of humanity, time itself is an ally until it stops being one and turns into the most cruel enemy. Sakashite is already in his thirties going forties, a whole life of training and he can't even compete with most high class devils. Yurameshe may not look like it but he is in his fifties and has watched so many friends and students die already that he didn't desire to be on the front lines anymore.

Both knew that a confrontation was coming, that there is a plan in motion to scourge the world of any non-human existence that can be deemed as a threat. Because of the ambition of the plan only the strongest and most capable are going to be part of it.

"We have to play our part. Even the mightiest army can fall to logistics." He holds his apprentice's shoulder firmly. "We are the Rearguard, the arms and hands that take care of anything that can bother the main army. Remember that."

"Huh...we are just the weak and the losers." His teacher didn't like that.

"We are the survivors. The old men who have seen war and are making sure that when the youth fight they will have the best odds possible." Sakashite chuckles.

"I guess you are right. Damn, I wish Yakada hadn't hopped me into that mess, my wrist is killing me." Yurameshe smiles, his student is better now. "At least I am still alive. But making a Noble Phantasm out of nowhere is bull-"

"Language." His teacher interrupts the swear word. "But you are right. I will inform the others. I believe that Emiya Shirou has evolved from a passing interest to game changer."

One can only wonder what he can do with enough mana and stronger Noble Phantasms. An army with legendary weapons is not impossible

Inside the basement of his family mansion, Matou Shinji is about to accomplish a ritual that he spent months preparing, ever since his ally had left Fuyuki. Because of his limits, the fact that the ley line under the Matou mansion is not connected to him and that he is doing everything behind his father's back he needed to take his sweet time in getting the spell ready.

It took a lot of patience, something he is not really good at, but today he is finally done and the circle is complete. A good thing too because Shinji was sure he was going insane in trying to get the thing to work.

To make sure the message was sent and received by his intended recipient, the heir of the Matou had to use three things besides mana; his location was once the workshop of the person he wants to communicate with to help with the connection, since they were family no matter how distant he made the circle with his blood for maximum effect and the last ingredient is a larva.

Not just any larva but something left behind by that person and it was his last work as a human. Picking up the little insect he sees that is asleep, its grey form completely motionless. A normal insect would already have matured and evolved but this was the result of the research of the former head of the Matou, a being that didn't age, didn't develop but was extremely frail.

For it to survive it needs a special food and a good outtake of mana that the Matou family has to supply themselves, usually the actual head.

Moving towards his circle he got ready for the final steps. It's not a huge thing, the basement was bigger than the mansion above him but the circle itself was no bigger than a car. It is entirely made with his blood and nothing else.

To make sure the process wasn't going to kill him, Shinji extracted the blood once every other week. He can only hope that it's enough, the break is almost over and once school is back he won't be able to just sit down and recover the lost blood.

'Come on. Easy now.' He places the larva on the center, really wishing he could sit down but that would disrupt the circle. "I can only try this once."

Concentrating on the floor, Shinji starts the spell. The circle starts to glow purple and he can feel the mana starting to go inside the thing. Shinji can only hold the spell for a minute or so before having to let go-

*Oh my! A call from the mortal realm? Who could that be?* A voice came from the circle, gruf but amused.

'It connected!' Shinji thinks in joy and triumph. "It's me, grandfather!"

*Me who?* Curiosity laced the question. *I think I have never met you before.*

Silently, Shinji nods. "It 's Shinji! Son of Byakuya!"

*Ah! Yes, I remember him, last time I saw that brat, his brother was leaving our family to build his own life or something. I was called to watch the succession of the Matou. Suffice to say I was not impressed. So you are the future heir of our house?* There was no joy in his voice, just a relaxed attitude with some amusement. *Well? What do you want, Shinji?*

Gulping, the student says. "I need to kill someone!" A pause.

*First, you don't need to scream, I can hear you just fine.* The man said with a chuckle, it was clear for him that Shinji is nervous. *And if you want to kill someone, order a hit. I am sure I left you with a sizable fortune centuries ago. Or did you burn it all on drinks?*

"I already did grandfather." He can still feel a lot of his mana being syphoned, his elder is helping but just a little. "It failed. I need a more direct solution."

*Interesting.* From his tone of voice it was clear he didn't care. *I don't know who offended you to earn that type of treatment but I don't care. Just pick a knife and stab them.*

"Wait please!" Shinji can feel more mana being taken by the spell, the man on the other side uninterested. "He managed to kill the mercenaries! I need something to at least give me a chance to win."

The weight of the mana taken is slightly reduced. *And who is someone that earned so much hatred from you that you are willing to kill them yourself.* The voice sounds pleased with Shinji's conviction.

"I don't hate him. He is a hack and I couldn't care less." Malice seeps in his tone. "But I need him to die. I need him to disappear so Tohsaka loses the protection she gained and comes crawling back to me. For that I need to take away her protection and I can only do it by killing that magus."

*So much hatred.* Amusement colors the voice's tone. *I wonder why you hate her so much.*

"Because they took what was MINE!" Shinji screams indignantly.

The voice starts to laugh."Bwahahahaha! Really? Took from you? Pft Huhuhu...sure. I shall help you out. It will be a fun distraction. But you must do what I say to the letter and it will take a good amount of time before everything is ready.*

"Of course Zolgen-ojisama." Shinji can feel the weight on his mana practically disappear as Zolgen Makiri is now in charge.

*Perfect. I can understand the need to take back something you lost, the desire to hold it in your hand once again. I had something like that once.* The man chuckles. *But this is the only favor I am doing for you. You fail or die, it's not my problem.*

"Of course, oji-sama! I won't let you down!" Another chuckle comes.

*You can't let down someone that has no expectatives in the first place.* That didn't diminish Shinji's smile. *I can feel my little larva in this circle. Is it well taken care of?*

"Of course! I personally took the duty to take care of it for the last few months!" So his father couldn't glimpse his plans.

*Good.* The magic circle starts to glow more, Shinji's purple being replaced by a darker shade of blue as the mana being applied is now Zolgen's. Inside its container the larva receives a lot of the new mana until the light diminishes, nothing appears to happen. *Now listen carefully to what you must do…"

Meanwhile inside the Emiya residence three women let out sighs of relief. "Remember that 'Shirou scale' thing?" Yoruichi asks while sitting in a chair, her smile expresses her bliss. "I can totally believe that. This food is better than any five star meal I ever had."

"Now you know." Liz replies in acceptance, she changed her clothes after taking a short shower and now was in her normal attire. Thanks to both Yoruichi and Rin's healing she was almost completely recovered just needing to rest to go back to 100%. "And that devil dared to think it was an insult."

The nekomata raises a cup of tea to her lips. "And I drink to that…say is there any wine or sake around here." Shirou shrugs, his hair back to his natural red. Like Liz he also received a minimal dose of senjutsu treatment and only needed some rest.

"Sorry but since neither of us drink I just didn't buy any." Shaking her head, Yoruichi drinks the cup. "Wanna some more?"

"Yes please." Shirou serves the woman and she lets out another sigh of relief. "Damn that is good tea."

"Thanks. Sakura's advice helped." Hearing her sister's name was enough to wake Rin from her stupor.

'I can't believe I fell for the food again!' The head of the Tohsaka can't help but look at her empty plate. 'I forgot how good the food was...it was just too much! The smell, the taste! If Rias wasn't also under its influence then I would believe Shirou sold his soul to get to this level.'

Looking around the table she can see many other plates stacked, both courtesy of Liz and Yoruichi. The two women had piles that once had many different kinds of food around them, Rin can't help but feel a pinch of envy.

'Stupid senjustu, stupid homunculus metabolism, stupid magic that works better when you are fit…' The girl was lost in her own world.

"So? Was it good?" Shirou asks with a confident smile that Yoruichi gives back in kind.

"Want me to say it? With pleasure: I don't regret this. Best food that I ever ate in my life!" She stretches herself, satisfied. "Say...want to go back to Kyoto with me? I can pay well and am an excellent boss."

"Sorry but this is my home. I have no interest in leaving it just yet." Instead of losing her smile, Yoruichi just appears to smile more.

"Come on. I will make it worth your while." She is still stretching and Shirou can't take his eyes off her.

But he is still strong enough to say. "No, thank you."

Yoruichi chuckles and leans forward on the table, cat ears sprung on her head. "Purrase?"

"You think you are cute, don't you?" Shirou says exasperated.

"No, I am sexy and you know." There was no disagreement to the argument.

"Are you going to let her walk over Shirou like that?" Rin questions Liz who just shrugs.

"If I can go with them and keep protecting Shirou I am sure his parents wouldn't mind." Rin offered another problem then.

"And Rias' pact? Are you going to just leave her hanging?" Not that he could without consequences.

The nekoshou, still with her cat ears out, brushes it off. "He can still have a pact if he wants. I just want the meals."

"While I appreciate the offer," Shirou says while starting to gather the dishes, "I have no intentions of leaving Fuyuki just yet." A little of mirth left Yoruichi's eyes, her ears falling with her hair and she had a sad look on her face, the redhead didn't like that. "Look, every time you pass by the town you are free to come here and grab a bite."

That had her perking up. "Are you saying that everytime I come around you are going to give me free food and a place to stay?"

"Sure." He hadn't said anything about a room but Shirou has no problems doing that. "You helped me settle some fears I had and also gave me a legitimate Muramasa sword. Room and food is not much to offer really."

For a second the nekoshou just stares at him, then she smiles. "You promise that?" He rolls his eyes

"I promise." That had Yoruichi laughing.

"Goddamnit you are too nice for your own good. Since you are so generous I will accept the invite. Gonna move some of my stuff to your room so if your family shows up it isn't clogging the space of another person."

Shirou did a double take. "What?"

"Yeah! Since you are offering, I will come around from time to time to grab a bite and take a break from Kyoto." Yoruichi starts to hold her head with a hand. "Honestly my brother is a better politician and administrator anyway so I can come here to hide- I mean- check the place in case of changes and also to see if your father shows up. Yeah! That is it!"

Everyone knew what exactly was going on, Shirou was not going to call her out on it because he was still trying to process what exactly he had promised, Liz really didn't care since the yokai proved that she is trustworthy and more people to keep an eye out for trouble is always better.

But someone isn't going to hesitate in calling the nekoshou out. "So you are going to come in, eat, get your ears scratched, a place to sleep and will be coming and going as you please?"

"That's the gist of it." Yoruichi gives a thumbs up to Rin but she isn't done.

"Are you a stray cat or something?" At the question the yokai chuckles.

"And? He offered, I accepted. I don't mind being a stray cat and helping him out with some things to pay for my...visits." That got Shirou talking again.

"Help with something? I don't think you can help me in the forge since the ley line of this place is way thinner than Kuoh's." Yoruichi actually laughs at that.

It isn't a mocking or cruel laugh, she is definitively amused. "That is thinking too small Shirou. Too small. There is so much more that I can help you with, especially with senjutsu." She raises her fingers and her youki appears as an aura of yellow. After a couple of instants, something she did deliberately to demonstrate something as the aura takes shape of sparks that were perfectly around her fist. "Controlling ki, be it either yours or your enemy's is something really useful. Not only that but you can also use it to protect yourself without using much mana, freeing you more to use your magic."

"You are offering to teach me senjutsu?" After a nod Rin asks a question.

"Can he learn that?" The nekomata nods.

"Not competaly but if he can learn enough to get to touki then he won't be needing to use his newly acquired Noble Phantasm to block magic for exemple. And he can also use his spirit and ki for both attack and defense in better ways." The sparks disappear and the aura changes color to snow white. Shirou moves closer to inspect it better. "You don't need to become a master or anything like that but with some lessons you can get decent enough to use touki and have it as both a shield and a sword always on hand...not that it entirely replaced either of those things. Seriously, you need to still get a shield or a sword if that is what you are going to use."

Suffice to say that there are plenty of people that just because they got touki they thought they had all figured out in the fighting departament. They learned the lesson the hard way, its more complicated than that.

"Yes, sure. I was already planning on making something to help in defense. Especially on defense." The other magus found the opportunity to insert herself back on the conversation.

"What are you making?" She asked Shirou. "And can I also learn touki?"

Tohsaka Rin would be a poor magus if she lost the chance to at least try and learn something like senjutsu from a master. Fortunately and unfortunately, Yoruichi is not going to make it easy for her.

Shirou replies first. "Armor. Light armor that I can use beneath my clothes but it is resistant enough to stop sword blows." Nothing big or fancy, something that he can use around the street without calling too much attention since tracing the damn thing every time would be the same problem that a shield would have.

Nex was Yoruichi. "You can...if you are staying here too." Was the older woman's reply.

"What?" Shirou needs some context on that one.

"Don't worry Shirou." She pats his head with affection. "I am just saying that if she wants lessons then she needs to be closer since I am only doing this for you to pay rent. Of course if you want," She gets closer and whispers in his ear. "I can pay in other ways."

It was the tone and the implication that made Shirou red and made him collect the dishes. "I am gonna wash the dishes." And so he collects everything and leaves as Yoruichi relaxes with a teasing smile on her face.

"Why do you tease Shirou so much?" Liz asks, in the maid's opinion, while Yoruichi is an ally, her actions didn't make sense.

"Couple of reasons: First...it's fun." A dreaded thought enters Rin's mind when she hears that.

'She and Akeno are going to get along really well.' Her former apprentice enjoys teasing people now and then but Yoruichi is on a whole other level. With the two of them together there was a reasonable chance that the Gremory Queen would get some of the yokai's habits and that doesn't bode well for anyone.

"Second, I just love his reactions. He wants to be respectful while at the same time trying to hide his appreciation." That and the fact she is not offering again what she did before because now that he doesn't have something immediate to focus he may accept and regret after...or not, he is decisive like that. "Third is because I needed to talk to you Rin and Shirou wouldn't appreciate what I have to say."

"Talk to me?" The remaining magus is confused by the statement.

"Yes...He created a Noble Phantasm with magecraft. Do I need to say anything else?" Silence reigns at the table.

None of the women present knew exactly what to say about the implication. Noble Phantasms, treasures that gain power by their story and belief, artifacts whose power boggles the mind and in the right conditions can break the rules of the world and the same ways that sacred gears and True Magic can.

Noble Phantasms are rare, stupidly rare. If every one in ten people is born with a sacred gear, even if they never awaken it or they are weak and useless, Noble Phantasms that can be used by others and not only their true owners are only in the hundreds. The rest is only accessible to those with the right blood or in the right conditions.

And someone can make projections of them. That means that in the absolute right conditions, one weapon can become a thousand and so forth and even the weak ones, like the Muramasa that only was a really sharp sword for all intents and purposes, can exterminate any opposition easily. "I won't tell anyone." Rin understood all that, she knows that Shirou's ability is enough reason that she should be killed just by knowing the secret. "But we have no means to stop the Rearguard from talking."

"We actually want them to talk." Yoruichi says, surprising the others present. "It's the main reason why I am staying. This 'Khaos Brigade'...I doubt we are the first ones to hear about it and I also don't like such clandestine organizations running around without no one else knowing anything. I will get back to Kyoto and get some contacts in motion to investigate it. When we hear someone talking about a magus who can make Noble Phantasms out of nowhere we will know we have someone high on the totem pole to get some ansews."

"But it's just a human organization. Why are you concerned?" Liz decides to question.

"Because the way that the manager answered their questions makes me believe that there are more than humans on it." The yokai looked worried. "If members of multiple factions are playing on multiple teams without informing their superiors that can end badly. If this mingling is handled the wrong way then it can even result in an all out war."

"So the problem is not that such a thing exists but also that too many people are on it." Rin can see the logic. For the moment the moonlit world is in a state of cold war between multiple factions, not only the so-called Three Great Factions but no other pantheons or organizations are making moves to try and destroy their enemies.

It's not only the MAD(Mutual Assured Destruction) either, it's just that even if one side wins they can become easy pecking to others that are waiting in the wings to finish the winner and whatever else is left of the loser. That can bring out an imbalance of power with the potential to ruin any form of peace.

In the middle of all that, Liz understood something she didn't like. "You are using Shirou as bait."

"Not as bait." Yoruichi was quick to defend herself, checking to see if she didn't whisper too loudly. "The goal is not to put him into danger but to check everyone who knows about it if there is anyone suspicious. The other option would have been to kill everyone that saw him make a copy of Muramasa."

And the redhead himself would never go for that option, even knowing him for a day Yoruichi can already see that. The way he decided to keep fighting just to stop her from killing the enemy was both admirable and infuriating for the yokai.

"I still don't like this." Liz let everyone know with a pout.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Yoruichi gave the maid a smile and placed her arm around the maid. "Nothing is going to happen. With both of us here there is no way he is going to be in any danger."

"Weren't you going to go back to Kyoto?" Liz asks with an incredulous face. Even if her eyes didn't express her frustration, Yoruichi can tell that she is frustrated.

"Calm down Liz. I will be back in a flash. Don't worry about it." She relaxes her arms on the table and sighs. "I don't like this idea either but I think both of us can agree that if I ask him for permission he will agree easily."

"Aren't you investing too much in a guy you just met yesterday?" Rin asks, drinking the last of her tea.

Yoruichi gives her a calm smile. "I think it's because I like people like him." Upon saying that and adjusting herself, the yokai lets another sigh. "When you are a noble...most of the time you are surrounded by lies and expectations. Most of the time when you meet someone they already want something from you."

She couldn't stop the melancholy she felt when she began to talk about those days. It started even when her parents were alive, her brother being born didn't change anything and everyone kept looking at her and wanting more from her.

Some wanted prestige, some wanted attention, some wanted the power her name could give. She is the younger of the Four Rulers of Kyoto, had no family besides her sibling after their parents death and had no mate, husband or children. All those facts began to give people ideas.

But she never cared about them. Even when they tried to impress her they failed, again and again. All hiding their ambitions and contempt by her rejections behind fake smiles. She hates those.

Maybe all would be more tolerable if she had a friend around, or people that she could share her grievances with. But she hadn't, between the leaders Yasaka was the one closest to her age but she was still far older and with a daughter and responsibilities, the fox woman was from the same generation as her mother.

Sesshomaru isn't the most sociable of the yokais and every time she saw him he had cold eyes, towards anyone, even his children. Only his wife was able to get a smile now and then. She could tell he wasn't honest with himself most of the time.

Oogway, the turtle yokai, the oldest of all of them is patient and honest. He was great at listening and giving advice but needed to spend time with his family, if Yoruichi can remember correctly his 274th grandchild was born last spring. He and those that inherited the blood of the turtle are the last family of the original Four Kings of Kyoto.

Without anyone to talk to, anyone that she could directly trust, the nekomata expected to investigate everything alone but…

"I like people like him, men like him, honest people that don't hide themselves and walk forward with determination on their step." She had a serene and sincere smile when she said that.

Rin recognized that expression, she had seen it in someone else before. "You sound like a schoolgirl with a crush."

That actually got the yokai to laugh. "Nyahahahahaha. Maybe? I never had a crush before."

Observing the situation with close attention was Liz. She watched Yoruichi during her words, her melancholy and finally came to a conclusion. "You can stay. I won't stop you."

"Did I get your approval?" The maid nods at the question.

"I don't know how you are going to split your time here and in Kyoto or how you are going to train Shirou but I can see you have no intention of harming him." That actually raised another question in her mind. "How long do you plan to stay and when will you come back from Kyoto?"

"Oh...I will stay until he kicks me out." Yoruichi affirms while pointing to the kitchen with her thumb. "And I go back to Kyoto and be back by the next day at the latest. And then I will go back and forward depending on how much work I actually have there."

"Isn't that a bit too fast to do all you want to do?" Liz was not suspicious, just curious.

"Nah. I am the fastest woman alive." The nekomata brags. "I will go there, talk with some people, tell them to keep an eye on anything about someone producing Noble Phantasms of any kind and then go back. Easy... for the first couple of days. I won't leave my brother to do everything."

"I think you are rushing a bit." Rin observed.

"It's because of the food." Liz says without hesitation.

"Damn right it is." There is no shame in Yoruichi's tone.

"You really are a stray cat." Rin repeats. "I mean the food is good, there is no denying that but aren't you exaggerating."

While Liz threw a glare at Rin that almost scared her, Yoruichi just wiggle her finger while looking disappointed. "You still have much to learn about people Rin. Especially if you are going to be, or already are, the head of your family. Let me give you some advice: Ever heard that the path to a person's heart is their stomach? There is a lot of truth in that. Be it as a lover, or just to be a friend or even a restaurant that cooks great food, if the environment is pleasant enough then the people will come back for reunions, parties and celebrations. That is why cooking is also an art. Never forget that."

"Okay...I won't…" And she can't deny it properly, she also fell to the food. "I still won't act like you all with a school girl crush."

"'You all'? I have competition? Well I shouldn't be surprised." Yoruichi thinks for a second, surprising Rin.

"Wait! You are for real in pursuing him." The yokai just gives her a thumbs up. "You- what- I- Why?"

"Because he is prime husband material in every level." One of the most powerful people in Japan admits her intentions as if talking about the weather. "So...We should get going." And then she gets up.

"Going where?" Rin asks.

"I am gonna take you home then go to Kyoto. If I can get the right people on the case really fast I can get back by dinner tomorrow." Yoruichi lets out a shout. "SHIROU! I AM TAKING RIN HOME! BE BACK TOMORROW OR AFTER AT THE LATEST!"

"Wait! Let me at least open the door for you." The redhead appears from the kitchen, drying his hands with a towel. "Wouldn't it be better if you go back to Kyoto tomorrow? Don't you also need rest?"

"Nah, gonna be fine." The fact was that the yokai had the easiest time on their adventure, barely had a scratch and managed to defeat everyone she fought with minimum expenditure of energy. "When I come back, we are going to have to do a time table for your training...also Liz is going to need to start to work a little around the house."

That was news to the residents. "Why?" Liz asked quickly.

"Because Shirou already cooks, cleans, does his projects and trains. There is also your guy's garden that is barely taken care of with the grass starting to get a little too big." Yoruichi places a hand on her chin. "I can take care of it during his training but it doesn't change the fact that he needs more training which means…"

She lets Liz finish her rationality. "I will take care of the clothes."

"What? No, you all don't need to worry about it. I use the time I am doing chores to practice my reinforcement anyway." That was the main reason he is so good with the spell, he uses it to pretty much any task when he can to make sure he is not only doing his best but also training his control to not break anything.

"And you can do that as well while learning senjutsu. But you can't do the reverse." Yoruichi interrupts his thoughts, raising a good point. "Relax, she won't take control of the whole house, just washing clothes. I will train you and take care of the garden. The rest we figure out from there." Then she hits her fist on her palm. "There is also going to be a lot of physical training for you to apply reinforcement."

For some reason Shirou had a sense of dread when she spoke about training. "Okay." But he would accept any help he could get since he promised Liz he would grow strong enough to never suffer as he did against the werewolf.

"Great! Let's go Rin!" And with that the nekomata left being followed by a magus who hastily bowed her goodbyes.

Once the duo was gone Shirou turned to Liz. "You know I can still take care of washing right?"

"No need." Liz said simply. "This is for your sake. The stronger you are, the less we have to worry." For a second the maid looks depressed in Shirou's eyes.

"What is wrong?" She shakes her head but Shirou insists. "Liz, tell me what is wrong." His voice was firm and she replied.

"I failed." The redhead blinks confused.

"You failed?" Just her saying that disturbed him on a subconscious level.

"Yes." The maid said, her head low. "I was defeated before I could actually do anything against the real threat of the Rearguard. That failure is inexcusable."

Shirou didn't like the sad tone Liz was talking in, it was bothering him in a way that he couldn't help but wanting to console her. The problem is that he doesn't know how. She already ate cake tonight and if something was still bothering her then it really was a problem but making another cake late at night would take too long and he was admitally tired. He wants to do the best for her but even he knew he wasn't in any condition.

But he found something he could do and raising his hand he places it on her head and starts to pat her. "Shirou? What are you doing?"

"Ah, sorry. I just wanted to help make you feel better." He started to remove his hand only for her to keep it there.

"Keep going." Rarely the woman makes such a request, especially one so serene.

'Like Yoruichi, Liz also likes headpats. Who could have known?' Shirou thinks to himself as he can see that she is more calm now, more relaxed. He wanted to take her to the couch and have her relax. "Liz, don't worry about what happened." He decides to tackle the problem directly. "You had no way of knowing we were facing a Muramasa of all swords. Just that alone is enough to free you of any blame."

There is no way he was going to blame her for that. She acted on instinct and that backfired but she is alive, that is what matters to him. "But I was weak. I should have protected you." He kept patting her head while she talked. "Maybe if I was more careful you wouldn't have to risk yourself."

'Time to put an end to that train of thought.' Shirou decides then and there. "Liz, there was no way you could beat that guy that easily. He was faster than both of us and more experienced. The only reason that I won was because I cheated."

And he wouldn't call that any other way. The girls may not have noticed but he did hear their conversation, reinforcement is really useful, and he knew that creating a Noble Phantasm should be impossible.

But nobody talked about it so when he left Shirou suspected that Yoruichi would start the conversation after he left. He was right and had no problems with her plan. He blushed when he heard Rin say that Yoruichi sounded like a schoolgirl with a crush and he stopped listening from there.

Facts didn't change and he knows that what he did was something that shouldn't be done. If this Khaos Brigade is dangerous then he must grow stronger and he must be ready if they come after him.

However that is for later, at the moment he needs to say something to help Liz. "There is no reason to be depressed with what happened. If you don't want it to happen again all you need to do is grow stronger."

"But Shirou...I am not like you." She said, sounding depressed. "I am a-"

"You are Liz." The magus interrupts her, his eyes as sharp as the blades he makes. "And if you can't grow stronger alone then we grow stronger together."

"Together?" She couldn't comprehend his words.

"Yes, together. I make stuff for myself all the time, don't I? I will make something for you too." That got Liz thinking.

"Can I get a giant axe?"

"Sure."

"And steel toed boots?"

"Way ahead of you. Already planning something like that for the armor I am going to make but first I have to find or make a light and tough material." Good thing he has a sponsor that offers him plenty of materials for testing. He still is going to focus on the EM and the first stage is still in design but it's a start.

"Wait! Not an axe! A halberd!" Shirou chuckles at how her eyes began to shine imaginating the weapon.

"Sure, halberd. No problem." He is going to need to know how to make one of those properly. Liz is strong but balance can be a killer. "Now go watch some TV while I finish the dishes."

The maid nods and goes to the couch with a spring on her step and high spirits. He can see the smile growing in her face as she turns on the television and relaxes. Nodding to himself for a job well done, Shirou goes back to the kitchen when a frightening thought crosses his mind.

"Did I just agree to feed the equivalent to a small army everyday?" He asks himself out loud. "I also forgot that Koneko is also going to be here when she gets back...and that Yoruichi may want to hide herself...questions for later."

He was seriously considering just returning the car and keeping the cash from the hideout. It is for emergencies afterall and feeding three women with bottomless appetites counts as one on his book.

…..