Chapter 4: First Day on The Job

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate or DxD

Beta Read by Israelgjr

XxXxX

Author's Notes:

In response to some concerns regarding Avalon and its ability potentially negate Devil Reincarnation, keep in mind that Avalon's "Absolute Defense" function is not a passive ability nor is it something that just anyone can pull off without drawbacks. If that were the case, its other ability of "Limited Immortality" would be redundant since Artoria would be able to just stand there without fear of being affected by anything. That being said, while it is a potent artifact when its wielder possesses a contract with Artoria, the amount of healing that the Master can use is proportional to the amount of magical energy that Artoria can provide for Avalon to function. In Canon, Avalon had enough residual magical energy in it after Artoria departed during the events of Fate/Zero to resuscitate Shirou but ultimately remained dormant within him beyond drawing his Elemental Affinity and Origin closer to Sword until the subsequent Grail War. The story's current iteration of Artoria has trouble maintaining "Limited Immortality" let alone an "Absolute Defense" on par with the Five True Magics.

XxXxX

"Do not think; feel. Let it flow through you."

The back of his neck bristled with heat. Saliva evaporated off his tongue in a cloud of steam.

"Stoke thy flame."

He could feel it radiating beneath his skin, raw and malleable like unquenched steel: Power.

"Take hold; control it. It is the kindling and you are the match."

Energy surged forward, the hairs that ran down his arm singed as it traveled into the palm of his hand. An orange circle of light bloomed to life.

"Now, venture forth sovereign! Embrace your destiny and rend your foes to ash!"

"Firebolt!" Orange transitioned into a luminous white. Red, infernal inscriptions turned; pure energy coalescing at the magical circle's center until it resembled a miniature sun. It shot forward, iridescent and majestic…before nose diving straight to the ground.

"Hm, vocalizing the mnemonic imagery seemed to work. You actually got it to leave your hand that time." Akeno smiled at him, soft and bright. If it wasn't for the mirthful quiver on her lips, he may have believed it was the real thing. Reluctantly, he began to repeat the process over from the beginning.

"Firebolt! Fiabolto! Filabortaru!" It would appear that he wasn't the only one having issues.

Iseko glowered at her open palm, her white uniform-stained gray. Crooked wings protruding from the small of her back beat furiously to disperse the smoke that accompanied her latest failures. Unlike him, she hadn't even managed to get the magical circle to form.

"RAAGH, I give up!" She let out a huff, falling back onto the seat of her pants. "Magic is dumb!"

"Now that won't do Iseko-chan, how will you ever be recognized as a Harem King if you can't even get this down? You won't be able to satisfy all your conquests if you have performance issues."

The mere utterance of her one true purpose lit a spark of determination in her eyes. "How could I be so shortsighted?" She shouted, springing back up to her feet. "If I am to achieve my dream then I'll have to go even further beyond! HAAAAAAA!" Her red gauntlet materialized into existence, ready and eager to empower her with the light of humanity itself.

"Boost!"

Upon the call of her Sacred Gear, her meager reserves doubled in strength. Her fist began to vibrate as power siphoned into her palm at a rapid pace.

"You know, it's kind of scary how good you are at that."

"Iseko-chan is a simple girl."

Shirou allowed the heat to collect within him. His mind strained. It was a strange sensation; kind of like what he imagined what trying to trace which direction his blood flowed would be like. It happened all the time but the second your brain tried to latch on to it the idea would escape you.

"You know, when we first turned you, I thought you were like Iseko-chan but now that you have your wings out; your signature is much more intense than I thought."

"Is that a problem?"

"Quite the opposite actually." He wasn't blood related but simply being in the presence of his adopted family should have been enough to stimulate the growth of his reserves. Yet, even with his wings out to stimulate mana flow, he had barely made enough progress to have warranted the reincarnation. It was worrisome. They already had Iseko to deal with; Rias couldn't afford anymore dead weight.

Where was the monster that had faced down a Fallen Angel? Where was the son of the most infamous hitman on Earth? "…I wonder."

Shirou was mid-incantation when he felt a luscious figure conform to his own. He immediately tensed up; the magic circle in his palm shattering into a thousand pieces.

"Harlot! Does thou know no shame?"

"H-Himejima-senpai, w-what are you doing?" His words stumbled as he felt her reach into his uniform to pet his abs. "What if somebody sees us?" There were already rumors of their supposed "activities" and the tennis court outside of the clubhouse wasn't exactly the most subtle of places.

"Ssshhh, relax. Did you really think that I wouldn't use protection?" She purred into his ear as his eyes glued on to the group of students passing by without a care in the world. "Here, we can do any~ thing~ we want." The Bounded Field pulling attention away from them made sure of that but she'd let him figure that out on his own.

Shirou flushed bright red. She had always been a tease but never before had she been this forward about it. The more he seemed to learn about the other side of her life the bolder she seemed to become.

"HO! SENPAI!"

"Transfer!"

Iseko's nostrils flared wide with excitement. Her eyes were so focused on the scene before her that she didn't even register the roaring flame sprouting from her armored hand. The magic ballooned until it couldn't be contained anymore, erupting with a streak of flame that slammed into a nearby practice dummy. Burlap and straw exploded, reducing the dummy into a pile of ash and cinders.

"Good job Iseko-chan. I knew you could do it."

By the time his eyes adjusted to the flash of the explosion, the extra warmth accompanying him vanished, leaving him feeling…disappointment?

"I counted twenty-seven Magical Circuits of average quality." She said, surveying the results of Iseko's work.

"Wha-?"

"Magical organs that humans use in order to filter the Prana from their surroundings into much more user-friendly Od. When a human is turned, whatever circuits lying dormant are forcefully opened upon the introduction of the Evil Piece's artificial Mana Core into the body."

"Sensei, I volunteer as tribute!" Iseko shouted, her arm raised high and proud.

"Cute," She laughed, "But we already grasped the girth of your magical abilities the night you were turned."

Iseko's shoulders slumped.

"What a greedy little Pawn you are; was a night between Rias' bosom not good enough for you?"

She blushed, the grin on her face quivering like an excited worm. "Of course, it was good; more than good. It was great! But I am an oppai connoisseur, a sommelier of the breast; an addict for all things thicc! Just because I have a favorite doesn't mean I don't enjoy sampling others from time to time."

"Never refer to it as "sampling" ever again."

"Maybe next time." She turned to look at Shirou. "I'm surprised this is your first-time hearing about this."

"They've been more focused on beating in other things." His bruises from Leysritt's session still ached. "Honestly, it's kind of scary. I've never seen any of them so serious before." Sure, Sella had been a stickler for academia in the past but that was nothing compared to the way she was forcing knowledge down his throat nowadays. If he had to review any more research papers on Phantasmal Ecology, he was going to be sick.

"That's…surprising." She always assumed that anyone who had lived under the same roof as the Magus Killer would have had a strict upbringing.

"Is it? I'd always assumed they were normal." Sure, they were a little strange; but for all these years, he had only ever known them as a bubbly housewife and an overworked businessman. It was surreal how much reverence Rias and Akeno gave them. They just weren't powerhouses to him, even after demonstrating it firsthand.

"I suppose, regardless, you shouldn't be having this much difficulty with this. Firebolt isn't that complicated of a cantrip even by human standards."

"I don't know what to tell you." He shrugged; his latest attempt extinguishing before it could leave his hand.

"Maybe it's something emotional?" Akeno's pose shifted with thought. "Or perhaps mental?"

It was just then that Koneko arrived on the court, offering a halfhearted wave to her superior.

"Oh my, is it that late already? We'll have to continue this another time." She said, presenting them to the new arrival.

"Follow me." Koneko said in her usual leveled tone, leaving no room for questions.

XxXxX

Once her students had departed, Akeno set out to attend to her own responsibilities. She passed through the academy halls making sure to walk as prim and proper as a local idol was expected to.

When she had first enrolled into the school, she hadn't sought out the limelight. She'd only returned to the Human World to ensure that her young mistress wasn't getting into any trouble but when your best friend happened to be a Pure-blooded Devil, it's only natural for eyes to fall on you as well. Before she knew it, she was being lauded with nearly as but much praise as her King but whereas Rias may be content meeting all the attention with an air of "mature" indifference, Akeno was quite the opposite.

She relished in it.

As one of Kuoh Academy's "Two Great Onee-sans" glided through, the din of the masses quivering with each step. Conversations died in their throat. Men and women alike folded at a glance. They stared greedily. Their lust for her burning brazenly, palpable and thick. She drank them in as they did her, savoring every single drop. Their hungry eyes, their heated breaths: it was intoxicating. Their hearts broke upon her in waves. They yearned for her, needed her, but they would never have her. A dream within reach but impossible to touch.

How delicious.

It was then that she arrived at her destination, taking a moment to reel in her excitement before entering the room. Three individuals congregated by a chess set bordered by two sofas expectantly.

A girl sat across from her King. She was of slim build with short, neat black hair and glasses. There was a stiff air to her that ventured close to the stereotypical look of a Japanese beauty but appearances could be deceiving. No, despite how much she looked like it, she hadn't been born in Japan nor did she share any heritage with the rest of her classmates or any other humans for that matter. In truth, Shitori Sona or rather Sona Sitri: Student Council President of Kuoh Academy, Younger Sister of Serafall Leviathan, and Heiress to House Sitri-was a Devil; Rias Gremory's equal and fellow monarch of Kuoh Town.

"Nice of you to join us, Akeno. How was Shirou and Iseko's magical training?" Rias asked from her position across from Sona, fiddling with a chess piece between her fingers as she pondered her next move.

"Slow. Iseko is about what we expected but Shirou is nearly just as bad." She answered, taking her usual position to the right of her King.

"That is…surprising." Lady Sitri's own Queen said. "Our previous assessment, suspected him to be a Magus of considerable station with how finely he was capable of suppressing his presence."

Shinra Tsubaki was a woman of athletic build with long straight hair, glasses and features that complimented her King's stern demeanor. The two were so much alike that they may as well have been siblings.

"Yes," Sona said. "We would have never suspected him had it not been for his subtle use of Structural Analysis while repairing machinery. It's half the reason I had tasked him with fixing so many of the school's appliances when we could have just hired a professional." Her eyes narrowed at Rias.

"It is rather odd. Akeno, did you manage to get an accurate count of his Magical Circuits?" Rias asked.

"Twenty-seven of above average quality; far more than the average human should have."

"Exceptional, but incomparable to the output he displayed the night you "recruited" him." Sona said, trying with everything she could to keep the expression on her face neutral.

She failed, miserably.

Emiya Shirou had been on her radar for close to a year now but she never would have imagined that he would have been capable of taking on a Fallen Angel on his own. She cursed herself for not being more aggressive in her recruitment. He would have made an excellent Pawn. She only hoped that Saji would be enough to make up for the loss.

"Yes, we currently suspect that the jump in power has to do with an as of yet unidentified Sacred Gear. We're hoping that Koneko will be able to glean something about his nature while working with him today."

"It's hard to believe that he isn't a natural given his pedigree," Tsubaki said.

Sona resisted the urge to scoff. Rias had been so eager to rub her nose in that one once she found out who his parents were. Magical beings that have surpassed a certain threshold had a tendency to influence the world around them. A vampire's castle, for example, may feel more ominous or the environment surrounding an elemental more volatile. Simply residing in the same residence as two Magus of their stature should have been enough to nurture his potential.

A ghost of a smile threatened to crease her lips. She couldn't deny that hearing of Rias' misfortune didn't spark a tinge of delight within her. If she'd been ignorant of the poor girl's situation, she may have been more inclined to indulge in the feeling but for now she would settle for the temperate smugness allowed between friends.

"As interesting as this conversation is, it is woefully off topic." Sona placed a piece on the board, putting Rias' King in check.

She cursed. "Of course, it was rude of me to bring up personal matters into a formal setting."

"No offense taken. Now then, what is it that you wished to share?"

Rias cleared her throat. "As you are aware, approximately two weeks ago a Fallen Angel was sighted operating on Devil controlled grounds. Recent information from my new Knight has confirmed the presence of at least one other Fallen Angel within Kuoh."

"Another? Could they be in league with the first?" Tsubaki asked.

"We surmised as much, however, that is not all." Rias leaned forward in her seat, resting her chin on interlaced fingers. "Upon further investigation, Koneko-chan was able to detect hints of Holy Magic in various locations all over the city...far greater than what a pair of Fallen Angels of their stature should be capable of."

Sona narrowed her eyes. "Just what are you implying?"

"That these two Fallen are not only cooperating with one another but are members of a much larger group."

Sona furrowed her brow, removing her glasses to rub her temples. "I was hoping I was wrong."

"You already suspected this Sona-sama?" Akeno asked

"Our Shinto hosts have been more on edge as of late. That, coupled with the increased string of disappearances amongst our human benefactors…it would only make sense for the Fallen responsible for the attacks on Iseko and Shirou to be related in some way."

"What of the Stray Devil? Couldn't they be involved somehow?" Tsubaki asked.

"She's responsible for some, that's for certain, but that doesn't excuse the ones beyond her hunting grounds. Even a rabid beast would think twice about stepping foot into the territory of their betters."

"Rias, was Koneko able to glean an estimate of this group's strength?"

"It's by no means an exact number but she believes anywhere from three to five individuals of notable power together with a collection of significantly weaker ones."

"Well within our capabilities if we combine forces but the lack of concrete information is worrisome." Unlike Rias' Peerage, the entirety of Sona's was composed of humans. She may have confidence in their strength but they were still untested. If the Fallen Angels just so happened to be strong enough to best Rias, she couldn't guarantee that they would manage much better. "Would it be possible to recruit the aid of the Emiyas for support?"

It was a longshot but at this point she'd take any help she could get. Having someone like Emiya Kiritsugu in their pocket would drastically minimize any unnecessary risks to their subordinates.

Akeno shook her head. "Any attempts to bridge relations with the Emiya Household independent of Shirou has been inconclusive. If Shirou hadn't confirmed that his father was in town himself, we would have been none the wiser."

"It's only natural." Rias shrugged.

Sona knew of Rias' unhealthy obsession with the man; such lukewarm praise was rather tame of her. "What of the rest of them? I recall Emiya Kiritsugu having a romantic relationship with an Einzbern some time ago."

Rias nodded, bringing up a photo of the woman that Gasper acquired to share with her fellow King. "Irisviel von Einzbern now Emiya Irisviel: Einzbern homunculus and, if rumors are to be believed, a Justeaze model."

"Not to mention the two rank and file Homunculi also sharing the residence." Akeno added, presenting two other individuals of similar complexion to the first.

"Subordinates of Lady Irisviel I presume?"

"Most likely."

"What of the younger sibling?"

"Illya-chan?" Akeno asked. She supposed she did bare a shocking resemblance to the other three women in the home. The thought had passed her mind but she had been too busy fawning over her and Shirou's relationship to have made the connection before.

"Unaffiliated, much like how her brother had been not too long ago."

"Regardless, that's quite the force under one roof." Tsubaki said. Two Einzbern Homunculi, one Justeaze model and a world-renowned assassin; any one of them running around unchecked would have already been worrisome but all four of them working together…that's just downright terrifying. "It's remarkable that they've managed to remain hidden for so long."

"Indeed." Sona stared long and hard at the adjacent window overlooking her kingdom. She had thought their rule over their domain as absolute. The local Yokai had been paid off, The Church presence ousted, The Strays culled while anyone left was too wary of their siblings to challenge them. Discovering that so many unknowns were operating on their land without their permission…it was sobering.

"Could we, perhaps, leverage Emiya-san? Use him to bend them to our will."

"You want us to hold our own peerage member hostage?" Akeno's voice had lost its normal playfulness. Her teeth clenched into a snarl. The smell of ozone began to permeate throughout the air. She turned on Tsubaki, the Queen's ever-present stoicism faltering for but a moment.

Suddenly, the office was gone. She was back in that Maou-forsaken park, the concrete slick with her friend's blood. He laid there dying, a fist sized hole glaring back at her. Her anxiety slipped through her finger tips like water.

She felt sick.

Iseko had been the intended target from the start; he wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near that park. But he was there. She'd watched it all. She feared for his life, applauded for his heroism, agonized for his struggle, cheered for his triumphs before finally being forced to standby as that bitch desecrated his body, mutilating him for being too kind for his own good.

She could have stopped it. She had had the drop on her. She could have fried that stupid bird before she even knew she was there. But Iseko was still alive. She hadn't made her wish yet, hadn't cried out in despair at a life unfulfilled.

She could have saved him...

But instead, she had let her friend die…die so that her master could add one more piece to her stupid collection!

"Akeno." Rias' voice cut through the haze like a hot knife through butter.

She unclenched her fist, sparks of electricity falling from her finger tips. Her posture straightened but her usual smile did not return. "Apologies, Buchou. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. Disregarding how tactlessly she expressed it; I agree with my Queen. Ransoming our Knight for their assistance would be unwise."

"And why is that?" Sona asked, Rias was already his master. The Gremorys may enjoy pretending that their peerage members were equals but they were ultimately servants at the end of the day. Devils of their station couldn't rightfully refuse their King's orders if they wished it.

"Shirou's turning was not a planned event." The dread was still fresh in her heart. If Rias hadn't agreed to revive him that night, she wasn't sure what she would have done. "When I arrived with him at their residence, Lady Emiya was just one step away from killing me."

"Bringing any harm to him by our own accord would only serve to antagonize them further." That's not including how much damage such a maneuver would do to Shirou's faith in them. She wouldn't even blame him for it.

"True, but we can't just leave them as they are."

"And what exactly do you suggest we do, hm?"

Sona bit her lip. Outside of begging their older siblings for help there was nothing they could do in this situation. The two of them had come to the Human World to step out of their siblings' shadow; to prove their independence. If they folded at their first real test of adversity then what good were they?

"Damn it all."

They could only hope that the Emiya Household wouldn't interfere too much if things went south.

XxXxX

"You know when you said that we would be "advertising", I didn't think we would literally be advertising."

"Feels kind of cheap." Shirou inspected the slip in his hands; a classic depiction of a magical circle with the text "Your wish will be granted" scrolled across. What were they supposed to be; Nigerian Princes looking to snatch up peoples' banking information?

"Inefficient but it works." Koneko shrugged; The Pervert was proof of that in and of itself.

"I dunno." Iseko frowned at her noticeably larger stack of flyers. "I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere."

"There must be a better way of doing this. How do we even know that the people we're handing these off to are eligible to make a contract with?" Shirou asked; part of what made forming contracts with humans worthwhile was the tithe of mana that came with establishing the contract in the first place. Material goods like money or blood sacrifices were well and good but they were only a bonus that came with nurturing the Devil's strength.

"Field."

"A magic one?"

She nodded.

"Like a filter? Something that keeps those we don't want away and only allowing those we want through?"

Koneko twisted her open palm back and forth, signaling that he was "more or less" on the right track.

"Huh? Neat." Iseko said.

The literal warping of one's perception of reality and that's all she had to say? He shook his head. Sometimes he wished he could see the world through her point of view. It would make handling all of this so much easier.

"I strictly forbid it." Saber blinked into existence, melting her humanoid form into the shape of a neon red "X".

"Oh, come on. Switching places might be fun. At least then I would have a break from all the training." Leysritt and Kiritsugu had not been gentle in their teachings. He was lucky that his new body had an increased level of vitality or else he may have keeled over from exhaustion by now. It was a wonder Sella managed to squeeze in her own lessons with how busy his schedule already was; and that isn't even including what his mother had in store for him further down the line.

"I quiver at what horror may unfold were that deplorable child to ever grace my castle."

Shirou's smirk crumpled as he watched the girl gawk at a curvaceous business woman crossing their path. "…Yeah, you might be right?" Iseko was so busy salivating that she didn't even notice the figure racing down the sidewalk until it was too late. They rebounded off of the Devil's enhanced body, falling onto the seat of their black dress and exposing what lay beneath. Iseko's eyes locked on target at the speed of sound; a filthy smile creeping onto her face.

He stared at the girl, deadpanned. She never let an opportunity pass her by, did she? A shift chop to the back of her head was quick to remind her that she was, in fact, a decent person; halting the perverted thoughts just long enough for her to help the stranger up to her feet.

"A-Are you alright?"

"Thank you very much." She said as the wind took the white veil off her head to reveal the beauty underneath. Iseko's breath hitched. Flawless, pale skin; hair the color of wheat, long and straight; eyes like crystalline lakes in a far-off land; a slender form wreathed in traditional black and white Catholic vestments.

A nun? An actual nun, in Kuoh of all places?

Iseko was quick to retrieve the garment before it flew away, a less than respectable look on her face.

"Thank you very much." She repeated in her soft, well-mannered voice as Iseko returned the veil.

"Oh, not at all, not at all." Iseko waved off in perfect Italian.

He shot an inquisitive look Koneko's way but she just shrugged it off. Apparently, perfect comprehension of all human languages was just another perk that came with the Devil package. He wasn't sure how to feel about that one. He hadn't even noticed that the nun had been speaking in a foreign language until Iseko had replied back and she was speaking it so fluently that she may as well have been living there her whole life. People spent years learning a language yet here they were able to translate a foreign tongue as easily as breathing. It felt like cheating. Yet, to the others in the peerage, it wasn't even worth mentioning. If even the lowest ranking Pawns had such an edge, it was no wonder the Devils of old had such an easy time manipulating humanity throughout history. He couldn't imagine how such a race could fall to the state they were in in the current era.

"So~ uh, crazy weather we're having today-." Iseko said, scratching the back of her head. She cringed. What was she, some kind of old lady?

The nun fidgeted with her fingers, embarrassed. "Um, I've lost my way and I don't know where to go."

Iseko was blinded. The purity, it's too bright! She could feel herself being exorcised just by looking at her! She shied away, turning to Koneko for permission.

Koneko's expression crinkled before she waved her away. Iseko let out a 'whoop' of joy before exiting the area with the nun in tow.

"Good riddance." She said, Saber nodding in agreement.

"Don't be so tough on her. She's working really hard." He could feel the doubt emanating from his connection with Saber.

"For boobs."

"She may be a little bit…eager…but-."

"Her dream is to become a Harem King."

"I mean, at least she's motivated. She got farther than I did today during our training with Himejima-senpai."

"That's because she wants to use her magic to grow a penis."

"…I…" Saber's connection ran colder than death itself, daring him. "Okay, maybe she is that bad."

"If she wasn't a member of Buchou's peerage I would have killed her myself."

"Please don't."

Koneko clicked her tongue. "She's lucky that she has a Sacred Gear."

Shirou let out a hum. Sacred Gears: divine artifacts gifted by Heaven to help humanity push back the darkness. They were powerful tools, with some of them capable of harming the very Gods themselves.

Saber's dispelling of Akeno's Hypnosis had left the memory of that night raw. Iseko had changed during the end. Her life was in danger and her Sacred Gear had answered in order to help her fight back…But it wasn't enough. A literal gift from God in her grasps and yet she had died all the same.

If only he had been stronger. His jaw clenched. Smoke blotting out the sky; the heat of the flames; cries for help going unheard; innocent lives crumbling away into ash; a girl with a spear of light plunged into her chest.

He couldn't let that happen…not again.

"Um…excuse me." He felt a light tug on the sleeve of his uniform. A girl older than Illya but younger than Koneko looked up at him with big blue eyes that twinkled like starlight.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Do you really grant wishes?" She asked, holding up one of their fliers.

"Koneko-san? Do you mind if I take this one?" It felt wrong of him to ask; he'd just started today.

"I'll be fine." It was customary for those wishing to form a contract with a Devil to summon them when their desires were at their peak but it wasn't uncommon for a request to be made on the spot.

"Why, yes, we do. Do you have a wish for me, young lady?"

"Not here."

XxXxX

The girl sitting across from him hadn't spoken a word since they had arrived at the café. She wore a uniform differing from his own black and white ensemble. It consisted mostly of a gray plaid pattern with white and blue accents and a matching burette. The hair underneath was of a lighter shade than the average Japanese hue and was done up in a short side-ponytail. Her eyes were a dark blue, hinting at a potential western heritage.

"That's a cute uniform. Is your school nearby?"

She tapped franticly on her phone. There was a look of utmost concentration on her face. When her order of cake arrived, she hadn't even given it a passing glance before shoveling it straight down.

It was only when she was nearly finished with her dessert that her focus began to falter. A look of panic in her eyes. "No! Really? Cernunnos-san~ please~!" She begged before falling face first onto the table.

"Didn't go well?"

She shot up, jumping back as if only noticing him just now. "Sorry about that." She apologized, looking small under her checkered cap.

"Don't worry about it. My sister is the same way." When Illya gets into the zone he could be talking right to her face and she wouldn't bat an eye. "I never did get your name."

"Sasaki Suisei." She bowed stiffly in her seat as if to make up for her prior rudeness. "Please take care of me."

"It's nice to meet you Sasaki-chan. My name is Emiya Shirou. Now, if I'm not mistaken, you have a wish that you desire to come true?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Can you really grant wishes? You don't look that much different from a normal Highschool student."

"I don't know." He smiled at her, holding out a palm that came alive with flame. "You tell me."

Her eyes sparkled with wonder, glued to his still outstretched hand. "Magic? It's real-!"

He quickly shoved the last bite of cake into her mouth, snuffing the fire out just as a waitress neared their booth. "I can tell you more later…the contract first."

She took a moment to chew, her excitement melting away with each bite. "My Papa…he's missing."

"You've already gone to the police about this?"

"It was the first place I went." The grip on her fork tightened. "They won't help…no one will. It's like-…no one realizes he's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"At first, Mama was just as worried as me. He never came home after work and he wouldn't answer his phone. He's been gone for days already. Then, all of a sudden, she was just…different. It's like-It's like she doesn't even care anymore.

The people he works with say that he went on a business trip. Uncle said he went to go take care of Grandma. All of their stories are so different." Her fingers tightened until the knuckles grew white. "None of it makes sense."

"And what exactly do you want me to do about it?"

She bowed deep, her forehead kissing the table. "Please Mr. Magician, please find my Papa."

"I have heard your request child, but what do you offer in return?"

"I can pay!" Suisei shot up, rifling through her school bag to reveal a fist full of coins and bills.

Shirou scratched his chin inspecting the offering. A little over five-thousand yen. He could maybe treat one more person to this café with that kind of money. A couple weeks of allowance at least; quite a lot for a girl her age.

"How generous of you Contractor. I don't see how I could refuse."

"Then you'll do it?" She asked, her smile wider than he had seen her during the entire exchange.

"Let it be known that I: Emiya Shirou, Knight and Devil of Rias Gremory have accepted the contract of Sasaki Suisei and will see her wish granted lest shame befall me and my Master's house." A light shined from the seal within the girl's bag as he felt a connection form between them. All he would have to do now was complete the request to solidify it.

"Yatta! I'm so-…Wait…D-D-Devil?"

"I never did say I was a Magician." He said, the small pile of crumpled bills forgotten as he excused himself. The look on the girl's face was payment enough.

XxXxX

He smiled.

A shadow that only just reached his crouching form flanked his right side; stalking with soft, deliberate steps. "Good evening, Toujou-chan."

"Koneko is fine." She peaked over his shoulder. Her head cocked to the side curiously. "How was your first contract?"

Laid out on a tarp in neat, even groups were all the equipment he had brought with him for the night. While her outfit had changed little compared to what she wore every day, his had changed entirely. His clothes were dark and left very little skin exposed from the neck down. The entire loadout included a bow and quiver on his back, a katana on his hip, a 9mm pistol on his thigh, a bandoleer of grenades on his waste, a pair of arm-bracers, a tactical vest, and an assortment of tools and magazines wherever there was space.

A bead of sweat dripped down his brow as he checked over his equipment one final time. All the extra gear was hot and chafed like no other but the old man wouldn't take no for an answer. "Better to have it and not need it," apparently.

Shirou rolled his eyes. Now he wants to play the overprotective parent; after ten years of indifference?

"I'm still working on it."

"Surprising. Most girls her age would be fine with a date with a handsome boy." Devils of their station rarely handled anything substantial. Her own returning clientele were a bunch of degenerates with the desire to be manhandled by a girl half their size.

"Senpai, you got to go on a date?" Iseko asked. "Lucky. After I dropped off Asia-chan at her big brother's place I was forced to deal with a muscly weirdo in a magical girl costume."

"We just had lunch." After receiving the request from Sasaki-chan he had taken it upon himself to do some investigating of his own. Just like she had said, other than her, no one really seemed all that concerned that the Team Leader of a prominent company was missing. The stories behind his disappearance were all over the place, ranging from a planned business trip all the way to running away to eloping with a teenager. Nothing was adding up but when confronted about it their eyes would glaze over and they would wander off in a daze. By the time they snapped out of it, it was like meeting them for the first time all over again.

The whole thing reeked of magical intervention. It was similar to the cover up job done for the Fallen Angel masquerading as Yuma only much, much sloppier. Though, as it stands, he was simply far too inexperienced to pick out the finer details. He'd have to bring this up with someone more versed in Hypnosis before he could proceed further.

"Lolicon." Koneko shied away from him, mistaking his look of contemplation for something far more sinister.

"What? No!"

"I didn't take you for a generalist, Senpai!" She latched on to his hands, her eyes sparkling like she'd just found a long-lost kinship. "Bodacious bodies like Akeno-senpai and Buchou's are the best! But they are rich and decedent. Lolis, on the other hand, are like the salad of the fetish world: refreshing and nutritious. Such as the Sakura blossoms of spring, they are an ephemeral beauty, blooming with infinite potential. None can challenge the purity and sweetness of their cuteness!"

Shirou wanted to die. Why was she only passionate in moments like this?! From the corner of his eye, he could see Koneko's disgust morphing into revulsion. Saber had even felt the need to cover herself up.

"Don't look at me like that."

He straightened his posture, pulling away from her and blocking out his companions. "They're late." He could have defended himself but somehow, he had the feeling that opening his dumb mouth would only make things worse.

A moment later, a magic circle formed on the pavement; announcing the arrival of the club's leadership with a flash of light. Rias surveyed the group, lingering on him before nodding in approval as if his over-preparedness was something to be expected. Was there something he was missing here? They had come here for a fight so why was he the only one dressed like he was ready for one? Akeno had taken the liberty to change into a red hakama but the only other one to have made any alterations to their outfit was Koneko with her paw print kick boxing gloves. The other two might as well have come to the spooky, abandon mansion for evening classes.

"Foolish, I have witnessed many a blustering knight felled in battle for their heedlessness."

"Excellent, you're all here." Rias said before turning to her Queen. "Akeno, the field please."

"Already on it." Power gathered on the tip of Akeno's index and pointer finger before shooting off into the air as a sheen like oil on water tinged the night sky.

"Let's move." Rias ordered as the group filed through the gate of the abandoned mansion. "Stay alert, they'll know we're coming." This particular Bounded Field would keep out prying eyes but it was far from subtle to those affected by it.

"What was it that we're looking for again?" Iseko asked.

Shirou sighed. "Did you pay attention at all during the brief for this mission?"

"That was last night, right?"

"Yes, yes it was."

"I was too busy wishing I was the water sliding over Buchou's nipples after her shower."

She blinked at him owlishly. "Are tits really all that sits in between your ears?"

"I like ass too."

"Traitorous Filth."

Iseko deflated instantly. There was something about someone as adorable as Koneko putting her down that hurt on an emotional level.

Shirou facepalmed.

"A fiend, wretched to her very core." Saber said over his shoulder.

"What we are looking for is a Stray Devil."

"Oh okay, of~ course…of course."

"You do remember what a Stray is, right?"

Iseko snorted. "Obviously, I mean who wouldn't know what…uh…those things-."

"Stray Devils."

"-Right, Strays Devils…are. And it's our job…to...take them…to the Devil pound!"

"They're not dogs Iseko-chan." Akeno giggled into her sleeve. "Dogs don't eat people."

"Eat…people?"

"Strays were once Reincarnated Devils themselves." Rias explained before Iseko could embarrass herself further. "However, somewhere down the line, they rebelled and ended up disobeying their masters by either running away or outright killing them. But without that connection to their King to keep their powers in check they lose control; becoming mindless, blood-thirsty monsters."

Iseko gulped audibly, immediately willing her gauntlet into existence.

As they entered the mansion, the first thing they were met with was the smell. The scent of mildew and decay smashed into their enhanced senses with a wall of force, causing Shirou and Koneko to gag. The place was filthy. Every surface was coating in a healthy coating of grime; furniture lay strewn about in pieces all about the foyer; the once red carpet stained a sickly brown.

"Let's make this quick." Rias said, eager to be free of the foul odor herself.

The group moved at an even pace, ready to pounce at the slightest sign of movement. Rooms were cleared in groups of three with the lower ranking members entering while the two senior members kept watch in case anything went wrong.

"Any word from Gasper's familiars?"

Akeno shook her head. "Nothing, no movement at all."

"This room is clear." Shirou said.

"This one too." Iseko followed soon after.

"…I think I found its kitchen." Koneko returned, looking noticeably greener than the other two. Akeno quickly produced a handkerchief which she readily accepted. They wouldn't be able to rely on her sense of smell for this one.

"Did any of you run into traps?"

"Nope."

"None."

Koneko merely shook her head, fearing the smell returning if she opened her mouth again.

Rias frowned. Deprived of their peerage's protection, Strays often grow to become rather paranoid; they had to be in order to survive. Ironically, it is ultimately that resilience that leads to their end. The longer they survive without a means to regulate their mana the more they have to hunt beings of sufficient power in order to keep themselves sane but the more they consume the larger their mana pools become which then forces them to hunt even more. Over time, they become bolder and bolder until they inevitably slip up and a team of Devils is mustered to put them down like the animals they've become.

Viser was by no means a stable Devil even before she strayed. She should have been on top of them the second they stepped foot in the mansion.

"Buchou?" Iseko's voice was deafening amongst the silence.

"Time to move." She ordered, with Gasper's familiars unable to get eyes on the beast and Koneko indisposed, the only lead they had left was the faint traces of mana emanating from the back of the mansion.

After some time, they arrived at the source. A pair of wooden doors being all that stood between them and their target.

"Open it." Shirou and Iseko were quick to oblige.

Koneko knees grew weak. An acrid sweetness ambushing their senses like assassins in the night. The smell was eyes watering, far worse than a mountain of corpses could even be. Even the unshakable Akeno was affected by it, bringing the sleeve of her hakama to cover the lower half of her face.

What lay beyond was an absolute monstrosity of a creature.

"That thing used to be like us?" Shirou cringed with disgust. Viser had supposedly been a human reincarnated under similar circumstances to Iseko and his own but the thing they had uncovered was making him begin to question that. While the upper-half had remained fairly consistent with a standard human, the lower-half was something straight out of a nightmare. The waist down had been enlarged and twisted beyond recognition; resulting in a four-legged amalgamation of flesh with hands for feet, a snake for a tail, and a vertical scar of gnashing teeth where her…female parts had been.

It was also very, very dead.

"What's the meaning of this?" Rias glared; they were supposed to be the sole group hunting this Stray. If anyone else operating within their territory had claimed it, they would have announced it.

"I don't see any signs of Holy Magic scaring." Akeno said. In fact, the corpse was largely unscathed with exception of superficial lacerations and a singular diamond-shaped puncture wound through her left breast.

"No bullets." Koneko added, her voice muffled as she pressed hard on the handkerchief on her face. That ruled out any priests.

"Attacker was aiming for her heart. If I get a closer look, I may be able to tell what kind of weapon was used." He was by no means an expert in forensics but his familiarity with bladed weaponry was second to none. However, just as Shirou approached the corpse a burning sensation tickled his nostrils that seared all traces of the odor that had been dominating his senses.

"Shirou, get away from there!" Rias screamed.

The mana signature spiked sharply. The heat in the room went from chilled to sweltering in an instant. An orange glow began to emanate from the corpse.

Akeno pounced on top of him; a barrier of magical power formed around her to shield the group as a flood of heat rushed past them and his vision was engulfed in flames.

Shirou stared hauntingly into the fire raging inches from his face; a thin veil of energy being the only thing protecting him from oblivion. "Thank you." He said, his throat horse.

Akeno grinned down at him. "Anything for you Emiya-kun."

He blushed.

With her peerage safe from harm, Rias used her Power of Destruction to consume the flames before they could spread to the rest of the building.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Trap." Koneko said, glaring at the roasting corpse.

After helping up Shirou to his feet, Akeno only needed a glance to identify the inscription on the stones that had been placed underneath the Stray Devil. "Runes."

"A thaumaturgical system?" Sella had mentioned them during her lessons on Factional Ideology and History.

"An old one at that," Akeno picked up one of the stones to get a better read on the symbology used to achieve the desired mystery, "Fairly common in regions of Germanic or Celtic heritage but atypical of the Church; heretical or otherwise."

Rias cursed under her breath.

"Buchou?" Iseko turned to look at her. "Is something wrong? What does this all mean?"

She sighed; things were starting to get out of hand. "It means…that we have more than just the Fallen to worry about."

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Author's Notes:

I got nothing. I hope you all have a Happy Holidays!