A bit quicker than the last chapter. Which will be telling when the next one likely comes out in January. I digress as you're here for a story chapter so here you go. But first, all three reviews.

duffhigh702: Well a version of one of them appears here.

evilstatistic19: Ask and you shall receive.

Guest: I have been doing so.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in terms of intellectual property.

Kyoto despite not housing the Emperor due to the turmoil of the rival Shogunates was still an important center within this time period of this world. Technically, the city was neutral in this mess of daimyo and the competing emperors. Shrines and temples had taken over the area and as Sakura had assumed this was a seat of Onmyouji. The latter of which Sakura had worried would be an issue.

Walking through the streets she was grateful that she had discovered something far better than using a glamour. The skill of Shapeshifting, allowing her to appear human without having to use a spell. A benefit as it was far harder to detect unless one could trigger her to return to her natural fox girl appearance. Even without it the citizens still looked at her on occasion probably because of how she was dressed in a non-traditional Miko outfit.

Getting information on the city wasn't hard as even with her outfit the citizenry showed her respect for it. Made finding her way through the city easier. As she got a better mental picture of where everything was she also caught gossip on what was going on in recent events being talked about by those who seemed affected by them.

One traveler she overheard talked about a band of armed men that had taken over a monastery and fortified it into a camp. Extorting those that wandered the roads near them. No guesses on what exactly those men were. Another that she heard was about a rumor of the youkai of the central mountains seemingly falling in line under a warlord.

Beyond that, nothing else seemed all that different. Just the sounds of people going about their lives. 'I should be near the market section of the city.'

Walking down the streets to the markets she didn't pay much heed to those around her. One of them was a young man who seemed to be only a few years older than Sakura. In his hands was a slip of some sort of thin parchment. Looking at it for a second he looked back up and dropped the parchment that dissolved into motes of light.

"Excuse me Lady Miko," He called out as Sakura turned around to see who it was that called to her. "The Minister wishes to speak with you."

There was a slight pause at this. A few onlookers stopped whatever it was that they were doing as they overheard what was said but none spoke. No words had to be said besides hushed whispers, with them all looking at the oddly dressed miko. By the looks of it, the Minister had taken a strange interest in someone that none of them knew. A few tried to figure out if they had seen her before.

"Minister?" Sakura didn't think anything like the old Imperial Ministries still stood. The Imperial Court was effectively gone or rather torn in half.

"Yes, the Minister of the Omnyouji."

The Heian Palace, once the center of the Imperial Court, was now a shell of the role it once possessed. With Kyoto's current state as less an administrative force and more a state of religion, magic, and a neutral ground the palace had been converted into a seat to reflect its status. One section of the building served the role of a school for Onmyouji, the mages of Japan. Another side was a Grand Shrine to the Imperial Family and the various gods of the land. This was also the place where the next Emperor was to be crowned when the matter was settled between the rival claimants.

The moment she set foot within the palace though there was a sense that she had been here before. Like in another life she had been within the palace grounds. 'Probably has something to do with Amaterasu…'

Sakura waited in the room where she was supposed to meet the current Minister of the Onmyouji. On the way here she was able to get some information on who it was. According to the young man, they're a Tengu from another land summoned by Abe-No-Seimei almost a hundred and eighty years ago. It was the Tengu's efforts that kept Kyoto neutral and the nation from falling apart more than it had. Seeing how it had devolved into two Shogunates it was obvious that whomever it was couldn't keep everything together.

'Why am I called here anyway?' Now that was the thought on her mind since she was brought in by Riku. On the surface, it seemed rather strange to come and ask for a stranger.

Except she wasn't a simple stranger seeing as she was connected to Amaterasu. How the Minister had found that out she didn't know. That is assuming that was even why she was here at all. Try as she might there wasn't any other reason besides that. Otherwise, she was just a seemingly normal mage her animal traits withheld of course.

The door slid open pulling her attention to the side. Walking into the room was a woman with blonde hair, green eyes, and a face that Sakura had seen before. Dressed in a blue kimono with a white overcoat that seemed to be of a foreign design while long black gloves covered her hands and arms as seen with her loose sleeves. Her long hair was braided together with a black ribbon near the end. An image in her mind of another person, younger looking with armor instead of her current attire. A name rested at the tip of her tongue but she found she couldn't say it.

"I apologize that I couldn't see you myself when you set foot into the city," The Minister bowed in apology. "My name is Tonelico, I am the Minister of Onmyouji and currently the overseer of Kyoto."

"Tamamo-no-Sakura?"

"Yes, it is my name," Sakura took a sip of the tea that was provided as both she and Tenelico spoke to each other. "Though you can just use Sakura."

The first bit that the both of them had talked about was Sakura's nature. Tonelico knew that she was Amaterasu's incarnation. How she had only said it to deal with her foreseeing it. Some form of clairvoyance or a prophecy, which she explained was something she learned from her studies. It told her about Sakura being connected to the sun and divinity which made things easy to draw the connection to Amaterasu.

"Very well," Such a request was easy for her to do. "You probably have many questions about the world," She took a sip of her own tea before. "Unless you already learned about it before you came here."

"Somewhat I know about the current events going on," Tonelico expected that it wouldn't be hard for her to pick up some of it.

Two warlords backing their rival claimants to the seat of the Emperor. This was only the simplified view of events. Most of the power in each region rested in the Dianmyo that ruled and to which of the Shogunates they were formally a part of. Despite words otherwise not all of them truly came to the call of the Shogun they had sworn to follow. Beyond that, youkai and bandits take advantage of the unrest to carve their own place in the nation. Either claiming or reclaiming what was lost or claiming stolen wealth from those that they could get away with. All of which was just the start of things.

"I will be honest it's a lot worse than it seems," Tonelico sighed as she recalled what had led to this. "It's only been a decade and a half since the Emperor died without an heir and I have been doing all I can in order to keep an open civil war from gripping the nation."

"... I take it that it isn't going too well?"

"In some ways, it isn't," Already skirmishes and small-scale wars between Daimyo had broken out across the land. "Your appearance complicates matters further."

"Because both sides would come for me and would wage war if they knew of my existence."

Being that the whole mess was on which of the claimants was the Emperor having Amaterasu's blessing, even if it was just from a divided aspect of her, was enough to give them legitimacy. Sakura wasn't blind that she had that kind of power. One could even argue that she could take over herself. If the right to rule came from being descendants of Amaterasu then being Amaterasu herself would likely allow her to rule.

Thinking about it Sakura was tempted to become a ruler. Said temptation was also mitigated by her desire to focus on finding a way back to her man. 'Plus I'm probably not supposed to be here.'

"That is the basis of it yes," There were other issues like her appearance causing issues with the currently passive Divine Spirits. Many had taken a backseat to this power struggle much like they had grown to take a backseat to most events. "Which is why I wish to have you officially affiliated with Kyoto to prevent that from happening."

Doing so was still a risky move but it would at least remove the problem. There may be the issue of creating a third possible front if she wasn't careful but it was convenient that she could hold it all together. Meanwhile, Sakura who was thinking somewhat along those lines feared that it could very easily turn into it against their will. Neutrality would be extremely hard to do.

"If you think it's for the best," As much as she should talk about this, Sakura didn't really have a full idea of what was going on. At least until she could make a choice later on about this.

"That's good to know," A weight was lifted off Tonelico's mind. If she had gone on her own Tonelico didn't know what she was going to do. "If you have anything to ask about me or what is going on please ask."

There was one that Sakura had. "You're not a Tengu," It was at the back of her mind about just what she was. "You're a fairy aren't you?"

Tonecilo paused as that word left Sakura's mouth. How long had it been since she had played the part of one of her distant cousins? "Yes, I am, as you can guess the people of Nippon can only explain what I am by what they know."

Fae were typically not seen outside of Europe. It wasn't because of anything stopping them, all Elementals could wander the world no matter which kind they were, but more because most didn't want to wander too far from where Avalon was located. Because of that, she had to explain what she was by using the local equivalent. Sure, any real Tengu would immediately pick up on what she truly was, which has happened at least twice already when she ran into her distant cousins. As did any Divine Spirit who could pick it up.

"How did you end up here exactly?"

At her question, Tonelico produced a foreign silver coin. Worn down from the centuries it still possessed a faint hint at its existence not being a simple coin. "I made several of these long ago for a kingdom that no longer exists in all but spirit."

There was sadness on her face at that but the smile she had juxtaposed that with her memories of happier times. "Most are destroyed or are back in Avalon all safe for this one which managed to through the centuries make its way across the world."

"How did it bring you here?" Sakura could tell that there was something about it that was connected to her.

"It was more an accident as Abe-no-Seimei was trying to figure out why it wasn't a normal coin and I wanted out of being trapped in Avalon," Simply put being trapped in the Realm of the Fae was driving her crazy. It didn't help that most of the other fae didn't care much for her and the only other person she could reliably talk to was her adopted father. "Honestly, the biggest issue was trying to accumulate myself to deal with people again after centuries of living amongst the fae."

There were also the cultural norms to deal with on top of that. Overall, it took her almost a year to get used to everything. "So, is Tonelico your real name or is it something else?"

She had to stop as she didn't expect this. "The name is based on an older alias I used to use as a court wizard to a king who I was named after," Technically her adopted father called her that after he pulled her out of a cave filled with the decaying remains of an ancient being. "My real name is Artoria Ambrosius."

One thing to come out immediately of her conversation with Artoria, or Tonelico as she said that she should be called given her current role, was that Sakura didn't need to hide her ears and tail. Her appearance would cause some stares, yes but according to her, there shouldn't be much of a negative reaction. Sakura wasn't an Oni after all who did have negative stares.

The biggest positive was that she could start working on her goal. There was just the question of how she could accomplish it. An easy idea she had was to try and create her own Holy Grail. With the knowledge that she had gotten from consuming the soul of the Greater Grail, she did have an understanding of how to at least make such a thing. The trouble was that it wasn't complete knowledge and there were just two issues. First, she needed something to act as the core. Even if she could circumvent that issue there was the second more glaring one.

Was it possible to summon Ghostliners? Did the Throne of Heroes reach out to this world? If the answer to both was yes then she could recreate the Holy Grail War and attempt to take the resulting grail for herself and have her wish. Doing so would entitle bringing others who want their own wishes, and possibly innocent people who could get caught in the crossfire. Too many risks are involved with doing something like that.

'There has to be something,' Another option was the possibility that she could ascend to the Throne if it exists and try her luck there. No sooner as that thought crossed her mind did she shoot that down. 'That would put me at the mercy of not being able to be summoned, and if I am I can't control it.'

Moments after having that thought a new idea came to be. With the Heavens Feel ritual it was possible to essentially hijack the process of summoning a Heroic Spirit for one's own ends in a Holy Grail War. Was it possible to use this and the Throne in another way? To use it to jump other worlds, or even ensure that one can hijack other summonings in a Holy Grail War? Maybe even instead of having to die and have her soul be added into it instead project her soul through it without being made a part of the Throne of Heroes?

"Something like an inverse to how the summoning is supposed to work?" In theory, such a thing was possible to accomplish. Extensive modifications were needed from what she knew but it could be done. "I'll need to invoke the Lesser Grail and then…"

Already she could see what needed to be done in her mind. Making a grail like it was typically done wasn't possible but a Mystic Code designed to intimidate it could be possible. Although, it would just be one part of it. Reworking a ritual took a lot more effort than one would think even if it was possible after all.

'No, that's getting ahead of myself,' Refocusing on her thoughts about the modifications to the ritual there were some things that needed to be changed. Certain precautions also had to be enacted. 'I can't do something that would cause the Counter Force to attack me.'

Something to think about for later. Opening her Storage Space, the name she settled for her personal pocket of imaginary Nnumberspace she used to store everything she had, she pulled out her bow. Made by her hands using the knowledge of magecraft that she had gained from the soul at the core of the Fuyuki Grail. Its design was less that of the bows she had used in the archery club and more in line with what she knew was for war.

As for the origin of its design, it felt like one of those missing memories. A black western simple bow. Sakura modified to appear more in line with the yumi of Japan and changed its colors into a bright yellow near the center with a shining silvery white at the ends. At both ends the bowstring was anchored by what were dull arrowheads. Finally, the bow string was made using her own pink hair as the base.

"I should really think of a name for this," By all rights, her bow did qualify for a Mystic Code. Especially given that it could enchant her arrows.

Placing it on the table Sakura's eyes turned to the tomes and scrolls that Tonelico had given her. Each one was supposedly written about events in Japanese history as well as accounts that Japan had from the nearby lands of Korea and China. She figured that it would give her a general idea of what to work with in case she needed it. Reaching for one at random, Sakura began to read.

Tonelico let out a sigh as she looked over the map before her. Before her were the islands of Nippon, which are divided into various colors to denote the status of the division of the realm. As someone who had practically taken over the reins as Kyoto's de facto leader, she was caught having to constantly deal with the fact that technically the country was in a civil war.

"So, let's see if this is correct, the northern eastern roads are being harassed by a band of marauders," She pointed to an area just outside the yellow that denoted Kyoto's area of control. On the other side, she pointed to the deep red in an area near the Inner Japanese Sea. "Meanwhile, the Shogun of Osaka is readying his followers."

"As is his counterpart in Kamakura," To the side the leader of Kyoto's guards pointed to the yellow that made up most of the western half of the main island. He then pointed to the central mountains that are covered in patches of green. "The youkai of the mountains have gotten more organized as of late."

A wild card within this balance of power. Despite technically being considered one herself, the youkai of Japan didn't really trust her. Understandable given her foreign nature and ties to what was the Imperial Court. Being pushed into the mountains or off into the countryside away from most humans the various Phantasmals of the islands had grown bold and taken a much-delayed revenge. With all of this, they were still more of a sideshow in the state of the country overall.

"I will have to get in contact with the Omnyouji that are with both of them to see if the war has begun," Delaying it as much as she had was probably better than most had hoped. Using Sakura was tempting to do but she knew that it would probably mazke everything worse. "The thieves are a more immediate issue to deal with given they are seemingly only targeting traders coming to and from Kyoto."

The leader of the guards knew that calling them thieves was a misnomer. "Let's be honest, they're men serving under the local Daimyo or Shogun."

That went without saying that was exactly what they were. Kyoto was under pressure to side with the Osaka Shogunate. "Which is why we can't attack them ourselves."

She hated this kind of tactic. Set things up to force an armed retaliation that could be used as a justification for war. However, if they didn't deal with this then trade to the former capital would dry up. Isolating them was all part of a means to apply pressure into backing their claimant.

'We're going to need to do something similar if we want to take them out then.'

"You want me to help take care of a band of marauders who are not marauders?"

"Yes, though I would understand if you don't want to."

Sakura was very tempted to say she wasn't interested. Her focus was more on creating a means to figure out if the Throne of Heroes did exist here, and if so a means to access it. On the other hand, Sakura wasn't blind that helping Kyoto was something she should do. Both because she agreed to join them and because the Omnyouji could help her.

"Would I be doing this on my own?"

"No, I know of a few others who would be joining you," At least five that but Tonelico wasn't certain all of them would join. One of them at the very least had a bit of an issue with her personally. "I will be watching you all through a familiar just in case."

Sakura didn't like the idea of being monitored by familiars but she realized that couldn't be helped. "Alright, I'll help."

"Thank you," Tonelico's eyes moved to the table and to the bow that lay resting on it. "You're an archer?"

"Yes," Sakura picked up her bow. "I made the bow myself."

That much was obvious to Tonelico. Looking closely at the bow she at first thought it was made with wood or even metal. After a moment she realized that it wasn't either. Whatever it was made from didn't exist to her knowledge. The closest comparison she knew of was some kind of alchemical mold product.

'She knows alchemy,' Strangely she was almost familiar with the type being used. A family that she had visited at one point.

Masters of physical alchemy who could create the best homunculi ever seen. Typically each was albino, a personal choice by a previous head of the family, who were slowly taking over the workshop from their creators. Tonelico didn't know what had happened to them but she did recall that one of her specially made coins had once been in their possession until it was destroyed. From what little she recalled from one of her silver coins before its destruction, the homunculi had taken over the family completely and even adopted its name.

'It's probably just a coincidence.'

It wasn't like one couldn't end up with the same outcome from different sources. For a second Sakura began to wonder about what was going back in Europe right now. Contact beyond Japan wasn't unknown but it wasn't as up-to-date as it could be.

"Actually, I could use your help with something," Working on her little hijacking the Throne scheme would require a few things. Most notable being a way to use the mana from the world as to minimize the chance of retaliation in case something wrong happens. "You wouldn't happen to know where the ley lines are?"

An odd question to ask. One which she couldn't really couldn't give a proper answer. "I never actually bothered to learn about that."

Tonelico's answer wasn't what Sakura had liked. Still, she was just going to have to figure it out on her own. "No worries, I'll look into it myself."

Knowledge fed itself into her mind about the modern day. Basic things like social norms, how technology functions, and even how to speak many languages. After almost a hundred and thirty years away her memories and understanding of the modern world had faded away. She had grown used to life in her new world after all. The Throne of Heroes, confirming its existence reached out to said world took some doing but now the door was opened.

There was a feeling of disconnect as she felt like her mind was in two places at once. A disconnect due to projecting herself into the Throne without joining it. A super positioned state of being inside it and not at the same time. With everything going right she could end that state when her living self awoke. From her body's perspective, it could only be a few minutes in real time but for her, it could be days or longer.

Mana dissipated around her as she now stood there. Everything felt like it was somewhere between real and dream. Was this how all Heroic Spirits felt or was it just her given how irregular she was? Opening her eyes she looked at who had summoned her.

"Servant…"

Yeah it looks like the whole "life before a Grail War"seemingly wasn't cutting it. I at the very least want to get the foundation of what happened to her before jumping into it. As for who summoned her, and what class, I can let you all ask about it. Next chapter is not out until January (maybe earlier if I can) as I have another to deal with and the whole Christmas season to worry about.

Anyway, cya all later.