This is the updated chapter 3. Fixed a bunch of errors and I think it's now a more readable and better addition. Let me know your thoughts and I hope you enjoy.

*Story Start*

It wasn't until late that night that I found myself leaving Minato's apartment. There was a lot to do and not a whole lot to do it in. 108 Sekirei were lose in this city and if each one found an Ashikabi before being eliminated, then that would be 107 unknown opponents for Minato and I to deal with. That was assuming that Ashikabi's didn't form their own alliances or that Sekirei didn't betray their first Ashikabi to join another.

For one of the few times in my life I was grateful for the Grail War: it gave me the experience needed to fight another one. Unfortunately, it looked like this one could be magnitudes bigger than the one held in Fuyuki… and that meant it could be even more devastating. It only took one magus or Servant to almost kill everyone last time. Twice in the last two Wars the Servant of Caster had been dangerous and destructive enough for the other competitors to team up and deal with the unruly Servant first. And twice said Servant had almost exposed the secret of magic and destroyed the city.

With over ten times the amount of Servants running around in this one, the chances for an unscrupulous master or servant was astronomical. Really, the chances were almost guaranteed. Thankfully, there was one aspect about this War that was working for us: Sekirei were corporeal creatures, not spirits like normal Servants. Without the need or ability to consume human souls, that limited the amount of early damage an unscrupulous pair might cause. Usually, feeding on the surrounding populous to boost low parameters or store energy was… not encouraged, but it wasn't against the rules either. Something that Rider and Shinji and Caster and Kuzuki took full advantage of.

If the enemies we faced here were anywhere near as brutal and efficient as back then though… then we were in trouble. I wasn't embarrassed to admit that, were it not for Saber, I would never have made it through the War. I would have died (twice… or was it three times? I have trouble remembering) the night I first became a Master. I doubt Rin would have killed me, given that she was the one to first bring me back that night, but Lancer or Berserker would have definitely finished me. Maybe even Kirei, given how things turned out. If I had given up my rights as a Master, what were the odds that he or Gilgamesh would have taken me out that first night? If only because I was denying them Saber once more (and was an easy target and my father's son).

Yes, it was Saber that taught me how to fight, how to survive against things vastly more powerful than myself. She mentored me, a failure of a magus and a person who was suicidal by all definitions of the word, in my dedication to the ideal that innocents shouldn't be harmed. Beyond just that first night, how many times did I almost die in those few days? How many times should I have died?

Which brought me to my next point: Saber was more than just my Servant. She was my partner. Unfortunately, we didn't have Saber this time, as Minato ended up with Musubi.

Musubi was not the stoic and ready companion that my Saber had been.

That wasn't to imply that I thought Musubi wasn't a nice Sekirei. She was bubbly and energetic and straight forward to a fault. It was strangely endearing. At least I didn't have to worry about my brother's partner killing him for personal gain. Rather, it seemed as if she genuinely liked him and she would protect him with her life. No, my only problem with Musubi was that she…

Well, she was a bit of an airhead.

And she was our first defense now that this same brutality was going to be inflicted on the unaware Shin Tokyo, on my family. Not only defense, mind, as there was no way in hell I'd sit back and let them. I grit my teeth; I'll die long before I let that particular atrocity repeat itself.

So if Minato didn't have a Saber of his own then… well, I'd just have to be his Saber, wouldn't I?

Thankfully (and this is one of the few times I was thankful for the War), this wasn't my first time in a situation like this. I could relay to him from my own experiences what was necessary to survive and win. And, with any engagement, the first thing we needed was information. A few key points of information would take us a long way to victory: How many enemies were there? How long had the Sekirei Plan been active? What type of abilities could Sekirei bring to the fight? What were the conditions for victory? Was it the death of the Sekirei? The maybe it was death of the contractor? Was surrendering an option? How many Sekirei could an Ashikabi have? Where alliances allowed? Could Sekirei act independently from a Master in the Plan? Were conflicts to be held secretly or was open warfare acceptable? How could one tell an Ashikabi or Sekirei from a normal citizen?

Musubi was unable to answer most of these questions. I said she was a bit of an airhead and, well, when MBI was explaining the rules to her she only focused on the 'fight and fight and fight' portion. The only part she did tell us was that, as recompense for the danger of being an Ashikabi, MBI would be funding them for as long as they remained in the War. Of course, Musubi also lost the no limits MBI card they gave her for her and her Ashikabi's needs, so knowing that information was less than helpful. Yes, it appeared that Musubi was a diehard battle junky, even talking about fighting made her fidgety and her eyes lit up. If I didn't understand how she felt it would be more than a little unnerving.

This might have been the reason why Minato was giving us those weird looks when we were talking about the subject.

The first question was answered, oddly enough, by Minaka Hiroto. There were a total of 108 Sekirei scattered throughout the city, meaning there was 216 total combatants between humans and Sekirei. Also, much like the Grail War, the Sekirei war was to be kept secret. MBI would be enforcing this rule as well.

And that brought us to the next sunny point. I had wondered how MBI kept a being like Karasuba in their employ. It seemed the reason was that MBI was tied to the entire Sekirei population. MBI had sheltered the Sekirei, taught them, provided for them and now was proctoring this Sekirei Plan.

Of course, this brought up even more questions. Musubi had mentioned something about living in the MBI labs her entire life. It was only recently that she was released to find her Ashikabi. So if MBI was nurturing these beings, why then have them fight one another?

The recent and rapid medical advancements MBI had been solidly producing for the past few years could be explained by trading the Sekirei for advanced technology. But that wouldn't explain the Sekirei's implied subservience to MBI. It could be that it was in return for sheltering the species, but why raise and release them only to pit them against each other in a series of death matches? What did MBI gain from the Sekirei (and their partners) dying?

So far this didn't make any sense.

Unless maybe fighting was a Sekirei thing, not an MBI thing, and MBI was merely trying to limit the damages? But that didn't account for why Karasuba was helping keep MBI's secrets or doing their bidding.

The one interesting thing Musubi was able to tell us was that she was a 'Power Type' Sekirei. She did dress like a close combat fighter (if only approximatrely), but this classification meant more than just that. Her ability as a Power Type meant that she was stronger and faster than a normal person. Way faster. When I asked her to throw a punch I couldn't even follow the movement. Well, I couldn't follow it without Reinforcement.

That meant there were at least two types of Sekirei out there. The first were these Power Types, equipped with overall higher parameters than their counterparts. The second were Elemental Types, as I'd taken to referring to them as. The twin Sekirei that were chasing Musubi were of this variety judging from the way they shot lighting from their hands. In exchange for lower parameters they had control of an element. In a way, the fight between Sekirei was a duel between knight classes and caster classes.

I had asked Minato and Musubi to keep as low a profile as possible. Since we still had next to no information about the fight we suddenly found ourselves in, the plan I had was simple. I would act much like the Lancer, Cu Chulainn, from my war. I would go around observing Sekirei battles and gathering what information I could about the other participants. It would also give me the ability to eliminate those targets that exposed themselves. From there, Minato and I could form a plan to deal with these Ashikabi/Sekirei teams.

In the meantime, Musubi would protect Minato throughout the day and try to live as normally as possible. When entering a battle like that of the Grail War, it was important to have small periods of ordinary life. Otherwise, fear and anticipation would build up, compromising your thoughts and actions. No, fear was the enemy.

At nights, or when we found a weak pair, we would get Musubi and Minato a little more battle experience. I would always be there as an 'ace.' I wasn't sure how much I could really do in a fight between Servants, but I had changed a lot these past seven years since the end of the War. As a last resort, I could always fall back to my more indiscriminate magecraft. That would mean I'd have to reveal to Minato that I was a magic user… but he was already involved in a magical death match, so as long as he was the only (surviving) witness then it should be okay.

It did bring up the (unlikely) possibility that Minato might be a magic user as well. He was, after all, my younger brother and magic had a tendency to run in families, but what were the odds that two brothers finding themselves in a deathmatch were also trying to conceal the secret of magic from one another? Actually, given my luck, those were good odds, but I doubted that was the case. After spending so much time with Takami, I knew that she was not a magic user or a magus. After our brief trip to Fuyuki, I knew Yukari wasn't either. So for Minato to be a magus, but the rest of the family not to be was very unlikely.

I ignored the fact that I was exactly that: a magus in a family of non-magi. It really wasn't important right now anyway.

What was important was getting more information about the developing Sekirie Plan. Before we could go into more depth about our plans and ideas, we needed to know more. Luckily, I had just the source to get that information from. Now all that was left was to find her and see what I could bribe her with to tell me what I wanted to know. I was pretty sure I knew where she was too; after all, a bird will hang around where she knows food will be plentiful and easy to obtain. The only question was how best to tempt her into complying.

It was my rush to return to Takami's apartment that had me taking a shortcut through one of Shin Tokyo's larger outdoor parks.

The rise of MBI in Shin Tokyo transformed the once small city into a bustling metropolis. Along with the influx of new jobs and living space, the population of Shin Tokyo exploded. With all of these people came the demand for more public works and spaces. The result of this was the Shin Tokyo Garden Project, a civil plan to scatter walking parks of various sizes throughout the city. These would provide places to sit and relax and allow the busy salary workers to escape the bustle of city living for a while. There were also skate parks and swing sets for the youth and some parks even had artificial ponds for swimming.

I huffed, drawing my coat around me a bit tighter. It had been a cold morning and though it had warmed up over the afternoon the fall of the sun had heralded a drop in the temperature.

This was one of the little known gems of these parks; not only did they cut down on commute times between certain areas but the trees acted as a screen against the wind. City streets could suddenly turn into wind tunnels, amplifying their strength and bite.

I had only just spied the entrance to the park when I was hit by a now familiar scent: the scent of honey and something else. On the street, with pedestrians on either side of me and the busy street to my right, I couldn't identify the second scent. Unfortuantely, it was that second scent that I was beginning to suspect was the key to figuring out a Sekirei's power.

I was encountering these creatures with drastically increased frequency: this was the fifth one that I'd come across today. Sixth if you count my morning with Karasuba.

Dammit. I had wanted to get some answers from Karasuba before I encountered another Sekirei, but the scent of honey led further in the direction I was taking towards the park. I could take a detour, avoid the smell and the Sekirei, and still get to the apartment. Sure, it wouldn't be as swift a journey, but what was my rush? I had no idea if Karasuba was even there right now, or if she'd be visiting tonight. Really, I was counting on the fact that she'd been hanging around as a sign that I'd see her relatively soon so I could pin her down and get some answers from her.

It was her habit to show up almost every day lately, more frequently since I moved out of the motel and in with Takami. Usually she'd show up in the mornings or late at night, so it wasn't to unreasonable an assumption to think she'd be there, but it was still an assumption.

So, did I stick with the original plan and take a detour?

My other option was to go Lancer: to observe this unknown Sekirei. If I could identify it, figure out its abilities and maybe even identify its Ashikabi then that would be one step closer to Minato surviving this war. If I concealed my features, maybe with a facemask or something corny like that, then I could hold the ruse that I was an enemy Sekirei for long enough to see how these Sekirei fought. Although, I had to admit that pitting myself against an unknown opponent this early in the game was the exact opposite of what I wanted to do. This was especially true if I was the combatant with the inherent disadvantage of being human.

There was a third option here, now that I thought about it. If this was an un-bonded Sekirei, un-winged I believe Musubi said, this would be a perfect opportunity to take it out before it found a contractor. If it was winged, then I'd simply kill the Ashikabi. The park was dark this time of night. The lights lining the walk paths didn't cover all the way into some of the more forested areas of the park. Between those and the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings there were multiple hiding places with good coverage of the park. If I shimmied one of the trees I could travel the length of the park unseen.

A traced bow and sword later and the deed would be done. The Emiya option.

But… was that the right thing to do? Would killing this alien save people? Or would it just be another of the countless lives I'd ended on this quest? I just didn't know.

I kept walking. This would take me toward the source, but I didn't have to engage it. I didn't have to do anything at all yet. No, by doing nothing right now I could see both this new Sekirei, any possible Ashikabi that may be there, and keep right on walking home.

Yes, the plan I was to do absolutely nothing right now. Just see what there is to see and make it home alive to help Minato. I could always dress up and go hunting aliens some other night.

A second odor continued to grow in strength as I approached the gate to the Gardens. A sudden gust of wind, the wake of a passing truck, carried the scent further and stronger. I couldn't help but breath deep. I knew this scent. The smell was crisp and strangely refreshing. It was almost like wintergreen, the way the air tasted after fresh snowfall and the strange pseudo-scent of freezing wind as it blew across your face. I couldn't be positive, but I held the impression that this Sekirei was another elementalist, as the only thing these smells brought to mind was ice and snow and winter.

As I passed by the entrance to a small alley between store fronts, a third scent caught my attention. Unlike the other two, this wasn't the pseudo sense of magecraft. I wasn't picking up a disturbance in the world. This scent was real, but no less disturbing. Emanating from the alley was the sharp metallic scent of blood.

My decision was made: I couldn't ignore this Sekirei. It had killed someone. Whether the victim was human or Sekiei… no, it did matter whether the victim was a human or a Sekirei. If it was a Sekirei, then that simply meant the Plan was progressing even faster than I had predicted. It also meant that there was one less competitor to worry about. If the victor was injured though, it might be a good idea to take them out while they were weak. That was the plan, wasn't it? Yes. Yes it was.

And if the victim was human? Well, if it was an Ashikabi… then we had a smart Sekirei on the loose. One that would target the Ashikabi before (or maybe after) the Sekirei was defeated. That kind of threat was my worst fear for Minato, given both his and Musubi's inexperience. An assassin was the worst kind of opponent for them, since it was the one that wouldn't come head on. They'd never see it coming.

And if the victim was not an Ashikabi? I traced a set of black keys in my hands, hidden by my long coat sleeves and pocket, and entered the alley.

I crept down the alley, the faint scent of blood growing stronger as I slid through the shadows between buildings. Something was odd. The blood was… it didn't smell fresh, but faded, yet there was still a Sekirei here. As I got closer, I saw a figure, slumped heavily against one of the alley walls, standing upright, but definitely using the wall for support. And not moving.

What was… she? Yes, the figure was definitely feminine. Men didn't tend to have those lines, though it was hard to tell in the dark. A coat of some color covered most of her. From the offset between the coat and the surrounding darkness, it was probably a light color, like yellow or white.

What was she doing? I took a moment to just watch, withdrawing the keys from my pockets in a ready pose. She wasn't moving. Was she breathing? Yes. Yes, she was. I snuck closer, trying to see if there was anyone else. Any other bodies or signs of damage or fighting. No. The woman was alone in the dark.

Suspicious and wary, but puzzled, I abandoned stealth. This was odd and I wanted answers. I kept the black keys out at my sides, but the blades un-deployed as I calmly and openly walked towards the figure.

When I got to her, I froze.

And all my plans were suddenly thrown out the window.

At this range, I could make out more of the woman before me, slumped against the wall. Her right shoulder was touching the bricks, her arm hanging limply down. Her knees were slightly buckled as she pressed her side flush, her hip, shoulder side and head against the thing holding her up. Her left arm was bent, her palm resting against the wall to help keep her upright.

She made no motion at my approach, despite how I wasn't keeping quiet or concealing my presence any longer. Her head hung down, staring at her feet. Her brown hair, probably cut to a length that framed her face, hung over her eyes and hid her expression. I wasn't sure if she was asleep or not.

What really concerned me more than her lack of a reaction was… well, it was her clothes. Or, more specifically, her lack of them. At this distance, the details of her appearance that I couldn't make out in the dark were revealed. She wasn't wearing and shoes or socks, her bare feet resting on the cold concrete. She had no pants or skirt on either. Her long pale legs were completely bare down to her equally bare feet. The only thing I could tell she was wearing was a half-buttoned man's shirt, open down the front to almost her belly button, dangling loose off her frame and revealing the equally pale and unadorned curves of the inside of her breasts. The hem of the shirt was the only thing that blocked sight of what I was beginning to suspect was her equally bare modesty.

A large white coat, similar if not exactly a lab coat, was draped over her shoulders. The thin material was her only source of warm in the cold, windy night. Dark stains blotted the front of the coat from where I could see. My eyes narrowed in recognition; despite the lack of light I could tell those stains were caused by blood. This woman was the source of the blood I smelled, I realized. This was factored only slightly into what I was going to do before being disregarded entirely as I made my way to stand in front of her.

Whatever happened here… and I had my suspicions, was not a pretty picture.

"Are you… here to kill me?" a soft, raspy whisper broke the silence. So she was still aware. I wasn't sure. She raised her head slightly, her hair falling to the side to reveal her regarding me with a dead expression on her face. She was only indirectly seeing me; her gaze was distant as she stared at the ground in front of her. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was merely seeing the world around her and everything that happened around her or to her was simply irrelevant.

I'd seen that kind of stare before…

She looked like someone who had just had a fight with their boyfriend and had to run out of the house before they were hurt, or someone that had been dragged into a dark alley and been drugged and then taken advantage of. Given that we were in such an alley, I didn't like the odds there.

But more than that, she looked like she was someone who needed help. I couldn't have been the first person to notice her either. The alley we were in wasn't narrow, and while I identified the smell of blood due to familiarity, it wasn't a subtle odor. But it looked like I was the first to help her (if not the first to find her). It didn't matter if she was responsible for the blood covering her. It didn't matter that she wasn't human. It didn't even matter that she was probably an enemy I would have to kill. Right now she was just someone that needed help.

If I was anything other than a sword, it was one who helps those in need.

"Kill you?" I asked, keeping my voice soft. Out of all the possible reactions I'd expected… that was not high on the list. Instead, I ignored the question for now. "Is that your blood?"

She ignored me, dropping her head back to the ground. I kneeled down, looking up into her face to try and make eye contact. In the middle of her forehead was a weird tattoo: a bird in flight over a yin yang symbol with two tama on either side of it.

In the poor lighting I couldn't tell anything about her eyes other than they didn't meet mine, instead she continued to stare into space. The fabric of her half-buttoned shirt was intact and lacking any of the bloodstains that covered the side of her coat. No visible bruises or blemishes from what I could see on her upper torso or thighs.

"Miss." I tried again. "Miss, do you need me to call…" I trailed off. If she were human there would be no problem if I called an ambulance or the police. But she wasn't human and it was possible that a medical examination could reveal this fact. Would they report her to the government or another organization for experimentation or dissection? Besides the obvious problem of unintentionally revealing the existence of magical space aliens, who knew if her species was analogous to humans for medical treatments.

And police involvement would trace her back to whatever caused her problem. Disgusting as it sounded, I had some unpleasant suspicions as to what happened to her. Depending on if my suspicions were right, and from my encounters with Sekirei thus far, that would mean a 100% chance of magecraft being discovered. I would then be forced to kill the officers and/or inform the Association.

It would defeat the purpose if my attempt to help her ended up killing her instead (and many others). I almost smacked my forehead; weren't these Sekirei coming from MBI, if anyone could help her they would be able to. "… Would you like me to call MBI?"

If anyone had the means to help this woman it was MBI. Minaka had revealed that he and his company were the ones responsible for Shin Tokyo's resident alien population, and that meant they were the ones to call. Takami was the only person at MBI I could call and she definitely had something to do with the Sekirei, but was she in the position to do anything? If not, then she could probably get me someone who could.

"I can't…" She started, trailing off just as abruptly. She spoke so softly I almost didn't even hear her, her tone dead and empty. She didn't even look at me when she spoke, staring past me as if she were alone in the world. Just as I thought that was all she was going to say she continued. "I have nowhere to go..."

"Nowhere to go…?" My jaw clenched. That didn't sound good. That didn't sound good at all. Alien or not, I couldn't leave someone on the street, especially if she had nothing on other than a half buttoned shirt. I didn't know what had happened to her, but it wasn't good. "Miss, what happened to you?"

The mostly naked woman finally turned to meet my eyes. "I was thrown away…because I am broken," She said with such certainty and hopelessness. To her this was a statement, a fact about her existence as a person. I grit my teeth at hearing her speak like that. Her entire demeanor was striking too close to home to me. First Karasuba had reminded me of the Holy Grail War, dragging up images of Rider, and now I was reminded of another. Although, this woman's hair wasn't long or purple she struck the same cord of despair and resigned acceptance over her fate. "…I am a failure… A Scraped Sekirei."

For a moment I heard another voice overlap the end of her sentence, a whispered sempai. I still didn't know what was going on with her. This could be nothing more than a domestic dispute, or the aftermath of confrontation with another of her Type, or even an accident. Whatever the case was I suddenly found myself not caring. My decision on the matter had been made the moment she opened her mouth.

"Get up," I told her firmly, rising from my half crouch to stand before her and offer my hand. She blinked, her eyes darting to my hand and then back to my eyes as she stared perplexedly. I'm not sure what happened to you. I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. But I'm not going to leave you here on your own, so get up."

Yes, I probably didn't want to know what happened to her. If I did, I would like it. Wouldn't like what I'd want to, maybe even what I would, do about it. But the important part was this woman. She would need some food, definitely a bath and some new clothes, and a safe place to rest for a few days. After that we could go about helping her fix her situation… if that was what she wanted.

"You… aren't going to kill me?" Her head cocked to the side as she considered my hand and then unfolded her arm from where she held onto the wall to grab it.

"No. I'm going to help you." I tried to smile in a reassuring manner as I helped her to steady on her feet. She looked small, despite her height, and lost. It wasn't too far to Takami's if we continued along the shortcut I planned, but as I regarded her lack of shoes I rethought that decision. No, if her feet weren't cut up or sore already, then walking through the cold park walkways would do it. Actually, the sooner we got her somewhere warm was better. I didn't think it was quite cold enough for her to develop frostbite, but I doubted the exposure was healthy.

On that note, I removed my own coat and slung it across her shoulders. She looked at me, not quite startled, but there was definitely surprise in her gaze. Surprise and… something I couldn't quite identify. In silence, I buttoned my coat up around her. There, that should keep her warm and also hide her bloodied and tattered clothes.

"Come with me," I said once I was finished and offered her my hand once more. "I promise, nothing more will happen to you. I'll take care of you."

"Take care of me…" She repeated in a whisper. A trace of … something entered her eyes, the first sense of anything other than detachment.

Tentatively, her hand reached out from between the buttons of my coat and found mine.

*Scene Break*

If you ignored the strange and suspicious looks we were getting as we made our way through the main lobby and up to Takami's floor, then it was an uneventful trip. Thankfully, my coat fell to just about her knees and no one seemed to look or question the girl's lack of footwear. My companion had not broken her silence since we left the alley, locking her gaze onto the back of my head and completely disregarding everything else. It did make dodging foot traffic difficult until I learned how she unerringly followed where I walked and used that to avoid collisions.

"You can go sit by the kotatsu to warm up," I said opening the door to the apartment. "Once we get you warm and fed I'll see if Takami has any clothes that'll fit you and you can…take…a…"

I trailed off as I stepped through the door. All the lights were off. While this would normally not be a strange occurrence, as it was just economical to leave the lights off when no one was home, the room smelt of honey and blood. The odor was too strong to be left over from Karasuba's last visit. That meant that she was here. In the room. In the dark. Alone.

The hair prickled at the back of my neck; the sort of physical reaction normally reserved for coming home to a pissed off Rin. But there was no Rin to Gandr me into oblivion in Tokyo.

Oh, I had a bad, bad feeling about this.

"Ichirou Sahashi." Her voice, echoing slightly in the darkened room, held an edge. Karasuba spoke them with the verbal equivalent of drawing a blade. Actually, they were accompanied by a drawn blade as a single sliver of curved silver light shown in the otherwise black room. "Who is that woman?"

Oh. So this was how I died.

"Was Musubi not enough and you had to pick up another on your way home?" Karasuba flicked on a light, just enough to illuminate her, as she stalked forward with her blade drawn.

I had always assumed it would be on some nameless hill. That I would be killed by the very people I tried so desperately to save, blamed for the very tragedy I fought so hard to prevent. After all, that was how Archer died, and not that I cared to admit it but we were similar in many regards. I had no trouble believing that, because of that, we would also share the same deathbed.

Alternatively, I thought Rin might snap and finally kill me one of these days.

That I was to instead die in my mother's apartment, while on vacation from the admittedly suicidal lifestyle I lived, by my breakfast guest slash monster no less, was not something I had ever really considered. In a way, it was a disappointment.

Oh, Rin was going to be so pissed. She'd probably find a way to recreate the Third Magic just so she could kill me for dying in such a stupid fashion. Then she'd probably bring me back and kill me again just for dying when she explicitly told me not to involve myself in anything. And then she'd probably do it again for dying in general. She might take a break in between killing me and resurrecting me, if only to laugh at how abysmal my luck was.

Alright Shirou, you can get out of this. Be suave, talk her down. Maybe you can live to see tomorrow. After all, you lived with Rin for a few years. You survived the lunch box incident. Just, you know, try to combine the two. Only don't mess it up.

"Um…why were you in the dark?"

Oh, I was so going to die.

"Wrong answer," She growled, her gray eyes pinpricks as she took another step.

And it was suddenly very cold. The quiet brown haired woman moved, standing between Karasuba and I before I could blink, her back straightened and arms hanging loosely down her sides. She also jutted her chest up, hidden beneath my large overcoat I hear the distinctive pop of a burst button. Small icicles formed in the air around her, growing rabidly in size and number.

Shit.

Karasuba was not idle either, pressing her weight onto her front foot. Her long blade was held at eye level, perpendicular to the floor, in a textbook opening thrust position. That made sense, the doorway was too narrow for her to swing her blade, so she'd have to go for a thrust – stop analyzing techniques if you want to live and move!

SHIT.

With an angry Servant, and I had no doubt that Karasuba was one of these newly termed 'Power Types' in front of me and a caster or 'Elemental Type' in an enclosed space… oh, this was not going to end well for anyone (except maybe Karasuba, who was going to kill us).

Shitshishit.

"Both." I reached forward, grabbing the back of the (newly revealed) ice user's collar, pulling her sharply back behind me once more. She let out a startled, if somewhat delayed, 'ah!' as her loss of balance disrupted her concentration. The forming iceless dispersed harmlessly back into the air. One down.

"Of you." Now I was once again between her and Karasuba. A Traced kabar was already in my hands as Karasuba began her thrust. Back in the day when I was first learning how to (and what I was doing when I) Trace, the ability to Trace a weapon as I was reacting to the strike saved my life innumerable times, and has only continued to do so ever since. It was the way I beat Archer. The way I fought Gilgamesh. The way I'd fought dozens of Apostles that had gotten too close. This was just another one of those times.

My circuits flooded with prana, fueling the Alteration of the blade to make it heavier, denser, and the Reinforcement to strengthen it against the mad Servant. When fighting someone stronger and faster than you, it wasn't necessary to overpower them or their strikes. No, it was much better to turn their speed and strength against them. This was the second tenet of the fighting style Archer had created in his days before and during his tenure as a Heroic Spirit. A style I had since adopted and adapted. Karasuba's thrust was high, aimed at my heart. Perfect. I brought the kabar, held in a defensive reverse grip, up sharply, catching the tip of Karasuba's nodachi. Planting my feet, I kneeled, lowering my center of gravity, allowing her lightning quick thrust to scythe over my head; the tip of her blade lodging in the ceiling.

"Stop it!" With her blade stuck in above us, I dropped the now useless kabar and grabbed her collar instead. A quick shove knocked her away from her lodged long blade. Evident by her widened eyes, my shove only moved her at all due to surprise and superior leverage.

Whereas the first three words were growled, the last two words echoed like a gunshot. I hadn't really expected that to work. I had expected that, if anything, throwing myself between the two women would result in being gutted by Karasuba. Not that I didn't have a response to that; I'd had my insides blown out before. Nor was it the first time I'd been stabbed through the heart by a Servant.

Instead of either of those things happening, the two women flinched as if struck, freezing in place.

When after a second neither woman resumed their attempt to kill each other, or in Karasuba's case killed me, I let out a long breath.

"You," I pointed to Karasuba, "don't violate my hospitality by killing me. If you do, not only will I not cook for you but I'll have to try and kill you right back." I was pretty sure it was the former part of the threat and not the latter that caused the gray haired demon to grunt her (reluctant) agreement.

"And you," I direct to the other woman. She hadn't moved from where she fell on the floor, spilling hallway out into the hallway. "I'm inviting you into my home. My hospitality is a sign of trust and goodwill. Do not betray that." She nodded, regarding me with the utmost expression of seriousness. Deciding that was good enough, I moved to help her up.

Karasuba huffed, pulling her blade free from the ceiling and sheathing it, but I ignored her. She was no longer trying to be unreasonable and kill me, so it looked like the danger had passed.

"Good. Now then, why don't you go warm up the kotatsu for us Karasuba and I'll get us all diner. I assume you haven't eaten yet?"

Karasuba nodded to the question before snorting. She was avoiding my gaze though, which meant she was going to be difficult: Karasuba often acted childish whenever she felt she'd been wronged. Sometimes other times too, but mostly when one of us got too close to killing the other, which I guess was the case this time too. "Why isn't Musubi with you?"

The question caught me aback.

"Musubi? Why would she be with me? She's with Minato, her…" I searched for the word. Damn, I was just thinking about it earlier, what the hell. "Ashi-something or other."

That seemed to garner her attention. "Minato? You're little brother? You mean you aren't her Ashikabi?" That's the word! In the excitement (yeah, let's go with that word) of almost being killed in my mother's apartment, I had blanked on the term. You'd think that whoever created these suicidal and more often brutally homicidal war rituals would come up with titles and terminology that were more straight forward and easier to remember.

Wait, was Karasuba's increased aggression because she thought I was Musubi's Ashikabi? That would put an end to our (semi, not really) peaceful interactions. I mean, having breakfast with your enemy (despite how often it happened in Fuyuki) was not the best strategy for survival in war.

"Whatever gave you that impression? Come to think of it, how do you know Musubi?" That was more than a little interesting. I had thought I sensed Karasuba nearby when the wanna-be shrine girl fell on Minato, but I wasn't sure.

"I keep tabs." She said simply and went to comply with my earlier request about the kotatsu. I expected that kind of answer from her, or for her to ignore the question entirely, so I was surprised when she elaborated. "We heard Musubi was winged to a Sahashi and I thought it was you. I suppose not everyone has good taste. Oh, and I want double portions for sparing you. Chop, chop." She waved jauntily over her shoulder as if shooing me to the kitchen.

Good tastes she says. I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult. I'm not even sure which would surprise me more. "What a terrifying master I have. Right away, your Highness." I deadpanned. It seemed that it was the purpose of Shirou Emiya's life to serve smaller, obscenely dangerous and exacting women. I turned back to the other Sekirei and startled, biting back a yelp. While my back was turned she had sidled up to me. There was some distance between our bodies, maybe a hand or so worth, but not much. She was close. Really close.

"She is dangerous." She whispered, catching my eyes with formerly nonexistent intensity.

I couldn't disagree. "Yes, she is. Is that why you tried to protect me?" She flushed slightly and I smiled. She was starting to show some emotion. That was a good sign if she were to come to grips with what happened to her and move on. A good start to helping her avoid Her fate. "Thank you." I smiled. I really meant it. I hadn't expected that she would try to protect me at all. The thought had never even occurred to me. "We should be safe now though. Go sit and I'll be in with food."

She nodded after a second and left to join Karasuba. I waited only until they both sat down without further bloodshed before retreating into the kitchen. It was a good thing Takami had taken out the wall between the kitchen and the table though, so I could keep an eye on those two while I cooked.

*Scene Break*

Setting the table was more unnerving than I thought it would be with the eyes of both women following every move I made. Karasuba's half-lidded eyes looked on with amusement as I served her double portions of everything-in-the-apartment stir fry and fresh tea. Past experiences have taught me that when magical women capable of killing you with their pinkies and a propensity towards swords are hungry, you cook all the food. At least she didn't tease me for my domestication, acting all the while as a pleased queen. Well, didn't tease me too much. The other woman looked on with an inscrutable expression but never taking her gaze off me. Actually, I think it her stare got more intense the closer I got to Karasuba.

Well, she did try to protect me earlier. And Karasuba was trying to kill us both. It made sense to be nervous around the gray haired woman. She might have been acting in only her own defense, but I didn't think that was the case. Either way, being a blood-soaked demon from outer space did make Karasuba a threat to, well, everyone.

I might not have fully processed everything that happened since we entered the apartment yet.

I had only just sat down and served myself when a certain crow stole my plate, dragging it over to rest next to hers.

"What are you doing?" My eye twitched.

"Double servings." That conniving witch. Oh, my vengeance would be… well, not swift, but it would be terrible.

"I already gave you double."

"And see how I'm not killing you?" She smiled cheekily, her eyes crinkling into slits. I sighed and leaned back. That's true, I most certainly wasn't dead. And it didn't even cost me the Traced kabar from earlier. Karasuba did seem a little distracted, not even bugging me for the knife. Granted, it could also be that I didn't hurl it at her head. She seemed to only take the things I attacked her with, not the things I defended myself with. If the only thing I gave up was a helping of dinner, well… at least no one was hurt or dead. I would have to fix the hole in the ceiling though.

Watching the two of them eat was very reminiscent of being home. Home in Fuyuki, that is, back during the slow portions of the Grail war. Karasuba ate with the same poise and dignity as Saber, slowly, deliberately and inevitable eradicating all traces of food on her plate before moving on towards seconds. The brown haired woman examined each mouthful tentatively before consuming it with the patient grace of Sakura. If Takami, who woke much the way Rin does, and Yukari, the living memory of both my sisters, were here it would almost be like I'd never left Fuyuki. Add in Minato as a younger, more innocent me and the picture was complete.

I wasn't sure if that would make me Archer or Kiritsugu in that little picture though. The thought that I could be the former was as unpleasant as it was sudden, and I shook my head to banish it. I wasn't him. I wouldn't be him.

"What are you doing with the Scrapped Number anyway?" Karasuba asked. Scrapped number? I looked over to the woman I brought home. She was looking down at her plate, once more her expression held resigned anguish and despondence. She had something about being scrapped before, didn't she?

I'm broken. The words she said back then resonated painfully with those of another.

"What do you mean by 'Scrapped Number'?" I must be something to do with their Type, but there was so much I still didn't know, both about Sekirei and the Sekirei Plan. Karasuba was also presenting a more hostile front than usual, making me doubt I'd get anything useful from her.

"It means she should be put down with the rest of the trash." Karasuba's bloodthirsty grin returned. The air turned frigid and not just metaphorically as the two women glared at each other.

"Enough!" I barked. Once more I was surprised as they both turned to me, the room returning to a more normal temperature. "She's been through enough tonight Karasuba, stop provoking her." Once they settled down a bit I continued on. "Are you still hungry, miss…?" I realized I never got her name.

"Akitsu," She said, nodding. Her voice was still little above a whisper, but she was talking and showing some emotion, even if it was just barely. I considered that an improvement.

"Akitsu," I smiled and filled her plate back up. "When you're full you can use take a shower. I'll go see if Takami has any clothes that will fit you. In the morning we can talk about what you want to do and where you can go."

"Thank you…" Akitsu flushed slightly.

"What about me Ichi-" I threw one of my chopsticks at her. I needed to save the other one: it was my last weapon. Well, to the extent that I could have a last weapon.

"You," I glared, "mooch here so often it's impossible to get rid of you. And finish your first plate before asking for seconds."

"But look, it's empty." She smiles as she lifts her plate. It was true that it was empty, but the one she stole from me was yet untouched. I merely raised an eyebrow. She chuckled, and began eating from the pilfered dish. "You know, Sahashi-kun, I might actually be sad when I kill you."

"I'm sure." I deadpan. "I'll be sad when you kill me too." But only if I failed to take you with me, I didn't say. "Actually, Karasuba, I'm glad you're here."

"Huh?" Her eyes snapped open. This time it was her studying me with an inscrutable expression. No, Akitsu mirrored her a second after. Being on the receiving end of those two stares was more than a little unnerving, truth be told. Their identical expressions were getting a bit eerie actually.

"Yes," I said, pressing on, "I had some questions to ask you about this Sekirei Plan."

Karasuba snorted. "You want to find yourself a little bird and join the fun, huh? Typical human."

"Not at all, actually, it's quite the opposite. Joining the plan would put me in direct opposition with Minato. What I want is information about the plan." My smile is cold. "Once I know the playing field I can eliminate all his of his enemies."

"Eliminate?" Apparently this wasn't what Karasuba was expecting, blinking in confusion before grinning. "My, you are a sweet talker aren't you? I suppose I could tell you what I know."

"Thank you. First off, is there a way to identify if a person has bonded to a Sekirei? Any distinguishing marks?"

"Marks? See the crest on the Scrapped Number's forehead?" I looked at Akitsu. The odd symbol of a bird in flight over a yin yang flanked by tama was etched on her forehead. I had thought it was a tattoo, but if that meant she was what marked a Sekirei as being winged… "When a Sekirei is winged, that symbol appears on the back."

"Then why do you have your crest on your forehead, Akitsu?"

"I'm broken" Akitsu responded, slipping back into the same despondent manner as when I found her. Ah, shit. I'm an asshole, aren't I? "I can never have an Ashikabi of my own." So she couldn't join the plan since you needed a human contractor? But then why did she refer to herself as broken? I'd have to ask when Akitsu wasn't around. No sense in upsetting her any further.

No, the last thing I wanted was to do that, so instead I moved on to another question.

"In fights between Sekirei, how is the victor determined?" This was the key question. Did the Sekirei have to be defeated, or could I target the Master. Was death the objective, or just surrender?

"Hmm, usually I just kill them." What a callous way of talking about your same species, but I expected nothing less from the ashen haired alien. Then again, I could probably say the same about my human (and non-human) enemies. So did that makes us both monsters? Probably. "If the Ashikabi dies, and killing humans is really easy, then the Sekirei will shut down."

Perfect. "So targeting the Ashikabi is a valid strategy in the Plan? Good, that's more like what I'm familiar with."

"Oh," Karasuba looked more than just slightly intrigued at that. "Well, killing the human is supposed to be against the rules, but it's just so satisfying." I didn't like the way she eyed me when she said that. Not one bit. "Most Sekirei will probably refrain from attacking the Ashikabi though. They don't have the same liberties that I do."

"I see." I'm not sure I did. Maybe her 'liberties' had something to do with how she was working with MBI and wasn't with her Ashikabi. Actually, that is a good question: did Karasuba have an Ashikabi? If so, then it would be a lot easier to kill him than to deal with her…ever.

But first things first, "Are you finished eating, Akitsu?" She had been waiting patiently, just looking at me again, so I figure she wants to know where the bathroom is. Well, I hoped she was done eating. I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I cooked all the food in the apartment. I'd need to go grocery shopping before breakfast. "Would you like a shower now?" At her nod I pointed to the hallway behind me. "Alright, the bathroom is down here, first door on your right. I'll get you some clothes to wear for the night." As she got up to go I turned back to Karasuba. "Speaking of Ashikabi, do you have…"

The rustle of clothing caught my attention, causing me to drop my question as I turned… and saw Akitsu in the midst of undressing. She had already shrugged both of her coats to the floor and was halfway through unbuttoning the rest of her shirt, lifting it up slight to reach the lower buttons and revealing once more her lack of underwear.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, averting my eyes from the sight. "A-Akitsu, what are you doing?" I'd like to claim I didn't stutter and that I spoke in a manly fashion, but I'd be lying. I tried not to think about how her pale skin shown from the overhead light or the shape of her thighs as they rose to meet the soft curve of her – Gah!

God dammed, but why was she undressing in the middle of the room? You'd think, if she went through what I think she did, undressing anywhere but alone behind a locked door would be unthinkable! Unless… unless what she'd been through wasn't just limited to tonight. And wasn't just a one time thing.

"Ah…" She looked at me, cocking her head to the side, "Getting ready to bathe."

"And you aren't changing in the bathroom because?"

"I forgot."

"Next time please change in the bathroom." I got up to go get her some clothes. I wasn't ashamed of retreating in the face of superior firepower. I had to settle my head. On the one hand, I thought Akitsu was the victim of a sex crime. But her behavior just there… might be more indicative of an even worse, prolonged series of abuses if she learned to undress without privacy.

This… I needed to think about what this meant. And what I was going to do about it.

*Scene Break*

With the exception of a small repeat performance by Akitsu as she exited the shower, settling down for the night was a quiet affair. I had given my room to Akitsu, taking the time to set up the bedding while she was in the shower. I'd be sleeping in the living room for the night. I had already laid out the spare bed mats and put away the kotatsu.

Takami's clothes fit Akitsu well enough that they would suffice for the night. Tomorrow we might have to find her some more fitting clothes, however, as Takami's wouldn't quite be appropriate for daily wear. After that we could figure out what to do with her. From what I saw tonight, I wasn't exactly comfortable with her being by herself.

I moved into Takami's room to change into my own sleepwear. Yukari was coming for a visit tomorrow. She had just gotten into Shin Tokyo University and was coming up to be with the family. I don't think she told Minato yet, but I was going to take her out to celebrate. Maybe I could get her to take Akitsu shopping for clothes when she came. I'd have to frame the story right so she didn't ask too many questions about the alien woman. Maybe if I told her she had a bad fight with her boyfriend? Honestly, I still didn't know her story.

Carefully folding my shirt, I set it aside. Really, did I even have to know her story? I was probably better off not knowing. Other people were probably better off without me knowing. Akitsu was someone who needed help. If how I found were any indication of her situation then she was obviously in trouble. Even if it weren't for how painfully her words resonated in me I wouldn't have been able to ignore her. She was someone who needed saving.

I slipped my arms through the sleeves of the button down shirt I'd taken to wearing at night. Usually I didn't wear a shirt to bed, but now that I was living with Takami I'd made a habit of wearing one to cover up. Not that I was shy or embarrassed, not really. It would just be more than a little difficult to explain the scars that crisscrossed my body.

"Sahashi-kun," Karasuba entered the room with her usual grace: by entirely ignoring closed doors or social niceties such as asking or knocking.

"Karasuba?!" I start, turning my back to her, slipping the shirt on the rest of the way and fumbling with the buttons. Shit, she saw. Now either she'd tell Takami or ask for an explanation I really wasn't ready to give. Okay, so maybe I was a little embarrassed. I wasn't a vain person, but even I recognized that scars weren't really an attractive feature. Especially claw and bite marks, puncture wounds and the legacies of the Grail War. "Don't you ever-"

"Stop." For some reason I froze. "Let me see."

There was something…off about how she said that. It lacked the usual confident yet disdainful humor that colored her speech. It was more… for the first time she was asking, not demanding. I don't know why, but I found myself turning to face her. She walked towards me, her eyes moving from scar to scar. While it was true that Avalon, the golden sheath and conceptual weapon imbedded within me gave me increased healing, it wasn't' perfect. Ever since Saber left that fateful day, the regenerative properties of the conceptual weapon had weakened. Dire wounds, wounds inflicted by powerful enough sources, and crippling injuries might be healed eventually, but they would still leave traces.

"It goes all the way through," I heard her mutter as she came to stand right before me, raising a hand to trace the red starburst over my heart. Despite myself, the light touch caused me to shiver.

"Karasuba?" I asked quietly. This was really out of character for the crow: Her half-lidded eyes were glazed and her mouth was slightly parted. Her cheeks were lightly flushed as if feverish, her breath coming in slightly erratically. "Karasuba, are you alright?"

No response.

She took another step, almost completely closing the distance between us. This was wrong. This was very wrong. I didn't know why it was so wrong, but it was.

"Karasuba?!" This time she blinked, shaking herself as if coming out of a trance, before abruptly spinning on her heel. I flinched as her ponytail whipped across my face. "Karasuba?"

She didn't answer as she stalked to the doorway. Halfway out the door, however, she stopped. "I just wanted to say that I don't know much about the Scrapped Number," She didn't look at me, her posture tense as she held onto the door frame with one hand. "It didn't concern me since I wasn't one. If you want to know more ask Takami."

And with that she walked out of the room. Out of the apartment.

"What… the hell was that?" I asked the empty room.

This entire night had been one strange event after another. No, this whole day had been like that. I gave an aggravated sigh and continued to get ready for bed. Fuck it, this day was too weird and I didn't want to deal with it anymore.

My last thought before falling asleep was that, somehow, this was probably Archer's fault too. It probably wasn't (after all, how could it be), but it made me feel better to blame him.

*End Chapter*

Thank you for reading,

Drake Valkyr