Return to Null Chapter 11:

Grave Tidings

Day 11

"Okay so the next item on the list is some chicken." Emiya replied as he looked at the shopping list.

"Oh nice! What're we having with it?" Ritsuka asked as he grabbed some chicken from the aisle.

"It's actually going to be part of a stew."

"What kinds of vegetables are we having with it?"

As Emiya explained the ingredients needed for the stew for that night's dinner, Ritsuka could only see the other shoppers in the store, and looked around for anything out of the ordinary. Ever since they defeated Gilgamesh, everything had been incredibly peaceful and calm. Under normal circumstances, this would not bother him, but given the circumstances of their situation, it was starting to gnaw at him.

"You don't have to worry, everyone's still on high alert." Emiya replied.

"Was I that obvious?"

Emiya chuckled as he picked up the vegetables needed for the list. "Too obvious. And thankfully we just finished everything on our list, so no one will be staring at you too much."

"I'll have to admit I feel bad for Irisviel. She's been so generous with giving us some of her money, and we had to use it all up to buy all these things."

Emiya's face became sullen, the Archer scratched the back of his head in confusion. "I'll be honest, it's strange, meeting my adopted mother like this"

"Sorry… didn't mean to bring that up."

"No need to apologize." Emiya said as he took a deep breath. "It's nice to have finally met her. Kind of wished I had met her when I was younger."

"And be a proper family with her, Kiritsugu and Ilya?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yeah, that would have been nice." Emiya muttered. "Anyway, we got what we needed, so let's just check out and meet the others."

Meanwhile outside the store, the entire group waited patiently chatting away over minor plans and swapping stories. They soon stopped as soon as Ritsuka and Emiya returned with the numerous bags of groceries, putting them into the van. Irisviel took a couple bags of the groceries and raised an eyebrow at the contents. "Ummmmm, I don't mean to be rude, but why did you guys buy some lighters, air fresheners, Raid, and….I don't even know what the rest of this is."

Cú, Saber and Diarmuid felt their curiosity piqued and looked into the bags themselves. The three Servants looked at the contents with confusion.

"Why do you have all this?" Diarmuid asked.

"Da Vinci asked me to get these." Ritsuka answered.

Cú widened his eyes for a moment before smirking and nodding. "Well, if she asked you to, then who are we to question it?"

Mashu knowingly nodded in agreement with her own smile. "It would be pointless to think about it if she is involved."

Ritsuka smiled and nodded as he and Mashu finished packing the rest of the groceries, and hopped into the van, both of them humming a tune without a care in the world. Saber watched the two of them with slight concern and nervousness. The way those two were acting was….unsettling….

"Why do I get the feeling those two are going to commit war crimes?"

"They may already be war criminals." Diarmuid joked.

Cú snickered and patted Diarmuid on the back. "I can't believe it, you actually cracked a joke!"

Diarmuid chuckled. "I do happen to have a sense of humor, I just don't indulge it as much when on duty."

"You all are just crazy…." Saber muttered.

"Come on you guys, we have to get back to the manor!" Irisviel chimed.

"Just let me hop in the driver's seat and we'll be off then." Saber replied back. Irisviel pouted a bit, having wanted to be the one to drive back, but she knew there was no use persuading Saber otherwise. As soon as everyone buckled in, they headed back to the manor to plan their next move, and to allow more time for the Masters to recover. It took a couple of hours to return to the Einzbern estate, but when they entered through the gates, they saw Kiritsugu standing by the door cleaning his guns with the same robotic expression.

"Did you get everything you wanted?" He asked.

"Oh would you stop being such a sourpuss?" Irisveil asked. "It ruins that handsome face of yours."

Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow, a small uptick upon his lips formed. "Oh, so you've been looking at me?"

Irisviel smiled deviously. "Well how could I not? Your face is quite….easy to look upon."

Everyone else stared at the two of them in confusion, disbelief, and for Emiya, embarrassment and horror. He did NOT want to be hearing any of this when some of his teammates were present. Saber noticed his discomfort matching her own, and patted him softly on the shoulder in sympathy. Diarmuid decided to end this strange moment by clearing his throat and remembering something he wanted to ask. "Has Caster found any leads on the hand yet?"

Kiritsugu shook his head. "We both tried to think of places where it could have gone, but we ended up at a loss."

"It's bound to show up eventually." Ritsuka replied. "Our main concern right now is to rest up, lay low and hope the overseer doesn't come after us."

"We cannot forget about Rider and his Master." Mashu chimed. "We might have the advantage in numbers and power, but Rider is still a formidable foe."

"I think we should remember that killing him might not be the best course of action." Cú said. "Two Servants are already dead, and we still need to dismantle the Grail safely."

"Well from what I've been informed, his Master is someone who needed to live anyway, so making sure he survives is also a priority." Kiritsugu said.

"We can discuss this all later." Saber said. "I'd rather we get everything cooked soon so we can eat."

"Fair enough." Kiritsugu said. "I'll set the tables, but I would like for the Lancers to accompany me."

Diarmuid and Cú simply nodded and headed on inside alongside the white haired Counter Guardian, leaving the others outside. Ritsuka then turned to Irisviel, his disbelief returned on his face. "That guy tried to kill you twice, and now you're flirting with him?"

Irisviel smiled mischievously. "I don't think a child would understand."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, after everything your version of Saber told us, he's a broken man right?"

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Oh no…..don't you say it."

"It means I can fix him!"

Ritsuka cringed and groaned sarcastically. "That's the worst kind of cliche!"

"I agree with Mr. Fujimaru. That is not something that really ends well." Saber said.

"Oh come now." Irisviel said with a bright smile. "He seemed receptive to what I said to him."

"She has a point." Mashu replied. "I may not understand romance, but even I could see Mr. Kiritsugu seemed…intrigued by her advance. Perhaps we should give him a chance."

"Ummm, Mashu, I was being sarcastic." Ritsuka muttered.

Mashu gasped in shock. "Senpai, that is so mean!"

"Can we please stop?" Emiya begged. "This is getting embarrassing…."

"Hey, I might not be the same Irisviel that married your adoptive father, BUT I'm still technically your mother. So it's my duty to embarrass you!" Irisviel answered evilly. Ritsuka nearly doubled over as he could have sworn the white haired woman sprouted a pair of devil horns and a tail for the briefest moment.

"Okay, how about we head in now." Ritsuka said. "This is getting a little too awkward."

Emiya breathed a sigh of relief as Irisviel and Saber nodded in agreement. The white haired Archer followed the two girls in, leaving Ritsuka and Mashu alone in the courtyard. The black haired teen grinned, holding back a chuckle as he stared at the Shielder. "You little scamp. You act all offended by sarcasm but then do it yourself right after."

Mashu giggled. "Tatsuko really rubbed off on us."

"I mean we kind of have to pick up the slack in the snark department with her gone." Ritsuka said. "It's no fun without it."

Not a second later, Tatsuko appeared on Ritsuka's communicator with a mischievous smile. "I corrupted you both too well."

The Chaldean Trio snickered at the joke, hearing the others in the Command Room trying to stifle their own laughter as well.

"Seriously though, thanks for that prime comedy." Tatsuko said. "That MIGHT even cure me of my depression!"

"I'm just a little surprised Mashu played along." Ritsuka replied.

"I may or may not have spent some time with Davinci and Mozart." Mashu answered. "Probably a little TOO much time with the former…."

"That…..actually makes way too much sense." Ritsuka said. The three of them shrugged it off, and as Tatsuko deactivated their communications on her end, the two Chaldeans headed inside to help out the others in getting their dinner ready in a couple of hours.

Later that night, everyone sat at the dinner table chatting away without a care in the world. However, on opposite sides of the table, two particular people had gone through multiple bowls of stew, and were going through another. Ritsuka and Saber continued to eat politely, but with the energy of starved lions.

"It would seem your Saber had some common ground with her squire." Diarmuid said in amusement. "To see them both eat that much is impressive."

Ritsuka heard the Lancer's statement and swallowed his food patiently before speaking. "Chaldea was the place where I could finally get the chance to eat a proper meal and bulk up."

Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow. "Just how bad was it for you in the slums?"

"You probably don't want to know the answer to that one." Emiya answered.

"You know, we should probably think about tomorrow's dinner too!" Irisviel replied.

"I have an idea." Ritsuka said. "How about a nice, juicy steak."

"Not a bad choice." Irisviel replied with a smile. "Oh what about you, Mashu? What would you like?"

"I was hoping for some salmon, but I do not know if the store would have any…." Mashu replied.

"Oh salmon sounds really good right now." Cú answered.

"I take back what I said." Ritsuka replied. "Salmon sounds so much better."

Just as they were discussing tomorrow's meal, Waver bursted through the doors, his eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Everyone turned to see his gaze, and knew something was wrong. "Come with me to the tea room now."

"What's wrong?" Emiya asked.

"Just come with me. We have a problem."

Everyone left their dinner behind on the table and followed Waver into the tea room in silence. It was there they saw one of Irisviel's bird familiars perched near the table, with a newspaper right next to it. Waver bade Ritsuka to read it himself, and as the black haired boy picked it up, he noticed the picture in the front of a burning building. Ritsuka was taken aback a bit, but thought nothing of it until he read the headline of the newspaper. The male Master's face went pale and his eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.

"Senpai, is something wrong?"

"Lord El-Melloi II was right. We have a huge problem." Ritsuka replied.

"Well don't keep us waiting, what is it?" Cú asked.

"The Overseer is dead."

Everyone's eyes widened and they rushed towards Ritsuka to read the paper, trying to see if this was true. To their shock and disbelief, Ritsuka was not lying. Risei Kotomine was dead. Apparently he was at the church last night when it immediately blew up into flames, and the cause of the flames were from a gas leak…..

Everyone turned slowly to look at Kiritsugu, their eyes shimmered with uncertainty and nervousness. The white haired Counter Guardian could not believe this, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I swear it wasn't me this time."

"Aha! That's what you'd WANT us to think!" Irisviel said.

"Lady Irisviel, please calm down and try not to make light of this situation…" Diarmuid muttered.

"Besides, it says that the cause of death was a gas leak." Ritsuka replied. "That basically proves murder wasn't involved."

"Ritsuka's right." Emiya said. "If anything, it was just a freak accident."

"How can you two be so sure?" Irisviel asked.

"Mashu, remember when Ritsuka and I told you about how gas leaks were common in Fuyuki? We weren't kidding. It's pretty common, so this shouldn't be so much of a surprise."

"Hey Ritsuka, does it say if Kirei died?" Cú asked.

"That's his son, right?"

"Correct."

Ritsuka looked at the paper again to search for any other names who perished, only to shake his head and put the paper down. "No, apparently Mr. Kotomine was the only person in the church when it exploded."

"Dammit, I was hoping it would have taken his devil spawn with him too….."

"Well with Risei's death, his son might become the next overseer." Waver said calmly.

Not a second later, Ritsuka's communicator beeped and Roman appeared on the screen. "We heard and saw everything on our monitors. I know this looks bad, but we still have time to figure things out."

"I don't think they have that much time left." Medusa said as she stepped into view of the monitor. "Listen, Lancelot is still out there, and if left unchecked he could cause more havoc. You cannot afford any more setbacks."

"Medusa, I think caution is more important right now." Da Vinci replied. "Rider and Assassin are still out there, and if they somehow team up, we won't be able to get to the Grail."

"Da Vinci is right." Waver said. "Ritsuka and Ms. Einzbern still need to rest a bit. When they're at full strength, we can dismantle the Holy Grail before anyone gets any bright ideas."

"Speaking of that, I've been meaning to ask a question." Da Vinci said. "Ritsuka, how are you holding up after that first Mana Prism?"

"I'm fine now. But when I used it…it felt like my body was on fire. Every fiber, every circuit was burning with magical energy. Is that supposed to happen?"

"It'll be like that for a while." Da Vinci answered. "Once you and Tatsuko start using them more often, the pain will practically become nonexistent."

"Excuse me, but why does Mr. Fujimaru need those cubes?" Irisviel asked. "His Magic Circuits aren't too bad quantity wise, and his quality is somewhat passable, so does he really need those things?"

"~Oh you spoil me, Ms. Einzbern!~" Da Vinci chimed. "You see, while Ritsuka and Tatsuko do have weak, yet passable circuits, they also have to go against more powerful foes than themselves. Mystic Codes and Servants can only do so much, so they need this as a sort of boost to give them an edge."

"I still think having him use it last battle was reckless." Irisviel said. "There should have been time for both of them to test it out at your base before he came."

"What's done is done." Ritsuka answered. "I still have two left, and if things get dicey, I'll use them."

"Don't overdo it, squire of my other self." Saber said. "You can still rely on your comrades too."

"She's right, you don't need to use them if you don't have to." Diarmuid replied.

"Don't worry, I'm saving them as a last resort anyway." Ritsuka said with a chuckle.

"Guys, the Overseer has been killed." Emiya said. "How about we take a break from this, process that, and finish our dinner."

"You all go on ahead." Kiritsugu said. "I would like to talk to your Master here in private for a moment."

No one seemed to question the Counter Guardian's request, and all but Ritsuka left the tea room back to the dining room to finish their meal. As soon as they were out of the room, Kiritsugu closed the door himself, and applied a bounded field, hoping to keep their conversation from reaching anyone else's ears but their own.

"I think I know what this will be about…" Ritsuka said.

"Then I'll cut to the chase." Kiritsugu said. "I understand you have your no killing policy, and your personal reasons for having it."

"Okay? Are you going to say I'm wrong for having that?"

"Not exactly." Kiritsugu answered. "I am just wondering about something: I'm a killer, and have been for a long time. It is what I do, and has become my purpose."

"I know." Ritsuka said. The black haired teen stared at the Counter Guardian for a moment, and saw a flash of something on his face. It looked like Kiritsugu was….unsure about something. "Do you have any doubts about it?"

"Somewhat, but I won't criticize you for having it. I have no right to do so anyway." Kiritsugu said. "What I'm trying to get at is if you can trust me, given my career."

"I do trust you." Ritsuka answered.

"Interesting…. Do you want me to hold back and refrain from killing too?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Ah, so there's where this was headed…" Ritsuka muttered. "There are….exceptions to the code, if you get what I mean."

"I think I have an idea on what those exceptions are."

Ritsuka nodded. "If it's not an issue with you, you admitted to having doubts about it, can you tell me what it is?"

"I just think it is naive." Kiritsugu answered. "The harsh reality is that some lives have to be taken in order for humanity to thrive."

Ritsuka took a deep breath and sighed. He had a feeling that the Counter Guardian would say that. He's heard it before from some others, but even then, he would not budge. He understood their reasoning, and Kiritsugu had done things like that given his role…..

"I don't think it's that simple."

"It isn't? How so?"

Ritsuka thought for a few moments. He wasn't trying to find any moral high ground over Kiritsugu, nor was he wanting to act as if he was better than the Counter Guardian for refusing to kill. His personal vow was personal, something Kiritsugu admitted to understanding him as to why he had it. But what he also just said felt….off somehow.

"Let me put it this way..." Ritsuka said. "Yesterday you said you were nothing more than a weapon to save humanity. But if you continue killing people like you have been, then you can't really say you're fighting for us. If anything, it has to be us humans to decide our own fate, not some weapon, or the Counter Force."

Kiritsugu went silent at those words. The black haired teen stood there for a moment, trying to ascertain what the Counter Guardian was thinking. He soon realized he had said enough, and decided to let the white haired man think.

"Well, I'm gonna head back and finish my dinner." Ritsuka said with a friendly smile. "I'll save you some as well."

As Ritsuka closed the door behind him. Kiritsugu remained silent. The white haired man saw the look in Ritsuka's eyes as they talked, and remembered how he was when he was Ritsuka's age. The two of them were really alike in so many aspects, yet their personalities could not be anymore different. An intrusive thought wormed into his head, and it made Kiritsugu feel…concern for the boy.

He could only hope that Ritsuka is never put in a situation where he breaks his code…..

The two men cast a final gaze at the aged priest in a heavy wooden casket. Tradition would dictate a longer mourning period and viewing for the deceased, but Risei was a very practical man.

"My old friend…I'm sorry this conflict has taken you." said Tokiomi, giving a nod of respect as his eyes were closed.

As a Magus, death is only natural. To spend even a second on sentiment would be borderline heretical, thought Tokiomi. Yet, Risei deserved at least this much.

"I have found the passage," said Kirei, holding an aged and weathered copy of the Bible, Risei's personal copy he kept by his side for 60 long years, in his hands.

Tokiomi turned, intrigued by Kire's discovery. In his last moments, Risei had inscribed a passage from the bible, coded of course, on his own flesh for his son. The older man suppressed a chuckle after seeing the string of numbers; despite being a man of the cloth, Risei would've made an excellent Magus if he applied himself.

"What is it? What did dear Risei leave for us in his last moments before being struck down?" asked Tokiomi, his veneer of cool dignity thin after losing Archer AND Risei.

"It is…a key," said Kirei, walking to his father's side and putting a hand on his arm, "A key to the Command Seals held by the Church Overseer during a Holy Grail War."

Kirei repeated the verse in his father's Bible. It was in Latin, Risei was an educated man after all, and contained slight variations in pronunciation and diction; even if someone were to find the message and Risei's Bible, without knowledge of the Church's finer idiosyncrasies, the key would be useless to them. Indeed, the late Overseer would have made a fine Magus…

A light began glowing from Risei's arm, bright enough to be visible even under his dark and heavy sleeves. The light left the old man's arm and moved into Kirei's arm, gently phasing through his flesh and nesting within his Magic Circuits.

"My friend, never let it be said you weren't as clever as you were pious," said Tokiomi, his voice soft from the sight of the simple yet intimate display, "Kirei, I am curious…"

The younger man turned to face his teacher. His face was stoic, despite the recent loss of his father. To Tokiomi, Kirei must be putting on a brave face to avoid distractions in the middle of a Holy Grail War; to Kirei…there was a different sensation.

"Yes, Mr. Tohsaka?" asked Kirei, sensing his teacher's question.

"Clearly, Risei was taken from us by one of the competitors in the HGW. Attacking the Overseer would be a grave sin, yet it would free up a less restrained Master to enact a terrible plan I imagine." suggested Tokiomi.

Effectively, he suspected Risei was killed by an enemy Master who was preparing something that the Overseer would put a stop to.

"That is logical. However, the Master of Caster, the one most likely to perform such a deed, has already been killed." replied Kirei, pointing out the logical hole in his teacher's conjecture.

"Correct. I do not think the Einzbern would be so disgraceful as to blatantly disregard the rules they helped craft in the Holy Grail War either. Our mystery group, the boy and his collage of Servants that have effectively replaced Lancer's Master, is a factor…however, there is no motive as their best time to act would've been before fighting Archer." explained Tokiomi.

His mind was struggling to piece together the various elements. Who could still be active in the 4th Holy Grail War.

"There is also the Matou Master," offered Kirei, his mind turning to the image of the pained and suffering young man eaten alive by his own Magecraft.

"Kariya? Hrmm…well, he lacks a Magus's decorum, so I cannot exclude him out of hand…" mumbled Tokiomi, connecting the recent events to Kariya's strange behavior recently, "He also ran away from his training; the sorry state of his body was clearly the result of trying to compensate and bypass needed conditioning. If he was desperate enough, then the possibility is quite sound."

Kirei sensed doubt brewing in his mind at Tokiomi's reasoning. He had set two Assassins to tail and observe Kariya Matou during his campaign in the Grail War. The man did not appear to be the type to act like how Tokiomi believed…yet Kirei did not want to tell that to his teacher. Archer's words were still in his mind, and by keeping silent…

"...Yes, I see. That is sound, Mr. Tohsaka." lied Kirei, smooth as butter and without a single sign of betrayal on his face.

Well, thought the younger man, it's not a complete lie. He never said he agreed with Tokiomi, just that his logic was intact; the fact it was based on a false assumption had nothing to do with that.

Thus, Kirei saw no need to interfere with Tokiomi as he quickly began planning against the pitiful man. Kirei's mind was delighted at how Tokiomi would react upon finding out he was completely off base.

BUZZ

Kirei's trained ears caught the sound of an insect - perhaps some form of beetle - skittering out of their room. It moved unusually, like it was intending to stay out of sight from the two occupants. No need to inform Mr. Tohsaka, thought Kirei.

"Kirei, I do not mean to impose, but I think now is the best time to make this suggestion." Tokiomi said, bringing Kirei back to reality. "Hand over Assassin to me."

Kirei nodded. "I will do so."

"Thank you, my friend." Tokiomi said. "It would be inappropriate for the new Overseer to have a Servant of his own after all."

The two men raised their right hands as they closed their eyes to focus on transferring the contract. Tokiomi felt the rush of mana flow through him again, and a shining red light permeated his vision as he opened his eyes. The Tohsaka patriarch looked down and saw that he once again had three Command Seals. While he was glad that he was back in the War, he only wished it was under better circumstances. He only wished Risei didn't have to pass away for this to unfold…..

The black haired man looked back at the casket and placed his hand on hit again. "Under the dignity of the Tohsaka name, I will avenge you, my friend."

Tokiomi took a deep breath and stood up straight, his hands behind his back. "Assassin, are you here?"

The hooded Servant appeared from the shadows, and knelt. "I have been here the entire time, my new Master."

"Please stand, Assassin." Tokiomi replied. "Give me your report on our new arrivals who killed Archer."

Assassin gave a small, yet reluctant nod. "I apologize, but I only managed to resume my observations on them this morning. The past two days I had to focus on protecting you and Lord Kotomine."

"Do not worry about that, Assassin. Just tell me what you found out."

Assassin looked at the Tohsaka patriarch and nodded again. "This morning they seemed to have gone to a store to grab some groceries. Then there was the day after Caster was slain. I spied three of them. The girl with the shield, the blue haired Lancer, and that black haired boy specifically, coming from the sewers and entering a red light district. But more importantly, in my humble opinion Master, there was their previous alliance with the Master of Lancer, before he left the Grail War of his own accord."

Tokiomi and Kirei raised their eyebrows. A Magus such as Lord El-Mellois would never leave the battlefield prematurely.

"Tell me more about their alliance." Tokiomi said.

"From what I gathered, it was not a stable one." Assassin answered. "The black haired Master seemed to have a strong dislike of Lancer's Master."

"Why am I not surprised…" Tokiomi muttered. "His kind have always had a nasty habit of disliking those superior to them…."

Kirei raised an eyebrow at his mentor's statement. "Sir, what do you mean by that?"

"Ah, nothing you have to worry about." Tokiomi answered. "In any case, there is something that is bugging me. You have mentioned this…boy quite a bit. Have you figured out his identity? Have any of his Servants slipped up and said his name?"

"They were pretty open about his name in their casual discussions." Assassin answered. "His name, if I remember correctly, is Fujimaru Ritsuka."

"I see…." Tokiomi said under his breath. "And what of Lord El-Mellois' departure? Why did he leave and give him control of his Servant?"

"Unfortunately I do not know the details for this event." Assassin admitted. "However, there IS something that I found out after that exchange."

"And what would that be?" Kirei asked.

"They are not from this timeline."

"...I am sorry, but can you repeat that?" Tokiomi said in disbelief.

"They are from a different timeline altogether." Assassin answered. "And if they are to be believed, they are from a different timeline in the future….."

Tokiomi's eyes widened. "Oh of course! That is how they seemed to know our every move! And it would explain why that Fujimaru boy managed to slip past my notice. He probably hasn't even been born yet!"

"So what is the plan?" Kirei asked.

Tokiomi put a hand to his chin and rubbed it for a bit, deep in thought. These people from the future are incredibly mysterious. They have all this power at their disposal. They had the advantage in numbers and quality, and yet they seemed to be remaining hands off for the most part. They could have killed him, or the other Masters at any time, but they only seemed to be interested in killing Archer. And there was the fact that Saber's Master mentioned she owed this….Fujimaru Ritsuka, for saving her life at an earlier time. As he thought about it more, he can now recall in a better clarity during his fight with the boy at the Einzbern Manor, that he seemed to be trying to protect Kariya more than fighting. This was all too strange…..

"For today, I intend to mourn the passing of Risei." Tokiomi said eventually. "And a few days from now, when their guards have been lowered, I intend to invoke a parley with this Fujimaru boy, and Lady Einzbern as well. I want to see what they are planning, and if it benefits me, I might ally with them for the time being. At least until they're weakened enough for me to finish them off."

Assassin felt a tinge of conflicted emotions unfold within her. While she was bound to serve her new Master, and she would carry out his orders without fail, another part of her felt..reluctant. Especially when it came to Tokiomi's idea of killing the boy. Whenever she spied upon these newcomers, this Fujimaru person had an air of….comfort and familiarity. The hooded Servant soon banished those thoughts from her mind, and returned back to reality. "Master, what should we do for now?"

"As I said before, I intend to mourn my friend's passing." Tokiomi replied. "Kirei and I will hold a vigil here for now and pray for him."

"If it is okay with the two of you, I would like to pray for him as well."

Tokiomi stared at Assassin in slight surprise, but a smile also formed upon his lips. "I'm flattered that you offered."

Assassin said nothing. Instead, she simply took off her mask, and her hood, letting her long, dark purple hair flow down, still wrapped in its ponytail. "Given my…condition, I was also given free reign on how I prayed. So if it would make you feel more comfortable, I can pray like a Christian."

"Do you know how we do it?" Tokiomi asked.

Assassin nodded. "I've performed them dozens of times, when I was doing undercover work."

Tokiomi smiled and waited for her to kneel down, with him and Kirei following after. The three of them clasped their hands together, closed their eyes and prayed at the altar and the casket. As they did so, everything went silent. No howling wind, no chirping of birds. All that could be heard were the silent prayers of the three people by the casket.