Return to Null Chapter 12:

Innocence Lost.

Day 14

The afternoon breeze wafted through the air gently. The Mckenzie household's windows shimmered as the sun's rays touched them, giving the interior a nice warm feeling. Inside the younger Waver and Rider ate their lunch while the owners went out to buy groceries for dinner for that night. The young man ate his food slowly, his head in the clouds as he thought about all the strange things happening. First Caster was killed, then some newcomers arrived, Archer getting killed by them a few days later, and now the Overseer is dead with his son supposedly taking his place…..

"You know your food's going to go to waste if you eat at that pace." Rider said. "Oh, perhaps I can take that off your plate!"

Young Waver widened his eyes for a moment, realizing that he was spacing out. The young man soon ate his food at a faster pace, not wanting Rider to take it from him. The red haired Servant laughed with a mighty bellow. The black haired Master stared at him in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"It's just that you look like a child that got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to." Rider answered.

"I am not!" Young Waver shouted.

Rider laughed even louder. "Sorry, sorry, I'll stop teasing you. So, what's on your mind?"

Young Waver took a deep breath and stared at his food with a solemn and uncertain expression. "I….I feel like something is off with this Holy Grail War. I've been getting this bad feeling ever since Caster's death."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think this Holy Grail War has gone off the rails. Things aren't meant to be this way. At least that's the feeling that I'm getting."

"So you're starting to figure things out." Rider said. "And have you figured out the identity of that Caster these new guys had?"

"No….not yet…."

Rider smiled warmly. "You'll figure it out eventually. You're a clever kid after all."

"Regardless, I think our chances of victory are now pretty slim….." Young Waver replied.

"Hey now where's that talk coming from?" Rider asked with a bright smile. "We still have a chance for victory. Nothing's impossible!"

The young Master saw that bright smile of Rider's, and felt a sudden wave of comfort and relief flood through him. He then smiled and nodded, thinking that perhaps Rider was right, they might have a chance yet. Rider looked at him with a steely gaze. "I have a favor to ask. It's got something to do with after all this is over."

Young Waver raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is it?"

"Live."

The young Master cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just do it." Rider said. "It's an order from your king."

"Okay, okay, I'll do as you ask." Young Waver replied.

"Thank you, now how about we get back to our lunch!"

"Sure thing, but I also have something to ask." The black haired Master said. "That new Master, the one who had all those Servants. Why is it that he has so many Servants under his command? I noticed the quality of his Circuits, and even though they're slightly passable, he shouldn't be able to utilize them all like he was able to."

"That's a good question, but I don't know the answer to that either." Rider answered. "But I'd like to find out."

"And I'd like to know what his deal is. Ever since he arrived, he's minded his own business aside from killing Archer. And now he's just….we don't even know what he's planning."

"Well, what do YOU think of him?" Rider asked.

Young Waver sighed. "I don't know what to think about him. Though he doesn't seem to be a bad person…."

Rider rubbed his chin for a few moments before snapping his fingers and grinning. "Then how about in a few days, we find him alone and try to talk to him. We'll know for certain what kind of person he is, and perhaps get an inkling of what he's after!"

"Oh that's a good plan!" Young Waver chimed. The two of them resumed their luncheon with renewed vigor. The house filled with their voices as they tried to come up with ways to ensure their plan could work. As they did so, Rider smiled softly as he saw the enthusiasm return to his Master's eyes. It would seem that what was troubling him was now forgotten.

Meanwhile, a Rolls Royce drove around towards the Tohsaka manor at a calming pace. As the wire golem was driving, Ritsuka, Irisviel, Waver and Saber sat in the back. Saber wore her standard armor, while Waver stayed in his usual black suit. Irisviel wore her regular attire, while Ritsuka donned a nice suit with a blue shirt, black shoes, coat and pants. The black haired Master tried to remain calm, but his unease made it harder to do so.

"I know what you're planning, Ritsuka." Waver said. "But don't worry, I won't object to your choice this time."

Ritsuka smiled weakly. "Thanks. Sorry guys, I'm just…..thinking about something."

A moment later, Ritsuka's communicator buzzed before Tatsuko's holographic form appeared before him. "Let me guess, you're chafing because once again you're entering a Clock Tower Mage's base, and you hate Mage's associated with them…."

"Well you're not exactly wrong, but there's more to it than that…" Ritsuka said. "Mr. Tohsaka is a huge Clock Tower supporter, perhaps their best supporter in Japan. And he's asking us to come to him."

Tatsuko winced. "Oh right, you're a heretic like me….That usually never ends well…."

"Ms. Tachibana, I heard you lived in an apartment complex composed solely of Mages who tried to avoid the Clock Tower from my son." Irisviel replied. "I was wondering how come they….didn't go after you, if you catch what I mean."

Tatsuko sighed. "Well we weren't as off the grid as I incorrectly implied. They knew about us, and so we had to…..give lip service to them from time to time. They took real pleasure in making the landlady and some of the residents squirm when they appeared from time to time. Heck one time they came after me for lip service, and they were enjoying seeing me fumble…."

"Bloody hell…" Waver muttered. "I didn't expect them to go that far…"

"Do they not do that in your timeline?" Ritsuka asked.

"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised." Waver answered.

"Hey quick question." Eric said from the corner of the room. "How come the Clock Tower hasn't imploded yet from all their bullshit?"

Waver chuckled. "That is also a mystery in of itself."

"Lady Tachibana, what was your home like?" Saber asked. "Was it similar to the Clock Tower?"

"Yes and no." Tatsuko said. "Was it a place composed solely of mages? Yes. Were they sociopaths? No. They mainly kept to themselves and did their research in peace."

"And Tatsuko got the bonus of having her landlady being her Magecraft teacher." Ritsuka replied.

"What was she like?" Irisviel asked.

"Well back in France I told Margaretha that she was like a cool aunt to me. But that was it. We didn't have that familial bond that people think we did."

"Who is this woman?" Waver asked.

"Aoki Harumi." Tatsuko answered.

"Sounds like a sweet old lady." Ritsuka said.

"Not exactly." Tatsuko said. "She was also a stern hardass when she needed to be. Which kind of comes with being a landlady in an apartment complex filled with mages…."

"Sorry to cut this conversation short, but we finally arrived…" Irisviel said. The communicator deactivated as the car finally arrived at the Tohsaka Estate. As the gates opened up for them, Ritsuka shivered in intimidation for a brief moment. He was about to enter a lion's den, and in all likelihood this was a trap. As they left the car, a beautiful woman with green hair and matching green eyes came out of the estate and gave a small bow to the visitors.

"I am Tohsaka Aoi. Wife of Tokiomi Tohsaka. I have come to escort you to the conference room."

The group said nothing as Aoi led them inside the manor. No one said a word as they entered, all four of them were on edge as the Tohsaka matriarch led them through the mansion. None of them seemed to be too much in awe from the interior, including Ritsuka. The black haired boy had seen much grander interiors in his time in the French Singularity and the Roman Singularity. Compared to those splendors, this was merely a cozy little cottage. From the corner of his eye he saw some family photos along the wall, photos of Sakura were still around, making Ritsuka feel some form of happiness, but a hint of anger and disbelief also formed within him at how they still stood there. Aoi did not notice his glancing at the photos, however, and continued her stride towards the conference room. As soon as they arrived, Aoi opened the doors for them, waiting for them to enter.

"My husband will join you shortly." Aoi said calmly. As soon as she was certain they would remain, she closed the doors behind them, letting them look around the conference room. From the corner of Waver's eye, he saw some photos on a dresser. The Caster walked towards it, wanting to take a closer look until he saw they were all of Rin. Waver felt a small smile form on his lips before noticing Ritsuka coming towards him, also taking a look at the picture. A devious look on the Caster's face made the Master curious.

"What are you thinking about?" Ritsuka asked.

"I'm just thinking how you look like a gender swapped version of Rin." Waver answered. "Are you sure you're not related to the family?"

Ritsuka groaned in annoyance. "For the hundredth, I'm not a Tohsaka. Why do people keep thinking that I am?"

Before Waver could answer, Irisviel gasped in delight. "Oh this conference room is amazing! Say what you will about Mr. Tohsaka, but this one room actually looked interesting."

"Master, please calm yourself…." Saber muttered.

"How can I?" Irisviel asked. "The decor for my conference room is so bland compared to this one…."

"Honestly I prefer your conference room to this one." Ritsuka said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's got this…..familial and homey feeling to it. It makes me feel like I'm genuinely welcome." Ritsuka answered. "This room? It just…..it feels too flashy and cold. Like it's wanting to show off how rich you are."

"Ah, welcome to my humble home."

The group turned around to see Tokiomi, with Assassin right by his side. The Tohsaka patriarch gave a small bow to greet his guests, before looking at Irisviel with a smile. "Vielen Dank für Ihr Kommen, Dame Einzbern."

Irisviel's expression did not shift dramatically. But Saber and Waver took note of her eyes, and saw she was not amused by Tokiomi's greeting. Ritsuka, on the other hand, simply stared at the man in confusion. He had no clue what he just said, but it seemed to not be hostile. Tokiomi noticed the boy's stare and turned to face him. "Oh I must apologize, I forgot that someone such as yourself might not understand German. Would you like for me to translate what I said to you?"

Ritsuka scowled for a moment. Tokiomi did that on purpose in order to insult him. The black haired teen took a deep breath, and regained his composure. Ritsuka would not let this go unanswered, and knew exactly how to respond. Two could play at this game. "No thank you, I think I got the idea."

It was now Tokiomi's turn to stare at him in confusion, but with a hint of surprise. Ritsuka could only chuckle in his mind before returning to the Japanese language. "Oh I am so sorry, sir. I thought that, given your obvious mastery of the German language, that you'd also be fluent in english. Would you like for me to translate what I said?"

Irisviel and Waver stared at the two of them awkwardly for a moment while trying not to smile in amusement. Tokiomi, surprisingly, did not scowl or show any hint of dissatisfaction with the response. Though he did shudder at the boy faking a normal accent instead of using his natural one, he seemed very calm and shrugged it off as he could only acknowledge he walked into that one. "Please, let us sit down and talk."

The four guests looked at each other for a moment, before slowly taking their seats in front of them. Tokiomi then sat down right across from Irisviel, with Assassin continuing to stand. Ritsuka decided to clear the air first, and cleared his throat. "Before we begin, I'd just like to offer my condolences to you over the previous overseer's death."

Tokiomi stared at Ritsuka with a hint of surprise. Out of all the topics to begin with, and after their little battle of wits just moments ago, he was offering condolences. The Tohsaka patriarch looked at the boy closely, trying to see if there were any hints of malice or falsehood in his eyes, but found none. It would seem this boy was being genuine to him. How curious…

"Thank you, he was a dear friend of mine." Tokiomi said, having decided to answer. "And you all can be at ease as I know that none of you committed foul play with his death."

"And I must thank you for not accusing us of something so outlandish." Irisviel replied.

"Then allow me to cut to the chase." Tokiomi said. "Lady Einzbern, I am well aware of who your allies are, or rather where they come from. And I suspect that you are already aware that they are from an alternate timeline's future."

"Well, it's not like we've been trying to hide it anymore anyway." Ritsuka countered. "I'm surprised it took you until recently to figure that out."

"Then allow me to officially confirm why I asked you to come here." Tokiomi replied. "As stated in my letter, I'd like to propose an alliance between the three of us."

"Well you're quick on the draw as usual, Mr. Tohsaka." Waver said. "If this were your daughter, she'd have been much more cautious."

"Is that a threat?" Tokiomi asked sternly.

"Be at ease, sir. I wasn't making a threat, nor would I threaten her life at all." Waver replied. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Lord El-Melloi II."

Tokiomi's eyes widened in surprise. "Lord El-Melloi II? But how is that possible? You're a Servant!"

"Pseudo-Servant, actually." Waver answered. "My…..circumstances are quite unique, but the fact of the matter is that I hail from a different timeline like Ritsuka here, but not from his."

"So you're….from another alternate timeline?"

Waver nodded. "And where I am from, your daughter came to the Clock Tower to further her studies, and became one of my best students."

"That is indeed excellent to hear." Tokiomi said. "But now I am curious what happened to the first Lord El-Melloi. He was participating in the Holy Grail War, and yet he left everything to this boy here. Am I to assume that is not the case where you come from?"

"Oh he participated in the Grail War." Waver answered. "And he lost. I don't think I need to tell you the rest…"

"Ah, I see. Then pray tell, why did you decide to prevent the death of our Lord El-Melloi, if I may be so bold?"

"I wanted to undo one of my biggest mistakes…."

Tokiomi looked at the man for a few moments, squinting as if trying to figure out something. It didn't take long for him to ease his body for a moment as he realized who this was. "I see now….You're Rider's Master, but all grown up. Then I assume you had won the War."

Waver shook his head. "No….I lost."

"Then that means Archer must have lived and I won."

"Nobody really won the war." Waver answered.

"Perhaps we should be getting back on track here." Ritsuka chimed.

"Oh do not worry, this is all part of the idea." Tokiomi answered. "If we are to be allies, then we have to know more about each other. So I have some more questions for you."

"Fine, but just so you know, I can't answer all of them depending on the topic." Ritsuka said coldly. "Classified information and all."

"Fair enough. So for my first question; how is it that you managed to make contracts with so many Servants?"

"Unfortunately for you, that is one of those questions I won't be able to answer."

"Then what about the reason you came here?"

"Also classified."

"Can you at least tell me who you work for?"

"An organization founded by the Animusphere's. That's all I can say."

Tokiomi clapped his hands together. "Then all the more reason for us to ally together!"

"Why do you want this alliance all of a sudden?" Ritsuka asked.

"That is something that we've been wanting to know since you sent us that message." Irisviel. "First, my friends and Saber killed Archer, and you intended to use Assassin to kill me in my own home. And now, you ask for an alliance? You have got a lot of gall to even propose such a thing."

"An unfortunate part of the Holy Grail War, Ms. Einzbern." Tokiomi replied. "But now things have changed, and I really do want to be allies."

"Yes, but why ask us of all people?" Waver asked. "What do you hope to gain by helping us?"

"He's right." Saber said. "Why go to us, instead of Rider and his Master?"

"I considered it." Tokiomi lied. "But in the end, I thought that Rider would be too much of a loose cannon, or outright refuse."

"For once I agree." Waver said. "He'd definitely decline the idea immediately."

Tokiomi turned to Irisviel with a smile. "I understand your feelings about this proposal, but I must ask anyway. Do you accept my offer?"

Irisviel grinned. "I think I shall leave the decision up to my partner here."

Taking his cue, Ritsuka slowly stood up from his seat and walked away, looking out the window behind him. "My mentor would always tell me to never trust the words of a Mage of the Clock Tower. She would tell me of the brutal experiments they'd do, and of the sheer cruelty of their methods."

Tokiomi raised an eyebrow for a few moments. Whoever his mentor was, they definitely seemed to be a heretic to the core. No…much worse. They seemed to be a threat to his way of life….

"But she also taught me to see the best in others." Ritsuka added. "And I have seen that within Lord El-Melloi II, grouchy as he is, and Ms. Einzbern is one of the kindest souls I have ever met."

Tokiomi started to grin. It would seem that the boy might understand his teacher's logic is flawed and downright traitorous. He might even make a good pawn if he allowed him to live. He had them now.

"But not you."

Tokiomi raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's as I just said." Ritsuka answered as he turned to face Tokiomi calmly. "I might have been born a mage, but I was raised among the regular folk of Fuyuki's Shinkaichi district. And in Shinkaichi, I saw some of the worst humanity had to offer. Don't get me wrong, you're a much better person than the majority of those people, but if I even entertained the idea of allying with you, then I'd be going against everything Doc taught me, and against everything I stand for."

"I see…." Tokiomi muttered. "You must have been giving this much thought when I sent the message, then…"

"No, we didn't." Ritsuka said. "We were going to decline your invitation anyway."

"Then why did you four agree to meet with me if you all already decided to refuse my offer?" Tokiomi asked.

"We wanted to give you the common courtesy to decline your offer face to face." Irisviel answered. "Sending a mere message would have been too unprofessional, and you at least deserved some proper respect."

The Tohsaka patriarch stared at them in surprise for a few brief moments before sighing in disappointment. "Well, thank you for respecting me enough to have come in person for this…."

"Will that be all?" Ritsuka asked.

Tokiomi nodded. "That will be all for this meeting. And as I am a man of my word, you will be able to leave here without any incident."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Waver said. Without uttering another word, the four allies got up from their seats, and walked out of the conference room. However, Irisviel stopped in her tracks and stared at Tokiomi with a cold glance.

"You know if it were up to me, I'd have ignored your invite right away." She said. "I'd rather not have fallen asleep listening to your boring voice. And another thing….your German sucks, everything sounded bland and boring."

With a final huff, Irisviel closed the door behind her, leaving Tokiomi with his mouth agape as Assassin stared on in absolute shock. That girl sure was an energetic one, that's for sure….Tokiomi quickly regained his senses and stared at Assassin in curiosity.

"Assassin….am I actually boring?"

"...I don't think you want to know the answer to that, Master….."

Back outside as the group entered their vehicle, they remained silent for a few moments until they knew they were out of view of the manor. Ritsuka then turned to Irisviel with a deadpan look. "I cannot believe you actually went for his throat like that as we left."

"Oh please, you were thinking it too." Irisviel said playfully.

"No I wasn't." Ritsuka said. Irisviel stared at him with a devious smile, boring into his soul and making the male Master gulp. "Okay, maybe a LITTLE bit…"

Irisviel raised an eyebrow playfully and grinned further. Ritsuka broke his composure and chuckled evilly. "Okay, okay you got me, I was thinking about it the entire time."

Another beep from the communicator signified Roman's appearance on the screen. The acting Director held two cups of coffee in his hands. Ritsuka raised an eyebrow as he saw Tatsuko chugging down energy drinks alongside Blackbeard, Nobunaga and Alexander, and Davinci also holding two coffees in her hands, sipping them gently as if everything was normal. "You know I was worried about that conference taking any longer. If it did, we'd have fallen asleep and missed everything."

"He's not wrong." Artoria said from the doctor's side. "I was starting to doze off too."

"Hang on a moment, we have to show him this!" Tatsuko said. "It's so funny!"

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow, what was she so excited about, and what were those noises he was hearing? He barely had time to react as Tatsuko managed to move the screen to face the rest of the Command Room, making everyone in the car react with either amusement, or disbelief at what they saw.

Half the Command Room had their heads on their workstations, snoring away.

"Is this some kind of prank?" Ritsuka asked, trying to keep from laughing.

Tatsuko decided to zoom in on a few of the sleeping Chaldeans, and Ritsuka widened his eyes as he saw that Dustin was one of the ones asleep. "Okay, if he's doing that, then this is no prank."

"Oh it gets better." Davinci whispered.

Tatsuko then panned to the rest of the room, and Ritsuka and Irisviel gasped, but stifled their giggles as they saw the sights before them. Martha was asleep near Roman and Davinci, sitting in the chair peacefully as she snoozed. But the crowning jewel was Medusa and Liz, who were slumped to the wall, with the Lancer resting her head on the Rider's shoulder, and the Rider's head resting upon Liz's. Ritsuka could only smile as he spotted Marie to the side, taking as many pictures of those two as possible. "Okay, just how many Servants are in the Command Room right now?"

"Hello!" Some voices said in hushed whispers in unison.

Tatsuko slowly panned the screen to show the sources of the voices and saw Medea, Kojiro, and surprisingly, Perseus and Andromeda. The latter two made Ritsuka crack an even bigger grin. "If Medusa wakes up to see you two, she'll be very annoyed."

"Oh we were here when she got back." Andromeda said. "I was going to take the sleeping Medusa pictures myself, but Marie beat me to it."

"And may I ask why you all are here?" Ritsuka asked.

"We came to give some moral support." Kojiro said.

"As for me, I'm just here to see Zouken fall if he ever shows his face." Medea replied.

"Thanks guys." Ritsuka said. "Now, since you're all here, how about we all introduce you to Emiya's adopted mom!"

Andromeda and Marie gasped in delight, with Irisviel waving to the newcomers before they decided to lose themselves in different topics, wanting to make a good impression to each other. As they droned on, Waver looked at the scene with a calm gaze as he saw the white haired woman smiling. The Caster could feel the air in the car growing peaceful once more, but he remained on edge. Things were going to come to a head soon, but when it would happen was something he didn't know, and it made him worried.

The warmth of the sun gave comfort to Mashu as she sat at a bench in the park. The lilac haired girl watched as Fou ran around the bench and in the grass like a madman. According to Tatsuko, this is what most people would call "the zoomies". The Shielder giggled at the term, thinking it appropriate right now for the running bullet that was Fou. While she was distracted, Fou seized his chance and leapt towards her feet, running in between her legs and wagging his tail to tickle his caretaker's legs. Mashu could only giggle at the sensation of the fluffy tail dashing back and forth as Fou continued to run circles around her.

"What is he?" Someone whispered out of earshot. "Is he a dog of some sort? A cat? Or a squirrel?"

"Does it matter? The important thing is that he's cute." Another person whispered. "I want one too….."

"I mean his owner is cute too." A boy's voice said. "Maybe I should ask if she'd like to get something to eat."

"Don't bother." Another person's voice whispered. "I saw her with a guy earlier this week, and it looked like they were pretty close."

Mashu paid no mind to the comments and whispers around her as she focused all of her attention on Fou. She didn't notice how the onlookers decided to leave her alone to her friend as they returned to their own lives. Mashu looked up to the sky as Fou leapt into her lap, and the Shielder scratched behind his ears gently with a smile. There was nothing that could ruin this moment for her.

"This is a fine day indeed."

Mashu's eyes widened as she witnessed Fou shooting up onto his feet, lowering himself into an aggressive stance and hissed ferociously. The Shielder's heart dropped for a few moments in suspicion at who that voice belonged to. There could be only one person who'd be coming to her like this, and just as she thought her day couldn't be ruined, that hope was snatched away in an instant. Mashu turned her head and saw the withered old man standing next to the bench with a smile on his face. Mashu could not believe it, but her face instinctively formed a scowl as she stared at him more. He was even more dangerous up close than when she saw him from a distance.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Matou Zouken."

Mashu took a deep breath and nodded to the old man. "To what do I owe the pleasure, sir?"

"Oho, how polite of you to ask." Zouken replied. "May I sit down?"

Mashu said nothing, but her posture and attitude made it clear to Zouken that he was given the all clear to sit beside her. "Thank you, my old body just can't handle standing up for so long."

"Why are you here?" Mashu asked partially out of curiosity, and partially to try and get whatever he's planning over with.

"I'm just surprised to see you away from your Master."

Mashu's eyes widened in shock as she turned to face him. Zouken smiled at this and chuckled. "You know, you remind me of my granddaughter with that look on your face."

"Do I really?" Mashu asked in faux ignorance. She couldn't let Zouken figure out about her part in rescuing Sakura from his clutches, so she hoped this little fib would work. "What does your granddaughter look like?"

"Oh she's so impressionable, precocious, and….vulnerable."

Mashu squirmed from the comment. Zouken's mouth curled open in a sinister grin. "You're vulnerable too, you know. I look forward to seeing what my bugs think of the taste of your body."

A chill ran through the Shielder's spine, causing Zouken to chuckle raspily. The old man could see the terror and fear in her eyes. "I know that you've seen them since the battle at the Einzbern Manor. It must have been quite the delightful sight seeing them play inside Kariya's body."

"You are laughing….." Mashu muttered. "He was suffering and dying because of them…..and you treat it as if it was one of the funniest things in the world…"

"Well well, it seems you might have some bite after all." Zouken replied. "Good, women like that are my favorite."

"Why are you really here?" Mashu asked.

"Oh, I was just here to give you a message." Zouken answered. "A word of thanks for destroying Archer when you did. With his death, the Grail should be nearing completion. I cannot imagine the pain poor Ms. Einzbern must be feeling. It must be….killing her inside."

Mashu clenched her fists as Zouken laughed. "You are wrong…we will save her from that fate."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said we will save Ms. Einzbern from dying." Mashu answered.

"And how will you do that?" Zouken asked playfully. "You want the Grail, do you not? Oh but for that to happen, Ms. Einzbern will die, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"And yet I am sensing that you have an alternative to "help"." Mashu said coldly.

"How perceptive." Zouken said. "I may or may not have a way to help, but you must do something for me."

"What would that be?"

Zouken grinned even more as he stared at the Shielder intently. "Just deliver the message I told you to your Master."

"I will be sure to tell him." Mashu said. "But just know this: You will be the one to lose."

Zouken laughed. "Now I am really looking forward to partaking in your body. And then the bugs will too."

Mashu froze as she contemplated what he just said. It was bad enough that he bragged about what he had planned for Sakura. It was atrocious for him to brag about his own son's suffering. But to take pleasure in her discomfort, and to even blatantly tell her to her face what he intended to do to her with that smile…..Mashu could only think of what Ritsuka must have felt seeing the girls who raised him getting hurt by others for their own amusement. Here and now did she finally get what he was thinking regarding people like this.

This isn't a person. It was a thing. A creature not fit to even breathe the same air as a human.

Zouken took advantage of her stupor, and managed to close the distance between them again. Mashu could not react in time as the old man sniffed her hair sinisterly. "Such a nice scent you have too."

"Okay ya old perv, back off now."

The two of them widened their eyes in surprise as a woman's voice rang in their ears. The two of them turned around behind them, and Mashu's heart started to rise again, yet also felt a sense of dread as she locked eyes with the most unlikely rescuer. That familiar purple hair and accent was all she needed to know that she was saved.

Standing right behind was Tomiko, scowling at Zouken with utmost disgust. Mashu stared at her in bewilderment for a few moments. Why was she here? The old man stared back at the prostitute in slight confusion while backing away from Mashu to get a better look. "And who might you be?"

"I ain't gonna repeat myself, ya damn creepy geezer." Tomiko said coldly. "Get the hell outta here. You're makin' a scene."

Zouken grinned and slowly got up. He was done here anyways, so he might as well humor this child and leave. Before he did, he turned to Mashu, eyeing her sinisterly. "Please do remember our deal. And I can't wait to see you again."

With a sinister chuckle, the old man slowly walked away. Each step he took made Mashu feel shaken. Even though she should be relieved that he was leaving, a part of her felt the dread remaining. She felt scared….confused….something felt….wrong. As if something was taken from her, or rather something came to her that she didn't want…..

Tomiko exhaled sharply and sat down next to the lilac haired girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are ya okay?"

"No…..I am not." Mashu muttered. "But thank you for your help."

"I just saw that guy doin' those things and immediately got red flags." Tomiko replied.

Mashu took a few deep breaths to try and calm down, but her hands couldn't stop shaking until she focused on Fou, who had calmed down. The Shielder finally felt herself calming down as well, until she realized something strange. She then turned to Tomiko with a curious gaze. "Ummm, I do not want to sound rude…..but why are you here? I thought you would be back….there."

"I had a day off, and well… see for yourself."

Mashu looked back in front of her and widened her eyes as she saw Yoshi playing with his younger sister in the park. She then turned to Tomiko in disbelief. "How are you able to do this? I thought the people in your district would be punished by the others for leaving!"

"Yeah that's true." Tomiko answered. "But if you're gone for a few hours, then no one cares. Now if it's for a day or two….that's when they get upset and….well let's just say the last time I did so, my pimp gave me a few bruises that lasted a while…."

"But what about them….?" Mashu asked in concern.

"Trust me, ya don't wanna know the answer to that….." Tomiko said. "But what about ya? Where're your friends from a few days ago?"

"The blue haired man is…busy with something." Mashu answered. "As for Senpai, he is meeting with someone. I just decided to come here because I wanted to see the beautiful scenery."

"With that…okay what the heck is he? A dog? A cat? Some sorta white squirrel?"

"That last one….might be the case." Mashu said. The Shielder noticed Yoshi and Mimi coming up to her slowly, and shyly. She then noticed they were looking at Fou with uncertainty. The critter looked at them with idle curiosity before wagging his tail.

'Fou Fou!"

"Okay, but be careful. They are still very shy around others." Mashu said. "But do enjoy yourself."

With that, Fou leapt out of his caretaker's lap and trotted over to the two kids, licking their hands to reassure them he wanted to play. The little critter soon rushed away from them, and the siblings chased after him with giggles and laughs.

"How in the heck did ya meet that furball?"

"I would rather not talk about it…." Mashu said.

Tomiko shrugged. "Hey, if ya ain't comfortable with tellin' I won't pry. But I WILL be walkin' ya home. I don't like the state of your mind right now…"

"Thank you…" Mashu said. The Shielder did not like the idea of Tomiko putting herself in danger like this…but she knew that she was right. Mashu was in no state of mind to walk home on her own, and that the purple haired prostitute wouldn't change her mind anyway.

(Later at the Einzbern Manor)

"So it seems that Lord Tohsaka is now Assassin's Master now." Emiya said. "That'll complicate things."

"Do not worry, I believe we can handle them." Diarmuid countered. "I will say that given what you've told us, you handled yourself against the man quite well, Ritsuka."

"Thanks. While the meeting wasn't a trap. His proposal was definitely a set up to get us to lower our guard."

"Oh please, even an elementary school kid could figure that out." Kiritsugu said.

"Could you not be a grumpy pants for two minutes?" Irisviel asked.

"That's just how I normally talk…."

"And you're too cute to be so surly." Irisviel chimed.

Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow, and a slight uptick formed across his face. "You're quite bold to talk to the man who tried killing you a few days ago like that."

"Oh please, you're not the first person who tried." Irisviel countered with a grin.

"Mom, Dad, please stop…." Emiya begged.

"Sorry to bring this conversation to a halt, but Mashu has been absent for some time." Waver said.

"Yeah, I'm getting worried too." Ritsuka replied. A moment later, a knock on the door grabbed their attention. Irisviel went to open the door, and when she did, she gasped as she saw Mashu with a group of people. "Oh Mashu! We were just about to look for you! Come on inside, and your friends too."

As the newcomers slowly trickled in, Ritsuka and Cú spotted Tomiko leading the kids in slowly before she saw them. "Well well, been a while since we last saw each other."

Ritsuka chuckled for a moment before looking at Mashu. The black haired teen noted the look on her face, and grew immediately concerned. "Mashu, what's wrong?"

Mashu trembled, her lips quivering but she tried to remain strong. "I will tell you later in private….Right now I just want to take a shower….or two showers."

Before anyone could press any further, the Shielder ran off upstairs to her temporary quarters. Ritsuka tried to go up to check on her, but the sound of the slamming door and her locking it before he could even reach the stairs stopped him in his tracks. Irisviel noted Fou being held by a little girl, the white critter looking sad at the despair his caretaker was going through. Ritsuka turned to Tomiko with a concerned gaze. "What happened?"

"What, are introductions no longer mandatory?" The purple haired teen asked. "I don't even know half of these guys here!"

"I'm sorry, but that'll have to wait." Irisviel said reassuringly. "We're just concerned for Mashu's wellbeing."

Tomiko looked at Yoshi and Mimi for a moment before returning her gaze to the rest of the group. "Can one of ya take these two somewhere for a moment? This ain't for kids ears."

Saber nodded and gently extended a hand out towards the children, letting them know she meant no harm. As soon as the blonde Servant led them out of the room, Tomiko took a deep breath and stared at Ritsuka specifically. "Some old creepy perv was sittin' next to her at the park and talkin' to her, sniffin' her hair and she looked very scared. When I saw all that I immediately threatened him to buzz off."

Everyone in the room went pale at the revelation. There could only be one person that would do this….

"Thanks for your help." Ritsuka said silently. "I just wished I was there to keep him from-"

"Ya had to deal with somethin'." Tomiko said. "This was just bad luck on her end."

The purple haired woman felt a chill up her spine as she looked at Emiya. The white haired Archer was scowling so much it would put Waver's to shame. "Ya got some history with that guy or somethin'?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Emiya answered.

"Ooooookay…Well, in any case, I think that girl…Mashu, I think that's what ya called her, needs some time alone."

"She's going to have to eat at some point." Kiritsugu said.

"Maybe just leave it in front of her door?" Tomiko asked. "Look, that guy really got to her, so just…give her space."

"Don't worry about that." Irisviel said. "Thank you for bringing her back here to us. As thanks I'd like for you and those cute kids to stay the night and have dinner."

Ritsuka widened his eyes. "No no, that's a bad idea! If they don't get back, they'll-"

"I will not take no for an answer." Irisviel said. "It's already late and I can tell those two were hungry, so how about you walk them back tomorrow to make sure they get back safe."

"I'll get dinner prepared then." Emiya said.

"I'll help, I think I know exactly what they'd want." Cú replied.

Before Tomiko could say anything, the two Servants walked away towards the kitchen to get the food prepped. The purple haired woman turned to Irisviel with an uncertainty in her eyes. "Why're ya doin' this?"

Irisviel stared at the girl in confusion for a brief moment before smiling. "I don't need a reason to help others. I just want to. Though I guess if there would be one it would be because all three of you look absolutely famished."

Tomiko stared at the woman for a few moments, trying to see if she was just doing this out of pity, or if she was being serious. The purple haired girl took a few brief moments to study her posture, her smile, everything. And in Irisviel's eyes, Tomiko could only see that she was telling the truth. A small smile formed on her face and nodded.

"Ah what the hell? If it means those two get a nice bed to sleep on for once, then the beatin' I'll get from the others will be worth it."

"I'll be following you all from a distance then." Kiritsugu said. "I'll make sure they don't do anything."

"My my, you're being quite the gentleman for once." Irisviel said playfully.

Kiritsugu grinned back. "Only because I'm helping a lady that isn't you."

Tomiko looked at the two snarking at each other and turned to Ritsuka with confusion. "What's up with them?"

"I don't know how to describe that to ya."

"Perhaps we should continue your little verbal war later at dinner?" Diarmuid asked.

"I'd suggest we get ready for dinner anyways." Waver said. "The sooner we do that, we can have someone bring Mashu her food."

As the adults split up to head towards the dining room and retrieve Saber and the kids, Tomiko tapped Ritsuka on the shoulder and stared at him curiously. "I have a couple questions if ya don't mind…Ya mentioned a doctor when we first met…does…does that mean ya got any….medical trainin' or somethin'?"

"Yeah ya could say that. Are ya feelin' okay?"

Tomiko nodded, but Ritsuka could tell something was bothering her. The purple haired woman shook for a few moments before regaining her composure. "I'm fine, but ya see….I have two friends who're sick as dogs right now. Honoka and Mai. They're….in the profession like I am, if ya catch my drift."

"Not a problem. I'll see if it's anythin' serious."

Tomiko sighed in relief. "Thanks, I owe ya one."

Ritsuka chuckled. "I believe it should be the other way around. If anythin' I should be the one owin' you…."

"Well well, looks like that other guy ain't the only gentleman around here. Maybe I'll do somethin' nice for ya free of charge…ya know, if ya want me to spend the night in your-"

"I'm good…" Ritsuka said without hesitation, internally screaming again. "Let's just get to the dinin' table…."

Tomiko shrugged and followed him to where they needed to go. Elsewhere, Mashu stood in the shower letting the water hit her skin. The Shielder hugged her shoulders tightly, her lips quivering as she remembered everything from the park earlier today. She shivered as she saw Zouken's face, sneering smugly at her as he spoke to her, his posture….everything felt like it was drilled right into her. She couldn't help but feel helpless and disgusted, both with Zouken, and with herself. She could have just refused his offer to speak, and yet she let him speak to her anyway. She could have told him to leave at any time, yet she didn't. She just allowed him to get close, and in her naivety, he managed to find a way to unnerve her, get under her skin and into her mind…and it was only until now did she realize that was what he planned all along. He may not have done much to her, but something felt off with her. As if something precious was chipped away. Not lost entirely, but it was…lesser…..something that had been a part of her since she could first see the world. Mashu decided to finish her shower, turning the water off and drying off before getting new clothes out. The lilac haired girl half expected the others would give her her space and bring her dinner to her. But she would go to them instead, needing some company to get rid of the disgusting creature's face out of her head. As she finished dressing herself and walked to the door, the Shielder looked in the mirror, noting the grimness in her eyes. It would not leave, nor did she care right now. She simply left the room quietly with a somber step, feeling the void in her heart and finally realizing what chipped away.

A part of her innocence had been taken.

OC: …..Great, as if things weren't more complicated as it was, THIS happens….

Y: That's Zouken for you. He has that general feeling of grodyness. Like a fungus that creeps and talks…so basically Warhammer 40k Orcs. Which is kinda funny considering how they work.

OC: If you say so. But I'm dreading…hang on, our boss is calling me.

OC (Answers the call): Hey boss, I'm not sure now's a good time, we…..wait, you want to see the command room for a second? Ummm, okay give me a second to put it on screen.

(OC turns on the visuals for the Chaldean's Command Room….only for him and Yatsu to widen their eyes in shock and terror as they hear unholy screeching and shouting from two individuals while others try to calm them down. OC then gets the all clear to turn off the monitor).

OC: Holy shit….I don't think I've ever seen Roman and Da Vinci that mad before. I'm gonna take a note to remind myself to NOT piss them off…..

Y: It's only natural, they are effectively Mashu's parents. These sorts of things are unfortunately common in the dark world of Magi like Zouken.

OC: Yeah but did you HEAR Roman? He sounded like a roaring Koala bear! I didn't know he had a conduit to Satan in his throat.

Y: Romani doesn't really get a lot of moments in the Zero Collab, does he? Kinda a shame since he was in a HGW himself. But yeah, comparing him to an angry Koala is amusing, though koalas are marsupials, not true bears. Fair enough comparison though.

OC: It's the shrieking. It's pretty intimidating if you have seen it. A-any way let's…get back to our regularly scheduled programming. So for scene one we decided to hit Rider and Waver off with their usual banter because oddly enough we didn't actually give them a moment in this arc yet. Which is pretty odd if one thinks about it.

Y: I imagine they're going on their own variation of Waver's growth at that point in Zero. Amusingly, due to Gilgamesh's early retirement, Waver and Iskander would be in the sights of a lot of different parties since Waver is relatively weak but has a strong Servant in contrast to Irisviel being a strong Master with a strong Servant. If the Chaldea alliance didn't work out, Waver would be an ideal partner for Tokiomi; strong enough to threaten Saber, but not strong enough to be a threat to Tokiomi…

OC: Good thing Tokiomi wrote them off because he was self aware that Iskander is essentially a ginger Gilgamesh, only much more personable.

But now onto scene two. So yeah quite a bit happened there, but we will go more into detail with the car discussion another time as that's not really important. The important part was the conference itself, and boy I'll be honest, I thought Tokiomi was going to put me to sleep too.

Y: He's naturally boring. It says a lot that it took raising the evil half of a primordial goddess the size of a galaxy to break that habit of his. Gil was right that he was the sort of person you don't really want to follow. Combined with being sandwiched between Gil and Kirei, the laws of narrative causality demand Tokiomi will never make it on top.

OC: True, and the fact that Ritsuka and Irisviel never intended to work with him just shows how he doesn't really get people. Then again, he DID manage to put half of the Chaldean Command Center to sleep, and we both got a good chuckle out of that.

Y: Hrmm, I wonder if Romani/Solomon faced Tokiomi? If the only Fuyuki HGW in the GO timeline took place in 2004, then would Rin or Tokiomi be the Tohsaka rep? I imagine Tokiomi since Rin only took up the spot since she was the only one left; the 5th started way early compared to the others

OC: True, but we also have another surprise with Tokiomi's bluster here. That's right folks, your eyes don't deceive you. Andromeda has been summoned to Chaldea already! We just thought that having her and Perseus be separated for too long would be boring, so we decided to bring her in here instead of later. Though it also comes with a funny story. So before Valentine's day, I was discussing with Yatsu with a possible Andromeda Servant for the fic, with her personality, skills, relationships, and the works. And lo and behold, guess who became the Servant for Valentines Day a few days later?!

Y: Huh, so guess we're getting Andromeda early huh? Well, that's good. Oh yeah, isn't she Ethiopian like Sheba? Very good taste.

OC: Roman and him would fist bump at that fact. Wink wink nudge nudge. But in any case, now onto Scene 3…..Yeah….THAT part. So we kinda planned for Zouken and Mashu to have a bit of a confrontation, but it wasn't like this at first. It was more calm and eerie, but then Yatsu reminded me this was Zouken we're dealing with, so yeah…..there's that. But another reason we had this set up was so Mashu could actually understand that there are some people that she cannot show any kindness towards, or rather, people that are truly irredeemable monsters, and to slowly chip away at her innocence so she can truly mature. Don't worry though, she won't be doing a 180 on any of us. She just needed a small reality check in her worldview, but that won't change her from who she is at heart.

Y: They say that the truest sign of a strong heart is the ability to weather any change no matter how severe. "The true mind can withstand the harshness of the world, the true heart can survive the poison called hatred", or something like that. Sounds like something from a movie.

OC: I wouldn't go THAT far, but she definitely won't let this fester for long. But kudos for Tomiko for coming to her aid and having the major balls to call Zouken out for what he really is. And also for being a good babysitter for those two kids. It's no small wonder why she was protective of Ritsuka when he was growing up.

Y: Mhmm, it all seems like things didn't get as bad as they could have. Though Zouken comparing Mash to smol Sakura was extra creepy, he had the bad touch vibe radiating a mile away.

OC: And he definitely gave her a nasty wakeup call that she will definitely want to remind herself of as a way to help her change into a more socially aware woman. This isn't really how I wanted it to pan out, but what's done is done, and we can't change the past.

Y: These things happen like this. It's part of the nature of the world.

OC: Something that we all should remember and never scoff at. Oh, another call from the boss.

OC (Answers the phone): Hey boss, what's up now? Oh? I see, so you're green lighting my little request? Say no more boss, I'll make sure to set everything up, and send you the live feed of it when it's ready. When the time comes, I'll be sure not to disappoint.

(OC hangs up the phone).

Sorry about that, but I had a favor to ask of our boss, and it was something that I have been dying to do for some time. Hehehehe.

Y: What sort of favor?

OC: I'll tell you later when the audience is gone. In fact, if you're up for it, you could help out if you want.

Y: Hrmm, perhaps I might?

OC: I'm sure you'll like it. In any event, that's all for this chapter of Chaldean Chronicles. But before we go, we'd like to take this time to do a bit of a…let's say…a shout out or promoting another story. So, over the past few months, I and Yatsu have been talking on occasion with another fan fic writer who has had many interesting ideas, and it definitely intrigued me that's for sure. So out of respect to our mutual friend, we would love it if you all could give the story of Fate/Grand Order: Light of Humanity by Archanon123 a good read. He's kinda sorta a kouhai to me at the very least, though we prefer to consider each other colleagues and fellow Passionlip lovers. Anything you'd like to add, Yatsu?

Y: He's got a lot of potential, and has been wanting to launch his fic for a while now. It's always good to see more talent coming up, especially since it feels like fanfics like these have been slowing down for a while now. So, I'd say check it out and have fun with it, as all works of art are just a way to explore the human experience. Even for those that are not human, like Owen.

OC: Indeed. That's how I try to learn how to be human instead of the- oh I can't say that in front of the audience. Gotta keep it PG for the kids! In any case, for all you Olga lovers out there, you will be in for quite the treat with this special story. And that's all I'll say.

And with that, our time is up. Thank you all for being patient with us as we had some hurdles to go over, but please stay tuned in next time for the next installment. Owen Chaser and Yatsu, signing off.

Y: See ya everyone