16

"Jack the Ripper?"

Saber's voice was filled with an air of uncertainty as she sat opposite Shirou and Rin. Shirou nodded, summarising what he had said earlier.

"Yes. We found out he's a rogue Servant of some kind, and he's now out there without any way to control him. We need to stop him, and now."

Saber nodded in agreement. "I concur. A Servant gone rogue is one thing, but this man? He'd leave a trail of blood in his wake. I won't stand for it."

Shirou nodded. "But in that case, we need a plan."

Rin began pacing up and down the room, a hand to her chin as she mused to herself. "His targets were all the same type… Although, he'll be far more reckless now. Still…"
"What's your plan, Tohsaka?" Saber asked, looking over."

"Well, it's simple." Rin smiled. "We lay a trap." She stood still, placing her hands upon the kotatsu, and began to lay out her plan.
"This ripper of ours has been following a pattern- he targets women in the Shinto district, at night, and tends to go after the less… fortunate women, so to speak. My plan is as follows: Shirou, you and Saber lie in wait out of sight. I'll be the bait."

Shirou immediately felt concerned at the prospect. "You're actually considering putting your life on the line for this!?-" But Rin quickly silenced him.

"Hear me out. I'll be in disguise, ready to fight if need be. The moment he appears to be vulnerable, we strike. Saber strikes him through with Caliburn, and the already weak Berserker dies. It seems foolproof to me."

Saber rubbed her chin. "It's a good plan in theory. But that's just the conceptual part. There's so many things that can go wrong… I can't say I could see this going well."

"Shirou, do you agree?" Rin looked at him, awaiting his vote. He was torn. On one hand, he wanted to protect both Rin and Saber. But on the other, he needed to put down this Berserker, and if that meant taking risks…

…He made his decision.

"I say we do it."

Saber nodded, his confirmation being enough to sway her. "As the Servant, I'll follow your lead. We're set to go, it seems."

The room was filled with a heavy sort of silence. Soon, it was broken when Shirou stood up, heading for the kitchen. "I'll go make us something to eat."
Rin and Saber both nodded, the latter covering her stomach as it growled in response to the offer of good-quality food. Rin stifled a chuckle. Sometimes Servants were so divided from humanity, it was hard to imagine them with human traits. But moments like that, they were reminders of the people behind the imagery and the heroics. The true self, if there was such a thing.

…

While Rin and Saber sat down awaiting their meal, they were distracted, too preoccupied to notice a pair of eyes lingering on them. Across the street, perched on a rooftop, sat a figure, his face obscured by a dark grey mask. He observed them for a short while, but when Saber's gaze moved to the window, he was gone, slinking into the alleyways and out of sight.

As he walked, he was following a clear path. He took several turns, before coming to a stop in front of a shadowed figure.

"Did you see them?" The figure asked. "That pathetic Emiya or the Tohsaka brat?"

The man nodded. "I saw two figures. One of them looked to be the Tohsaka, all right. The other one… I've never seen. Blonde hair, well-dressed. Looks European."

"Really?" The shadow scoffed, shifting side to side in the darkness. "What makes you think that? Or are you just acting all 'omniscient' to try and look better?"

"It's called deduction, and I'd advise you to learn it," The man looked to the side before adding, in a snide tone, "But mind you, based on the people you talk to you seem utterly inept at any sort of socialism."

That caught the shadowed figures ire. In a rage, he stormed over the figure, grabbing him by the collar. Despite the fact he was far less powerful, the man let him. "Damn you! You're supposed to be listening to me! Why won't you? Are you that brain-dead!?"

"Maybe because you don't have any reason to intimidate me?" The figure removed the other's hands from him, a task that took no effort on his part. "I know who you are. And if anything, you should be the one listening to me, but you're too stubborn."

"Don't you know who I am-"

"-Shinji Matou, yes." The figure let out a dismissive wave. "I've been with you long enough to hear that far too much. Considering how much you say it, I'll ask you- does it feel humiliating to hear your own name like I think it does?"

Shinji didn't respond for a while. "...Did you scope out the Emiya residence?" He asked eventually, folding his arms.
"Figures." The man seemed to have his answer, and moved to answering Shinji's own question. "Yes, I did. It seems to have some kind of field around it, but a relatively weak one. A Caster or Assassin would easily break in undetected. Me? Not so much. I'd recommend that whatever you're planning is done outside of the house. It'd do you good to touch grass."

"Shut it, you ass!" Shinji fumed, before managing to calm himself. "But you do have a semi-competent point. We'll target him after school. Oh, and Rider?"

The man was leaving as Shinji asked for him, and he didn't bother turning around. "Yes?"

"I want you to make him bleed. And if Rin is with him, make her watch."

NOTES

We have a short chapter as I get back into writing. I'm just finding my groove, trying to get back into things, so apologies for the small word count.

I'd like to give a massive thank you to the people who messaged me with kind words and positive comments on this story. I'd like to credit your affirmations with giving me the motivation to write this. It seriously has helped me out a ton.
Once again, see ya.
-Jason