CHAPTER 15:

CONFRONTATION

Tokiomi Tohsaka, if you asked him, was the epitome of a consummate Magus. Or maybe he wouldn't say it like that, as to boast and brag too overtly was simply gauche. He wasn't like his cousins in the Edelfelt family, who reclaimed the insult levelled against their bloodline that they were the 'most elegant hyenas above the ground', and made it a proud boast. His own elegance, at least in terms of manner and appearance, was more understated, his wealth the mere trappings needed for any self-respecting Magus, especially one working in Gemcraft.

If you asked him whether he was a good father, he would also reply, somewhat more glowingly and effusively, that he was. He was training and grooming Rin into being his successor, and he found an elegant solution to the Sakura problem, one that strengthened his ties with an ally, insomuch as one could describe Zouken Matou as an ally, and ensured that his youngest would get the training as a Magus she needed. True, it meant much suffering, but such was the lot of a Magus-life. She would never thank him, but she would at least not have a boring, mundane life.

The notion that a boring, mundane life where she was loved genuinely might be preferable did not occur to him. A Magus' life was superior. This had been instilled into him from the moment of his birth, and while he would not do amoral or immoral things needlessly, if necessary, he would. The fact that Kiritsugu Emiya, the infamous Magus Killer that he sneered at while secretly fearing him, followed a not-dissimilar creed in his crusade, albeit from a different angle, would have completely gone over his head.

Besides, as a devout Christian, Tokiomi believed that any supposed sins he committed was between him and God. He would be forgiven and absolved in the end. Of course, he completely missed the point that one should go and sin no more, but hypocrisy and blinkered ignorance was second-nature to too many religious devotees and Magi alike.

This wasn't to say that Tokiomi was purely evil. It was more that he was amoral to the point of callousness. And he didn't think of himself as evil. Ruthless, amoral, yes, but not evil. He loved his wife and daughter very much, and he thought of Risei Kotomine as a father (or rather, grandfather figure), and Kirei as a brother.

But Tokiomi had long been twisted out of shape by the expectations of the Magus lifestyle. And with the Holy Grail War around the corner, his greatest chance to reach Akasha in his lifetime was within his grasp. He'd already prepared for a proper catalyst to be sent to him, one that would grant him the strongest Servant, none other than Gilgamesh of Uruk.

Still, he was perturbed. Kariya Matou arriving back in Fuyuki and learning of Sakura's fate was irritating, as Rin started asking questions as to why her Uncle Kariya was upset. That coward who fled the Matou family was only good for the relationship with Rin and Sakura, and even then, Tokiomi didn't want him too close to Aoi. Kariya still held a torch for Aoi, after all, even if Tokiomi's wife was unaware of how deeply that infatuation ran. Yet Zouken only reported that Kariya, after learning of Sakura's plight, had left for his apartment. Where to, nobody knew.

Tokiomi had dismissed Kariya not long after receiving the report, and certainly did not feel concerned from the ensuing silence from Zouken. The old worm didn't often communicate with Tokiomi anyway, which was better than having to deal with him on a regular basis. Yet even as he trained and taught Rin and Kirei magecraft, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. As if this was the proverbial calm before a storm.

Then, he received a rather surprising phone call from an unexpected caller. Namely, no less august a personage than Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg himself, the man who gave his ancestor Nagato a start. He'd been asked to attend a meeting at Clock Tower with Zelretch, and of course, Tokiomi accepted what was an honour. The Wizard Marshall would be bringing him to Clock Tower via Kaleidoscope at the appointed time.

And when that time arrived, early one morning, shortly after Rin and Aoi left for the park, Tokiomi strode through the rainbow tunnel, not unlike legends of the Bifrost leading to Asgard, with his head held high, straight into Zelretch's mundane office, the one he used when not out on an expedition. While opulent, it was also tasteful, with all kinds of relics from his expeditions to other timelines. To even be in this office was an honour.

And there was the ancient Magus himself, standing there, one of the last surviving students of King Solomon himself, defeater of Crimson Moon Brunestud, and the man who helped the Founding Families set up the Holy Grail War. He was standing with his back to Tokiomi, a little away from his chair, as he examined a book. Ah yes, the first volume of that quaint series, The Tales of Tonelico.

"Lord Zelretch, it's an honour to be in your presence," Tokiomi said, bowing with a flourish. "Thank you for allowing me to travel via Kaleidoscope."

"It's a mere trifle," Zelretch said as he turned and took a seat, Tokiomi doing the same. "Aeroplanes are a marvellous modern convenience, but are still rather slow and cramped. Then again, certain magical contrivances aren't much better, especially those created by our wizarding cousins. I actually took on a couple of them as my latest apprentices for now. You may have heard of them, Miss Hermione Granger and Miss Luna Lovegood."

"I have heard of Granger," Tokiomi conceded. "If only because of her association with Harry Potter, who was found alive and relatively well only recently, if the latest reports out of Britain are to be believed. Though he seems to be keeping a low profile. Not that I can blame him, given the tide of public opinion in Magical Britain turning on him. Still, I wish your new apprentices all the best."

"Oh, don't worry," Zelretch said with a warm smile that nonetheless had just a few too many teeth in it for Tokiomi's liking. "Perhaps one day, I can bring your daughters under my aegis."

Tokiomi nodded, though the way Zelretch emphasized the word 'daughters' as a plural was a little concerning. Zelretch didn't play political games, at least not often. But this was not due to lack of ability as much as sheer hatred of the political process, and having enough power both magically and politically to be able to not give a damn about it. In other words, when Zelretch deigned to intervene in Clock Tower politics, it was often in a ground-shaking manner. Was Zelretch's wording an honest mistake, or did he know something?

Out loud, he asked, "So, I must ask, Lord Zelretch, why have you called for my presence here today?"

"I wished to see for myself how Nagato's progeny was faring," Zelretch said. "Of the three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War, I saw the most potential in the Tohsakas, despite them being not only an Oriental Magus bloodline, but a relatively new one, especially compared to the von Einzberns and the Makiris, or rather, the Matous. Not because of anything like potential in magecraft, though that was still a factor. Rather, it was in their ability to stick to a rare path in a Magus lifestyle."

Despite his unease, Tokiomi couldn't help but preen inwardly at Zelretch's praise. That they had been favoured instead of the Matous or the von Einzberns was a source of pride. However, that pride meant that he was woefully underprepared for the hammerblow that followed.

"So, suffice it to say, Tokiomi Tohsaka…your actions have greatly disappointed me."

Tokiomi blinked, before realising that Zelretch's expression had become hard, his gaze flinty. And he didn't know why. "Lord Wizard Marshall?" he asked.

"The rot has set in for some years, since not long before the Third Holy Grail War, I believe. The influence of an Edelfelt may have only exacerbated what was already there," Zelretch continued. "But I didn't believe you had fallen from grace so far…until now."

Had Zelretch discovered his collusion with Risei Kotomine? Had he discerned his plans to use Kirei Kotomine in a way that would greatly increase his chances of winning? Did he object to this somehow?

Zelretch's gaze became unfocused, his red eyes glistening with tears. "Solomon would weep to see what our society has become. A Magus must walk hand in hand with death, true, and one must be as objective and detached as possible when undertaking it…and yet…" His gaze bore into Tokiomi's own. "I wish to speak to you about your daughter Sakura."

Now this threw Tokiomi for a loop. How did Zelretch even know? And why was it his concern? Still, this was one of the most feared and respected Magi in the world he was talking to, so Tokiomi needed to lay out his reasoning.

"Every Magus who has more than one child is cursed with the infighting that happens," he explained. "You see it for yourself every day in Clock Tower. The backstabbing, the assassinations, all jockeying for the Magic Crest that is the legacy of each Magus family worth mentioning, and more than a few who are not. I hadn't intended for Sakura to be born, save for when Rin was dangerously ill. Nor did I intend for either of them to be cast into the common rabble, left to scrabble for scraps. I had agonised over the solution for many years, as I witnessed their potential be shown from an early age."

"And so, you offered her to Zouken Matou." Condemnation was in the old man's eyes.

"Yes, I did."

"Even knowing about the Crest Worms he would infest her with."

At this, Tokiomi's eyes widened in shock and horror. He had known, had known what Zouken would put her through, but he thought it would be worth it in the end. Playing off his shock as shock at Zelretch's 'revelation', he asked, "I beg your pardon? Did I hear you correctly? He uses Crest Worms in his magecraft?"

"As you well know," Zelretch said, his tone even colder than before.

"No, I…I had no idea, I…"

"Cease your lying prattle."

The cold, regal voice that rang out was not Zelretch's. It was a woman's. And then, suddenly, as if she had always been there, there was a woman standing to the side of Zelretch's desk. Pale-skinned, with long, silvery-white hair framing haughty, coldly-beautiful features. If the eyes were crimson rather than ice blue, he would have thought her to be a Von Einzbern Homunculus. She wore jeans and a shirt with David Bowie as Jareth from that gauche film Labyrinth.

But then, he realised she was equally inhuman…no, more so. This power was one he hadn't felt often, but he had known. Impossibly, this woman was a Fae. And he was in an office with her. Concealing herself was impressive magecraft, though he'd be more impressed if he wasn't trying to tamp down on his fear.

"…Who are you?" he asked.

"Ah, yes, how remiss of me," Zelretch said, sounding very lacking in contrition. "Vivian, this is Tokiomi Tohsaka. Tokiomi Tohsaka, this is Vivian Rain, an acquaintance of mine from quite far afield, and as of last week, the legal guardian of Sakura."

Tokiomi was at a loss for words for a time, before he snapped, "Impossible! I would have been notified if…"

Vivian merely handed over a document. He recognised it as the adoption document for Sakura when he handed her over to Zouken. Only, now, instead of Zouken's signature and particulars in Japanese, it now had Vivian Rain's signature and particulars. "I'm sure you'll find the document in your possession altered as well," Vivian said. "The ones in the hands of the government certainly have been. Sakura Matou is now Sakura Rain. I will be raising her, teaching her how to use magic, and giving her a caring environment far better than the Matous."

"Impossible! Zouken Matou would never stand for it!" Tokiomi protested.

"Zouken Matou is dead by my hand, or if he isn't, he's envying the dead," Vivian said. "And if it weren't for the fact that it would upset your wife and eldest daughter, to say nothing of Zelretch's presence, I would be ensuring you followed him into Akasha right here and now. As it is, I had you summoned here to issue a warning and an ultimatum." She stepped closer to him, glaring down at him with those icy eyes. Fae Eyes were said to discern the truth when used, and he could feel them piercing into his very soul. "Do not presume to harm any of those under my protection. That includes the remaining members of the Matou family. Sakura is now my daughter, and considering that you willingly discarded her, you have no right to demand her back."

"I adopted her to Zouken Matou, not you."

"Enough," Zelretch said, cutting across them, his gaze still hard, and yet pitying now. "Tokiomi…if you had but asked, I would have adopted Sakura myself, or found someone willing to adopt her. And even then, I would have accepted Rin as an apprentice later if she was suitable. There were so many better options available, including the Edelfelts, to heal the rift between your families. The Edelfelts are appalling people, but they would have loved her. But you chose Zouken Matou. Vivian spoke to me prior to her taking action. Sakura had been subjected to the Crest Worms for a week prior to Vivian rescuing her. A week of being effectively raped, at the age of five! A child, who should have been trying to enjoy her childhood instead of enduring such trauma!"

Tokiomi knew that protesting that would get him nowhere. Instead, he tried another tack. "Lord Zelretch, you have been ensorcelled and tricked by this Fae! I…"

"Oh, silence, you," Vivian said, waving a hand, and Tokiomi found himself unable to speak, and bound in ropes.

Zelretch sighed, shaking his head. "Vivian has not ensorcelled me. You are simply delusional enough to believe that being raped from an appallingly young age is within the bounds of acceptable behaviour, even for a Magus," the Wizard Marshall said. "I fought off Crimson Moon Brunestud, learned magecraft at the knee of King Solomon himself. I may not be perfect, but I know when I am being bamboozled. However, for your family's sake if nothing else, I am agreeing to keep this quiet. You are an appalling excuse for a human being, Tokiomi Tohsaka, but your daughters may one day surpass you, not only in magical prowess, but in morality too. I will not poison the well here at Clock Tower by sullying your family's reputation, even if I can do little for those who sneer at Asian Magi here, and Vivian has agreed not to do so."

So, what was the catch?, Tokiomi thought.

Vivian chose that moment to speak. "In exchange for our silence on the matter, which is more for your children and wife's sake than your own, you will accept my adoption of Sakura. You will not send the mundane authorities, mercenaries, your pet priests, or anyone else intending me and mine harm to retrieve her so you may pimp her out again. If Sakura wishes to visit her former mother and sister, you will allow it without interference, and it will take place in neutral territory at agreed-upon places. You may even send a chaperone of your own choice as long as they do not attempt to cause trouble. I will even pay the adoption fee that Zouken gave you, in cash. All you have to do is walk away without Sakura, and with a bruised pride. I'm sure you can live with that…"

Tokiomi didn't know it, but the meeting was being shown elsewhere. Namely, in a park that his wife and daughter frequented. In a section now sealed off by a Bounded Field, a projection (invisible to all outside said Bounded Field) showing the meeting.

Morgan and her household were watching on with Aoi and Rin, the former of whom was weeping quietly, even as she stared in horror, Kariya standing nearby. Rin, meanwhile, was clinging to her younger sister, anger and horror and sorrow warring on her features. Harry was watching on with those two.

Eventually, Tokiomi nodded in reluctant agreement, and the clone of Morgan cast a spell on him, causing him to slump in his chair, asleep. "Kariya…" Aoi began, her voice husky with emotion. "I'm sorry. Had I known…"

"…I know, Aoi. I couldn't tell you because the old worm would have killed me."

"I…I knew Tokiomi could be cold-blooded, like so many other Magi. But…where to from here?" Aoi asked.

"That is up to you," Morgan said. "I only arranged this so that you and your eldest understood what was going on, and to ensure that your bonds with Sakura could be renewed to some degree. However, I suggest that what I do is seal the memories for now, or rather, their connection with most of your psyche. I will not be wiping them, rather, I will be sealing away the ability to act on them, to ensure you do not let slip through words or expression what you truly know and feel."

"But why?" Rin asked. "What he did to Sakura…I hate him for it!"

"I know, Rin," Morgan said, kneeling down to meet her gaze evenly, grasping her shoulders. "But I want him to feel safe, that he thinks he's gotten away with it with a slap on the wrist. But eventually, I will tear out the foundation of his world from underneath him. And I am sure he can still teach you much about magecraft. He's an excellent Magus…but a poor excuse for a person. You and Sakura, however…the pair of you can be both excellent Magi and excellent people. Use your father as an example, and become better than him in every way that you can. Show him and the Moonlit World that to be a Magus does not mean discarding kindness."

As Rin nodded, her expression a mixture of sorrow, anger, and determination, Harry came over and handed her a book. "A paired diary," he explained to Rin and Aoi. "Write in this, and Sakura's diary will show the words, and vice versa. It's a bit like text messaging for people without magic, or emails. It even has a field to deter other people from reading, even Tokiomi. It's so you can stay in touch discreetly."

"…Thanks," Rin said, before her face furrowed into a frown. "You take care of Sakura, okay? Don't you dare make her cry!"

"Unless they're tears of joy, we will endeavour to avoid that," Morgan said. "Sakura's happiness is our concern, now…"

CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Tokiomi got taken down several pegs by Zelretch and Morgan. He's an arrogant, immoral piece of shit, but unlike more than a few Magi (*cough, Kayneth, *cough*), he knows when to swallow his pride, quit while he's ahead, and bide his time. Given how he deals with Gilgamesh, I have to wonder whether he's heard of an old Middle-Eastern proverb: "Kiss the hand you cannot break, and pray to God to break it for you." I read that proverb in Crusades by Terry Jones (yes, THAT Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame) and Alan Ereira. It's an excellent overview of the Crusades, based on a documentary TV show, and while out of print, I recommend the book, so if you can get it secondhand, do so if you have any interest in that period of history.

Will Tokiomi try something? For now, no. He knows he's outgunned here. And he's unaware, and will remain unaware, that Aoi and Rin know about the Crest Worms. Aoi's a rather weak-willed woman and a rather poor excuse for a mother, and she was utterly oblivious to Kariya's feelings for her to the point of unthinking cruelty in their final scene together (though Kariya is far from blameless in this regard, as we'll discuss next chapter), but I'd like to think she'd draw the line at rape-worms infesting her daughter. Rin would certainly hate this happening to Sakura, and the thought of doing nothing. But Rin seems smart from a very early age, a genius, despite being only seven by the time Fate/Zero starts, so her being so smart at six seems to be not much of a stretch.

Of course, once the Holy Grail War begins, and he realises Morgan's participating, he may consider taking the opportunity to take revenge. But he's up against someone with centuries of experience, and who isn't human to boot. And God help him if he goes for what he'd consider to be the weakest links, 'cause nobody else will be able to…

Review-answering time! As Serafina Fairway pointed out, my potential new crossover is with the Sonic the Hedgehog films, though I will have to watch them prior to doing it. However, I have an excellent idea that will derail events of the third film completely, changing the fates of at least three characters for the better. I'm sure you guys can guess which ones.

Dragon Man 180: There are a few Berserkers Harry could get along with or at least summon, though I'm hoping the one I have chosen is a pleasant surprise, especially as I haven't written the Servant in question before. And it is wrong to want to see Arturia Fae meet her PHH counterpart and have her beat her silly. If anything, they'll get to commiserating their respective fates, which will happen in this fic if we get that far.

WearyCurmudgeon: I might do that omake if you don't mind, but it might take time for Mordred to get used to a non-psychopathic version of her mother.

No numbered annotations this time.