Chapter 7: Natural Order of Things
All his weaponry was disassembled on the hotel table. A bottle of gun oil and a copious amount of dirtied rags were strewn across the room. Kiritsugu sat on the edge of his bed, swabbing the barrel of his Contender to clear the rifling. He hadn't been able to get back to sleep after being awoken from his dream so he decided to make good use of his time. His Contender was almost ready to be rebuilt. The Calico was still in pieces and required more cleaning. It was good practice to keep one's weapons well maintained.
His head snapped up when the phone in his room rang. Carefully, he set the barrel of his gun down and moved to pick up the receiver. Bringing it to his ear, a voice came through the line. "Kiritsugu, it's Maiya." The man in question released a held breath. For whatever reason, he had expected it to be Limes. "The local Yakuza visited the house earlier."
Kiritsugu didn't fully know how to respond to that. The Yakuza were typically blatant criminals focused on making money, disregarding decency. "My thoughts exactly." She responded to his silence. "They seem to be civilized. The girl who came with them said she knew you - Taiga Fujimura?"
He pursed his lips. If Maiya had faith in them, he wouldn't question their decency. "I met her in 92' when I was leaving Fuyuki. She also visited when I checked out the property a couple days ago." He positioned the receiver in the nook of his shoulder, freeing up his hands to begin re-assembling the Calico. "She seemed like a nice girl, wouldn't have guessed she was part of the local Yakuza."
"Neither would I." She agreed, pausing a moment. "She lives nearby, next door in fact. The girl was escorted by two younger men. One of them noticed my holster and invited me over to have tea. I was wary at first, but he simply wanted to make sure I understood his position in the city while ensuring I would stay out of it."
"So why call me?" Kiritsugu asked plainly, sliding the spring into the Calico's magazine and beginning the attentive process of setting its tension.
"I've used your relationship with the girl to enlist the Yakuza. They'll keep an eye out for Kariya Matou in the underside of Fuyuki." She clarified, getting an appreciative noise from Kiritsugu.
"Good thinking, we can't kill him if we can't find him." Kiritsugu complimented. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, Waver Velvet is growing restless. That is to say, Rider is looking for a fight. I fear if he continues, Archer will take up his offer." She relayed.
Engaging against Archer prematurely could spell their downfall. Should Rider fight Archer and lose, they would have to rely on Caster to defeat Archer. "We can't stop him from doing as he desires. We'll have to adjust our plans accordingly."
"Unfortunately." She mumbled, allowing silence to take over the line. It was plain awkward. Maiya was obviously trying to formulate words in her mind to continue the conversation. She was used to speaking business, not her personal feelings or gratitude. "I want to thank you for preparing me last night, Kiritsugu. Without your guidance and tools, I would have died."
Kiritsugu furrowed his brow, set down the completed magazine and slid the receiver of his Contender into the wood handle. Small, long screws fixed the two together. "You said it yourself, I must use the tools I have and they must be at peak performance. Maiya, you should get some more rest, your concussion was pretty bad."
More silence. "Yes, yes you're right. I'll get some rest. If something comes up-"
"You'll let me know." He finished for her, sliding the hammer of his Contender into place in the receiver. "Tomorrow I'll need help in securing the presumed location for the Grail." He mumbled, focusing on assembling his gun.
"Yes sir, o'six hundred?"
"Affirmative." He ended, holding the phone against his ear until it went silent. When it did, he replaced the receiver in its holder and tried to focus on assembling the Contender. He snagged the barrel from where he left it on the bed and settled it into place. His mind wandered while his hands worked. Maiya had started acting strangely following her injuries and he couldn't explain why. Her typical clear-cut business centred attitude had been undermined by a more talkative demeanour. It was almost as if she was becoming a real human being.
He knew how that sounded, but there was no other way to put it. In her current state, she was broken by what her former abusers had put her through. Those memories were definitely better off being forgotten, for both their sakes.
With a screwdriver, he tightened and tweaked the gun until it was perfect. Holding it in his hand, he verified the balance and sighting. He performed a dry reload to test the other moving parts "Two point seven." He remarked. It had taken a little under three seconds to reload, faster than average. Before he went into retirement, he had it cut down to two point four. A half dozen years expectedly degraded his skills.
He set his Contender down and picked up pieces of the Calico's complex receiver. It took him a little over five minutes to reassemble the finicky little gun but he had done it without much trouble. The phone rang, and he casually picked it up.
"We've got a problem." It was Maiya again, her voice stern and cold as he usually remembered it. "Risei knows it was you who attacked the Church. He's got evidence to go against us. All the other servants are going to strike for those two command seals." She almost sounded panicked, almost.
"How have you heard of this?" He asked, moving to the window of his room so he could peek out from behind the curtains.
"Rider visited, Saber managed to diffuse him. Allegedly he is going to explain the situation to Risei and let it be known that Saber has no idea where you are. That should protect us marginally." Maiya explained, the sound of rustling and metal clanging coming through in the background.
Kiritsugu took a second to think. This was bad, really bad. Someone had set him up and there was no way out. Limes was the cause, he was sure of it. "Does Rider know of your presence?"
"Negative, only Limes and Caster know of me." She responded.
"Good. Stay at the house and monitor. I doubt any servant would bombard the property in broad daylight but stick beside Saber at all times. Put together bug-out bags and keep them close." He ordered, shoving the completed Contender and Calico into his coat.
"One step ahead of you, sir. What will you do without the protection of Saber?"
"What I've always done." He paused, stuffing grenades into pockets. "Whatever I have to." The Magus Killer settled the receiver into its rightful place. While moving to leave, he double checked his readiness. There was a closet just before the door which he reached into to sling a bag onto his shoulder. With all his equipment assembled, he left and headed to his objective.
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Pain. It had almost become an emotion. Insufferable pain. Indescribable intensity and absolutely foreign compared to physical pain. Trying to describe it was the only thing which brought them relief. Like every one of their nerves had been torn outside their body, set on fire and scraped with the edge of a knife. It was an unending, searing, horrid agony.
Their eyes had been gouged out days ago. Nose removed and ears impaled precisely with instruments to prevent hearing. Their tongue had even been removed at the base. To prevent them from choking on blood, a tube had been jammed down their throat. Their captor continually poured some sort of liquid down this tube, which was likely the source of such tremendous pain. It was also what likely kept them alive and awake.
All limbs, even their neck and torso, were bound. Trying to move amplified the already arduous pain tenfold, so they preferred to remain motionless and limp.
The pain brought them out of their reflection. What else could they possibly do? No sounds, no scents, no sights, no reason to live. All that was left was to ask why and how?How had it gotten this far, how had they allowed the situation to become so dire? Why had they been so ignorant of the signals? Why could they not do anything about their current situation? Why had their tormentor even put them in this position, to begin with? How would their family react? How could their wish even be granted at this point?
Something stirred nearby. It was their captor - pouring sustenance down their throat tube to keep them alive. They didn't speak - if they did they couldn't be heard with the weapons in each ear. The captor simply kept their plaything alive - because he needed their victim alive - because they were important to him - because he couldn't survive without them. The fluid stopped, and their stomach grumbled hungrily. Whatever the liquid was, it provided little in actual nutrition. The tormentor left, the pain redoubled and more self-imposed questions returned.
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The more he had to look at it, the more he despised it. Kiritsugu kicked open the door of the Matou home again, quickly noticing it wasn't as ominous in the daytime. Sunlight glimmered through the dusty windows and gave it a disused appearance.
"Back again so soon? Has your conscious finally gotten the better of you?" The old man's voice was already upon him. "I had just fixed that door you know." He growled. Kiritsugu bolted straight for the study with the trap door. Already he could hear the house squirming. The doors blocking him held no resistance to his kicks, not even the trap door slowed his movements. The great wood entrance swung open, Kiritsugu stomped on the hinges to break them entirely. It would not slam shut on him a second time.
The Magus Killer had taken the stairs so slowly yesterday for two reasons. One, was simply because it was dark and he had no idea how the stairs were laid out. The second, was so he could memorize their positioning and the layout, cataloguing the information for later use. Later being right at this moment evidently.
So this time around, the Magus Killer nearly flew down the stairs. He reached into his coat pockets, fumbling to remove cylinders from within. Two of the objects came into each hand. They crossed over one another and pins flashed in the dim light. From an observer's point of view, he dropped the devices casually off the edge of the stairs. His own point of view had precisely gauged the distance and travel time to place the two devices in opposite corners of one another.
The canisters bounced off the ground once, exploding simultaneously. Flames violently tore apart the basement, illuminating the scene below. The girl was there again in the center of the worms, eyes wide from the explosions heating the air around her. The worms rapidly collected and converged into chitinous walls to halt the tide of flames. A cacophony of screeching and squealing followed as they burst into black goo instantly upon contact. The flames were magically enhanced specifically to deal with these bugs. Kiritsugu had done his research on the worm he captured yesterday.
The grenades were not enhanced with rune magic, there was no rune combination to target crest worms specifically. Also, doing so would also require disassembly of the entire grenade and enhancing each component for absolute efficiency. The effect would have been perfect had he put in that much effort - but he didn't have, or want to, take that much time. He used reinforcement to amplify the effect of the flaming compound as well as the burst radius of flame, then alteration to add an anti-magical effect - an anti-ether effect to be specific. About halfway down the last staircase, Kiritsugu unzipped the bag he had grabbed from his hotel. He fumbled around with the contents but managed to withdraw and throw several tan packages through the room. They landed on the floor in the piles of blackened goo and within the man-sized holes in the walls. It was careless compared to some of the jobs he had done, but being in a time crunch heavily taxed efficiency.
A blanket was also withdrawn. Kiritsugu leapt over the smoking goo pile and quickly wrapped the small trembling girl up in the blanket - mostly to preserve her modesty - which aided in carrying her. The grenades had done their job and either killed all the worms or trapped them beneath the goop of their fallen brethren.
"What do you think you're doing!? You disgrace my work like this? What are you going to do with a broken little girl?" The old man's voice was fury incarnate and the distance chittering of swarming worms merely portrayed this rage in physical form.
"I'll glue the pieces back together." He mumbled, a hateful scowl on his face as he carried the trembling girl on his shoulder. Was it odd to notice she weighed less than his sniper rifle? The stairs flew by beneath his feet. Memorizing simple things like stairs had its benefits.
"You can't, the Matou magic has already been ingrained within her, she is unsavable!" He growled, voice reverberating several times against the walls. The first landing, Kiritsugu heard something smack the ground wryly behind him. Several more smacks followed until the sound ascended to sound quite perverse.
"Then she'll be unsavable living with a family that doesn't subject her to disgusting worms." The girl on his shoulder was stiff and tried her best not to move at all although tremors of fear courses through her occasionally.
"Then she'll die in vain." The old man menaced. Unexpectedly, worms flooded from above as well as below. Kiritsugu was reminded of last night, where his sprint up the stairs was in hot pursuit. The only difference was that he had a swarm of bugs covering his escape to deal with. The second landing passed by, and Kiritsugu reached into his coat to withdraw another grenade. It was the last incendiary grenade he had. Pulling the pin, he awkwardly and shakily drew on the steel canister with his finger - While running. Ehwaz, Raido, Uruz was whispered in his mind. The symbols looked like kindergarten work, but he had given himself enough room that they wouldn't interfere. Awkwardly, he threw the grenade directly upwards - he couldn't precisely throw with the girl on his shoulder.
The runes illuminated in pale blue and the canister flew off on auto-pilot towards the top of the stairway. The runes were simply to direct the grenade where he desired and to increase its speed so it arrived before detonating. His feet hit the third landing, worms were close to his front. As another fresh wave piled down through the trapdoor, the grenade went off and cleared most of the last stairway. The blast was significantly larger than he had expected. Evidently, the Uruz rune increased the explosive potential as well. Flames ejected through the trapdoor into the study and several bits flew back towards Kiritsugu himself. Some worms persisted in his path. There was nothing he could do besides try and rush past them. He squashed one under his boot and almost slipped from the resulting black goo. A noise of pain forced its way from his mouth as a worm - then two - latched onto each of his legs. They were small things, but each one held rows of jagged fangs that acted like fishing hooks. They pierced his pants and skin, digging into the flesh before tearing out and taking chunks of skin.
Thankfully, Avalon could heal the damage - and it did, but each little patch up rapidly drained the stored charge. Instead of pausing to kill the worms, he ground up against the wall on his side, killing one of the foul creatures. The other persisted and gradually climbed up his left leg. The pain he could bear with, but losing a leg in such a position would spell sure death.
The last landing. He almost slipped and slammed his shoulder - and by extension the girl on said shoulder - into the wall. Instead, he used his knee and elbow to take the impact. A worm struck him in the back and latched onto his coat. He could feel the creature gnawing into the fabric. In seconds those teeth would meet flesh. Or it would have if the thing hadn't given up and dropped to the stairs below. A dozen stairs ahead, the fire began. It was actually repelling the worms, but the smoke billowing from the trapdoor made Kiritsugu realize his grenade had started a blaze in the mansion. It was going to be hard to leave here without burning the girl. He sprinted directly through the still burning flames. He was fast enough where it didn't affect him much, but slow enough to catch the worm still gnawing on his leg. His legs and coat smoulded from the singeing. The study was heavily clouded in smoke from burning of old, dry wood. The jettisoned fire had clung to the roof and ignited the second floor. Flames had spread more to the walls than to the floor. He set the girl down and removed his coat.
"Put this on, it will protect you." He ordered, mustering as much happiness as he could to convince her into listening. The blanket he gave her was the only barrier between Kiritsugu being a rescuer of a tormented soul and a pedophile. He turned his head while handing her his coat, watching the, now closed, door to the study for a moment as the weight of his gift was taken off his hand.
With the blanket left on the floor, he kneeled and motioned with his hand. "Wrap your hands around my neck, we need to move quickly." He calmly stated, clenching his jaw as the fire consumed the doorway and much of the floor leading towards it. This fire was spreading incredibly fast. He only had minutes to escape before the entire structure gave way.
Almost like a machine, she followed his directions and hopped onto him piggyback style. Not wishing to waste another second, he stood and bolted for the door. That old man had probably closed it when Kiritsugu went into the basement. A last ditch effort to stop him. While running, the Magus Killer awkwardly let another tan package fall from his bag onto the floor of the study. Instead of shoulder-bashing the door, he kicked it near the handle and sent it flying from the scorched hinges. A blast of hot air and flames bathed over him. He had anticipated as much and had raised both arms to guard his face. Both forearms were heavily burnt, but skin could always heal. He leapt through the flame-covered doorway into the hallway, scorching his shoulders and singeing the hair on the side of his head from the heat alone.
At least the worms weren't a problem anymore. Although he may have spoken to soon. As if sensing this ease of difficulty, buzzing filled the air. Less of a singular noise of a bee trapped in a small room, more like a massive horde of devouring locust. Kiritsugu looked right - towards the main entrance - and found it impassable. Not only had the flames covered the floor, but the ceiling had partially collapsed and flying bugs clouded what little space wasn't occupied by debris. They had wings like dragonflies, stingers like scorpions, two arms with pincers all with mouths housing jagged mandibles.
They were definitely worse than the worms. Not even bothering to verify the path left, he took it. Sprinting towards the rounded staircase, he planned a premature escape plan. More goddamn stairs were climbed to reach the second floor. The smoke was visibly thicker here. With all the sprinting, stairs, having to carry a young girl, and smoke, he was panting heavily. Heat wrapped around his body, making it even harder to breathe properly. He was light-headed - he couldn't keep this up much longer. Casually, he threw the bag off his shoulder and looked around for his next path. The buzzing from below grew louder with each passing second. His throat felt like it was made of sandpaper, each breath burned on the way down. Back was blocked off, forward would lead into an inferno, what if he simply made his own exit?
He kneeled, and the girl let go and dropped to her feet automatically. Without saying much, he turned and carried her bridal style. When he had a good grip, the Magus Killer ran directly towards a window. The girl's purple eyes widened, her mouth parted in surprise but just as she shut both in preparation for the impact - Kiritsugu turned. His back struck the window, weight shattering the glass and body absorbing the impact of leaping from the second story. The weight of a girl crashing on top of him winded the man but didn't halt him from reaching into his coat and pulling out something small and black.
While gasping as his diaphragm corrected itself, he reached behind the girl's neck to tug his coat up over the back of her head. The other hand - holding the device - pressed a button and the home - her home - exploded. There was a significantly larger explosion deep within. It shook the very ground and actually collapsed much of the house deep into the earth. Two other explosions quickly followed, one which blew the center portion of the house vertical and another which tore apart the second floor and collapsed the entire stairwell onto itself.
Splinters, glass, rocks and flaming shrapnel struck the girl in the back although she hardly noticed it at all. The man who had taken her had closed his eyes and was panting as both arms fell to each side. There was glass embedded his back, both shoulders and sides of his head were scorched, his forearms were still smoking lightly.
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The room was… Bland. Not that it was bad, it was just plain. She was used to sombre wood and dark brooding atmospheres. The Pit. This place was just… Brown. Brown bed sheets, brown walls, brown light, brown curtains. It was basic, she liked it. The man had carried her the entire way, he had gotten a terrible limp for his trouble and seemed to be in a lot of pain. When they arrived, he told her to sit while he went to the bathroom. It gave her time to look around and admire her surroundings. She didn't have anything else to do back home, besides training. Being able to sit and relax was pleasant in its own way.
The door to the bathroom opened, and the man looked considerably different. When she first seen him, his hair was untamed and carefree. When he rescued her from the Matou home, one side of it burnt off from the flames which looked pretty silly. Now, he looked better. To match the burnt side, he had shaved the other side of his head and trimmed the top down a tad. Some parts of it spilled over and concealed the shaved sides, but most of it continued to stick up in random directions. Bandages were wrapped around his chest, both arms and both legs. The upper bandages were stained yellowish-brown while the lower ones were stained red. The difference between burn wounds and bite wounds.
He grabbed and pulled out the chair from the only desk, settling into it slowly. They stared at one another for a moment, and it gave her time to look into his eyes. They were cold but far from being as cold as her own. There was a strange sort of peace or warmth behind that cold front. He was just like her, A warm person who came to resent the world due to circumstance. They were good eyes, unappreciated eyes.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, looking through her rather than at her. She shrugged, not sure how to answer such a loaded question. Did he want to know everything? How her father abandoned her - how her uncle was fighting in this stupid Grail War thing to try and save her - how Grandpa sent her to the worm pits tonight as a consequence of almost being saved last night by the same man?
"I'll get you some clothes in an hour or so. The police will be crawling through the markets right now." He stated, moving right along as if her lack of a definite answer didn't even bother him. He gradually stood from the chair and stepped to the kitchenette. He opened the fridge and withdrew a wrapped rectangle - she immediately realized what it was: Chocolate!
He pointed it towards her and both eyes widened in surprise. He was giving it to her? With a flick of his wrist, it was airborne, landing in her outstretched hands. "Have you got a name?"
She understood now, it was a bribe. "Sakura…" A bribe that worked. Carefully, she tore open the package and broke off a square.
He seemed to twitch, whether that was from her answer or from the pain of his injuries she couldn't tell. "Sakura… Matou?" He asked in assurance, getting a slight nod from the girl as she calmly broke off and ate another square. "My name's Kiritsugu Emiya." The girl was expecting something after. A 'good to meet you' or 'it's nice meeting you' although it never came.
He hummed, pulling open a drawer of the hotel's only table to withdraw a black journal. "I thought…" She paused, wondering if she could speak or not. "...Only girls have diaries."
He snorted, edges of his lips flickering upwards. "You're right. But when us boys have them, we like to call them journals." He commented absently, writing something down before closing and replacing the black book in the drawer.
There was more silence as she enjoyed small bites from the cold chocolate bar. When chocolate was cold, it brought out a flavour in the confection she wasn't used to. "You're probably wondering why I decided to rescue you." He began, receiving another wordless nod. "Maybe I've just gotten too soft, but I felt like I had to." He ended curtly, shrugging impassively.
He was lying. She could tell. His skin warmed and his eyes averted her gaze for the briefest moment. She couldn't get him to admit it, so she accepted his words anyway. "You don't have to worry, I'll keep that old man away from you."
"Zouken." She corrected instinctively, getting Kiritsugu to furrowed his brow.
"Makiri?"
A head shake. "Matou."
He made an odd humming noise. "I'll have to look into th-"
"You won't be able to stop him." Sakura continued, voice unnaturally confident.
Kiritsugu looked confused. "I've killed more mages than your Zouken has had years of life. He shouldn't be a problem." He assured.
"He won't stop until he gets the Grail."
"They say nobody will."
"He doesn't believe in Uncle Kariya. I'm supposed to be his true chance at victory in the next Grail War." She explained hollowly. While her eyes were looking towards the door, her gaze itself was somewhere off in the distance.
He paused for a while, simply examining her. "You're awfully wise for being so young. Do you know where Uncle Kariya is?"
"You're going to kill him, aren't you?" She turned to look at him, heartless purple eyes staring into cold black. He blinked a couple times and scratched the side of his head.
"As far as I know, your Uncle Kariya is already dying. It's unlikely for him to survive the War." He deflected, pursing his lips a shade at her lack of reaction.
"Grandpa says Uncle Kariya is weak, that Fa-Tokiomi will win this war… Is that true?" Kiritsugu let out a long breath, closed his eyes and leaned back into the chair.
"The odds don't look good for your Uncle. Archer has a very good chance of claiming the Grail." Kiritsugu admitted. He stood with considerable effort, moving toward a bag near the side of the bed. He pulled out some fresh clothes and began to dress. He had been wearing pants of course, but the rest of him had been open to allow the bandages to settle a bit before being confined by clothing.
"I'll go get some clothes for you. Because I'll need my coat back at some point." He commented, buttoning up a black shirt and matching vest. "Just stay in the room." He guided, picking up a gun from the table and walking out the door.
Chilling silence rapidly descended over the room and Sakura found herself unsure of what to do. After a minute or so, she leapt off the bed and moved to the curtain-covered window. She had to stand on her tiptoes and even then she could barely peek over the ledge. Outside was a simple afternoon street. People shambled about on the sidewalks and cars leisurely drove down the road. She was near a park - a playground to be exact. Sakura watched the children mill about and play with one another. There wasn't anybody with purple hair out there, nobody like her. Kiritsugu's figure revealed itself beneath her.
She watched him leave the building. He must have been paranoid because he looked all around himself before moving. It was kind of impressive that he could move and operate so fluidly with the wounds he had suffered. She almost envied his resolve.
Sakura hopped off the chair, tugging up the sleeves of the coat she had been given so her hands could stick out the ends. What was this man going to do with her? Was she really safe from Zouken with him? She stepped over, opened the drawer on the table and peered in. She had to stand on her toes again, but she could just barely see the contents. The black dia- journal.
She clumsily grabbed the book and tried to pull it free. It rapidly became apparent that it was incredibly heavy. She managed to free it with a bit of effort, taking it with her to the corner of the room. She sat on the floor in the corner - it was warm there - right beside the baseboard radiator. This hotel had appliances she had never seen before. The bed was familiar at least. Zouken had modernized the mansion with Western elements upon finding out how much more convenient they were. But the shower and bathtub, and the television were all new to her.
Sakura pulled her knees close, resting the heavy book against it and running her fingers along the front cover. Wonderful engravings covered the face, giving the book a loving, rich texture. The book was bound in leather, stained blacker than anything she had ever seen before. The pages within were a blend of ivory and eggshell white and several colourful pieces were sticking out throughout. Turning it over, she could see slight gaps in the pages as if something was in between them.
The first page and the girl began to read - thankful that she had learned in the first place.
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The following describes the events of my life following December 1991. If you are reading this, I have most likely died and you have stumbled upon it after searching for something else. Throughout this journal will be a collection of my thoughts, the reasonings for my actions, the actions themselves and my dreams. -Kiritsugu Emiya
Sakura turned the page, blinking in astonishment as the next two pages were packed with writing.
During early fall of 1991, I had a dream. At this point, I would call it a premonition. It revealed to me a scene from the future Grail War wherein I was duelling another member of the War. We were both wounded, a step away from death and simultaneously moving to make the last strike. While I was unable to see the end, there's little doubt we both perished in the fight. Upon waking, a name was burned into my mind: Kirei Kotomine.
I immediately…
Sakura skimmed along, trying to find something a little more interesting. She skimmed each page and found stories of a little girl. Her name was Illyasviel, or as it was usually written down: Illya. It seemed that this man - Kiritsugu Emiya - was a father. Unlike the first boring part where his writing was so serious, all of these entries were recollections of what he had done with his daughter. Tea parties, adventures in the forest, games of tag or hide and seek. Motivational messages were sporadically littered throughout.
I fight in the War for her - I have to give Illya the best life while I'm still here - Illya deserves better, give it - If I'm gone, who will care for Illya? Failure is not an option - I do what I need to, for my daughter.
Unlike most of the entries she had skimmed, there was an incredible amount of emotion from the otherwise stoic man poured into these recountings. So much detail was laid out in his writing, it was as if she were there with the father-daughter pair in the snow-covered world of Germany. She noticed the pages in this section were well worn. The corners were soft like tissue paper, indicating they had been turned over hundreds of times. Sakura spent quite a while reading, smiling and sometimes giggling at the journal entries regarding Illya. Her mind wandered off the writings, however. She thought about her father, would he have been as caring a-
She had no father.
Her mind suddenly told her, and a well of emotions suddenly brewed from within. She wanted to cry, but she held back her tears. Sakura quickly flipped pages to get away from bad thoughts. Trying to clear her mind, she began reading again.
...I had met a young girl just as I was leaving Fuyuki. Taiga Fujimura, around fourteen, if I had to guess. Based off her response and actions, she has a crush on me...
Next. She flipped another page.
I had to stop on my way to the airport, my informant called and let me know Kirei Kotomine had been spotted with command seals. This means my dreams were true visions of the future, that I will die in the Grail War… Unless I can affect the ending somehow… I need to look over my old contacts...
Sakura turned the pages, flipping over dozens of them disinterestedly until she got to a page that had colourful pieces stuck on it.
I've never had less faith in historical recountings until today. "King" Arthur is a little girl, barely eighteen. She's shorter than Iri, looks frail even in her armour but surrounding her is this air of… Forceful obedience. Perhaps it's just her charisma but I feel compelled to obey her orders, although I can still force this feeling down. My main concern is in how historians had been so wrong. King Arthur was supposed to be a man - a royal knighted king who ruled equally in all respects. He was to be the greatest king. If kings were said to be a step below the gods in a hierarchical sense, King Arthur was a god himself. The greatest king, the once and future king.
Saber being a woman does little to my plans, but it certainly demolishes my faith in history. If King Arthur was a woman, were all the Knights of the Round women? Could that even be possible? Would I discover Lancelot was in fact - female, or that Mordred, the Traitor Knight who murdered his father at Camlann, was a girl younger than this barely-legal king? I need some sleep.
There was a sticky note on one of the pages. The words were so tiny, Sakura had to squint and lean into the book heavily just to read.
Saber has a supposed condition. She cannot dematerialize which means she operates just like a normal human. She doesn't require food or sleep but she has to move from place to place manually and in plain sight. It's slightly inconvenient, but nothing too troublesome. I've started looking into why this is. Saber herself implies her spirit core is different in some way. Typically if a spirit core is damaged, the servant has other issues functioning beyond a lacking astral form. Saber seems honest to a fault, but honesty can be preserved with half-truths. I've asked for a snipping of her hair and I'll be running some tests on individual strands. My magecraft isn't the greatest, but I can perform basic rituals. If I can't find anything, I'll use my contacts in the Clock Tower. Provided in the back of this journal will be what remains of the hair I took. (If it even persists after she disappears) Any further revelations on the matter will be revealed there.
Sakura put her thumb on the page she was on, using her other hand to flip to the back of the book where she found an envelope pressed and taped against the back. Two sticky notes were placed here.
I sent strands of Saber's hair to a trusted contact in the Clock Tower. She was interested in experimenting with something beyond the scope of known familiars and agreed unconditionally. I'll have to wait until I hear more.
The writing in the second note was fresh and unfaded, written a couple weeks ago. If the date near the bottom was anything to go off of. The date was only four days ago.
The Clock Tower researcher came back to me with something. She confirmed that the spiritual core was entirely intact and no flaws exist. There is another reason for Saber's inability to spiritualize, hopefully, she can place exactly what it is.
Sakura flipped back to the page her thumb was on, skimming through again and finding everything was boring. She carelessly grabbed a few pages and rolled the whole section over.
I had another dream today. The more this continues, the more I can feel my sanity slip away. I was back in Germany, with Illya and Irisviel, in our room to be specific. They were on the bed, talking and fixing each other's hair. I came into the room, their faces were bright smiles, but I never even smirked. Illya reached me first and I…
There were entire sentences that were scratched out by pen marks. A couple circular splotches of dried water were also spread through this section. Sakura recognized them as tears. Crying was familiar to her. Sometimes what she was working on in school had been the unfortunate victim to her emotional breakdown.
I snapped my daughter's own neck.
Sakura slammed the journal closed, eyes wide and heart racing. Who was this man? Her head snapped up the sound of footsteps along the carpeted hallway outside. The girl scrambled from the corner, running towards the desk to replace the book. She tripped about halfway due to the length of the coat she was wearing. It had gotten under her feet and the yank against her body unbalanced her completely. The journal went flying from her hands and landed flat on the floor with a thud. A couple crumpled old envelopes slipped from the pages and slid a couple feet away.
The girl picked herself back up and retrieved all that she had dropped - the footsteps were just outside the door now, a shadow underneath the door. Without looking, she jammed the envelopes into random spots in the journal and threw the entire book into the drawer just as the door handle turned. While the door was swinging open, she was pressing against the drawer with her back to close it and look inconspicuous in one move. The man who had saved her - Kiritsugu - entered, thankfully looking into the hall as he did. As he turned to face her, she did her best to look innocent by smiling partly. Her shoulder was pressed against the drawer, both hands in front of her with one grasping the wrist of the other.
Immediately, he squinted in silent accusation. A black garment bag was held in one of his hands. Through the transparent window, she could see something purple. He must have assumed that it was her favourite colour due to the shade of her hair and eyes. She actually liked red, beige and pink more.
"I apologize, I did not intend to be gone for so long." He mumbled. Sakura looked towards the clock hanging off a wall, noticing that two whole hours had gone by since he left. Silently, he moved to lay the bag gently on the bed. He unzipped it and pulled out a hanger. On it were two pieces of clothing, one purple and the other white. "You can use the bathroom to change." He handed her the hangar, and she tentatively took it from him. She looked down at the fabric, confused as to why he was showing her any hospitality. She looked back up to say something, but he nudged his head towards the bathroom before she could.
She did as asked, entering the bathroom to put on her new clothes. There was everything needed to make her appear and feel like a normal human being again. A white blouse and long purple skirt as well as unmentionables although there weren't any shoes. She couldn't see herself in the vanity mirror, so she tried to adjust her hair and the ribbon on her left side by touch alone. When she was ready, she left with the man's coat in her hands. She opened the door and nervously stepped out. The drawer of the desk was open and the man had his journal out again - although this time he was frowning.
He looked up and shut the journal, casually throwing it to his side and motioning for her to sit at the end as he shuffled towards the headboard. Nervously, she did as directed, using some effort to crawl up onto the bed. If this was how American children slept, it was no wonder they were so tall and wide when they grew up - it was a workout to go to sleep!
The man took his jacket from her hand and put that beside him. An awkward silence descended and she couldn't help but let her eyes flicker from the black journal to the man's face. Guilt must have been all over her features.
"How much did you read?" He coldly spoke, features free from anger - or any emotion at all in fact. It was more concerning thaan if he had been plain angry with her.
She froze, eyes widening and mouth parting. Her throat closed up and wouldn't let her speak. "I-" Was the only sound she could produce.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I have no reason to." He clarified, continuing to coldly glare through her. "You moved some things around inside, I had to put them in their rightful place but otherwise there's no harm done." He paused, still getting no response from the girl. "Care to tell me what you read?" He asked this time with a voice much softer than it had been.
Her throat cleared and her voice returned partly. "A little." She admitted, looking to one side in shame.
"Which parts?" He asked again, squinting slightly but otherwise remaining indifferent.
"The beginning and…" She tried to think, where had she even been? "The middle?"
Kiritsugu reached out and took his journal, opening it up to a random page. "Nobody else has ever seen the contents of this journal. You are the first to ever read a single word of it." He commented, flipping a page over slowly.
"You have dreams," Sakura said quietly, getting him to look up.
"I have." He replied blandly.
"Did your dreams tell you to rescue me?" Sakura peered up at him with wide eyes. He must have seen something in her face because his features softened into something almost like pity.
"Something like that." He admitted.
"You're lying." She countered bluntly, getting him to tilt his head to one side.
"You can tell that easily? Either I'm getting really bad at my job or you're very good at detecting lies." He commented. Sakura only shrugged. "What was that man Zouken, doing to you?" He asked, features re-hardening.
Sakura curled inwardly, looking around to avoid eye contact. "It's… The Matou magic." She mumbled, trying to forget about those times entirely. She never liked thinking about what was being done to her, she always tried to repress the memories and leave it at that.
"The Matou magic?" He repeated, jaw clenching. "I should have killed him when I had the chance."
Sakura shook her head. "You can't kill him, Kariya told me that Zouken has been alive for cen… Cen…" She frowned, unable to remember or pronounce what Kariya had said.
"Centuries?" Kiritsugu wisely filled in the blanks.
Sakura nodded. "Five. He said many people and wizards have tried to kill Grandpa but nobody could do it." Sakura flinched when Kiritsugu snapped his fingers. How he managed to do that while wearing gloves was a mystery on its own.
"Don't call that monster your Grandpa. He's a worm, not someone who should be taking care of you." She cowered under his stern tone and he seemed to realize the result of his actions. "You've spoken about Kariya, does he visit the manor very often?" Kiritsugu asked, tone level and controlled.
Sakura held back for a bit. On one hand, he saved her from the worm pit. On the other, he was an enemy to her supposed family. But if he killed them all, she could go back to Rin. "Kariya doesn't visit very often. The last time he came by was a few days ago. Zouken told Byakuya to go away for a while, that was two days ago." Sakura mentioned off hand.
"Byakuya? Is he your brother?" Kiritsugu asked, adjusting some pillows behind himself to make his position more comfortable.
Sakura shook her head. "He's my uncle too. Kariya told me that I shouldn't call him Uncle because he's not related to me."
Based off the look on Kiritsugu's face, he was confused by the family relations. She didn't blame him, it took her some time to get all the titles right in her head. "Do you know where he went to?" Kiritsugu asked, eyes going dull.
Sakura nodded slightly. "I heard Gra- Zouken tell him where to go. It's a small home in the Shinto side of town, the northeast?"
Kiritsugu chuckled weakly. "That's a rather broad area. Were there any names or numbers he said?" The man pried.
Sakura looked upwards, thinking back and trying to remember. "One-oh-eight sixty forty-two?" She asked herself, nodding shortly after. She had been listening to her guardian's conversation. It was a secret guilty pleasure of hers and now it seemed to be paying off.
Kiritsugu must have memorized the numbers, as he hadn't written them down. "I'll have to pay him a visit." He mumbled, closing his journal.
"You're going to kill him aren't you?" Sakura asked plainly.
"I may have to, yes." He admitted. Sakura just let out a simple 'oh' and looked off towards the window.
"While I'm gone, you can read my journal. I just have to check a couple things first." He extended one hand towards her. "Can I see your hand?" He asked. When she offered, he took her left hand and looked it over a couple times. When he was done, he mumbled something under his breath in a language she didn't recognize and shock spread across his face once more. "You're... " He began, pausing and withdrawing his hand from hers. "I see, that's how he's playing this." He finished, speaking to himself. At once, the man stood and threw on his coat, adjusting it and wiping off some of the dust and soot that had stained it. Sakura took this moment to retrieve his journal so she could hold it against her chest. It was comforting to just squeeze something, and he said she could read it anyway.
"Zouken has implanted crest worms inside your body. If they can hear and understand what we've been saying I don't quite know. It's likely that he can effectively track you using these insects, so this location is no longer safe. None of them are attached to your organs yet, but hundreds of the foul things are swimming in your blood. They're feeding on you, slowly killing you like Kariya." Kiritsugu explained, moving around the room like a machine. He picked up items she hadn't even realized were with her, packing them in a bag he pulled out from beneath the bed.
Sakura looked down at herself. "I'm a worm?" She asked, touching her skin as if it were a foreign entity. Was there really a swarm of those worms squirming around inside her right now? How could she get them out?
"No, you're just a girl. There are just worms inside your body. We need to get them out." His tone was rushed and he seemed almost nervous.
"Will it hurt?"
"I won't lie to you; I don't really know for sure." He admitted, getting her to pout.
"Where are we going?" She asked, moving to the edge of the bed and leaping to the ground.
"I'm taking you to someone else who can bring you to a man who will properly deal with your affliction. I can't go myself due to… Previous events. Put on your shoes." He ordered, placing a pair of simple black shoes near the entrance mat. She did as requested, turning back to see the man put some sort of a gun into his coat.
"Do I have to?"
Kiritsugu looked at her, examining her face for a second before nodding slowly. He kneeled down to her level and offered his hand to her again. "Yes, we do. If we don't get you help, Zouken can find you and take you back to that pit. You have to trust me alright?" He asked, nudging his hand towards her. When she placed her small hand in his, he squeezed it assuringly. "You can call me Kiritsugu, I have the feeling you're going to be very important." He said with a genuine smile.
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"Waver, you have a visitor!" Came Grandpa's shout from downstairs. The young boy had been conducting some magic detection exercises, seeing if he could triangulate the bases of other masters using the signatures of servants. Using his own home as a control group, he tested samples of the air, ground and water to see if servant mana signals would appear. Unfortunately, he had spent a little too much time watching Rider play a video game to actually get any substantial work done.
The beckoning from downstairs surprised him. The sun had set over the horizon and rain had begun to fall. Who would be asking for him at a time like this?
"One second!" He called back, looking towards Rider. The two held an expression of curiosity. The servant paused their game and dematerialized, following their master over his shoulder.
Down the stairs, through the kitchen - where he gave his grandparents a strange look they all reciprocated - and to the door. The rain had rapidly picked up, he could hear it begin to batter against the roof. Waver opened the door to a black figure with their head down. The rain had wet their hair which covered their face and dripped onto the ground below. He was a rather wide man, with a trench coat that was drawn around himself.
"I'm calling on my favour." He spoke, confusing the young magus. He had never seen this man before, what favour did he mean?
"What are y-" He cut off, eyes widening as the figure opened his coat and revealed a little girl. He had been using his body to protect her from the rain.
"She needs to see Risei Kotomine, he will know how to help her." The figure continued. In his mind, the booming voice of Rider spoke.
"That's Saber's master. I don't think I want to know how long he's known about us living here." Waver was speechless, mouth open and eyes wide. "Boy, you have to make a decision. Do you help him on grounds of our former agreement, or do you betray him and claim two additional command seals?"
Each decision had its merits. On one hand, the agreement had probably been the only thing keeping him alive so far. It had been made back at the docks when nobody had been around to invade their discussion. Through a code Rider interpreted, Saber offered a chance to work together. At the time, Waver had thought it was a simple conversation, but the words exchanged - when broken down by Rider - revealed the supposed contract. It was obvious that Saber's master knew much more about him than vice versa. How many times had this man lined up a shot on his head only to turn away at the last second? "What's wrong with her?" He decided on asking, trying to gather more information before committing either way.
"The Matou's have taken her and implanted crest worms within her body, are you familiar?"
"Crest Worms… You can't be serious, that means whoever you're trying to hide her from knows where she is!" Waver blurted out, looking around outside on instinct. "The last time crest worms were seen was over three hundred years ago by someone named Zolgen Makiri. He was one of the founders who created the Grail War, but he's been dead for centuries." Waver was staring at the little girl who seemed rather empty inside. It wasn't as if the lights were on but nobody was home, more like the lights were off and someone was hiding inside.
"How do you know so much about this?" The man asked, ruffling the hair of the girl in front of him passively, she hardly seemed to acknowledge the act.
"When I was researching the Grail War before I summoned my servant, I discovered The origins. Essentially, it's a massive ritual created by three families, you should be familiar with one. The Makiri, Tohsaka and Einzbern clans worked in tandem to develop the system we're fighting under. When I dug further, I found specific names: Zolgen Makiri, Nagato Tohsaka and Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern. They were apparently friends of one another until greed wedged them apart and this competition began. I couldn't find much after that, all the recordings were burnt or torn apart." Waver wisely recounted, getting a firm lack of response from the dark figure.
"You are more informed than I believed you to be." He stated.
"H-hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" Waver shouted defensively.
The girl looked between the two, curious what all the shouting was about.
"Are you going to assist the girl or not?" He asked simply.
"You're not even going to tell me your name and you want me to risk my neck saving a girl from one of the founding families?" Waver asked, huffing in exhaustion.
"Names have nothing to do with this." Kiritsugu cut in. "The longer we stand around, the easier it is for whoever uses these crest worms to discover where you're residing." He pointed out, getting the young Brit to flinch.
Rider materialized outside behind the black figure. "Then we had best get moving!" He boomed with a wide, closed eye smile. Leave it to Rider to decide for him. In a flash, his blade was withdrawn and thrust to the sky. "Gordius Wheel!" He shouted, blade splitting the sky with a slash. Lightning crackles and the sound of bulls filled the air. A chariot of iron and wood flew from the sky, carried by two bulls adorned lovingly in crimson and gold. It was familiar to Waver at this point, but the beauty of it was still something to marvel.
"Risei can be found at the remains of the church, show him the girl - he'll know what to do." Saber's master assured, peering up towards Waver.
This strange man looked like he had been drug through hell - twice. Deep, dark bags creased his black eyes. The signs of dishevelled stubble covered his jaw, come to think of it, even his hair looked shabby. Patches were burnt, sections were missing and it seemed to be very poorly cut. The strands of black hair across his rain-speckled face revealed he was losing that hair as well. Although impolite, Waver grimaced involuntarily.
He turned around and grabbed onto an umbrella in the entranceway. "Gramps, I'll be going for a bit!" He called back, getting an acknowledgement from within. Grandma instructed him to put on a coat so he wouldn't catch a cold.
Waver opened the umbrella and handed it to the small girl who took it while Kiritsugu stepped away. "I'll deliver her to Risei, I suppose you want her back after he's done his job?" Waver asked, getting a stern nod from Saber's master. "Alright, well she'll be here. Is there any way I can reach you?"
"I'll come to you, I will know when she's returned." He assured, further scaring Waver.
What else could he say? If he declined or did something now - he was surely going to be put into this man's sights. Waver heard what the Overseer had said. This man in black had no qualms with demolishing a church using heavy explosives just to eliminate a master. He was probably the one who killed El-Melloi too. How he managed, Waver didn't want to know. Kayneth was cocky and arrogant, but his efficiency in magecraft was definitely potent. "I'll do as you ask, but no more favours. The next time I see you, I won't hesitate in killing you for those command seals." The Brit declared, getting a snort from the man. Was it because he didn't believe Waver could kill him?
"That's fine. I don't expect anything else." He agreed, casually stepping down the path to leave. Waver watched him go, curious about the true nature of the man. He had heartlessly killed two men alone, he was the specified target with a literal bounty on his head but he took time away to help a broken little girl.
Waver offered his hand to the little girl. He led her to the chariot where Rider lifted her up inside. Waver followed, kneeling down when he was inside to get his head beneath the level of the umbrella the girl was carrying. "What's your name sweetheart?" He asked, getting a doe-eyed look from the girl. "Right, you probably don't speak English." He said, smacking his forehead.
Rider piped up suddenly. "Little girl, what is your name? My master cannot speak Japanese." A snap of the reigns accompanied the end of his words, the chariot flew into the air and turned towards the church. The passengers hardly seemed to notice it had taken flight.
"Sakura." She responded quietly.
"Tell her it's a pretty name." Waver ordered, and his servant did. Her eyes seemed to sparkle a touch before a rose blush came over her cheeks and she looked away.
She spoke and Rider laughed heartily. "W-what did she say?" He asked several times as his servant continued laughing. Eventually, he calmed down and wiped his face from the tears his excitement brought.
"She said: Aren't you a little old to be going after girls as young as her?" The laughter resumed as Waver's face turned a bright red.
"T-tell her it's not like that! I'm not some sort of- Hey! Don't you believe me!?" He shouted, standing and banging his fists against Rider's back as continued laughing.
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It was destroyed, everything he had worked for in Fuyuki - gone due to his own mistakes. There was no one else to blame of course. He couldn't blame the perpetrator - he couldn't blame his "friends" or "family". He had simply underestimated the competition.
Kariya arrived. He had obviously taken his sweet time in getting here. "Is Sakura alright?" He asked as soon as he could. How useless, a man on the brink of death concerned with the lives of some stupid girl from another family. How could someone so idiotic be a part of the Matou family? Such wasted potential.
"No, she's not you ignorant waste. While you were trying to figure out the best way to strike the Tohsaka manor, someone kidnapped Sakura and demolished the house - as you may not have even noticed with your limited sense of perception." His words were scathing, ruthless, but entirely true. A drop of rain struck his son in the face.
"You bastard-" Kariya began, clenching his fists and stepping forwards. Zouken used his cane to pull that leg out from underneath him. The already half-functioning man collapsed on his bad leg and fell onto his shoulder. He cried in pain from the impact on his dead side. Veins in his face and neck bulged and squirmed. Zouken smirked, his rage would kill him - and soon. Berserker was drawing too much mana. This, coupled with the emotionally sensitive worms, limited his lifespan to a matter of days, possibly only hours.
"Once again, your ignorance of the situation leads to your downfall. It seems to be a reoccurring theme." Zouken looked towards the still blazing wreck of his former home. In the distance, sirens alerted to the explosions closed in. Who would have expected something crazy like this to be done in broad daylight? Kidnapping, use of explosive ordinance, wandering directly into the home of a well-known magus? It was lunacy! This man fit the title of Berserker better than Kariya's servant.
"Who did it." Kariya coughed, shambling to his feet. His anger was barely under control. Rain began to patter the streets and sizzle in the blaze.
"The master of Saber." Zouken commented idly. "Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer."
"Saber was involved in this? Why did your worms not stop her?" He asked through gritted teeth, breath raspy. Zouken's worms were incredibly effective against magical entities. Seeing as how servants were simply familiars, his worms could make short work of a servant even as powerful as Saber or Archer.
"He came alone."
"What!? How? Why didn't you stop him?" Kariya gripped at his ashen hair, yanking upwards rough enough to tear out chunks.
"You and I share one thing at least," Zouken mumbled. "I had not expected such force from a simple man. Nor was I expecting him to use explosives and magically enhanced grenades to debilitate my forces. He entered and left in less than five minutes. I barely mobilized the reserve worms before he had left and collapsed the basement on the whole lot of them." Zouken explained, watching a smaller explosion toss some rubble skywards. His study was less developed and complex than most mages, but he held onto some rather volatile stuff. It had actually helped Saber's master demolish his own home, ironic.
"Where is he?" Kariya growled as the hatred and vengeance burned brighter in his eyes. "I'll gut him for laying a finger on Sakura."
Zouken's face split into a smile. It was a smile more befitting of a nightmarish creature than a human. His son was playing directly into his hands. "I have a better idea. Yesterday, Saber's master stored a worm into a jar…" He led on, testing the intelligence of his son by seeing if he could fill in the blanks. The empty, angry gaze he got was enough to show that Kariya held the grand intelligence of a potted house plant. Zouken sighed. "I can use the location of the worm to determine the location of their stronghold."
Kariya's face seemed to soften, if only slightly. "Can't you do the same for Sakura?"
Zouken shook his head. "Usually I could, however, those worms are within her body, which means they are no longer under my immediate control. Had I access to my workshop…" He paused, turning his head to look at the steadily growing bonfire. ".. I could have located her. The worms currently within her aren't attuned to me, you see. They are also in no position to directly interfere with the girl's mind or actions."
"Thankfully she's too young to have your worms stuck where they don't belong." Kariya shot back, fury growing in his eyes.
"Even though having them there would have prevented her from being kidnapped." Zouken countered, snarling back at his disrespectful son.
"The less influence you have on her the better, it will make her life as a Tohsaka easier to return to." Kariya snarled back, pointing an accusatory finger at his father.
Zouken merely hmph'ed. "Do you want to get her back or not?" He asked simply.
"Tell me where to go," Kariya responded almost instantly, eyes blazing with fury. Zouken could only smile. Kariya would die attacking Saber's home, but that was precisely what Zouken wanted.
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… … …
"Maiya, Irisviel! A servant is inbound!" Saber shouted, armour and weapon appearing instantly. In a blaze of silver and blue, she made to the front door.
Maiya's head snapped up from the nap she was taking. Those concussions had given her a sense of restlessness like nothing other. "Run interference, get the servant away from the house!" The Assassin shouted, moving from the desk to shake the sleeping Irisviel awake. "We must go, we are under attack. Iri, please-" She urged, but the homunculus would not open her eyes. Maiya checked her breathing and verified she was still alive.
Outside, a cry of exertion before a large explosion shook the home. Distant clashes of metal screeched over the rumble. The jostling of an explosive shockwave was enough to startle the German woman and wake her. "Maiya? Are we under attack?"
"Yes, you need to put on a coat, we're leaving."
"But our home-"
"Saber will lead the threat away, ensuring your safety is key to our success." Maiya guaranteed, leaving Irisviel's side to grab her coat. She threw the article towards the sleeping woman, moving around the room to gather both bags she had prepared earlier. "Kiritsugu foresaw this happening after he was bountied by the Overseer. All important documentation has been packed." Maiya threw two bags over her shoulders. She assumed Irisviel would be unable to carry her own.
"I see, where are we going?" Irisviel asked, slipping the coat over her slim shoulders while sitting in bed. She was wearing thicker pyjamas than the ones at the Einzbern castle, linen in pure white. When she tried to stand from the bed, she collapsed on the ground with a thud. She feebly lifted herself off the ground, face dazed and confused. Which one of them had the concussion?
"Irisviel!" Maiya moved to her with some alarm, helping the woman up before electing to simply carry her instead. While Maiya was a thin woman, the condition and training Kiritsugu put her through had made her quite strong - and her stamina surpassed even her mentor's.
"I'm sorry," Irisviel whispered, eyes closed and body going limp in the assassin's arms.
"You are succumbing to the call of the Grail." Maiya pointed out curtly. There was a silent, foreboding "you will die soon" that looked in her words. The Assassin carried the woman out of her room and towards the front door. Outside, rain began to fall as the early evening settled into place. It was dark outside, just enough to obscure fine details.
"Every day, my strength fades. I didn't want to admit it to Kiritsugu or Saber, but it seems I can't hide it any longer."
"You must remain strong, Irisviel. Have faith in your husband - hold out until you can see him again." Maiya instructed, eyes snapping around, ensuring their safety as the two moved into the street. It was pouring rain, Maiya shivered as the cold water soaked straight through her clothes. Irisviel would be alright for the most part, her coat fended off water much better than Maiya's suit. Behind in the distance a large explosion, followed by several hundred gunshots, echoed. Partway down the street, Maiya halted.
There was a man up ahead, leaning on one side heavily. A moment of silence ensued as the just stared at one another. "Why did you let him capture Sakura?" He asked dimly.
Who was Sakura? Maiya didn't bother asking. This must have been Kariya Matou, his silhouette didn't match any of the other masters. If it was him, he was most likely deranged at this point. Collaring and trying to hold back Berserker would do that to a man. Maiya was at a slight disadvantage, she couldn't fight back with bags on her back and a woman in her arms. Her only choice was to run, but a sudden droning buzz revealed that wasn't an option either. From ahead, came a swarm of bugs that assembled into a dark cloud.
Maiya's mind tried to devise a plan which would ensure both of their survival. So far, nothing would work. Maiya kneeled and gently laid the sleeping Irisviel on the road. "What reason do you have to attack two girls? What purpose does this serve to strike at a master's family?"
"You filthy hypocrite!" He spat out. The man sounded one step away from death, voice raspy and forced but still full of emotion.
"What are you talking about?" Maiya asked, standing defiantly in the middle of the street, prepared to grab her gun at a moment's notice.
"The master of Saber walked straight into my father's home. He stole a little girl from within and blew everything up as he was leaving." Kariya summarized. It certainly sounded like Kiritsugu. He was known to pull bold stunts. He must have had good reason to kidnap the girl.
She could play stupid and see how that went, or she could excommunicate and condemn Kiritsugu's actions to try and join his side.
"I never knew. Kiritsugu left us shortly after the Overseer's message. He even went so far as to try killing his wife with poison before fleeing. She is lucky I was able to stop him." Maiya revealed, lying for her life. If she could be sure an attack would hit, she wouldn't need to do all this senseless talking.
"You're saying you don't know anything about this..?" Kariya asked, voice gentler than it had been. He brought one hand up against his head, shaking it thoroughly as if to rid himself of thoughts. "It doesn't matter, he cared for you at one point, maybe your death will make him realize how ignorant he is, now go!" He shouted, throwing a hand forwards.
Maiya's hands snapped to her belt line, pulling out two pistols - mismatched - which fired as soon as they were brought up. Even with her accuracy being far from on point, the bugs behind him moved to block the bullets with their own bodies. When all rounds in both magazines had been expended, she reached towards the bags on her back to withdraw a Mac-10. She had stolen it from a Yakuza member who had been too nosey back in 1993. Unmarked guns like this were good finds, no matter what anyone else said. With the much higher rate of fire, the bugs couldn't keep up to the volley and Kariya leapt to the ground to avoid being struck by stray rounds.
Her actions were buying time, but only a flamethrower could effectively keep the insects at bay. Irisviel could perform fire magic, but she was unconscious. If only Kiritsugu was here, he would know what to do. He could get out of this easily.
But… Maiya knew exactly what she had to do. The gun in her hands clicked empty and she autonomously pulled the bags off her shoulders. The bugs were regrouping, she wouldn't have long to act - seconds at most. Unzipping a bag, she picked up two high explosive grenades from within. With slight contortion of the fingers, both pins were yanked free simultaneously.
Maiya began sprinting straight towards the still recovering man, dodging insect and outright punching some to get close to Kariya. Black slime coated her fists from the bugs, it burnt against her skin like weak acid. When she was within a dozen feet, a larger swarm flew directly towards her. She only had one option. Mustering up what strength she could, the assassin dove directly through the swarm, expanding her fingers partly in the process to release both spoons of the grenades. The velocity of her dive allowed her to pierce through the bug-cloud and with a cry of pain she landed on top of Kariya.
The wings of each bug were like individual knife blades. Essentially, Maiya had just jumped straight through a bundle of razor wire that additionally had teeth. From head to toe, her body was lacerated with cuts and bites which began bleeding profusely. On blood loss alone, she wouldn't last more than an hour.
The assassin wrapped her arms around the man's neck, feeling something bulging against her from beneath his skin. She was disgusted but didn't allow that to disrupt her motions.
"N-No!" He grunted, trying to pry her arms free with one of his own. "S-Sakura!" He yelled out, voice full of regret and sorrow. Maiya positioned her hands - still holding live grenades - beside his head, pressing the cold steel against his temples as she used her weight and legs to keep him from squirming. Her head looked up, verifying the bugs weren't going to tear her apart. They would eventually, but it would be too late by then. In the distance, she saw something stir.
It was Kiritsugu. He had most likely come after Saber engaged Berserker. He was watching her, eyes glazed and mouth open like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't cry, she was thankful for that at least. She wasn't worth his tears. She tried her best to give him a genuine smile, happy she could have assisted him in this life, hopeful she could do it again in another.
"Thank you, si-
… … …
The Magus killer could only watch. Maiya was committing suicide to eliminate Berserker's master all to keep him from Iri. Saber had informed Kiritsugu at the same time as Maiya, but his distance at the Waver residence had delayed him until now. He arrived to watch her grapple with the half-dead Kariya. If he had been at the hotel, if he hadn't of had to deliver Sakura - he would have been here sooner. The brief moment of eye contact shared more words than their mouths could have. Regret, sorrow, thankfulness, fulfillment, happiness. She was completing her goal in life, the goal she decided on herself after being saved.
He had never once directed her into his line of work. Not once had he suggested she become an assassin. While deciding what to do with her, she suggested it herself. She was a sex slave, purchased from an Asian country and shipped to Istanbul. He had rescued her after breaking up the massive trafficking operation which had been growing ambitious. She was the only one they hadn't managed to murder before he could kill them all. Standing in the doorway of the cell, he was reminded of himself when he was young - when Natalia happened across him on Alimango Island. She had given him a second chance, she had cared for him and when the time was right, he had done what she could not. Maybe she would do the same? Maiya had no memories of her former life, Kiritsugu had actually given her the name and tried to discern where she came from, who might have been her family. Kiritsugu had found the 'receipt' of her purchase although it did little to actually humanize her. She was a soldier in an army at one point. Unfortunately, she had been cast aside, abused and raped by her own country's people. She was captured by a group known as the "Outriders" and the trail of trafficking exploded from there.
The two worked to cover one another's weaknesses. Where Kiritsugu had the skills and experience, his humanity prevented some actions - occasionally. Maiya lacked skills and experience, but her total absence of humanity, void of emotions, allowed her to commit and convince Kiritsugu to follow through with despicable acts.
Now, the girl he had saved, the woman he had trained, the friend he had worked alongside and confessed his secrets to like Irisviel - was a mess of body parts and red mist. She was resolute to the end and the face she had given him seemed at peace. He could find slight ease in that.
Kiritsugu set his jaw. He would have checked in with Saber had he not decided that doing so would likely distract her. Instead, he leapt from his position and walked along the street towards the scene. Caster had lied, Caster had told him straight to his face that Maiya would always live. Could that servant have been any crueller? Imbuing him with hope only so it could be stripped away. Kiritsugu himself wasn't even that heartless.
He stopped at the two mutilated bodies. When Kariya died, the bugs had either exploded themselves or flown off into the night. Kicking the two corpses apart, he searched through his former assistant's pockets. He removed her pistols, the wallet he had given her, and something interesting. It might not have been anything to a common observer, but Kiritsugu withdrew an oddly shaped piece of metal. It was polished lovingly, but scarring and wear lined its surface. He rolled it around in his gloves slowly.
It was a hammer. Not the tool, but the part of a gun. Kiritsugu recognized it as being specifically for his Contender. Years ago, he had thought he lost it and simply ordered another one. To know that she held onto it this entire time…He stuffed all he had taken into his pockets, waving his hand to set the two bodies on fire.
The types of flames for each body was different. Blue, smokeless, scentless flames enveloped the former assassin. The rain didn't sizzle as it struck these flames, but it did upon touching the hot, bright orange flames which rapidly charred the worm user. Streaming into the sky was a thick black smoke that had an indescribable smell. A peaceful send off, compared to a grisly display of anger.
Kiritsugu allowed the two corpses to burn, gathering the discarded bags before picking up his sleeping wife. She was much colder than he remembered, but that could have been from the rain. Her breathing came in shallow fits and her eyes flittered beneath the eyelids. It was no doubt the work of the Grail. It was time to move her to her final resting place. That meant he would need to say his goodbyes. Was he prepared to lose two people he cared about so suddenly?
The Magus Killer closed his eyes, inhaling a shaky breath to calm his nerves. No more questions, his path was still clear. An explosion in the distance turned his head briefly. It had originated from the south-west. Kiritsugu could only guess Saber was heading towards the open area near Ryuudou Temple. Being in the open would eliminate the amount of material Berserker could get his hands on, his potential would decrease drastically.
Maiya had left the car a couple houses away, storing in an alleyway where its position would be overlooked. Kiritsugu started walking down the street, doing his best to keep his wife dry in the rain. He decided to begin jogging, trying to further reduce her exposure. He reached the car and placed his wife inside carefully before settling in himself to drive.
The car started, and he began a speedy nighttime drive to the Fuyuki Civic Center on the other side of town. He would have to secure and prepare the area alone. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any more interference for tonight - although he had the feeling he had just jinxed himself.