Kariya Matou was still lying on a medical bed looking healthier compared to the first time Lelouch saw him. However, what immediately attracted their attention was the black knight standing next to him. Not menacingly or at the ready. Just there, standing. If it wasn't for the black aura he exuded, he could've been mistaken for a prop.
Berserker didn't have any weapon on him but his fists were clenched and the air about the mad Servant told Lelouch he'd be ready to act should they do anything untoward. To this end, Lelouch slowly raised his hands.
"Matou Kariya, we only come here to talk."
The white-haired man who looked like he could've died and been brought back to life stared hard. The raven-haired boy stared back. The adult didn't answer nor had he shown any signs of comprehension. The greyed pupil of his dead eye didn't help. Avenger didn't move but her hand remained firmly on the hilt of her katana. After a short silence, Kariya's head slowly nodded towards his Servant.
"Berserker."
The still black knight finally made signs of movement. Armour clinking slightly, it let out a low guttural growl before taking a step backwards. It wasn't much for keeping distance, but Nobu did the same and even let go of her weapon before allowing the two Masters silence to chat.
"Lelouch Lamperouge, Master of Avenger. A pleasure to meet you." The former monarch gave his best fake smile.
"Kariya Matou, Master of Berserker." The older man wasn't as keen on politeness as his cold tone impressed upon the boy." I was told by that man that you're interested in killing Tokiomi."
"Right to the business, is it? Very well." Lelouch nodded, dropping the pleasantries. "Indeed, Tohsaka Tokiomi and his Servant pose a great threat to us and must be taken out. Having sat back all this time, watching us tear away at each other, he's conserved most of his strength as well as keeping most of his cards hidden. His Servant, Gilgamesh, on the other hand, doesn't seem to share the man's taste in strategy and was quite eager to fight other Servants." Lelouch eyed the man who had yet to react to anything he said. But he could see the thirsty look in Matou Kariya's working eye. He wanted him to stop stalling. "And, well, after what Berserker did in the forest, not to mention his prior encounters with the King of Heroes, I believe you two will be the first target on his list should Tohsaka change to a more aggressive stance."
"I could say that he is welcome to try… or so I would, but last time didn't work out so well for me. Something you, as my apparent saviours, can attest to." Admitting he was weak to what should've been an enemy didn't seem all that difficult for this man before him. Lelouch wondered if he the man had no pride, or rather, chose not to show it. "Don't give me that look, kid. You don't need to pity me when even I know I'm a beaten dog."
"I don't mean to imply so—"
"I said save it!" Matou Kariya snapped before going back to wordlessly brooding again. "Even someone like Tokiomi had help while I… I was alone. I know I need allies of my own as well… if I want to get a chance at tearing him a new one." Kariya started to stare at him again. The healthy eye sharpened as it crossed with Lelouch's expressionless own. "I'm not an idiot, Lelouch Lamperouge. I know the only reason you're helping me is because you need my Berserker. Even I can tell. That bastard's Archer... he finds my Servant as much a thorn in his side as I do my already-dead leg. Berserker is the best weapon any of us has against that gold bastard. But don't take this as me saying you'll need me more than I do you. I agree with your assessment."
'A man who sets aside pride for his own goal.' Lelouch's respect for the cripple was elevated slightly. It was more than even Kayneth was worth, but then again, the nobleman didn't set much of a bar to earn Lelouch's high regard. The boy smirked a bit. "Funny, I haven't made to assess anything of you, Matou-dono."
"Don't underestimate adults, kid." He never had. But he didn't say when the man's piercing eye winced lightly. "I can tell by that look in your eyes. You're one of their kind. A damned magus willing to do anything to get what they want."
By technicality, Lelouch was not really one, but there was absolute certainty in the latter half of the man's statement.
"You would accept an alliance then?"
"As long as Tokiomi losses, I'm willing to cooperate. But once he and his Servant are gone—"
"Our alliance ends." Lelouch nodded, receiving an understanding look back. How one eye could convey the innermost feelings of one man was astounding if not slightly unnerving due to the blank stare the greyed one gave his chest. 'Huh. Seems like I didn't need to convince him.'
But there was still that niggling issue. He still wanted to learn about the reason why the man fought with his current state. Going after Tohsaka Tokiomi while cooperating with them was certainly a boon, but… Lelouch could've worked with more.
It had something to do with that Sakura girl, and while it would appear Lelouch hadn't needed to use that card, he still felt a bit curious about their story.
After all, if the Master of the mad Servant was to be believed, the Master of Archer had sold off his own daughter. Such a thing, though it didn't concern him, it greatly bothered him.
'Seems like negotiations are going smoothly. Do we pull out now or…?' Nobu internally commented but Lelouch shook his head. The urge to push was stronger than the internal voice telling him it would all suffice.
"I'm grateful to be working with you, Matou-dono. But… I also have a few questions for you."
The man before him stared before sighing. His weakness and need to keep the alliance outweighed his desire to refuse. "What else do you need to know?"
"Will it be alright if you could humour my curiosity?" Kariya's working eye stared hard but he gave a nod. "I'll keep it brief. Do you fight for the sake of Tohsaka Sakura?"
The moment Lelouch said that name, he froze. The silver-haired man stared at him hard. His lone working pupil seemed to dilate his eye as his face went white.
"How—?! How do you know that name?!"
"You must not have remembered it, but you mentioned her during your ravings before your duel with Tokiomi on the rooftop." Kariya's expression was one of maddened attempt at reminiscing, but clearly, he wasn't in a state to be forcing himself. Lelouch opted to help jog his memory. "You started to demand questions from Tohsaka about Sakura. Both I and Kayneth heard some of it. Although, I only wish to ask why it is you would fight for the sake of Tohsaka's child."
The shaken man said nothing but turned away. Amidst laboured breathing and attempts to calm down, he bit his lip. Lelouch's eyes focused on a sudden twinge. He'd noticed movement. Something had squirmed, moving under Kariya's skin. Just as he started to think what it could be, Kariya let out a silent yet pained growl before breaking the silence.
"What difference does it make to you? Don't you all fight to achieve your wishes." Kariya sounded tired. But more than that, he sounded like he was losing it. More squirming of his skin and his grunts of pain got even louder. "Damn this war… Ngh! Damn this fucking Grail… Makes everyone go crazy. Heh. Then again, guess I'm no different."
"So it would seem. But then, not everyone in this war fights for the sake of another." He tried to frame it as a compliment. Not that he expected the man to take it as such. "If I may be honest, I don't. Neither does Lord Kayneth. And I'm sure that the same goes for the priest and Tohsaka Tokiomi—"
"That bastard only wants one thing!" The rage in his tone was apparent. Lelouch could sense it was a core reason for the man's vendetta. "That's to achieve access to the Root, or whatever you damned magi called it."
Another light on the world of the magic society. But this time, it came from someone who seemed to be upset about the said aspect of the magus world. So much so that Kariya had stood up and punched the nearby wall hard enough for Lelouch to hear bones crack.
"Fucking bastard. He doesn't care about anything else! All for the stupid Root. Fucking prestige and respect… He doesn't care what it would take, so long as he achieves it! Even if it includes selling off his own daughter to a monster!" The man's laboured breathing was stifled when something squirmed up his back and down his bicep. It was so large and caused the man's jersey to bulge that Lelouch had to stop himself from reeling. "Do you know what poor little Sakura has gone through?! What that wretched worm did to her?! How she suffered in that accursed pit?! How these— these… monsters… violate her, day and night?! Tokiomi knew! He knew it would happen… … but he didn't care enough about her to bother with what goes on inside that damned house… He doesn't care… about what broke his daughter."
Lelouch remained silent, showing no reaction to man's outburst. And yet, he could feel the anger, the vile hate, in the man's tone. It was familiar for him. After all, he himself was sold off by his father.
Charles zi Britannia sent him and Nunnally to Japan as political hostages, as tools, expecting them to die during the Britannian invasion. Circumstances were different, but the Demon Emperor understood where Matou Kariya was coming from.
He knew well the face of a man seeking justice. Seeking revenge.
"So, you wish to use the Grail to save this child Sakura from her fate?" Nobu asked for him while he was distracted by sympathy.
"… No…" Kariya's fist clenched. Having faced the wall all this time, Lelouch couldn't see much besides the man's back, but he saw the twitching of the man's knuckles. The blood that dripped from them, he knew it came from the punch Kariya threw at the concrete. "I made a deal with my bastard of a family. The old worm who is supposed to be my father, Matou Zouken. Fucking bastard's keeping Sakura as a hostage. To free her from that wretched house… I was tasked with winning and giving him the Grail… a trade. Are you happy now?"
Lelouch… was not. He was certainly satisfied with knowing, but he thought about something. That being his mission.
He was told to make sure no one wins this war or get a wish.
While that in itself prevented him from handing over what Kariya wanted, Lelouch didn't think it a hopeless conclusion. Kariya didn't have a wish for the Grail, to begin with. Instead, the sickly man needed it to trade for a little girl. That meant he could be able to try and win Kariya's full loyalty simply by helping him save Sakura without the Grail.
It wouldn't conflict with his mission if he could just retrieve the kid or get rid of the one holding her captive. He could intervene in this matter and gain Berserker's power simply by resolving this case.
But there was still a question.
'Why should I intervene?'
It was easy to see that Kariya had little love for this Zouken figure. Lelouch knew what it was like to hate one's parents and wish them death. But just because he could sympathize did not mean he should lend them a hand.
'I have nothing to do with this family drama. Even if Kariya doesn't want Grail for himself, he doesn't seem too keen on letting me offer aid. And, if his father was indeed willing to kill off Sakura so easily, that meant he still needed to at least obtain the Grail.' That would also imply letting Nobu die and he was definitely not about to approve that. 'I'm not a saint. I can't just go around helping everyone. Especially when this man will most likely turn on me as soon as our common foe is killed. But leaving someone to a similar fate is...'
Lelouch had killed his parents for what they did to him and Nunnally. No, he murdered them for their continued plans even after. They were evil in every sense of the word. But… this man just wanted to save a little girl from a life full of suffering.
A desire to protect and achieve his vengeance was a familiar one to the Demon Emperor. After all, the world fell to his grand ambition… all for the sake of the one true family he had left.
"She is currently with your family. If so, why can't you try to break her out by yourself?" Nobunaga asked the obvious, going so far as to jerk her head at the only one who'd kept his silence 'till now. "Don't tell me that pile of junk over there is useless for killing things you need dead."
"It… isn't so easy. Zouken is a strong magus. He may call himself my father, but he's way older and far more experienced than he lets on." Another immortal? Lelouch wondered if there were more coincidences he should be worried about. "He even has his little abominations inside me! Worm familiars… They were made to enhance my abilities… to control… or at least supply Berserker with the mana he needs. That bastard still has control over them. If I try to act against him, he could just order the worms inside my body to eat what's left of my vital organs and be done with it. Or worse."
"These… worms…" Lelouch asked inquisitively.
"Crest worms. Agh!" Kariya said with all the venom he could spit. Alongside blood. "It's the Matou family magic. They violate and merge with their victim to feast on the user's bodily fluids. It potentially gives a boost to the user's mana but must subsist on their host's body until they die."
Quite a vile system. The boost, he could understand, but if it weakened one's own self to the extent Kariya was suffering, Lelouch wondered how such inefficient magic could be considered 'helpful'.
"Originally, Sakura was meant to be trained in my family's magic." Kariya continued. "She was supposed to wait and win the next Grail War since… well, my family's lacking a proper representative. But I… I volunteered to participate in this Grail War… … if it meant Zouken would free Sakura. That damned vampire only wants the Grail. He doesn't care how, so long as he gets it."
'Training?' Lelouch raised his eyebrow. For some unknown reason, he felt a chill run down his spine when he heard it. "What kind of training are you talking about?"
Kariya froze. The man said nothing and just stared at them. His face became pale, the look of horror was seen in his only working eye. The dead one shifted slightly, but Lelouch could tell that it wasn't from the man absentmindedly covering half of his face.
He was reminiscing painful memories. Both Demons saw this kind of expression before. On the face of their soldiers after bloody battles. PTSD on a scale that sent anyone quiet and reliving nightmares. Nobu and Lelouch were familiar with it and could tell that, whatever this training was, it was neither pretty nor acceptable by any means.
"My apologies. Don't answer that. I can see that it isn't easy for you. Sorry for making you remember something like that."
Kariya looked away, his expression changed from one of dread to sorrow. If it could turn the visibly angry madman into a whimpering coward, then Lelouch didn't want to imagine just how 'broken' the girl Sakura must've been.
"I—I don't want Sakura to suffer any more than she already has… She doesn't deserve this, this is all… all Zouken and Tokiomi's fault! All of it! And I… I will make him pay. I will make them pay!"
Lelouch couldn't help biting his lip. But neither could he keep silent. "We will make him pay, Matou-dono."
The man's confusion was apparent in his one eye. "What?"
"You already agreed to cooperate with us in order to take down Tohsaka Tokiomi. However, before I only wanted to defeat him because he is one of the enemy Masters. Your answering my questions has changed that."
Lelouch wouldn't openly proclaim it to someone he was knowingly using for his own gain, but he hated people like the head of the Tohsaka family. People who were ready to sacrifice their own flesh and blood for the sake of power.
He wasn't some kind of samaritan. His hands were covered in blood. Not just that of strangers. It included his siblings. People who were just in the way. But also those that were caught in the crossfire… or were wronged by his power on accident…
Claiming to want to get rid of someone like Tokiomi would sound hypocritical of a Demon who's bathed in the blood of countless innocents… but, it would be the least he can do to offer this man some peace of mind.
"Before it was just a business. But I, too, am of the same opinion. I would love to see him dead if it means you can achieve your revenge." It was there he had to draw the line though. "However, I'm not sure I can help you win Grail. I won't allow anyone to get it."
Lelouch said and raised his hand but deep inside the Demon Emperor was having mixed thoughts.
'Killing the father will not solve the issue. That girl didn't do anything to deserve whatever she's going through.' And yet, he couldn't. 'I created the Order of Black Knights to create a world for Nunnally where she will be happy. Kariya went so far, offering himself to win the war and save Sakura.' And despite respecting such selflessness, he couldn't help this man. 'I have nothing to do with it… I don't. But… … leaving this situation unresolved like this feels like cowardice.'
Coming from someone who braved the world's ire, all for the sake of creating a world where Nunnally could live free… It was definitely cowardice. Now, he could see someone in a similar situation. Someone else was doing the same, fighting so the ones they cared about could have a brighter future.
Could he just close his eyes and forget about it? Yes. That was a given. Lelouch and Nobunaga can just use Kariya as another tool against Tokiomi and either kill him themselves or allow other Masters to do it. Hell, they could even put the man out of his misery as soon as his purpose was served. Going down this path… was the safer bet, an easier option, in achieving his overall goal.
'But the easy way… isn't it so boring?'
Kariya must've been staring at him hard. The look the man gave him was filled with hesitation, but he spoke anyway. "If you can help me kill Tokiomi, that'd be enough for me. What comes after… we shall see."
Lelouch, seeing the man's eyes, or eye, decided. Offering a hand, he replied. "We will take down that bastard. This I promise you."
The sick man was hesitant, but he shook Lelouch's hand.
"Thank you."
Lelouch wasn't done.
"But as your temporary ally, I feel like saving Tohsaka Sakura from the Matou family is a matter of importance as well." He said it with such a confident smile that both Nobu and Kariya could only gawk at him with surprise. It felt a bit too cheeky to even ask. "What?"
Nobu started. "Just… just now—…"
"…—What… did you just say?" Kariya ended. Lelouch wondered who was whose Master here.
"You said so yourself, did you not? That you don't want the Grail for yourself. In that case, I don't see why I shouldn't lend a helping hand to rid you of the other obstacle in your way. Even I find involving children in such horrendous schemes such as this… distasteful." He had a crippled sister. That alone was enough for him to feel involving children in anything bad was wrong. Still met with disbelief, not just by his own Servant but by the man still sitting on the floor, he asked as he pulled the man up to his feet. "Tell me, Matou Kariya. If I aid you in saving Sakura, will you continue fighting in the Grail War?"
"No…" Was his immediate answer, although he needed a bit of help staying on his feet. "I… I won't."
"Really?" Lelouch obliged the man his shoulder, trying not to think of the wriggling he felt through the man's jersey. "Then, does this mean you, a mage fighting in the Grail War, currently have no desire to win it?"
"I… hate this war. I never wanted to participate in it!" Kariya's working eye was filled with rage. But unlike earlier, it was more controlled. More… composed.
"Then, what of your family, the Matou house—?"
"I hate everything about my family. Zouken can eat shit for all I care! My only reason for joining is to save Sakura!" The man reaffirmed his goal. His hardened expression and struggle to stand in defiance of his crippled leg proved that. However, his expression softened soon after. "... But are you serious? You… do you really want to help me?"
"If it means helping to save a little girl from injustice, then yes. Besides, I was originally a normal person before all this, not a proper magus, so I too don't like what has happened to her." To be honest, he was being truthful in accordance with this world's standards. He was just another normal human being until he was dragged into this mess. "I still won't allow you to get Grail, but if you can achieve your goal without it, then there's no sense in me not helping you. I achieve my goal, you with yours. Everyone wins. Won't you agree?"
Kariya didn't say anything and only stared at Lelouch for some time. The Master of Berserker couldn't believe it. For someone to suddenly want to help him and Sakura? It would most certainly be impossible. But Lelouch stood strong, not ever deceiving the man he made a deal with in this room. He was even confident in his ability to assist him.
But of course, Kariya still had his doubts.
"Zouken isn't a human. He is a monster who survived for centuries. Nothing can kill him."
Lelouch would beg to differ, having two immortals in his body count already. But still, Kariya's words were not to be taken lightly. After all, he was a man who'd wanted yet was unable to rebel for the longest time. Surely, he'd tried and failed countless times already in trying to think up ways to kill the man who called himself his father.
With fear and trauma on his shoulders, however, they were limited to thoughts, not action. Making even an attempt was nothing short of an impossible dream. Especially with the worms coursing through his body.
"I… I can't… I can't do it…" Of course, the daunting task would force him to cower at the last minute. "I… I just need to give him what he wants! Once I do that, he'll free Sakura and—!"
"Or he will just continue to torture her." Commented Nobu and reinforcing the exact mentality Lelouch needed. "If he is someone you fear so, what makes you think he would keep his word? The moment he gets his hands on the Grail, Matou Zouken will have no use for you, someone he considers less than an insect. Or a worm." Lelouch didn't want her to go too far, but thankfully, Nobunaga knew how to speak and kept her Charisma from overpowering her words. "When that time comes to pass, what will you do, Matou Kariya? A puny, insignificant human like yourself cannot stand against him. What then will happen to the poor girl unfortunate enough to be given false hope by your cowardice? Your weakness?"
The lack of response answered her question. Lelouch took over from there.
"You know this too, don't you, Kariya? If you let him win, then there's no running from it—"
"What else can I do?!" Kariya screamed and slammed his bleeding hand onto the cot. When that didn't elicit enough pain, he flipped it over in anger. The bed slammed onto the floor near the unmoving Berserker that eyed its Master through the crimson visors. "I… I'm not a magus… There is little—nothing… I can do! Winning this stupid war… it's my only choice!"
The tears, the whimpering, it was all indicant of Matou Kariya's fear. His inability to do anything. How quaint. Lelouch himself felt like that once. A long time ago, before he gained his power.
"You never know. Rebelling against your parents is quite easy once you get the hand of it." Lelouch tried to suppress his smirk. "If you wish to succumb to fear, go on. Give him what he wants. Surrender to his whims." Lelouch leaned in to whisper. "But know this… You'd be forfeiting not just your life, but the girl's as well."
"S—Sakura?" realization dawned on the man's face. He was made aware of what was on the line here. Now, he just needed a little push in the right direction.
"If you want to save the girl, you will have no choice but to fully commit to your alliance with me. I can save her. I will help you save her. If you would only let me." Pulling away, he gave the man space to think, but he wasn't done. "But, should you choose this path, you must aim for nothing but absolute victory. You cannot allow fear and doubt to cloud your resolve. If you would see her saved, you must see this through to the end."
A witch once asked him a question in his past life. 'Can you do what it takes to win, Lelouch? No matter how many will die, friends and enemies alike?'
He always answered that he would have his victory over Britannia, no matter what it would take. It was always easier to answer. But never to commit. Hesitation came in many forms after all.
Death of a friend's family. Death of a friend. Death of family. If he continued down his path, how many more would die? How many would he inadvertently sentence to a life of suffering?
Before Suzaku was turned against him, before Euphemia died by his hand, Lelouch hadn't ever truly had an answer to that question. Now though, he wasn't the same naive boy who thought he could achieve everything he wanted without sacrifice.
The former face of rebellion could sympathize with why Kariya was hesitant. He'd experienced it himself before. To suffer on his own was no issue. To allow those he cared about to suffer, that was worse than hell.
'However, if I' m going to save this little girl, I cannot allow anything to make my allies hesitate. I cannot allow him to be weak.'
"Matou Kariya, if you are unsure of my intentions and ability to help you, how about I prove it to you with my actions?" Lelouch pulled the Self Geis Scroll Kayneth had given him.
"What is this?" Kariya eyed the scroll warily.
"An invitation from Tokiomi," Lelouch replied, causing Kariya's eyes to grow wide. He quickly snatched the parchment away and read the entire message. "It seems that after your last chat, the Master of Archer wants to speak with you about… 'family matters'. Not exactly difficult to guess what the main topic of discussion will be."
"Sakura." Kariya's breath hitched, but after a moment of silence, he sighed. "This… is a trap."
"Obviously." Both Nobu and Lelouch said in unison with knowing stares.
Kariya's expression though, it mellowed slightly before snarling.
"That bastard… He never cared to begin with… To bring this up now?"
"A change of heart may as well be the perfect bait," Lelouch added. "For someone who was so consumed with rage last night, making the right choice would be difficult if presented quite the ludicrous offer."
"If Tokiomi wants to bring me this close… just to toy with me, he is welcome to try. I'll show him what happens when you mess with me." Kariya's good eye glanced at Berserker. The seemingly impassive suit of armour suddenly groaned and creaked, reacting in approval, or eagerness, to his Master's desire to hunt.
Nobu let out a short laugh. "Such confidence in face of danger. Both admirable and foolish. You can't go into an obvious ambush without a plan."
Kariya wanted to say that it won't stop him, but his expression mellowed out once more. He was quick to remember his last failure. He certainly was no fool, knowing to think before leaping into the fray. The white-haired man let slip a long sigh. A very, very tired one.
"You're right. I will need your help."
"And you will get it." Lelouch nodded with a pleasant smile. "As promised, we will help you and prove that we can save Sakura."
Kariya chuckled, but he wasn't optimistic. "You don't even know her."
"Do I need to personally know the person who is suffering because of others? It is my choice. Assisting you is merely something I decided on my own. Only I can choose to change my mind." Lelouch said and placed a hand over his chest. "If I put my mind into something, I will achieve it no matter what. And right now, that includes helping you and Tohsaka Sakura."
"What are you? Some kind of superhero?" Lelouch waved away his comment.
"Me, a hero? Please," Lelouch no longer wore that mask, but some things didn't change. He still made to declare with his head held high. "Call me a Man of Miracles, for that, is what you need. In exchange for excusing yourself from this war, I shall perform unto you the miracle of the girl's salvation!"
It was too good to be true, but Kariya had no reason to decline. Not anymore. He had everything to lose either way. Even if this young man before him wouldn't be able to back up his words, Kariya could always fall back onto Zouken's deal. Saving her through someone's help, or saving her even if it meant his dying breath, what did it matter?
However, a small part of him wanted to believe that Lelouch could actually do it and save Sakura. For even if there was little guarantee of success, victory by the boy's hand meant absolute salvation for the child trapped by Zouken's cage.
"… First thing's first." Kariya eyed the scroll in his hand once more. "We need to get rid of Tokiomi and his Archer first."
"Indeed." Lelouch nodded. "I have an idea how we can do this, but first, we will need to speak with Kayneth."
'And Sola.' Lelouch sent an order to Nobu who nodded and moved into spirit form.
With Kariya's compliance, there was little need for him to keep his guard up. The man needed him just as much as he needed Kariya's Berserker. This would work.
While his partner will be getting a report from an unhappy fiancé, the two Masters could speak about the upcoming battle.
"Tell me, Kariya. Have you ever worked with plastics before?"
The man in question tilted his head to the side and, for a second, his working eye winced with a concerned look.
"I mean these ones." Bringing out a small object from his pocket, he laid out the sample for the adult to check.
Again, the good eye winced hard to study what had been placed before him. It was only after a good minute did Kariya's confusion turn from befuddlement to pure shock.
What made the stare the man gave him worse was the fact that the dead eye made him squelch slightly. Not that the owner noticed.