Inside the Matou residence.
Feeling unwelcome in one's own home was nothing new to Kariya. Even as he walked down the familiar hallway, the cold emptiness of the place made it far from homely. Being the place where he experienced the greatest horrors of his life, his 'home' was where he'd made the worst of memories.
Even now, he could still imagine the squirming, the squelching of the insects, the numerous tapping of critters, the buzz of wings. All reminders of the times he was locked in the basement with only his despair and ever-waning sanity to keep him company.
But now, such noises were absent.
The hall was silent. Deathly so. No insects, no nothing. Normally, one would be able to hear the tinkling of a wine bottle by their resident alcoholic. Or maybe some bugs roaming about as they accompanied the true master of the manor. But today, it was eerily quiet. Only Kariya's footsteps and the creaking floorboards made any sort of sound.
'If that bastard's holed up with what's left of his bugs… then…' This was his chance. It was time to move before Zouken could react. He and Avenger in spirit form had likely been sensed already, but no sense in dallying despite it. Tossing aside any urge to cower or hesitate, the crippled man called out to the almost empty mansion as loud as he could. "Byakuya?! You there?"
"K-Kariya?!" It didn't take long until he heard his brother's familiar voice. But unlike the man who'd shown the smallest hint of kindness when he saw him last, Kariya heard muffled swearing.
Taking a few steps to round the corner, he spotted Byakuya down the hall. Back to him, the man's expression in the shadows of their home looked shaken, panicked even. Zouken must've been pressuring him. Otherwise, there was no way the normally drunken Byakuya would be raising his voice at this time of day. More so without a bottle of alcohol in hand.
That might've explained the small box he was pushing into the shadows when he froze in place and stared at his little brother with a mix of shock and frustration.
"What the hell are you doing here?! Zouken said you can't return until the end of the war—"
"I only come for more mana." Kariya cut him off but stopped to stare, wondering curiously what had Byakuya on edge. "During my last fight, I used too much and… sorta lost Berserker. Loathe as I am to ask, I need Zouken's help—"
"Wait, you… You lost that monster?" Byakuya's tone shifted. The fact he sounded hopeful had Kariya narrowing his eyes as he slowly nodded.
'Had Byakuya been afraid of Berserker or something?' He tried ignoring it. So long as he got their little story out, his older brother's opinions of the Servant mattered little. "Yeah. Berserker got killed just as soon as I managed to off Archer—"
"Wait, what?" Now it was a tone of surprise. He must truly not think highly of Kariya's survival rates. Knowing Zouken's dismissiveness being non-too overt, it was to be expected. "How? How did you survive?!"
"I was able to make a contract with another Servant. One who lost her Master soon after I lost Berserker." His brother's disbelief was front and centre, clear to him even with their mansion's dim lighting. "I temporarily teamed up with another Master to take out Tokiomi and his Servant, but… the boy wasn't lucky enough and was killed by Archer. His Servant didn't want to fade away and made a contract with me."
At Kariya's hand motion to his side, the air shimmered as a beautiful young woman made her appearance. Clad in military garb with a trailing cape, she spared them both a glance, the lingering look of boredom momentarily turning hostile towards Byakuya before glancing around. She didn't utter a word, but Kariya could tell she was displeased.
She had been since the start. His senses weren't deadened enough to not notice her discontent.
Byakuya, startled by Avenger's sudden materialization, flinched with wide eyes staring at the redheaded servant. He must've been taken aback by the fact she didn't growl or howl like Berserker did. That she remained observant of her surroundings like a curious yet bored woman and not a statue of a murderous suit of armour must've been surprising.
"This is Avenger. While I know that Zouken prohibited me from coming here, I still lack mana to supply her."
"But… didn't father already provide you with more than enough?"
"Unlike Berserker, she's more high-maintenance. It should be proof enough that she survived when Berserker didn't." She didn't seem to take offence with that. In fact, Kariya swore she might've scoffed smugly from the corner of his eye, but he wasn't about to make a note of that when he was already laying it on thick with the lie. "Now, where is that old worm? If he wants me to have a good chance of winning this war right now, I need all the worms he has left. Only a few Servants remain. Surely Zouken wouldn't ignore this amount of progress."
When Byakuya didn't reply, Kariya looked around, now really wondering why the whole place was too quiet. Shouldn't Zouken have at least a couple of bugs monitoring the halls if he was being cautious?
"Answer me, brother. Where is the bastard?" If Byakuya was being stubborn, he wasn't having it. Not when he was this close at his own victory. "I'm close to winning and I'm not backing out now! So, where is Zouken?!"
But instead of responding, his brother froze again. A nervous stare down the hall had Kariya following Byakuya's gaze to the one corridor no one willingly ventured towards. Down the hall that led to the basement. "...It would have been better if you didn't come back… not tonight, Kariya…"
Something was off.
Kariya never expected a warm welcome, but his brother was acting strangely. Why was he shaking? Why did he avoid meeting Kariya's eyes?
Something was terribly wrong.
Why was it so quiet? Where was the constant buzz? The eerie feeling of being watched? The small but overbearing aura that haunted this decrepit place? Why did it feel like Zouken wasn't paying attention to him when he'd clearly violated orders?
From the shadows, Kariya noticed what his brother carried in his arms. A crate of bottles. It wouldn't have been odd if they were booze. But instead… they were bottles of empty healing salves and elixirs.
Why were they empty? What demanded the need of so many potions at once? Kariya had never dabbled much in alchemy, but he was at least aware those were for open injuries or poisons. Not something that could be used to heal Zouken who was already a mass of venomous insects possessed by a ghost.
"Byakuya… why are you lugging those around?" Kariya's gaze narrowed when his brother's shoulders twitched. He could see that his brother was seriously troubled by something.
"Zouken ordered me to… bring them... He said he'd need them… later..."
Kariya didn't buy it. Zouken never needed healing potions or elixirs. 'If he wanted to restore wounds, he'd sic his bugs on random people or animals. But if Zouken was using them, who would he be using it on—?!'
Realization struck him. There was only one person, one human who the solution would work on that was neither himself nor Byakuya. Only one other person resided within the mansion's walls.
With a cold tone, he asked grimly. "Byakuya… where is Sakura?"
"She's… indisposed. Don't dare look for her. Not when Zouken—!" He felt his blood boil as, without a word, he closed the distance and grabbed his brother by the collar. A crash followed when Byakuya lost grip of his cargo. "—O-oy! What are you doing?! Let go of—!"
"Where… is she?!" Kariya repeated. The same anger as he had for Tokiomi came to the fore in the face of his own flesh and blood. "Answer me, Byakuya! WHERE IS SHE?!"
Normally, Byakuya would have been able to fight him back. But surprised by the sudden anger of his usually passive little brother, the older sibling remained silent as Kariya tried to wring his neck but the shirt.
He was still sickly to the point that he could only lift Byakuya by pushing him against the wall. But, with the same adrenaline that gave him the strength to kill Tokiomi, the eldest of the Matou siblings was unable to escape.
"K-K-Kariya… stop it!" Through laboured breathing, Byakuya stuttered. "Sakura's… fine! Zouken… hasn't started… the ritual yet—!"
"Ritual?!" His working eye sharpened to the point of scaring Byakuya into silence. There was only one implication to the statement. 'That bastard—! He's gone against his word—!'
MMMMMMMMMMGGGHHH
Before he could finish that thought, the whole house trembled as a terrifying bellow shook the walls. But… something was very off-putting about the noise. It wasn't akin to Berserker's maddened roars. No. This didn't sound human, let alone animalistic like that of a mad Servant. Instead, it was more akin to hundreds of creatures groaning and moaning, a choir of screams all at once.
Both men froze with Kariya even releasing Byakuya, letting him fall to the floor on his rear. But instead of rushing towards the source or demanding answers from either Avenger or Berserker through their mental link, the crippled Master stared into space.
The reason for it, he heard something… someone… a familiar voice mixed in with the scream.
'No…' he bit his lip. Sinking guilt and fear of what was to come overwhelmed him as he froze in place. 'No… No. No. no, no, no! Saku—!'
"Oh, Kariya!" Another familiar voice called out to him. Echoing along the halls everywhere, Kariya snarled as soon as it spoke again. "Coming in at the right time, for once. Welcome home, boy."
"What did you do…?" he didn't get an answer, but he felt the walls reverberate as if someone was laughing. "What did you do, ZOUKEN?!"
"Heheh… I wonder… What do you mean to ask me?"
"Don't play dumb! What did you do to Sakura?!"
"Byakuya, escort your brother and his Servant to me, now." As if to ignore him, their 'father' ignored his question and caused his older brother to flinch. "Hurry it up now, brat! Otherwise… it's you in the pit for your failure to procure my meal."
"Answer me, Zouken!" He didn't. Once more, the place was quiet. All that could be heard was the sound of whimpering coming from the man who struggled to his feet. In his panic, it was said to the man that Kariya directed his ire. "Byakuya, you bastard! What did you and Zouken do to Sakura?!"
"You shouldn't have come… Not tonight!" Byakuya's whisper turned hoarse as he struggled. Fear was clear in his constant shaking. "Now… it's too late. This… This is all… your fault. I… I had nothing to—!"
The man's voice trailed off, laying blame and responsibility to others except himself. How far had he fallen when Kariya was gone?
But hearing those words angered Kariya. He could've socked him. He could've lost it then and there, summoned Berserker with a Command Seal and had the black knight murder his brother where he stood, all for pushing things onto him who suffered far enough already.
But Kariya didn't. He didn't because doing so would jeopardize everything. And he couldn't risk it all on some petty anger.
"Get up, you!" Instead, he snatched his brother by the sleeve and dragged his perpetually scared ass up. "Hurry up and lead! Unless you want our dear 'father' breathing down your neck again!"
Byakuya could only glare at him hatefully. But in the face of Kariya's impotent rage, it wilted as soon as they made eye-contact. How a functional alcoholic lost his wits in the face of a one-eyed cripple, Kariya wouldn't know. In the past, he sometimes saw Byakuya as the stronger-willed of them both, choosing to stay in this decrepit home and enduring its horrors. But… maybe he overestimated his brother.
Maybe, just maybe, the time he spent under Zouken's yoke had crushed any and all sense of hope, leaving him without the guts to stand up to anyone anymore.
It was funny to think considering Kariya's own had already been eaten thoroughly.
"Once we're close enough to your father, use your Command Seals immediately." Fading back into spirit form but following him closely, Avenger mumbled quietly enough for only him to hear. "No matter what you see or hear, do not get distracted. He's already aware and ready when you are."
Kariya grit his teeth as a sign of confirmation. Lelouch and she still held a mental link. If Avenger was telling him this, both Lelouch and Berserker should be underneath the basement. Once called, they could enact the plan in earnest. No obstacle could ever stand in his Servant's way.
No one would ever get in his way. Not when he was so close to saving Sakura. No one.