Fuyuki City.
Ten days had passed since the end of the Fourth Grail War, but the aftermath of the magical conflict still haunted the citizens of the city.
The fire that appeared out of nowhere and claimed half of the city had burned many unfortunate souls. Those lucky enough to escape the flames but not the disaster were either trapped under rubble to suffocate or crushed under it, much to the survivors' and onlookers' horror.
The dreadful night would be remembered as 'The Great Fire', the largest catastrophe to happen in Fuyuki since the 1930s.
Even now, days after the incident, rescue teams were still trying to find survivors. But with each passing day, prospects of finding anyone were getting bleaker and bleaker. A number of people had already given up, accepting the fact that only a few lucky ones were able to escape the hellish inferno that started in Shinto. No one knew how it even started or who was to blame. While official reports from the local government insisted that it was a natural disaster, news teams proposed an accident caused by bad design in the newly developed city block around where reports stated the first explosions were seen. Some even suggested seismic activity to be the main cause, citing shoddy gas lines lit by electrical equipment as to what started the chain reaction which enveloped the entire district before making its way towards the city centre.
Public sentiment, on the other hand, leant more to less innocent versions of the story.
Some claimed that this was the act of terrorism, done by the same people who were behind the explosion of Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel. Others blamed the supernatural. Saying the city was cursed and events like this were happening every fifty years. Of course, such conjectures were publicly ridiculed by public officials as mere conspiracies.
It didn't help the fact that foreign specialists arriving from Italy and Britain to investigate the fire for private firms that suffered losses agreed with the public statements. Some xenophobes decried the conspiracy as being deeper than what the government was letting on. A whole web of controversy and hearsay began to spread, blaming cultist rituals and corrupt officials alike.
Obviously, there was truth to the conspiracy. But these third parties wouldn't allow the real reason out. Though the Church and the Clock Tower were enemies at times, the secret of the moonlit world was still one they unanimously protected.
Even if it meant alienating a small part of the population and referring to them as mere crazies, it was still cheaper than outright wiping the entire city off the grid. That in itself would raise more questions.
But for the normal folk living the disaster in real-time, not all hope was lost. Not everyone had descended to madness as the news outlets would have them believe.
There were survivors. Though they number less than forty, there were people that managed to survive and live on.
Although, it is unlikely that all of them would be able to live past a year, considering the grave injuries they sustained, there were those that could and would. All due to the sheer will to survive.
Chief among them, but unbeknownst to himself, one person that mattered to the future and fate of the world was keenly observed by Alaya.
Inside the Fuyuki hospital, a young child rested. A boy, redhead, small and frail, stared warily at the man before him. His amber eyes eyed the one who saved him, wondering why, out of all the other children in the ward, he was the one to be approached.
The adult's warm smile, still fresh in the child's memory, offered a dry solace in the hospital room's eerie quiet.
"Doctors told me that they weren't able to find your relatives." Emiya Kiritsugu said carefully, not wanting to cause the kid any distress.
"I know," was the boy's emotionless reply.
He was not shaken by the news. He'd already known it to be true. He'd seen the fire and what it did. He'd watched it all as the flames took them—took everyone and everything. A normal child would have been devastated, unable to accept or understand the truth that their parents were no longer alive. But the child now only named Shirou simply accepted that news.
Did he do it out of devastation? A mere need to stay sane suppressing his emotions? Or perhaps he'd already broken… and the one sitting here responding to the adults' questions was merely a body on autopilot, its owner's soul sunk away into the depths of his heart?
It wasn't fair, after all. Why he lived but the ones he loved didn't survive. It wasn't fair. More so to a child.
Kiritsugu said nothing. Staring back as the boy did to him, the uncomfortable silence persisted. Though he was alive and well, if more than a little rattled according to the professionals, he remained as deathly quiet as can be.
Having placed Avalon, Excalibur's scabbard, in the boy, that made the child his responsibility. It was the only way to save his life from the burning pyre. But, in turn, that forced a mercenary murderer to involve himself with an innocent kid.
'It can't be helped. After Avenger's last ditch attempt to end everything alongside herself, this was the only way to save him.'
The thought was a hollow excuse and the man himself knew it. But if he could trade the relic of a sheathe for the lives of all that was caught up in the mess, he would've done so already. In the end, that was impossible and only one could he save with this method. One among thousands of other innocents cremated alive. And now, said kid was all alone.
All because he failed to do what he promised his wife, his child. All because Kiritsugu… gave up winning… for the sake of the world…
Another scale… weighed against his heart. Another sacrifice made… that doomed a few… for the sake of the majority.
But… if he could give back even a little… to the few he'd damned… wouldn't that be better… than just giving up?
"Say, Shirou… Do you want me to adopt you?"
For the first time since the fire, the boy's expression shifted. A reaction. That meant there was still life in him.
Hopefully, Kiritsugu could instil… some essence of joy… to someone he'd damned… with his selfish choices.
***
Tokyo.
News of what occurred in a small city far away reached the capital in a matter of hours. Truly, a testament of modern technology. Not that it impressed the former Emperor as much considering those that covered the story were more interested in gossip and hearsay than actual facts.
Political leaders making promises to resolve the situation even before getting a grasp of the actual tragedy. News casters interviewing media starlets instead of surviving victims. A public opinion that conveyed concern yet radiated general apathy. Such was the general consensus one could pull just by glancing over the news programs currently live on television.
Such a blasé response to the incident… it left a somewhat dour expression on Lelouch's face. And that was despite his overall victory in their current game.
"Checkmate. It's my win again, oh great Daimyo of the Orient."
A pillow immediately struck him, eliciting a light smirk. "I hate this game!"
"Come now," he said. Chuckling as he removed said pillow, he spied the pouty expression of the still-naked woman lying spread-eagled on the comfy hotel bed. "That's not the attitude a challenger should take. Besides, you said you were bored, no?"
"It's unfair! You're a professional at chess!"
"Yet, despite knowing you were at a disadvantage, it didn't stop you from insisting we do several games in quick succession."
"NOT MY FAULT THE DAMN CUP DIDN'T TEACH ME HOW TO PLAY!"
The pouting redhead of a woman was, at this very moment, acting like a stubborn child. Didn't help that she flailed her limbs like one as well with only a bath towel to protect her modesty. On Lelouch's part, however, he didn't mind so long as he was able to enjoy this adorable side of hers.
"I'm pretty sure European traders had brought chess to Japan while you were alive. Was it the Dutch or the Portuguese…? Either way, it sounds like someone is trying to find an excuse for their losses." Lelouch's smirk persisted even when he barely caught a white pawn flying towards his nose.
"Hush, you tease! This game was and has been nothing but a pointless pastime to the me of the past! Besides, I prefer something where I can use my all. An actual battlefield! Even a war of attrition would be more exciting than this!" She sighed while falling back to lazing in the sheets. Her arm moved to hide her pouting expression. Though she snapped at him, he didn't miss the fact that she snuck a glimpse at the ring proudly worn on her finger. She'd been doing so multiple times since getting it already, he was certain her new precious treasure forced her to behave meekly still. "I thought our vacation would be more exciting than this…"
Lelouch couldn't help but relent a sigh. Though he agreed and wished to offer a more fitting setting, it wasn't ideal given their current predicament.
Winning a Grail War, and in such a manner that they had, brought the attention of many to the incident. Not just the common folk and the media, he was aware of movements belonging to the 'other side' of the world. The Matou connection, though brief and only born out of convenience, had given him ample warning beforehand. He'd prepared beforehand to erase as much about his and Avenger's involvement as much as he could.
Still, while the general public and the moonlit world were in a tizzy as to the mysterious incident that occurred in Fuyuki, Lelouch judged that they both needed some time off. That being a brief stay in one of the many luxurious hotels the alternate version of the Tokyo Settlement could offer. Japan's Tokyo is quite liberal compared to his old home but still very reminiscent of that monarchic-capitalist society. A vacation here was almost the same as a weekend there.
Though despite calling it a little vacation, the young immortal remained as vigilant as ever. Glancing over to the TV running the daily news, his gaze narrowed slightly.
'Great Fire Ravages a Bustling City Overnight!' 'The Greatest Conflagration To Date Since World War II!' 'Three Hundred Confirmed Deaths Still on the Rise!' 'Fuyuki Shinto District's Inferno Still Burning!'
A sigh escaped the boy's lips as he analyzed the data the base news outlets managed to gather. A fiery disaster that had yet to be resolved. Hundreds dead and still counting. Comparisons to that of an air raid by bombers. Lelouch sympathized with the victims, he really did. But beyond human losses, the implications of the news broadcasts were very concerning.
While some of the data could be exaggerated for views and attention-grabbing, the fact that the fire still raged on despite their leaving implied quite a lot.
'It'd be easy to explain it away as Nobu's Noble Phantasm.' Being a literal hell of a Reality Marble, it no doubts burned eternally with pyres fueled by vengeance, a place manifested by the rule of the Demon King herself. However, 'The power of a Reality Marble extends only as far as the inner world of its caster.'
Anything within is bent according to the owner's will. It was their internal vision that made it a reality after all. But beyond that, it was impossible to remain, or even impose, the world on reality itself. Anything and everything that happens within stays inside. The sole exception being those brought into the said world. And, knowing that Nobu's hell only punishes those she draws into it, there was no conceivable reason for her flames to escape and harm bystanders, let alone burn a whole city.
'The black mud of the Grail, or perhaps a result of Saber's attempt to destroy the cup. Or maybe everything all at once?' Appreciating the basic rundown of his power given by the ghost of Justeaze Einzbern, Lelouch now had to consider other factors. It was a long shot. But considering that the unnatural blaze had been on the path of consuming half of the city almost a day after they'd taken their leave, magic or anything related to it was the only possible reason for the ongoing disaster. 'Hm… Not being able to confirm the factors due to my being 'dead' during the start of the incident has become a pain…'
While it may not matter much in the long run, knowing what caused it and what he could salvage from the information was a necessity. Erasing his tracks without relying on his unsealed powers was going to be easy, but having a fiery contingency like that for future purposes would—…
'… No. Best not try testing Gaia's patience.' Sighing, he relented. Utilizing a disaster like that to eradicate all witnesses was indeed efficient. But it was also overkill, in any respect. Plus, he didn't need the adage of other magi snooping after them. 'Given our new lease on life, it's best we lay low for the time being.'
"Something on your mind, Lulu?"