"Dad! It's not like that!" The boy's face went as red as his hair. At that, the adult knew he won.
"Oh, I don't know. You kids are free to do what you wish, so long as you act responsibly. I don't trust them, but I've already placed my trust in you so…" Seeing his son's amber eyes stare him down where he sat, he stopped the joke and downed the rest of his coffee. Putting the mug by the sink, he ruffled his embarrassed kid's hair. "I'm kidding. At least let me crack a joke every now and then."
"And here I thought Fuji-nee would be the annoying immature adult…"
Kiritsugu chuckled as the boy rolled his eyes. "I'm actually going to be free for quite some time before the next trip. Until I get word from my other acquaintances, I really don't want to risk leaving you here all by yourself." At that point, he emphasized the danger. But he didn't let it linger for that's not what a real parent would do. "Besides, don't you want me to supervise your training anymore? If you improved this much, then maybe we can see about expanding your repertoire before I have to step out of the country again."
"Really? Then…"
That had Shirou in a far more pleasant mood than earlier. He started muttering to himself about what else he could learn and the practicality of applying it to his current abilities. Like the child that he was, it was clear he was eagerly awaiting more training.
Though he hardly showed much affection, the boy's emotions were quite easy to read. For that, Kiritsugu was spared much of the struggle most parents have when it came to understanding their kids. "Once you've finished with the cleanup, we'll discuss it tomorrow. You have the day off, don't you?"
"Got it."
"Alright." Ruffling the kid's hair one more time, he noted how tall the boy had been getting. Sooner or later, he'd be his height, maybe taller. Kiritsugu stopped mulling about his old age before taking his leave. "I'll be watching some TV until later before going to bed. You go on ahead and get a good night's sleep for tomorrow."
"Need more coffee?"
Appreciating his son's consideration, he simply smiled back. "Nah. No need. Jetlag's a pain, but nothing that needs pampering. Just rest easy. I'll be alright."
That was another lie.
He wasn't alright. He was never alright. Not since he failed. And kept failing. And failing. And failing.
But… that didn't mean he was one to give up so easily. He hadn't, even after all this time.
Kiritsugu sighed deeply as he took a seat. He really felt his age as the years came crashing down on his shoulders. But as he picked up the remote and turned the old television on, he pondered about the future. Though he failed to retrieve Illya now, he couldn't wallow in grief for long. He still had to raise Shirou.
The boy, though spunky and reckless at times, had talent. He had the potential and drive to do good, better than Kiritsugu had anyway. All he needed was guidance. And the man resolutely refused to fail one child as he continued to do so for the other.
"… in other news, the eyes of the world are glued to Central Asia as the expressed desire of a number of small non-NATO nations to form a new political union has been ratified. With the goal of ensuring economic prosperity and guaranteeing the stability and safety of the continent, we go now live to the scene reported by one of our own, John Boris…."
The TV hummed with the voice of a news anchor as they commented on a topic Kiritsugu had been hearing a lot about overseas but never gave much thought to. Behind the speaker, a government building had dozens of national flags lined up in front akin to that of the UN. Only, it wasn't related to nor yet acknowledged by the United Nations.
"Thanks, Edwards. Reporting here live on the scene for BBS News, just four hours ago, over thirty countries have signed the historical document that should mark the creation of the Asian Confederation of Independent Nations or ACIN as certain officials have dubbed it. The world leaders in the western hemisphere show signs of mixed feelings about the creation of the new organization, but despite tense feelings from the West, the Confederation went ahead with their project practically unopposed. The agreement between the thirty-two members was officially signed and ratified in the capital of the newly formed Arabian Republic, Riyadh, with word coming in that seven more nations previously on the fence are now considering joining as well."
It was a startling result after all the news he'd heard of the constant liberalization of the Central Asian region. Kiritsugu once worked there, especially as the go-to cleanup guy certain Clock Tower members would request for in hunting down rogue researchers trying anything far beyond the reach of the Clock Tower's authority. Though try as he might quell the civil unrest there before, there was only so much a single hired assassin could do.
But now… to have multiple countries go through revolutions that oust their former dictators successfully? There was no way Kiritsugu did not suspect foul play involved somewhere. And while he couldn't do anything for fear of leaving Shirou alone, he could still speculate from his seat in the living room.
"Good to hear that their declaration has gone uninterrupted, John." Split-screened, the news anchor now conversed with the live reporter. "But, tell me, has there really been no sign of local opposition? Considering the past of the region and the recent civil unrest that's gone quiet as of late, we expected a little more hesitation from local powers."
This is a reasonable assumption. The democratic ideology, though not originally, was always considered a western ideology nowadays. No matter the autocrat or theocrat, they would often claim such ideas as an 'intervention by the west' to subvert their rule. But… it had flipped far too easily to one side. It was as though their cabinet, and even the military, had subsequently agreed that they would liberalize unconditionally.
"We thought so as well, Ed, but as soon as we got here, we were given a free pass to interview the local population. Not just them, but former leaders of major resistance groups that once opposed the former autocrat had volunteered to give us a statement. We'll go over that in a later segment, but for now, the leadership of the ACIN has given another official declaration. This one is likely of great concern to those at home, they stated that the ACIN will not abuse its hold over the majority of natural oil reserves to hurt the global economy in any way."
"However, some sceptics point out that said ownership of the oil fields had, over the past decade, brought great strife and dissent that warranted posting foreign military as aide. Critics question what their extradition of said military aide means for the future, especially now that they have seemingly been replaced by local, less expertly-trained militias. Experts from humanitarian organizations have speculated that, especially among those that suffered a recent civil war or government coup, there is some fear that ACIN might use its armies to locally suppress their own people."
"That we thought as well. However, upon interviewing the locals…"
The report went on and on, stating the upsides of the new governments that took hold in the region and redirected every critique by the studio at BBS. He even went so far as to promote the member states' newfound alliance with one another that disregarded past grievances or religious differences. To that, Kiritsugu was downright suspicious of something else afoot.
No militarized powers, more so autocratic regimes, would so easily surrender their hold over a country. Worst comes to worst, they tear down what resources or infrastructure the victors could use in their absence so that they may sow the seeds of discontent amongst the populace. After all, what would a pyrrhic victory be but a sign that the revolution was just as terrible, just as incompetent, as the regime they overthrew?
But that wasn't the case with many of the new members of the so-called Asian Confederation of Independent Nations. The reporter then drifted off to mention how many of the core member states used to be either silent dictatorships that used their resources and influence to negotiate with the west or full-on theocracies that brutally suppressed their own citizens. Of how said citizens began to rise up, slowly but surely gaining ground against the far more supplied and heavily armed military. Of how the common man, factory workers, simple farmers and fishermen, embodied the greatest underdog story of the century to overthrow and stamp out the tyrannical heads of state with nary a fracture or dissent amongst their own numbers. It was surreal.
And now that he thought about it, the dominos all started to fall around the time the new Afghan Republic had risen up from the ashes of their civil war. It was one of the core members, and, not only did it provide substantial support to its neighbouring countries' rapid reforms and subsequent democratic transformations, it could be said that it was the very centre of all that change.
Then again, he may have been overthinking. Kiritsugu scoffed. He was an assassin. A mercenary. The best he could do to bring peace and save lives was to kill. And kill… And kill. He was but one man, able to only curb the infection by cutting away the rotting skin off the flesh of humanity. He alone could never stop things from escalating to more bloodshed. And yet, those people had.
Somehow, through their very efforts, a peace-loving country had birthed itself from a locale formerly known for its constant civil wars and various discriminations.
It was impossible for a single man, but… what about the Grail? The real Grail?
'Impossible.' He dismissively shook his head as he continued to watch the news. 'I saw what that thing truly was. It was no wish granter. Never had been.'
He'd have been a fool to think otherwise, especially now… after all these years. No. The powers that be in the new alliance of nations to rock the world stage didn't rely on such a thing. Had they done so, then the world would've been half-engulfed in a sea of flames. Yet, by no means did this clear them of all suspicion, oh heavens no. Kiritsugu's eyes, able to tell the strangeness within the mundane, could discern that something more had influenced so many people. Maybe it was hope, maybe it was a desire for peace, but no such good intentions could move so many people all at once. Something else had pushed them or led them to this state.
'Whoever, and however they may have had a hand in all this… they are neither saints nor messiahs.'
Nothing about this had been clean or innocent from the start. He knew better than most that the path to paradise was bathed in blood. Seeing their methods, or rather not being able to see the whole truth, it wasn't an understatement to say whoever they were, they were powerful enough to undermine so many seats of several national powers. But… but…
Upon seeing the genuine smiles, the peaceful and joyous expressions of the interviewed people's faces as they celebrated the occasion during the reporter's follow-up segment… Kiritsugu felt something resonate deep in his chest. Reclining back in his seat, he sighed deeply.
'At least they've done some good for this world.'
He wouldn't be sure for how long or if it would last, but at least there was some peace. For now.