The moment the grocery store's automated doors slid away, a sudden chill crept down my back. Fumbling with my aviators, I studied every inch of the place, the aisles chock-full of daily conveniences and the counter just beside the door. There was nothing out of the ordinary, except that the ventilation had made the air a tad stuffy.
The place was empty, a young man who looked just about done with life was reading through some risque magazine behind the counter. When he noticed us, his half-lidded eyes rose from the pages for only the briefest of moments before he decided he wasn't interested enough to keep looking.
Shirou was used to that apparently. He calmly walked off down the nearest aisle, leaving me to my own devices. The ginger youth was yet to learn that that was never a good idea in my company.
Well, he had all the time in the world to figure that out.
"Meh, guess I'll grab some snacks for Nobu."
I shrugged to myself and began my search. Only, no sooner than I had turned to look, my eyes caught a familiar mop of bright gold hair cut short. Gilgamesh. The King of Heroes was standing near the opposite end with a hand on his waist.
We noticed one another at the same time.
He smirked.
I grinned.
"What? Did you get so lonely you decided to push up the date?" I quickly got the first words in.
He scoffed, "The world itself pitied you enough to let you bask in my magnificence before you die a dog's death for your insolence. Be honored, it is not usual that one is graced by myself so often."
"Mate," I clasped my hands together, "Do you seriously not hear yourself when you say that kind of stuff?"
"Your words mirror the depths of your intelligence. I speak truth. You are a mongrel that insists upon himself."
"Two-" I put a hand against my mouth, coughing loudly, "Two-thirds God. Yeah, I read up~ You know what we call a dog with blood diluted like that?"
His expression soured considerably at the mention of his divine nature. "You resort to petty insults, I suppose that is to be expected."
"Hey, you're the one calling people mongrels for no reason." I shrugged again, leaning against the window beside us. "I just thought it was about time for you to get some new material. Ah wait, that kind of thing's super hard for senile old fossils~"
The air shrilled. A resplendent blade carved from gold and laid with precious stones tore through the meagre distance between us. It stopped at the tip of my finger, hovering a mere inch away from flesh.
"Oooh, resorting to violence~? What a mature and magnanimous thing to do!" I laughed exaggeratedly, hiding my mouth behind my palm, "Your control over your temper is admirable. That's sarcasm, in case your brain couldn't process it."
The King of Heroes furrowed his brows with a twitching lip. Then, when I thought he would break his word, he only shook his head and laughed. I cast a glance over my shoulder, where the cashier had begun to take some interest in our exchange.
"I'll be sure to remember this when I destroy you." He declared calmly.
"Buddy, you're the one who came to me?"
"As if! I was merely bored and decided to accompany this dogged priest on his walk."
This dogged who-... Kirei stepped out behind him, hands behind his back and lips parted in that mockery of an easy smile I'd come to expect of him. The priest inclined his head in greeting.
"What a coincidence, young man."
"Yeah, coincidence."
A sordid chuckle escaped his lips at my words. He brought one of his hands forward to reveal a grocery bag. "Do not misunderstand, I was here just as a shopper."
...
...
Come to think of it, I'd seen him shopping around this area before too.
"That's... surprisingly normal."
"A servant of the Lord I might be, I am still a man." He closed his eyes, "Would you like to join me for dinner?"
That too was an intriguing offer. There really were a couple of things on my mind I wanted to talk to both of them about, and the opportunity now presented itself. Sadly, I had other obligations.
"I don't have the time."
"Tea, then?" He offered calmly.
I cast a glance over my shoulder. Shirou was trying to talk to the cashier. Pursing my lips for a brief moment, I made my decision and reached for my pockets, fishing out one of my cards.
"Yo, Shirou, catch." I tossed it over my shoulder.
He caught it with surprising ease, "What do I do with this?"
"Get some more stuff. You'll have to make food for three more people."
Taking my words in stride, Shirou raised a curious brow, "For the priest and-"
"Hell no, I'd never invite either of these weirdoes into my home."
"You mean... my home?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I waved my hand in dismissal, "It's for Rider, and Nobu, and this dude's daughter."
"Where did you-" Shirou stopped himself, "Okay. I'll invite Miss Taiga too."
You know, I was really expecting him to have some more questions. But, alright, this kind of 'can-do' attitude was refreshing in its own way, especially compared to the likes of Yvette or Flat.
Done with Shirou, I turned to Kirei again, "Alright, let's go."
-
The walk to the Church was an uneventful one save for some random insult from Gilgamesh from time to time, and eventually, I found myself sat across from Kirei in a small room.
There was a small table between us, with only enough space for the two ceramic cups and a carafe half-full of steaming rose tea. The delectable scent carried through the stale air, and made it not the slightest bit less disgusting to inhale.
King Gilgamesh was sprawled on a couch beside us, idly flipping through channels on the television with one leg crossed over the other.
"So," I brought my cup closer to my lips, "Did you get Caren's pictures?"
"Was she enjoyable?" He asked.
I felt sad then that I hadn't yet taken a sip, because that made me miss the opportunity to spit it out all over his face for the heinous words he'd just spouted. Caren was his actual biological daughter.
"So there's a reason she hates you." I pursed my lips.
"All children hate their parents at some point in life, yet we love them all the same."
What?
"Is that what you would like to hear, young man?" His dark eyes shimmered with intrigue, "Then, let me be plain. The thought of her suffering that fate only brought me joy. It is the first time I have felt something for her birth."
My reaction to that was... not as adverse as I would have liked. I only shut my eyes and took a deep breath of the rotten air permeating through his home. "A priest shouldn't be saying that kind of stuff, chief."
"It is the way the Lord made me. After observing you, I have come to accept that more." He took another sip, studying me with unveiled intrigue.
"Those who can, do as they wish. That is the way of the world. Any mongrel that lets his fate rest in the hands of some uncaring deity deserves all that comes his way."
"Yeah, okay." I ignored Gilgamesh's rambling entirely and placed down my cup, "So we're not even trying to hide anymore, eh?"
Kirei smiled a hollow smile. "There is no point."
"Then, what happened to Bazett?" I asked plainly, more for curiosity than anything else.
Gilgamesh had found some channel broadcasting a Formula One race and turned the volume all the way up. The announcers' voices began to ring in the tiny guest room.
"I killed her." Kirei's smile became true. "She came to me for advice about you, trusting me as a friend, and I broke her spine, tore out her guts-"
What a disgusting person. I was prepared somewhat, but still that sentiment rang true. Thankfully, I had paid heed to Caren's words. More than that, his words were a mere confirmation of my own suspicions from the moment I met him.
I raised a hand to stop him.
"Do you hold it against me?"
"No, she tried to kill me a couple of times, even when I tried to be reasonable."
It left a bitter taste on my tongue, but that was all. Instead, my dislike for the Clock Tower's politicking grew even further.
"You enjoy chaos, young man."
"I don't enjoy being the cause of suffering."
"I relish it." Kirei sipped his tea again, and I felt the room grow smaller. "That is why I have made a decision of my own. You enjoy the thrill of the unexpected, so I make a request."
I offered no words.
He continued, "The Holy Grail is corrupted."
Of course it was. What else could you expect?
"In their greed for success, the Einzbern summoned a servant not of the natural order, a servant given to hatred and rage against the world. When that servant died and eventually mingled with the Greater Grail at the end of the war, it became one with it. That catastrophe ten years ago was caused by that creature attempting to birth itself with the energy gathered."
He was talking about the Great Fire that burnt away a part of the city, and caused hundreds of deaths. I had heard of that in passing, not particularly curious about the history of what was to be a casual muse.
"Aren't you curious?" Kirei's dark eyes seemed to shimmer in the faint light of the bulb hanging overhead. "Don't you want to see what that would look like completed?"
Honestly, I did.
By God, I did.
He knew exactly the words needed to rile my curiosity.
But not if it cost so many people their lives, I simply wasn't capable of going that far to sate said curiosity. Yet, undeniably, the opportunity was nothing if not tempting for one who loved mystery so deeply.
"You don't have to answer now." The priest cooed, "For your confrontation with the King, I will empty out the city."
Immediately, my attention went to his words.
"No doubt, I will have to request aid from my peers, and for the cover-up..." He rubbed his chin, "Let us say, that one of the mountains in the outskirts was a dormant volcano. It will take work, but your reputation precedes you. The Holy Church will invest the resources needed to destroy you... and I suspect many of your own peers will help as well."
Well, that solved the foremost problem with the confrontation. Only, it brought up another one. If the city had no residents, and the incident would be covered up, then where would I get an audience?
Flexing was no fun if there were no witnesses, after all.
Everyone needed to know I was the strongest.
Gilgamesh laughed over the TV, "Hear that, mongrel? Your shame will be solely your own. Aren't you glad?"
"Hell no. That takes away all the fun. I wanted to kick your teeth in in front of everyone else. Actually, while we're at it, can we move it up a day?"
In the end, my impatience won over.
The King of Heroes gave a shrug, "Why not?"
"Thanks... now for the audience... hmm," I sipped my tea, racking my brain for any ideas.
"Might I suggest people of similar proclivities?" Kirei offered.
"Dammit, you're right. But who... how-"
I cut myself off.
There was only person in the world crazy enough to agree with the crazy idea that had just popped into my head just then.
With a massive grin, I reached into my pockets and pulled out my phone, dialling up a certain Grand no would dare attempt to stop. The only person mad and curious enough to go along with such a crazy idea just for the heck of it.
Scarred Red.
Touko Aozaki.
-
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