Capture The Queen...

Chapter 11 - Capture The Queen...

Exhaustion was probably the only reason Shirou managed to sleep at all the previous night. There was something sleep-depriving in knowing that someone was aware of his double identity.

Especially if said someone was the person you were trying hid your triple identity from.

In hindsight, he should have seen it coming. Lately, due to the circumstances brought forth by Kazama's disappearance, he and Tohsaka had spent a lot of time together. The girl was smart and attentive, and he had left around enough hints to make a few educated guesses. Nothing conclusive, but enough to spark the suspicion.

She had then taken advantage of his tired state to pry the confirmation out of him in an almost casual manner.

He made a mental note to eat more. Reinforcement amplified his body's abilities, but it still ran on the same nutrients as it did normally, only at a much-accelerated rate.

He'd have to start carrying around a few chocolate bars to prevent such things from repeating. Apparently being an ally of justice had more complications than just facing the bad guys, none of them nearly as cool as anime and manga made them out to be.

In any case, he had a nasty situation to face. He couldn't quite see Tohsaka running to the police with her newfound knowledge: not just due to her involvement in the incident last night, but because he was sure she didn't want anyone to snoop too much around her private life as much as he did.

And also because Shirou honestly thought that the resident Second Owner was a better person than that.

Or at least he seriously hoped she was.

Breakfast was a quiet event, relatively speaking. Thanks to Taiga's excitement over Kazama being found, he managed to hide the stiffness in his arm. The wound was healing but he still had a hard time using his limb.

He ate three times his usual share, forcing Sakura to prepare more food. He apologized and made up some excuse about skipping dinner the previous evening. With his stomach full, he was ready to face school.

Or not.

Seriously, what the hell?

The school was in an uproar. News of Yukiko's rescue had already reached her schoolmates, but her safety wasn't the reason for the turmoil. It was the front page of all newspapers.

The ARCHER strikes!

The title, written in bold characters, opened up a detailed article of the previous night events, told from the perspective of the rescued girls and a few initial declarations from the police.

The words occupied only a minor part of the page, as most of the space was filled with pictures of Shirou's masked self. The first and the biggest pictured him holding Yukiko with the building burning behind him, while a few other shots showed him as he made his escape from the scene.

It looked rather cool, Shirou had to admit…but more importantly it was a borderline disaster.

Being caught on tape wasn't something acceptable by any stretch of the imagination. He was grateful that his Thaumaturgy wasn't particularly showy, or the hammer of the Clock Tower would have already fallen on the city. Fuyuki would have been reduced to a smoldering crater, and the newspapers would have reported something about a sudden a typhoon of epic proportions, or an unpredictable meteor impact that leveled the town leaving no survivors, and more importantly, no witnesses.

Even putting that near miss aside, he had just lost a serious advantage. Sure, people knew about him even before this debacle, but his existence was more of a myth than anything else. Criminals didn't expect him, didn't plan against him, didn't look out for him and that gave him the upper hand nearly every time.

Things had just gotten a lot more complicated for him, in more ways than one.

Who would have thought that the hard part of being a hero wasn't the helping people part, but remaining in the game long enough to actually provide that help?

Seriously, life was turning out to be full of surprises…and very few of the pleasant kind.

All in all, Shirou thought that there was no way in the world to calm down the mass of excited students and have a normal day of school.

… But then Kuzuki Soichirou walked in, and the class went silent without a single word from the teacher. He didn't even glare at them. His presence alone was enough to hush every noise.

After knowing him for a while, Shirou wanted to acquire that skill more than he wanted his martial arts. That 'mess with me and die'sort of presence was definitely something a hero of justice could put to some use.

Thanks to him, lessons proceeded as usual but Shirou had other things on his mind than schoolwork.

Lunch break.

The buzz over the previous night events returned in full force as students went about their business. It had to be expected, of course. Fuyuki city was usually a quiet place, as far as the average citizen knew. The things that Kotomine and Tohsaka had to deal with in their capacity as magic users never reached the ears of common people.

This was one of the few things she had neither reason nor way to conceal, and the official confirmation of Archer's existence, with pictures, made the news more than the recently discovered crime ring based in town.

It showed just what people's priorities were, at least as far as her age group was concerned. What a bunch of monkeys. How was she supposed to relate to any of these people? They didn't have half this interest in Yukiko's disappearance, and they didn't care about her return either.

The only people who showed an inkling of concern were her and the group who had helped her to look for Yuki.

Ryuudo approached her first thing that morning asking of Yukiko's health. He was genuinely relieved that she hadn't suffered any abuse. That guy didn't seem to like her for some reason, but it didn't stop him from offering his help in a manner that went beyond his duties as the students' representative.

She saw Sakura on the way to school and she the purple haired girl nodded at her with a genuine 'I'm happy for you'smile. Rin had to restrain herself from walking over there and hugging the younger girl for many different reasons.

Finally, the person who had played the biggest part in the rescue operation: Emiya Shirou, the restless boy with steel hidden behind gentle eyes. What was his story? How did he get to do the things he did?

She could understand his reasons to a degree, but not the amount of effort he put behind his actions. There was an obvious amount of skill in the things he did that spoke of heavy physical conditioning and hours of training.

He wanted no acknowledgement, no recognition and had nothing to gain or lose as far as she could tell. Could a person such as that even exist? Was he truly selfless or were there motives she wasn't privy to that made him go through all of that effort?

Did it even matter in the face of what he did? Without his intervention she would have never found Yukiko nor would have the police. That much was clear beyond doubt, and for that she owed him a certain amount of gratitude.

She wasn't one for having debts, though. Not for long anyway. She had, however, something to pay him back with, although even she had to admit it was a rather underhanded move.

They had no spoken agreement about meeting that day. They didn't even see each other in the corridors as it happened sometimes. It was all guesswork, but if she were him, she'd want to talk about the situation.

She made her way to the rooftop, the best place to talk without being overheard and where eventual eavesdroppers would be spotted immediately. She was sure to find him there.

She wasn't disappointed, nor was he surprised to see her arrive.

"Yo, Tohsaka-san," he greeted cheerfully. There was no hint in his voice, his posture or that he felt scared or that he was about to grovel at her feet, begging her not to reveal his secret.

She didn't know if should feel flattered or offended that he didn't consider her a threat. Well, considering that he had a reputation for thinking the best of people until they punched him in the face (and sometimes even afterwards according to Shinji), neither of those options was reasonable.

Emiya Shirou was simply that kind of idiot.

"Hi, Emiya-kun. How's your arm?" she asked without dancing around the subject.

"Better than yesterday," he admitted. "I have to skip archery practice for a while though."

"Tsk, this is so disappointing," Tohsaka huffed. "You aren't even trying to deny it."

"Sorry about that," he chuckled, "but I figured that since you are smart enough to figure it out by yourself, and with my slip yesterday there isn't much point of lying. How did you find out, by the way?"

"You are one of the orphans of the great conflagration nine years ago, right?" she asked and he nodded. "The thing you said to me in the alley, the second time we met. The reason for which you fight."

"The thing I… Oh. I knew should have kept my mouth shut."

"Yes, you should have," she confirmed reprovingly. "Of course it was just a suspicion, but your character fit the description. You then all but confirmed it to me last night, first by calling me by my name, which I never told Archer, and finally with that last slip of the tongue."

Shirou grumbled as he buried his face in one hand.

"That was pretty sneaky, by the way, taking advantage of my exhaustion like that."

She smiled, lifting a finger as if to highlight her words. "Well, Emiya-kun, the secret to being successful is to grab an opportunity when it's offered."

"I can't deny that it worked," he admitted begrudgingly. "How's Kazama-san, by the way?"

"She's fine. I called her parents this morning and there was nothing wrong with her. She doesn't remember much. They kept her under sedative almost the entire time. In hindsight she was lucky compared to the other girls. They didn't touch her or anything, and she slept most of the time. Frankly, the entire ordeal was worse for her parents than it was for her."

"I can see that happening," he nodded. "She's coming back to school soon?"

"In a couple of days. The doctors wanted to keep her under observation a little longer, but she insisted on returning to her normal life as soon as possible. Her parents wanted to leave town for a while, to escape the media circus and because the police still doesn't know who commissioned her abduction."

"Wait. What do you mean 'commissioned'? You mean she wasn't just picked at random?"

"No," she shook her head. "This is strictly confidential, and I know it only because her family told me, but it seems that somebody wanted her specifically, and contacted that organization to kidnap her. Their boss says he doesn't know who did the commissioning, only that he was willing to pay a high price to have her. The police is looking into every direction, but considering that her family runs a less than cheap Ryokan, there's plenty of wealthy people who could have laid their eyes on her."

"So it's not over," he mumbled. She could almost see the gears turning in his head as he contemplated the implications of that news.

"Well, I don' t think that whomever was behind it would try it again anytime soon. Not with the hornet's nest you stirred."

"Me? What does my involvement have to do with anything beside the rescue?"

"Are you seriously that dumb? The prostitution ring is big news for Fuyuki that's certain, but it wouldn't have reached national levels if it weren't for your presence. You have been promoted to a celebrity and the media is all over you and your activities. The effort the police is putting into this case is ten times what it would have been otherwise. No one would be fool enough to try again now that the eye of the entire nation is on Fuyuki."

"That's good, all things considered. I should lay low as well," he said pensively.

"It would be better," she agreed. "I saw vans from several different networks on my way to school. I'm going to bet that as soon as Yukiko returns, they will be all over the place."

"Tch! Maybe I should pretend to be sick for a while."

"Yes, because the captain of the archery club being sick when Archer is known to be wounded is not going to raise any suspicion," she remarked sarcastically. "You'd better take some painkillers and act like nothing happened. A change in behavior now wouldn't pass unnoticed."

"Yes, you're right, of course. Thanks for the heads up. I'd better return to class right now. Lunch break is almost over."

"Wait. Are you kidding me?" she asked a little upset.

"What? Why?"

"I know your secret identity and you aren't going to do anything about it?"

"What am I supposed to do?" he shrugged. "I thought about it all morning but I couldn't come up with anything. I can't make you forget what you know, I have nothing to offer for your silence, and I will certainly not threaten you to keep your mouth shut. What you're going to do with my secret is entirely up to you at this point, Tohsaka-san."

Insufferable idiot. "Aren't you worried even a little?"

He looked at her for a moment, as if pondering that question for the first time.

"To be honest, no I'm not. I was a little freaked out that someone knew of my secret identity, I'll give you that. I mean, I spent a lot of effort to keep it, you know, secret. But then I thought: Hey, it's Tohsaka. How bad could that be? "

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, eyebrow twitching. Curse the Root, if he was underestimating her, he would regret it.

"That I trust you?" he asked, not getting the reason for her sudden change of mood.

"You- you trust me?" she was taken aback. "Are you- are you completely stupid? We never even exchanged words before a week ago, and you say that you trust me with this?"

"Sure. Why shouldn't I? Granted, I might not know much about you personally, but I watched you working restlessly to find your friend, losing sleep over her well-being. And…"

"And?"

"You trusted me with her safety last night. Even though you've been looking for her for days, you trusted me enough to take care of her in your place. Frankly speaking, that's bigger than any secret I have. The least I can do now is to return the favor."

Rin's mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again. The cycle repeated a few time as she grasped for words. They didn't come.

He worked, sweated, fought and bled for people he barely even knew, and he was the one feeling indebted? Just where the hell did he get his perspective from?

To make matters worse, he just turned the table on her without even trying. He didn't play the 'You owe me, so keep your mouth shut'card, which she was ready to receive and accept. What kind of scale of values did he have? To her, a Magus, debts were something extremely serious that should be repaid as soon as possible, but him…

But the fact remained that he was right, in his odd, twisted reasoning. At one point she entrusted him with something precious and he lived up to that trust. And now it was her holding the safety of something he valued in her hand.

Would she just fail in keeping up with him? Her pride wouldn't permit it.

How disappointing. She had wanted to make him squirm a little before letting him off the hook.

Finally she sighed and her shoulders slumped, not so much in defeat as in resignation. How was she supposed to find something to counterbalance the sheer idiocy of this boy?

"You know, Emiya-kun, most people wouldn't be so trustful. Eventually you're going to regret it."

"I'll take my chances," he shrugged. "So, have you had lunch already?"

"Are you asking me to have lunch with you?" She smirked. "How bold of you. Don't tell me this was your plan all along," she ignored his sputtering and grabbed his arms with hers. "But I think I can indulge you. Just this once."

She promptly dragged him downstairs to fetch her lunch, for once not caring at all about their rumor mongering schoolmates.

With a sigh Dojima closed the hospital door behind him. Another hole in the water. The Kazama girl hadn't seen nor heard a thing. In fact, despite being the person who led Archer to uncover the criminal organization, she was the least informed of all the witnesses.

She could have been lying about not knowing a thing about the vigilante, but the look of sheer surprise in her eyes when he told her who rescued her convinced him of her truthfulness. Yet, he couldn't discard her involvement altogether. According to the preliminary investigations she was the first girl to be kidnapped from Fuyuki. Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that until then, Archer took no interest in the disappearances happening all over Japan.

Then again, Kazama was hardly the only underage girl disappearing all of a sudden. Certainly most cases turned out to be voluntary runaways, often returning home on their own a few days later. Archer took no interest in them, but not a week after this girl disappeared he had already gathered enough information to find a serious trail.

Either that meant Archer had an information network so impressive that he could discern kidnappings from runaways, or he had at least an indirect connection with this girl. Considering that he had to resort to his help to put the last pieces together and pinpoint the location, the former didn't seem likely. Which meant that someone in Kazama's circle of friends had at least a way to reach the teenage vigilante.

He'd have to start looking into her acquaintances, starting for her school, which happened to be Homurahara Gakuen.

… Wait, Homurahara Gakuen?

" Why are you looking for Archer? Is what he's doing wrong?"

[…]

"Sorry kid. I'm afraid that justice and law don't go hand in hand."

[…]

"I'm sorry for troubling you. But I'm not sorry for what I'm doing. There are times when the law isn't enough to protect the innocent."

Well, well, well. How many chance were there that it was just a coincidence? Emiya Shirou was one of his prime suspects, and now he suddenly jumped at the top of his list. A mere coincidence? Possible, but unlikely. Maybe keeping a discreet eye on the boy would work better that overtly stick his nose too close. If the boy actually were Archer, seeing him snooping around would only cause him to be more attentive.

It looked like he was up for a few nights of watch.

Adachi wasn't the dimwit everyone thought he was. Even if he didn't consider himself a great detective he had more than a few aces up his sleeve. His reputation was one of such aces.

Being considered harmless and somewhat of an idiot meant that people hardly considered him a threat. They were relaxed around him, not even trying to conceal what they were thinking because even if he figured something out, hey, it's Adachi; how bad could that be?

If only they knew what his apparently unassuming little brain could come up with.

Even his tendency to blurt details about the case he was following to random passerby had a purpose.

Blabbermouth, they called him. Fools, the lot of them.

Knowledge is power not only when you have it, but also when you release it. Letting something or another be known would cause someone to react in a certain manner.

Action. Reaction. Push this and that moves. Pull that and this follows.

It was just a matter of knowing which button caused the right effect.

"Ne, Senpai," he addressed his senior as they left Kazama's room. "That wasn't really helpful. At this rate we aren't going to find Archer anytime soon."

"Hm," Dojima agreed pensively.

Well, that was unexpected. Dojima wasn't one for half-assed answers. In fact, he was likely to cuff him in the back of his head for being needlessly negative about the case's lack of development.

So, wild guess: he knew something and was too absorbed in his musing to pay him any mind. It also had to be something he didn't feel like sharing with him, either because of his reputation of being less than tight-lipped, or because he had no actual proof yet

Admittedly, there were downsides to be considered a blabbermouth, unless you knew how to turn even those in advantages. When people wanted to keep things under wrap they made a point of shutting up when he was around. Normally that would be a hindrance to anyone, but not to Adachi. To him that only served to highlight the things he needed to look into when no one was looking at him.

It was predictable to the point of boredom.

Still, that meant he had to keep a close eye on his Senpai in the coming days. He didn't want to miss out on the action, after all.

Two days later

The media circus continued. The journalists were thriving on Archer like a pack of wolves over a juicy piece of raw meat.

They assaulted the school looking for information about the girl carried to safety in the hero's arms. They were quickly driven away by a fearsome tiger, but outside of the school gates there wasn't much to hold them back.

The students of Homurahara Gakuen found cameras and microphones stuffed in their faces more than a few times a day. Of course, none of them had any actual information to share, besides more gossip, most of which unfounded.

That only served to spur new rumors that didn't have any real foundation. That was good, though. Some diversion, free of charge, was really useful at that point in time. Shirou's wound was healed in less than a day, mostly because he diverted the entirety of his magical reserves toward accelerating the process. He only had to skip archery practice once, and with him being notoriously busy no one paid it any mind.

Just when the entire charade was beginning to wind down Yukiko returned to school. Immediately, the poor girl was almost literally assaulted by almost every other student, few of which interested in her well-being. The most popular rumor going around was that she was secretly Archer's lover.

Only the presence of her closest friends, led by none other than Tohsaka Rin, saved her from being swarmed with questions.

It took two more days for the entire thing to finally become secondary in the grand scheme of things (aka: adolescent life), and for life to move on.

As he was leaving school after archery practice, Shirou found somebody unexpected waiting for him.

"Emiya-kun? Over here." Tohsaka called from beyond the school gates. Kazama was standing beside her, schoolbag in hands.

"Good evening, Tohsaka-san, Kazama-san," he greeted. "Are you leaving the school this late? I didn't know either of you had club activities."

"We don't," Tohsaka admitted. "But it's easier to avoid the reporters if they think we managed to leave the school grounds unnoticed."

"Ah, that makes sense. I'm sorry for you Kazama-san. After all you went through you really didn't need all this mess."

"No, you don't have to worry. It's nothing I can't handle with a little help," she dismissed in a soft tone of voice, waving her hands in front of her face. She looked down, blushing. "Besides you've done more than enough already. Rin told me how you helped her."

"She did?" he asked glancing at said girl who stood at the side smirking.

"Of course I did, Emiya-kun. I told her eve-ry-thing," she said teasingly.

"You did?" he almost squawked.

"Yes," Yukiko confirmed. "She told me you volunteered to look for me every night. I don't know how to thank you."

"Oh, that's what she told you," he breathed in relief but shot a glare at Tohsaka, who was hiding her amused smile behind her hand. "A- anyway, you don't have to thank me. It's not as if it actually helped in the end."

"Still, besides my family and close friends you were the only person to believe I didn't run away from home and did something to look for me."

"You're giving me too much credit, Kazama-san. I just did what I thought was right. Really, it was nothing."

"See? That's exactly what I told you he would say," Tohsaka said.

"Anyway, Emiya-kun," Kazama continued, "I wanted to treat you and Rin to dinner, to repay you for your efforts, at least."

"Uh, I appreciate it, but you don't really have to."

"I insist," he persisted, "I won't feel good about myself if I just ignored this."

"You're not going to convince her, Emiya-kun. You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but she can be quite stubborn when it comes to certain things."

"Please, Emiya-kun?" Kazama insisted.

"Ah… Uh… Well, all right."

"Wonderful," she exclaimed. "There's a nice place that I know of in town. Shall we go?"

"Actually there were two more people who helped out," Shirou pointed out. "Shouldn't we invite them along?"

"I asked them both already," Tohsaka explained. "Both Ryuudo-kun and Matou-san thanked but refused the offer. They said that they didn't do much and they only came along because of you in the first place. To be honest, I think they just felt uncomfortable and decided to dump everything on you."

"Great," he said sourly. "Well, I suppose there's no reason to sulk over it."

"Well said, Emiya-kun," Kazama said. "Let us go, then. I can't wait to show you the place."

They made their way toward the city, engaging in a simple and pleasant conversation. They didn't notice the person looking at them several meters behind.

Dojima watched the adolescent trio getting further away. Following them now would only make things difficult. He had at least confirmed that the Emiya boy and the Kazama girl were at least acquainted with each other. From what he could gleam of their conversation they weren't exactly close, but it was apparent that Emiya had invested his time in looking for the recently rescued girl regardless of the fact that he actually was Archer or not. That was an important piece of knowledge.

For now he would play it safe and keep any eye over Emiya's house and all the other places he usually hang around. If the kid actually were the vigilante he would find out at one point or another.

With that in mind he turned and went for his car.

The restaurant turned out to be a rather simple, family owned place. The cuisine was good enough, but Shirou was sure that he could make those dishes better any day of the week.

The conversation steered away from the recent events that involved Yukiko (as she insisted that he call her) and settled on more common topics. Of course every once in a while the girls went into their own hushed conversation that involved a lot of giggling – for Tohsaka's standards – and glances thrown sideways at him followed by more giggling.

For his part Shirou, who knew better than to ask what they were talking about, was initially too busy comparing his culinary skill level to a professional's. That changed slowly as the various dishes were served.

There was something odd about the place. It was quite crowded but there was very little noise. It was like the other patrons weren't really into their food or their conversations, and he was sure that several people shot strange glances in their direction.

Damn, could it be that there were still journalist following Yukiko? That wasn't good. By no stretch of the imagination was being publicly associated with her at that point in time a positive thing.

Anyway, pulling back now would only make him look all the more suspicious. Ultimately, he could only enjoy the evening, but keeping his eyes and ears wide open was a necessity at that point.

In spite of that, dinner was a pleasant business and by the time it ended Shirou was a lot more relaxed. At no time during the evening did something strange happen, leaving Shirou with the thought of just being paranoid.

Finally they walked home together until they reached the intersection where Shirou had to leave the girls by themselves. It was only at that point that he realized it.

"Wait. Yukiko-san, don't you live on the other side of town?"

"And you noticed that just now?" Tohsaka asked. "Emiya-kun you sure are slow. Yukiko is staying at my place for a few nights, at least until the whole mess blows over. She can't even leave for school in the morning with all the reporters at her place."

"That sucks. Anyway, do you want me walk you home?"

"Now, now, Emiya," she chided. "There's no need to be all protective of us. We can defend ourselves and this is a quiet neighborhood."

"Yeah," he confirmed recalling the punches he stopped when they fought. Definitely no amateurish stuff. "You can do that all right."

"What's that supposed to mean, Emiya?"

"That you pack a mean punch, Tohsaka."

"Feh," she huffed, crossing her arms on her chest. "Look who's talking."

"What?" Yukiko asked in amusement. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," they replied as one, causing Yukiko to laugh.

"Honestly you two. You really are good friends. At least some of this mess had a positive outcome."

"I guess," Rin conceded. "Anyway, we'd better go. It's a school day tomorrow. See you, Emiya."

"Good night, Emiya-kun. Thank you for everything."

"Think nothing of it. Goodnight, both of you."

He remained there until they disappeared behind a corner. Then he turned and headed home.

Rin reached her home alongside Yukiko in a comfortable silence. Although she wasn't one for social events, Rin found the evening extremely enjoyable, both because of Yukiko and because of Emiya. The boy was a surprisingly pleasant person to hang around with. He definitely was ahead of his peers in maturity, and unlike Issei, he didn't mind her company.

She hardly ever spent any time with the opposite gender beyond school related activities, mostly because any boy her age had clear intentions with respect to her. Not that she blamed them for it, but in the long run she found it annoying.

Emiya and Ryuudo were exceptions to that, though the latter was on eggshells every time she was around. Maybe he was scared of women? The aftereffects of a priestly upbringing? Nah, he didn't seem to have the same problem with any other woman. It was just her that unsettled him. Funny guy.

Emiya, on the other hand, had no such problems. Sure, he had an entirely different can of worms to his name, but hey, it wasn't like she didn't have any secrets of her own. At the very least, she had something in common with him and he could relate to her, even if he didn't know it. Perhaps in the future she could allow him to know a little more about her secrets, since she already knew his? Of course, that would require getting a little more intimate with each other, but…

No, no. What was she thinking? Bad Rin. Bad. She usually wasn't like that but she was feeling strangely lightheaded that night. In fact she was feeling rather drowsy, almost as if she were drunk.

She leaned against a wall for support. Why was the world was spinning around her?

"Yu-Yukiko… I'm not feeling well right now. Would you… would you give me a hand walking to the bed?"

She received no answer and the world became a little more blurred. She fell to her knees breathing heavily, doing her best to remain conscious. In the end she couldn't hold herself up anymore and slumped with her back against the wall.

As the world began to go completely black, the last thing she saw in front of her were Yukiko's glazed eyes staring emotionlessly down at her.

She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"It's done, Master. The sedative has taken effect. She is completely out of it and will remain like that for ten hours at least."

"The recovery team is already coming your way," the voice on the other side answered. "Take the girl and return to me at once."

"Yes, Master. I'll be back at your side as soon as I can. I missed you so much this past week, my love."

"So did I, pet," the voice laughed coldly. "So did I."

In the quiet evening Shirou fell to his knees.

His head throbbed, and breathing was almost as difficult as thinking straight.

Something was wrong with his body: very, very wrong.

He fought the growing sense of nausea with everything he had and mustered enough focus to pull the trigger of the imaginary gun pointed at his head.

A single circuit connected, to allow the passage of Prana, both out of weakness and as a precautionary measure. It was more than enough for Shirou to employ the most basic of his abilities: Structural Grasping.

He scanned his body for whatever it was that was trying to weaken him. The natural healing factor provided by Avalon automatically excluded all natural causes, and it was also the only reason he hadn't passed out in the empty corridor of his house.

Searching for foreign substances in his bloodstream he found confirmation of his suspicions.

While not an outright expert, Shirou had learned from Kiritsugu about several sedatives and harmful substances that could be used to incapacitate a person with varying degrees of efficiency.

The concoction in his body was unknown to him, but he recognized some of its components.

It was a slow acting sedative, designed to put the target in a deep slumber. It had no harmful after-effects and would simply be absorbed by the victim's body in the span of a few hours.

If he hadn't stayed up a good half an hour to perform his usual exercises he would have simply overslept without knowing the reason. And speaking of reasons, how had the sedative ended up in his blood to begin with?

Injection wasn't a possibility, as the amount required for the substance to be effective couldn't be administered subtly.

Inhalation was also out of the question. Anything that passed through the nose would have affected the brain with exceeding speed.

Ingestion was the only likely scenario, and considering that he had prepared all of his meals himself with the exception of dinner, that meant that he must have consumed the sedative at the restaurant.

It didn't make any sense. Why would anyone do that to him? Emiya Shirou had no enemies to speak of, and to the best of his knowledge only two people knew who Archer really was: Tohsaka Rin and Kuzuki Soichirou. Well, the latter had probably connected the dots on his own by now.

It could have been one of Kiritsugu's many enemies. Shirou's father made a point of letting the world believe he had died in the war in order to shield is son from the downfall of his actions. That didn't mean it was impossible for someone to have found out about his whereabouts and decided to take revenge on the last living Emiya. Magi knew how to hold a grudge like no other.

But that didn't fit the present situation. Magi were an arrogant bunch according to Kiritsugu, and anyone who managed to track and affect them would openly gloat about it. In addition to that, they would have dealt the final blow before he had the chance to retire beyond his wards, where any Magus was at its strongest.

It just didn't add up. Any scenario he went through in his altered state of mind had something missing…as long as he painted himself as the main target of this underhanded attack.

But what if he wasn't? What if he was just a casualty of an attack directed to someone else?

He wasn't the only one eating at that restaurant after all.

"Shit…" he muttered weakly as he connected the dots in a picture that finally made sense. This wasn't about him. He wasn't the target to begin with. "Yukiko…"

He had to get up and warn Tohsaka. No, that wasn't good. As far as he knew she didn't have any passive healing factor like he had. In all likelihood both girls were now completely passed out. Completely… defenseless…

A surge of bile rose in his throat, accompanied by a sense of rage so intense that Shirou clenched his mouth tight enough to draw blood.

Someone was attacking two defenseless girls. Someone was attacking his friends.

In response to his emotions, twenty-six more circuits flared up so angrily that it was almost like a physical pain.

That was good. Pain was exactly what he needed in that moment to aid the now completely flooded Avalon in its task of getting rid of the sedative. That wasn't the time to laze on his back.

He stood on shaky legs and made his way toward his workshop to retrieve his gear.

Outside of the Emiya Household

Dojima waited inside his car for any sign of strange activities.

The Emiya boy, who lived by himself in the huge Japanese styled mansion, had just returned home from his evening out with his friends.

Nothing remarkable had happened since that moment, and if not for the lights he could see from behind the walls, he would have thought the boy had gone to bed. It was probably going to be a fruitless night of waiting but there wasn't much else he could do.

Well, to be honest he had other cases that waited for him, especially since the higher ups had decided to pull the plug on his investigation until the waters calmed down.

As if Dojima would accept such an order. A stickler for rules he was, a moron he was not. He had to follow the trail while it was hot, and he certainly couldn't wait for his superiors to get their heads out of their asses and realize that their job wasn't about making a good impression on the public.

Besides, he had Adachi for that stuff. That goof couldn't find his way out of a wet paper bag, but at least he would give the impression that his team was doing something unrelated to Archer.

Still, time passed and nothing happened. At one point the lights went off and Dojima thought the kid was going to sleep. He too was almost dozing off when several minutes later he was jerked to complete attention by the noise of a roaring engine. A noise that definitely came from inside the walls.

Getting ready took less than five minutes.

In spite of his efforts to clear his system of the offending substance, Shirou had yet to recover completely. He couldn't divert a single drop of Prana to fuel his usual skill set, and that put the option of jumping from roof to roof completely out of the question. He needed another way to get to Tohsaka's place and walking wasn't an option.

There was just another way at his disposal but it was anything but subtle.

'Fuck it,' he thought as he retrieved his stuff. If subtle didn't cut it, then unsubtle would do the trick. On his way out of his Workshop he glanced at the blade resting vertically against the wall. It was almost as long as he was tall, and in spite of how many times he had seen it in the past days, Shirou couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about it.

It was probably a bad idea. It was too long for him to wield properly, and he had no real training with swords to begin with. But it wasn't a bad idea to have another weapon to rely upon in case of need, and its previous owner explicitly told him that it wasn't meant to just lay around.

His hand was wrapped around the scabbard even before his mind made a conscious decision. When he realized that he had taken it with him he was already out of the Workshop and into the shed. There was no time to go back and drop it, and frankly he couldn't indulge in figuring out what was wrong with him. It was probably the drug in his blood that made him feel even more confused than usual with regards to that sword.

He'd better focus on the situation at hand, namely his means of transportation

He didn't have a chance to test it yet, but he was confident in his own ability in the field. It was definitely safer than jumping around with sudden bursts of Reinforcement when his mind wasn't clear. He could very well misjudge a distance and end up splattered on the concrete, or else he could misjudge the amount of Prana and blow himself up.

He wasn't worried for himself, but if he died who would help Yukiko and Rin?

No, he definitely had to use more mundane ways to get there fast.

Strapping the katana to his side in a way that wouldn't bother him, he settled his legs on each side of the newly repaired bike and eyed the keys warily.

Time to nut up or shut up.

In his car, Dojima pulled his seat up to a straight position. Out of instinct he turned on the engine but kept the headlights off, in preparation for whatever might happen.

He didn't have to wait long. A moment later a motorbike roared out of the gates in complete disregard of every form of common sense, much less traffic rules. He only managed to catch a glimpse of the biker, but the expression of the black clad redhead would have frozen anyone who found himself on the receiving end of his stare.

Pure, unadulterated fury shone through the boy's golden eyes.

Dojima had no idea what was going on, except that his main suspect was speeding down the road like he had the hounds of hell chasing after him. Something was going on in Fuyuki at that very moment, and following the Emiya boy would lead him without a doubt into the eye of storm.

Without further ado he sped up and chased after the reckless teenager through the empty streets of the residential area.

Shirou was glad that it was so late at night that the streets were almost entirely devoid of traffic. Endangering passerby with his crazy driving wasn't something he intended to do, especially considering that it was his first time riding a real motorbike, Taiga-broken scooter notwithstanding. He didn't even have a license, and if a police patrol stopped him… well, he probably just wouldn't stop. At least the bike he had no plates and as long as he didn't get himself arrested they shouldn't be able to identify him.

But that wasn't the time to think about eventual consequences. He had to focus his slowly clearing mind on the road ahead, especially since he was about to burn the red light in front of him.

He barely managed to dodge the only car, go figure, which crossed the intersection at the same time as he did. He didn't turn back as the mad honking that followed in his wake told him that the drive was more than fine.

If he had looked back he might have realized that half that noise wasn't directed at him, but to the car that crossed the road in the same fashion.

Two minutes later he was almost in sight of the Tohsaka household when a black van sped down the road in the opposite direction.

'That's not normal.'Shirou realized after a moment. That kind of vehicle didn't belong in the residential area, and it was too late for a delivery of any sort.

Betting everything on his instincts, Shirou pulled a one hundred eighty degree turn that almost sent him flying. It was a wild bet, but going after the suspicious van seemed like the smart thing to do.

Hoping that he wouldn't regret his choice, he went after the black vehicle at a distance that wouldn't tip the driver off.

A black van passed Dojima's car, and the detective managed to spare a thought for that oddity. He would not have pondered it any further if not for the fact that he saw his target pulling a maneuver with his bike that warranted an arrest out of sheer recklessness.

'So that's how it is,' he figured. Whatever the boy was after, it was probably riding in that van. Well, nothing else to do but to mimic the boy in his driving endeavors. Hopefully they'd both avoid stopping that crazy chase against a wall. The last thing Nanako needed was to lose her father in an accident when he was supposed to be off duty.

The chase continued on the highway and well out of town. The buildings began to dwindle in favor of the trees of the woods that basically covered the land around the city. There were a number of villas hidden in the woods and only someone who knew exactly where to turn would find the road that lead to any of them.

At one point the van turned to the right, down a road that anyone passing by too fast wouldn't notice. It wasn't signaled in any manner, except for a 'private property' sign that was visible only when he turned as well, which Shirou avoided doing until he was sure that the other driver wouldn't notice him.

The road wasn't paved, so he had to proceed slowly and with the lights off to avoid being spotted. He was fairly sure that he hadn't been detected, but as he proceeded further down the road a familiar feeling chilled the blood in his veins and forced him to stop his bike.

It was subtle, and any normal person wouldn't have noticed it, but fait prickling on his skin was unmistakable.

A Bounded Field. He had just passed through a damned Ward. This place belonged to a Magus, or at least there was one who was interested enough in the comings and goings to erect a permanent detection system. Things had just gotten a helluva lot more complicated, and his surprise factor just flew out of the window.

Now, how was he supposed to deal with this new development?

In a luxurious villa in the woods

She was silent, as usual. He didn't like to converse and especially not with her.

He detested her; that much was obvious. He couldn't accept that she was better than him. She was a woman, an inherently inferior being in his opinion. That she surpassed his crafts and his potential by several hundred times annoyed him to no end, and he made no secret of it.

She was bound to his service, and he made a point of reminding her every time she was in his presence, so she avoided him as much as she could.

Escaping wasn't an option. Even though she had the means to break the contract, doing so would definitely kill her. She wasn't strong enough to rebel. He made sure of it.

However, in his gender based arrogance he underestimated her and her abilities. Day after day she accumulated a little more strength, just enough that he wouldn't notice the difference in her power. She just had to be patient and wait until she had enough energy to sustain herself.

Until that time she'd keep indulging his delusions of superiority until she could afford to use her blade to cut his throat and the chain that bound her in one fell swoop.

At least that was the original plan. Of all the things he could come up with, there was only one she couldn't ignore. Or forgive.

She wasn't above using others for her goals. Frankly, she encouraged it. She had no love for strangers. She had no love at all. But that…

That was too much. That was a slap in her face. He knew who she was and he had gone on with that plan anyway. Worse, he had the gall to involve her in it.

Pathetic little man. He looked down on women, yet he bet the future of his entire craft on one of them.

No more. As soon as he lowered his guard she would gut him and be done with it. She didn't want to die, but it was a preferable option to the alternative. Besides, even if he died there was still a chance for her to make it. She'd just have to find a proper place and….

Her line of thought was interrupted when the door opened and the hateful man walked in.

In contrast to his wicked soul, he dressed in white pristine clothes decorated with fine silver lines. He was handsome, she had to admit, but it didn't remotely make up for the rotting heart beating in his chest.

"There you are," he sneered. "The girl's coming. Finish the preparations for the ritual at once. It want her well broken and remissive for the following treatment."

"Of course," she replied evenly. "I shall see to it immediately."

"You'd better. I want everything to be in working conditions before she wakes up. An unconscious mind is easier to meld. See that you don't disappoint me, Caster."

He left, closing the door behind him. Even when he turned his back on her, he didn't drop his guard for a moment. It would be difficult to get him close enough to kill him before he had a chance to stop her.

That's what she was thinking when she felt her wards spike, signaling the presence of an intruder. Well, well, well. It looked like someone was coming to throw a wrench into his plans. Perhaps she could turn this to her advantage? It remained to be seen who and how capable the intruder actually was, but if she played her cards right she could get out of there without breaking a sweat.

Grinning wickedly under her hood, she returned to her work. A few modifications were needed if she wanted to exploit the situation. Her Master was about to receive a terrific surprise...