WELL EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT.
Have a one-shot. Next time I do a fanfic contest entry, though, I may try something else. Maybe try my hand at action. Make traditional magi do traditional things. Kayneth dueling some magus for Sola's hand in marriage or something.
Disclaimer: Fate/stay night and all characters part of it belong to Type-moon.
A Madman’s Happiness
A Fanfiction Contest Entry
Kotomine Kirei was in a garden, behind what seemed like a church. He was wearing his usual priest clothes and coat, his mullet partially hidden by a straw hat. He was wearing work gloves and carrying around a potted plant.
He was constantly looking around the garden, looking for an open area to transfer the pot’s inhabitant, a small sunflower. Finding such a spot, he showed a quick grin of satisfaction and started parting the earth with his gloved hands, making a hole roughly the same size as the pot. He carefully took the pot, dug out the dirt from underneath the small plant and in a swift motion, brought the clump of dirt from the pot into the hole he had created.
Using the dirt he had dug the hole from, he filled the edges and leveled the dirt around the garden’s newest plant. His surgery complete, the little sunflower was now part of the growing garden, in an area where sunlight could reach it unhindered.
“Well, like that, Caren will have little to complain about.” Said a voice from the edge of the garden. Kirei turned around, still on his knees in the dirt, to see his father, Kotomine Risei.
“Well, father, I did promise her. That girl is rather fearsome when she gets angry.” The younger Kotomine said, getting up and beating away the dirt on his pants. He carelessly threw the gloves aside, on the pavement, and walked up to his father. “You seem well, father.”
“And you, my son. I see that Italy has left you in good shape.” The older man said, extending his arms. Kotomine accepted the invitation and gave his father a hug, something they did the few times they met. “If you’re wondering about the little Caren and her mother, they said they’d be here later today.” He added, as he retreated from the embrace.
“Ah, good. That’ll let me cook them the big supper that I planned.” Kirei said, a radiant smile on his face.
‘Now now, my son, not everyone has the same tastes as you. If you cook what you believe to be a feast, we’ll all end up with our tongues numb halfway through the meal.” His father said teasingly.
“Father, I believe I know how to moderate myself. I will not put the same amount of spices as I would for a meal by myself.” The younger man said, an exaggerated look of hurt showing on his face. “Besides, father, that is what you are here for.” He continued, a devilish grin on his face.
“Kirei, what do you mean?” Risei said to his son, narrowing his eyes.
“Simple, father. For the sake of your cute granddaughter, you will taste-test my food to make sure it is all nonlethal.”
“I suppose I have no say in this, my son?” The older man asked, an amused look on his face.
“None at all, father. Come, we have Chinese dishes to make.” Kirei enthusiastically said, walking back into the large church the garden belonged to.
Behind him, Risei followed, grumbling. “Living for eight years in Italy, he has, but he still only cooks chinese.”
Kirei, through some miracle, heard him from inside the church.
“If you don’t like it, father, you shouldn’t have taught me it in the first place.”
“Indeed, truly a blunder on my part.” The old priest sarcastically said.
X-X
“Mommy, help me out!”
The little, white haired girl had grabbed the church’s door handle and was pulling furiously, her face red from effort.
“Caren, stop that. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Her mother said sternly, causing the child to cease her efforts. “This door doesn’t open by pulling. It’s a push door.”
The child’s face lit up in fascination, as if she had just discovered the greatest thing in the world. She then faced the door again, face filled with determination, and pushed with twice the effort she had pulled with. Her mother simply smiled and giggled at the child’s antics, and walked up to the slowly opening door, helping her daughter push it the rest of the way.
Inside, almost ominously, was a figure standing in front of the altar. The lights were dimmed, and the candles surrounding the figure made him look like a cheesy villain from an American action movie. He turned around and in a loud voice that echoed in the church, greeted them.
“Rejoice, my beloved Ortensias, for Kotomine Kirei has cooked you dinner!”
The child acted first, running through the church aisle towards her father. He quickly stepped down from the elevation surrounding the altar and walked the distance between them, picking her up in the process.
“Hi daddy!” the girl said in between giggles.
“Hello Caren. Did you miss me?” The man said, wide grin on his face.
“Yeah! It was boring at the Tohsakas.” She said, making a pouting face.
“Now she’s just being mean. We had fun there, and she made friends with Rin and Sakura.” Said the older woman, walking up to the familiar scene with a smile on her face.
“What? Rin and I are not friends.” She said, wearing a pouting, angry expression.
“Sure thing, Caren.” Her mother said, wearing a doubtful expression. “Didn’t you have something to ask your daddy about?”
The little girl’s face lit up in realization, and then turned to look at her father’s eyes, a task rather easy because he was still holding her.
“Daddy, did you remember to plant my flower?” She asked, eyes narrowed.
“Of course I did. It’s in the garden. You’ll be able to see it when we go outside to eat.” He said, a fake expression of hurt on his features.
“We’re going to eat in the garden?” His wife asked, while Caren made a sound of ‘ooh’ at the prospect.
“Isn’t it fine once in a while? I’ll just open up a foldable table, take out the food and we’ll be able to eat while seeing the flowers.” He said, a sheepish grin on his face. “I’ve already cooked the food, so it won’t be too much work.”
Both females suddenly became silent, with worried expressions marring their features.
“What?” He asked, unsure of his error.
“Darling, don’t take any offence to this, but the food you cook, it’s, well...”
“It’s way too hot, daddy!” The little girl finished, practically screaming in her father’s ear.
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” The newest occupant of the church said. It was Kotomine Risei, having just entered from one of the side doors.
“Grandpa!” Caren said, wriggling free from her father’s grasp to go hug her grandfather. He crouched down on one knee and returned her hug, smiling all the while.
“And why wouldn’t we have to worry, Risei?” The older Ortensia asked.
“Simple, my dear.” The old man said, standing back up to his full height while his granddaughter walked back to her father. “I helped him cook it, and forbade him from making mapo tofu.”
The elder of the girls sighed in relief, while the other tugged on her father’s hand, eyes begging for him to pick her up again. He gestured for her to turn around, and picked her up from behind and placed her atop his shoulders. She giggled loudly, moving energetically on his shoulders in a way that forced him to constantly keep a firm grip on her legs.
“Let’s go eat, shall we?” Kotomine Kirei said, addressing his beloved family.
X-X
“I must admit, I did not expect her to fall asleep like that.” Kotomine Kirei said, propping up the folded table on the church wall.
“The trip was a lot more draining than she would admit, and children do like to sleep after a meal.” His wife said, still sitting on the sole chair in the garden, now that Risei and Kirei had put away the arrangements.
“Ah, sorry…” Kirei said, looking guiltily at the ground. “I guess I should have paid more attention. Do you want to go to bed, too?”
The white-haired woman giggled at his reaction.
“Kirei, you worry too much. I’m not a child, I can stay up late.” As if to demonstrate her energy, she got up from her chair and walked up to him. “See? I won’t need to be carried off to bed like Caren was.”
“Are you sure you’re alright? I mean, in your condition…” Kirei hesitantly said, looking away. They never liked to talk about her condition.
“I’ll be fine, Kirei.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Now, I believe you wanted me to stay outside for a reason?”
“Ah, yes…” Her husband said, putting his right fist into his left palm. “Stay here a moment, I’ll be right back.”
He ran inside the church quickly, and after a solid minute came back outside with a radio, a CD stacked on it.
“Kirei, what’s this?” She asked, tilting her head as he set it down on the edge of the grass, right next to the growing plants.
“Well, you mentioned when you were in the hospital that you wished you could have gone to one of the big parties the church throws. Well, we might not be all dressed up, and there might not be a giant chandelier, but…” He sheepishly said, scratching his cheek with a finger, while the other hand pressed the play button on the radio, which started playing ballroom music. “We could at least dance the way you said you wanted to…”
“Oh Kirei…” She said, a visible blush creeping up on her face. “I don’t need a fancy party to be happy. I would love to have a dance.”
At this, Kirei beamed. His smile reached his ears, and he got up and walked over to his wife. He extended one hand and bowed, in a fashion that didn’t suit him at all.
“May I have the pleasure of this dance, my lady?” He said, his smile never leaving him.
“Of course, good sir.” She answered with a tiny giggle, putting her hand in his. His hand engulfed hers, and he drew her close.
For what seemed like hours, the two simply held each other closely, rocking back and forth to the sound of the music. Neither of them were accomplished dancers, and to any who could dance what they were doing was clumsy at best. But to them, it felt better than any true dance. They could feel the warmth of their loved one, and that was enough.
They both sported warm smiles as they held each other close, a truly happy feeling any family would possess.
X-X
Kirei woke up and rubbed his head.
“That dream…” He muttered, half-awake.
It was a happy dream, to be sure. It was a happy dream where a man spent time with his family. It was a happy dream where he got to see his wife again.
So, he left it at that and refused to think of it. To think of his wife at this point could only corrupt his image of her. So he threw the dream into the deepest part of his mind, where he could not think about it. No matter how much he accepted his nature, his wife did not deserve such a thing. Where he had been evil, she could be called nothing but a saint.
He looked at the small clock beside his bed, and noted it was five in the morning, on a Sunday. He had a fair amount of work to do today.
X-X
“May the lord watch over you.” He said to another elderly couple as they left the church.
“And you, father.” They answered.
Now there was only one left, an elderly woman who was always last to leave. Every time she came to the church, she would bring the photographs of her husband and son, and place them on the bench alongside her to listen to the priest. Afterwards, she would light a candle in their names and donate generously. But as she got older, she would take more and more time putting the pictures back in their place and properly lighting a candle.
She slowly inched her way closer to the door, and the priest prepared to bid her farewell, when she spoke first.
“Did something happen, Kirei-chan?” She asked, her voice cracking under its sheer age.
“No, nothing has happened today, why?” He answered, unsure of what the old woman meant.
“Well, Kirei-chan, during the prayers you had a sour look on your face, rather than your usual smile.” She stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“I did? Hm, I did not notice.” He said, falling into deep thought.
“So, Kirei-chan, did something happen? Did you get off on the wrong foot this morning?”
“The wrong foot? No… but I did have a dream, I suppose. Maybe that is the cause.” He answered, still unsure of himself. He had pushed that dream away, so it wasn’t the cause of his gloom at all.
“Well, what was the dream about?” She asked, always eager to have someone to talk to.
“It was a dream about my family. Or rather, about my defunct father and wife, and my daughter, who no longer lives with me.” He said absentmindedly, still trying to piece together his sour mood.
“A sad dream, then? I understand, I’ve had those as well for my poor husband and son.” She said, patting Kirei on the arm. If she could reach his shoulder, she would have pet there, but Kirei was very tall for a Japanese man.
“No, it was a happy dream. I played with my daughter, I helped cook supper with my father and I danced with my wife.” He said, a frown on his face. “It was a happy dream.” He added, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself.
“Well, Kirei-chan, sometimes happy dreams can be sad too.” She said, taking Kirei’s inquisitive look as a sign to keep going. “Because when you wake up, you’re not there anymore. You realize that happiness was just a dream, and it leaves you a little sad. So maybe that’s why you weren’t smiling today.”
“I see, that is truly an interesting point…” He said, pinning his chin between his thumb and finger. “Perhaps that was the cause, then. Thank you for pointing it out.” He said, with a tiny cynical smile.
“It was nothing, Kirei-chan. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my daughter’s grandchildren need babysitting today, so I should go. It was a pleasure talking to you, as always.” She said, before exiting the church.
“Likewise. I will see you again next Sunday.” He said, closing the door.
His mood was not lifted, but at least he knew why. But now that Morning Prayer was done, he had an entire day to look forward to, and surely something in there could make him smile.
X-X
The day had been magnificently boring. Not a single thing had brought a smile to Kirei’s face, no matter where he went or what he did. He even went out to Taizan for lunch, and the mapo tofu did nothing to please him at all.
“All because of a happy dream…” He muttered to himself, sitting on one of the couches in the church’s back room. The dream almost drifted back into the realm of conscious thought, but he pushed it downwards again.
He heard the sound of the heavy church doors creaking, even from where he was, followed by a loud and familiar call-out.
“Kotomine-san! Are you here?”
Of course, it was night time so it could only be her. He had been expecting her, but his dreary day had driven him to forget for a moment. Making sure he was properly dressed, with everything that entailed, he went out to greet his guest.
He stepped into the church proper, and made contact with Bazett Fraga Mcremitz, the enforcer whose presence he had requested.
“Ah, Kotomine-san. There you were. I just arrived, so I came here as requested.” She said coolly, in the tone of a professional.
“And I thank you for your assistance in this manner.” He said, his voice filling the church. “Is your servant here with you?”
“Lancer said he’d prefer waiting outside.” She answered, keeping eye contact as Kotomine slowly made his way towards her. “Unless you would like to meet him, in that case I could tell him to come in.”
“No, that will not be necessary. But you got Lancer? How interesting, one of the three knights given out as a third summoning. Did you use a catalyst?” He asked, his expression still the one he possessed all day.
“Yes I did, and I must say I’m rather happy about the result. He’s everything his legend made him to be.” She said warmly, the priest barely two steps in front of her. “With him, I’m rather certain I’ll win this war. So, you don’t have to worry about misuse of the grail.” She finished strongly, extending her hand.
“Indeed.” Kirei said, taking her hand and shaking it, making the assessment that her seals were indeed on her left hand. “Lancer will go a long way to securing this grail war.”
Before she understood what he was talking about, Kotomine’s other hand whipped forth, holding a black key, and chopped off her left arm. She staggered backwards, and he threw it directly at her. The key moved so fast it was nothing but a blur, barely allowing Bazett the time to register that an attack was on its way.
When he saw the look of surprise coupled with incomprehension in the woman's eyes, Kotomine Kirei, for the first time this day, smiled happily.
X-X
Good End
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