- Reforged: The Twin Blade -
- Chapter 4 -
- Weaving a Lie -
“Assassin. Murderer. Coward. Magus Killer... And now father. Quite an interesting portfolio you’ve acquired, Emiya Kiritsugu,” said the man across from him, putting down the folder he’d been looking at.
Kiritsugu sat down at the old oak table, its history written in faint coffee mug stains.
The coffee shop they were in was located on the Miyama side of Fuyuki, nestled in the divide between two residential municipalities. Despite the numerous locals filling up the booths and tables, the crowd was oddly muted and hushed perhaps due to the fire. Even now, search crews were still finding the ashen remains of bodies even two weeks after the fire.
Kiritusugu scrutinized the man sitting across from him. He epitomized the term “G-man,” wearing a tailored midnight black suit with matching black tie and white dress shirt. The fresh pressed clothes put him at odds with the local attire yet despite that there was something unsettling about him. He’d dealt with law enforcement before and this man wasn’t a simple cop or detective. There
His sources hadn’t been able to provide him much more information on the elusive Shin’i agency except that money from the Japanese government financed it. However, he knew how these organizations worked. Like the Association or Church, their cloak and dagger secrecy meant dark skeletons in their closet.
“Can a man not change? Is it a sin to have family, Agent McNab?” replied Kiritsugu.
“No. But most men in your profession normally expire before they reach that last step,” replied McNab.
“Hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel?” he said.
The man’s mouth rose to a grin. “There’s no paradise at the end of the line for men like me,” replied McNab. “Our work consumes us like a ship circling Charybdis. So tell me, what would change a man like you then?”
A memory flashed across Kiritsugu’s mind. Brilliant long white hair, piercing crimson eyes with an enchanting smile. Bringing the mug of tea up, he hid his grin behind the cup.
“A woman,” he replied.
“Ah, yes,” said the Agent, leaning back against the wooden chair. He picked up his mug of coffee and took a sip. “There’s always a woman.”
“And a girl,” Kiritsugu said.
“Arturia,” answered McNab. Kiritsugu simply sipped his coffee. He wouldn’t correct the agent’s mistake for him.
The agent continued talking, “you mentioned taking care of her after finding her, but you never did say how or where you found her.
“You’re right. I didn’t,” he said. His tone made it clear that was the end of that topic.
“Of course,” said the man dryly. He looked back down at the folder he’d been reading. “So the famed Magus Killer disappears for nearly ten years and finally reappears after the Grail War and the deaths of hundreds of people. Can’t blame me for finding it funny.”
“I’m not that man anymore,” he said. His eyes narrowed in irritation. He’d already told him this the last time they’d met.
“I’m aware. I just find it amazing someone such as yourself could change so rapidly and yet…” he said.
“Yet?” Kiritsugu replied. The man’s statement had piqued his curiosity.
“You came here last and unarmed without checking the exterior of the building. When you walked in, you missed checking the old pensioner in the corner and that young lady behind the booth, and your back is facing the door when you sat down leaving an obvious blindspot. You’re either a different man or the most incompetent or cocksure assassin I’ve ever met,” McNab said.
He thought about the younger man’s words for several seconds before finally smiling.
“I suppose,” he said, “I just got tired playing that game. Too much time dealing with magi. Lost too many things close to me.”
McNab leaned back in his chair, the frame squeaking against the shift in pressure. “The woman?” he finally said.
“The woman,” Kiritsugu said with a nod.
He gave a bitter smile as he thought about the war. Ten years all lost. His beautiful Irisviel now gone. Ilya held prisoner. Maiya gone. Everything burnt on a twisted grail. The only thing he had left was Shirou… and Arturia. It was an odd coincidence, they had both been at their strongest during the war and now they’d both fallen; both connected to one another through circumstance.
“Now then, you called me here. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” said McNab, crossing his legs as he relaxed in his leather seat.
“I thought we had a deal. I would answer your questions and you guaranteed me you wouldn’t involve Arturia in this investigate,” he said. There was no hostility in his voice, just a search for answers.
“You seem to have me at a disadvantage,” replied McNab.
“This afternoon, your partner interrogated my daughter as she returned from work. I would like to know why,” said Kiritsugu.
The man looked back at Kiritsugu before giving a knowing smile.
“Agent Linden is a force all of her own,” he said before taking a sip of coffee, “you have a daughter, Mr. Emiya. Does she do everything you ask her to do?”
Ilya popped into his mind. He recalled numerous incidents working with mismatched pink and black socks or playing unintentional hide-and-seek with Ilya as he called to her for dinner in the massive Einzbern castle. ‘Ordered’ wouldn’t be a word he’d use to described Ilya.
“No. She does not,” he said.
“Then you understand my frustration. Rest assured, my partner was not in fact interrogating your foster daughter. You kept your end of the deal, I have no reason to renege on my side. In any case, I did not order my partner to talk with your daughter, nor did she inform me about it and I have serious doubts Linden would have the malice or motivation to do it of her own accord.”
“So you’re saying their meeting was purely accidental?” Kiritsugu asked.
“I believe the word fits my colleague quite well, amongst other things,” McNab replied, downing the rest of his mug.
His eyes narrowed at McNab. He knew the man was dangerous, but he had also met Agent Linden before. She had been… considerably different from the man before him. The girl was as aloof as Ilya and as bright and perky as Iris.
“That is all, Mr. Emiya?” asked McNab.
He mulled over his thoughts before finally nodding. Pushing off the table, he began to rise before the agent slapped a thick folder on the table.
“There is one last thing,” said McNab.
“What’s is this?” Kiritsugu asked. He turned the folder towards him and opened the cover. The handwritten notes, full-page photos and forensic reports in the folder were familiar to him. Three preliminary investigation reports for three murders. Oddly, the third report seemed largely incomplete along with missing an autopsy report. Which meant the third must have occurred recently enough for the coroner not to be finished his work.
“Authorities are trying to keep it quiet, but it’d only be a matter of time before it leaks out. You will notice, however, a pattern?” said McNab, tapping one of the photos.
Kiritsugu nodded. All of the victims were young women with bright blonde hair.
=====
Crime Scene: Nicole Anderson
Earlier that afternoon...
The weather had changed into a light rain by the time Lynn had finally reached Nate’s location. Luckily, her green winter coat let her weather most of the rain and wind. She approached the two uniformed policeman at the mouth of the alley, yellow tape barring the path behind him. Beyond, she could see crime scene personnel in white scrubs examining the crime scene for any kind of evidence. She had a hunch they wouldn’t be finding much.
The younger of the men raised his hand toward her as the senior one stood behind. “I’m sorry, ma’am. There’s been a terrible crime committed here. I can’t let you through.”
Lynn raised an eyebrow at the man’s words. He must have been very new given the way he spoke. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her ID. “I'm with the NPA, Criminal Investigation Bureau. My partner’s already on the scene.”
“Another? I didn’t know the NPA recruited outside Japan?” the senior officer said gruffly, lifting the tape to let her pass.
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” replied Lynn with a knowing smile. Slipping under the tape, she headed towards Nate who stood outside of a neon yellow tent waiting for her. As usual, he wore his ‘secret service standard‘ suit. Somedays, she wondered if that was all he had in his wardrobe; a closet filled with copy and pasted suits.
“Agent Linden,” Nate said with a nod.
“Nate,” she replied. Even though his eyes were hidden by the dark shades, he could feel his annoyance at the name. He’d always prefered the uptight term Agent McNab which she’d always thought was silly. They weren’t automatons, they both had first names.
“What’ve we got?” she said, getting right to business. The way he’d been talking earlier, it must have been urgent.
“Victim’s a twenty-eighty year old caucasian female,” he replied. He lifted the tent flap, motioning her forward. She entered the enclosed tent, almost blinded from the amount of lights in the tent, although at least rather happy at least to be out of the rain. She was aware of the irony of the statement given her elemental affinity.
Laying in the middle of the protective tent was the victim’s body, protected from the outside wind and rain. The victim seemed to be in her early twenties and lay on her chest, her eyes open staring at Lynn’s shoes. The woman’s white blouse was drenched in blood, several large wounds leaving streaks of red down her shirt and trailing outside the tent. She lay in a small pool of her own blood.
“Swab tested positive for trace amounts of prana, so it looks like our killer from five days ago. Not unless we have two killers on the loose,” announced Nate. “Her name’s Nicole Anderson. Works for Sanita Studios as a junior accountant. Transferred from the US branch to here for a change in scenery a little over a year ago. Bad career decision. Kitchen cook found her in the alley while taking out the garbage late this morning. From the blood trail our victim left, it looks like she ran from the killer down this alley before finally expiring here.”
“She’s blonde. Young too, early twenties.” Lynn said, kneeling down to examine the girl. “Just like our other victims. Might be an MO for our killer.”
“Facts first, conjecture later, Linden,” said Nate.
“Always with the facts, Nate,” she thought to herself. Lynn uttered a minor chant, pulling a stream of glowing mist from the victim’s chest.
“What have you got?” Nate asked.
“There’s still foreign prana residue in the victim’s heart,” announced Lynn.
Much like modern forensic science, there was a certain science behind the power magi wielded. There were rules a magus had to follow and even the smallest spells required power to be cast and maintained. Magic had rules. In this case, spells always left residual prana on the environment after use much like blood splatter or gunpowder residue. If there was a spell cast on a body, any residual prana would collect at the cores of the body, like water collecting in a depression, before eventually releasing back into the air.
“Time of death around 1000, today,” Lynn reported before looking at the rest of the victim’s body. “Doesn’t look like there’s any bite marks in the usual places and the body’s too intact for the Dead’s handiwork. Hold on.”
Looking around the tent, she made sure they were alone before starting another spell. This one was longer, nearly five lines in length. It was a long spell, but then again most magi weren’t searching for forensic evidence in the heat of battle. Finishing the spell, she closed her eyes and then opened them once more.
Azure tinged her view and she gasped as she felt the rush of information flow in. It was as if she’d been colorblind and only now found the joy of color. A plethora of information filled her mind wherever she looked: the density of dust and smog in the air, Nate’s body temperature, height and weight. Looking at the ground, she could identify the different shoeprints on the ground and their individual paths. It was both exhilarating and euphoric at the same time, like taking that first breath of air after nearly drowning. Adrenaline shot through her body as her heartbeat raced to a new tempo. Lynn placed her hand on the pavement to steady herself as she let the new sensations wash over her senses.
“You alright?” asked Nate, looked down at her.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Just… made some... modifications to the spell recently. Didn’t expect to take in so… much.”
It had been a natural development given the rise of modern forensic science and human laziness. Why bother the forensic team when she could use a ‘little’ magecraft to reconstruct a vase from all its fragments or compare two fingerprints or blood samples right at the scene. There was no need for a four hour wait period and an infrared spectrometer or mass spectrometer when a five-line spell would accomplish the equivalent analysis.
The spell was different for each magus, individually comprised of numerous spells to help find and identify evidence or patterns at the crime scene. Sometimes a spell was added for weapon ballistics or another removed for glass fragment analysis if it wasn’t needed for the case. Some of the techs had given it an alphabet soup name, EPA, Evidence Pattern Analysis spell. She just preferred calling it Magic.
Of course, all of this was made up by the fact she’d need a second lunch to simply make up for the energy she spent here. Nate might have complained about the amount she ate, but there was a cost for having such a nifty spell. Of course, it didn’t help Nate had interrupted her meal today.
“The victim, Linden?” said Nate.
Lynn looked at the body, neon crimson highlighting the wounds Nicole had received moments before her death. She let Magic do it’s work as she examined the wounds. “Numerous wounds lay on her back, most likely received as she was running away. One penetrated her lung and another cut the aorta. With that blood loss, she would have went into shock in less than a minute followed by death soon after. She also has cuts on both arms... mostly around the forearms and wrists as well, cutting through the fabric on her shirt. There’s something odd, however…” said Lynn.
Turning back to the girl, Lynn looked back at Nicole’s wounds. Lynn’s brow creased as she tried to identify the weapons that caused each the wounds. She estimated there were six weapons in total, not counting the lacerations on her arms.
“What’s odd?” asked Nate.
“Given what I’ve discovered from the body’s wounds, the killer used an amorphous weapon or a spell to kill our victim. However, if it were a spell there should have been heavier traces of prana on the body. Meaning… unless our kill was lugging six different blades together, our killer’s weapon changes shape on command. There’s also something odd with the depth of the incised wounds on her back,” Lynn said, opening one of the long slashes on the back.
“Relatively shallow for knife wounds,” said Nate, leaning down to take a look. “less than an inch in depth.”
“Exactly. Nicole’s puncture wounds were the most severe. The slashing damage, quite frankly, seems superficial,,” reported Lynn.
The flaps of the tent lifted up and the young officer from before poked his head in. “Agent McNab, Inspector Kurosawa wants to talk with you. Something about jurisdiction?”
Nate sighed and glared at the officer, forcing the man to shirk back nervously. “I’ll deal with this, Linden. Keep looking,” With an irritated grunt, he followed the officer out of the tent.
Looking around the tent, she wished she’d had time to bring her own forensic tool case from the apartment. However, with the current downpour, she might miss evidence if she went back to get it. She opened up several silver forensic cases in the tent before finally taking out a blank sheet of laminated paper.
“This’ll have to do,” said Lynn. Donning a pair of latex gloves from the nearby case, she gently placed her hand on Nicole’s head.
Uttering another slew of incantations, she felt her heart flutter as her spell finished. If there’d be anyone looking, they may have attributed the sudden breeze that buffered the tent to the wind outside. Opening her eyes, she looked at the image now imprinted on the sheet of photo paper.
It was a ground view of the alley, Nicole’s final vision before the last of her life came to an end as she lay bleeding. Alone. The poor girl probably scared out of her mind wishing for help as she felt the life draining from her. However, the last two victims she and Nate had investigated had been drained dry like a husk. The killer had been successful and yet something had chased him off before he could drain Nicole like the others…
Lynn pondered the scene. She was missing something.
She brought the picture closer and examined the image. There was something in the shadows behind the shipping containers, but she couldn’t quite make it out; like ice over water. Lynn grumbled once more she wished she had her own forensic tools with her. She’d have to take a closer look later. Right now, she had to see what else she could find on the scene. Placing the photo into her jacket pocket, she opened the tent flap and stepped outside into the now pouring rain.
There were more forensic personnel on site now, combing the crime scene for additional evidence. McNab and someone who Lynn assumed was Inspector Kurosawa were arguing at the entrance of the alley, the older of the two closing in; a somewhat comical sight given Nate’s height. Behind his shades, she could see him roll his eyes in frustration.
“...don’t care who’s authority you’re under, I ain’t heard of you. Unless I hear my Captain authorize it, I want you out of here. This is a local matter and we don’t need anyone outside interfering. Now I want you and your friend off our crime scene now!” Inspector Kurosawa said. The inspector’s baritone voice was easily distinguishable above the wind and rain. She could see from Magic that the dear inspector had already had at least a drink within the last hour.
“Detective Izumi autho…” Nate said.
“Isn’t here,” finished Kurosawa.
It looked as if Nate was going to argue back, but he simply gave a tired sigh. “Agent Linden, let’s go,” he said to her.
“But…” said Lynn.
However, he was already gone, crouching under the police tape and headed to the main street. She gave the inspector a smoldering glare before she ran to catch up with Nate. As she left, she could hear the gruff inspector yelling at his men.
“What are you looking at! This killer won’t catch himself,” Kurosawa said.
This was utter bullshit. It was bad enough when she and Nate had to follow rogue Magi outside Japan, but this legal red tape was ridiculous considering they were in their actual jurisdiction here. She caught up with her partner as he waited for her under a store awning, the light of his cell phone reflecting off his shades.
“Nate,” said Lynn, her brow knotted, “our evidence is flushing down the drain along with this rain! We can’t just leave it to that incompetent drunk!”
Her partner shook his head. “I know that type of man. We’d have better luck arguing with a wall. No use getting into a fight with the local authorities here, especially if we’ll need their manpower. I’ll get this mess sorted out and we’ll have a look see in the morning. You find anything else back there?”
Lynn huffed before forcing herself to calm down. Damned bureaucracy. “I got the victim’s last moment,” she said pulling the photo from her jacket, “There’s something there but I’ll need my tools from the apartment to get a better look.”
“Alright. You take a look at that for tonight. I’m going to see if I can get in contact with the Association’s administrator in Fuyuki again. Could you visit the church representative? Tell him what’s going on?
“The… church…?” Lynn mouthed the words as if they were filthy. “You know who’s working there, right? That guy gives me the creeps. What’s he even doing here. He’s not even a minister, he’s an Executor!”
Nate gave a sigh. “Just do it Lynn.”
“Fine! But you’re paying for dinner tonight and I get to choose where,” said Lynn jamming her finger into his chest.
Nate rubbed the arch of his nose before sighing once more.
===
- Teach me, Mahou-sensei! -
The Present...
Arturia picked up the screeching kettle off the element and quickly poured the piping hot water into the dark blue teapot before bring it over to the living room table. She poured the fresh tea into mugs before taking a seat next to Lynn.
Picking up one of the mugs, Lynn blew on the hot tea before taking a sip.
“Lynn? You said you could fix that prana problem?” she asked.
“Ah, of course,” she said putting down the mug. “So… I assume by the fact you’re asking me for help that your father never really taught you how to use utilize your magic talent.”
Arturia raised a brow in confusion before finally nodded her head. She was no fool. Arturia knew a ploy when she saw one. It was obvious she’d have to talk to her ‘father’ Kiritsugu once he got back. As for her magic talent, Merlin had tried to teach her the basics but between her time training for combat, battling Camelot’s foes and ruling the kingdom, Arturia had never had the time or patience take up Merlin’s tutelage.
“Right-o. Shouldn’t be too hard in any case,” Lynn said, rubbing her hands nervously together. “First things first, I’ll need to do a diagnostic on your magic circuits just to get a feel on your magic potential and make sure there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll just run a little bit of my prana into you first. Should feel a little tingly but do tell me if anything feels wrong.”
Lynn raised on of her hands in the air before pausing.
“I… uhh… could you remove your shirt? The connection works best with skin-to-skin contact… ugh that sounded dirty,” said Lynn. The redhead gave an awkward smile, trying to hide her nervousness.
Arturia nodded before casually lifting her shirt off; feeling a slight chill from the air.
Lynn an uncomfortable cough before placing her hand gently on Arturia’s chest, whispering incantations under her breath. Slowly she could see a sky blue light glow from Lynn’s hand as a warmth grew from her chest and spread across her body. She waited, trying to remain still as the tingling in her chest began to tickle.
Arturia looked back up at Lynn whose eyes seemed distant and glazed over, as if staring through Arturia and peering into her soul. The redhead traced a path down from Arturia’s neck down to the center of her chest, following an invisible path on her skin.
“A dduw… mae'n brydferth…” said Lynn. She stared at her in amazement and, for a moment, Arturia thought she saw her eyes glimmer like sapphires. A hungry smile grew on Lynn’s face and she could see the edge of Lynn’s canine peeking past her lips. She looked ravenous, like a wild beast eyeing fresh prey… eyeing her…
“Lynn?” said Arturia. She could feel her a growing knot in her stomach. Had her instincts guessed wrong about the girl?
Lynn opened her mouth to speak, before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed to the tatami floor.
“Lynn!” cried Arturia. She kneeled over her, trying to rouse her by shaking her shoulders.
Lynn blinked, trying to refocus her eyes. “Eh? Ria? What are you doing up… there?” said Lynn as she regained her bearings. Arturia raised a brow at her words.
“I’m leaning over you. You collapsed while performing your diagnostic,” said Arturia.
“Did I? I don’t remember that,” said Lynn, a little perplexed.
Arturia nodded to confirm her confusion.
“Huh, how odd,” she said. “I’ve never had that happen before.”
Lynn scratched her head, confused at the situation, before finally shrugging her shoulders. “I’ll have to ask my colleagues about that at the Association. Weird… Anyways, I said I would fix that problem of yours. Let me bring up the the scan results.”
Lynn muttered a simple spell before materializing an ethereal diagram of her body; the bright blue of her body contrasted by the flashing layer of crimson that covered her arms. Countless numbers and tags marked her translucent body representing some statistic that probably made sense to a real magus.
“Ach! Ria, did you do this to yourself?” Lynn said, poked at the red on the hovering body.
“What do you mean?” Arturia asked. She could feel the heat of shame rise to her face even as she tried to ignore the soreness coming from her arms.
“What do I mean?! You’ve damaged nearly all the nerves in your arms, not to mention your circuits. If you’d fried them any worse they’d fit well with chips and a pint. I’m amazed you can even move them at all. Damn it, lass. When you said you were inexperienced I didn’t think it was this bad. How’d this happen?” said Lynn.
Arturia could feel the heat rise to her face. She looked away from the Lynn’s worried eyes.
“I… I tried to reinforce my body while training. I’ve been trying to summon my prana to do it but it fails every time and… I... It’s why I asked for your help,” said Arturia.
“And you’ve done it multiple times?! Did you think all that searing pain was a good sign?“ Lynn said incredulously
“No! Of course not!” said Arturia, her voice at the edge of screaming. Lynn’s eyes shot wide open and she reflexively back away.
There was a quiet crack and Arturia looked down to see the handle of the mug she’d been holding, her knuckles white in fury. The room was silent as Arturia simply stared at what her anger had done. She sighed as a wave of fatigue crash over her and Arturia slumped towards the table. She felt absolutely tired. With extra care, she placed the ceramic handle down next to the now broken mug.
“I just…” she paused, thinking about her next words.
What did she want? To be king again? To be a warrior once more? To save Shirou, Rin and Sakura? To fix her past mistakes? All of that and more. But right now…
“I don’t want to be useless. I can’t really do anything with my prana and… I don’t want to be stuck like... this. Forever,” her voice nearly cracked as she pointed at the ethereal diagram in the air. She pulled her legs up and hugged them, simply staring at the table. She shut her eyes, lest she let any tears show through..
She could barely even swing a metal bat, how exactly would she use a sword in her current state?
Arturia felt Lynn’s arms wrap around her chest as she hugged her from behind, the faint yet pleasant smell of her perfume tickling her nose as she came close. She could felt the warmth rise to her face again although this time for an entirely different reason.
“L… Lynn?” she said.
Lynn didn’t say anything for a moment, before finally speaking. “Just wait a bit,” she asked.
Lynn was close enough to her that she could see the thin strands of burgundy hair in her peripheral vision. The redhead held the hug and, Arturia had to admit, the embrace of Lynn’s warm body against hers felt… reassuring. Slowly, she felt the tension and stress drain from her shoulders and slowly slumped into Lynn’s embrace. It seemed like forever since the last time she’d simply been held. All the responsibilities of war and keeping up appearances to appear strong...
After another moment, Lynn broke the silence.
“Feeling better, Ria?” she asked.
Arturia nodded her head.
“Look. Things will work out. Don’t worry your head about it, aight?” continued Lynn, picking up the broken pieces of the mug. There was a blink of light, and Lynn held up the repaired cup towards her; a small cut on her finger for her troubles.
“There you are then, good as new. No need for crying, alright?” said Lynn. Arturia could practically hear Lynn’s smile from her voice.
“I’m not crying,” said Arturia definitely. Her face and the quiver in her voice betrayed her lie.
“We all cry. Some of us just do it inside,” replied Lynn. Slowly, she released her grip on Arturia before scooting beside her.
“Here, drink the rest of your tea. It’ll make you feel better,” Lynn said, pushing the mug in front of her. “In the meantime, I’ll get some stuff from my bag and then we’ll see what we can do to start fixing that problem of yours, alright?”
“Alright,” Arturia said muttered. With a bright smile, Lynn ruffled Arturia’s hair before quickly scooting off to retrieve her bag in the corner of the room.
Arturia tried fixing her now disheveled hair but eventually huffing in defeat. She’d have to undo her hair if she wanted it to look remotely tidy. With nothing else to do, she sipped her tea and thought on watching as Lynn hummed a joyous melody while searching for items in her satchel.
=====
Author’s Notes: Big sister comforting sad younger sister. Not lesbians. Get your minds out of the gutter.
Regarding updates: I've lost my IRL editor so things may be more rough around the edges than usual. I'll also be updating in smaller chunks (like this) to hopefully avoid such long writing droughts.
Originally Posted by Kieran
Given her current strength level, this is probably a bad idea - but I can't shake the idea of her using a Walther (P88, given the current timeline, which is why it's probably a bad idea). Then again, if Kiritsugu can get his hands on a P88 Compact prototype, it might not be so bad . . .
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