Interlude 1
xxXXxx
Kiritsugu stood straight, unmoving but with his right hand under his chin and his eyes narrowed dangerously. In front of him was a board filled with pictures of Assassin, Kotomine Kirei, the Tohsaka Manor, the Fuyuki Museum, and newspaper clippings of stories based around the recent robbery of the Laughing Peacock. Each one was connected in one way or another by a colored string, much similar to how many conspiracy theorists attempted to justify a connection between the government and some disaster or tragedy.
But not for Kiritsugu. He actually knew how things were connected, and didn't delude himself in order to bend the situation to his way of thinking.
He saw things objectively, and nothing else.
"The entire attack on the Tohsaka Manor was too convenient." Kiritsugu thought to himself, staring at the picture of said residency. "It's likely that Tohsaka might have wanted to kill Assassin then and there, thinking he was useless. If that's true, then Tohsaka is going on without a true plan."
Kiritsugu planned his own actions long enough to know that the slightest deviance could completely scrap the entire scenario. But unlike Tokiomi, he had much more experience in coming up with counter-plans to compensate. Tohsaka Tokiomi never fought in an actual battle, never had been in war zones over and over again. It would take time in order to adjust to the new situation for the Tohsaka head. Meanwhile, Assassin had always been in situations that required him to risk his life, making him create entire strategies in a matter of seconds on how to get out.
And that's what terrified him about the Servant.
He was completely unpredictable, going from nearly cartoonish behavior to a skilled killer in a matter of seconds if the information he had gathered was correct. Sure, Assassin may have never killed unless it was required, but that did not mean he would shy away from shedding blood at a moment's notice.
And with him being paired with Kotomine Kirei, a person he could not even hope to understand, made the entire situation even worse.
"I have come with the documents that you requested." Maiya's voice broke Kiritsugu out of his thoughts. He turned around and saw his assistant place several blueprints on the table behind them, spreading them out so that he could see them better. "I have discovered an escape route within the castle, located in the cellar area." Maiya then pointed to the sketch of a shaft near where the Einzbern family kept their alcohol within the estate. "It supposedly leads to an entrance within the forest, about two miles away. It would make an ideal escape route…"
"Close it off. Make it unusable and rig the entrance in the woods." Kiritsugu said automatically. "Assassin most likely got the city's documents of the estate, including a copy of these." He waved his hand, motioning to all the blueprints "We must take extra precautions when planning out escape routes."
"I understand." Maiya replied automatically, not that Kiritsugu expected her to disagree. She nearly agreed with whatever decision he made, for better or for worse. "But… should we really expect an attack to come so soon? From what Saber has informed us, Assassin will be diverting his attention mostly to Caster."
"And if he finishes Caster, there is no way to predict his next target." Kiritsugu informed her, glancing back at the board. "While Archer would be the most logical of targets, Assassin could not hope to lay a finger on him. From what we have seen from Archer's personality, it is very likely he is actively hunting for Assassin. Berserker is also another logical choice, but so is every other Servant, and their Masters to an extension. Plus…" A light sigh escaped Kiritsugu's lips. "Assassin already left his calling card for Saber's Excalibur."
Another thing the reports confirmed was that whenever Assassin stated that he was going to steal something, he went through with it one way or another. Whether the possession of the stolen item was temporary or not did no matter because in the end, he went through with his threats despite the odds.
It did not inspire confidence into Kiritsugu with the fact that Assassin had identified and proclaimed his Servant's Noble Phantasm as a prize for the taking.
"…" Maiya said nothing, observing Kiritsugu with her usual stoic expression. "…I believe we should discuss this more tomorrow. You need time to rest."
Kiritsugu blinked at that. He did not expect Maiya of all people to ask him to do that, but then again the bags under his eyes were not doing much to dispel the fact that he had not slept enough in the past few days. He had spent sleepless nights planning out possible attacks and retreat scenarios, and even he could see that it was affecting his functioning. "And if I were to rest, just a few hours, then it would make Iri worry less…" Kiritsugu glanced at the clock. It was 11:35 p.m. "The meeting isn't until four… plenty of time for a few hours rest."
"I will stay up to awake you when the time comes." Maiya spoke, as if reading Kiritsugu's thoughts on the matter. "Until then, please get some rest with the Madam."
The last part was spoken with a hollowness that even made Kiritsugu a bit nervous about his assistant being near his wife. After all, Maiya was not completely void of emotion and was perfectly capable of being professional. But still… considering their actions…
"No, have faith in her." Kiritsugu thought to himself as he walked out of the room, not even glancing at Maiya before heading towards the room Irisviel was sleeping in. Saber was either in the room next to theirs, or was once again overlooking the area from the roof. "Maiya knows what's at stake here. She knows that…" Kiritsugu then shook his head as he stood in front of the door. "Everything that is required for my dream will be done. Even if…"
Even now, he was ashamed. He was ashamed that Irisviel, the love of his life, would have to die to bring the world peace. That in the end, after the Holy Grail War, he would never see Irisviel's face again except in his mind's eye.
But it had to be done.
With that, Kiritsugu opened the door and saw Irisviel sleeping on the king-sized bed that occupied the room, the moon's light reflecting off of her white hair. Her face was peaceful; as if there was nothing wrong in the world or in her own dreams.
These would be the last few days he would be able to see that face. Slowly, Kiritsugu shed his clothing until he was only in his white sleeveless undershirt and black boxers before quietly slipping beneath the blankets next to Irisviel.
"Kiritsugu…?" Irisviel sleeply questioned, her eyes fluttering opene for a second, only for Kiritsugu to place his left hand over her head.
"I'm here Iri." He muttered, making his wife smile and close her eyes once more. Smiling himself, and ignoring the pang of guilt and depression from within him, Kiritsugu closed his eyes…
…and dreamed of days long since passed.
The Killer Called Kiritsugu
San Francisco, United States of America
August 2nd, 1976:
"A private contract?" Kiritsugu asked, looking at his mentor Natalia Kaminski, as she took a file out of her suitcase with her usual small smirk. "You mean this is not…"
"No, we're not doing the work for the Association or the Church this time." Natalia replied as she set down the file on the small table the motel room provided. "We've been hired by the Tohsaka Head to kill the Edelfelt Head. He paid a lot of money for this job to be done in a timeframe, so naturally…"
She did not finish, not that Kiritsugu expected her to. He had been around the woman long enough to know that most of the jobs that were taken were more out of money than actual moral obligation. But he liked to think that they were preventing more horrors like the one that happened on his home island from happening.
Natalia had brought him along to the United States after killing Magus that had fled to Canada. It had been a relatively simple job, an easy headshot from a sniper rifle two buildings from where the hotel the man had been staying. So when Natalia brought him to the states without telling the specifics of the job, he had been confused.
Now he realized she simply wanted to save time.
"Our target is Fredrick Edelfelt." Natalia informed him, taking a picture out of the folder to reveal a man with deep blue eyes and shoulder-length greying blonde hair wearing aristocratic blue clothing, the trademark color of the Edelfelt family. "Apparently, Tohsaka wants to set back the Edelfelt family by killing off their head. Make the Tohsaka family magic 'superior' by a few years, or something like that." Natalia took a drag out of her cigarette and continued on her explanation. "He's staying in San Francisco for two days on business before returning to England. Tohsaka only gave us a day to complete the job before cutting off the arrangement. Doesn't want to be connected to this at all."
It made sense to Kiritsugu, in a way. If they actively pursue Fredrick, then the Edelfelt family would be able to draw a connection between the assassination attempts and their rivals, and negative publicity was something the Tohsaka head didn't want on his family. Especially if they hired mercenaries who used 'mundane' weapons to do their dirty work.
"One of my associates were able to plant a bug in his hotel penthouse." Natalia began once again, taking out a small tape player from her bag and placing it on the table. "Seems like he hired some extra security." With that, she pressed the play button.
"I assure you that this is only the advance payment." A deep voice, one that Kiritsugu could assume was Fredrick, stated.
"Oh my! What a big pile of cash we got here!" And excited voice, one that belonged to a man but sounded like a kid in a candy store, shouted with a laugh. This made Kiritsugu blink and look to Natalia, who simply closed her eyes as she continued to smoke her cigarette.
"Can I assume correctly that you will be able to retrieve the artifact without it receiving any damage?" Fredrick's voice continued, still sounding firm but even Kiritsugu could hear the slight hint of disbelief in his tone. "My associates have all given you praise, but even I find it hard to believe that you can steal anything. No offense to your lineage, Lupin the Third."
"Lupin the Third?" Kiritsugu breathed out, his eyes narrowing. Lupin the Third was a world-famous thief of near celebrity status. And his fame was well earned, due to his ability to constantly avoid the police and make off with countless treasures.
"Guess you don't really pay attention to the news then." Lupin commented wistfully. "None of you guys ever seem to. Always doubtin' my skills, even if the headlines say otherwise."
"I simply wish to confirm your skills, nothing more." Even Kiritsugu could hear the falseness in the apologetic statement. "You must understand that Hernán Cortés' sword means a great deal of importance to my family."
"Hm, old man Blackmore said the same thing about Robin Hood's bow." Lupin commented casually, his tone still light-hearted despite the serious situation. "You guys really like your artifacts don't you? Wonder why…"
"That is none of your concern." Fredrick's voice said sharply. "Your job is to simply retrieve the artifact and give it to me. Nothing more is asked of you."
"My, my! Touchy aren't ya?" Lupin's voice laughed out. "But you can quit worryin'. Tomorrow, you'll have your sword…"
Natalia stopped the recorder, putting out her cigarette at the same time in the ash tray. "So that's it pretty much. Lupin's involvement might cause us problems if we don't time this right."
"But why would a Magus hire him in the first place?" Kiritsugu asked, motioning to the picture of Fredrick. "The Edelfelts are an old and mostly traditional Magus family. Why would they want to hire anyone like Lupin the Third to do a job?"
"Most likely, they want that artifact as a Catalyst for the Holy Grail War to summon a Servant." Natalia responded, opening the folder and showing pictures of Lupin. "Most Magi families who know about it dream of participating in the war, and if they are chosen they need to be prepared. Getting a Catalyst takes time, and sometimes Catalysts of powerful heroes are discovered and put on displays in museums of private collections. Rather than getting it for themselves and potentially declaring what hero they will use to their enemies, they hire Lupin to steal it instead. The Lupin family has been employed by Magi families for the last two Grail Wars, with Lupin the Third getting Catalysts for hopefuls of the Fourth. Lupin's own father is rumored to have stolen and sold most of the Catalysts used by the last war's contestants."
"And by paying them handsomely, they do not ask questions for the purpose of the theft." Kiritsugu reasoned, only for Natalia to shake her head.
"Oh, I'm sure they have their suspicions, but it's just that Lupin doesn't really care." She motioned once more to the device on the table. "He could have easily pressed for more questions, but instead dropped it. I doubt any Magus head could actually intimidate the man."
"I suppose he would not." Kiritsugu agreed. To any other man, Magi heads would just be old and arrogant men stuck in old ways with too much money on their hands. Lupin the Third probably reasoned he could have killed Fredrick if the man made a move against him. “But why can’t we just bomb Edelfelt’s room?”
"It’s much more convenient if Lupin were to take the fall instead. So, we need to prepare." Natalia said with a sigh, looking at the guns laid down on the floor between the two beds. There were two M40 rifles, the Calico, two Jericho 941 handguns, various ammo clips, and several hand grenades. "It will be a timed operation. Lupin will be meeting Edelfelt at four in the afternoon to get his payment at a warehouse near Holfman Street. If we miss our shot, that's it. It will not take long for Lupin to react and try to find us."
"I understand." Kiritsugu replied as he opened up the file, seeing several papers describing things such as the Edelfelt family's magic, the layout of the building that Fredrick will be meeting Lupin at, and some notes on Lupin's career and known allies.
August 3rd, 1976:
Kiritsugu peered down the scope of the rifle, looking into the warehouse's multiple windows and holes. Natalia sat next to him, holding the other rifle in hand but keeping it to the side while smoking another cigarette.
They had been waiting on a storehouse building on the other side of the street, using the nearly hidden angle on the top of the building from anyone looking from the warehouse to their advantage. To pass the time, he and Natalia had been taking shifts and reviewing notes. And Kiritsugu had to admit that he wasn't that impressed with Lupin the Third.
While yes, the man seemed to be well equipped and skilled in what he did, his enemies were moronic. The man who usually chased him, Inspector Zenigata, failed constantly, always using tactics that Lupin always escaped from. Enemies that wanted to actually kill Lupin failed since they do not simply use things such as missiles, bombs, or mines. Instead they simply used convoluted schemes that always gave the thief ample opportunity to escape.
Not him. If he had the opportunity, and if Lupin were his target, Kiritsugu would be sure to eliminate him without any hesitation.
He was not a police officer or a madman with delusions of grandeur.
But still…
"Where are they…?" Natalia muttered, peering down her own scope with a frown adorning her face. Kiritsugu had to agree with her frustration. It was an hour after the supposed meeting between the thief and Magus. Usually, Magi were very punctual about their meetings. And from what the news station said in the morning, Lupin had already successfully stolen the sword from the San Francisco History Museum in the middle of the night, and was able to evade the police (Yet again).
"Could they have changed the meeting location?" Kiritsugu asked, making Natalia click her tongue.
"If they did, then they sure as hell didn't discuss it in Edelfelt's room." Natalia spit out her cigarette, stomping on the discarded cancer stick to put it out. "Looks like we'll just have to catch his flight and k-."
"Wait." Kiritsugu interrupted, peering through his scope once more. "There's movement."
"Perfect." Natalia said with a smirk while Kiritsugu focused his sights. He saw through a window the Edelfelt Head walk forward with a black suitcase in hand. Looking to the general direction he was walking towards, he spotted a woman the information described as Mine Fujiko wearing a tight red dress and red high-heels with a silver guitar case, one big enough to hold an old Spanish sword, in her left hand.
"I'm going to take the shot." Kiritsugu stated as he turned his sight back on Fredrick's head, holding his breath so that his hands would not shake…
"Wait…" Natalia interrupted, making Kiritsugu freeze. "Lupin's not there."
Kiritsugu moved his sight to confirm her statement. Indeed, the famous thief was nowhere in the building. It was just Fujiko and Fredrick, now seeming to confirm the transfer with relaxed stances. "Where could he…?"
*Click* *Click*
"You know, peepin' on other people is pretty rude." The cocky voice of Lupin filled Kiritsugu's ears, making the young man freeze. Slowly, he turned around to see Lupin and a man that the information identified as Jigen Daisuke aiming their Walther and Magnum respectively at them. Lupin had a cocky smirk stretching from ear to ear while Jigen's face was completely serious.
"Oh, I'm sure you hardly care about that, Lupin the Third." Natalia replied smoothly as she put down the rifle and slowly stood up, Kiritsugu mimicking her actions as soon as he saw the men made no move to shoot them yet. "Especially if those rumors about you and women are true."
"Aw, come on now! I have a bit more class when it comes to fine dames!" Lupin laughed out, only for Jigen to click his tongue.
"Sure, 'class'. You have to be one of the biggest perverts on the face of the planet." Jigen stated bluntly, making Lupin give him a sour look, not that Jigen seemed to notice or care. Instead, he seemed to keep focusing his aim on Natalia. "Never thought I'd see your face again."
"What can I say? The world is full of strange coincidences." Natalia remarked wryly, causing Kiritsugu to blink. Did these two have a history together? "I never thought I'd see you as a thief Jigen. Thought you'd remain the same cold bodyguard forever."
"And I see you haven't changed either. You're still the same troublesome woman that put a bullet in Firo's head without a hint of remorse." Jigen responded, his voice becoming ice cold while Natalia let out a little chuckle. Now Kiritsugu could tell they knew each other, and apparently not on good terms.
"Natalia Kaminski. The lady mercenary who has been appearin' in warzones throughout the world, taking on whatever job you get from the highest bidder." Lupin said smoothly, making Kiritsugu's eyes narrow. This man… was too well-informed if he knew about any activities Natalia made not involving the Mage's Association. "I heard that you recently took an apprentice. I guess this is him?" He motioned his Walther to Kiritsugu, making a small smile grace Natalia's lips.
"You're pretty well-informed for a thief." Natalia commented, earning a chuckle from Lupin.
"Thieves have always been in the know. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise that I keep my ear to the ground." Lupin responded, not taking his aim off of Kiritsugu. "You should invest in smaller listenin' devices. Saw the ones you bugged old man Edelfelt's house with yesterday. Gave me reason enough to think that someone was gonna crash this party."
"I was simply hired to kill that man, nothing more." Natalia replied, shooting Kiritsugu a look and twitching her right hand's pinky and index finger. Her signal that they would move soon. "You got your money, let me get mine."
"Ah, sorry Natalia-chan… But even though your one foxy lady I just can't do that…" Lupin sighed out, as if the decision was really hurting him. "Lettin' a guy die on my watch just isn't good for one's image, you know?"
"Why bring a kid into this life Natalia?" Jigen questioned, and even though Kiritsugu could not see them he could sense the man's eyes narrowing underneath his fedora.
"He chose it for himself. Just like we did." With that single sentence spoken, Natalia drew her gun in the blink of an eye and fired at Jigen, who responded in kind with his own bullet. The spark in mid-air signaled that the bullets hit one another, something even Kiritsugu did not think was possible.
The screech of tires coming from the street below disrupted Kiritsugu from his moment of awe, making him curse under his breath. Quickly, he began running to the fire escape…
…Only for Lupin to slide in his way, smirking as he raised his Walther. "Don't think I can just let you…"
He didn't get to finish, as Kiritsugu took out his own handgun and fired several shots at the thief.
"W-woah!" Lupin shouted as he jumped to the side in order to avoid having a body full of lead while Kiritsugu jumped down the fire escape. If he could hurry, it was very possible that he could catch the vehicle before it got…
A cloud of smoke then fogged his vision, making Kiritsugu cough while waving his hand around to dispel it. He heard another body land onto the fire escape, the sound of steps echoing to Kiritsugu's ears. "Now, that wasn't very nice kiddo…"
Not responding, Kiritsugu, flicked his wrist to take out a knife and slashed the area Lupin's voice came from. "Ow! You know, you could hurt someone with that!" Kiritsugu's vision cleared up enough to see Lupin relatively fine except for a piece of his shirt torn. "Hm, just how long have you been trainin' for stuff like this?" Kiritsugu said nothing, but his eyes narrowed. The sound of the car was nonexistent now. He missed the opportunity to eliminate the Edelfelt head before he left the area.
But if he could capture Lupin and extract information from where they might be hiding the man…
"Oh? You really wanna try your luck kid?" Lupin questioned, as if reading Kiritsugu's thoughts. The sound of the gunfight on the roof kept going off as a few seconds of silence passed between the men. "Can't blame ya for tryin', but you're gonna have to step up your game if you wanna get me…" Suddenly, Lupin's hand reached into his coat and extracted an old-school circular bomb with a lit fuse. Kiritsugu's eyes widened as Lupin tossed the bomb to him, and Kiritsugu caught the thing on reflex. "KA-BOOM!!!" Then, Kiritsugu's eyes closed on reflex, only to open them as a small *Pop* rang in his ears and see the 'bomb' now opened in half with a small puppet of Lupin on a spring sticking his tongue out at him. "See ya, see ya, see ya~!" Lupin's voice sang out, making Kiritsugu look to see the thief running down the alley below.
"Damn it!" Kiritsugu cursed himself for being so easily fooled as he fired on the thief's retreating form two times, only to miss. Quickly, he ran down the rest of the escape before landing on the ground and sprinting to where Lupin was running off to. He could not let the man escape. He needed to restrain him before providing Natalia backup. If what the information said about Jigen Daisuke's skills was true then…
*VROOM*
Lights turned on, blinding Kiritsugu for a second as he jumped to the side in order to avoid being run over by a blue Mercedes-Benz SSK. "See ya kiddo!"
"No…" Kiritsugu seethed as he ran after the car, seeing it drive on the rode past honking cars and confused pedestrians. Kiritsugu spotted a man riding a black Yamaha XS 650 and pointed his gun, shouting, "Give me your bike now!" Frightened, the man complied and got off the bike. Kiritsugu jumped on it and stepped on the gas, making the bike speed forward in breakneck speeds after the Mercedes. Taking his right hand off the handle, making sure not to lose his balance, Kiritsugu fired at the car, striking it in the trunk and rearview mirror.
"Hey now, I'll let you know that these things are expensive!" Lupin chided in a mocking tone, making Kiritsugu seethed. Usually when he was hunting his targets, they were either scared out of their minds or unaware of their coming death. For someone to just take the whole thing in stride was mind-boggling.
Numerous police sirens went off, making Kiritsugu glance back to see at least thirty police cars chasing behind them. "LUPIN!! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!!! PULL OVER NOW!!! THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO!"
"Geez, can't Pops just give me a break for a day?" Lupin whined out as he passed two cars on his side. "Oh well…" He fired on both of their tires, making them screech and crash into one-another behind him.
Kiritsugu's eyes widened as he quickly steered the bike out of the way, miraculously avoiding both a crash and becoming paste on the road for tipping the bike over. Several police cruisers crashed into the cars while others swerved out of the way. "Is he out of his mind?" Kiritsugu asked himself before seeing Lupin quickly turn the car and drive over the sidewalk and down several steps that lead to a park. Kiritsugu quickly did the same, using the bike's momentum to use the top-step as a ramp and flying past the expensive car before landing, and Kiritsugu was both relieved and grateful that he didn't die pulling off the stunt. Kiritsugu instantly brought out his gun and fired, only for the bullet to pass through Lupin's jacket and go off into the distance as the thief continued to drive. Putting the firearm back in its holster, he drove after the car with his knuckles whitening on the handles.
It was not supposed to be this difficult to capture Lupin. Hell, he had come close to killing him several times. Yet the man seemed to have the luck of the devil behind him, and that really pissed Kiritsugu off.
"No one is that lucky…" Kiritsugu thought to himself as he watched Lupin swerve the car and drift from the park and back onto the road, apparently for no reason other than to show off. "No one…"
It continued on that that for several more minutes, Lupin driving past cars while Kiritsugu tried to keep up with him. The man was most likely one of the best drivers in the world if he could still speed up and not crash yet. Even Kiritsugu was beginning to get nervous at how fast they were going.
"YOU AREN'T GETTING AWAY LUPIN!!!" The voice, which Kiritsugu now seriously suspected to belong to Inspector Zenigata, shouted once more as several police cars emerged from the traffic behind them. Kiritsugu could even hear the rotors of a police chopper come from overhead. Kiritsugu looked forward and clicked his tongue in frustration. They were heading to the Golden Gate Bridge, and there was no telling if there was a police blockade on the other end of the bridge. He could not stop, lest he be arrested by some seriously irate police officers. Let he could not just drive the motorcycle off the side of the bridge. If there was one thing Natalia tried to drill in his head, it was that his life should be of EXTREME importance in priorities.
So for several agonizing moments, he continued to drive behind Lupin's car as the police followed closely behind. Kiritsugu's face was now feeling like it was being cut by the wind itself. He should have really made the guy give him his helmet too…
"Oh! Goemon! You mind takin' care of this for me?" Lupin suddenly shouted, moving his car to the side to reveal…
"A samurai?" Kiritsugu found himself sputtering as Goemon drew his sword and, in a flash, sheathed it back slowly. Kiritsugu could not help but blink at the action. Just what was the purpose of…?
"Once again I have cut a worthless thing." The samurai's words somehow reached Kiritsugu's ears as the hilt met the sheath, making a *clack* sound…
…Before the Golden Gate bridge itself was cut in half, just before Goemon.
"Gah!" Kiritsugu cried out in shock as the bridge collapsed, both him and the bike speeding towards the water below in high speeds before hitting it. The force itself felt like a dozen punches, and Kiritsugu even blacked out for a second. But quickly, he let go of the bike. Looking to the shore at the other end of the bay, Kiritsugu began to swim as hard and as fast as he could. He was not willing to die from the police cars that kept crashing into the water.
Kiritsugu's lungs were on fire, and he could hear nothing but splashing water and the distant cry of "LUPIN!!!" in the air. It almost seemed like the shore would never get closer at first, and Kiritsugu even felt his limbs become more and more tired… he wanted to sleep…
"NO! I refuse to die like this!!!" Kiritsugu announced to himself in his mind before energy surged back into him. He swam at almost double his original speed, and before Kiritsugu knew it he was clawing at the beach, trying desperately to reach the street while his mouth took huge gasps of air. Kiritsugu didn't even register the sound of an engine, or the sound of a car stopping. When Kiritsugu looked up, he saw the world-famous thief.
Lupin the Third grinned at the teenage Emiya Kiritsugu, lying on the shore of some beach along the San Francisco Bay, from the driver's seat of the dark blue Mercedes-Benz SSK, his red jacket like a mocking beacon to the boy. Kiritsugu coughed seawater from his lungs and took in deep, greedy gulps of air as Lupin said, "You put up one hell of a fight kiddo. Gotta give you that. But ya lost this one. Maybe we'll meet again someday. Until then…" The car then sped away, Lupin waving at Kiritsugu as he glanced over his shoulder to the boy. "Give Natalia-chan my best!"
That's when Kiritsugu finally fell into blissful unconsciousness.
When Kiritsugu opened his eyes again, he stared at the roof of a car. Slowly, he turned his head to see Natalia in the driver's seat, trees going by on both sides of the car. Even Kiritsugu could tell that they were out in the country now. "N-Natalia…"
"Oh? You're awake kid?" Natalia asked, glancing back at him but still focusing on the road. "You were out for a couple of hours. You're lucky that you didn't just drown, you know."
Kiritsugu said nothing, but grimaced in pain and coughed a few times. His muscles hurt, most likely from all the swimming he did. "If I hadn't made it to the shore, I would have…"
"I got paid double not to kill Edelfelt." Natalia mentioned, making Kiritsugu glance to the passenger seat to see a black suitcase. "So either way, we at least earned something for our trouble."
Kiritsugu said nothing, and instead looked back at Natalia and noticed the entire bottom of her shirt soaked in blood, as well as blood stains all over her stomach. "You're…"
"Ah, you noticed." Natalia shrugged as she reached into the cupholder and fished out a cigarette. "Jigen nailed me a few times in the stomach. Seems like his skills didn't get rusty. He was definitely trying to kill me." A small chuckle escaped from her lips. "But he didn't expect for me to heal myself. Was able to give him the slip with a flashbang."
"So we failed…" Kiritsugu muttered as he struggled to sit back up, ignoring the ache coming from his muscles as he did so.
"Spectacularly." Natalia confirmed. Kiritsugu could not help but feel a bit guilty. He did not read the file of Lupin carefully enough. He just skimmed it, assuming that the man was a skilled but otherwise ordinary thief. He assumed that without the police's rules holding him back, he could have easily killed the man.
That could not happen again, should he ever meet the Eurasian thief another time.
"And one more thing." Natalia stated, making Kiritsugu look back at her. "If you ever meet or deal with people wearing owl masks, always be on guard and never underestimate them. Ever."
"What do you mean?" Kiritsugu asked, only to get silence for an answer. He noticed a bead of sweat roll down Natalia's neck and her jaw tighten.
Kiritsugu saw Natalia do something he had never seen her do before.
Whoever these people in the owl masks were, Natalia was scared of them.
Reality:
A knock on the door made Kiritsugu open his eyes, disrupting his dream. Slowly, he got out of the bed and walked to the door, opening it to see Maiya.
"It is time." Maiya stated, making Kiritsugu nod.
"Tell Saber to prepare." Kiritsugu ordered before closing the door and walking to the pile of clothes he had left on the floor. Slowly, he began to slip them on. He wasnted to give Irisviel at least a few more seconds of rest before…
"Kiritsugu, where are we going?" Irisviel asked, making Kiritsugu turn to see her sitting on the bed.
"We are going to pick up some more tools." Kiritsugu replied, putting on his coat and shoes. "With luck, they will help us beat Assassin and Kotomine Kirei."
"What kind of tools?" Irisviel asked, looking at her husband with curious eyes. "Is it some new kind of gun?"
"No, it's a drug…."
*Hoot*
Kiritsugu whipped his head to the window and saw a black owl staring back with unblinking red eyes. A second later, it jumped off the windowsill and flew away into the night. Kiritsugu could feel his jaw tighten and his hand clench into fists.
"Someone is watching this war like it is a damn play…"
To Be Continued…
xxXXxx
And thus ends all the chapters I completed on fanfiction.net. I will update this whenever I finish a chapter, so please be patient.
Also, for those of you not familiar with Lupin III, check out Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine on Hulu. It's only thirteen episodes long, but provides as very good 'origin story' of the Lupin Gang and gets you familiar with their characters. Its a dark interpretation, and its the one I'm mostly using when it comes to Lupin's character and themes.
So please, leave your feedback on how I'm doing so far.