Just An Unorthodox Thief (Fate/Zero-Lupin III Crossover)

[shounen jump]

Okay. I've only read the first few lines and I have to ask: Your really showing us Saber high off her ass?
-----update-----
okay, I've read it and I gotta say this both the saddest thing I've read in a while and the funniest. Sad because we see Saber break down. Funny because...well she's high. I don't know why I find that amusing, I just do.

[TheInfamousMan]

Okay. I've only read the first few lines and I have to ask: Your really showing us Saber high off her ass?
-----update-----
okay, I've read it and I gotta say this both the saddest thing I've read in a while and the funniest. Sad because we see Saber break down. Funny because...well she's high. I don't know why I find that amusing, I just do.

And this is just the beginning for Saber.

For her experiences with the drug trip, this can be a good summarization of half of it.

[shounen jump]

And this is just the beginning for Saber.

For her experiences with the drug trip, this can be a good summarization of half of it.

(Too busy trying to stop laughing so he can breath to type anything)

[TheInfamousMan]

Twenty-Sixth Heist

Failure.

Arturia ran through the streets as she heard a voice, or more accurately multiple voices, whispering into her ear.

Failure as a human.

Failure as a woman.

Failure as a false man.

Failure as a husband.

Failure as a father.

"Get away from me!" Arturia cried out, swinging at the source of the voice only to simply chop a harmless black and white firefly in half. Her limbs felt like lead and her blood like fire. Her abdomen stung, and it took all her strength to move her legs and swing Excalibur.

And yet the voices continued.

Failure as a knight.

Failure as a king.

"Stop it! STOP IT!" Arturia screamed as she swung sloppily at the voices, the mocking voices that sounded both male and female, young and old, familiar and unfamiliar. It was as if the whole world was jeering at her. She wished more than anything that she could silence them. She actually couldn't remember a time where she hadn't heard those voices mocking her. They'd always been there… Mocking her ever since that day.

But all she killed were butterflies.

Failure as a hero.

A King of Failures.

"Enough! Begone, you damned demons!" She shouted angrily, for she knew that it was true on some level. She felt as if it were true, wanted to believe that it was the truth, yet was repulsed by the accusations all the same.

"Children! Children come along now!" An elderly voice called out, causing Arturia to halt and turn to see a teacher sitting in front of a board.

A board that had a picture of her in full armor, looking majestically into the horizon, Excalibur in hand.

The teacher smiled despite having a beak… and the head of an owl. The children shared the teacher's features. But that was natural, wasn't it? Arturia's head pounded as she watched the teacher clap his hands to get the attention of the class.

"Come now, children from all across the globe. Open your books so that we may learn the tale of King Arthur!"

"No, please don't." Arturia called out to the teacher, walking towards them. "They do not need to know…"

"After all, we must celebrate the best of times and how King Arthur brought it about and ended it."

"Do not talk about that!" Arturia cried as she attempted to move her legs… only to see that they were sinking into the ground. How foolish. She should have brought boots or a boat to get through this. "It was always possible for it to continue!"

"Let us celebrate and sing praises to the foolish King and the time we'll never have again!"

"Yes teacher!" The children hooted out in response.

"Please stop!" Arturia yelled, but they kept on ignoring her pleas.

She had to stop them, but she could not move in this muck. As they began reading her legend out loud, she bent over and expelled the contents of her stomach. She watched in morbid fascination as they sunk into the muck out of view. She looked up and noticed that whatever color was on these modern buildings was melting off like ice cream. Lifeless and barren, just like the age she was in.

Arturia cried out as she then began to move to the right, each step bringing her up. The voices were gone, which made the task a bit easier. She stabbed Excalibur into the muck in an attempt to bring herself up to solid ground. She turned back to see that the teacher and students were now gone before leaping up. She had to get away. The area was that of a swamp.

What was she doing here again?

"It had something to do with Lupin the Third…" Arturia hummed to herself. "We were battling… I think I inhaled a drug…"

But no, that could not be right! She was the ideal king! Other than the occasional mug of wine, Arturia never did anything that brought her joy. She needed to follow and be an ideal King. All the time. She wasn't allowed to indulge herself, no matter what she wished for it personally. She had to uphold her ideal.

And yet, a part of her was saying that is what happened.

But before Arturia could think any more on the matter, she noticed everything was spinning. Spinning and spinning, the stars and ground becoming a blur. Arturia giggled at the moon which remained in place. The moon just couldn't decide whether it was an owl head, a butterfly, or a flower! All of which were black and white! How amusing! Her dizziness grew and grew until she landed on something hard.

It took her a second to realize it was the ground and not the stars.

Arturia groaned as she placed her hand on her head. "The world is spinning…"

"As it always has, father."

Arturia looked to her right to see Mordred, clad in armor with helmet covering his head from view. "But that can't be right." Her mind argued. "Mordred is dead. We ran though him with the lance. His blood and guts spewed out from both ends while we watched the life drain from his eyes."

And yet, here he was.

"Ah, Sir Mordred." She greeted her knight as an old friend as she shakily got to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"On a quest." He provided curtly. "It is difficult, but I am doing it under your name so it is more than enough to bring me pride. The barbarians are trouble though. But they provide a good enough fight."

Arturia felt sickened by that statement, especially the later part. "I wish we did not have to kill them. If only they saw reason…"

"And what are you doing out here, father?" Mordred tilted his head. "Are you on a quest as well?"

"Yes!" Arturia shouted, looking around. "I am on a quest to slay the great thief Lupin the Third! He has brought about much grief, and personally challenged me! Thus I must defeat him! My pride as the King of Camelot depends on it!"

"Father… You'll never be able to defeat him as you are now."

Arturia looked up, ready to chide Mordred for doubting his King…

Only to stop as she noticed something.

In front of her, walking towards her from the trees, were the knights and citizens of Camelot. All of them glowing as if they were coming from heaven. All of them smiling. In the front were her knights. Lancelot alongside Guinevere, Sir Kay with Sir Galahad, Merlin… everyone was there.

Each of them looked so happy.

Arturia felt tears flow from her eyes. "My friends… My Knights… My people…" Arturia dropped Excalibur as she stepped forward. "Oh, it is so good to see you all again! How I've missed you! I missed you all so much!" Arturia broke into a sprint, and she cried with a smile on her eyes with her arms outstretched. "Oh your smiles… I'm so happy you are happy! I only need your happiness and prosperity to keep going! I've sacrificed so much to give you both…" She reached Lancelot and Guinevere…

Only for her to go through them, as if they were fog.

"No…" They continued to go forward, past her and not even acknowledging her. "No! Please don't do this!" Arturia ran after them. They were heading to a wall, tall enough that it might as well reach Heaven. "I-I know you thought I didn't understand how you felt! But I did! I could! I-I just…!" Lancelot and Arturia's friend and Queen went past the wall. "Please! I can change! I will laugh and be merry again! I won't wear the cold mask! I will be your King and brother instead of just your King!" Next was Sir Kay and Sir Galahad. "I thought it was for your benefit! Please! I'll be whatever you want me to be!" Then the rest of her Knights and the citizens of Camelot disappeared into the wall. "Please don't go! Come back!" Arturia went to the wall, pounding on the stone as sobs erupted from her throat. "Please!" But it was no use. Her fists could not seem to break it, no matter how much strength she put into them. She sunk to her knees as she pounded on the wall, sobbing.

"Please don't go… please don't leave me… please let me join you…"

"As I said…" Mordred's voice returned to her ears. "You won't be able to defeat Lupin the Third as you are."

The wall then cracked, and broke. Arturia screamed as she tumbled down into a white void, spinning and spinning as she went. Dizzier and dizzier...

"To defeat Lupin the Third… You must see the world as he sees it."

xxXXxx

Saber tumbled through white nothingness for what seemed like hours. She couldn't tell because time seemed meaningless. A second felt like an hour. A minute a day. An hour was most likely going to be an eternity. She wanted to scream, but it felt as if the whiteness would pour into her throat and silence her permanently.

Eventually though, she landed.

But the floor beneath her was text. Or text which happened to float in the white nothingness.

The text was thus: Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor.

From the bible. Arturia did not question it. She was simply thankful that now there was a floor. She walked forward, swaying side to side. Something was not right.This was not right. This couldn't be reality… Could it?

That thought frightened her, and thus she ran. Religious dogma was written underneath her, acting as her floor. Then she noticed that now there was text to her left.

"A-Are those laws?"

Yes, they were indeed. Laws from different constitutions, defining how a country should be run and what rights would be granted to its citizens. Arturia then gasped as she saw to her right were both the lyrics to country's national anthems and studies as to human nature.

Then came the noise.

Voices of different sexes and ages and nationalities spoke with the same authoritarian tone. All of them loud, all of them telling them some version of the following:

"Do as you're told. You may not do some things but you can do other things. Don't question the status quo but believe in your right of independent thought and action. You are not a slave but be ready to submit yourself to those in positions of power. You are part of a group, and breaking away means you are insane…"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Arturia screamed as she covered her ears, trying to drown out the voices. How could anyone listen to any of this? It was madness! She would lose her mind if she was forced to keep listening.

She attempted to jump up, but gasped in pain as her head smashed into something solid, and she crashed back onto the ground. She groaned and clutched her head while looking up, and gasped at the text.

The Legend of King Arthur.

Arturia ran, but felt the walls closing in. She breathed in and out as she felt the walls closing in. She crouched as the ceiling grew closer and closer. She gasped in fright as she was reduced to crawling, with the walls as well as the ceiling and floors converging together and suffocating her.

"I-I can't go on! Not with all these restricting me!"

Was this supposed to be how Lupin the Third felt? Did he see these laws as they were? Unhealthy, stiffening, and maddening?

If so, how did he escape?

She then looked forward, and saw something. A golden cup, shining brightly even in this white void. Something was pouring out of it. Whether it was wine or blood, Arturia could not tell. The black and white owl with red eyes perched on the cup gave a hoot as it flapped its wings.

Arturia knew that was it. That was her key out of this hell!

Thus, she grunted as she pushed on. She ignored the crushing feeling and continued to crawl. It eventually got too much, and it felt as if she could not move.

"No! I need to reach it!" Arturia glared at the Grail, and the owl continued to stare at her with predatory interest. "I can't… I can't let these stop me!"

With a scream, Arturia felt her muscles ache and groan as she pushed. Her skin felt as if it were tearing and her muscle fibers snapping from the strain. But after a minute of pain, she launched herself forward. Her right hand outstretched, reaching towards the Grail as it came nearly within reach…

...Only for the words that she had previously freed herself from to wrap around her limbs like chains.

"No…" Arturia muttered in horror. They clung to her still? Or was she letting them restrain her? Was there a difference?

"Sorry, Arthur-chan." Lupin's mocking voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere. "But this is my tale, not yours. So no prize for you."

"No! It will be mine! I will have it!" Arturia shouted desperately before she felt the chains of society drag her down.

The king screamed.

"LUPIN…!"

She screamed as she spun and spun deeper into the white void.

xxXXxx

Arturia was almost grateful when the white void turned to pitch black.

The change managed to give her back some of her mental facilities. The ability to think somewhat straight, even for a second. Yes, she did inhale the strange drug that the owl men used and Kiritsugu now possessed. She inhaled and now the world is spinning and sinking, dizzying and shifting.

"But Mordred is real right? He has to be. He seemed so real…"

But then again, how the hell did she know? Arturia had barely even gotten drunk during her life. She had no idea how to handle the effects of drugs. She could hardly understand why people wanted to take them.

"You feel good for a second then terrified the next. Everything seems both joyous yet horrifying…"

No matter. She just needed to ride this out. Try to get a hold of herself then get back to reality…

Arturia landed on something hard yet shaky. She groaned as she got up, and saw ripples form beneath her. "When did I get onto the ocean?" Did she wander to the piers and fall off the ledge? This was bad. She needed to leave before she was spotted. Arturia lifted her left hand to wipe her forehead…

...Only to freeze when she saw it was soaked in blood.

Arturia looked down. The water… it was red too. Nearly black in fact. The blood of hearts, something Arturia had grown most familiar with over the years.

"Blood… a lake of blood…!" Arturia muttered in fear.

"Look up, father." Mordred's voice whispered in her ear. "Look up and behold."

"No. No please don't make me…" Arturia's mind was screaming, telling her not to look. And yet her head moved, as if controlled by another force.

Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Submerged face-first in the blood water were knights clad in full armor, punctures in their armor with swords or arrows sticking out. They stretched all around her, several of which were headless and their heads with expressions frozen in fear or pain bobbing in the lake like apples. The land in the distance were mountains. But they were not made of earth and stone, but bodies. Bodies cut or broken or burned, limbs still attached or chopped off, and all of them lifeless. Black and white owls pecked out and ate their eyes while butterflies drank from the empty sockets and cuts like nectar from a flower. The moon was that of an eye, red in color and reminded Arturia of Irisviel. It bled, and the liquid flowed into the lake like a waterfall.

But there was one common thing in this hellish vision.

All the knights wore the banners and colors of Camelot.

"Thisisn'trealit'sthedrugit'snotrealnotrealnotreal …!"

Arturia screamed in horror and ran. Her mind racing in fear, filled with the images of dead knights, some of which she recognized from various wars and battles. All of them dead now, dead because of her and she could see their eyes accusing her and there was so much blood on her hand and she felt so sick…!

"Father, when was it you finally broke down? When did the burden become too much to bear?"

"I don't know!" She screamed out loud as blood splashed on her legs.

"The King I admired would never had fled at the sight of the mountain of bodies and lake of blood that was needed to create the kingdom." Mordred's voice was lifeless, as if stating a fact.

"I never wanted this! I just wanted… oh God, I just wanted to help my people!" Arturia then tripped and fell. She screamed at the sight of Sir Kay's lifeless body and crawled back. "Please, for the love of God free me from this hell!"

"Your knights also wished to help. They willingly spilled their blood into the lake threw their bodies onto the mountain of corpses for the sake of your kingdom. It was by their own free will, and yet you consider yourself their murderer."

"Please, Mordred… please just let me leave…" Arturia sobbed out as she brought her knees to her shear.

"I cannot do that." Mordred answered. "Only you can do that. You must free yourself."

With that, Arturia felt herself splash into the blood. She choked as she attempted to swim back up to the surface, but only kept going down. She felt the blood's iron taste as she went down, continuing to spin as she saw the silhouettes of those long dead.

xxXXxx

Arturia gasped as she fell out of the blood, and landed on solid earthly ground. She gasped and coughed out blood, bile, and saliva as she clutched the grass. The liquid dripped out of her hair, body, clothes, and armor onto the grass.

"Where am I now?" Arturia thought as she looked up.

It was the forest within Fuyuki, where she battled Lupin the Third previously.

"Did I wander into here?" She thought as she shakily got up. "Or did I just never leave?" It was so hard to remember or even guess. Her mind was still spinning. The only new additions to the forest were the white and black flowers, and the fog. But maybe they were always there and she never noticed.

She felt sick, and her abdomen still felt like fire. Her mind wandered to the hell she had just escaped from. It was worse than the sight of her final battlefield. It was a place where she saw that everyone was indeed dead. And it was all her fault. And for what? A kingdom that fell because of her own foolishness?

"Why? Why did you show me that?!" Arturia shouted to the heavens.

"So that you can begin seeing your own personal chains."

Arturia turned her head to see Mordred by a tree, staring at her from behind his helmet.

"My… chains?" She questioned, and Mordred simply nodded.

"Indeed. You have chains of your own. Chains that you placed on yourself out of a sense of guilt."

Arturia then heard dirt move, and felt something grip her ankle. She looked down, and saw a hand of bone gripping her.

"But what you saw before was not the only chain."

Arturia's eyes widened as a groan echoed out and a skeleton crawled out from the earth.

It was wearing the armor of a Roman.

Arthur…!

An unearthly, hateful howl came out of the lipless mouth.

Arturia kicked the corpse away. It broke once it hit a tree, then burst into butterflies.

Then she heard more groans, and turned to see rising out of the ground were other soldiers. All of them enemies of Camelot that she had slain. The French, the Romans, barbarians, knights from other kingdoms… All of them rising from the ground, in various stages of decomposition.

All of them staring at her with hate, even those with no eyes. All of them with rusted yet sharp weapons on hand.

How dare you!? They hissed as one. How dare you, only now that your kingdom is ashes, regret our deaths!?

"So this day has finally come." Arturia muttered wearily. She did not question it, and willed for Excalibur to come to her hands.

But it did not come.

"What?"

Arturia had to jump to the side to avoid the swipe of a rusty sword. She grabbed the handle of the blade while punching the Roman corpse away. As soon as she pried the dead man's hands off she blocked a strike from a spear.

She remembered now. She dropped Excalibur earlier, but it should return to her shouldn't it?

Why wouldn't it return?

Arturia rolled to the side and swung her sword. Four corpses were chopped in half by her swing.

But they still mocked her.

Little King of Knights…

…Had the greatest of kingdoms…

…Slain hundreds of men without a second thought…

…And only now does she have the gall to say her actions were at fault!

How could we be slain by such a brat!

Arturia grunted as she blocked three more swords held by undead Knights as the ones just killed turned into butterflies. She pushed them off then chopped off their heads, but had to jump back as arrows hit the area she was formerly at.

Was it true? Was she just a foolish child that only blamed herself after her toys were destroyed? No it could not be true, but doubt welled up within her.

Arturia ran at an undead soldier hiding behind a shield. For every one she killed, two took its place. She needed to keep up the pressure if she wanted to stay alive.

Her sword, if it was Excalibur, would have broken and ordinary shield as if it were paper.

But her sword was not Excalibur.

Arturia's eyes widened when she saw her sword imbedded itself into the shield, but not pierce all the way through. "Shi-" She did not get the opportunity to finish that thought. The undead knight swung. Its mace hit her abdomen, breaking her ribs as she was flung back several feet and landed face-first on the ground.

"H-how? My armor should have taken most of the force!" Saber coughed out saliva and blood as she looked down.

She was not wearing her armor. All that she was wearing was a glorified dress.

Then she felt bony hands wrap around her wrists and ankles. She looked around and saw an undead soldier holding down each limb, while the others cheered raising their weapons.

"Perhaps… this is proper death for me." Arturia thought wearily. "I've killed so many… sent so many good men to their deaths, pushed others away by trying to be the ideal King, and through my decisions destroyed the finest kingdom in the world."

Perhaps it was only appropriate that she was killed by her regrets.

"Oh what a joyous day!" A loud, cruel voice echoed out as thunderous steps echoed in the air. "I can finally settle the score!"

Despite the hands pinning her down, Arturia looked up to see the rotting corpse of a man ten feet tall, green decomposing muscles bulging but still torn and showing the skeleton underneath. His belly was torn open, guts and pieces of intestines hanging out. His loincloth was the only piece of clothing on him, and in his right hand was a massive broadsword.

She remembered him. It was the Giant of Mont Saint Michel, a bloodthirsty brute who murdered men and raped women until they died.

"I knew I smelled something different about you when we met. But I never thought the King of Knights was just some scared woman in tin armor!" Toothless lips sneered. That just pisses me off!

This was the one who was going to kill her? She regretted his death?!

"Well I'm glad we could meet again Arthur!" The giant raised his sword overhead. "Now I can split your skull in half, and laugh as I have fun with your corpse after!"

No!

No!

If regretting her past actions meant she had to regret killing men like him, then it was not worth it!

In fact, how could she regret killing these men? Perhaps they were good men simply fighting for their lord or what they believed to be right, but they knew and accepted their path in life. Just as she did, whenever she entered the battlefield she thought only two things:

"I don't want to die."

"I will do as I must for my kingdom."

Perhaps that was also what her Knights thought. They threw themselves into bloody battle after bloody battle for both themselves and their kingdom. They did so out of choice, not because she forced them. They had followed her out of choice and only wrapped it around honor.

If that was the case, then she could not regret their deaths or the deaths of her enemies.

They were holding her down, now quite literally.

As the sword came down, she spotted the Grail, glowing brightly in the fog.

Arturia wanted it. She needed it.

And she could not let these regrets stop her!

With a mighty roar, she flung her right arm to the left. The corpse holding her down followed, and was struck by the blade. It went through the corpse like butter, but it threw the weapon off course and embedded into the ground to Arturia's right. She repeated the action with her left hand and smashed the corpse on top of the blade. Before the Giant could react, Arturia dug her hands into the ground and rolled forward. The undead soldiers followed her and smashed against the Giant.

"What?!" The Giant shouted as he stumbled back, more of his rotting innards spilling out.

Arturia shouted as she ran forward. She felt something in her right hand, something familiar. She gripped it with both of her hands and swung. The Giant attempted to block with his giant sword…

...Only for Excalibur to break the blade as if it was made of wood.

Arturia did not stop there. She kicked with her right foot, breaking through a he Giant's left knee with a sickening crack. He fell down, and looked up. "But you were supposed to keep regretting…"

"Go back to Hell where you belong!" Arturia shouted as she chopped off the Giant's head. It tumbled down to her feet, and she smashed it with her left foot before it and the Giant's body became monochrome butterflies.

Arturia breathed in and out as she looked at Excalibur. It had returned to her, the moment when she let go of her regrets and refused to die to get the Grail. She could now fight off the demons of her past.

Arturia turned her body to the army of her regrets. "Come on then! If you wish to kill me, so be it!" Arturia pointed Excalibur at them. "But I will no longer hold back out of regret! You are dead because you were enemies of my kingdom. And I would kill you again if I had to!"

The army was silent for a moment before they all disintegrated into a flurry of butterflies, who then flew up into the night sky and became stars.

Arturia felt vertigo once again and fell back into the ground. The battle for her mind was taking much out of her. She felt tired, oh so tired, but…

"But you realized you can't give up, haven't you father?"

Arturia glanced up to see Mordred, or the hallucination of him. "Go away Mordred." Arturia muttered. "You're not real. You died on Camlann."

"And you hold no regrets?"

"No." She replied truthfully. "Not anymore. You decided on your own to betray me, and what had happened was a consequence of that. I decided on my own to stop you. And our knights chose what path to follow. That's all there is to it."

"Very good." Mordred replied as he reached up and took off his helmet. Rather than seeing her face on his head, Arturia saw that of an owl. "This world is not real father, but it can teach a man things. You saw the chains that bound Lupin the Third, and your own. And by shedding them, you are now free as he is." Mordred unsheathed his sword, brought it up to his neck, and slashed his throat. Blood splattered on Arturia as Mordred continued to speak. "Now go and be free. Experience the world as Lupin the Third does."

Arturia nodded and closed her eyes.

xxXXxx

Arturia blinked after she opened her eyes, and looked around.

The forest was now gone, completely blown away. No longer were there any soldiers from battles past, or dead knights, or reminders of previous failures.

Just a green field, with grass completely green and shined in the sun's rays. The sky was blue, oh so blue like the ocean water. The clouds stretched across the horizon, but did not show any signs of rain.

Everything was peaceful.

Everything was vast.

It was a land of endless possibilities.

Arturia noticed that she felt the grass underneath her feet, and looked down to see that she was now wearing a white dress but without any shoes. There was no armor, no signs of battle or of blood on her.

Arturia then looked at her hands. There were no chains on them. She could not see them being restrained by society as a whole.

Her mind and heart were clear, and now she had a world of possibility to explore.

Arturia felt a giggle rise from her throat. She then laughed, it was a laugh of joy and madness. A laugh of a free woman, rather than the laugh of one chained down by something. She laughed in celebration of being free from everything, free to explore the world stretched out in front of her unbound by the past or present or future. She felt tears of joy come out of her eyes as euphoria spread from head to toe, almost sexual yet not quite.

She then stopped laughing and looked forward. There was the Grail, open and waiting while shining its golden glow.

"I want it." She thought as she began running. "I want it, and it'll be so much fun getting it!"

After all, what could stop her from getting it?

She was getting it for her, and with the world now open to her she could laugh and play as much as she wanted before getting it in her hands.

Arturia then gasped and stopped, and felt something hurt on her right side. She looked down, and saw her white dress was now stained with blood.

"Oh right, that."

She then closed her eyes and fell to the soft ground.

No matter. She can continue her fun chase tomorrow.

xxXXxx

Saber gasped and wheezed in shock. She could feel cold sweat come out of every pore of her body. She could see the bright light over her, which made her a bit queasy as the world was still spinning.

"Saber, are you awake?"

Saber turned her head to her right and saw a silhouette of a man. "Who…" She squinted, and saw none other than Kiritsugu looking haggard and worn out.

The man who drugged her, and denied her victory over Assassin.

Her anger then erupted and she nearly leapt off the table. Kiritsugu didn't have any time to react before Saber grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the tiled wall, the force cracking several of the tiles.

"If I see your Command Seals glow or your lips so much as move, I will put my fist through your chest. Grail be damned." Saber growled out in anger, and Kiritsugu stiffened a bit. He got the picture. "You will answer my questions and only that. Any deviation from that, and I will kill you. Nod if you understand." Kiritsugu nodded, and remained silent. She glanced at his right hand and saw that it was now missing one of his Command Seals. "Where am I?"

"Hospital."

"Why?"

"You were bleeding profusely and not healing when I summoned you back, and were suffering from an overdose of the drug." Kiritsugu motioned with his eyes downward. "So I took you here. The doctors I hypnotized removed a kidney that was damaged with a gunshot wound."

Saber looked down. It was only now that she realized her upper body was completely naked. On her right side were stitches where Assassin had shot her previously. "I see." Saber looked back at Kiritsugu. "And what happened after I was incapacitated? By you, I might add."

"Assassin and Kotomine Kirei took Irisviel." Kiritsugu grimaced in pain. "Most likely because she's the container of the Holy Grail. Now they have access to it when it comes into being.

Saber looked down at that. Irisviel, the woman Saber had grown close to throughout this war, was now gone. And it was partially her own fault.

No, not just her own fault.

This man, who was her Master loath she to admit it, was also at fault.

"Final question." Saber leaned in close and asked, "Why did you let out the drug?"

"Because I was unsure of the possibility of you defeating Assassin." Kiritsugu answered without any hesitation. "If Assassin was drugged, then he could not kill you. If you were drugged, then you wouldn't do anything rash to jeopardize the possibility of me getting the Grail. And with Kotomine Kirei drugged and unable to fight, I would have shot him in the head and have been done with it."

"...I see." Saber spat out in disgust. So this man prevented her from coming even close to killing Assassin… simply because it jeopardized his plan? This man had absolutely no faith in her, despite him summoning her as his Servant? He could not simply wait and see and have faith in her abilities, and those abilities leading to a situation where Assassin very nearly fell to her blade?

She loathed this man, who she called her Master.

"You will now listen to me, Emiya Kiritsugu." Saber muttered as she glared up at him, and he nearly flinched. "I am going to keep researching Lupin the Third on my own. I will be doing so in a bar in the Miyama district. I am your Servant, and a very unwilling one at that. But do not mistake that for me being nothing more than atool for you. I have now realized you neither respect me as a king or knight, let alone your equal. So this is what's going to happen: You will only contact me once you truly have Lupin the Third's location, and you will summon me in front of it. The next time we meet or discuss anything in length, it will be to defeat Lupin the Third once and for all." Saber set him down, and growled out, "Or with God as my witness, I will have your head. Honor and pride be damned."

Saber turned and picked up the top part of a hospital uniform.

"And do not think about using one of your Command Seals to make this not possible. Or I will do everything possible to ensure that I can let either Kotomine Kirei or Lupin the Third kill you."

She put it on and left the now speechless Kiritsugu behind. She did not care what he did after this. She said her piece, and by God did it feel good.

Now she would research and wait to see Lupin the Third, and the next time would be the time he dies.

Because now she understood how he thought.

She saw and experienced the freedom he praised so much.

And now that she could think and feel the way he did, she could kill him without anything holding her back.

xxXXxx

Zenigata placed his head on the steering wheel. "God damn it, Zenigata. This is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into…"

Beside him were the books from the Matou library, all of which he had gotten off the record. After seeing what he saw at Emiya's hiding spot, he had decided to do a bit of reading. When he could barely make heads and tails of all the magic told as pseudo-science, he looked into Kariya's journal.

An entry just a year ago detailed of how Kariya's was disgusted in how Tohsaka Tokiomi and his wife gave their daughter Sakura to the Matou's due to politics in their little magic cult, and that the procedure to groom her involved her being violated by worms over and over again. Kariya's would have none of it and went to his grandfather, (though based on other entries Zenigata knew that Kariya didn't consider the old man to be true family) Zouken, to free her. And the only way to do that was to give him the Holy Grail.

The Holy Grail was a treasure alright, but not the one Zenigata was expecting.

It was a magical wish-granting device, fought over by magicians every sixty years. It was created by three families: The Tohsakas, the Matous, and the Einzberns (finally linking the three, but that fact didn't relieve Zenigata's mind). To get it, they had to battle to the death with four other magicians by summoning heroes of the past, Servants, as their Masters.

Considering this has been going on for years and never made news, that meant there was a massive conspiracy in the works.

Zenigata hated conspiracies.

"You get me involved in too much crap, Lupin…" Zenigata groaned. Kariya's journal hadn't been finished after the entry of going to train to become a Master, so Zenigata didn't know how Lupin got involved. But knowing the punk, he probably discovered it during his years of hiding when he wasn't drinking fine wine and banging women. Of course a wish-granting device would be too appetizing for the thief, so he can waited until the War began. "That means he has a plan to steal it." And considering he went toe to toe with that super powered Arthur woman, some trick under his sleeve to stay alive.

But what was it?

Zenigata heard a knock on his window, and saw Daisuke with a lit cigarette in his mouth and bags under his eyes. Kid was probably freaked out of his mind. Zenigata opened the door and let him in.

"You get any sleep?" Zenigata asked as the younger man walked inside.

"No." Daisuke shut the door behind him. "Did you?"

Zenigata ignored the fact that Daisuke was still smoking. If it helped the kid calm his nerves, so be it.

"Would have, but I wanted to do a bit of reading regarding the case."

Daisuke gave him an astonished look and asked, "How can you be so calm about all this?"

Zenigata simply shrugged in response. "Kid, I've seen things. Things involving magic or conspiracies." Zenigata rubbed his chin in thought. "First time the two have been combined though…"

"I've never been so scared in my life." Daisuke muttered. "I mean, magic is real? And it creates super humans? What the actual hell?!"

Cops always reacted badly when encountering something on the job for the first time. It didn't matter if they were rookies of veterans. "You didn't tell anyone did you?"

"No. Who would believe me anyways? I hardly believe it, and I saw it! And we have it recorded on video!"

"Good thing. Because we're dealing with a conspiracy that's most likely hundreds of years old." Zenigata glanced at Daisuke. "They would probably silence is if they found out we knew anything."

"Oh crap. The notes we had on the murderer." Daisuke's eyes widened. "The ones I don't remember taking. Do you think they…?"

"We're dealing with magic, kid. Wouldn't be surprised if they knew hypnotism and how to use it." Zenigata was a bit pissed about it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now. He had no leads on who did it, otherwise he would be breaking down their door now.

"So what do we do now?"

The answer came easy to Zenigata. "We keep quiet about it for now. Act like nothing happened. Then when we get an opportunity and enough evidence…" Zenigata grinned. "We bust this thing wide open. No way I'm letting these punks get away with something like this."

"You make it sound so easy…" Daisuke sighed.

"Comes with experience. I had a knack for uncovering conspiracies. Just ask Cagliostro."

"...And Lupin the Third?" Zenigata froze at the question. "I used to believe that the man was dead and was just a copycat. It was a rational assumption. But now… What if that is Lupin the Third? And he's the same as that woman? You saw how much damage he took after all…"

Yes, Zenigata did in fact see. Lupin took blows that would kill any other man. He went toe to toe with Arthur who had strength and speed beyond that of a human. By all rational accounts, Lupin should have been a stain on the wall.

And if he was the same as Arthur, then it meant Lupin might be one of those Servants.

But that was irrelevant.

"Magic or no magic, Lupin is Lupin." Zenigata stared out of the car. "And I've made it my life's mission to put that bastard behind bars. I'm not going to let technicalities, conspiracies, or even the very gods stop me from making that happen."

Indeed. It never mattered what danger chasing Lupin brought him. It didn't matter that he had to travel all over the world, or what scumbags Zenigata bumped into or what incompetents he had to work with before being forced to clean up their mess.

All that mattered was catching Lupin. And no amount of magicians or mystic beings could stop Zenigata from putting Lupin the Third behind bars.

"If you say so." Daisuke gave a weary sigh. "But be careful what you say. We need to assume that all the walls have ears."

With that, Daisuke exited the car and walked to the station. Zenigata sighed as he slumped on his chair.

The game was the same, but the playing field was different.

"So what'll be your next move Lupin?"

xxXXxx

Irisviel von Einzbern opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was that she was not in the shed at the house Kiritsugu bought for their newest base.

No, now she was somewhere unfamiliar. She could not tell where, only that the walls were stone and the floor was hard and uneven. There was a dampness in the air, and she could feel something wet on the bottom part of her body and hands.

"If only I could move my head…" She bemoaned silently. But no, she could not. Even with Avalon, moving her finger took all of her strength now with all but three Servants dead.

But she was sitting upright, her back against what felt like a wooden crate.

In front of her, sitting on a chair, was Assassin cleaning out his gun. But now he was wearing completely different attire, a black jacket with black pants and black shoes, along with a crimson red shirt and purple tie held down by a silver tie pin.

"Oh good! You're awake!" Assassin cried out with a cheerful smile. "I was gettin' kind of worried! You were real quiet for a while!"

"Where am I?" She questioned, only for Assassin to shake his head.

"Now, now. Can't go spoilin' the surprise!"

"But we're the only ones here."

"Well, I like to keep things a mystery to people who aren't in the know or don't need to be in the know. Makes things a bit more mysterious, don't you think?" Irisviel briefly thought that Assassin seemed to get a kick out of playing the 'mysterious and quirky thief' role.

"And why am I here?"

Assassin stopped the cleaning of his gun and raised an eyebrow. "Come on, that should be obvious and I doubt a fine lady like you is ignorant about it."

Irisviel sighed. Of course, she was kidnapped for the Grail that dwelled inside of her. There was no other reason. Assassin wanted the Grail in front of him so that he could take it for himself. "I suppose it is."

Assassin continued on cleaning his gun. "Now trust me, Arthur-chan and your man put up one hell of a fight but they kinda had a difference in opinion and… things didn't work out the way either of them hoped. Now don't get me wrong, I love it when the people I'm up against trip over one another. But Arthur-chan was really, really close at punchin' my ticket before your hubby decided to do his thing." Assassin sighed as he stopped cleaning his gun and began putting it together. "Honestly, I dunno why you're with him."

Irisviel stiffened at that statement. "Kiritsugu…"

"Is a good man? I already heard what he's got in mind for the Grail from Kirei." Irisviel sucked in her breath. Assassin now knew Kiritsugu's wish? "I wouldn't call labotomizin' humanity all that great."

"How can you say that?" Irisviel accused, her anger pumping adrenaline through her veins and giving her the strength to speak in her husband's defense. "Kiritsugu wants to end the hate, end the pain, end all the things that cause human suffering!"

"Hate is a natural part of bein' human. So's greed, lust, jealousy, and all that jazz. Each and every other nasty emotion." Assassin continued to put his gun together, but was no longer smirking. He was dead serious as he did so. "Gettin' rid of that is like lobotomy on the collective human mind. You can't decide to just up and 'save the world' by gettin' rid of things that only come natural to humans. If the whole 'world peace' thing is ever going to happen, it has to be made by humanity as a whole rather than just one guy. Otherwise it doesn't mean anythin'. To be completely honest, I think you're husband had one seriously screwed up day and read way too many comics as a kid. His whole wish… it just screams of a kid who never grew up and never gave up his dream of savin' the world." Assassin then gave Irisviel a pitying look of all things. "Honestly, ya deserved better than him."

"I love Kiritsugu for who he is, no matter his faults. I understand him better than you ever can." Irisviel shot back with a glare. "Don't think you can just read Kiritsugu like a book. You will never understand what it means to sacrifice everything for the sake of others."

"You're right about that. I was never big on the whole sacrificin' for the sake of others thing. I'm more about taking what I want, and doing whatever pleases me." Assassin replied with a shrug. "Though to be honest, I'm just against his wish because gettin' rid of greed and lust would make my life extremely borin'."

Irisviel felt her anger rise up again at Assassin's selfishness. He would damn humanity itself for the sake of his own amusement. That was perhaps the lowest anyone could go. She wanted to say that, but found herself coughing. Every muscle, every bone, every vein in her body now hurt. She felt her heart beat, and felt the Grail.

"Please, not now. Let me see Kiritsugu one last time…"

"Wow. Kirei wasn't lying. This thing does give you pain." Irisviel heard a click, and a sigh of relief.

She looked up, and saw Assassin pointing his gun at her.

"That makes this a lot easier."

Irisviel moved her lips to form her final word.

"Illy-"

She did not finish, as a bullet entered her skull and exited the back. Her head kicked back as blood, bone, and brain matter splattered behind her and the gunshot echoed through the room. Her body then lurched forward, and it was almost as if Irisviel was praying with her hands intertwined and her body bent forward. But the blood broke that image as it dripped to the floor.

Irisviel von Einzbern, wife of Emiya Kiritsugu and mother of Illyasviel von Einzbern, was now dead.

Assassin sighed as he holstered his gun and stared at the woman's corpse. He did not react as a golden sheath came out of her body and clattered on the ground. He silently reached into his jacket's right pocket and took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. He put a single cigarette in his mouth and lit it before sucking in an air of smoke. He then blew it out with a sigh.

"Always hated killin' unarmed women." Assassin muttered to himself before getting up from the chair, turning around, and walking into the darkness.

There were still a few things that needed doing.

"Better get things set up for the grand finale." Assassin said, pulling his lips up in a smirk.

To Be Continued...

[shounen jump]

While I do enjoy people pointing out the flaws in Kit. logic, i can't stand that it's Lupan. On the one hand I want to cheer him on. On the other i want dope slap him and say "your not any better", because he...well okay, we don't have to worry about Lupan leveling a building full of people just to get to one guy, but still...

[TheInfamousMan]

While I do enjoy people pointing out the flaws in Kit. logic, i can't stand that it's Lupan. On the one hand I want to cheer him on. On the other i want dope slap him and say "your not any better", because he...well okay, we don't have to worry about Lupan leveling a building full of people just to get to one guy, but still...

It's meant to be morally ambiguous. Agreeing or disagreeing with Lupin is up to the reader. Even he admits that he can't get the idea of sacrificing oneself for others, and only gives a crap about Kiritsugu's wish because of how it'll effect him personally.

[shounen jump]

It's meant to be morally ambiguous. Agreeing or disagreeing with Lupin is up to the reader. Even he admits that he can't get the idea of sacrificing oneself for others, and only gives a crap about Kiritsugu's wish because of how it'll effect him personally.

Which is my problem. I want to both cheer him and call him out. It's very frustrating.
...Bravo. You have made me feel pretty much every feeling someone could possibly feel while reading something with this fic.

[Fergard]

Got to catch up on this fic.

Some read, this. The latest chapter honestly felt terrifying, in a sense. There was the sense of dread, the sense of fear and what have you.

I guess it had to balance out the fact that we had Saber toting a minigun and doing headbutts. There's some joy to be reading these moments for sure. As for Lupin himself, it feels like he went a little more morally ambiguous in these recent chapters than he was before. High stakes and all, I suppose.

Still, 'tis a fine read. I like where this is going.

[TheInfamousMan]

Twenty-Seventh Heist

xxXXxx

"Please Risei… please tell me there's something you can do..." Aoi peeked out of the closed blinds ever so slightly, and saw that there was still a news reporter filming his story outside. Several photographers were still milling around aimlessly, waiting for someone to exit the house.

"I'm sorry, Aoi-san." Risei apologized from his end. "But I'm afraid that this matter is out of my hands."

Aoi bit her lip as she closed the shades. The media's obsession with the 'Tohsaka Scandal' had died down like she'd initially hoped. In fact, if anything, the media frenzy seemed to get worse. For days she had been hounded by reporters and journalists alike who never stopped asking about her involvement in Sakura's fate. Like a good Magus, she kept her mouth shut. It was hard, but in the face of all the pestering and accusations she had maintained the secrets a magus was expected too.

However, things had been worse for Rin. Aoi had to take her out of school so that the insensitive reporters wouldn't hound her daughter and so that the teachers and students couldn't ask her any questions. While Rin also knew that she had to keep things a secret in regards to Magecraft, she was still just a child. She could let something slip if she was put under enough pressure. While Aoi had taken steps to make sure Rin wouldn't accidentally reveal anything, she was too late to keep her daughter from hearing things. Now Rin was asking uncomfortable questions, like why her father was taken away by the police, if all the mean things she heard about him were true, what really happened to Sakura, and when she could see her friend Kiyone again.

Aoi's parents had tried offering condolences and advice, but there was really nothing they could do or say to make the situation any better. They had never had to deal with anything like this before.

With all the threatening phone calls, accusations by the television, and swarms of reporters and photographers Aoi had not been able to sleep well at all. She couldn't relax even for a second. She felt as if she would go mad at times from all the stress. She cried fairly often nowadays.

"How can you say that?" Aoi asked in disbelief. "You're the overseer of the Holy Grail War! It should be easy for you to end all this and have my husband return to me and Rin!"

Any phone call to Risei was protected from anyone who wished to overhear his conversations. Another safety precaution the Association and Church had covered to ensure secrecy.

"Unfortunately even with my position as overseer, given how things have escalated, I'm afraid I can't do anything for you." Risei admitted. "This story is much bigger than you think. It has become the talk of the nation, and spreading throughout the world. Everyone from every nation has had their eye on Fuyuki because of Lupin the Third. Nearly anyone who turns on the news now has this case on their mind due to it taking place in 'Lupin's' town."

"But the Association and Church need to ensure the secrecy of Magecraft if nothing else!" Aoi argued, desperately trying to press her case. "Surely this situation, and its relationship to Sakura's training, should have them ensure my husband does not stay in a jail of all things! Tokiomi wouldn't reveal anything related to the Association, I'm sure… but shouldn't the Association take action to be sure? Isn't it better to free him and keep him under watch rather than leave him in the hands of those who can't understand our world?"

"...Not this time."

Aoi's eyes widened. What did he mean by that?

"I have discussed the situation with both the Association and Church, and they believe that in order to cover up this situation, or ensure in Tokiomi-kun's release from prison without anyone noticing, would be both a waste of resources and time." Risei gave a sigh. "I'm sorry, but the Association and Church have washed their hands of the Tohsaka family."

Aoi felt her throat become dry. She could barely believe their ears. "They're giving up on us? After years of my husband's loyalty to them and their traditions?"

"They will ensure than no information regarding Magecraft gets out, and that Tokiomi-kun is relatively comfortable, but in regards to the sexual slavery and other charges he will not receive..."

"How could you let this happen?!" Aoi demanded. "You and your son promised to keep my husband safe! To ensure his victory in the Holy Grail War!"

"Kirei and I did everything we could to support your husband throughout the war, of this I can assure you. Rather than blame us, all of this came about due to Tokiomi-kun's own negligence."

"What are you saying?!" Aoi demanded, appalled that Risei would say such a thing.

"Please, Aoi-san, calm down and listen. Perhaps I worded that wrong. That is to say… Tokiomi-kun was not adapting well to a rapidly changing war." Risei stated after a moment. "I tried to impress upon him the gravity of the situation when things started to deviate from his plans, but unfortunately your husband brought about his own demise by ignoring what was unfolding right in front of his eyes."

"But all this...!"

"Is out of my hands. Ensuring the secrecy of Tokiomi-kun's private affairs are his and the Matou's responsibility. Not mine."

Aoi bit her lip. Risei was supposed to be her husband's friend and ally. An influential person that would have Tokiomi reach every Magus' desire. And now he was abandoning them? In their greatest moment of need?!

"But Aoi-san... haven't you prepared for a situation like this?" That question caught Aoi by surprise. "Surely when you understood the necessity of giving Sakura to the Matou's, you and your husband considered the possibility that the community would take notice and question things."

"No, we didn't think it would be an issue." She replied truthfully. "We made the necessary arrangements that no one would recall. Using Magecraft, we made it so our neighbors believed we only ever had one child. What would they have to question? Besides, they are not Magi. How could they understand that this was all for both Sakura and Rin's benefit?"

"You must always consider every possibility, especially those concerning non-Magi." Risei pointed out. "Magi are not the majority. The Association and Church have a lot of influence, but they are not God. To dismiss the possibility of non-Magi finding out and creating a situation far too big for either the Association or Church to cover up, just because they are not Magi and their opinions are not important, is beyond foolish."

Aoi breathed in and out as she heard this. Was it truly foolish? For years, the world had been ignorant of this secret world. Ignorant of the strange, wonderful, ugly, and frightful things that were right next to them but out of sight. How could they know about a Magus' way of life?

But perhaps that rigid mindset was why Aoi and her family were in this situation.

"J-Just tell me why..." Aoi swallowed the saliva in her throat. "Tell me why Lupin the Third brought this about."

"..." Risei was silent for a second before he answered. "Tokiomi-kun was the type of man who believed he understood everything, and believed because of this understanding he was infallible. That all his decisions and viewpoints were the correct ones, and nothing could happen that would contradict this. Honestly, I suppose one of your husband's outstanding qualities is his absolute confidence in everything he does."

Aoi frowned. Even though it seemed like Tokiomi was being complimented, Risei's tone didn't make it sound like it.

"However, that attitude is probably why Lupin the Third decided to steal from him, or perhaps engineer things so that his world would come crashing down. All for his own sheer amusement. Because now Lupin has stolen his worldview."

"How cruel."

"Indeed."

"And Sakura?" Aoi asked desperately into the phone. "What about her?"

"I know of her location. However until the Holy Grail War is over, it would not be safe to let you see her."

"Risei-san...!" Aoi gasped. "Please! She's my daughter! At least tell me-"

"Not in the eyes of the public, she's not." Risei responded with a sigh. "And Aoi-san, it was also my understanding that you and Tokiomi-kun did not have a second daughter. Is this not true?"

Aoi's words got caught in her throat at Risei's sharp words.

"You have my sympathies for the chaos Lupin the Third has brought upon your family, but you must also accept that fact that your decisions also played a part and led you to these consequences. Now, if you'll excuse me I must go attend to a prior engagement. Be strong, Tohsaka Aoi, and may God be with you."

With that, Risei hung up on his end.

Aoi set down her phone, and looked down at the ground. Be strong? With Tokiomi in jail, Rin suffering from all the attention their family was getting and when she had no idea where Sakura was?

"What a cruel piece of encouragement." Aoi muttered to herself.

Aoi wished she could talk to someone, anyone, about this. Without hiding anything for the sake of secrecy or politics. To talk to someone like a regular human being, with her heart on her sleeve without any fear. To have someone to confide in and help share the burden with her when her husband was absent and when she had to appear strong for Rin.

…She wished she could talk to Kariya, her closest and dearest friend.

"But now he's dead." She read it in the paper's obituary. Dead via gunshot wounds. He was no longer in this world.

And even if he was... he probably wouldn't want to talk to her. Not after what she said in response when he'd asked her if she had supported her husband's decision to give Sakura to the Matous.

He probably died hating her.

With that, Aoi brought her hands to her face and let out a sob. She cried softly and let the tears she had been holding back flow.

Unknown to her, Rin was watching from behind the door. She had been listening.

Tohsaka Rin would grow up to hate her father, the church, and especially Lupin the Third.

xxXXxx

Risei hung up the phone in the church's kitchen with a frown on his face. That hadn't been a pleasant conversation. Then again, a lot of the conversations he'd had recently hadn't been very pleasant.

"What a mess all this has become." Risei sighed to himself.

"Risei-san…?"

Forcing a friendly smile onto his face, Risei turned to face who had addressed him.

"What is it Sakura-chan?"

Sakura was looking at him with sad eyes, which was an improvement from the normally joyless ones she had for a few days. "When can I go home?"

Risei frowned at that. "I thought you liked it here Sakura-chan?"

"I do." Sakura looked down sadly. "It's just that… I really want to see Kaa-san and Rin-oneechan again. It's been very lonely without them."

Of course. Despite the trauma she'd been through, Sakura was still an ordinary girl that missed her family deeply.

"Sakura-chan." Rise placed her right hand on her head. "I'm afraid you can't see them yet. There are things happening outside that would make things very hard for you and your family should you meet them."

"Oh…"

"But…" Risei gave a warm smile. "Things should calm down relatively soon and when they do you can meet them again. Just remember, should something happen I will gladly welcome you back here with open arms."

Sakura gave a small nod at that. Good. It seems that promise placated her…

Risei then frowned as his sharp ears heard the front entrance to the church open up. "Stay here, Sakura-chan." Rise then left the girl and got out of the kitchen, walking down the hallway.

Things had gotten quiet the past few days. The end was coming, and when Kirei won the Association and Church would judge Risei's performance. Thankfully, Risei was not an amateur when it came to covering his tracks. His dealings with Tokiomi would never see the light of day. And even if Tokiomi himself confessed in an attempt to get out of his cell, the ensuing investigation would turn up nothing and Tokiomi would be further disgraced. And with Sakura… it was unlikely that she would ever become a member of the Tohsaka family again. With the way things were and depending on how the situation developed, Aoi might not even be able to keep custody of Rin.

"Perhaps I will adopt her." Risei thought to himself as he opened the door which lead to the main church area. "Adopting Sakura would make me seem as if I were merely a kindly priest adopting a poor traumatized girl to the general public, and her adoption would be a sign of peace and cooperation between the Church and Association. Not to mention it would ward off any suspicion from me being anything other than a loyal overseer who wishes to keep the peace between the two sides."

And in spite of Aoi or Tokiomi's feelings about him and his decision to wash his hands of the scandal they had found themselves wrapped up in, he hoped that they would at least be confident enough in his character that they would feel less burdened knowing Sakura was safe with him.

Risei frowned further when he saw the door of one of the confession booths close. "At this hour?" Well, Rise was already here. So he might as well see what the trouble was. Risei went into the booth next door, sat down and opened the shaded window by his head.

"Forgive me father, for I have sinned."

Risei's eyes widened at the voice of his own son, Kotomine Kirei. What was he doing here?

"Kirei, what's going on?" Risei asked immediately. "Where have you been? Where's Assassin-"

"I am not here as a son or as a Master in the Holy Grail War. I have come here as someone who wants to confess their sins."

Risei was baffled by this, but nonetheless he sighed and cleared his throat, willing to hear Kirei out for the time being and save his own questions for after he had indulged him.

"W-What is it that you have sinned, my son?"

Kirei was silent for a few seconds. As if thinking over what he was going to say. Was this perhaps Kirei confessing to any sins he had committed, so that he could battle for the Grail with a clear conscious? What could be the sins that Kirei committed? He only did what was asked of him, always performed his duty in the eyes of God and nothing more.

"I have lied to you. I've lied to my own father for a long time." Kirei let out a sigh. "Lied to you since I was a little boy."

"Lied?" Risei asked curiously. "What lies have you told me, my son?"

"I lied whenever I said that I loved you."

Risei sucked in his breath. That… was not something he had expected to hear from Kirei's lips.

After all, what father expects their son to say that he never loved him?

"K-Kirei, what do you-"

"…Let me explain. When I say that I've never loved you, it's not because of anything you did. I believe that you've been a good father to me. I truly do. You raised me, taught me right from wrong, supported me, loved me… you have all the traits befitting of a good father. No, the fault is with myself… with the way I was born."

"Kirei…?" Risei couldn't bring himself to speak, not able to fully grasp what his son was saying. "The way you were born? What are you talking about…?"

"I am… warped."

"Warped?"

"That is to say… it's not that I don't love you, father. It's just that I can't love you. I can't love anything. Not once have I ever felt anything akin to love. For you or anyone or anything. No matter what I did, no matter how you treated me… I felt nothing. Everything that I've ever done or accomplished has done nothing to take away the emptiness I feel. I'm unnatural. I'm unnatural because I cannot feel the emotions of a normal man. I couldn't attain a normal man's happiness."

"A normal man's happiness? What do you mean?" Risei pressed, trying to find clarification in Kirei's words. "What is a normal man's happiness?'

Risei felt a pit form in his stomach when his question was met with a dry, hollow chuckle.

"That's a question I've been asking myself for many years, father. Indeed, what is a normal man's happiness? In my search and through my own observations, there are many different answers. Some find happiness in leading a rich and fulfilling life. Perhaps it is performing good deeds and helping those around you. Maybe it's excelling in your studies, working hard and living comfortably without any worries. It could be following in the footsteps of one's parents or relatives, continuing a legacy and teaching your work to the next generation. Or perhaps it's taking a wife and making a family, growing old and having loved ones to support you…"

"…"

"…I've tried all of these things. Yet, though I know there are those who have found happiness in these deeds… I feel nothing having accomplished them."

Risei couldn't believe it. He'd watched over Kirei all his life, raising him, seeing him excel in his studies, graduating, then joining the Church, becoming and Executor, retiring and marrying Claudia, playing with Caren… and here he was claiming that none of that brought him any joy? He didn't feel one ounce of pride in anything?

How… How could this be? Rather, how could he, his father, not have noticed his son's despair?

"So… you mean to say that nothing makes you happy? There isn't one thing that you take pleasure in? You haven't found anything that brings you joy?"

There was a long pause before Kirei gave his reply.

"There is… but it is wrong. It shouldn't bring me joy."

That sinking feeling got worse.

"The only thing that moves me… the only deed that stirs my heart… is when others are suffering."

Risei's eyes widened. "That's…!"

"Seeing someone fail when they set out to accomplish something… seeing someone hurt or getting injured… mourning the loss of a friend or lamenting their lot in life… seeing someone die… the emotions that swell up within me when I look upon people like that… the only word I can use to describe what I feel is joy."

Risei felt ill.

"I know it is wrong for me to have these feelings, father. I meant it when I said you've been a good father to me. You've impressed upon me a set of morals and have shown me right from wrong. I understand good and evil… which is why I can recognize my own wickedness. It's why I've worked hard to reject these dark emotions within me and try to find something else that can make me happy. To find joy the way a normal man would. I've searched for years… but it's all been a fruitless effort."

"Kirei…"

"I tried, Father… I really did. I looked everywhere, tried everything I could think of. But there was nothing. Only emptiness awaited me at the end of every path. I confess to you now… my latest attempt… my last chance… it was family. My wife, Claudia."

Risei began to connect the dots in his head. Back then, when Kirei had introduced him to Claudia and announced his intentions to take her as his wife Risei had been happy, but confused. While he was overjoyed that he son had found someone to love, given Claudia's… condition, she only had a few years to live at best. She was a frail woman, falling ill quite often and her condition caused her constant pain. It had been a miracle that she'd even managed to have Caren. While Risei had thought that Kirei had married for love, his confession shed new light on things…

"…I tried to love her. But the only thing that brought me joy was seeing her suffer. Her pain was the only thing that brought me happiness. God help me, no matter how much I wished I could, I couldn't love her. Because I was defective from birth, I couldn't find happiness by loving her or the daughter we had together. On some level, I knew this already, but tried anyway. It's why I chose her, a woman who I knew had no future."

"…So you never loved your family at all? Your father? Your daughter? Your wife? None of them… you couldn't love any of them no matter how hard you tried…?" Risei asked.

"No." Kirei replied. "Claudia… she knew, actually. She was aware of my defect. She tried to cure me, but couldn't. She was just an experiment, my last attempt at a normal person's happiness. I confessed this to her when I had decided to give up. She deserved to know. Do you know what happened when I told her?"

Risei didn't want to ask that question. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"I admit, it's hard to remember the details of that night… but when I confessed everything to her, it was to be my last act. I decided that someone like me, who can only find joy in another's suffering, didn't deserve to live. She… told me she still loved me. She told me that I was wrong, and that I did love her. I watched her kill herself… she slashed her throat while smiling at me. She was going to die anyway, so through this act I believe she was trying to prove that I could feel something… to feel sadness because she had died. And she was right… I certainly felt sad… but not because she died…"

"…What… what do you mean…?"

"I was sad because I lost the chance to enjoy her death. I thought that if she was going to die… I wanted to kill her myself."

Risei's vision clouded as tears began to gather in his eyes. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. His own son, his own flesh and blood, was this disturbed? All this time? And he didn't notice a damn thing?

Neither Risei or Kirei spoke. There was total silence. Kirei didn't say anything else and Risei struggled with his own thoughts as he went over everything that had been said during their exchange. After a few minutes, Kirei finally spoke up again.

"…I was horrified at my own evil thoughts. At the kind of wicked person I was. I hated myself. A defective human being. There was no salvation for someone like me. I sent Caren away after that. Someone twisted like me couldn't raise her. I had given up all hope and I was going to follow through with my original plan to put an end to my miserable existence… but then the Command Seals appeared on my hand and I agreed to join the Holy Grail War at your and Tokiomi's request."

Yes, Risei remembered that day. He had been happy when Kirei had gotten the Seals, because he could assist Tokiomi and take his mind off of his grief. But now Risei knew that those were only his own thoughts.

"Kirei simply had lost the will to care anymore."

"At first, I treated it as another job. I only had a mild curiosity about why I was chosen, and simply accepted Tokiomi's explanation because I could not come up with a better one. But then, I learned of Emiya Kiritsugu…"

Risei leaned forward when he heard the Magus Killer's name. The way Kirei said his name… he had sounded hopeful at first, but sounded disappointed near the end.

"Seeing the kind of life he lived, I became fascinated by him. I thought that he was similar to me in that he was someone without purpose searching for something to fulfill him. Only I thought that he was someone who had succeeded in finding happiness, unlike myself. After all, he spent years and years wandering from battlefield to battlefield aimlessly until he suddenly stopped and joined the Einzberns. If he had found something that made him stop, something that gave him purpose… I had hoped that I could meet him during the war and find out why he had suddenly stopped after soaking his hands in so much blood and endured everything he did."

Though he was confessing to his interest in Kiritsugu, Kirei sounded like he was no longer interested. Had he already met with the Magus Killer at some point? Was he not satisfied after meeting the man? So then why…?

"Yes, I had thought that Emiya Kiritsugu held the answers I sought… but then, I summoned Lupin the Third as Assassin, and things started changing."

And of course, it all cycles back to Lupin the Third. Every damn thing involved that thief one way or the other.

"He asked me questions, difficult questions that made me ask who I was, and what I felt towards things including my wife and Caren." Risei could hear Kirei's body shift. "He is a very charismatic man. So charismatic that I willingly allowed him to subvert Tokiomi's wishes. And even… assisted him."

"Then… when Berserker attacked Archer…!"

Kirei knew. He knew and he allowed it to happen. He knowingly brought down the man who was to make an appropriate and non-selfish wish on the grail because of Lupin the Third.

"He showed me the path of a thief. One where a sinful being like myself can do just things. It is a very tempting path father. One that I accepted with all my heart when Emiya Kiritsugu could not provide a satisfactory answer." Kirei then began to chuckle. "I'm sorry father, but I realized that I could not make any wish that was just in your eyes. So I have decided that I will assist Lupin the Third. Assist him in his heist to steal the Holy Grail. I am here simply to tell you this, because you have the right to kno-"

A flash of metal and knives stabbing through wood echoed throughout the church. Risei's face remained stone cold as the three Black Keys in his left hand stabbed through the booth, in the area where Kirei should be.

Confessing to his sinful nature was one thing, but aiding in Lupin, jeopardizing the Holy Grail War, his intention to abandon the Church to pursue a life of thievery and crime… as much as it pained him, Kirei had forced his hand.

Even as tears slipped from his eyes, Risei acknowledged that he couldn't let his son leave the church alive.

…But Risei didn't feel his Black Keys hit their mark. The blades didn't pierce flesh and he didn't hear any dying breaths. Dropping the Black Keys, Risei got out of the booth and opened the door next to him.

All he saw was a broken speaker, three puncture marks on its sides where the Black Keys had pierced through.

"…He expected I would attack him during his confession then?" Risei muttered sadly.

He didn't know when Kirei had left, but his son was skilled enough so that even if he tried looking it would be impossible to find him.

The revelations had horrified Risei, yes. After all, who wouldn't be horrified and disturbed by their own son telling them these things?

But at the end, Kirei sounded actually happy. As if this chosen path was bringing him true joy after years of feeling nothing but horror towards himself.

Risei couldn't approve. He could not, and yet, part of him was relieved. He was relieved that he hadn't killed his son, and in spite of everything…

…Even after everything he'd heard, Risei Kotomine couldn't bring himself to hate Kirei Kotomine.

Even after the son had confessed to his wicked nature, his father still loved him…

Risei folded his hands together in a gesture of prayer.

"Good luck, my son."

Kotomine Risei would never see his son again.

xxXXxx

Jigen let out a puff of smoke as he sat at the bar. He had long since turned off the music of the radio, preferring to drink and smoke in complete silence rather than listen to a song that was too peppy for the environment or a song that would just make Jigen depressed. Not to mention the noise the kids today called music… "God, I really am old."

Jigen had never thought he would get to this age. Ever since his late teens, he had silently accepted the fact he probably wouldn't live past thirty. Then Lupin came along, and through sheer dumb luck he actually did live long enough to see thirty and even forty. Now here Jigen was, pushing past fifty still smoking twenty to thirty cigarettes a day as if he were a young man, it's only a miracle that he doesn't have terminal lung cancer right now.

But Jigen still didn't expect to die silently in his sleep. He knew that eventually, one day, his luck would run out and he would wake up at some ungodly hour to hack up pieces of his own lungs. Then spend a few months at most wasting away in a hospital getting pumped with drugs, and then die messily. That was how the legendary Jigen Daisuke would die.

"No wonder that bastard calls me cynical. Jesus. I must be drunk already." Jigen took another sip of his glass.

"LUPIN THE THI-!"

"Just open the damn door and stop making an ass of yourself!" Jigen shouted. At that command, Lupin opened the door with an annoyed look on his face.

"Just gotta suck up the fun out of everythin' Jigen…"

"Well, we didn't partner up because of my sunny disposition." Jigen answered as Lupin walked up to the bar. As Lupin took out a bottle of wine Jigen asked, "So did you do it."

"Yeah." Lupin's voice wasn't cheerful then, but solemn.

"I thought you didn't do crap like that."

"I don't like it, but if I have to then I will." Lupin pored himself a glass. "One way or the other, Irisviel Von Einzbern was going to die. The Holy Grail doesn't just pop out and she walks off to live her life after fulfilling her duty. For the Grail to come out, she has to die. All I did was speed up the process."

"You can be a cold bastard, you know that?" Jigen asked with a frown. Jigen didn't like women. He had been betrayed far too many times by the opposite sex to get into another relationship. And Jogen wasn't afraid to kill women when they tried to kill him. But unarmed women? Jigen didn't think he had the stomach for that crap.

But Lupin did.

"I do what is necessary to get what I want. I have rules sure. But this isn't one of my ironclad ones. I feel a bit crappy about it sure, but I ain't goin' to lose any sleep over it." Lupin took a sip of his glass. "Honestly Jigen, I don't feel like gettin' into a lecture about the morality of what I did. You know I don't care about that kinda stuff anyways."

"I know. And that pisses me off sometimes." Lupin had always been like this, ever since Jigen first met the man. He didn't mind putting his life in danger just to get into Fujiko's face, because the journey was difficult and made it more fun for him. He killed people to get the things he wanted, and only seemed to stop to add more danger to a situation. He did things that were morally good, but sometimes Jigen wondered if Lupin only did them out of sheer coincidence rather than a compulsion to do good. "Ah hell, I spent years with him and it's still hard to figure the bastard out." Shaking his head Jigen asked, "So what is up with you and that priest Lupin?"

Lupin stopped drinking and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you interested, Jigen?"

"I like to know what is up when a partner of mine brings in a person I still have no clue about." Jigen had only talked to the priest maybe once or twice. He was a quiet man who only got to the point and went off to brood or something. People like that often put Jigen on edge. Jigen may be quiet at times but he knew how to have a fun conversation with people. How to get drunk and have a few laughs about things.

But Kotomine Kirei was a man who seemed to be acting as if he were walking through a fog. Analyzing things for a second before moving on, lost in his own world.

However when Lupin was involved, Kirei acted like a student listening to a teacher. Dissecting a conversation again and again in his head.

"Alright then, if you really are that interested." Lupin gave a sigh. "Kirei was a guy who didn't want to have fun. He didn't enjoy a lot of things unless they were related to a specific… thing. And enjoyment in that thing would make him evil in society's eyes. He knew it, so he restricted himself while looking for an answer."

"Sounds like we picked up a psychopath." At least that's how it sounded with the way Lupin was making things so damn vague. A psychopath restricting himself… Why the hell would Lupin be interested in that?

"I never liked how people restricted themselves, but indulging too much makes someone pretty borin'." Lupin continued while looking up wistfully. "Kirei's problem wasn't in what he enjoyed. It's just that he didn't have many options in how to enjoy himself. So I decided to change that."

"So you showed him how to be a thief." Well, if it prevented the priest from becoming a serial killer or a dime store megalomaniac Jigen supposed it was for the best. Still.. "Okay, fine. But did you want him to stick like glue to you?" Jigen glared at Lupin. "Did you only help him out so he could join you?"

"What? Come on Jigen, who do you take me for?" Lupin gave a smirk. "I never intend to do anythin'. I just do whatever seems like a good bit of fun, and then just go with the flow. If he wants to be partners with me because of what I taught him, I ain't gonna stop him."

Jigen looked into Lupin's eyes, just to see that spark of knowing that joy he feels when he hides something just so he could reveal it later in some dramatic fashion just to amuse himself.

But there was nothing. Lupin the Third was telling the truth.

Jigen gave a sigh. "You're never going to change, are you Lupin?"

"Nope. I'll never change."

"Humph. You damn shady bastard."

With that, Lupin and Jigen raised their glasses before tapping them together and taking another sip.

Their heist was going to start soon. Jigen could feel it in his bones.

Time to see if his luck was still good.

xxXXxx

Kotomine Kirei looked up at the ceiling as he laid on the couch. "So I finally told father about who I am, and what I intend to do."

Kirei felt oddly satisfied with that fact. While Kirei could not say that he truly, honestly felt love for his father he did respect him as such. And at the same time, he felt that odd compulsion to be the equivalent of love in a sense.

Kirei had often considered confessing to his father as a last resort. If he could not find an answer to who he was or what he could do to prevent himself from becoming a monster, Kirei would confess to his father before slitting his own throat right inside the confession booth.

Kirei did feel shame at the fact he would probably get some satisfaction at his father's horror towards who his son really was and then seeing his son's dead body. But Kirei had long since resigned to himself that if things came to that then he just couldn't give a damn anymore as to the fact the action would give himself some sick satisfaction.

But now, Kirei felt… clean. As if he had gotten a weight lifted off his chest. "Perhaps I had secretly hoped I would eventually do this."

"Mornin' sleeping beauty."

Kirei sat up and looked towards the seat opposite of him. Assassin was sitting there with a grin on his face. There was a small coffee table in between them with a single bottle of wine and a pair of glasses on top of it.

"Or night is the more accurate term I guess."

"I'll take your word for it. This room does not have any windows." Kirei relaxed himself a bit. After all, why would he need to be anxious or tense around Assassin?

Assassin gave a chuckle as he picked up the bottle and opened the cork. "So, ya said goodbye to your pops?"

"Yes." Kirei answered simply as Assassin poured the liquid into the glasses. "Though he'll likely kill me if he sees me again. He's obligated to, after I told him what I plan to do."

"Eh, nobody said this life would be easy. But danger is just the spice to the life of a thief."

"Indeed." Kirei let out a chuckle as Assassin set down the bottle again. "There is no going back for me. I now have nowhere else to go, and I do not plan on walking back from the path I have taken. I will follow you until death Lupin the Third, and see that we steal the Holy Grail."

And see Kiritsugu's expression of despair as Kirei forces him to watch them take away his prize. To strip him of the one and only thing that could fulfill his childish wish of 'saving the world'.

"Come on Kirei my man. Don't say 'to death'. It sounds so morbid." Assassin gave a sigh while shaking his head. "You should at least look forward to seein' your daughter sometime in the future."

"Caren." Now it was returning. The feeling he had when thinking about his daughter… was it parental love? Perhaps not considering his character, but it must be something close enough to it. After all, he had once told Assassin to silence himself when he brought up Caren. So maybe, just maybe, he did want to see her again. "But perhaps it would be best if she never saw me again."

"Come on Kirei, has our little adventure taught you nothin'?" Assassin gave a laugh. "To be honest, I only needed to spend a few days with you to realize what you were: a man who felt joy from the pain and sufferin' of others."

Kirei looked down. So Assassin did know what he was all this time…

"Now, if ya had just gone on your merry way, you woulda probably conceded that this is who you are. Then either killed yourself or just turned into a really borin' guy who just didn't give a damn anymore." Assassin then patted his left breast most likely referencing his heart. "That woulda hurt me right here. So I decided to help ya out a bit." Assassin smiled. "I decided to show ya a much broader route to take. One where you accepted who you were, but ya get to act out against those who deserve it. And all the while ya get to explore this wide open world, filled with possibilities and wonders. All while doin' what you love."

Kirei was silent for a second before letting out a chuckle. "Yes, yes I do have much to thank you for Lupin."

Indeed. Before he was lost. Lost and trying to find an answer that did not exist. Placing his hope in a man who turned out to be nothing more but a bitter disappointment.

Finding this out in any other situation would have likely driven Kirei mad.

But no, now Kirei wasn't mad. In fact he was glad.

Because now, he could move onto a path that brought him joy. A route that was both sinful yet just. One where he forgoes the normal laws of society and forged his own.

"So come on Kirei, pick up your glass and let's drink."

Kirei gave a nod and picked up one of the glasses full of wine. He did not drink out of pleasure. Usually because it was sinful, and Kirei was often fearful of what he would do if he got drunk.

But now he could not give less of a damn.

"But before we have a mighty good time, a toast!" Assassin raised his glass into the air. With a smirk, Kirei raised his as well.

"Here's to theft."

The sound of glass clinking echoed throughout the room.

xxXXxx

"I am glad you are all here."

The room was dark, only lit by candlelight which accentuated the rich crimson curtains that covered the windows. The whiteness of the walls were now muted, and the wooden floor seemed much more sinister.

Owl Men, all dressed in their suits and masks, sat at tables. All of them with glasses filled with wine, looking ahead with their unmoving eyes which reflected the flames.

The Count was on top of a podium, his fingers intertwined while a glass was set on a small table next to him.

"As you all know, within a day or two the remaining Servants of the Holy Grail War will battle for their prize. And when only two remain, our plan will come into fruition." The Count then scanned the room. "But right now, I wish to talk about why we are who we are."

None of the Owl Men let out a sound. After all, it was not their place to interrupt their leader.

"We are criminals. This is a fact. We willingly subvert the laws of governments. We lie, cheat, bribe, murder, and steal to get what we want." The Count gave a light shrug. "What can we be but criminals? To say we were anything else would be, quite frankly, moronic."

The Count stepped back from his podium, and began pacing.

"However, does this make us evil? No it does not. Criminals, in essence, have existed since the dawn of man. They want power and wealth, and in order to get it they must act outside the law. Laws that were made by man so that those who made said laws can be the ones in power. So really, what is a criminal but a man who does not follow the wishes of another man?"

The Count then stopped his pacing behind the table.

"As for heroes? They are but humans who happen to have a bit more power. Just like those who hold the reigns of society, they impose their views over others to hold onto the laws that justify their existence. Or force the people to conform to society because it is 'just' and all those who oppose them are 'unjust'. They made a battle between 'good and evil', knowing full well that so long as they or others like them existed, their place in the eyes of humanity would not change even with the passing of time."

The Count walked over to the small table.

"But we know the truth. We know of how the righteous are nothing more than men, men with desires like the rest of us. Desires which we help to satiate, and all they have to do is follow what we say when we say it. It had taken me years, but with the formula of our drug in hand and millions of dollars in cash, I was able to create a criminal empire that rivals the likes of Scorpion with their pig sow of a leader. We now have judges and politicians on every level in our pocket, the media willing to make their own reporters disappear if they are snooping about in the wrong places, and even the oh-so secret 'Magus Association' became nothing but another piece in our empire."

Now the nervous mumbling began. The Count knew why. To them, these fears weren't worth mentioning now. Not when the Association and Church were flushing out their agents and Interpol was busting their drug ring.

But it was time to end that.

"The Association, for all their boasts of knowing the secrets of our world and having access to skills that are certainly amazing, were in the end nothing more than a group of men. Arrogant men who thought that they controlled things when really they were but children in activities that were second nature to criminals like us. They are like so-called heroes: despite what they show to the outside world, they were but humans who could easily get hooked on our product and do our bidding." The Count picked up his glass. "I understand you all feel that recent events have made the last few moments seem meaningless, but I assure you they are anything but. Our last few losses are but a minor setback that will become irrelevant once we have the Holy Grail!"

One Owl Man began clapping, and then several others began clapping with murmurs of agreement echoing throughout the room.

"Thanks to our actions, we now have the opportunity to take this treasure for ourselves, and once it is mine I shall reward us all with the wish I have in store!" The claps then turned into thunderous applause as the Count clenched his left hand. "And we shall take this treasure as the shadow of Lupin the Third can do nothing but watch us, his killers, win! A toast gentlemen!"

The Count raised the glass with his right hand, the crimson Command Seals glowing from the firelight.

"Here's to crime."

To Be Continued...

[shounen jump]

I'm kind of disappointed that Risei didn't lay more into Aoi. While she may not have been a direct hand in Sakura's fate she didn't do anything to stop it either. And it kind of sounded like Risei was just going to adopt Sakura out of convenience. Other then that though great chapter. Can't wait to see the end game.

[TheInfamousMan]

I'm kind of disappointed that Risei didn't lay more into Aoi. While she may not have been a direct hand in Sakura's fate she didn't do anything to stop it either. And it kind of sounded like Risei was just going to adopt Sakura out of convenience. Other then that though great chapter. Can't wait to see the end game.

What more needs to be said? Risei isn't particularly vindictive towards Aoi or Tokiomi. If anything he's just appalled by Tokiomi's idiocy/unwillingness to change and Aoi simply going along with her husband's decisions, as well as Magecraft having sick methods in Sakura's case.

As for adopting Sakura out of convenience... yeah, what do you expect? Risei may be an okay guy, but remember that he was willing to subvert the requirement of being an unbiased overseer and try to get his friend (Tokiomi) to win the Grail. Right now he's pretty much just covering his tracks from all bases, and adopting Sakura would pretty much ensure his innocence even if Tokiomi were to try and rat him out.

[shounen jump]

What more needs to be said? Risei isn't particularly vindictive towards Aoi or Tokiomi. If anything he's just appalled by Tokiomi's idiocy/unwillingness to change and Aoi simply going along with her husband's decisions, as well as Magecraft having sick methods in Sakura's case.

As for adopting Sakura out of convenience... yeah, what do you expect? Risei may be an okay guy, but remember that he was willing to subvert the requirement of being an unbiased overseer and try to get his friend (Tokiomi) to win the Grail. Right now he's pretty much just covering his tracks from all bases, and adopting Sakura would pretty much ensure his innocence even if Tokiomi were to try and rat him out.

Which is actually the point. Tokiomi could have cost Risei as much as Tokiomi lost, if not more, all because of Tokiomi couldn't listen. Even at least he caused Risei no end of headaches. Not to mention what they let happen to Sakura, which Risei was horrified by. A little vindictiveness is understandable at this point.

Only to prevent the Grail from falling into the wrong hands.

[mAc Chaos]

Very good chapter. I've been following the story even though I haven't had a chance to comment lately. It was cathartic and refreshing to see Kotomine address his problem directly with his father, for once. And Risei's own reaction was about what I'd expect.

As somebody who only followed bits and pieces of the Lupin anime, I still don't know much about these Owl guys, so they're still a mystery. I'm interested in finding out more about them, because right now they still feel kind of like the generic "big bad guy lurking in the shadows" type. Which happens to be my favorite type! But the payoff at the end is what makes or breaks those kinds of guys.

Oh also that bit at the end with Rin was a nice touch.

[TheInfamousMan]

Very good chapter. I've been following the story even though I haven't had a chance to comment lately. It was cathartic and refreshing to see Kotomine address his problem directly with his father, for once. And Risei's own reaction was about what I'd expect.

As somebody who only followed bits and pieces of the Lupin anime, I still don't know much about these Owl guys, so they're still a mystery. I'm interested in finding out more about them, because right now they still feel kind of like the generic "big bad guy lurking in the shadows" type. Which happens to be my favorite type! But the payoff at the end is what makes or breaks those kinds of guys.

Oh also that bit at the end with Rin was a nice touch.

Watch The Woman Called Fujiko Mine to get some of the backstory.

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

Twenty-Seventh Heist

Excellent chapter, we get more spotlight on Risei and Jigen.

What more needs to be said? Risei isn't particularly vindictive towards Aoi or Tokiomi. If anything he's just appalled by Tokiomi's idiocy/unwillingness to change and Aoi simply going along with her husband's decisions, as well as Magecraft having sick methods in Sakura's case.

As for adopting Sakura out of convenience... yeah, what do you expect? Risei may be an okay guy, but remember that he was willing to subvert the requirement of being an unbiased overseer and try to get his friend (Tokiomi) to win the Grail. Right now he's pretty much just covering his tracks from all bases, and adopting Sakura would pretty much ensure his innocence even if Tokiomi were to try and rat him out.

Pretty much on point of what kind of person Risei is.

Very good chapter. I've been following the story even though I haven't had a chance to comment lately. It was cathartic and refreshing to see Kotomine address his problem directly with his father, for once. And Risei's own reaction was about what I'd expect.


Oh also that bit at the end with Rin was a nice touch.

It is fitting to finally read Kirei address his problem directly to his father and Risei in his own way cheering on his son's happiness.

Rin is definitely is going to change for better or worse is up to the Author.

[shounen jump]

[/U]

Pretty much on point of what kind of person Risei is.

I always thought he was a...well not that i don't think he's not a good guy. But i always thought he was doing the whole "undermine the War" thing simply to protect people.
So a good guy doing some seedy things. That internal monologue makes it seem like he doesn't really care about Sakura, other then what he can do for him.

[/U]
It is fitting to finally read Kirei address his problem directly to his father and Risei in his own way cheering on his son's happiness.

Rin is definitely is going to change for better or worse is up to the Author.

Yeah. I kind of hope we get to see a fourth War with this Rin. ...Maybe with other badass normal characters as Servants? ...Well ones from a modern point in time.

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

I always thought he was a...well not that i don't think he's not a good guy. But i always thought he was doing the whole "undermine the War" thing simply to protect people.
So a good guy doing some seedy things. That internal monologue makes it seem like he doesn't really care about Sakura, other then what he can do for him.

Yeah. I kind of hope we get to see a fourth War with this Rin. ...Maybe with other badass normal characters as Servants? ...Well ones from a modern point in time.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying.

Rin's personality is definitely going to change and it will not because of Shirou since he is no longer in the story. Author's choice for how much effect it will have on Rin, she might even try to get multiple Servants or go to the Clock Tower to become the top Magi in the world just to conquer the Magi Association. Heck there might not even be 5th Holy Grail War.

[TheInfamousMan]

Here's a preview!

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"Despite Fuyuki continuing to reel in shock from the damning evidence of Tohsaka Tokiomi's part in the sexual slavery of his own daughter, the question on everybody's mind is... What is Lupin the Third doing?"

"That's certainly a mood whiplash." Saber muttered as she glanced at the screen sitting on a chair within a bar with the table in front of her covered in papers while a half finished mug of Guinness sat to the right.

The bar was mostly quiet with very few customers. Other than the bartender, Saber had been the only constant of the place. She had seen young men and women come in to take a glance before either leaving or remaining for a quick drink, a couple of Russians talking with Koreans and Chinese men about their 'business' in the town, and some old men who stayed for a few hours as regulars.

Saber had remained in place for hours, going over notes about Lupin the Third she had gathered on her own. Quenching her own thirst with both water and beer, only slightly annoyed that her body made the alcohol more or less be flavored water.

But really, she wasn't actually looking to get drunk. She needed to be ready to act after all.

So instead, she sat and read as well as watched the world turn on the TV screen.

The reporter had a cheery smile on his face, a far cry from the grim news that he had delivered just before. "The infamous thief, or perhaps a very skilled copycat of the same thief, has been unusually quiet as of late. His last highly public robbery of a local caused hundreds in property damage, the resignation of the head of said bank, and the public embarrassment of the police force. And yet there has been no word in regards to his whereabouts or his next course of action. Earlier today the head of the investigation, Inspector Zeigata, gave this statement."

The elderly inspector looked at the cameraman and the microphone in annoyance as he walked down a sidewalk. "The investigation is still ongoing. However the rat has always been very good at covering his tracks, but I always find him sooner or later. And that punk usually helps because of his ego." Zenigata then got into a car that was parked and told the driver. "Get me the hell away from here."

Saber could not help but chuckle at the inspector's words. "He's still as driven as ever..." She had liked the inspector when they fought together at the Owls' base. He was a man of conviction and honor, who Took his duty as an officer of the law seriously and was ready to risk life and limb to see that justice was done.

He did not hide anything, or disrespect the ones he called his allies.

"I wish he had been my Master, instead of Kiritsugu..." Saber grimaced at the memory of her 'Master', who she hadn't seen hide or hair from since her ultimatum. And honestly she was glad. She had grown sick and tired of the man's disrespect and lack of trust, and the fact he seemed to be wrapped up in his own agenda rather than working together.

Perhaps she should have done this sooner.

Still, being away from Kiritsugu did not solve all of Saber's woes. Irisviel was still missing and it broke Saber's heart that she could not find the woman.

But if she defeated Lupin the Third, then maybe she could see Irisviel one last time.

One last time before she...

"I'm afraid that my country has no information in regards to this 'Lupin'." Saber turned her head back to the TV and saw a woman in her late thirties, with long red hair and smooth skin as well as blue eyes that conveyed kindness. She was wearing an intricate white dress adorned with gemstones and a small sapphire gemstone necklace on her neck, and a crown on her head. "I had not seen the man since I was just a girl, and he made no effort in contacting me. While I do owe him my life for saving me from the incident regarding the former Count, I do not want my country to come under fire for my persona opinions and wishes."

The reporter returned onto the screen as he said, "And that was Queen Clarisse de Cagliostro responding to accusations that she, and her country, had been harboring Lupin the Third during his time 'dead'. After the break, the Republic of Carib shows the world its multiple renewable energy programs. Meanwhile in the United States, the Clinton Administration...."

Saber returned her attention to her notes, staring at a picture of Lupin the Third who was laughing as he had his arms around two beautiful women at his side as he sat on a sofa with the great works of art hung behind him.

"Lupin the Third... It won't be long now..."

The experience was horrible and Saber had no intention of ever going through it again, but the trip she had taken was enlightening in a way.

She had learned through it that Lupin the Third was a man who subscribed to the ideaology that the world was his. That the world was his playground and he could do everything and anything at his leisure.

Stealing to him was the ultimate thrill, the ultimate pursuit of pleasure, and a high greater than any drug or amount of sex could provide.

Saber could not fully experience that. Her personality would not allow for that.

What she could do however was aim for the Grail.

Desire it.

Be willing to get it at any cost.

"And that way, I will fight tooth and nail to get it." Saber took a sig of her mug, finishing the contents with hearty gulps. Men and women looked at her in awe (With some even looking away with flushed cheeks) as she set it down with a grin.

"And that's how I will win our rivalry, Lupin the Third."

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

Thanks for the preview.

[TheInfamousMan]

Another preview? Another preview

xxXXxx

Zeigata tufted the glass cup to his lips and gulped its contents. The alcohol burned his throat before it began to go into his stomach, sloshing about at the bottom of his gut. Zenigata hated the strong stuff, but it was doing its job. His anxiousness and worry was now disappearing and being replaced with a sense of calm as well as self-assurance.

"No wonder it's called liquid courage." Zeigata muttered to himself as he poured another glass of whisky.

Ever since his talk with Daisuke, Zenigata had been going over his notes about the case... And about these magicians that had been running the show in Fuyuki and managing to keep it out the public eye.

And the more he thought about it, the more complicated the conspiracy got.

The Einzberns were from Germany and Kayneth Archibald had come from Europe. And if there was a secret magic contest going on in Japan every sixty years and people from all over the globe were participating, it meant tha there were more so cities for magicians around the world.

It could also mean that they ran the media, hence why there haven't been any reports about a magician who screwed up.

And with the church involved, it meant their hold over the world could have been around for centuries.

"So how the hell do I bring them to justice?" Zenigata drank another glass. He remembered how he had been told not to report about the Count of Cagliostro all those years ago, because practically every country had been in bed with the nation that had been printing goat bills and revealing the count's crimes would make them all look bad. So Zenigata, rather than wasting time hearing those idiots talk about careful political maneuvers, simply got a camera and filmed the illegal operation live.

It could still work, but he had no idea how long it would take before these magicians shut things down and did some sort of mass hypnosis thing...

"Hey Pops, maybe you should cut back on the sauce!"

Zenigata looked up to see that, reclining on athe chair across from his desk, was none other than Lupin the Third.

The punk smirked at him and said, "After all, that stuff is bad for your li-."

Zenigata didn't let the thief finish. "GOTCHA!" Zenigata took out a remote from his coat pocket and pressed a singular red button.

Lupin blinked in surprise as four hidden compartments on the wooden chair's armrests and front legs opened. Metal cuffs came out and hooked onto the thief's wrists and ankles, completely restraining him.

"Ha! I've got you Lupin! I've got you!" Zenigata got up from his seat and skipped in joy as if he were a young man again. "I knew you would eventually try and play your dumb little 'cool thief sitting on the chair unexpectedly' routine, and set up this little baby for you! And you fell for it!!" Zenigata let out several joyous laughs, tears coming out of his eyes at the thought of finally catching his rival.

"Wow Old Man, I'm kinda touched that you thought of me so much!" Lupin gav a small chuckle. "Honestly, this gift for little ol' me?"

"Ah save it." Zenigata walked up to the chair before leaning down and grinning at Lupin. "Save all your thanks for the nice little cell I reserved just for you. Has your name on it and everything!"

"So, did you finally figure things out?"

That sentence deflated Zenigata's joy a bit. "Yes." There wasn't any point in playing dumb with Lupin. The bastard knew about everything. "Magicians are waging a little contest over in this town, and you're part of it in one way or another. But your end goal is still their little Grail."

Lupin then gave a hearty laugh. "Hah! Knew you would figure things out Zenigata! Nobody can keep their secrets from your nose, even if it's grown a lot of hair..."

Zenigata let out a grunt. "Smart-ass..."

"So what do you intend to do?"

Zenigata stood up straight and glared at Lupin. "That should be obvious. I'm blowing this thing wide open. I am not letting those bastards get away with this. Too many people have died just because of the pride of a bunch of Magicians."

Surprisingly, Lupin began frowning at that. "Be careful Zenigata." Lupin's voice was serious, far from the jokey tone he had always used. "Choose your course of action carefully. These are not people you want to screw around with."

That made Zenigata pause. "Lupin's actually being serious." While it was not uncommon (Hell, he was serious about the Sakura pictures), it was still something to note. It meant Lupin was actually worried about something. "I can manage myself." Zenigata then crossed his arms. "Now tell me Lupin, why the hell did you come here? Must've been for a reason."

"Actually I do have a reason." Lupin gave a sigh before saying, "Old Man... You and the cops need to evacuate Fuyuki. All the citizens and everything. Before tonight."

That made Zenigata a bit worried. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm ending things tonight."

"He must mean the heist." And considering what Zenigata had seen and what he had read, the entire conflict would end bloodily. However... "You're not ending anything punk." Zenigata turned around and grabbed a piece of paper off the desk. "I'm bringing you straight to your cell and I'm going to find out everything you know." Zenigata grinned happily to himself. "I can't wait to take your mugshot! I'm going to do it personally!"

Zenigata then turned around...

...And saw that Lupin was gone.

The cuffs were broken and there was a small note on the chair that read "Sorry Pops, but I've got a date planned for today that I can't miss! We'll do lunch some other time! - Lupin the Third" Under the message was Lupin's usual cartoon doodle of himself.

Zenigata dropped the papers on the floor as his face turned red.

"LUPIN!!!!" Zenigata shook his fist at the chair. "YOU BETTER NOT DIE UNTIL I CATCH YOU, YOU LITTLE PUNK!!!"

He would later have a long discussion with the remainder of the Fuyuki police force and the government to start the evacuation.