Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night, it is owned by Kinoko Nasu.

The Tohsaka Clan War

Chapter 8

The Ascended Beggar walked down the street, along the exterior wall of the Fujimura compound, and firmly tossing steel daggers with jeweled hilts into the pavement at regular intervals. He completed one full circuit around said compound, and then as he approached the first dagger, raised a finger to his mouth and bit down on it. Blood welled out of the self-inflicted injury, and holding out his finger, the Ascended Beggar allowed a few drops of blood to fall on the dagger.

The jewels on the hilt began to glow, and then forming a perimeter between themselves the daggers enclosed the entire Fujimura compound in a shell of shimmering energy. At least, for those with the eyes to see. The Ascended Beggar smiled, and then touching the field narrowed his eyes. He'd looked into the background of Shirou Emiya, to find avenues to get the young man where the Ascended Beggar wanted him…and found it. His – former – guardian, Taiga Fujimura. The granddaughter of the local yakuza boss…

…well, that required some adjustments, but nothing the Ascended Beggar couldn't handle. Besides…he had a few scores to settle himself, going back to before the Exiled Princess had found him. Technically he'd settled them already but…despite everything the Exiled Princess had done to him…he was still, at his core, Human.

And that included both the good and the bad. And bad habits die hard.

The Ascended Beggar looked around, and crossing the street walked down a bit to a bench and sat down. Taking out a pack of cigarettes, he pulled a stick out with his teeth, and lighting it enjoyed a smoke while waiting for the Fujimura woman to get home. Circuit board patterns flashed across exposed and unexposed skin alike, generating a field around him to 'encourage' the ungifted to ignore his presence.

As it was, by the time Taiga Fujimura returned home to the compound, night had already fallen fully, and the Ascended Beggar had exhausted his pack of cigarettes. Despite this, he didn't move…yet.

Let things settle for just a bit more…

…finally, about an hour after Taiga Fujimura returned home, the Ascended Beggar got to his feet. Crossing the street, he pressed a hand against the bounded field, which flashed once to switch to active mode, though it did allow him to enter.

There were a couple of guards standing at the entrance, their heads shaved and dressed like typical street thugs. They turned belligerently at the Ascended Bagger as he approached, and sneered at him.

"What's your business here?" one of them demanded. "Unless it's serious, you can get out of here. The society's closed for the day, come back tomorrow."

The Ascended Beggar smiled, reaching behind him with both hands, and sliding out a pair of cylinders where they'd been holstered at his belt. With a sharp snap-hiss, glowing blue-white blades of energy extended outwards from the cylinders, and the Ascended Beggar crossed them with an electric whine and angry crackling before him and the stunned guards.

And then he charged forward, uncrossing his beam sabers and dragging them along the ground behind him. Several steps from the guards, he leaped into the air, spinning and then dropping. Screams were quickly cut off as both guards went down, bisected nearly in half, cauterized flesh filling the air with the smell of burned flesh.

More guards rushed out from the foyer, and stared at the scene before them. With roars of rage several of them rushed forward, the Ascended Beggar meeting their charge with his own. Roars turned to cries of pain as they were cut down one after another, the Ascended Beggar moving with superhuman speed and agility as he cut through their ranks, leaving cooling and dismembered corpses around him.

The three remaining guards looked on in horror, and then the eldest among them barked an order, the youngest running to get help. The remaining two drew wakizashi from inside their coats, and rush forward with angry shouts.

Rising to his full height, the Ascended Beggar rotated his sabers, and then striking forward carved through steeland then Human flesh, leaving corpses and swords melted through to fall to the ground.

The sound of running feet caught the Ascended Beggar's attention, coming from three directions. One from inside the building, and two around the compound. Circuits flashed over his flesh as he ran forward, then leaped up, on the roof and across it, to jump down in the middle of one of the groups of armed men running around the compound.

Shouts of alarm turned to those of fear, pain, and terror, the stink of burning flesh filling the air as he cut them to pieces. One man managed to get clear of the murderous melee, and screaming with his eyes wild, fired his SMG on full auto at the Ascended Beggar.

The Ascended Beggar staggered and faltered as bullets ripped through his torso…and then the man's gun clicked on empty. Dead, utter silence filled the air, except for the heavy breathing of those present. The Ascended Beggar coughed, blood exploding from his mouth, and then he grinned.

The man with the gun gasped…and then he gasped again, before falling into four, separate pieces as the Ascended Beggar swung down diagonally with both beam sabers.

The men from both the house and the other group which had gone around the screamed and opened fire with their guns, but the Ascended Beggar was ready now. Circuits flashed as he adjusted his body's functions, reanimation and regeneration protocols alike competing with combat subroutines and the primary operating system for limited energy and other operational requirements.

Sparks flew through the air as the Ascended Beggar blocked each and every bullet from the yakuza men's guns, those not vaporized instantly on contact with the beam sabers splattering away as molten drops. A blue glow filled the air at the superhuman movements of the sabers, and then the guns of the yakuza clicked on empty.

Silence again fell, and the yakuza dropped their guns, and went for their side arms. Before they could pull them out though, the most senior among them fell with a cry, beam saber thrown through the air to impale him through the chest. And then the Ascended Beggar was charging forward, one saber held in a guarding position to his right, and his left hand held forwards, fingertips pointed.

Circuits glowed across the hand as glowing blue bolts were rapidly fired at the yakuza men, who went down with cries of pain and alarm. The bolts burned through flesh and cloth alike with ease, leaving smoking holes through the yakuza's clothes and bodies as they collapsed, dead or dying to the ground. And then the Ascended Beggar was among them, swinging his beam saber in great, glowing arcs cutting down the survivors and leaving only corpses in his wake.

Picking up the beam saber thrown earlier, the Ascended Beggar wiped his chin with a sleeve, and sighed as he looked down and took in his bloody appearance. "This was an expensive set of clothes." He silently grumbled while heading into the house. "Ah well…it's all part of the job…"

The Ascended Beggar paused as he heard what seemed like a car crash from the back, and narrowed his eyes and then smiled as she smelled burning and saw smoke rising from the back. "Sounds like they ran into the bounded field at high speed…sorry, but it's not going to be easy." He thought as he resumed walking into the building.

But as the Ascended Beggar crossed the threshold, a man burst from hiding inside, and with a shout brandished a naginata. The Ascended Beggar dodged the first couple of swings, only for a feint to leave him wide open, and allowing the naginata to be driven into his guts.

The man shouted in triumph as he pushed the weapon in further, and forced the Ascended Beggar back several steps. A twist of the haft had the Ascended Beggar shouting in pain as his guts were torn apart, and the man shouted in triumph.

A triumph that was cut short, as the Ascended Beggar swung down with a fist, and shattered the naginata's haft with one blow. The man holding it blanched, and then gasped as the Ascended Beggar rushed forward, grabbing him with by the collar. And then pulling out the head from his body, the Ascended Beggar reversed it and stabbed it through the man's head and out the back.

The man fell dead on the ground, and the Ascended Beggar stumbled against the wall, breathing hard. Circuits flashed all over his body, his torn guts pulling back into place or even back into his body, ruined flesh knitting back together and the pain ebbing away.

With a last, deep breath, the Ascended Beggar rose to his full height, and picking up his beam sabers advanced further into the building.

Blue bolts glowed as they burned through the air, gunning down yakuza thugs as they vainly tried to escape the fusillade. Wood and paper doors fell and more yakuza thugs came out, screaming while clutching a variety of weapons: clubs, batons, shock batons, knives, even tantos and wakizashi.

A beam saber arced in brilliant blue-white, cutting down yakuza one after another. And then stepping over their corpses, the Ascended Beggar finally reached the last obstacle to his objective after having cleared the rest of the building: the big, metal, double doors that led to the garage. A swing of the beam saber severed the lock, and it took only a moment to pull the doors open…

There was blazing flash of light, a searing burst of pain, and…

…and…

…and…more pain, from what felt like countless sharp metal pieces that had buried themselves into his body. His ears rang and his head swam, but already reanimation and regeneration protocols were in effect…

…huh…he could have sworn one of the shrapnel pieces – probably from a mine or some other bomb the yakuza had planted in front of the door, rigged to explode when it was opened – had planted itself into his forehead…

…but if that was the case…then it wasn't deep enough. And if it wasn't, and his brain remained undamaged, and his body wasn't that damaged either, then it should be well within the scope of his reanimation and regeneration protocols.

Don't get overconfident, Ryuuji.

Even with all your mods, you're not invincible. If you get brain damage for instance, or if your body is, well, vaporized, then you're going to die.

…

Yes, even if your brain is intact, if your body takes too much damage, the reanimation and regeneration protocols won't work.

…

Alright, alright, I won't push it. Just…try not to get yourself killed, alright?

"Humph…little lady…how much do you really care, I wonder?" the Ascended Beggar asked himself, as he lay under a jagged and twisted piece of metal that was once one of the doors leading to the garage. "No…I already know the answer. To you, I'm just a useful pawn…or a literal miracle that just…happened, and which you never expected or planned for and don't want to lose…but I don't mind. I…I don't mind at all, little lady. After all, you…"

The Ascended Beggar blinked, his thoughts trailing off as he heard voices. Moving his free hand, he pulled out another cylinder, and then another man, dressed in a yukata, grew visible as he pulled the metal fragment off the Ascended Beggar.

The man's eyes barely had time to widen, as a beam dagger ignited and was stabbed up through his chest and into his heart. And then he toppled forward, crumpling to the ground on top of the Ascended Beggar along with the piece of metal he'd pulled off just moments ago.

Somewhere nearby, a woman screamed, full of loss and grief. Angry shouts and cursing could be heard, but circuits were already flashing, bringing combat subroutines back online and adjusting body functions to compensate for inactive and damaged systems.

With a heave and a powerful roar, the Ascended Beggar through off the corpse and the piece of metal, sending them flying into the other, surviving yakuza men and sending most of them tumbling to the ground. Another beam dagger flew through the air and plunged into a man's gut, causing him to collapse.

Two other yakuza men charged the Ascended Beggar, fists and feet striking out in the motions of karate. The Ascended Beggar took their blows, ignoring the protests of his damaged body, and countered with what could only described as brawling. A blow striking a man's guard shattered arm bones and caused the man to recoil in agony, and sidestepping the other man's kick, kicked out, and crushed his testicles.

The man crumpled with a long moan of agony, and another kick literally shattered his head. The man with broken arms tumbled back, but was too slow: the Ascended Beggar closed, and grabbing his collar, pulled him in and used him as a shield as Raiga Fujimura pulled out a pair of Colt Single Action Army pistols with pearl grips.

"Die!" the old man shouted as he opened fire, peppering the Ascended Beggar's hostage's body with bullets. "Why won't you die?"

Another shot later, and the hostage's head blew apart…and which the Ascended Beggar took as the cue to throw the corpse at Taiga, who fell against the ground, pinned by the hostage's weight. Circuits flashing, the Ascended Beggar reached over his shoulder and drew his main weapon, an arming sword nearly thirty inches long. Sapphire and jade flashed to life on the hilt as he drew the blade, and backhanding a tearful Taiga out of the way swung down and ended Raiga's life.

The ringing of the phone echoed through the mansion, repeating several times before Rin arrived and picked it up with a sigh. "Yes, this is the Tohsaka residence, may I help you?" she asked.

"Hmm, Rin Tohsaka, I presume?"

Rin blinked, and then narrowed her eyes. "Who is this?" she demanded.

"I guess you can call me the Ascended Beggar. And while it's presumptuous, allow me to greet you on behalf of the Exiled Princess."

"The Exiled Princess?" Rin echoed. "Who the hell is that supposed to be?"

"I'm surprised. Aren't you supposed to be a genius?"

"If this is some kind of joke…"

"It is no joke, I assure you." The man interrupted. "If you want me to spell it out for you, then I will. Everything that has happened to reach this point, was and is a part of her plan. What that plan is ultimately meant to achieve though…"

The man paused and laughed. "Well," he continued. "That's a secret."

"No…it can't be…you bastards…!"

"Now, now," the man on the other side of the phone interrupted. "Don't get too hotheaded, this is something of negotiations after all. If you get too hotheaded, you won't be able to think clearly, and that's no good for negotiations."

"You…!"

"Oh and also…try not to call the Exiled Princess a bastard. She knows who her parents are…and from what I know of magi in general…"

The man paused and laughed. "Well…it's not really my place to judge." He said. "I'm sure she'll tell you all about it when or if you ever meet."

"What do you want?"

"Ah, cutting to the chase, aren't we? Alright then…is Shirou Emiya there?"

"I am the one you will be 'negotiating' with."

"If you care for the woman named Taiga Fujimura, then I suggest you be more cooperative."

Rin scoffed. "You're bluffing." She said.

"Am I?"

"Prove that you've got Fujimura-sensei's life at stake. I'll bet that you can't…"

Rin trailed off at shuffling sounds coming through the phone, and then was utterly stunned at the woman's voice coming from the phone. There was no doubt about it: it was Taiga Fujimura.

"T-Tohsaka-san…w-w-what's going on…he…this man…" the teacher asked with a shuddering voice, following more shuffling sounds.

"Believe me now?" the man from earlier asked.

"H-how do I know this isn't some t-trick?" Rin demanded. "You could be using magic to mimic her voice after all, it's quite easy to do."

"Are you sure you want to take a chance on that?" the man countered. "Fujimura's life is only valuable to me to get at your boyfriend. And there are other ways to use her to get at him. What will it be, Tohsaka?"

"Damn you…he's here."

"Then put him on the phone. If you want, you can even use the speakerphone so you can listen in"

"Hold on."

"I'll be waiting…as is Fujimura."

Rin snarled but carefully put the phone down, and rushed to find Shirou. "Shirou!" she shouted, finding him at work in the kitchen.

"What is…" he began, only to break off as Rin grabbed him by an arm and pulled him along. "Hey what's going on? Rin!"

"Someone calling himself the 'Ascended Beggar' has taken Fujimura-sensei hostage!"

"WHAT?"

Rin nodded, her face angry. "And apparently," she said. "They're connected with or working for the ones who assaulted my mother and robbed our family, someone calling themselves the 'Exiled Princess' or something."

"Somehow I'm not surprised they're using a title that's too big for them." Shirou growled angrily. "Are you sure they've got Fuji-nee?"

"No."

"What?"

Rin glanced at Shirou as they continued to walk towards the phone. "I heard her voice through the phone." Rin said. "She sounded terrified and…confused, but it definitely sounded like her. But, it could also be just a trick. It's not that difficult to mimic someone else's voice using magic. That said, can we really risk calling their bluff?"

Shirou made a frustrated sound. "No, we can't." he hissed.

Rin nodded, and together with Shirou approached the phone in silence. As they arrived, Rin picked up the phone again. "He's here." She said.

"Then put him through."

Rin grit her teeth, and then pressing the speakerphone button, returned the phone to its cradle before stepping back and gesturing at Shirou. He stepped forward, closer to the phone. "This is Shirou Emiya." He said. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Didn't your girlfriend tell you? I'm the Ascended Beggar…"

"That's just a title." Shirou interrupted. "I want to know who you really are."

"What we want in life and what we get aren't always the same." The man replied. "As for what I want…well, come over to the Fujimura compound in an hour. Bring your weapons and other things if you want, just make sure you come ready to fight."

"What?"

"Oh, and don't bring your girlfriend along. This is just between you and me, young man. One on one, let's play fair, shall we?"

"YOU BASTARD!" Shirou roared. "HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT? AFTER YOU'VE TAKEN FUJI-NEE HOSTAGE?"

There was laughter on the phone. "I dare because I can." The Ascended Beggar said. "Just be sure to be here within the time limit I gave you, and of course, that Tohsaka isn't with you. If you don't meet either of those conditions, well, I'm guessing it's sadly time for the Fujimura family to end once and for all."

"What was that?"

There was a shuffling sound, and then Shirou gasped as her Taiga's voice. "Shirou…" she said, sounding like she was crying, no worse than that, like she was broken. "Is that you, Shirou?"

"Fuji-nee? What's happened? Are you alright? Fuji-nee!"

"Shirou…everyone's dead."

Rin and Shirou alike gasped in horror. "No…w-what?" Shirou whispered.

"H-he killed them a-all. My g-grandfather…m-m-m-my f-father…everyone except for the help is dead…"

Taiga trailed off, the only sound to be heard from the phone that of Taiga's crying. "Fuji-nee…Fuji-nee!" Shirou shouted, grabbing at the phone, but the voice that responded was not that of Taiga. It was the Ascended Beggar.

"It's as you heard, Emiya." He said. "Unless you want your foster family to end in its entirety, I suggest you cooperate."

"DAMN YOU!" Shirou roared, and forcing Rin to grab him by the arms to restrain him. "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU…!"

There was laughter from the phone. "We shall see." The Ascended Beggar replied. "We will be waiting, and we trust you will not disappoint."

The line was audibly cut, and Shirou ground his teeth before shouting out his anger.

Shirou's face was grim, eyes hard and lips set as he walked down the street, heading for the Fujimura compound. In the distance, he could see it: a shimmering field of energy, a powerful bounded field that surrounded the Fujimura compound, keeping ordinary people from noticing what was going on.

The sound of wings in the night had Shirou briefly pausing, and looking up noticed an owl winging past. As it did so, it glanced once at Shirou before flying off: one of Rin's familiars. While the 'Ascended Beggar' had forbidden Rin from actually accompanying Shirou, he didn't say anything about her not being allowed to watch…

…assuming of course, that her familiars could get past the bounded field.

If not…

Shirou's eyes widened, and he gasped before running forward, his line of thinking cut as he saw two bodies lying on the ground at the entrance to the Fujimura compound. Gasping again as he arrived, he recognized them as the same men who'd tried to keep him from entering just recently. And now they lay dead on the ground, cut down by some kind of weapon that, from the look of things, cauterized the wound.

"A fire element mystic code…?" Shirou muttered, kneeling down beside the bodies. After a few moments, he sighed, and reached out to close their eyes before standing up. Looking up, Shirou's eyes widened, gasping in horror. "No…no…this…this is…"

Corpses lay across the grounds, over the path leading to the entrance and the foyer, and to his left. All killed the same way the men at the gates were…

…no…that wasn't quite right. Some of them had been killed by being shot…also by some kind of weapon or spell that cauterized the wounds it left. And then Shirou saw Izumo Kaneda, the young man's shoulders slumping at the sight of the stern but fair and loyal retainer of the Fujimura household. He lay on his back, head hanging to one side in death, his chest shot through with cauterized holes.

Shirou closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Even then, he couldn't help the tears from escaping, rage, grief and loss all warring inside against each other to influence his next move. Finally, Shirou snarled and stood up.

He would not allow whoever was behind this barbarity to get away with it.

He would not allow the deaths of all these people, who should have had nothing to do with the dispute the so-called 'Exiled Princess' had with the Tohsaka Clan, go unavenged.

He would not allow justice to be denied.

Shirou had long since come to terms with the knowledge that his dream of becoming a Hero of Justice was just that: a dream. He knew he couldn't really make it reality. But, he also knew that there was nothing wrong with the dream, or its ideals, the ideals that his father had passed down to him.

Even if all he could do was help ever so little in any way he could…

…then that was enough. He was already living the dream, putting the ideals into practice, making them real.

And here and now, there was another such opportunity. If only though…if only…

…if only family's blood was not the price for the opportunity…

Shirou grit his teeth yet again, as he passed the doors and the corpse of the old doorkeeper, killed brutally with the broken front of a naginata jammed through his head. Similar sights greeted him as he made his way through the building, corpses of Fujimura retainers scattered along his route, killed much like those in the front.

Finally, as Shirou emerged into the atrium, he saw something that made his seething anger and hatred boil over. On the opposite side of the atrium, there was a man, dressed in a business ensemble. Smoking a cigar…one of the cigars Shirou had gifted Raiga on his and Rin's return from London. And beside and behind the man there was Taiga, and the help, all tied up and gagged.

"Hey," the Ascended Beggar said, blowing out a thick plume of smoke. "Shirou Emiya is it? Welcome, and thanks for coming so promptly. I was thinking you…"

Whatever else he had to say was cut off by Shirou roaring in rage while charging forward, his magic circuits flashing all over his body as he reinforced it. "TRACE ON!" Shirou shouted, Durandal flashing into existence in one hand. And then raising it overhead, he held the Noble Phantasms in both hands, and swung down.

There was sharp snap-hiss sound, and crossing what looked like lightsabers of all things overhead, the Ascended Beggar blocked Shirou's opening blow. Prana crackled along Durandal's blade, while the lightsabers whined and hummed in protest.

For a long moment, they locked blades, and then the Ascended Beggar briefly gave way before shoving back with redoubled force. His guard slipping slightly, Shirou found himself kicked back, skidding on his feet several steps.

The Ascended Beggar rotated his lightsabers in both hands, and then charged forward. Lightsabers hummed and whined as he rained blows down on Shirou one after another, alternating between blades in turn, all the while building up momentum, before finally raising both blades and bringing them down on Durandal at the same time.

Swords ground against each other, and then giving way Shirou leapt back to reopen the space between them. Surprisingly, the Ascended Beggar didn't pursue, instead rotating his lightsabers, and then keeping one low pointed the other at Shirou.

"Is that all you've got young man?" he asked.

"You wish." Shirou said, holding Durandal two-handed before him.

The Ascended Beggar smirked, and then crossing his blades before him charged and uncrossed them. Holding them low behind him as he closed, the Ascended Beggar again delivered alternating blows, only to be surprised by a riposte that brought his momentum to a halt. Growling, the Ascended Beggar avoided the follow through, and then was forced back a couple of steps by a furious counterattack by Shirou.

A two-handed blow rose and fell, the Ascended Beggar blocking them with his sabers…and then Shirou grinned, Durandal glowing with prana as he did so. "What the…" the Ascended Beggar barely managed to say before an explosion blew him and Shirou away from each other.

For several moments, only dust filled the atrium, but as it cleared the Ascended Beggar, singed but otherwise unharmed emerged. Snorting in disgust, he discarded his shorted out weapons, and then drew his sword from behind his shoulder.

As he did so, a spinning sound caught his attention, and his eyes widened as a pair of black and white blurs spun through the air at him. He turned them both, sparks striking off as a pair of Chinese daos to burst through the wooden walls on either side of the atrium. And then Shirou himself reappeared, singed and battered but otherwise unharmed, standing on the far side of the atrium. He held out his hands.

"Trace on." He said, face set in resolve. Prana glowed in his hands, and the same daos that had just been thrown away flashed into existence. The Ascended Beggar smiled, as Shirou pointed a white dao in his direction.

"Let's go."

A/N

What? Waver El-Melloi II (actually Reines Archisorte El-Melloi) has a T-1000 as a maid. Compared to that, beam sabers/lightsabers should be easy to make for a magus. Especially since jewels are crystals in themselves, and lightsabers need specially-attuned crystals to properly generate their blades. Therefore, if they put their minds to it, jewel mages like Rin, Luvia, and Sakura (as she should be) ought to be able to know how to make beam sabers/lightsabers.