Disclaimer: I do not own Sekirei or Fate/stay Night. If I did, than they would both be 50 times more awesome, making Sekirei barely above average while Fate/stay Night would blow up the planet from pure awesomeness!

Author's Note: While I plan on having these after the chapter, I'll make an exception in this to point something out. Yes, I am aware of how the ranking system for the Servants work. I'll admit to not knowing when I first wrote the sentence (first sentence of the chapter, can't miss it), but I had looked it up just in case. I decided to keep the mistake in due to the irony of the statement.

I only bring this up because I have heard (second hand, admittedly) that Fate/stay Night fans are quite persnickety, and I'd rather not have them clambering on my backs for making such a dumb mistake.

By comparison, I could probably make mistakes about Sekirei left and right, and nobody would give a shit.

Update: since a number of reviewers pointed this out after a single day (I feel special!), I have to make note of this: this is AU, as such, expect Shirou to act OOC. If that doesn't sound like something for you, than stop here. You have been warned.

Update: made a few minor corrections to the story, along with cutting out the part where Medusa kisses Shirou's hand, on suggestion by one of my reviewers (whose... profile name, I think?... will go unsaid in case he wants his privacy). He believed that the act was out of character for Medusa, and upon further reflection, I realized he was right, so I decided to change it. Pity, I rather liked the phrase "Weapon Grade Eroticism".

Anyway, let's get it on.

Chapter One: Shirou, Some Dude You Have Never Even Met or Heard of is...Your Father

Shirou is finally convinced: despite how divergent his life is from Archer's life, he must have still contracted his damned E rated Luck. How else can he explain waiting in line at the airport for one and a half hours? How else can he explain the dreaded machine having chosen him to malfunction on? And how else can he explain after waiting two hours for the technician to show up, he learns that the machine has found a new way to malfunction just for him, forcing him to wait for another four hours and counting?

Shirou almost wishes that another Holy Grail War would begin so he could summon Archer and kick him in the testicles so hard that even Gaia would wince in sympathy. That'll teach the bastard what happens when you curse him with bad luck. While he's at it, he might as well win the Holy Grail, use it to create an anthropomorphic version of the dreaded machine and kick that thing in the testicles, too.

Admittedly, his day still wasn't really that pleasant even before the current airport fiasco, but he's willing to let the guy who talked to him the entire flight off the hook after he admitted the constant chatter was a coping mechanism. That flight was apparently the first time the man had ever been on a plane, and he was nervous. Shirou can understand that. After all, the first time he was on a plane, he was so convinced they were going to crash that he had devised a way of flying on the spot in case he needed to jump off the plane. Shirou even tested the spell later.

He's pretty sure the raccoon still hasn't come down.

Besides, Shirou always loved the feeling of helping others, even if it was by simply lending his ear to help a man cope (well, sort of. He did fall asleep for about two hours, but he doesn't think the man noticed). It's why he does what he does.

It's also why Shirou is rather pissed that this six hour delay has prevented him from doing what he loved: helping people. Who knows what could have happened during the time he has been held up here. People might become crippled or even killed just because he is not there to help them. Not there to save them.

But instead of being where he should be, Shirou is stuck in this soundproofed room with himself, his thoughts, some newspapers, and a pornographic magazine that the technician must have sneaked in because he doesn't remember it being there when he first came into the room. He can only assume the technician knew how long he would probably be waiting and took pity on him, but honestly he hasn't even glanced through it. After having the privilege of seeing a goddess in the flesh and in the buff, he can't help but think that most women are found wanting. If he ever wanted to do… that, he has plenty of memories to choose from.

Not that Shirou would ever use his memories of her in such a profane manner. To reduce her to nothing more than a sex symbol is downright sacrilegious in his mind, and worthy of the worst punishments he could think of. All he has left of her is his memories, after all.

And that is all he shall ever have of her. Even if he were to reach the Throne of Heroes and meet her again, the woman up there would not be his Medu-chan. His Medu-chan ceased to be the moment the Holy Grail was destroyed, never to return again.

Damn, this is why I hate being alone with my thoughts. He has to change the subject, quick! Think of swords! Yeah, that's right, a sharp, erect sword thrusted into soft, compliant flesh, eliciting a breathy moan of pleasure from Med… Damn it! Stop thinking about swords! Abort! Abort! Think about… lances, that's right, lances. The feel of the weight in his hands, of the tactile sensation of the shaft as he thru… Shit, that's even worse! What the hell is wrong with me?

Shirou briefly wondered what Freud would think about his predilection with thrusting before chuckling to himself; pent up sexual frustrations, if he had to guess. Admittedly, he hasn't been with a woman in that capacity since… since…

His thought process came to a screeching halt when he was suddenly ravaged by a powerful scent. Well, two scents, actually. For a moment, he was confused at how such a repugnant odor could have crept up on him without him knowing until now. Than it hit him like a sledgehammer: these aren't real scents at all, but rather someone (or worse, something) is triggering his magical senses.

All magi have at least a small amount of sensitivity to magic, allowing them to detect when a spell has been used. Each magus, however, perceives this in different ways and with different degrees of sensitivity. Some sense it through sound, others through tactile sensations on their skin, still others through taste. Some magi need to literally be right next to the source of the magic, while others can sense it from over a mile away. Shirou, specifically, senses magic through smell, and his range is quite large (to the point that a certain Irish woman has compared him to a bloodhound), though he doesn't know the exact range of his sense.

The first odor reminds him of honey, but a bit more overpowering. Like someone had allowed honey to decay in the hot sun before deciding to put it next to honey that was kept inside and refrigerated. What exactly this is supposed to signify about the source of the odor he doesn't know, and quite frankly he hardly cares.

What is of greater importance is the second odor that accompanied the first. The second that is much easier to identify, for it is a scent that he had grown accustomed to during the weeks of the Holy Grail War on both a literal and magical level: blood. It is a scent that he has always attributed to one woman.

Medusa.

This is not how I expected this night to go, cursed Shirou, deflecting the killing blow of a sword with his bow, before following it up by smashing his elbow into the face of the magus, sending him stumbling back and giving Shirou some breathing room. This was just in time for him to hear the tail end of an incantation, that which was done by a woman. Shirou leapt back, barely dodging the huge fireball that would have burnt him crispier than he was after the fire. He traced an arrow, and fired it at the female magus, aiming for her heart. A wall of flame reduced it to ash before it got within a meter of her. He was not able to trace another arrow, and was instead forced to roll to the right when four pillars made of what he can only assume is the asphalt rose up from the street and smashed into each other like the mandibles of some strange creature made of the earth, spraying chunks of what is now confirmed to be asphalt everywhere, forcing Shirou to raise his arm as he is pelted by the chunks.

Three magi, two of which who use earth and fire related magic and the third who seems to only use physically enhancing magic. The three of them are highly trained, and fight quite well with each other, suggesting a level of familiarity between them. These magi fight together as a team, and have fought together often.

At first Shirou had thought that they were Enforcers, sent to deal with him due to that stunt he pulled last week that ended up on the six o'clock news. While the magic he used on camera was subtle enough that it would be nearly impossible for non-magi to even think that magic was involved, most practitioners of the art would have been able to discern the truth, and the Enforcers might have decided to nip this problem in the bud before it became an even larger nuisance.

Shirou had quickly dismissed that idea, however, due to the simple fact that they attacked him in public. At his school, to be specific, where he stayed late to fix some of the air conditioners. Ayako is probably going to give him an earful for that tomorrow, but he always thought her to be a bit too overprotective of him.

Than again, the day he decided to stay at school late is the day that three magi out for his blood decide to attack, so she might actually be on to something. Not that Shirou will ever admit to it.

Anyways, these three are definitely not members of the Enforcers sent to shut him up, or else they would not have attacked him out in the open. Attacking someone out on the streets using magic to prevent him from revealing magic to the world is somewhat counterproductive. This means that these three were sent by those with a personal vendetta against Shirou or, more likely, the Emiya family in general.

After all, Shirou had inherited a great many things from his father, Kiritsugu. This just happens to be one of the more negative parts of the Emiya life that he would have to contend with. Being an assassin known as the Magus Killer, Kiritsugu had undoubtedly made a great many enemies in the magi community. These three must have been sent by one such enemy.

Still, even if Shirou had known that one of his enemies had found him, and even if he had known that they had sent assassins to kill him, he would have never expected them to attack him in such a direct manner, perhaps endangering the secrecy of magic. Than again, they seem to have taken precautions, making sure that the streets were empty (or at least empty enough that they would be able to kill anyone who saw the fight). Furthermore, they had set up a bounded field that he could only assume was meant to prevent any sound of the battle from leaving a certain distance. It was actually the reason why he had moved the fight to the streets, in the hopes of getting outside the radius and forcing them to retreat. Imagine his surprise when the field itself starts moving to keep him encompassed. He would later come to realize that the bounded field is not tied to a particular patch of land, but to one of the magi, the sword wielder, who acts as the epicenter of the field from which it spreads out from, creating a sort of movable bounded field.

This makes him wonder if this really is a bounded field and not just another piece of magic that has a similar dampening effect. After all, he wasn't aware that a bounded field could be used in such a manner; but he supposes it doesn't really matter.

There is of course a silver lining to this pile of burnt manure, and that would be the command seals that appeared about the same time the "bounded field" did. If he didn't know any better, he might think the Grail was trying to save him…naaaah, probably just a coincidence. This, of course, gives him a destination and the only chance of surviving this three on one battle. All he needs to do is get back home, get close enough to the summoning circle to enact the ritual, do a ten-count aria all while dodging the attacks of three magi more skilled than he, hope the Servant is willing to fight them off for him, and if he or she is, make some tea for said Servant. And all of this is to be done without the healing power of Avalon because they happened to attack him two days after giving it to a woman with her arm cut of.

Piece of cake; speaking of cake, he probably should offer to make some for his Servant as part of his thank you.

In all honesty, though, he knows he's having a weird day when he is cursing ever having been raised by Kiritsugu instead of some other family (the Velvet family, perhaps?) and overjoyed in joining a death match between super humans that can level buildings… son of a bitch, maybe the Grail did plan this!

Well, he supposes now all that matters is surviving.

Shirou lowers his arm to see the sword magus charging at him. Running perpendicular to the magus, Shirou traces a sword in his hand, the same sword the magus is using as a matter of fact, just in time to block the swing of the magus's sword, bringing up sparks. The two exchange a handful of blows while running parallel to each other before Shirou's sixth sense screams at him. He pushes off the magus, barely dodging a stone spear aimed at him that shatters on contact with the ground. He twirls around, tossing his sword at the earth magus, who is forced to jump down from the roof to dodge the sword. Meanwhile, Shirou lashes out at the sword magus with his back foot, succeeding in sending him stumbling back again before breaking into a dead run, only to meet a conflagration of fire created by the fire magus in an attempt to stall him. Instead of slowing down, however, Shirou lowers his center of gravity and, leading with his shoulder like a halfback intent on plowing his way through the opposition, he charges into the conflagration at a full sprint.

Emerging out the other side no worse for wear but with his clothes singed, Shirou is forced to sidestep a stalagmite that suddenly formed in front of him, intent on impaling him, before going into a diving roll to avoid a trio of falling stalactites. A pair of stone pillars form on both sides of him, intent on crushing him between them. Shirou jumps up, and pushes off the left pillar with his legs, which gives him enough height to avoid being crushed and ending with him lying on top of the now fused stone pillars. Shirou takes a short breather, which proves to be a mistake when he sees a huge stone fist flying down to paste him on the pillars. He rolls off the pillars, avoiding the full brunt of the force coming down but not being able to avoid getting clipped by the attack, sending him tumbling away, thankfully in the direction he was heading.

He got to his feet just in time to see the fire magus finish collecting the conflagration in the palm of her hand and than sent the giant fireball whisking towards him. Shirou had just enough time to trace a pair of swords and cross them in front of him before the fireball struck, melting the swords and once again sending him flying back in the direction he is going anyways. Hey, whatever works.

Upon landing, he leaps to the left to avoid another stone spear, raising his lower body in midair, ending with his body parallel to the lance of flame beneath him that he avoided. While still midair, he draws his bow on his back, traces an arrow, and fires, and than fires another traced arrow the moment he lands. The pair of arrows forces the fire magus to stay on the defensive. Shirou continues running, knowing that he is nearing his house, and indeed seeing the wall that separates the courtyard from the street. He twists his body, barely dodging the blow from the sword magus aimed for his heart, grazing his ribs. Shirou jumps, and the sword magus, thinking that he is about to do a drop kick to his chest, braces himself. Instead, Shirou kicks off the magus, sending him flying over the wall and giving him the time to trace two weapons: a katana and a knife, the latter which is thrown at the fire magus to interrupt her incantation, the former which is used to parry the strike of the leaping sword magus. The two exchange blows on the way down and ending with them in a sword clash upon landing to the ground. Sensing something, the two glance up, and they both push off each other to avoid a giant stone fist smashing down.

Shirou takes another leap back, landing in front of his shed. Knowing that to fight down in his shed would be his doom in such an enclosed area, he just has to hope that he is close enough to the summoning circle for this to work. He glances up, his bounded field telling him of three intruders in his home through the telltale sound of ringing in the back of his mind… which is oh so insightful information to have at this juncture. In the center is the sword magus, who glares briefly at the earth magus before slowly approaching Shirou with his sword, a scimitar he finally notices, drawn. To his left is the earth magus, who leaps down to join him and to his right is the fire magus, who decides to stay on the wall.

"Any last words, Emiya Shirou?" spoke the sword magus, the first time any of them have ever said a word in this entire fight. Letting his katana dissipate, Shirou traces a pair of knives, smiles and says, "Silver and Iron to the origin." He than tosses both of his knives, one at each of the elemental users. The sword magus, meanwhile, eyes widen in realization as he charges at Shirou, intent on killing him before he can finish the aria.

"Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone." In his panic to finish Shirou off quickly, though, he has forgotten one simple fact: as long as he is close to him and as long as Shirou keeps his back to the shed, the other two won't be able to use there ranged spells in fear of hitting their comrade, meaning that they will either have to stay on the sidelines hoping to get a clean shot or they will have to join in with there own close quarters fighting ability, something that he will have an easier time dealing with. The fire magus seems content to wait on the wall for that shot, while the earth magus has decided to charge in, without any weapons noticeable enough so he must be a hand to hand combatant. Shirou ducks under the first swing of the scimitar, intent on beheading him. In response, his fist shoots out towards the sword magus's stomach, which is able to twist out of the way of his blow. Shirou sidesteps to the left to dodge the second swing, before his left elbow rushes towards the sword magus's head, who dodges it by cocking his head to the left. Shirou ducks under the third swing, spinning to his right to face the earth magus, whose right fist is coming forward in a quick jab. He deflects the blow with a high sweeping kick to his arm, while simultaneously backhanding the sword magus's left temple.

"The Ancestor is my great master Schweinorg." The earth magus left fist aims for his temples with a haymaker, which he blocks with his right arm before head butting him, who instinctually clutches his nose. Hey, what do you know? My thick skull is actually useful for something. Shirou than follows it up with a roundhouse kick to his right cheek, sending him stumbling to the ground and giving Shirou the centripetal force to spin all the way around, just in time to see the sword magus go for another beheading blow. He dodges the blow by bending his upper body backwards, which leaves Shirou out of position for his next strike, a downward swing aiming to cleave his skull, forcing Shirou to catch the blade between the palms of his hand.

"The alighted wind becomes a wall." Shirou yanks the scimitar to his left, planting the tip into the ground. He rights himself, using a haymaker to the sword magus's right temple before spinning around, interlocking his two hands into one fist and smashing it into the right temple of the earth magus, or rather his right arm, who was able to raise it to prevent Shirou's strike from doing any incapacitating damage, but not from sending him stumbling from the force of the blow. Shirou than snaps a kick out towards the sword magus's head. He catches his foot.

"The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown." The sword magus flips Shirou into the air… and into the direct path of a lance of flame. Shirou barely has enough time to trace two katanas before the fire hits him, sending him flying into the wall of the shed. He quickly rolls forward and onto his feet, tossing one of his katanas at the fire magus, before leaping back to avoid the impalement from a stalagmite. The earth magus snaps the stalagmite from the ground before throwing it at him like a lance, forcing Shirou to deflect it upwards with his katana. He lands, spinning around to face the sword magus, who has recovered his scimitar.

"The three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate." They exchange two blows before a flying stone spear intent on impaling him from behind forces him to sway his body to the left to dodge. Likewise, the sword magus is forced to fall to one knee to dodge it, something Shirou takes advantage of my smashing his katana down on the perpendicular scimitar, forcing the two into a deadlock for a few moments.

"Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill). Shut (Fill). Repeat every five times." The deadlock ends when the sword magus shoves his katana to the left, elbowing him in the face and sending Shirou stumbling back.

"Simply shatter once filled." He and the sword magus circle each other briefly before the sword magus charged, aiming for a beheading blow.

Again.

Shirou ducks under the blow, thrusting his katana towards the man's heart, who sweeps his scimitar in and up, sending the tip of the katana over his right shoulder before slashing his sword down in an attempt to cleave Shirou's skull. Shirou parries him before backhanding the sword magus, sending him stumbling back. Shirou than dashes towards him and leaps, intent on thrusting his sword where the neck and the shoulder meet.

"I announce. Yourself is under me, my fate (doom) is in your sword." The sword magus leans backwards to dodge the thrust before trapping the katana between his scimitar and his body. He head butts Shirou, sending him stumbling back and losing the grip on the katana. The sword magus than throws it at Shirou's head, who makes it disappear in motes of golden light, but not before instinctually glancing away. Seeing the earth magus preparing a spell, he traces a knife and throws it at him. The earth magus catches it inches away from his eye without even flinching before sending it right back at Shirou. Shirou, not wanting to be outdone, deflects the knife with a newly traced broadsword, sending it right at the fire magus who proceeds to melt it into nothing with a spear of flame.

"In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail." Shirou than positions the blade behind his right shoulder, blocking the sword magus's apparent go to technique of beheading, than, leading with his right shoulder, shoves the man back sending him stumbling. He isn't able to take advantage, however, due to being forced to destroy a pair of stone spears sent flying at him by the earth magus, allowing the sword magus to recover. He charges Shirou, intent on piercing his heart with one thrust of his sword, but Shirou deflects the strike, and than with a quick jab from his left hand to the man's throat, caused a gag reflex. Once more maintaining a two-handed grip, Shirou swings his broadsword downward, but aborts when he is forced to deflect yet more stone spears.

"If you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer." Once again the sword magus is given a chance to recover, moving in to cleave his skull at the same time a stone spear is flying in to pierce his chest. Taking a large swing, Shirou destroys the stone spear, than turning around to block the sword magus's attack. Halfway through the turn, he grabs the blade of the broadsword, and blocks the strike before smashing the hilt of his sword into the left temple of the sword magus. He than plants the sword into the ground, and, using the sword as leverage, he hoists himself up and kicks the man in the face. Landing back on his feet, he spins around and tosses six knives in quick succession. None of them got through due to the fire magus's pinpoint strikes.

"Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead." However instead of sending stone spears like he has been doing lately, the earth magus creates the stone fist again and sends it smashing down on him, forcing Shirou to quickly yank the broadsword out of the ground and leap to the left, turning midair to deflect the blow of the sword magus, who also jumped to the left to meet him midair. They exchange thrusts and counters until they land, and than are forced to separate once again when a second stone fist comes crashing down. The moment Shirou lands, he is forced to move again, rolling to the left to avoid the four stone pillars , the "manacles of the stone monster" from earlier, putting him once again in front of the only doorway into the shed, and face to face (so to speak) with a large spear of fire.

"I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead." He didn't even have time to trace a sword. All he can do is brace himself with the sword he has. The lance of fire hits, melting the sword in his hand, and sending a blossom of molten hot pain through his chest as he is launched into his shed, vaguely hearing a woman shout, "Bull's-eye!" before landing in front of his summoning circle, which is glowing, so that's a good sign. Before he can stand up however, the scimitar flies in, piercing him right through his left shoulder. He had to clench his teeth to keep from screeching in pain. He heard cautious steps coming down, the earth magus coming into view.

"Gotta say, kiddo," said the earth magus, "for a Jap, you gave us a better fight than we were expecting. Than again, we weren't exactly expecting much." A sadistic grin crossed his face. "I do hope you enjoyed our company. Have a nice day." He than outstretched his arms, a stone lance appearing over his head.

So is this how his life is going to end? Skewered by a sadistic bastard like this. No. No! He will not die here, not like this, not when there are still so many people that he can help; that he can save. No, he will not die here today. He may not be able to swing a sword in his present condition, but who ever said one needed to use there arms to swing a sword? With that thought, Shirou traced the first sword that came to mind and let it fly. The scimitar intercepted the stone spear halfway through. The earth magus blinked, apparently surprised that he was able to defend himself against one more attack. Only for his eyes to widen, immediately followed by him leaping back to avoid being skewered by another scimitar. He was than forced to put up a shield of stone when another scimitar came flying at him. And another. And another. While his enemy was effectively pinned down, he stretched his hands out towards the summoning circle and finished the aria. "You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, oh keeper of the balance!"

A flash of light engulfed the room before suddenly dimming, smoke coming from the summoning circle. Silence engulfed the room for a few moments, only to be interrupted when the earth magus pitched forward through the smoke, smacking against the ground with a look of pure confusion on his face. Puncture wounds on both sides of his temples were present, either from one weapon that punctured clean through his skull, or a pair of weapons. He heard a sickening crack, and looked up to see the body of the sword magus tumbling down the stairs, his head twisted so far around that it went a complete 180, his face sitting on the opposite side of when he lasted saw it. He can also smell something, an odor that he is not surprised at being presence (after all there was a battle) but is surprised at its potency: blood.

He has no doubts about who was responsible for this massacre of the magi that have been giving him Hell for the past however long it took for him to get back here: the Servant. He briefly considers preparing to defend himself before shaking such thoughts away, wondering if the pain is responsible for him almost falling to lower depths of stupidity. Even if he weren't in his current state, Shirou doubts he would be able to stand against a Servant for very long. The two dead magi currently keeping him company speak to that. Furthermore, the Servant would have very few reasons to want to kill him, and one very good reason to keep him alive and well. It's probably best not to poison his relationship with his partner in the coming Holy Grail War (of which he is now officially a part of…fuck) by threatening him or her, no matter how ineffectual the threat may be. He would much rather be on good terms with the person he will be trusting his life to in the near future.

To that end, he has decided to make himself as presentable as possible to him or her.

Gripping the scimitar currently impaled in his shoulder, he took a breath to steady his hands and yanked the sword out, hissing in pain. He placed the sword down gently to his right (who knows how useful the scimitar might be later) before slowly and painfully sliding himself backwards to lean against the wall behind him. He glances down to see the mess of third and second degree burns across his chest, no doubt the reason for his difficulty to breath. Oooh,this might be a little difficult to hide from Taiga. Thank goodness people rarely ever come to his house, or he might have been in a great deal of trouble. As is, it's going to be difficult enough to keep this hidden (not to mention the shoulder wound) when he goes to visit her at her place tomorrow so he can cook dinner.

His thoughts are dragged away by the sound of slow and measured footsteps coming down the stairs which are slowly getting louder. The Servant (his Servant) has returned. He glances up so that he can get his first look at the person he had summoned as they slowly come to view feet first.

Wearing a pair of black and purple boots, at first Shirou thought she had on a pair of black stockings that rose to mid thigh. Upon further inspection however he realized that it wasn't a pair of black stockings at all, but is in fact a part of the boots. Her hair is of a violet color several shades (and with a hint of pink thrown in) lighter than that of the girl he occasionally sees walking the halls of the school. It's also so long that even Rapunzal would raise an eyebrow at its length, nearly reaching the floor. Shirou can't help but think that the hair might prove to be disadvantageous, though he admittedly has a hard time seeing a hero whose skills and feats are so legendary that they ascend to the ranks of pseudo-gods resorting to hair pulling to win a fight. He also couldn't help but think that all that hair must be a bitch to maintain. Than again, one of the many perks of being a Heroic Spirit, and thus, you know, dead, is that she probably doesn't even have to worry about such things.

Lucky Minx.

Her legs are long, powerful, and if the small slit of visible skin between the dress and the boots are any indication, oh so pale. Speaking of dresses, the black one piece with purple trims seems to expose as much skin as possible while still maintaining some decency. The lower half rides up dangerously high while the upper half leaves her pale shoulders and the cleavage of her rather impressive assets bare. Interestingly enough, much like her legs, her arms are covered to halfway up her upper arm with a pair of fingerless gloves, held in place by a pair of purple bands, one around her wrist and one around her upper arm. She also wore a purple collar around her slim neck. Shirou isn't quite sure how, but this ensemble succeeded in being as indecent as possible while at the same time showing off very little skin. It also went out of its way to show off a physique that would drive female supermodels to a jealous fury, assuming of course it doesn't drive them to change their preferences in the face of such a radiant beauty.

He knows he would if he were a female supermodel.

Covering a third of her face is a purple blindfold covering her eyes and held together by two metal bands on the bridge of her nose. Finally, on her forehead is a tattoo in red ink of a symbol he doesn't recognize. Perhaps it's a character used in whatever language her home country uses?

He has to admit though that if he didn't know any better he would have been less likely to think that she was a warrior in a seven way free-for-all fought over a cup that can grant a single wish and more likely to think that she was going to say 'who's your daddy?' (Of which his reply would be 'I don't know') before pulling out a whip. Seriously, was this woman a dominatrix in her previous life?

On the other hand, Shirou wouldn't be surprised to see her in a seven way free-for-all of… another kind.

This fact, of course, makes him wonder what type of FUCKING WAR HE HAS ENDED UP IN WHERE ONE OF THE PARTICAPANTS IS DRESSED LIKE THAT!?

His Servant…err…the woman stops a few feet away from his sitting form, her arms hanging by her sides, her face unreadable. Well, maybe unreadable is not the right word choice. Cuneiform is unreadable. Hieroglyphs are unreadable. By comparison, his Serv… the woman's face is completely blank. There is nothing at all to read on her face, like a book without words.

She'd make one hell of a poker player.

The woman stood there for a few moments completely still, apparently just studying him. At the same time, she unintentionally added statues to the list of things that would be driven to jealous fury by her. Finally, she spoke.

"I ask of you, are you my master?"

Shirou felt a shiver go up his spine upon hearing her husky voice. He supposes that he shouldn't be surprised that she has somehow weaponized eroticism. Maybe that's her Noble Phantasm? Maybe he found a yet unheard of class, Servant Fabulous.

In all seriousness though, her voice unnerved him even more. Her voice, her looks, the smell of blood that he has been able to identify is definitely emanating from her, it all paints a picture: this woman is dark, gloomy, and most definitely dangerous.

Still… she hasn't threatened him yet (indeed, she had saved his life), and doesn't seem to have any intent to kill him. Besides, it seems rather shallow of him to base how he sees her solely on her looks. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover. There might be more to her.

He begs of you, Akasha, please have more to her!

Well, I might as well answer her. With that thought, he looks up at her face, looking her right in where he assumes her eyes are, and smiles... before realizing that she can't see his smile due to wearing a blindfold. Well, let's just hope she can hear his smile in his voice.

"I was the one responsible for summoning you," he said, "but I am master to no one; least of all you, who shouldn't be servant to anyone." She stared at him incredulously, or at least he assumes she is staring at him incredulously due to not responding. For a moment he was afraid that he may have insulted her before she finally responded with the tilt of her head, apparently interested. He took that as a sign to continue. "What I am saying is that if you do not wish to work with me, than I will not force you to. I will, of course, still provide you with the power you need, but in every other respect I will have no control over what you do. You will be free to do whatever you wish." He paused, wanting to see her reaction, or in this case lack thereof, for if his words have set her thought processes into overtime, she didn't let it show on her face.

Add poker players to the list of those driven to jealous fury. At this rate, the entire world is going to hate her.

He continued once more, this time more hesitantly. "If…if you wish to be my partner, though, and if you wish to fight with me, than I will graciously accept your help." He paused expectantly, waiting to hear her answer. After a moment of what he can only assume is contemplation, a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips in a moment so brief he wonders if he had imagined it before she went down on one knee in front of him.

"In response to your summons, I have come," she said, "My blade will be at your side from here on out. From now on, whatever fate awaits you awaits me." She than lowered her head in deference, looking like a vassal about to be knighted by their lord.

Uh, is this all part of the ritual? Is she going to be kissing his hand next or something? For some reason, he has this weird feeling that if she were to kiss his hand, she would find a way to make it erotic.

She raised her head. "The accord with us has now been struck."

Well, this had actually turned out to go rather well. She had placed a great deal more weight to her words than he had expected, meaning that she has taken her oaths seriously. Whether this is because she planned on taking them seriously from the beginning or because he had created such a good first impression that she believed him worthy to be loyal to is up to debate. Looks like they're going to be partners. Now they need to figure out how many more Servants still need to be summoned so they can have an approximation on when the war starts. Come to think of it, he doesn't believe she told him her…

"I am Servant Rider," she cut in, rising to her feet.

… Class.

… Of course she's the Servant Rider. What other class could she be that could fit so perfectly? Of course he would have the Servant of the Mount. She has probably Mounted with many different people, Ridden through many cities. Oh, he is sure that she is an excellent Rider; top notch! After all, woman like her almost always have a high Riding skill. It's almost a requirement for woman of her trade to be able to Mount on command.

He supposes that it doesn't really matter too much. He'll just have to live with it. Right now, though, he has a much bigger problem to contend with: what type of tea and cake would she like the most?

No. No, no, nonono, it couldn't be her. It couldn't be Medu-chan. No, it's definitely not Medu-chan. Medu-chan is gone, swallowed up by the legendary figure Medusa when her time on Earth ended. That of course doesn't mean that Medusa wasn't somehow summoned. Granted, the last time she was summoned, it was with the help of an instrument of unlimited power, and even than it required them to be placed in a power limiter, or the class system. The idea of being able to bind fully powered Heroic Spirits to your will is just as ludicrous as binding the Crimson Moon.

Still, if it could be done before, it could be done again. The power requirement to do so would undoubtedly be immense, requiring probably dozens of magi, and they would need to place her in a class. Furthermore, Shirou already knows that a single magus can produce enough prana to support a servant. Bazett, after all, has enough prana to keep Lancer, albeit with weakened abilities. When she had revealed this to him, he was surprised and jealous with a smidgen of sadness. Lancer, having apparently taken notice of his sadness, had offered Bazett up to him, to her indignation and embarrassment with a smidgen of interest. Lancer had just laughed at her denials of interest in amusement and amusement with a smidgen of amusement.

So it is possible, if extremely difficult and no doubt time consuming, to summon a Servant. If that's the case, than what is she doing here? Is it just a coincidence that she is in the same airport as him, and is merely passing through?

No, the smell of blood emanating from her is getting stronger, which means she is moving closer to him, and ever since the accursed machine had apparently labeled him a terrorist (which is rather ironic, considering his "night job"), he was placed in an area of the airport that no one who is just "passing through" would have any reason to venture to.

Than she's at the airport for a reason. Has she come for him or someone else?

No, more than likely him. He saw the length of the hallway, and while quite long, it's not large enough to be outside the radius of his magic senses; he would know if a magus was within range and no magus would ever put up with such a delay. Come to think of it, why is he putting up with this delay? Great, for once in his life, acting nothing like a magus has backfired on him.

Shirou briefly considered the possibility that she is after a non-magus, but quickly dismissed the thought as ludicrous. He doubts any magus would go to the trouble of summoning a Servant without the Grail to assassinate some hapless non-magus… not that a magus would be any less hapless against a Servant.

So she's probably here for him. Does she plan on assassinating him, perhaps? He has, after all, played fast and loose with the rules ever since the Holy Grail War ended about eleven years ago, but not to the point where he has brought down the wrath of the Enforcers. Despite the fact that his alter-egos across four countries are quite famous, he has succeeded in hiding the fact that most of his feats have been done through magic.

The fact that he's made love with…err… had a prana transfer ritual with… on good terms with a prominent member of the Enforcers probably helps.

However, some of the more prominent and older members of the Magus Association, also known as the Clock Tower, believe him to be a continued threat to the sanctity and secrecy of magic. They have already sent a number of assassins out to kill him. Also, one shouldn't forget that he is still an Emiya, and thus still has many magi wanting revenge against his father… and a few against him.

No, assassinating seems unlikely, as he is still in a public area, and the odds of a fight, regardless of how outclassed he is, dragging out into a more public place are much too high. Attacking in the middle of the day, or the afternoon by this point, when the airport is still crowded with people, is something no magus would ever do. Plus, she probably would have already reached him by now if that were the case.

Than what is she here… wait… isn't a member of MBI supposed to show up at some point to diagnose the problem with the accursed machine? But what reason would Medusa have to work for a pharmaceutical company?

…Unless they were the ones who had summoned her, and have somehow bound her to servitude. But as he has already established, to summon a Servant would require the power of dozens of magi. Did a large group of magi create MBI for purposes unknown? While it is extremely rare for magi to work together to better their own knowledge of magic , for they are a hoarding bunch that rarely give away information unless they must, it has been known to happen. If that's the case, though, than why make it a public venture? What advantages could be gained from having stock holders?

He's missing something, a piece of information that would make this puzzle complete. As is though, what he does know is that she will soon be walking through the only door into this small room, and he very much doubts that she is here to diagnose the accursed machine. She probably wouldn't know the first thing to do in such a situation, though in her defense he probably wouldn't either. That's of course assuming that Structural Analysis doesn't give him what he needs to know.

The door finally opened, and she stepped in. Only she wasn't who Shirou was expecting, and that fact filled him with disappointment.

The woman was quite tall by Japanese standards, and in fact is about the same height as Rider. Despite that, she is still shorter than him; something that Medu-chan admitted being thrilled about (because she could look up at him) due to having an inferiority complex about her height. Ironically, in other parts of the world, her height is not anything to write home about. She's above average, sure, but that is still relatively common in those parts of the world. Shirou has since met many women as tall as or even taller than her. Though, he has heard that over the centuries, humanity's average height has been increasing. Given that piece of information, it wouldn't stretch the bounds of logic to think that back at her time, she was considered tall, especially for a woman.

Tied in a ponytail, her hair was a silver color that was a great deal more healthy than most hair he has seen of that color. Much like Rider's battle gear (or, as he has taken to calling it in his head, Fabulous gear), she had on a one piece black dress that was almost indecently high but at least had the courtesy to cover her shoulders. This courtesy proved to be pointless, however, due to the grey lab coat she is wearing over her shoulders like a cape. She had on a pair of black stockings (and yes, they are stockings this time) go up to nearly the top of her thighs, leaving a sliver of exposed skin under the dress. All in all, she definitely possesses supermodel level beauty, despite the bags under her eyes that suggest sleep deprivation. He can't help but think, though, that if all the jealously furious supermodels of the world were to ever get in line to beat up Rider, she would be the first in line.

Not because she would be jealously furious of Rider's beauty, but because she would want to get a good fight out of her.

What gives him this impression is the sheathed nodachi in her possession, with the only part visible being the black grip; but that doesn't matter, for all he needs to see is a part of the weapon to be able to use Structural Analysis on it. True, in most cases, he is required to touch the item to be able to use Structural Analysis; in the case of blades, however, they are immediately analyzed on sight, be they lances, axes, knives, scythes… or swords.

Especially swords.

This particular sword is ninety-nine centimeters long and composed of titanium-carbon monocrystal alloy strong enough to cut through freakin' tanks and able to withstand stresses no normal human can hope to put on it. Which goes to show that her strength is a great deal more than any human's strength is due to the microscopic fissures along the edge of the blade created due to the stress put on it.

Being gifted a chance to see such a fine weapon of war was almost enough for him to pardon her of her other offenses.

Almost; he is going to have words with her.

To say that he is happy that she is the one to walk through the door would be a lie. He will never admit to anyone the fact that he was hoping that Medusa would be the one walking in. Despite the fact that she wouldn't be his Rider, or his Medu-chan, he wanted to see her again. Worse, this woman has the exact same odor that Rider had. While he supposes that it probably not a good thing to be associated with the smell of blood, he had always considered that smell to be uniquely hers. While the other Servants had an aura to them (Saber an aura of warmth, Lancer of bloodlust, Caster of sadness, etc, etc), none of them had an aroma accompanying them. The fact that this… woman does is infuriating.

But it is something he is willing to overlook because it is just an odor.

What Shirou is not willing to overlook is the history he had gleamed from the sword; her history. History of bloodshed in which she fought and killed hundreds of people in battle (if he were to consider the slaughters he's seen as "battles"), and she enjoyed it. But even that is not an issue to him. After all, Lancer is just like that, and despite Lancer trying to kill him many times (and vice-versa), they are on good terms with each other.

No, the problem with this woman is her utter contempt for humanity. She believes them to be beneath her, nothing more than ants before her blade. To be played with for her amusement and to be stepped on at her leisure.

He thinks it would be best to dissuade her of that theory. It would be best to curb her of those ideas before she decides to become leisurely. He would rather avoid having to kill her, partly because if he can purge the arrogance from her system he might actually be able to get along well with her, and partly because it has always been his way to avoid killing whenever possible. Very few people truly deserve to die. Shirou would rather avoid having to take the lives of someone's loved one.

He still remembers the image of a little girl with white hair clutching at the legs of her giant protector, dead and disappearing on his feet. Most people have loved ones. Almost no one deserves to die.

Well, except for that accursed machine currently being pushed in by the second woman; maybe Archer, too.

The second woman was a great deal shorter than the first, but would be considered average height here. Her hair was pure white, which is odd because he had placed her to be in her forty's, and while it wouldn't have surprised him to see her hair starting to grey, he wouldn't have expected it to have gone completely white already. Shirou guesses she had inherited the Archer hair syndrome. Well, actually, considering her age, it would probably be the other way around. She had on a white lab coat that covered her all the way down to her knees. On her lab coat is an identity card that announced her to be a Takami Sahashi, Assistant Director of MBI.

So they do work for MBI. It's rather unsettling to think that something clearly not human is working for that company.

He of course is referring to the machine that put him here in the first place.

Shirou glared at his hated foe, wishing he had used Excalibur while he still had the chance. The Sword of Promised Victory would have no doubt not even damaged it, though, and he doubts even the power of Unlimited Blade Works could have scattered the beast asunder. Clearly a fearsome enemy to behold.

He glanced over to the other woman, who had positioned herself by the corner (which is a good thing because if she were here to intimidate him she would have positioned herself behind him) a smile beaming at him (which may be a bad thing depending on whether the smile is because of the obvious animosity he showed to the machine or because she is happy to be able to get a chance to hurt someone). The smile proves to be rather infectious, leading him to return it.

"Hello Ojou-san," Shirou said with a nod to the woman, whose smile widened in response. He glanced over to Sahashi-san, who had plucked the chair opposite him and sat down. "Hello Sensei," he added, eliciting a snort from her. "I assume that you are here about…"

"Cut the crap," she said, cutting him off, "Who are you and who do you work for?"

…Well shit, this is going to get worse before it gets any better.

"Well that's rather rude," he said, "are you sure your not mistaking me for the asshole in room four?" This elicited a snort of amusement from the other woman. Sahashi-san, who had started to type away at the machine (which is no doubt currently whispering honeyed lies into her ears in an attempt to convince her to kill him and mutilate his corpse before going on a killing spree), paused to glare at him.

"Karasuba," she said her voice like a whip. He heard a hiss of steel, and in a move so fast he barely saw it she drew her blade, resting it on his throat. She sauntered towards Shirou, stopping when she stood behind him in the common intimidation position for interrogations, her blade steady on his throat.

… Yep, looks like he's going to have to start Operation Storm Shadow AKA piss off the interrogators with loads of obnoxious and snarky behavior until they give up. He can't decide which is worse, the fact that he has done this so often he has it named or the fact that this would be the second time in one week that he would be in this situation.

Fucking Archer.

Karasuba needs to only wait a little bit longer to make the world burn. Why, one may ask, would she want to go about doing something like that? Why, one may inquire, would she want to invoke a slaughter?

Because it amuses her.

She can almost imagine the beauty of the moment when the flames, the conflagration of fire, spreads across the planet. How intoxicating the death and despair will be, provoked by the cleansing fire upon the weak, the pathetic, the human; and only the strong will survive. It is said that the meek shall inherit the Earth. No one said, though, that the inheritance will always be theirs. It is said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Soon it will be time for her to put that to the test.

Over the centuries humanity has lost its luster (what little luster they had). They have conquered the world, after all, so what reason do they have to struggle? What reason do they have to fight? They have grown complacent in their mockery of power and supposed glory, but just like all other empires, they will fall. Just like Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, Byzantine, Islam; all great empires, all that have fallen to the hordes. Eventually, the barbarians will be at the gate to bring their empire to an end. Than, in the void of the chaotic new world will rise legends, the heroes and villains of a new era.

Karasuba will readily admit to anyone who asks that she was born in the wrong century. While she will admit to having a grudging respect for humanity as a whole, after all they must have done something right to have conquered the entire world, on an individual basis they are barely worth acknowledging, clearly being inferior to Sekirei. If what she has read about in the past is any indication, however, humanity was not always like that. The times of myth and legend are when she should have been born. To be given the chance to wrestle with Heracles, have a duel to the death with King Arthur, ride out in conquest with Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan, battle with the monsters of the darkness and the night such as the Gorgon or the Kraken. A world where fantastic battles are just around the corner for her to pit her skills; and if Karasuba were to die, what concern is that to her? It would mean that she had fallen to a worthy foe, an enemy she would graciously concede defeat to.

Even now, there are so few challenges for her to fight. Even amongst her brethren, only two can provide her with the fight she thirsts for, one already being dead and the other having retired. Though, it must be said that the Sekirei that person sacrificed herself for, #88 Musubi, is intriguing. At the moment she is hardly any stronger than any of the other trash, but she has what very few of the Sekerei have: determination. #88 is determined to win the Sekerei plan, is determined to best her in one on one combat, is determined to fulfill that person's dream that she has adopted and prove Karasuba wrong about the nature of the Ashikabi. About the nature of love.

Determination can go a long ways in battle, and Karasuba has no doubt that #88 will have greatly improved fighting abilities if (when) they face off. Perhaps #88 will provide her with the challenge she craves, and if she doesn't, than she guesses the world will have to burn. If she wants a world of legend and myth, than she will have to pave a way for it. Karasuba cannot go back to it, assuming that such a world ever existed at all, which means that she will have to bring it to her.

What most people don't seem to understand is that a forest fire is a natural and necessary part of life; and like a forest fire, she will purify the world of the weak, of the pathetic, of the meek.

But that is of course all in the future. After all, the Sekirei Plan is still only in its first phase, and less than two thirds of the Sekirei have been released. Karasuba estimates that it would probably take two months, perhaps three, to reach the end of the Plan. She supposes she could speed up the process by killing a number of her brethren herself, but after a while, going on killing sprees start to bore her. Much better to pace herself. Besides, at the present moment she is much too busy roughing up, or she should say about to rough up, a corporate spy.

If (a big fat if) there are two things she loves besides battle, it would be seeing the look of terror and helplessness on the face of a human when they realize yes, they are inferior and seeing Takami getting completely riled up.

The fact that the latter is already happening, and the former is going to happen soon means that she is already having a pretty good day. She reaches the door with Takami not far behind, and opened it to get her first look at her new plaything.

He was a rather tall specimen, with broad shoulders and is fairly young, probably in his mid-twenties. He had a mass of red hair kept short and slicked back, presumably with jell, and…rather exquisitely…beautiful golden eyes of a kind she's never seen before.

…that was odd. What was that? She mentally shakes her head, dismissing that… whatever it was.

He had on an all white business suit, a navy blue dress shirt, and a white tie. She can only assume that he is also wearing a pair of white dress pants as well due to the table he is sitting behind blocking her view. On his hands is a pair of black gloves.

…He's actually rather cute. How lucky of her, because it's always the good looking ones that she loves to hurt the most.

That thought brought a smile to her lips. At least she thinks it was the thought.

"Hello Ojou-san," the man said to her with a nod and a returning smile just as Takami stepped into the room. Her smile widened unbidden, pleased that he was smiling at her. Wait, why was she pleased about that? Granted, he has a…rather nice smile… that gives his face a… pleasant…

What the hell is going on, she snarled to herself, purposely derailing her thought. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that she was reacting to him. That is, of course, unlikely, due to the fact that she is already reacting to one Natsuo Ichinomi, a clerk in MBI's pharmaceutical department, that she doesn't have a tugging feeling in her chest that would inform her of her reaction, and that she hasn't had to deal with this… whatever it is around Natsuo. Indeed her reaction to Natsuo has to do more with compatibility of motives than it does with compatibility of personality. The fact that Karasuba is acting… smitten? Is disturbingly similar to something else she is aware of.

She has, after all, heard of the tactic known as "taming", one favored by the Ashikabi of the South Hayato Mikogami, though she hears that the Ashikabi of the East Higa Izumi has been stepping up his game in this regard, starting what can only be described as a Sekirei arms race that will no doubt end with the two of them owning a large majority of the 108 Sekirei. The tactic is quit simply where the Ashikabi wings a Sekirei not reacting to them, and despite being winged by force the Sekirei almost always starts to develop feelings for their Ashikabi.

Of course, it's not quite the same as whatever is going on as she doesn't currently have an Ashikabi, nor does she plan on getting one any time soon, despite reacting. Odds are, it probably has nothing to do with this man, who is currently greeting Takami, and thankfully it doesn't seem to be impeding her willingness to rough him up, so she doubts it will have any effect on her duties. Afterwards, though, she's going to have to pull aside a few researchers so they can analyze her and diagnose the problem. Until then, she will have to live with being smitten with this man.

Karasuba never thought she would hear herself think that.

"I assume you are here about…" said the man, only to be cut of by Takami.

"Cut the crap. Who are you and who do you work for?" He responded with a… elegant raise of an eyebrow that accentuates his sophisticated char…

…Well, shit, this is going to get worse before it gets any better.

"Well that's rather rude," he said, "are you sure your not mistaking me for the asshole in room four?" This elicited a snort of amusement from Karasuba, which she can for once not blame the smite on. She would have found that line amusing regardless.

"Karasuba." Takami, evidently, did not, but she acquiesced to her command, drawing her blade and resting it on his throat under his chin. She sauntered behind him, not realizing until after she was in position that she had added a sway in her hips when she moved, presumably to entice him.

"Hey, being held at sword point by a supermodel with an attitude was the last thing on my bucket list," he said in an overly cheerful and undoubtedly mocking way, "I can die happy now." Yes, he can, if 'super' was replaced with 'superior', 'model' with 'being', and 'with an attitude' with 'smitten due to something that is no doubt Takehito's fault'. Still, best not ignore this opportunity to end this infuriating (when she's not fawning) situation.

"Well, since he gave his permission, can I give him the honors of dying to my blade?" She said with a smile much crueler than the one before. Takami gave her a look filled with irritation. Yes, Takami, you are now currently the only one who actually wants to have a prolonged interrogation. After all, it's best not to stay here too long. There is no way of knowing what she might do if her symptoms begin to worsen.

"Karasuba," said Takami, pinching the bridge of her nose, "we need to know what he's doing here and who sent him, which would be rather difficult to learn if you were to behead him."

" Actually, I hear the brain continues working for a few moments after being beheaded," he said.

"Right, and a few moments is all we will need to learn everything from this man," said Karasuba. Takami gave them both a look of incredulity, as if she couldn't believe that they are both trying to convince her to order Karasuba to behead him. Than again, when put that way, it is rather bizarre. Takami finally just sighed and apparently decided to ignore the current topic because instead of acknowledging her words, she pulls out her touch screen laptop and said, "Who are you?"

"Shirou," he said, and than, after a dramatic pause, added, "Emiya Shirou."

If Takami weren't currently in the room, she probably wouldn't have played along. Than again, that could be The Smite talking.

"Good evening, Mister Shirou," she said, eliciting a barely audible (even she could barely hear it) groan from Takami, which in turn elicited a smile from Karasuba. Worth it.

"Who do you work for?" said Takami more irritably than before, their byplay wrecking her nerves.

"Oh, come on, Ojou-san and I pretty much just spelled it out to you," Emiya-san said, "What do I need to do, seduce her? I work for N16!" On any other day, any attempt to try to do exactly that would have probably ended with her breaking his spine. Unfortunately, on this day, due to that damn Smite issue; he might actually get somewhere if he were to turn on the charm.

Takami stared at him flatly before deciding. "Karasuba, he seems to be insane. Could you reorder his brain so we can have a lucid conversation?" Her smile widened at that. Well, you're the boss. Karasuba removed the blade from his throat, grabbed the back of his, and violently whipped it down, smashing his forehead into the table. She of course held back a great deal, not wanting to smash his skull like an eggshell (yet, anyways) or have his head go clean through the table (not likely, considering the table is made of metal). Still, that was damn satisfying despite her restraint.

"What's the matter, 007?" Karasuba said to Emiya-san, who is groaning in pain. "Can't take the pressure?"

"No, I'm used to these sorts of things," he said, shaking his head and glaring at her out of the corner of his eye, "and that's 000 to you. 007 hates it when you confuse him with me." Karasuba pouted… for some reason. It's not like she's upset about him shrugging off her attack (gives her more chances to hurt him, after all), so why is she pouting? Granted, she has heard that if done correctly it makes one look rather cu…

Damn it, not The Smite again… Fucking Takehito.

"Director, I don't think the treatment worked," said Karasuba, "Shall I continue administering it until he's fixed?" Takami opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Emiya-san.

"Now, now, Ojou-san, the Director already told you not to kill me, which is what this 'treatment' will end up leading to. It's rather difficult to interrogate a corpse."

"I'll manage," she said, her grin turning feral.

"Karasuba," said Takami reproachfully, rubbing her temples as if she had an oncoming headache. "I swear, it's like they're meant for each other," muttered Takami under her breath. Well, the jokes on her, because Karasuba isn't even reacting. Either that, or the jokes on that person because it would be proof that her idiotic ideas about the Power of Love and of how Ashikabis are their true love is complete bullshit.

Not that she doesn't already think the "Power of Love" is complete bullshit, but it's good to have reaffirmation of that fact.

"Listen Emiya-san, if that really is your name," said Takami, obviously nearing the end of her patience, "before you waste any more of my time, I'd suggest taking this seriously or I will order Karasuba to kill you." Which, come to think of it, may well be his end game, assuming that he is a corporate spy: seeing as he is already being interrogated, it would be easy to conclude that he has already been caught, and instead of answering questions that could prove detrimental to his boss, he'd rather goad his enemy into killing him. To die to prevent the secrets of your employers from being unearthed… there's something to respect about that level of loyalty.

Alternatively, he could simple be an idiot… but an amusing idiot. And there's The Smite talking; again.

"Why should I take this seriously when this is not a serious interrogation?" he said, and she was barely able to contain a flinch (unintentionally saving his life as the movement would have slit his throat) at the sudden shift in his tone. One moment it was jovial and light, the next… as hard as steel. Takami must have also been thrown off, too, if the blink was any indication. He continued.

"This is hardly an interrogation. Indeed, it is quite sloppy and amateurish." Karasuba barely restrained the explosion of giggles. While it is true that this is her first interrogation (her enemies are usually suffering from a severe case of death to be able to pump them for information), how hard could it be? Hurt them until they give her the information they need; simple. She's already holding him by sword point and bashed his head on the table. What more does he need?

Well, other than a few broken bones, but she was already going to do that regardless of if he answered their questions or not.

"So what exactly do you think we've been doing wrong?" She said, not able to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"First off, Ojou-san, you should not be here. You, unfortunately, do not make good muscle." In her defense, she doesn't exactly need muscle. One of the perks of her species.

"The whole point of muscle is to be intimidating, to be a constant threat of violence against the suspect." He leaned back his head to look at her, smiling. For a brief moment, she had the urge to kiss him, undoubtedly due to The Smite.

"You are not intimidating. In fact, if I were to see you in a bar, I would approach you and buy you a drink. You're down right cute." Cute; cute? Don't insult me, human. No true warrior is cute, especially her. He leaned his head forward to once again look at Takami, who's frowning.

"And while I'm sure that you are a highly skilled fighter, and greatly feared in MBI, since I know nothing about this all I have to base my fear off of is what you look like, and I have very little reason to fear a supermodel with an attitude." Proof in her book that he is was not sent by a company to infiltrate; if they did, than he would know everything about her. Unless of course it's a feint to make her think that he knows nothing about her and MBI in general.

"After all, the most important thing about the muscle is the right look. I need to be threatened by you on sight. I need to fear you, regardless of how skilled you are. A supermodel, even with a sword, is not threatening." There he goes on about her looking like a supermodel again. What the hell is giving him that impression? She is a warrior, not some bimbo whose sole job is to look pretty… which is pretty much the purpose of most of the other Sekirei, come to think of it.

"Speaking of the sword, threatening to slit my throat is useless. Why threaten to kill me when you need me alive?" Because it's fun? Plus, only Takami needs him alive; she could give a damn about figuring out who sent him. After all, if they kill him, they might send another for her to hurt.

"You might also unintentionally sever my vocal cords, making speech impossible, and even if you didn't, drowning on my own blood would make me disinclined to talk, and unlike your previous assertions, having conversations with dead people is somewhat difficult, Ojou-san." Bah, first supermodel, and now Ojou. If Karasuba didn't know any better, she would think that he was purposely insulting her legacy. She is not just some princess or some floozy. She is the Black Sekerei, MBI's Dog, one who can only be threatened by #01 herself. Her body was made to use the sword. Her hands are of iron, and her eyes of fire. She has survived countless battles. Only once has she been defeated. Only once has another stood. She will always stand on the hill of corpses, intoxicated with her victory. Truly, her body is made to use the sword. So she will not be insulted by some human who knows nothing of power; nothing of strength… so why is it that she can't bring herself to feel insulted? For some reason she doesn't mind being referred to as Ojou, or even as a supermodel (no matter how grossly inaccurate that one is). Bah, must be The Smite talking again.

"Furthermore, considering how long we've been in this room, if you were doing your job correctly, my face would be a bloody mess considering my flippancy." More than just your face would be a bloody mess if it were up to her. Your entire body should be a bloody mess for your flippancy.

"The muscle's job is to beat down the resistance of the subject, making them more willing to talk instead of facing the punishment; but you almost want me to resist." …Eh, that one's fair.

"Which brings me to my final critique: you're a sadist. You're sadism is a mile long. Now one would think that being sadistic would be pretty much a necessity, but ironically, it can be quite detrimental if you can't hide it properly. You, in particular, have given me the impression that regardless of whether or not I answer the questions, you will hurt me. So what incentive would I have to answer?" A quick death? Well, relatively quick death, anyway.

"And you," said Emiya-san, directing his full attention on Takami, "are just as poor at being an interrogator. You just don't have the presence." No arguments here.

"You need to be in control of the conversation. You need to be in control of the flow. You need to be the one in charge, so that when you ask, they have no choice but to answer. But you weren't. You were not in charge, I was. I controlled the flow of information. I controlled the conversation. You have learned one thing from me, my name, and even that you aren't sure is true. It is, by the way. You didn't have the power, I did. You were a fly on the wall in your own interrogation. If you had any power, the muscle would have never spoken. Muscle doesn't need mouths. They don't need to talk to do there jobs, and in fact it can be detrimental to there jobs." He gestured to Karasuba. "Exhibit A. Finally, and most damning of all, how long did it take me to convince you to kill me? A couple of minutes? If I were truly a corporate spy, you would have gotten nothing off of me. Never forget one thing: some people are willing to die to keep there secrets."

With his speech finally over, Takami just glared at him for the next couple of moments. Not surprising, all things considered: the only people who talk down to her are Sekerei, who have every reason to talk down to her. He, on the other hand, is young enough to be her son and yet is treating her like a child.

Takami's anger is downright delicious.

"You seem to know a great deal about interrogation techniques," Karasuba said.

"This is not the first time I've been interrogated," he said with a shrug, "Not even the first time this week. To say that my luck is poor is an understatement. It's so poor my luck declared bankruptcy, and has probably committed suicide due to accumulation of debt."

"What exactly did you do to get interrogated the first time?" said Karasuba, suddenly realizing that Takami, despite the scolding, is once again a fly on the wall of her own interrogation. Ha!

"They thought I worked for the Russian Mafia. Which would make this the second time in one week I've been accused of being something I'm not."

"Oh, so you're saying that you're not trying to infiltrate MBI?" said Takami with a hint of suspicion, finally able to jump into the conversation.

"I'm a doctor, not a corporate spy." Karasuba couldn't help but be surprised by that. She wouldn't have pegged him for that profession. Guess he just has a horrible bedside manner. Before either of them could further ask questions, he decided to elaborate. "I attended Aichi Medical University for six years, obtaining my MD. After that, I worked at Fuyuki Hospital for three years, earning Residency before I joined Yoshiko Industries, a medical firm based in Fuyuki. From there I became a traveling physician, so I am sent wherever there are any vacancies that need filling. I was in the United States for eight months, France for ten months, and Russia for six. My next position is here in Shin Tokyo, at the Hiyamakai Hospital."

"Oh, so you can speak a foreign language? You must be able to speak French than," said Karasuba. Not that she thought he was lying, but it always good to be thorough. Besides, she always wanted to hear someone speaking French.

"Je sais que vous n'etes pas humain," Emiya-san said, of which she didn't understand a word of it. Well, it did sound foreign at least. Not quite as sexy sounding as she had been led to believe, but it could simply be his way of saying it. Takami, though, wasn't paying to much attention to this current piece of information, and has been typing on her touch screen laptop ever since he rattled off his medical service history. Takami narrowed her eyes at what she found.

"It says here that you were added into the Emiya household when you were six years old; why?" Takami said.

"I was adopted," he said, "I was rescued by my father, Emiya Kiritsugu, after the Fuyuki Fire twenty-one years ago. Due to the trauma of that event, I suffered from retrograde amnesia and thus had no memories before that event except for my first name. When no one came to claim me and everyone begin to assume my family died in the flames, Kiritsugu ended up adopting me as his son." Oh, so he's a survivor? Yes, that would go to some lengths to explain how he seems stronger than most humans. Admittedly, that's not saying much, and he's still too weak to be a threat to her, but it's good to know that improvement can be made with a strong enough… stimulus.

Takami frowned at what he said, typing in a few more things before finally saying, "Do you know the address that you lived at before the fire?"

"No," he said, obviously annoyed that Takami asked a question she knew he couldn't answer, "However, I'm quite certain that I was only a block away from ground zero." There was a pause due to more typing, before Takami said, "May I please see your passport to verify your identity?" He did just that, provoking a sigh from Takami.

"Karasuba; let him go." So he isn't a spy? They've been wasting there time interrogating someone for no reason. Great, now they're going to have to pay this guy hush money. It might be easier to just kill him. All it would take is an 'accidental' slip of her hand, and he would be on the ground, dying. She eventually relented however; Takami would undoubtedly blame her for the 'accident' and would probably order her to clean the blood off the floor, which can be a bitch to clean.

Speaking from experience here.

"Good to know that I've been cleared of these charges," Emiya-san said, "Though I am curious on what exact error caused all of this."

"Right, about that," said Takami, "Quite simply, these machines are still prototypes. As such, the testing database was still left on the machine, where we tested most of the researchers at MBI. The error code we registered you as a partial match for one of MBI's employees, and considering that employee has been dead for three years, you can understand our confusion." Even Karasuba raised an eyebrow at that. The only MBI employee that she knows died was Takehito Asama, and she doubts he would be the type to have a family. Nah, it's probably not him. Than who could it…?

"Partial match?" said Emiya-san, obviously confused, "wait, than that would mean…"

"That the MBI employee," said Takami, "a man by the name of Asama Takehito, is your biological father."

… Now that there's no more patience in Karasuba, the dead shall walk the Earth, and she shall search among the dead until she finds the ghost of Takehito and FUCKING MURDER IT! Bonus if #01 happens to see her do it, because she will no doubt pick a fight with Karasuba over mutilating his soul. Death and a battle, her two favorite things in the world.

"And what about my mother?" he said after a long moment of shocked silence.

"I'm sorry, but she's not on our records," said Takami, "so I can only assume that she had died in the same fire that you had survived." Emiya-san visible deflated at that. Learning the identity of one of your parents only to learn that both have been dead for years… nope, she doesn't know how that feels, nor will she ever know how that feels, nor will she care to know how that feels.

"However, I do know that he had remarried to a woman by the name of Asama Miya. I believe she still currently in Shin Tokyo." Karasuba barely resisted the urge to snort. It's not like #01 has any reason to leave the city. Indeed, she might not even be able to leave the city without a fight.

"I can give you her address if you are interested." Emiya-san seemed to ponder this for a few moments, before smiling, and saying, "I appreciate the offer but I'm going to have to decline." Takami blinked in surprise, evidently not expecting him to turn down her offer, so he elaborated. "The thing is, in my mind, Kiritsugu will always be my father. He is the only father I've ever had. By comparison, this Takehito-san is nothing more to me than just the man who was responsible for my birth. He's nothing more than a stranger to me, and so is his wife. Though I do admit having some interest in learning about him, I can't help but think that it might be a bit awkward for the son of his first wife to meet with his second wife; but thank you for the offer. Now, if you don't mind, am I allowed to leave?"

"Yes, you may go, and I apologize for the inconvenience," Takami said, standing up, "I need to go make a few phone calls, so you can show your own way out." And with that, Takami left the room, leaving only Karasuba and him.

"Well, I suppose it has been fun, Emiya-san," she said, sheathing her blade and sauntering towards the door before grumbling to herself, "I would have preferred to have a bit more fun, though."

Rejoice, #04 Karasuba, for your wish has been granted.

"Karasuba." said the voice from behind her, which sets alarms off in her head. She spun around, reaching for her sword, tilting her head to the left to dodge the thrown… dinner knife that came with his meal? At first she thought she had overreacted until she saw out of the corner of her eye the knife sinking into the wall all the way to the hilt. She drew her sword, though nowhere near as fast as she could have gone; it was still past the scopes of human speeds. After all, she'd rather not reveal her extraterrestrial origins; plus, she was still going fast enough to easily be able to subdue him before he is able to attack.

This is why it came as a great shock that she was barely able to draw her blade before he had bounded over the table and, while spinning to face her, kicked the sword out of her grasp and into the air. He than grabbed her, lifted her into the air, and smashed her down on to the table. While that would probably require quite a feat of strength (for a human), it's still not as shocking as what came before. After all, she's hardly heavy. Indeed, due to the disproportion of weight and power, half of most Sekirei battles are spent with one of the Sekirei flying through the air. Finally, holding her down with his left arm, he leapt on the table, straddled her, and plucked the sword out of the air, ending with her looking at the tip of her own sword inches away from her face.

"I do hope this has caught your attention," he said, "so listen up, because I want to make something quite clear." She was wrong; Emiya-kun has an excellent bedside manner! And, perhaps not surprisingly, she's starting to feel that tugging feeling in her chest…

It was at that moment that she upgraded him from infuriating specimen to possible opponent. Coincidentally, that was also when smitten upgraded to horny.

Really horny.

"I don't know exactly what you are, but I know you are not human, and I know that you think you can walk all over humanity like we are ants. You can not. We have ruled this planet for centuries, to the point where the very planet itself wants us dead. You push us, we will push you back, and if we push back, we will destroy you. You are not the first upstart creature who thinks they can challenge us and what the hell are you doing?"

In Karasuba's defense, she was listening to everything he said. Her mind just didn't bother to comprehend the words entering her ear, so they went out the other ear. Her brain was too busy thinking about more important things to focus on something so trivial.

After all, she still needs to figure out how to get him out of that suit quickly and efficiently. She could just simply rip it off, but he might not be too happy she destroyed what is obviously a very expensive suit, and a man not happy is a man not willing to use his sword. Conversely, she could simply divest him of the clothes slowly, but she doesn't have time for that. She wants to fuck him; she wants to fuck him now! After all, she simply needs to rip off her clothes and she's good to go. MBI has plenty of replacement clothes ready for her if these are damaged. Maybe that's the way out of this dilemma: promise to get him a replacement suit for him on the company's dime as recompense, than he might be (hopefully) willing to give her that duel whether his clothes are destroyed or not. Shouldn't be too hard to convince them to give her what she needs. All she needs to do is ask politely, in which she threatens employees with her sword until they give in. She's polite like that, not killing them over something this important.

Perfect, now she just needs ways to spice things up a bit. Karasuba has no doubt that the sword will be put to good use as a sex toy. She's always wanted to see a two sword style! Maybe if he allows her to leave first, she could go find a few corpses lying around and bring them here as decoration for the fucking room.

No, no, that's not a good idea. If she were to leave the room, Emiya-kun will definitely leave. After all, what reason would he have to stay? No, best that she doesn't leave. Guess she will have to make up for the lack of corpses with a vigorous duel. If the fucking room isn't completely destroyed, than she isn't doing her job right.

Also, she should avoid kissing him on the mouth. MBI wouldn't want that, and Emiya-kun especially wouldn't want that, so she should use her lips on other areas; but if she were to accidentally wing herself to him during their duel, oh well. It's not like it matters who her Ashikabi is, despite what that person believes, or rather because of what that person believes.

With her plan of action set, she went about enticing her opponent. She begin to wiggle sensuously on the table, with her arms raised over her head, her eyes giving him a 'come hither' look, a saucy smile spreading on her lips, and her hips gyrating against his. Emiya-kun seems to have taken notice, if his sudden change in tone is anything to go by.

He gives her an incredulous glare, his mouth slightly agape. Does… does he not find her to his liking? Does he only see her as an enemy to fight rather than an opponent to duel? He glances at her sword in his hand, looks back at her, and looks at her sword again before a realization seems to hit him. His eyes widen, his mouth dispenses with the 'slightly' part, and then he shudders.

… Of course he shudders. Why wouldn't he shudder?

That might not have been a shudder, though. What if that was a shiver? A shiver of anticipation? If that's the case…

You mustn't miss this chance. You mustn't, you mustn't, you mustn't.

"Doctor," Karasuba said, "aren't you going to examine me? I've been such a naughty girl all day that I may have hurt myself." The response was immediate, as Emiya-kun immediately jumped off of her, his back to the door, clutching her sword in his hand like a lifeline, barely restrained panic in his eyes. A small part of her, a part not busy trying to fuck him, can't help but be amused that he can stare down a threat against his life without even flinching, but if a woman starts trying to seduce him, he panics.

She sits up, her legs crossed and her back arching seductively, her eyes fluttering closed, and said, "Doesn't the big bad doctor want to give me an injection? I'm a big girl, I can take it." Heh, I'm starting to sound like Matsu.

…#02? Matsu, the Pervert? Why would she sound like the Pervert? Karasuba looked around in confusion, thinking back… Fuck! What am I doing?

Ironically, that thought perfectly encapsulates the answer.

Damn, this must be another symptom of The Smite. She was afraid her symptoms might worsen, but she didn't think it would progress this far this fast!

Thankfully, the new symptoms abruptly disappear just as suddenly as they had appeared. Karasuba glanced over to Emiya-kun, who is still pointing her sword at her, though this time with caution instead of panic. He seemed to have realized that The Smite has passed, because he lowered her sword, holding the handle towards her, and gave her an inquisitive look. She glared back at him.

"Right," he said with a nod, "Let us never speak of this again."

"If you do," Karasuba said, "Than I will cram my hand down your throat, rip your lungs out and shove it up your ass." He raised an eyebrow at her threat, before smirking and throwing her sword back to her, opening the door to leave the room. She easily caught the thrown sword and quickly sheathed it. She was about to leave as well when she paused. Despite The Smite induced embarrassments, she still hasn't forgotten the fact that she is reacting to him, and the knife buried into the wall is part of the reason.

Fact of the matter is that he had succeeded in disarming her and pinning her down. She was going easy on him, of course, and it would have been pathetically easy to escape, but that doesn't change the fact that he had even put her in that position. It suggests a level of combat experience one would not expect from a doctor.

She pulled the knife out of the wall. The knife, too, is of interest. Forgetting how accurate his knife throw was, there is no forgetting the sight of a supposedly dull knife sinking into the wall. Indeed, the knife isn't dull at all; it's sharp enough to be a scalpel. This makes Karasuba wonder how he could possible make this knife so sharp.

So many interesting questions about that man. He is someone to keep an eye on. Emiya-kun may even prove to be her Ashikabi.

She leaves the room, taking the knife with her. At the moment, though, she has a Dead Raising Machine to make. No doubt #02 could provide a great deal of assistance in this regard. Karasuba has the soul of Takehito to rise, and she will succeed. She has gone through enough humiliation and embarrassment because of The Smite. He will be paid ten fold for that and will go through so much pain and suffering that he will wish he were dead… again.

Author's Note (...again): Strap in tight, because I have a lot of things to go over.

First off, I would like to make note that this is the first story I have ever posted on fanfiction (or, well, anywhere), so yay for me. In all truth, I've actually been done with this chapter for weeks now, but have held off on publishing it. The plan was to finish at least three chapters before publishing the first. That way, even if I fell behind my schedule (I originally planned to post a chapter every month), I would have a buffer zone and still have something to post.

After all, I am an avid Fanfiction reader, and know first hand the pain of waiting for an excellent piece to update, especially when I don't know when the next chapter will be ready. I wanted to alleviate the worry of not knowing when. You'll still have to wait, sure, but at least there would be a deadline.

Yeah,that plan kind of fell through. So, on behalf of all fanfiction writers who had to deal with impatient fans, I apologize: writing for fun AND on a strict schedule is fucking hard. As such, I've jumped to plan B: post my first chapter, and wait for the yammering of reviewing fans to kick by ass into gear.

I would like to note, though, that I'm already halfway through Chapter 2, though I don't know when it'll be finished. Rejoice, though, for when it is finished,you will have plenty to read.

Secondly, I would like the talk about the inspiration of In Flight for a second. When I say I was inspired, I meant that this story came about to correct what I felt to be issues in that story. Now, don't get me wrong, In Flight is a great read, but it also suffers from what I like to call the Signs effect: something so well written (or acted, or directed, etc etc) that it is able to cover some flaws in the story. I walked away from the movie Signs loving it, only to realize a few hours later the shear stupidity of aliens weak to water attacking a world 70% water! While none of the flaws in In Flight are quite as egregious, it was still noticeable enough that I have a hard time reading it again.

Thus I have written this, and will periodically take note of what I believe to be flaws in In Flight (though you are welcome to disagree) and what I have done to fix it.

With that out of the way, let's get to notes about the story itself.

I would like to first take note of the admittedly cliche (at least for this crossover) opening of "Shirou sets off MBI machine and gets interrogated". I suck when it comes to beginning my stories, and it usually takes some time for me to get a head of steam, as such, I went with the easiest way to begin the story as I could, and build things from there. I like to think it worked out rather well, though I would like to hear your input.

Secondly, the flashback, I will be using flashbacks extensively in this story. For those of you who do not like flashbacks, this story is not for you.

Next, Takami; she will have a minimal influence on this story. This is one of my complaints of In Flight: Takami is basically just a plot device used to keep Shirou in the city. other than that, she had barely any bearing on the plot.

Plus, it gave me a chance to set up interesting ideas when it comes to Shirou and Miya's relationship. In all truth, I don't know where to go with that, so I welcome ideas on the subject.

And I just want to get this out of the way: yes, Minato is in this story.

Just to show my hypocrisy, my next subject will be about Shirou's profession. In all truth, I only plan on using it for one plot point. As such, ideas on how to use his medical degree are welcome!

I would also like to make a brief mention of the Smite of Karasuba: yes, there is a reason for it, no, she is not the only Sekirei that will react in that manner.

One other thing should be pointed out: if you haven't noticed, I'm a wordy bastard. As such, if you don't feel like wasting your time reading my notes, than feel free to ignore them. Just know that any questions answered in them you ask I will ignore, since,you know,I already answered them.

Review, Review, Review; flattery disguised as reviews are acceptable, though I would prefer constructive criticism that would improve my writing. If you must however, who am I to say no?

I will close this extremely long notes section with a possible plot idea I thought of. I'm not usually one to write more than one story at a time, so perhaps someone else can make use of it:

Yume and Karasuba, the only two members of the Second Disciplinary Squad, are called in to help save the lives of kidnapped feathers. Only to get unexpected assistance from a certain red haired youth...