Haru spent the entirety of golden week in hell.
Ordinarily, one might think that getting to spend the next couple of days with a woman as beautiful as Tohsaka Rin would be a blessing, especially for a man as hot-blooded and perverse as he was. He was no fool, the woman was a ten out of ten knockout and by far one of the most sexiest women on the face of the earth. Her elegant, if otherwise cold and aloof personality, only helped bolster that image. However, that said, she was also his grandmother and barely looked like she passed out of her teenage years and into adulthood. She was also a very strict teacher who would accept no less than perfection, nor would she stop for minor things like breaks until she felt he earned them with his blood, sweat and tears.
If it wasn't Tohsaka Rin, then it was Fujimura Tatsuki. A volatile spitfire incarnate, as they almost always found themselves bickering at every turn, whether it was about him being a pervert and her under the misconception he was a creep, which he was used to given the female student body's treatment towards him, and him being annoyed by her antics and constant attempts to dropkick him every time they met. It was only by pure luck that he somehow managed to reinforce his body and brace for impact when he saw her coming. Rin claimed she had no magical potential and couldn't qualify as a magus, even if she were to learn the same basic abilities as his grandfather, but she more than made up for it with her superhuman strength.
There was also the fact that she didn't like to be called any variation of cat. The one time he called her Neko-chan as a way of teasing, he almost lost his head. In the distance, he could swear he heard the resounding roar of a very pissed off tiger.
Seriously, what was with the women in his life being quasi-monsters who could rip him to pieces if they wanted to?
"At least we're finally back home..." Haru groaned, slumping in his seat. Golden Week had passed and he was now on his way back home, where his sweet, sweet soft and comfortable bed was waiting for him, along with Asia's beautiful and angelic smile. "Ugh, my whole body hurts. I feel like I just got done with a month's worth of boot camp!"
Altera smiled wryly at her Master. "Come now, Haru. It wasn't that bad."
"You weren't there." Haru glared. "You spent all that time chatting with Illya-san and that damned cat!"
While Haru endured the grueling training set by his grandmother, Altera had been spending time with Illya and Tatsuki. The former wanted to get to know her better Tatsuki the latter was curious about her. Tatsuki was still thinking that Haru was blackmailing or had her a sex slave, a conception that he was seriously getting annoyed with. All because Altera referred to him as her Master. Illya, on the other hand, took every opportunity to tease him, and occasionally give him a light tap on his rear. At first, he thought it was because of a subtle incest thing going on, but she clarified her actions by stating that she did it to rile him up, knowing full well he wasn't used to such interactions before with any woman, not even that she-devil Aika!
Seriously, what the hell had his life become?
"I can't wait to get home..." Haru grumbled. As the train continued on its path, he peeked out the windows and blinked. "Weird. It's really foggy today. Did it rain while we were gone?"
"I do not believe so." the Saber-class Servant replied.
Rias stared at the book in her hands for several seconds before she sighed deeply, shutting it closed. "I can't concentrate." Her Peerage and their Servants all turned to look at her curiously. "This whole debacle is just one question after another."
"I take it you're referring to the Rider with Haru Namikaze?" Berserker asked as he set the tray down on the table. Koneko beamed up at him as she took the plate holding the slice of cake while Medb and Yuuto took the cups. "I admit, it is quite odd that there would be another Rider summoned, but I do not believe it to be the first. If memory serves, wasn't there a public record of something similar to this in the Akashic Records that the Grandmaster of the Mage's Association published?"
"There was, but that still doesn't explain why it's happening now." Rias groaned. "I thought that this would have been simple, but evidently, I was wrong."
"It also doesn't help that the Executioner arrived today." Akeno hummed, cupping her chin. "What was his name again?"
"Kotomine, Kiriya." Yuuto answered. He looked like he swallowed a lemon. "Otherwise known as the Black Saint of God. To say that he has quite the track record would be understating it."
There was a reason he was known as the. Church's Top Executor. In all his years of service, he had slain countless Dead Apostles, monsters, Stray Devils, anything and everything that proved to be a threat to humanity.
Every extermination mission he's been on has been a success. Not only is he strong, but he has a sharp mind and cunning. Virtually anyone he's ever fought has wound up critically injured or dead, and the former were considerably lucky to walk away with only some serious wounds.
Rias was very nervous. She had been anxious when Caren Hortensia arrived, but she was only here to observe the proceedings of the Holy Grail War before another Servant belonging to a class that had already been summoned was called. The Executioner from the Black Sect? That was enough to make her paranoid and wonder if the Church deliberately sent him here. She didn't have the resources to investigate the truth as to why he was sent here to her territory, and when she tried to contact her brother about the matter, she learned he was away on urgent business.
All in all, what should have been something simple was now well out of her control. Thinking back on it now, maybe she had been arrogant. When she became a Master, she thought it would have been easy, being a Devil and possessing a Servant of considerable strength. She didn't truly have a wish for the Holy Grail, and even if she did have one, she wouldn't be fighting her peerage over for it. In fact, if she had to say, the only person among her peerage who did have a wish for the Holy Grail was probably her Knight, having a few good guesses. Still, she was unsure and never inquired about it.
Lancer himself didn't have a wish, which was surprising given who he was. Given what she knew about Servants, she would have believed that he would have wished to undo the damage to his own legend caused by Bram Stoker's novel, but he was actually fine with what he had become. He accepted his nature, but he wouldn't rely on his Noble Phantasm if he could help it, as he considered it to be the same as forfeiting everything that made him Vlad Tepes. The public called him a vampire, but as far as Vlad Tepes was considered, the only true vampire was "Dracula, the man who forfeited everything that he was." He was a warrior and a ruler, first and foremost, and it would be a cold day in hell before he would become a monster. This was also the basis behind their contract: so long as Rias did not order him to use his Noble Phantasm, he would fight for her.
Rider and Berserker were a bit different. They had wishes, but they willingly bowed their heads to Lancer as they knew they could never take him head-on. They also know that their Masters had also sworn their services to Rias and owed their very lives to her, so they couldn't exactly try and coerce them either. And if they ever turned traitor, Lancer had promised to give them a very painful death. Rider cowed with ease, but Berserker had already accepted the circumstances behind his summoning and willingly chose to obey his Master's wishes and serve Rias.
With all of these things, Rias' worries then were her competition. Sona and she had no real hard feelings, but Sona did have a wish of her own. The Holy Grail, assuming it wasn't like the one corrupted in Fuyuki, had more than enough power to grant her wish and change the social structure of the Devils for the better. A chance for reincarnated and lesser devils to gain a place in an otherwise traditional society that focused more on the privileges of higher-born and pureblood Devils. While Rias and Lancer did not have a wish, they wouldn't go easy on her when the time came. However, there was always that tiny bit of doubt in her mind that maybe she was taking their friendship for granted. She could just simply hand over the win to Sona, but wouldn't that also be condescending passion?
At that line of thought, Rias knew for certain that Sona would never forgive her if she did that. For as long as she could remember, the two had been rivals of sorts. Not helping matters was that both had elder siblings who were Satans. If Rias conceded defeat just so Sona could have her wish granted, all without so much as a chance to prove herself, well...
The redhead sighed and shook her head, ridding herself of such thoughts. She was beginning to realize that the Holy Grail War, and her reasons for becoming involved, might have been quite selfish when compared to others. Sona and Rias' peerage, plus the Servants, knew of her circumstances and Lancer had been more than happy to rectify the situation, but she still felt as if there was something off. Was it wrong to fight when one's reason was simply to get out of marriage and test her friend's own strength?
"Speaking of troublesome things..." Medb remarked as she peered out the window of the clubhouse. "Anyone else notice how foggy it seems to be?"
"I have, but it did rain not too long ago." Rias replied. "Having said that, I do find it quite odd that the fog would be this thick."
Lancer looked out the window and stuck his head out. His nostrils flared as he inhaled. "... This is no fog. I smell blood in the air." he said, surprising all those in attendance. "This fog was not made by nature… or man, for that matter."
"What does that—" Rias stopped when she felt the room suddenly grow warmer, followed by a familiar sigil burning into the floor of the room. She scowled. "Of, for the love of—"
Flames erupted inside the clubhouse in a column before abruptly fading, revealing a roguish-looking man with blonde hair in a nice suit with an equally stunning woman at his side. Immediately, everyone present grew hostile.
"Riser Phenex..." Lancer smiled viciously as his fingers twitched. "This is surprising. I believe I told you what would happen if you dared to come here unannounced. Shall I remind you?"
Riser grimaced. "As… interesting as that sounds, I will have to pass. I'm not exactly here for pleasantries, much less continue our talks. I'm here on a more personal matter."
"If this is about the marriage, I believe we already settled the matter the last time you were here." Rias glowered.
The man that was chosen as her fiance raised his hands. "Relax. I'm not here for that. Rather, as much as it pains me to say it... I need your help." Rias' eyes widened. "It's Ravel. She's gone missing."