TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki City.
As the sun rose on Tatsuo and Elicia's second day in the TYPE-MOON Universe, Tatsuo, after destroying the Matou residence, with Shinji and Byakuya inside, returned to the Grand Hyatt Hotel before slipping into the suite with [Maiestas Divina] active.
Meanwhile, Kirei, after receiving a report about the destruction of the Matou Residence, quickly made his way from the church through Fuyuki City to Miyama Town. Along the way, as he drew near to the Matou Residence, he ran into a beautiful young woman standing at just under 5'3" with long, wavy, black hair that reached her lower back styled into a two-side up hair style with aqua-colored eyes and a slender figure wearing a red, long-sleeved top, a black skirt, black stockings, and brown loafers approaching the residence, as well.
"Well, if it isn't Rin." Kirei said while wearing his usual smile. "I see you got the news, as well."
"And why wouldn't I?" Rin asked in a standoffish tone. "I only live a few blocks away. How could I not know about something that happened so close to my house?"
"Indeed." Kirei replied with a nod. "I would be sorely disappointed if you had not heard of such an event. Not to mention, SHE lives there, as well."
"ENOUGH!" Rin barked, clearly irritated by Kirei's comment. "Why are you gossiping like an old lady? Let's just get going, we need to try and figure out what happened there. And if possible, find out who did it."
"Very well." Kirei said without losing his smile. Though, the hidden malice lurking in his eyes could not be hidden.
Unfortunately, Rin, or rather, Tohsaka Rin, did not notice the look in Kirei's eyes, as she was too concerned with finding out what happened at the Matou Residence and finding the HER Kirei mentioned.
'Please, you have to be okay.' Rin thought to herself as she walked swiftly towards the place where the Matou Residence used to be. 'If anything were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do… Sakura.'
Rin, the first daughter of the late Tohsaka Tokiomi, despite not being able to get Sakura back after she was adopted into the Matou Family, never stopped worrying about her younger sister. In fact, after her father died in the last Grail War, and her mother was killed, making sure that Sakura was safe was one of the few things that managed to keep Rin, who was only six when her parents were killed, going.
Unfortunately, Rin had no idea that the person who killed her father, Tokiomi, was walking right next to her. And despite her distrust and general dislike of Kirei, Rin never suspected him for her father's murder. Especially since Kirei was once her father's disciple. And bonds between masters and disciples, despite how cold Magi could be, were still considered sacred.
Meanwhile, Kirei, while playing the role of a good disciple, became Rin's legal guardian. He also took the role of her master in Magecraft. Yet, he had no good intensions when he did so. Instead, it was simply to cause her even more pain after she lost most of her family.
Eventually, the two reached the Matou Residence. When they did, both Kirei and Rin were shocked by what they saw.
In place of the Matou Residence, there was nothing but a hole. However, it was not a crater. Instead, it looked as if someone had carefully dug down into the ground and pulled the entire mansion up from the foundation. Even all the pipes and electrical lines were only damaged where they connected to the house. The rest, which ran underground, were not damaged in the slightest. Even the cuts severing them from the rest of the grid were as smooth as could be.
On top of that, the [bounded Fields] that were set up around the property were so completely dismantled that there was no proof that they ever existed.
"Exactly what happened here?" Rin asked in a dumbfounded tone.
Although he did not respond to Rin's question, Kirei narrowed his eyes while they glinted with caution. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing what happened either. Especially since there were no traces of Magecraft that he could spot. Instead, the only thing he could do was speculate.
'This has to be the work of a Servant.' Kirei thought to himself while examining the scene. 'But who's Servant could it be? The only one I've seen so far is that Taylor girl's Assassin. But are there any Assassin-Class Servants who could do this much damage? The Assassin I summoned in the last Grail War certainly could not.'
While Kirei continued to speculate, Rin frantically looked for any signs of Sakura, who should have been in the Matou Residence when it was destroyed. Unfortunately, she was unable to find anything that would indicate that Sakura was alright. And as time went on, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed.
Seeing Rin's frantic state, Kirei snapped out of his contemplation, deciding he would discuss this incident with Gilgamesh later. He knew he would need to be careful with someone with this kind of power and concealment running around. But for now, he would take pleasure in breaking Rin.
"It looks like there were no survivors." Kirei said, sounding genuinely remorseful to anyone who did not know him. "Rin---"
"Shut up, Kirei!" Rin shouted, not wanting to hear her teacher's insincere condolence. "She's not dead. I know she isn't. So… Just leave me alone…"
Suppressing the sadistic smile that he could feel creeping onto his face, Kirei looked at Rin, who was on the verge of tears and shuddering violently, with a faux-sympathetic gaze.
"Yes, of course." Kirei said softly. "We can't give up hope until we have irrefutable proof. For now, let us conduct our investigations. We'll find the truth about this attack and bring the perpetrators to heel."
'That's right, Rin.' Kirei thought to himself while watching Rin try to control her emotions. 'Keep that hope alive. Keep looking, keep believing. The despair you will fall into will be all the sweeter once you can no longer lie to yourself.'
After that short exchange, the two continued to search for clues, to no avail. Then, after a few hours, they decided that they would leave while asking any contacts they had for assistance.
And when Kirei saw the defeated expression on Rin's face as she turned away, he could hardly hold back his malicious grin long enough for him to be out of her line of sight. Yet, he managed to play the role of a concerned mentor until Rin had left the vicinity. But before she was out of earshot, Kirei had one more thing to say.
"don't forget, the War is almost upon us, Rin." Kirei said, loud enough for Rin to hear despite the distance she had already walked. "You need to summon your Servant soon if you intend to participate."
"I know!" Rin shouted back without turning around. "Just leave me alone."
"I know you're hurting, Rin." Kirei continued, unbothered by Rin's unwelcoming tone. "But this could be an opportunity. If you're unable to find out what happened to Sakura before the Grail War Starts, if you were to win, you would be able to find the truth with the wish you could get from the Grail."
Hearing Kirei's reminder, Rin paused for a moment. Then, after a brief, yet violent shudder, she resumed her walk. Though, her pace was noticeably faster than before. Her steps even more spirited.
"I understand!" Rin shouted back, all but running back to her residence.
Seeing Rin's reaction, Kirei could finally no longer suppress his malicious grin. Then, with that grin still on his face, he, too, turned around and started making his way back to the Fuyuki church to discuss the incident with Gilgamesh.
Around the same time Kirei and Sakura left, back in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Sakura slowly opened her eyes. Lying in the large, comfortable bed, she blankly stared up at the hotel room's ceiling.
"This isn't a dream…" Sakura muttered as she took in the sight of the unfamiliar ceiling. "I was really saved from that hell. I still can't believe it."
Reaching that point, Sakura clenched her fists under the blankets. At the same time, she could not help but remember the warmth she felt from Tatsuo and Elicia after they returned to the hotel the night before.
"I promise the both of you." Sakura said, her blank gaze being replaced with one filled with resolve. "I'll help you cleanse the Holy Grail. No matter what it takes. Even if I have to sacrifice myself to make it happen."
After firming her resolve, Sakura slowly climbed out of bed. Then, she went into the room's bathroom and took care of her morning routine, washing her face and brushing her teeth, before she stepped out into the suite's living room.
Upon entering the living room, Sakura found Tatsuo sitting cross-legged on the couch with his eyes closed and breathing in a steady rhythm.
'He really is handsome.' Sakura thought to herself while she quietly watched Tatsuo. 'I wonder what his true identity is? He has a mixture of Asian and western features. Then, there is his skin tone. There shouldn't be that many Heroic Spirits that qualify as Assassins with that kind of description. Still, there are so many Heroic Spirits. There's no way I could know them all.'
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, who was sitting on the couch, was circulating his [Energy] with the [Mana Reactor Ability]. And despite the fact that he had not been able to increase the amount of [Energy] in his body for a few months, every time it passed through his heart, he could feel it's purity increasing. So, he continued to do this exercise faithfully.
Eventually, Tatsuo opened his eyes, when he did, his purple eyes met Sakura's violet ones.
'Good, her eyes look a lot less lifeless than they did last night.' Tatsuo thought to himself while he silently held eye contact with Sakura. 'There still not as bright as they should be. But that's to be expected after what she went through. Although I can relate to the way she had her freedom taken away, I couldn't even imagine going through all the crap those sick, sadistic bastards put her through for all those years.'
"Good morning." Tatsuo said calmly after that thought. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did." Sakura replied just as calmly. "Thank you for asking."
Unlike most girls here age, Sakura was not at all embarrassed after being caught staring at Tatsuo. She had been through much worse, after all.
"Glad to hear it." Tatsuo replied as he uncrossed his legs and stood up from the couch. "Well then, I guess I'll get started on breakfast."
"Would you like me to wake Taylor-San?" Sakura asked.
"You can try." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "But something tells me that she won't be easy to wake up."
Nodding in response, Sakura turned around and headed to the room she knew Elicia was using. Meanwhile, Tatsuo, with a small smile on his face, turned towards the kitchenette to start cooking breakfast.
About three minutes later, Sakra came out of Elicia's room while shaking her head.
"No luck, huh?" Tatsuo said without turning around. Though, anyone who could see him would have seen the big grin on his face.
"No, not at all." Sakura replied as she approached the kitchenette. "It would seem she's quite the heavy sleeper."
'Yeah, I remember when we were staying in Violet's world, the only thing that could wake her up was the smell of Alfonzo's cooking.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'Well, that and the one time Alfonzo put her under the cold water in the shower. But that would probably wake up anyone.'
"Well, don't worry about her" Tatsuo said with another shrug. "If she doesn't wake up, we'll just eat all the food."
Though she did not blush when she was caught staring, Sakura did blush when she remembered the pleasure-filled moan she released after the first bite of Tatsuo's cooking last night. She did not dwell on it for long, though. Instead, she stepped forward and approached Tatsuo.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sakura asked as she stood next to Tatsuo in the kitchen and watched him skillfully prepare the ingredients.
"Sure." Tatsuo replied. He then pointed his chin towards the rice cooker. "Could you get the rice started?"
"Yes." Sakura replied as she went to put the rice in the rice cooker.
Like that, the two prepared breakfast together. And before long, the aroma of Tatsuo's cooking wafted throughout the entire suite.
'Let's see if my cooking is good enough to wake her, too.' Tatsuo thought to himself as he flipped a piece of fish he was grilling for today's breakfast.
Not long later, the door leading to Elicia's bedroom opened. When it did, Elicia, with her hair still messy and wearing a set of pajamas, stepped into the living room while rubbing her eyes.
"Fonzie, I'm hungry." Elicia said in a sleepy tone. "What's for breakfast?"
"Sorry, but your Fonzie isn't here, Lici." Tatsuo said while shaking his head with an amused smile on his face. "Did you forget where you are?"
Stopping in place upon hearing Tatsuo's voice, Elicia raised her head and lowered her hand. Then, she slowly turned her head back and forth to assess her surroundings, recognition flashing through her eyes after a while.
*Smack!*
A moment later, Elicia swung her right hand down into her left palm. She then tilted her head to the side and used the knuckles of her right fist to knock on her head.
"That's right, I'm not at home, am I?" Elicia asked rhetorically. "Sorry, the food smelled so good, I forgot."
Hearing that, Tatsuo could not help but smile widely. Although he knew that his cooking was not as good as Alfonzo's yet, that was pretty high praise for him, who had only started cooking a few months ago.
'Yeah, [The End] is broken, and I love it.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'I can't wait to run into the other Servants and learn their [Skills], too. Medea's Magecraft, EMIYA's [Projection], Lancer's… Actually, do I really need to learn Lancer's spearmanship? I mean, I can learn from Master Scáthach whenever I have time to go to James' world.'
While Tatsuo continued thinking about what [Skills] he could gain while in this world, he put the finishing touches on breakfast. Then, after plating the food for three, he, Elicia, and Sakura sat down to eat. And for the next two days, they would spend the rest of their time in the hotel suite, waiting for Bazett to leave to check in at the Church. And on their fifth day in this world, Bazett finally finished creating her temporary workshop and was ready to meet with Kirei.