Prologue
Jaenera Targaryen
Well-known member
Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
Aozaki and Tohsaka – The Serpent's Feathers
Prologue
Six years ago
The door to the back of the restaurant slammed open with a loud crash, as the metal-framed door was swung around to strike hard against the concrete wall. Loud and angry yelling in Chinese could be heard following a portly man in a cook's uniform, his apron stained and dirty from spills and the like in the kitchen, but he tuned them out. Sweating and grunting, the man heaved two bulging garbage bags down the alley, and briefly setting them down, opened the dumpster before tossing them inside.
Pausing to wipe at his face with a damp towel, the man closed the dumpster before walking back up the alley, and opening the restaurant door, went back inside. For several minutes, the alley remained empty, the only sounds to be heard the dull roaring of the restaurant kitchen's exhaust fans, and those of vehicles passing by along the street beyond.
Then there was the pitter patter of feet on roof tiles and railings, moments before a small figure fell in a crouch on a fire escape landing of the adjacent building. Metal clanged as the child ran down the fire escape's zigzagging steps, all the way to the raised ladder at the bottom. Not bothering to unlatch and lower the ladder, the child just slid down along the rails, before once again falling to the ground in a couch.
Taking wary looks around her, the little beggar girl narrowed her eyes at the security camera watching the back of the restaurant. Knowing she didn't have much time, she dashed to the dumpster, and opening it leapt inside with practiced skill. Tearing the recently-deposited garbage bag open, the girl quickly rummaged through the dirty plastic and Styrofoam, pushing aside the empty jars while taking care of the jagged edges of opened cans, before looking for anything edible among the food waste.
A grin exposed stained and crooked teeth as the girl found partly-eaten bao, and stuffed one then two and then three in her jacket's pockets. Then she heard the restaurant door banging open, and simultaneously stuffed a fourth bao into her mouth while leaping up and out the dumpster.
"Stop, thief!" a security guard shouted in Japanese.
The girl ignored the man, instead dashing down the alley towards the street. The guard gave chase, but then a second guard appeared around the corner to cut the girl off.
Or so they thought. Dropping down to the ground, the girl skid past the second guard's legs, and then jumping off in a crude likeness of a professional runner, ran down the street. More shouts came from behind her, along with the sound of pounding boots as the guards gave chase, but the girl still just ignored them. Weaving through and around the crowd filling the street, the girl turned a corner, ran across a lane, and then around another corner into an alley.
Briefly pausing to look around with an air of familiarity, the girl then ran towards and pressed herself into a niche in the wall. Taking a bite of the bao in her mouth, she quickly chewed and swallowed, before taking a deep breath.
Calming her thoughts and ever so slightly, her pounding heart, the girl focused on imagining a sensation of biting cold, as though of ice creeping over and around her before turning into a solid shell. Conversely, burning pain like hot metal getting drawn over her skin stabbed across her body, and she took another deep breath as she heard cautious footsteps entering the alley.
"There you are!" the guard said as he stepped in front of the girl's niche, and grabbed her by the collar.
The girl just glared at him, the burning pain peaking even as her mind imagined the ice covering her shattering into shards. "Go away." She said.
The guard and his fellow blinked, shuddering as though struck, and then dumbly nodding, let the girl go before clumsily walked away. The girl stayed standing until they were out of earshot, and then she collapsed onto her knees. She heaved deep breaths, the burning pain fading away only to be replaced by numbness that had the girl rubbing at her arms to get the feeling back.
Slowly but surely though, she recovered, and then pulling out bao from her pockets, began stuffing her mouth. Finishing her impromptu meal, the girl dusted her hands clean, and then getting up, dusted her clothes as well.
It didn't really do much good, but she still had to keep as clean as she could.
Then dashing over to the alley entrance, the girl turned the corner…
…only to be grabbed by the scruff of her neck.
"AAA-!" the girl yelled in surprise as she was lifted into the air, and turned to face a pretty redheaded woman looking curiously at her.
"Why hello there." She said with a smile. "Aren't you an interesting one?"
The girl scowled, again imagining biting cold, but the woman noticed. "None of that now." She chided, jabbing the fingers of her free hand into the girl's body. The girl gasped in shock and surprise, feeling her body go numb and her limbs fall limp and lifeless.
"You can use magic?" she asked loudly.
That caused the woman to scowl at her. "Not so loud, please." She said, waving her free hand through the air. "But yes, I can. And so can you."
The girl scowled and clammed up. The woman just smiled wider at that. "Now, now," she said. "I just want to talk, and know how someone as interesting as you ended up a little beggar on the street."
"…just a girl, nobody important or interesting."
The woman laughed. "I'm sure." She said. "By the way, my name's Touko Aozaki. And you are?"
"…Sakura…" the short and unwilling reply came.
"Sakura…?" Touko prompted.
"…just Sakura." The girl unhappily insisted.
Touko rolled her eyes. "Oh fine." She said. "Now, come along. I have so many things to ask and look into about you. If you behave and do as I say, I'll even feed you. How's that sound?"
"…I'm not a cat!" Sakura protested angrily.
Touko laughed again. "Well, you're certainly acting like one." She said with an amused tone. "Don't worry though, it wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with a grumpy kitty."
Sakura looked confused at that, but Touko didn't elaborate. Instead, she just tucked Sakura under an arm, and walked away with the equally-confused and resigned girl without a care.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The present day – Veracruz, Mexico
A pretty blonde intern walked down the museum hallway, carrying a newly-arrived package to the curator's office. Along the way, she passed one of the custodial staff, the man diligently mopping at the floor, though he paused to tip his hat her way as she passed.
The intern nodded in turn, superficially noticing the man return to work as she walked away. Arriving at the curator's office, she knocked a few times.
"Come in." a muffled voice said through the door.
Carefully tucking the package under an arm, the intern opened the door with her free hand, and then stepped inside while shifting the package to both hands once more. "Good evening, doctor." She greeted.
"Good evening, Miss Campos." The curator, Doctor Alfredo Escribano returned the greeting, before his eyes fell on what the intern was carrying. "A package…? And at this time?"
"Yes," Silvana Campos – the intern – said with a nod. "It was a premium delivery service from…"
The intern paused to check the sticker on the package. "…Sergio Cabal." She said.
"Ah, Sergio!" the curator said, clapping his hands in delight. "Yes, I know him! Hmm…I didn't know he was going to send a package though. Now, what could it be, I wonder."
Gesturing for the intern to come closer, the curator took a letter opener from a drawer, while the intern put the package on his desk. Using the letter opener to open the package, the curator then sifted through the Styrofoam balls filling the box, and then pulled out a case made from lacquered wood with a cover made from crystal glass.
The curator's eyes widened as he took in what was inside, a medallion of some kind, gold with a curiously-carved jewel inlaid on top, of Mayan origin clearly but of an aesthetic he'd never seen before. He considered if it might be a forgery of some kind, but surely his friend would know better…wouldn't he?
The curator frowned thoughtfully while setting the case on the desk, before beginning to sift through the box for anything else his friend might have sent that could help shed light on this artifact. "Thank you, Miss Campos." He said, while beginning to sit down and turning on his desk lamp.
"Of course, doctor." The intern said with a nod.
Turning, she walked out of the office, and closed the door behind her. The curator meanwhile took a magnifying glass from his desk, and used it to try and get a closer look at the design on the medallion, before muffled noises briefly came through the door.
The curator tuned it out, thinking it was just the custodial staff being a little too clumsy in their duties. Then the door opened, and a man wearing the custodial staff's uniform entered. "Yes, what…" the curator began, lowering the magnifying glass, annoyed at the interruption.
The sentence remained unfinished though, as an Azoth Dagger was thrown through the air, and punched into the man's neck. Gurgling as blood jetted out in sprays of crimson, the curator staggered and fell off his chair, the man's death rattle banging against the floor as Benedek Zobor walked over, and took the medallion from the desk.
Then walking around said desk, he sank down, and pulled his Azoth Dagger from the dead curator's neck. Whistling cheerfully to himself, Zobor cleaned his Azoth Dagger while stepping out of the room, around the intern's corpse, and then down the hallway.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following day – Misaki Town, Japan
"SAKURA!"
The shout echoed through the house, and startled a young woman lying on her back while working on the plumbing of the kitchen sink. Then there was dull clang of a forehead striking metal, followed by feminine grumbling, before Sakura Tohsaka was crawling out from under the sink and getting to her feet.
Rubbing at her forehead, Sakura put the wrench on the kitchen table, before heading over to her master's workshop. "Yes, master?" She asked as she arrived.
Touko looked curiously at her apprentice's disheveled appearance, and the reddened bump on her forehead. "Hit yourself?" she asked.
"Yes."
Touko shrugged. "Sorry about that, just put some ice on it later." She said. "Anyway, I just received a message from an old friend…well, not really, more an acquaintance…no, that's…not right…let's just say he's someone who owes me big."
"And?"
"He wants us to go and meet him at…Antigua, in Guatemala." Touko said. "Apparently, he's found something that could be of some interest to me."
"…Guatemala…Central America…" Sakura mused aloud before she made the connection. "The Mayans?"
"Yes, the Mayans." Touko said with mild applause. "As you well know, the Spanish Conquistadores'…zeal, left much to be desired in archaeological terms. In their desire for wealth and glory, to say nothing of their blind obedience to the priests of the Church, so many treasures and historical artifacts, both mystic and otherwise, were lost. And much of what was not lost is sealed away, mostly in the vaults of the Vatican."
"I'm sure the Clock Tower wasn't too happy about that." Sakura cheerfully said.
Touko snorted. "Of course not," she said. "But they eventually found a compromise, or rather the Association did. Some of the more…dangerous, artifacts were transferred to Atlas. While not to the Clock Tower's liking, it was enough to save face for the Association as a whole."
"…no offense, master," Sakura chimed in after a few moments. "But can you really take your…business associate, at his word? This might just be a wild goose chase."
"It could be." Touko agreed, all the while examining the colored photos she'd printed from the e-mail she'd just received. "But it also might not be. And if it isn't…well, this just might be the biggest find of the century. And while I'm not against sharing…"
Touko trailed off, her eyes narrowed with ambition. "…I'd like to get dibs at whatever find this is." She said. "It's about time I started looking into South America's contributions to Human development and history. And this Mayan lead just might be a good start."
Sakura stayed silent, but after a few moments, Touko glanced in her direction. "Finish with the sink," she said. "And then start packing. I'll make the travel arrangements myself."
Sakura gave a polite bow. "As you say, master." She said, before turning away to finish her chores.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N
If you're expecting Rin or Shirou, then go away. They won't be appearing in this story. It's just Touko, Sakura, and a bunch of OCs. Luvia might make an appearance, but that's very unlikely, and even then only in passing.
And no, this isn't part of the Alea Iacta Est timeline, though it's a similar premise.
Aozaki and Tohsaka – The Serpent's Feathers
Prologue
Six years ago
The door to the back of the restaurant slammed open with a loud crash, as the metal-framed door was swung around to strike hard against the concrete wall. Loud and angry yelling in Chinese could be heard following a portly man in a cook's uniform, his apron stained and dirty from spills and the like in the kitchen, but he tuned them out. Sweating and grunting, the man heaved two bulging garbage bags down the alley, and briefly setting them down, opened the dumpster before tossing them inside.
Pausing to wipe at his face with a damp towel, the man closed the dumpster before walking back up the alley, and opening the restaurant door, went back inside. For several minutes, the alley remained empty, the only sounds to be heard the dull roaring of the restaurant kitchen's exhaust fans, and those of vehicles passing by along the street beyond.
Then there was the pitter patter of feet on roof tiles and railings, moments before a small figure fell in a crouch on a fire escape landing of the adjacent building. Metal clanged as the child ran down the fire escape's zigzagging steps, all the way to the raised ladder at the bottom. Not bothering to unlatch and lower the ladder, the child just slid down along the rails, before once again falling to the ground in a couch.
Taking wary looks around her, the little beggar girl narrowed her eyes at the security camera watching the back of the restaurant. Knowing she didn't have much time, she dashed to the dumpster, and opening it leapt inside with practiced skill. Tearing the recently-deposited garbage bag open, the girl quickly rummaged through the dirty plastic and Styrofoam, pushing aside the empty jars while taking care of the jagged edges of opened cans, before looking for anything edible among the food waste.
A grin exposed stained and crooked teeth as the girl found partly-eaten bao, and stuffed one then two and then three in her jacket's pockets. Then she heard the restaurant door banging open, and simultaneously stuffed a fourth bao into her mouth while leaping up and out the dumpster.
"Stop, thief!" a security guard shouted in Japanese.
The girl ignored the man, instead dashing down the alley towards the street. The guard gave chase, but then a second guard appeared around the corner to cut the girl off.
Or so they thought. Dropping down to the ground, the girl skid past the second guard's legs, and then jumping off in a crude likeness of a professional runner, ran down the street. More shouts came from behind her, along with the sound of pounding boots as the guards gave chase, but the girl still just ignored them. Weaving through and around the crowd filling the street, the girl turned a corner, ran across a lane, and then around another corner into an alley.
Briefly pausing to look around with an air of familiarity, the girl then ran towards and pressed herself into a niche in the wall. Taking a bite of the bao in her mouth, she quickly chewed and swallowed, before taking a deep breath.
Calming her thoughts and ever so slightly, her pounding heart, the girl focused on imagining a sensation of biting cold, as though of ice creeping over and around her before turning into a solid shell. Conversely, burning pain like hot metal getting drawn over her skin stabbed across her body, and she took another deep breath as she heard cautious footsteps entering the alley.
"There you are!" the guard said as he stepped in front of the girl's niche, and grabbed her by the collar.
The girl just glared at him, the burning pain peaking even as her mind imagined the ice covering her shattering into shards. "Go away." She said.
The guard and his fellow blinked, shuddering as though struck, and then dumbly nodding, let the girl go before clumsily walked away. The girl stayed standing until they were out of earshot, and then she collapsed onto her knees. She heaved deep breaths, the burning pain fading away only to be replaced by numbness that had the girl rubbing at her arms to get the feeling back.
Slowly but surely though, she recovered, and then pulling out bao from her pockets, began stuffing her mouth. Finishing her impromptu meal, the girl dusted her hands clean, and then getting up, dusted her clothes as well.
It didn't really do much good, but she still had to keep as clean as she could.
Then dashing over to the alley entrance, the girl turned the corner…
…only to be grabbed by the scruff of her neck.
"AAA-!" the girl yelled in surprise as she was lifted into the air, and turned to face a pretty redheaded woman looking curiously at her.
"Why hello there." She said with a smile. "Aren't you an interesting one?"
The girl scowled, again imagining biting cold, but the woman noticed. "None of that now." She chided, jabbing the fingers of her free hand into the girl's body. The girl gasped in shock and surprise, feeling her body go numb and her limbs fall limp and lifeless.
"You can use magic?" she asked loudly.
That caused the woman to scowl at her. "Not so loud, please." She said, waving her free hand through the air. "But yes, I can. And so can you."
The girl scowled and clammed up. The woman just smiled wider at that. "Now, now," she said. "I just want to talk, and know how someone as interesting as you ended up a little beggar on the street."
"…just a girl, nobody important or interesting."
The woman laughed. "I'm sure." She said. "By the way, my name's Touko Aozaki. And you are?"
"…Sakura…" the short and unwilling reply came.
"Sakura…?" Touko prompted.
"…just Sakura." The girl unhappily insisted.
Touko rolled her eyes. "Oh fine." She said. "Now, come along. I have so many things to ask and look into about you. If you behave and do as I say, I'll even feed you. How's that sound?"
"…I'm not a cat!" Sakura protested angrily.
Touko laughed again. "Well, you're certainly acting like one." She said with an amused tone. "Don't worry though, it wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with a grumpy kitty."
Sakura looked confused at that, but Touko didn't elaborate. Instead, she just tucked Sakura under an arm, and walked away with the equally-confused and resigned girl without a care.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The present day – Veracruz, Mexico
A pretty blonde intern walked down the museum hallway, carrying a newly-arrived package to the curator's office. Along the way, she passed one of the custodial staff, the man diligently mopping at the floor, though he paused to tip his hat her way as she passed.
The intern nodded in turn, superficially noticing the man return to work as she walked away. Arriving at the curator's office, she knocked a few times.
"Come in." a muffled voice said through the door.
Carefully tucking the package under an arm, the intern opened the door with her free hand, and then stepped inside while shifting the package to both hands once more. "Good evening, doctor." She greeted.
"Good evening, Miss Campos." The curator, Doctor Alfredo Escribano returned the greeting, before his eyes fell on what the intern was carrying. "A package…? And at this time?"
"Yes," Silvana Campos – the intern – said with a nod. "It was a premium delivery service from…"
The intern paused to check the sticker on the package. "…Sergio Cabal." She said.
"Ah, Sergio!" the curator said, clapping his hands in delight. "Yes, I know him! Hmm…I didn't know he was going to send a package though. Now, what could it be, I wonder."
Gesturing for the intern to come closer, the curator took a letter opener from a drawer, while the intern put the package on his desk. Using the letter opener to open the package, the curator then sifted through the Styrofoam balls filling the box, and then pulled out a case made from lacquered wood with a cover made from crystal glass.
The curator's eyes widened as he took in what was inside, a medallion of some kind, gold with a curiously-carved jewel inlaid on top, of Mayan origin clearly but of an aesthetic he'd never seen before. He considered if it might be a forgery of some kind, but surely his friend would know better…wouldn't he?
The curator frowned thoughtfully while setting the case on the desk, before beginning to sift through the box for anything else his friend might have sent that could help shed light on this artifact. "Thank you, Miss Campos." He said, while beginning to sit down and turning on his desk lamp.
"Of course, doctor." The intern said with a nod.
Turning, she walked out of the office, and closed the door behind her. The curator meanwhile took a magnifying glass from his desk, and used it to try and get a closer look at the design on the medallion, before muffled noises briefly came through the door.
The curator tuned it out, thinking it was just the custodial staff being a little too clumsy in their duties. Then the door opened, and a man wearing the custodial staff's uniform entered. "Yes, what…" the curator began, lowering the magnifying glass, annoyed at the interruption.
The sentence remained unfinished though, as an Azoth Dagger was thrown through the air, and punched into the man's neck. Gurgling as blood jetted out in sprays of crimson, the curator staggered and fell off his chair, the man's death rattle banging against the floor as Benedek Zobor walked over, and took the medallion from the desk.
Then walking around said desk, he sank down, and pulled his Azoth Dagger from the dead curator's neck. Whistling cheerfully to himself, Zobor cleaned his Azoth Dagger while stepping out of the room, around the intern's corpse, and then down the hallway.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following day – Misaki Town, Japan
"SAKURA!"
The shout echoed through the house, and startled a young woman lying on her back while working on the plumbing of the kitchen sink. Then there was dull clang of a forehead striking metal, followed by feminine grumbling, before Sakura Tohsaka was crawling out from under the sink and getting to her feet.
Rubbing at her forehead, Sakura put the wrench on the kitchen table, before heading over to her master's workshop. "Yes, master?" She asked as she arrived.
Touko looked curiously at her apprentice's disheveled appearance, and the reddened bump on her forehead. "Hit yourself?" she asked.
"Yes."
Touko shrugged. "Sorry about that, just put some ice on it later." She said. "Anyway, I just received a message from an old friend…well, not really, more an acquaintance…no, that's…not right…let's just say he's someone who owes me big."
"And?"
"He wants us to go and meet him at…Antigua, in Guatemala." Touko said. "Apparently, he's found something that could be of some interest to me."
"…Guatemala…Central America…" Sakura mused aloud before she made the connection. "The Mayans?"
"Yes, the Mayans." Touko said with mild applause. "As you well know, the Spanish Conquistadores'…zeal, left much to be desired in archaeological terms. In their desire for wealth and glory, to say nothing of their blind obedience to the priests of the Church, so many treasures and historical artifacts, both mystic and otherwise, were lost. And much of what was not lost is sealed away, mostly in the vaults of the Vatican."
"I'm sure the Clock Tower wasn't too happy about that." Sakura cheerfully said.
Touko snorted. "Of course not," she said. "But they eventually found a compromise, or rather the Association did. Some of the more…dangerous, artifacts were transferred to Atlas. While not to the Clock Tower's liking, it was enough to save face for the Association as a whole."
"…no offense, master," Sakura chimed in after a few moments. "But can you really take your…business associate, at his word? This might just be a wild goose chase."
"It could be." Touko agreed, all the while examining the colored photos she'd printed from the e-mail she'd just received. "But it also might not be. And if it isn't…well, this just might be the biggest find of the century. And while I'm not against sharing…"
Touko trailed off, her eyes narrowed with ambition. "…I'd like to get dibs at whatever find this is." She said. "It's about time I started looking into South America's contributions to Human development and history. And this Mayan lead just might be a good start."
Sakura stayed silent, but after a few moments, Touko glanced in her direction. "Finish with the sink," she said. "And then start packing. I'll make the travel arrangements myself."
Sakura gave a polite bow. "As you say, master." She said, before turning away to finish her chores.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N
If you're expecting Rin or Shirou, then go away. They won't be appearing in this story. It's just Touko, Sakura, and a bunch of OCs. Luvia might make an appearance, but that's very unlikely, and even then only in passing.
And no, this isn't part of the Alea Iacta Est timeline, though it's a similar premise.
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