Chapter Three

Vergil woke up feeling surprisingly well rested. It had been quite a long time since he had been able to sleep without keeping one eye open. The depths of hell were not the sort of place where you could risk even a moment's carelessness. Sleeping on the futon he had found in Shirou's room reminded him of much more peaceful days, when he had been traveling the world and coming into his power. It was also a great deal more comfortable than whatever cave he and Dante had found to bunk down in when they got too tired to keep going, so that was a nice benefit. The sun was already making its way up into the sky when he opened his eyes. The half-demon pushed himself up to a sitting position and stretched, testing his new body for any lingering injuries or soreness. Finding none, he got to his feet and started digging into Shirou's closet for something to wear.

"Hey boss." Mordred faded into existence in the doorway. "Some girl just showed up. Looks like she knows the place, but I thought that I should check."

Vergil took a moment to poke at Shirou's memories. Ah, yes, there it was. "She's a friend," he replied. "Best that you stay out of sight for a moment. She's not involved in any of this."

"Sure, whatever you say," the Servant said with a careless shrug. "I'll hang out in spirit form."

Vergil nodded and waited until the blonde had faded again before he started to change. Shirou didn't have a particularly wide array of clothes, but they were well kept and comfortable, which was all he really needed out of them. He slipped into a pair of house slippers and made his way down the hall to greet his guest. Even though he had Shirou's memories of the girl, his first impression of Sakura Matou was that there was something… off about her. Maybe it was the hair. Unnatural colors usually meant demonic blood back in his world. Still, her smile at seeing him looked entirely genuine. "Good morning," he said, trying to sound casual. He wasn't usually good at casual, but he had to start somewhere.

"Good morning, senpai," Sakura replied. "How are you?"

Vergil put on a slightly exaggerated look of discomfort. "I've been better," he said, trying to make himself sound pitiable.

Sakura's face immediately morphed into a look of concern, so apparently it worked well enough. "Are you not feeling well?"

The newly minted teenager nodded. "I think it might have been dinner last night," he said.

The purple-haired girl frowned. "I'll make something light for breakfast then. Why don't you sit down and rest some more? I'll put on some tea to help your stomach before I get started."

"I appreciate it," Vergil said with a smile before he took a seat at the table. Tea was something he was fond of to begin with, so he wasn't going to turn down a warm cup. Sakura showed a great deal of proficiency in getting the kitchen in order as she put the kettle on and started preparing the rice cooker. "I was considering staying home today to recover," he added, trying to make it sound like an after thought.

Sakura made a thoughtful hum. "That might be a good idea. You'll have to get it by Miss Fujimura though…"

Fujimura? Vergil didn't let his momentary confusion show through. Oh right, 'Fuji-nee'. "That would be the trick, wouldn't it?" he muttered, mostly to himself. "I'm sure she'll understand." If his borrowed memories served, Taiga was protective, even if she was a bit of an… eccentric character. He could probably convince her as long as he played up feeling sick a bit. He sighed. This sort of fake injury bit was very much not his style. Still, he was a great liar. How hard could it really be?

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As it turned out, it was not the easiest lie he had ever told. Mainly because Taiga decided to overreact and started going off about getting him to a doctor when he mentioned staying home for the day to recover. While he could appreciate Shirou's diligence, being so reliable that wanting to miss a day of school prompted this sort of reaction was distinctly not helpful. At least she had finally accepted that it was just food poisoning and he would be fine after some extra sleep. Still, he only relaxed when the pair were out and on their way to the school without him. "Finally," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, that was fun," Mordred said, appearing from the empty air behind him.

"I'm glad it entertained you at least," Vergil deadpanned. "Feel free to help yourself to anything left over in the kitchen. I need to check the workshop out back before we head out for the day."

Mordred shrugged. "Eh, soup and rice doesn't really sound all that great, honestly. Servants don't actually need food as long as we have enough magical energy anyway."

"Well, as long as I'm providing," Vergil replied. He didn't notice any particularly extreme drain on his energy reserves, but he wasn't sure that his usually reserves of demonic power were actually the same as whatever this body's magical reserves were. Come to think of it, his current state implied that his demonic powers were part of his soul rather than his body, which had some interesting implications. Though not ones that he had the chance to actually explore at the present moment. Which was a shame, really. He would just have to keep a close eye on his own condition to make sure he didn't accidentally drain himself without realizing it. Hopefully eating well and resting would be sufficient to keep his reserves up. "We should also look around to see if there are any women's clothing in the house."

"Say what?" Mordred said, sounding a little bit more annoyed than usual.

"I would like to find something for you to wear if I need you to be material, but still subtle," Vergil explained with a sigh. "I don't think my clothes will fit you and plate armor isn't exactly daily wear in the present day."

"Yeah, alright, fair enough," Mordred grumbled. "I can poke around in here if you want."

"That would save us both a lot of time." The Servant wandered off to search the rest of the house while he made his way to the backyard and returned to the old workshop. While he did distinctly recall Shirou using the shed for practicing his basic magic, he did not have any memories of the magic circle that had called up a powerful familiar spirit. Which meant there was something going on here that he didn't know about. He hated not knowing something, especially when there was powerful magic involved.

So that meant poking around a bit and hoping that he found something useful. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like Shirou had much in the way of actual books or notes on magic. The workshop was mostly a dusty storage shed with very little of interest in it. The magic circle looked like little more than a faded, long forgotten remnant. It was somewhat understandable how the boy had never seen it under the dust on the floor. Though it did not explain how it had actually managed to accomplish anything in its current state. Further investigation of the shed provided absolutely no further answers. While he could appreciate making it difficult for any nosey visitors to find anything, having no records at all was not in the slightest bit helpful.

As much as he hated to do it, Vergil left the workshop with no more information than when he'd entered it. He absently brushed his hair back out of his face and let out a sigh as it stubbornly flopped right back down. Maybe he should pick up some hair gel when they went out. It might make him feel a bit less like a strange in this body if he personalized his appearance. Though it might also provoke questions from Shirou's friends. He sighed again. He was not nearly old enough to be this tired all of the time.

"That was a loud sigh," Mordred deadpanned as she rounded the corner. "You need to take a shit or something?"

Vergil fought the urge to let his eye twitch. "No, I just don't like not knowing things." He straightened up. "I'm guessing from the lack of change in your appearance, you didn't find anything useful."

"Nah, nothing. Your dad was way too tall for me and the only women's clothes were some fancy shit I wouldn't be caught dead in." The Saber folded her arms behind her head. "Your mom's stuff, I guess?"

Shirou didn't recall ever seeing his adoptive father with a woman, as far as Vergil could tell. Perhaps he had lost his wife as well? It would explain his happiness in taking in an orphan so readily. He was intimately familiar with the pain of having his family torn away. By all indications, it was one of the few areas where he and Shirou were quite in-sync. "Sort of," Vergil said with a half-hearted shrug, resolving not to think about it any more than he had to. His feelings about his family were still working themselves out. "We'll have to pick something up while we're out then. I trust you'll be fine in spirit form until we find something that suits your tastes?"

"Yeah, yeah, no sweat," Mordred said as she casually waved him off.

Vergil sighed. He was starting to wonder if Mordred would have been a better partner for his brother. She reminded him a great deal of some of his demon hunting associates. Still, he was in no position to be picky, and if he could work with Dante, he could certainly have a civil relationship with his new partner. "Then let's not waste any more time." The half-demon slipped into a pair of shoes as his Servant disappeared again and the duo started the walk down into the city center. The morning air was cool against his face and Vergil savored the feeling of the slight breeze against his body. Months in hell always helped him remember the little pleasures of the human world.

The walk wasn't terribly long and, being a weekday, the city was pleasantly quiet as they made their way to the local shopping center. Vergil felt a rare sympathetic impulse. There was going to be a magical contest for power and prestige starting very soon. These ordinary people were going to be in the line of fire if he wasn't careful. And they really didn't deserve that. He was going to have to take their safety into his own hands, wasn't he? Both his brother and his son would probably be proud that he'd come to that decision on his own. He sighed and pushed the heavy thoughts from his mind as he stopped at the mall's directory and looked for a store that sold clothing. Shopping for women's clothing was not something that Shirou had any knowledge of. Which was odd, considering he had several reasonably attractive girls around his age that he seemed quite close to. Perhaps he simply wasn't interested?

He supposed it didn't really matter in the end. He put the thoughts of his host's love life to the back of his mind and made his way up to the nearest decent looking clothing shop he could find, situated on the second floor. "Good morning!" an entirely too chipper attendant greeted him as he walked in. "Do you need any help today?"

Vergil put on a placid smile. "Yes, actually. I'm looking for some clothes for my girlfriend and I'm not sure quite where to start."

"Oh, of course," the shopkeeper said with a smile. "The women's section is right back here." She gestured for him to follow her and led him toward one side of the store. "Do you know what kind of clothes you're looking for? We have some of the latest fashions in stock."

"I think I would prefer to browse," Vergil said evenly. "But I'll ask if I need any more help later."

"Of course. I'll be at the front of the store if you need any help." The attendant bowed her head and left him to browse the racks on his own. Vergil wasn't an expert in women's clothing by any means, but he could manage, surely. It wasn't like he'd ever been short on lovers when he was in the mood.

"Girlfriend?" He stiffened slightly before he realized that Mordred was talking in his head, not out loud. That would have been a nice tool to know he had available before now. "You looking to get maimed?"

"I could have said I was shopping for my little sister if you would have preferred," Vergil replied, managing to project a perfect deadpan back to his partner. He flipped through one of the racks, looking at a row of nearly identical shirts in different colors while Mordred sputtered angrily in the back of his head.

"Yeah, whatever," she finally said. "I guess it's fine, dumbass."

Vergil glanced over his shoulder to make sure that no one was watching them. "Tell me if you see anything you like. I'm sure there's something here that you would like."

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"Somehow, I didn't picture this as quite your style," Vergil said, trying to keep his voice diplomatic as he leaned against the wall outside the women's rest room.

"Eh, I prefer something that's easy to move in," Mordred replied, pushing the door open to rejoin her Master. She had been distinctly unhelpful in picking out something to buy, mainly because she seemed like she could not care less about what he picked out for her. Vergil felt his cheeks heat up a bit at what she had finally decided on. He silently cursed the teenage body, and by extension teenage hormones, he was currently trapped with. He was not some blushing virgin who was easily distracted by a woman's body. Mordred had ultimately picked out a pair of skinny jeans that showed off the outline of her muscles, even through the denim, and a red crop top that showed her abs quite pleasantly. He was starting to get the impression that she liked to show off her muscles, but perhaps he was simply letting himself get distracted.

"I suppose Servants don't get cold then," he said, trying to keep himself from sounding too sarcastic.

Mordred just shrugged. "Eh, I mean, I can feel it, but it doesn't bug me the way it probably does you. I'm tough like that." She smirked and placed her hands proudly on her hips.

Vergil cleared his throat and carefully placed his eyes anywhere other than her displayed skin. "I can tell." He absently brushed his hair back again. "Now that you have something comfortable to wear, shall we take a walk? I think it will benefit us to scout out the city a bit before we have to worry about fighting."

"Yeah, let's get to know the battlefield," Saber agreed. "Not that it will matter with a Servant like me, but if it makes things less of a pain later…"

"I look forward to seeing you in action again," Vergil said. "Your strength is impressive."

Mordred chuckled and grinned savagely. "Of course it is. I'm the one and only heir of King Arthur. No one can defeat me except for father."

Vergil felt his lips twitch up into a half-smile. The boundless confidence was, thankfully, more amusing than annoying. And she at least actually had the power to back up her boasts, if last night was any accurate indication. "I'm going to hold you to that."

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Evening was starting to fall by the time they finished their canvassing of the city. They hadn't managed to explore every street and alleyway, but it was enough that Vergil was fairly certain he could pick out an isolated but still advantageous battleground in a pinch. Hopefully this particular ritual for power and glory wouldn't involve mass civilian slaughter. "Would you like something for supper?" he absently questioned his partner as they turned back onto their street.

"Not sure we're gonna have time for that, boss," Mordred replied, gesturing toward the gate of the Emiya house.

Vergil raised one eyebrow as he spotted Tohsaka already waiting against the outer wall. "Ah, so we won't. Go into spirit form for now. Let's show some good faith." Mordred nodded and vanished into the air as Vergil straightened his jacket. Well, he could respect her desire to get the formalities out of the way. He raised a hand in greeting as the pair approached the seemingly lone young woman. He had no doubt that her own Servant was also lurking in his spirit form just in case they proved untrustworthy. "Good evening, Tohsaka."

"Good evening, Emiya," Tohsaka said, with a hint of formality in her voice. It didn't sound entirely genuine, but they were technically supposed to be rivals, so perhaps she was just trying to keep her distance. "I hope you don't mind my showing up a bit early."

"Not at all," Vergil said evenly. "We said tonight, didn't we? Best to get things taken care of before it gets too late. We do have school in the morning after all."

"I wasn't sure that you would be showing up, considering you decided to skip today."

Vergil smiled a bit at the hint of challenge in her voice. "Perhaps that would be safer, but I can't avoid it forever. Though I didn't expect you to be paying so much attention to my attendance. Should I be worried? Or maybe flattered?"

He was rather pleased to see a little color come to her cheeks at his little jest. "I'm just keeping an eye on the competition."

"Of course," Vergil said, her voice betraying no emotion. "Well, as the competition, you were taking me somewhere to have the rest of this situation explained, correct?"

"Yeah," Rin sighed. "There's a priest at the church on the outskirts of town who acts as the neutral overseer of the Holy Grail War. He's a shady bastard, but he's also responsible for dealing with defeated Masters and keeping the rules, for how much they actually count at least. He knows more about the Grail War than just about anyone else."

"No reason to keep the referee waiting then." Vergil made a sweeping gesture with one hand. "Lead the way." He was secretly a bit glad that his stamina was greater than that of an ordinary human. Otherwise, he would probably be tired from walking around literally all day.

Tohsaka nodded and took the lead, heading down the street toward what he assumed was the edge of town. "I can answer some questions, if you have any," she added after a few moments of walking in silence.

Well, it would help fill the space if nothing else. And he would likely learn something useful. "It may not be immediately relevant," Vergil began after a moment. "But how did a battle for the Holy Grail end up in Japan, of all places? It seems like the last place you would find that sort of relic."

Rin made a shallow nod of agreement. "It's sort of a long story," she admitted. "The Holy Grail War was founded by three ancient families of magi over two hundred years ago: the Einzberns, the Tohsakas, and the Makiris. The Tohsakas were native to Japan, but had converted to Christianity in secret some time ago. So they offered their land as the ritual site to summon the Holy Grail into being."

"Fascinating," Vergil mused. "So is the position of the priest as a neutral party a remnant of that as well? Because you haven't seemed very… pleased with him so far."

Rin grimaced. "The current overseer was my father's student. He's been a family friend for a long time, enough that he helped teach me magecraft. But one things he's not is a good priest. He's a total phony."

"Being a sorcerer is against most interpretations of Christian doctrine," Vergil said, sarcasm practically dripping off his words. There were a few more… interesting interpretations of doctrine back in his world, but most of them gave up any pretense of being Christian quickly enough. Like those Order of the Sword lunatics who had raised Nero. He still wasn't quite sure how Nero had turned out as well as he had being raised by a veritable cult to his father. Still, they probably did a better job than he would have.

"The holy church has an… interesting relationship with mages," Rin replied, a hint of amusement in her own tone. "But it's not just the magic thing…" She trailed off, apparently not quite sure how to put it. "You'll get it when you meet him."

"I'll take your word for it." They fell into a more comfortable silence as they passed a cemetery, the empty streets now only lit by the slowly awakening street lights. It was peaceful, but there was a tension in the air. It was like the city itself was preparing for the coming conflict. Vergil wished that his talents extended more to sensing other demonic powers. He got the uncomfortable impression that someone was watching them. Though if the overseer was known to all, it stood to reason that the other competitors would be keeping an eye on the church to scout out their opponents. Maybe he should try to recreate Griffon and see if he could do some spying for him…

"We're here," Rin said, interrupting his train of thought. Vergil looked up, focusing on the here and now rather than plans for later. The church was nothing special, at least at first glance. It could have passed for any small town perish, were it not for the distinctly ominous aura that surrounded the place. Vergil wasn't sure if it felt that way to Rin as well, or if his demonic blood was trying to warn him of something.

"I think I see what you mean already," he muttered, mostly to himself. He reached out to his Servant, silently requesting her presence. Mordred shimmered into existence, her casual outfit already replaced by her full suit of armor.

"Yeah, this place is kinda fucked," Mordred agreed, her voice slightly distorted by her ornate helmet. "I don't like it."

"Let's just get this over with," Rin sighed. She knocked on the door twice before pushing on side open and holding it for Vergil to follow her inside. The nave was empty, save for rows of silent pews and the altar at the head of the room, which did nothing to help the unpleasant atmosphere of the place. Then a door at the back corner of the room opened and Vergil got his first look at the so-called priest.

His immediate reaction was dislike. The man had a cold demeanor that would have been unpleasant to a normal person, but Vergil got the distinct impression that he was being sized up. It was the sort of look that a predator gave an unknown. One he was intimately familiar with. Tohsaka's dislike of the man made a great deal of sense. This man was not in the slightest bit trustworthy. "Good evening," the priest said with a deep, smooth voice. "I am Father Kirei Kotomine. Welcome to my chapel, Shirou Emiya."

"Good evening," Vergil said slowly, his eyes narrowing. "I was told that you have an important role to play in the upcoming… conflict."

The priest smiled. "Indeed. As I'm sure Rin has already told you, I am the overseer of the Holy Grail War. It is my duty and my privilege to record the participants in the conflict and to ensure that the rules are followed. It would not do to have the secrets of magecraft exposed to the public by a careless Master." He looked past Vergil to the armored figure behind him. "Such as the Master of the strongest Servant class."

"I see Tohsaka has already filled you in on me," he said, keeping his voice meticulously even.

"Indeed, Master of Saber," Kotomine said. "I'm sure that you've been regaled with stories about me as well." There was something distinctly smug in his voice. Like he was proud of just how uncomfortable he knew he could make people. Vergil liked him less by the second. "Now that I have seen you in person, I can officially register you as the competitor in the Holy Grail War. Unless you would like to resign."

Vergil raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't under the impression that this was the sort of contest where one can withdraw so easily."

The priest shook his head. "The church serves as a sanctuary for defeated Masters. If you were to choose to relinquish your command spells, you would also be entitled to safety here until the conflict is decided. Often, if a Servant finds their Master fallen before them, surviving Masters may forge a new contract to claim a second chance at the conflict."

"That won't be necessary," Vergil said firmly. "Just inform me of any rules I need to know and we'll be on our way."

If anything the priest seemed more pleased by the quick assertion. "It's quite simple. The Holy Grail War officially begins once all seven Servants have been confirmed to have been summoned by the overseer. As you are the last, the War begins as soon as you leave through those doors." Because that wasn't an obvious threat. "And the War only concludes once only a single Master remains. Only then can they claim their wish from the Holy Grail. If you place the secrecy of the Grail or magic as a whole at risk, actions will be taken to sanction you. Beyond that, the only limits are what you are willing to do to claim your prize."

Vergil clenched his jaw. A death game for unlimited power. It seemed sorcerers in this world were little better than demons in his own. "Almost painfully simple," he said. "All this for one wish."

Kotomine made a non-committal hum of assent. "There are few prizes greater than your very heart's desire." Then he smirked. "Rejoice boy, soon, your wish shall be granted!"

Vergil clenched his teeth together so hard it almost hurt. "We shall see."