Chapter 1 - How it All Started (1)

August 2062, Taipei

A teenage boy in a school uniform was smoking a cigarette on the roof of some random building while looking at the dark night sky. This was his typical activity when he couldn't sleep, so he went to smoke, even though it was slowly killing him.

Fortunately, Magicians were a bit more resistant, and the more powerful they were, the more resistant they were to mundane illnesses, so he didn't care much about getting cancer because he knew that his Psions would take care of it...

"Hmm... I wonder when the next job offer will arrive. Research costs money, too much money. Hopefully, the next target will be for a higher price; those low-priority targets are not worth much..."

The teen on the roof muttered as he breathed out the smoke from his cigarette while observing the shining city during the silent night. It was a rather relaxing activity, though, until his time of relaxation was disrupted by someone screaming.

'Yotsuba?'

He thought as he went to the back entrance to the hotel, where a large van with two additional armored cars was parked. This was probably the most obvious example of kidnapping.

'Hmm... at least twenty to thirty people... most of them are Magicians. They are bold enough to kidnap a Heiress of the Yotsuba Clan. And only one person is mad enough to do something like this if we consider we are in the territory of the Dahan... Jiedo Heigu.'

For someone as experienced in the criminal underworld as him, it didn't take long to figure out who was behind this entire endeavor. He scanned the surroundings of the hotel's back entrance while sneaking up on them.

It seemed that the quality of the kidnappers was not the best when they allowed themselves to be this easily sneaked upon. He took out his personalized CAD, Thompson Contender, and another weapon, which was an extinguishing crafted wakizashi.

[Time Alter: Tripple Accel]

The moment he cast the spell, his speed was far above human limits, and he rushed at several of the mercenaries who were attempting to kidnap the young Yotsuba Heiress.

As an experienced assassin, he attacked them with his wakizashi, directly aiming at the weak spots on their bodies, namely on their threats that were left unprotected.

Eight people fell to the ground in a mere second, with slit throats and blood flowing through the ground. Before the rest of them recovered from their shock, the teen attacked once again.

[Time Magic: Time Lock]

He aimed his CAD at a group of five men who were holding Maya, who was screaming for help as the time itself around them suddenly froze.

[Time Magic: Double Accel]

Then he cast another spell, rushing directly at them.

At first, he aimed at the man who was holding Maya and killed him by severing his head with his wakizashi. Right now, his target wasn't those attackers but rather to save Maya.

She was a beautiful young girl, fourteen years of age, with long purple-blackish hair and purple eyes.

He then grabbed Maya and jumped back to a safe distance while carrying her like a sack of potatoes across his shoulder while he departed away from the rest of the kidnappers. After she awoke from her shock, she was shocked once more.

She knew her savior, but that would be incorrect; she was only aware that he was, not like she cared about someone who was classified as a weed in the school. Perhaps it was a sign of her pride from her upbringing or her own nature stemming from her powerful Magic.

"E-emiya?!"

Her loud shout was a testament to her surprise and shock when she realized who saved her.

"Yes."

He nodded stoically, not letting his emotions lash out because they were still in amid of the combat.

"Why? Why did you save me?"

Maya questioned him as her emotions were a mess, mainly from the experiencing kidnapping attempt and also being saved by one of the people whom almost all people in the school looked down, as he was just a "weed".

It was bizarre for her; someone who she didn't even know and treated as badly as an insect saved her from a fate worse than death. She was very well aware of what awaited her, though the kidnappers were also so kind to explain it.

"..."

He didn't say anything and just scanned his surrounding as they were soon surrounded by fifteen Dahan mercenaries, either carrying automatic guns or magicians. Soon only, the clap-clap sound was heard.

"What a romantic sight... a knight in shining armor saving the princess from her terrifying fate. Just like a fairy tale, don't you agree, Mr. Magus Killer?"

Said a man that came out of one of the cars. He was a middle-aged man clad in a combat uniform, radiating a sharp, invisible aura of an experienced assassin, a powerful Magician.

This time, it was no surprise that even Maya was shocked at what the man called her classmate. Magus Killer was a very famous, probably a Strategic-Class Magician, who had a long record of assassinating Magicians.

It was his specialization, and he was damm good at his job; that one was clear.

His real identity was secret, as no one lived after meeting him face to face. Only a very small number of people knew about his real identity.

"Zhou Lang. What are you doing here?"

Emiya, of course, knew that person before him. Similarly, he was also an assassin — a pretty mad one, but also rational enough to undertake the contract of kidnapping the Heiress Apparent of the Yotsuba Clan.

"Currently? For nothing. Even though I love killing, for the time being, dying isn't on my to-do list. So, if you excuse me."

Zhou Lang stated somewhat theatrically as he gave them a slight bow.

On the other hand, Kiritsugu was also glad because protecting Maya and fighting Zhou Lang, a relatively strong Tactical-Class Magician, was troublesome.

It wasn't that Zhou Lang was a coward, but he knew precisely his abilities and wasn't confident of killing Magus Killer in a short time before someone noticed this mess.

"Hey, you worthless assassin, the boss paid you to..."

The commander didn't even finish his words as his head had already rolled on the ground. Zhou Lang didn't bother and just walked away while Emyia finished his work and killed the rest of these men.

"Are you alright?"

Kiritsugu asked her; while his tone was calm, it weirdly contained some degree of concern as he looked down at the girl who was on the verge of tears. She didn't say anything, just continued crying on his chest as she hugged him close to her.

***

Several days later

After the attempt to kidnap the Heiress of the Yotsuba Clan, Yotsuba Maya, several things happened in very short succession. The most notable one was probably Zhou Lang's revenge, as he released the identity of the Magus Killer to the public.

It was his way to get revenge for crashing his contract. It seemed that the contract for kidnapping the Heiress Apparent of the Yotsuba Clan, so now that the contract was unsuccessful, there would be no money for Zhou Lang.

Emyia Kiritsugu knew that Jiedo Heigu paid very well because, in the past, he assassinated a few people in Dahan for the leader of the Kunlunfang Institute.

This, in turn, turned an enormous amount of attention on his person because he was an especially powerful Magician, most probably already a Strategic-Class Magician; if not, then it was already confirmed that he could kill one, and he was only in his teens.

Not to mention, he was an expert in various types of combat aside from Magic Combat; this made his importance even higher because not every Magician who was, for example, classified as a Strategic-Class Magician knew how to fight well.

For Emyia Kiritsugu, the Magus Killer who depended on his public identity being absolutely unknown to conduct his business and take jobs, this was destroying his assassination career because the best assassin was the one who was unknown, unseen, and unheard, so this was basically a nightmare for him.

He had already made a mental note that as soon as he saw Zhou Lang, he would put a bullet through his skull.

Though there were also other consequences of such revelation.

For some people, his existence was a real eye-opener.

Someone who was classified as a weed by his school was actually such a strong person, but that was needed for an assassin. It made many realize that the current system wasn't taking into consideration the Inborn Magicians, some of whom could have really frightening types of Magic. 

Still, right now, due to Zhou Lang's revenge, his career was in ruins, as he quickly became a public figure. There was practically no place to hide in the age where powerful Magicians were something akin to celebrities, especially the younger ones.

"Can I sit beside you, Emiya-san?"

Yotsuba Maya questioned as she walked to the table in a coffee shop where Kiritsugu was sitting while drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette.

He just nodded, and Maya gracefully sat down.

"Can I ask once again, why did you save me?"

Yotsuba Heiress asked with a firm voice, completely forgetting the previous cheerful expression she had as she looked straight at Emiya's emotionless expression.

"..."

He didn't say anything as he just continued puffing out smoke without any change.

"Then allow me to answer for you. Logical reasoning, there could be several reasons why. Thought if we exclude the reasons for power, money, and social standing, which you could easily have acquired even without this event, then only personal reasons or rather emotional reasons will be left."

The Yotsuba Heiress explained with a mischievous smile as her eyes had a certain glint in them when she looked at the man in front of her.

"So, basically, you like me."

He didn't say anything and just nodded his head in agreement with her words; he clearly saw that she was confident in her assumptions, so anything he said would only affirm those. In the end, he just let her have the victory this time.

"Yes, though it is irrelevant in this case."

After some short time of silence, Kiritsugu stated neutrally.

"Why that one?"

She cocked her eyebrow at him while awaiting her answer.

"You are already engaged to Saegusa heir, aren't you? For that alone, it is unimportant if I deny or confirm, nothing will change. Not to mention, I doubt that your Clan wants to bear the repercussions of being associated with the name of the Magus Killer, just from the political view."

He said while looking at Maya, seeing a weird glint in her eyes.

"Don't mention that coward before me again. After that, trash didn't even try to rescue me; my father had already dissolved the engagement. When he saw that Zhou Lang guy, he turned around and fled after receiving one hit from him."

The hatred in her voice was evident and was stronger than anything ever right now. Yotsubas were a bunch of maniacs obsessed with combat and power; such behavior was most disgraceful to them.

Fleeing from the battle... Maya knew that her father or her Uncles would have most possibly already killed the Heiress of the Saegusa Clan.

When he heard those words, suddenly a weird feeling overcame him, as Psions started gathering around him in significant numbers, almost creating pressure, but he soon dissolved it.

"Can I call you by your name? Calling my savior, Emiya-san feels so distant and on the side thing... I think that you really underestimate the length that any Clan or organization would go to obtain Strategic-Class Magician..."

She put on the most beautiful smile she could muster as she said that. She knew that her Clan would do everything so they could obtain someone as powerful as Emiya Kiritsugu into their fold because the power of their Clan would increase exponentially.

"Then, allow me to do the same thing, Maya."

Emyia Kiritsugu wasn't a person who put out his emotions, as he was trained to hide them from the people, not giving any kind of advantage to his enemies. Though, in the end, he had to relent in front of her constant buggering.

"Excellent! Also, I have a message from my father to you, Kiritsugu."

Maya had a slight blush on her face, which was rare and rather opposite to the usual cold demeanor she put around people.

At the same time, Kiritsugu tensed a bit, hearing her mention her father. With terrifying mental interference magic, Grim Reaper, Yotsuba Genzou was an extremely dangerous person.

"He wishes to meet you and thank you personally. Also, he had something proposition for a job for you, Mr. Magus Killer."

Maya had a mischievous smile on her face, which was rare, as she usually kept her stoic facade as the heir of Yotsuba. She was trained to behave like a perfect embodiment of the nobility and aristocracy.

"Hey, Kiritsugu, do you want to go on a date with me?"

Her eyes glinted as she asked because she decided to take the initiative. She was very good at observing people, and she could see the chances of him making the first move or, rather, it would take too long for her tastes.

One must admit, she was truly either a bold one or a confident one. Either way, Maya always did what she wanted, if it was anything. She didn't have any barriers to common sense, and she did what she wanted.

For a moment, the world around him froze a second, as he didn't know how to respond. He always thought that his feelings for Maya were useless, as it wasn't really that something like this could ever happen.

They were worlds apart...

She was an heiress of the Yotsuba Clan of Ten Master Clans, while he was a mercenary assassin who killed for money. His family was also a lineage of Magicians, but he was the last living member, as the rest was killed when he was a child.

A noble magician without nobility.

"We can agree on that... but I must warn you that I am very unfamiliar with dating, so everything from planning and other aspects will go to you..."

He quickly calmed down as he said because he didn't know how to respond appropriately.

When it came to relationships, he wasn't good with them. He knew only to take a contract, kill, get money, and use the money to fuel his research.

Then repeat... that was all.

"Of course, you don't..."

She giggled to herself, already waiting for an answer like this.

***

Two months later, October 2062

It was one month after the kidnapping attempt.

One of the most shocking things that happened was that Yotsuba Maya and Emiya Kiritsugu started dating. This shocked all of the school students; even Maya's former fianceé, Saegusa Koichi, was taken aback.

One time, he even tried to "explain" himself to Maya but was beaten black and blue by her boyfriend for apparently no reason...

Kiritsugu especially hated him with passion, as he knew types of people like him. The only reason why he wanted Maya back was to improve his own social standing, nothing more and nothing less.

These kinds of people would sell their own families for benefits or power. Concerning Maya's family, the Yotsubas were very supportive of Maya's choice.

Choosing a very young magician who could assassinate Strategic-Class Magicians was an extraordinary boon for the family. Not talking about the fact that Kiritsugu was also a very decent Magic Engineer.

Thus, Kiritsugu spent two months very peacefully and happily, which was very unusual for him, and it was the first time in his life that he had found such peace.

On the other side, Maya was also glad.

She was happy when she was with him and even felt that she could love him. He was kind, pleasant, attentive to her needs, always listened to her, helped her train with Magic or physical combat, and even taught her Ninjutsu.

"Come on, Kiritsugu, or we will be late for a meeting with father."

Maya stated as she pushed her boyfriend into the limousine, which came to pick them up.

"Going."

They were currently going to Yotsuba Village.

It was a mountain village where the Yotsuba resided in a narrow valley not recorded on any map, which is in the old Yamanashi Prefecture that bordered the old Nagano Prefecture.

Due in part to the village not being recorded on any map.

The village itself was hidden deep within a mountain range valley; to even get there, one needed to have the enormous talent to solve sequences of mind interference magic.

And even if someone managed to break through the magic sequences, then the village itself was actually like a small fortress, with walls, watchtowers and with several hundred villagers, each ready to fight and die for Yotsuba.

When they arrived at the village, they went straight to the Main House, where a person could go only when the Family Head personally invited them. Before the Main House, there was already a person waiting for them. It was a middle-aged man wearing a black kimono with a dragon-like pattern.

"Otou-sama."

Maya greeted her father in a more formal way, befitting that of the heir of the Yotsuba Clan.

"Genzou-sama."

Greeted Kiritsugu as he bowed slightly.

Yotsuba Genzou was a man who valued family above everything else despite his cold demeanor. He hugged his younger daughter before scanning Kiritsugu with his piercing glare from the tips of his toes to his head.

"Come inside; there is cold outside already."

Both Maya and Kiritsugu then went inside the Main House. The main house looked like a typical eastern building from the outside, but you would see the western decoration when you entered.

"It is a pleasure to see a living descendant of the Emiya Clan. I have known your father, Norikata. My condolences for your loss."

Yotsuba Genzou stated neutrally as he looked at Kiritsugu, who tensed a bit. Not many people knew his lineage; many thought that Emiya wasn't even a magician family.

That was a mistake... they were a family of magicians specializing primarily in assassinations, stemming from the first research institutes that were established around the country when the Magic started appearing in the world.

"Thank you, Genzou-sama."

Thanked him Kiritsugu after a short time.

"Sama? Soon enough, you would call me a father-in-law, hahaha"

Genzou laughed a bit as he looked at Maya, who blushed and attempted to hide behind Kiritsugu.