Fate/Irregular Summons

Chapter 10: Flowers Blooming in Mud

FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 10: Flowers Blooming in Mud

As the battle raged on at Ryuudou, Cuchulainn squatted atop a skyscraper and observed the various flashes of light emanating from the temple. He was much too far away to consider taking part in this skirmish, so he merely watched like it was some kind of movie. It was impossible for him to discern which Servants were taking part. Judging from the occasional sparks he saw at the stairs, plus two different sets of attacks obviously being thrown against one Servant, he figured there had to be five Heroic Spirits fighting all at once.

Man, what an ugly situation that is, he thought. I wouldn't mind a good scrap, but Kotomine told me to keep low until he had further orders for me.

He let out a gaping wide yawn and rested his head upon his hand.

Damn it all. I'm bored out of my mind.

Ten minutes later, he saw that the fighting had ceased in earnest. Cuchulainn propped Gae Bolg over his shoulder and wondered what to do next.

Guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look around. Kotomine never said I couldn't investigate after other Servants finished fighting.

He leapt high off of the building and sprinted along the rooftops of other high-rise buildings within Fuyuki's modernized Shinto district, heading towards the more traditional homes of Miyama. He had been here at least once before, when he hunted Shirou down to try and kill him after the boy had been revived somehow. That was when Artoria had been inadvertently summoned as Shirou's Servant, and she not only drove Cuchulainn back, but miraculously survived the full might of Gae Bolg's curse. This failure was what prompted Kirei to keep Cuchulainn out of the fray for the majority of the war, regardless of how much the boredom made the Celtic hero go stir-crazy.

The blue-armored Lancer decided to see if Shirou and Artoria were back at the Emiya residence. He had a feeling that Saber had to be one of the Servants present at the Ryuudou battle, and he figured that discerning their condition would be beneficial for Kirei.

****

During the last few days, Cuchulainn had blended in with the citizenry of Fuyuki and asked as many questions as he could regarding Matou Sakura's mysterious Italian relatives. His search didn't yield any results until he went to the florist's shop and met some of Sakura's friends. In particular, he became chummy with Mitsuzuri Ayako and prodded her for details.

"Need me to help you pick a good bouquet?" Cuchulainn had asked the student.

"N-No, it's no big deal. It's for my classmate's funeral, so there isn't any need to be fancy," Ayako said, appearing quite wistful.

"Oh, I heard. Matou Shinji, was it? I'm a family friend, so I thought I'd go cheer up his sister."

"I wish I could too, but Sakura's been nowhere to be found over the last while. Maybe she just wants some time to be alone."

"Guess so."

"But it's strange. Mr. Kuzuki said that some relatives from Italy picked up her homework, yet she never told me she knew anyone from so far away."

"Oh yeah?" Cuchulainn's interest was piqued. "You know anything about them?"

"Hmm..." Ayako thought for a moment. "He said their names were Caren and Constance Hortensia, and that they were sisters who looked very much like each other."

Sounds about right, he thought as he recalled seeing Caren and Connla passing by earlier. From the way Kotomine reacted, he must know who they are.