Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
Aozaki and Tohsaka – The Serpent's Feathers
Chapter 1
"I certainly hope you brought clothes appropriate for the tropics, Sakura." Touko remarked as Sakura collected their luggage from customs. All around them, the arrivals terminal of La Aurora International Airport bustled with people, ranging from tourists to aircrew and airport staff. "I know it's a bit late to mention this, but I'd expect you to plan ahead."
"It's cold on a plane." Sakura protested, before giving her master a small smile. "But yes, I made sure to pack tropical clothes for both of us."
"Good," Touko said, giving an approving nod before turning away with an imperious wave, her apprentice trailing after her with their luggage. "In your case at least, that bomber jacket and long-sleeved turtleneck you wear all the time is practically asking for a heat stroke."
Sakura shrugged. "I'll get changed once we get to the hotel." She said.
Touko hummed, and gestured for Sakura to keep following. Sakura obeyed, following her master across the terminal and out the exit. Making their way through the crowd of families, valets, and the like waiting for other arrivals, the two magi proceeded to the taxi stand, taking their place in a short line. There were plenty of taxis available, allowing the line to move along at a steady pace, and within a few minutes both Touko and Sakura were getting into a taxi while the driver loaded their luggage into the back.
"
Buenas tardes, señoras." The man greeted them before switching to accented English. "Where to?"
"Imperial Hotel in Antigua, thank you." Touko said while settling into her seat, the driver doing likewise behind the wheel.
"
Sí, señora."
Sakura settled back with arms crossed over her chest, while Touko pulled out her phone. The driver had been about to turn on the radio, but thought better of it as Touko made a call. Several moments later and she was answered, Touko entering into a conversation in a European language Sakura didn't recognize but was probably Hungarian, given who she was probably conversing with.
Not that she should be expected to, as while her master had made sure Sakura could understand and speak English (with as small an accent as possible), she hadn't taught or had Sakura learn any other foreign language. It definitely wasn't French though, or German, or even Russian. Even if Sakura's experience with those languages were limited to watching films on television, it was enough that she could tell the difference between them.
She still couldn't understand them though, much less speak them.
The conversation lasted several minutes, and ended with Touko disgruntled but satisfied. "I'm guessing that was Mister Zobor, master?" Sakura asked as Touko put away her phone.
"Hmm…yes, that was Benedek." Touko said with a nod.
"…I'm also guessing that was Hungarian." Sakura remarked.
"No, that was German." Touko said with a smirk, the smirk widening as Sakura's mouth fell open in surprise. "Let me guess, you thought that just because you watched a few movies set in World War II, you thought you could tell German by ear even if you couldn't understand it, didn't you?"
"…yes." Sakura grumpily admitted.
Touko gave a barking laugh. "Kid, it's not going to be that easy." She said.
Sakura muttered something under her breath, but said nothing more for a few moments. "So what's the deal with Mister Zobor?" she finally asked.
"He'll be meeting us tomorrow, at a café in the Corte de los Esclavos." Touko said. "I'd prefer to meet tonight, so we can get down to business right away, but I suppose I can work with this. At the very least, we can have some few hours of rest and relaxation before getting back to work. It
was a long flight, business class or not."
Sakura nodded in agreement, before her expression turned cautious. "What is it?" Touko asked. "Say what you want to say, Sakura."
"It might be too late to be asking this," Sakura began. "But can we really trust Mister Zobor, master?"
"Hell no," Touko said with a snort and a disparaging smile. "But we can trust his sense of self-preservation. And he knows better than to double-cross
me. He knows that if he ever did, death would be the best thing he could look forward to."
Sakura winced as her master's smile turned cruel and bloodthirsty. "Yeah…" she said, remembering the few times she'd seen her master at her worst and inwardly shuddering at the memories. She didn't think Human beings could even scream like that…or could survive for so long literally without their skin (among other things). "…I…I'll take your word for it, master."
Touko's smile lightened. "Relax, kid." She said. "Just keep your head down, follow my lead, and everything will be alright. Or if nothing else, just use your head."
"I'll keep that in mind, master."
"That's a good girl."
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"Sakura, you go on ahead to our suite, and start unpacking." Touko said after she finished checking in and making the security deposit. "I'll join you later."
"And just where will you be until then, master?" Sakura asked with mixed curiosity and suspicion.
Touko briefly glanced at the bar in the hotel foyer, before looking back at her apprentice. "I'm going to get a drink." She cheerfully said, before smoothing her coat and making to leave.
"…I want a drink too…" Sakura muttered, as she moved to accompany the bellhop who'd be taking their luggage upstairs.
"Still four years more before you can drink, Sakura." Touko said over a shoulder. And then pausing in thought, walked over to put an arm around her apprentice's shoulder. "Tell you what, since you've been such a good girl lately, I don't see any reason why you should just stay in the suite until I come back."
"I'm
always a good girl." Sakura said with a roll of her eyes.
"Maybe," Touko said with a shrug. "But anyway, you have your keycard, right?"
Sakura responded by gesturing with it, and Touko nodded. "Good…" she said, patting Sakura on a shoulder before stepping away. "Just unpack and put away our things, and then feel free to go ahead of me to the hotel restaurant and buffet. It's part of our accommodation package, so go wild."
Sakura didn't say anything, but the slow smile that spread over her face was answer enough. Touko grinned and patted Sakura's shoulder again. "Off you go then, kid." She said. "Though, stay in the hotel, no matter what!"
"I can take care of myself, master." Sakura shot back as Touko strolled off across the foyer towards the bar.
"This isn't Japan, Sakura." Touko seriously said over a shoulder. "The streets here are different from the ones you grew up in."
"…fair enough…" Sakura conceded, before rejoining the bellhop at the elevators.
"Your mother, miss?" the man curiously asked in accented English. "Or a relative? I apologize if I'm prying though."
"Hmm…no, no…" Sakura said, also switching to English, having conversed with her master in Japanese. "That was my guardian, we're not related."
"Ah…that explains the lack of resemblance…and again, my apologies. I might have gone too far."
Sakura hummed and shrugged, and just followed the bellhop into the elevator as its doors opened.
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"Are you drunk?" Sakura asked over an hour later, as she spotted her master walking over to join her at a table for two in the restaurant.
Touko snorted. "Me? Get drunk?" she asked. "Kid, you underestimate me."
"Sorry, master." Sakura apologized first before explaining herself. "But you did spend over an hour at the bar."
Touko nodded. "Yeah, I can see why you thought I might be drunk." She said. "Shame this place is no smoking, though."
Gesturing for a waiter, Touko ordered a mug of black coffee, and then turned back to her apprentice as the man hurried off. Eyeing her briefly, Touko noted that Sakura had discarded – probably back at their suite – her usual bomber jacket, though she still wore her usual long-sleeved turtleneck shirt over a pair of jeans.
Then again, the hotel
was cold, if not as much as a passenger plane's cabin could get. "…steak, huh?" Touko observed, eyeing Sakura's meal. "Medium well too, from the look of things. I'm guessing that's not your first choice from the buffet."
"Of course not," Sakura said, slicing into the meat and causing red to ooze out and mix with brown sauce against the white china of her plate. "They have a selection of European sausages, so I started out with those, along with some green vegetables."
Touko nodded in approval. "And then?" she asked.
Sakura blushed and looked disinclined to answer. "Sakura…" Touko said semi-sternly.
"…there's a Japanese section here." Sakura admitted. "They have
ebi tempura…lots of
ebi tempura…"
Touko sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Really, Sakura?" she asked in mild exasperation.
"It's not like I get to eat
ebi tempura on a regular basis anyway, even back home." Sakura said defensively, and forking a slice of steak into her mouth.
"Well, at least you avoided any rice." Touko said with another sigh.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I avoided any and all carbs." She said, before jerking her thumb to a part of the buffet. Touko followed it with her eyes, and spotted breads of all kinds available for selection. "They'd fill me up, and I wouldn't get to enjoy the buffet as much as I'd want."
"…good thinking on that note…" Touko softly said. "…though you should probably have some carbs before you go for dessert. The local cornbread should be good…having travelled all the way around the world, I'd say it's a waste to not at least try that, especially if you tried other breads like French or whatnot."
"…the Chinese section's fried rice smells very good though…" Sakura mumbled, and Touko rolled her eyes.
"All the way around the world, Sakura." She repeated herself. "And you're going for Chinese? We could have that – or
ebi tempura for that matter – any time back home."
Sakura grumbled under her breath, but didn't bother arguing. "Anyway," Touko continued. "What else did you have so far?"
"The native roast pork is good, with a sweet and sour sauce." Sakura said. "They also have native roast poultry, seasoned with native herbs and spices, very good. And the steak they have, it's very good. The meat is soft and not at all chewy, simply seasoned with…um, I think it's just salt and pepper, but the 'less is more' approach works very well with it. It's my second slice."
Touko smirked. "Going for a third slice?" she asked teasingly.
Sakura blushed again, and silently returned to her meal. The conversation stilled as the waiter returned with Touko's coffee, the older woman giving her thanks as the man served it. Taking a drink, she looked on as Sakura sliced and forked her steak into her mouth, and then took another drink.
"Anything else you'd like to recommend?" she asked lightly.
Sakura swallowed and took a drink of cold water before answering. "There's an Italian section over there." She said with a gesture from her finger. "They have several kinds of pizzas, along with cold cuts and several kinds of cheeses."
"Cold cuts, huh?" Touko echoed. "There's an idea."
"They also have a
halal section," Sakura added. "For Muslim guests, I think. They have a roast goat there, along with all kinds of vegetable and other dishes."
"Did you give it a try?" Touko asked curiously.
"It's not bad." Sakura answered noncommittally. Touko nodded, guessing the rest which her apprentice had politely declined to say.
It's not bad, but not to my taste.
At least she'd given it a try, though. And her opinion wasn't completely negative either, when all was said and done.
Touko took another drink, and savoring the bitterness of black coffee, sat back to take a look around the restaurant. It was full, most tables occupied by families or cliques of guests, though there were still plenty of single or double diners like herself and Sakura. The hotel staff stood out among the guests – though not in a negative way – in their formal Hispanic attire, going to and fro attending to business.
The chefs were in their typical uniforms and caps, though. No surprises there.
Touko nodded, and finished her coffee before washing her mouth with a single drink of cold water. "Going somewhere?" Sakura asked as her master got to her feet. Touko looked at her with an unimpressed expression and a raised eyebrow.
"I'm going to see if their Italian is as good as you say it is." She said, and then walked off. Sakura looked after her for a while, and then shrugging, finished off her steak. Wiping at her hands and mouth with her table napkin while a waiter took away her dirty plate, the young magus didn't bother to wait for her master before going off for another slice of steak, and maybe some vegetables this time too.
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"Corte de los Esclavos," Touko said in Japanese with mild distaste. "What a charming name."
Master and apprentice struggled through the crowds of tourists and locals filling the square, the morning Sun hot and bright overhead even at half past ten in the morning. There weren't any cars here, but there were a number of bikes and motorbikes, and even a few trikes. Stalls and kiosks of all kinds with signs in Spanish or English (and sometimes both) lined much of the square's surroundings, competing with storefronts both domestic and international.
For instance, there were a number of local cafes and restaurants, modestly standing out with their conservative facades and Spanish names, and in stark contrast to the modern styles of the likes of McDonalds, Starbucks, and more. The same went for the people in the square, the locals blending into each other with their native appearances and complete comfort in the heat, while the tourists stood out in their various nationalities and struggles with the local temperature.
Touko and Sakura were no exception, though magi being magi, they coped with the heat better than most. Their Oriental looks made them stand out, though, and they were dressed like most tourists. Touko had discarded her usual coat, and now wore a plain, short-sleeved, button-down shirt of white over light brown pants. As for Sakura, she comfortably coped in a white tank top under an unbuttoned, short-sleeved shirt of dark green, worn over her another pair of jeans.
"Court of the Slaves…yeah, really charming…" the apprentice chimed her agreement with her master.
"How'd you know?" Touko asked.
Sakura pointed at a museum on the far side of the square, the name of the place printed on a large billboard above the entrance in both English and Spanish. "Huh…very observant…" Touko said with veiled approval.
"I'm guessing this place used to be a slave market in centuries past." Sakura remarked.
"A logical, and undoubtedly correct assumption." Touko said, before gesturing for Sakura to follow. "This way."
"After you, master." Sakura said, falling into step behind Touko.
Pushing their way through the crowds, and waving off local vendors showing off their wares, master and apprentice made their way to one of the local cafes. A uniformed doorman showed them in with a smile and a polite nod, and then Touko was leading the way to a table where a Caucasian man was enjoying coffee and local pastries.
"Benedek," Touko said without preamble as they approached. "It's been a while."
"Likewise, Touko." The Hungarian magus replied. Sakura took a moment to look him over, Benedek Zobor a tall European male with dark, thinning hair cut close to his scalp, and who sported a neatly-trimmed mustache above his mouth. Like her master, the man wore a plan, short-sleeved, button-down shirt of white, though over a pair of shorts as opposed to pants.
Then the magus was turning to her, and blinked in incomprehension. "And this is?" he asked.
"My apprentice," Touko said with a gesture to Sakura, who gave a polite bow. "Sakura Tohsaka…Sakura, this is Benedek Zobor, a colleague and business associate of mine, though I'm sure you already know that."
"Yes, master…pleased to meet you, Mister Zobor."
"Please," Benedek said while offering his hand to Sakura, who shook it firmly. "Call me Benedek."
"Alright…Benedek."
The man smiled, and then gestured for them to sit. A gesture had a waiter coming over, and after several moments perusing a menu, Touko – Sakura couldn't read Spanish – ordered coffee and local pastries for herself and her apprentice.
"So," Touko said. "How have you been, Benedek?"
"As well as can be expected." Benedek said with a sigh. "Though I suppose it's better than your situation."
"Hmm…perhaps…though last I hear you had to leave Egypt in a hurry."
The man's eyes twitched and his facial muscles tightened, though he said nothing. Touko raised her hands in apology though. "That said," she said. "We aren't here to trade insults, much less rub salt into each other's wounds. Shall we get down to business?"
"…yes, we should." Benedek agreed. "Though I suggest we wait until your drinks and pastries arrive. They're quite good, you know."
The man took a drink of his own coffee at that, as though to drive home the statement. Touko just smiled in amusement, and then Benedek was turning to Sakura. "So tell me, child." He said. "What has your master been teaching you?"
"…the basics, mostly." Sakura cautiously answered. "She's also supervising my…experiments, into my higher-level abilities. I'm not sure if she's just flattering me, but she says I should be able to flatten any Flame that's stupid enough to cross me."
Touko snorted. "It's not flattery." She said. "Even if it's only been…what, five? Six years?
My apprentice should be more than capable of taking on a mere Flame. I daresay you're comparable to a Count, or even a Cause."
Sakura shrugged and said nothing. "Higher-level abilities, though?" Benedek asked curiously. "That's a rather interesting choice of words."
"I'm sure it is." Touko said, and left it at that.
Benedek shrugged, knowing better than to pry past that point. Maybe if it was another magus, he might have, but against
Touko Aozaki? Against someone like her, it was best to be prudent, even if it concerned her apprentice, and not Touko herself.
Or even more so, as for childless or heirless magi, apprentices were like their own children. Until they had an heir or heiress of their own, their apprentices
were their legacy. And if there was anything the typically-greedy magi valued more than themselves, it was their – or their families' – legacy.
And ultimately, whether or not Touko fitted into that category was immaterial. Given how (in)famous she was, it was simply…unwise, to push the boundaries with her.
"
Sorry to keep you waiting." A neatly-dressed waitress said in Spanish as she arrived with a tray. "
Your orders are here."
Two mugs of coffee on saucers were placed before Touko and Sakura, along with a plate each of corn pastry. "
Thank you." Touko said in Spanish with a polite smile and nod. The waitress nodded back with a smile, and then returned to the counter.
Sakura added cream and sugar to her coffee, but Touko just took it black. "To your health." She said, toasting Benedek.
"And to yours." He said, returning the toast before asking for a refill. The waitress nodded before taking his empty mug, and returned after several moments with a fresh mug of coffee. Benedek added cream, and taking a sip, nodded before replacing the mug on its saucer. "Now then, shall we get down to business?"
"Very well…" Touko said, and placing a hand on the table, erected a bounded field around them to keep people from listening in. "Now, start talking."
Instead of speaking, Benedek just reached down to get his bag, and then pulled out a geis scroll. "First things first," he said, unrolling the scroll and pushing it across the table for Touko to peruse. "If anything comes of this venture, I want to guarantee my share of the profit, sixty-forty."
Touko silently regarded the scroll for a few minutes, and then smiled as she found it lacking any traps or onerous conditions. She also noted the blank spaces on the scroll where the split percentages should be listed down with amused approval, indicating they were up for discussion. "…seventy-thirty…my way." She countered.
Benedek inclined his head, and without complaint used a fountain pen to fill in the percentages. Then replacing that with a different pen, cut his thumb and filled in his signature, binding him to an agreement that included not turning or raising a hand against his partner until their venture was complete,
and they had left the country.
Then he offered the pen to Touko, who did likewise, and binding her to the same conditions. All on pain of the destruction of their magic circuits, which considering their connection to a magus' nervous system, would either kill them at the same time, or leave them paraplegics or vegetables.
"So what's this about?" Touko asked.
Benedek smiled, putting away the scroll before pulling out a case of lacquered wood with a cover of crystal glass. "This is…?" Touko breathed as it was pushed across the table, the Grand Magus narrowing her eyes at the jewel-inlaid gold medallion.
"I'm not quite sure what it is," Benedek admitted. "But from what I gathered from the archaeologists who found this at a dig in Teotihuacan, this might be the key to one of the biggest finds in history."
"Oh? Do tell."
Benedek sat back and clasped his hands in front of him. "…it was about a month ago, maybe two." He said. "Well, I heard about it a month ago, but they found that long before."
"Where?" Touko asked.
"Teotihuacan," Benedek said, before smiling at the look of incomprehension on Sakura's face. "It's a ruined city in Mexico, predating both the Aztecs and the Mayans. Its name literally means 'The Place of the Gods'. Who built it, gods or men or something else, is unknown, whether to our kind or modern scientists. However, all the Mesoamerican civilizations that came after and found and witnessed the ruins held them in great regard, so much so that they never dared attempt to settle or rebuild the ruins, seeing it as blasphemous to what – in their belief – must have been the gods' residence on Earth before the making of Man."
"And?" Touko said, tapping her fingers against the table. "What next?"
"Apparently, using some kind of…modern, invention the archaeologists were able to find a ruined structure not far from the Temple of the Feathered Serpent." Benedek explained. "No one had noticed it before because the site was buried in sand and dirt and overgrown with greenery. On excavation…well, it wasn't exactly a temple, and more a small…shrine, made in memory of and in the hope of the return of the Feathered Serpent."
"Feathered Serpent…an ancient god of the Mesoamericans?" Sakura asked.
"Yes," Touko said with a nod. "He's also known as Quetzalcoatl, the name literally meaning 'Feathered Serpent'. It's not entirely clear if he was a god from the start, or a king who was deified after his death, but what is clear is that he alone among the Mesoamerican deities did not demand Human sacrifices in his honor, and indeed, spoke out and sought to end such a practice."
"This eventually led to a war in which Quetzalcoatl was defeated, and forced to flee into exile to the east, across the sea." Benedek said. "Proponents of the theory that Quetzalcoatl was just a deified king argue that this is a…dramatization, of a war between a reformist political faction led by the king against the priestly class, and one which ended in the latter's victory. But given what we know about the World…"
"…there likely was a war between the gods, between Quetzalcoatl and his allies and followers, against the other gods, led by the war god Tezcatlipoca." Touko said with a nod.
"Indeed," Benedek said. "Legend also claims that Quetzalcoatl made a prophecy prior to his departure, that he would one day return and finish what he started. He even gave a date for it…a date which…unfortunately, was set in the same year as the Spanish Conquistadores' arrival in Central America."
"…yeah, I know this part." Sakura said with a nod. "The Aztecs equated Cortez and his men as Quetzalcoatl and his followers returned, delaying and botching their response and starting a chain of events that would only end in the destruction of the Aztec Empire, and the slavery of their people."
"Quite," Touko said before taking a drink of her coffee. "Or more likely, as the Age of Gods was already long past by then, Quetzalcoatl simply could not return as he had once promised."
Benedek nodded. "In any case," he said. "The shrine I mentioned from earlier had its interior decorated with map-like murals of a large kingdom in ancient Central America, including representations of cities, towns, forts and the like. In hindsight, I suspect those murals in fact depict the Realm of Quetzalcoatl prior to his war with the other gods, the land wherein his dreams and ideals had become reality."
"And which his worshippers after his defeat longed for an eventual restoration of." Touko hypothesized with narrowed eyes. Those same eyes then fell on the medallion in its case. "What's this then?"
"Apparently, it was found on a plinth in the middle of the shrine." Benedek explained. "Unlike the murals on the walls, the friezes on the floor indicated it was supposed to be a marker of some kind, to a place of importance to the Feathered Serpent, which he visited just before his departure."
"Hmm…I wonder…" Touko said, opening the case and taking the medallion from inside. Hefting it for a few moments, she held it closer and narrowed her eyes again at the detail on the gem inlaid into the medallion. "…I'm going to need a closer look, but from what you've told me…a marker…this could be a map of some kind…"
"…an interesting hypothesis…" Benedek agreed.
Touko looked at him suspiciously. "Though that does beg the question: why?" she asked. "This could be – in your own words, no less – the biggest find of the century, magical or otherwise. Why involve me in this, when you would surely know it would only cut into your gains, one way or another?"
"Because you're the best damn magus-archaeologist that I know." Benedek said. "No one else outside the Department of Archaeology would be qualified to crack this case, even more so as we'll be heading to what could be an ancient battlefield or something dating back to the Age of Gods. And if I involve those people, I'd get even less – if anything at all – than I would by working with you."
"…guess that rules out involving Estray." Sakura cheerfully remarked. "I mean, they're supposed to be
the experts on anything involving the Age of Gods, right? Only…"
"Yeah," Touko said with a roll of her eyes. "They're a bunch of silly old men and women so far up their own asses that the Clock Tower's Aristocratic Faction might as well be hippies holding hands and singing 'Kumbaya' by comparison."
Sakura raised an eyebrow at her master's scorn, while Benedek snorted with amusement. "Touko, I've missed you." He said.
"Humph…I suppose that answers my question." Touko said. "Though I do have another question: how'd you even hear about this?"
Benedek tutted and waved his finger at that. "Now, now," he said. "We all have our sources and contacts, including ones we prefer to keep anonymous. Whether out of a desire for exclusivity, or as part of a business relationship, don't we now?"
"…fair enough…" Touko conceded, before again hefting the medallion in her hands. "…a marker, eh? To what? What is this place that's so important to the Feathered Serpent, that even after his defeat merited a shrine being raised in Teotihuacan of all places?"
"I wouldn't know." Benedek said with a nod. "My sources tell me though, that the archaeologists theorized it could be a religious site or temple of some kind."
"Hmm…they might be on to something there." Touko admitted.
"Well," Sakura chimed in while beginning to dig into her pastry. "We won't find out by sitting here, won't we? We'll have to go and see if we're going to."
"Indeed, Sakura, indeed." Touko agreed, tossing the medallion into the air and catching it several times. Each and every time, as the medallion rose and fell, it caught the light of the Sun, and causing it to shine as though through blood.
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A/N
Welcome to Guatemala, Touko and Sakura.
And yeah, poor Quetzalcoatl. If only he'd won the war, the history of Central America wouldn't have been associated with stereotypes of screaming warrior-fanatics constantly on the hunt for prisoners to drag to their altars and have their hearts cut out. Or virgin young women getting flayed alive only for their skin to be used as cloaks by some old and sinister priest.
Long story short, if Quetzalcoatl had won, there'd have been no rivers of blood or piles of skulls and other such things in Central America. At least until Cortez and his men arrived, that is.
