The Aftermath

Atalanta arrived at the church in record time. She swept into the door, but didn't go much further before not so delicately depositing Kirei on the floor. She crossed her arms and looked down at him judgementally. Just because she understood his motives did not mean he was incapable of being an idiot.

Kirei was finally regaining control of his muscles. Even though Atalanta glared at him, he didn't think he did anything wrong. He only felt frustrated at having not made it to Bazett in time.

"That woman..." Kirei groaned, putting his hand over his face. "She's going to kill me."

"I agree," Atalanta stated.

Kirei sighed. "I can guess how you must feel, but I had no choice."

He stared at the ground. He couldn't have known that Bazett would have survived what he did to her. Even so, it was a risk he shouldn't have taken in the first place. Even without Avenger's help, she was a resourceful mage; she could have found another way.

Even as a Servant, he wasn't sure Atalanta could protect him from Bazett now. Unsure of what else to say, he continued to just stare into the darkness.

Atalanta picked the man up by his shirt collar, placing him on his feet, she spoke with a stony, cold voice, "I hope there are gears moving in your head behind that far gaze. You need to think of a plan. You know this woman better than I do. " though she felt she had a reason to be a little surly, she hadn't been this cruel to others in quite some time. Odd feelings seemed to be bubbling up. Perhaps it was the pillar? She shivered, trying to shake off the feeling, " Or perhaps...perhaps I could speak with her? Later, of course. She should have time to recover..." her voice was a little softer now, much closer to normal.

Kirei's gears were turning, but slowly. There were few people he feared, but Bazett was one. If she hadn't been one of the few people to let her guard down around Kirei, he wouldn't have taken the risk. Now it was too late. "There's very little that can stop her when she has a target." He took a deep breath. "She is savage, but sensible. She might stay her hand if she has a good reason. You might be able to talk her into it."

He rubbed his wrists and looked at Atalanta with a troubled, confused expression of his own. He couldn't figure out where he had went wrong. He had needed Bazett to summon Atalanta, and he could not have predicted her survival.

Still, this wasn't the first time. During the last battle of the previous War, he thought he had played everything right when entering Caster's territory. If he had strayed too far from his Servants, the homonculi would have killed him. But when he stayed close to them, he was caught in the enemy's attack and killed anyway.

He had done everything right, but still lost. If it were just him, he'd accept the consequences, but it troubled him to have Atalanta deal with them as well. He wasn't used to this feeling.

"I'm sorry." By his expression, it was clear Kirei wasn't used to saying those words truthfully. "You shouldn't have to be brought down because of my mistakes." The words left a bad taste in his mouth. Sentimentality. He couldn't believe he could feel such a thing.

"It's fine. I didn't mean to be so harsh. I apologize," she plopped into a nearby pew. "I will help as best I can. I think that I can sympathize with her, and possibly she with me. I feel like we can at least stay her hand with words. At least I hope so." she took a deep breath, letting her head fall back as she closed her eyes, "In any case, we should give it time. I doubt the others will let her go charging off if she's in a delicate state, so we should have a few days. I can keep an eye on the activity in the mansion."

Kirei looked uncertain. He could picture Bazett charging in at any moment, but even someone as fierce as her needed some time to recover. "Thank you."

With that, his thoughts turned to Avenger, the one who had saved her. And then to the Grail, and the images he had seen inside. "At least all was not in vain. I have some answers now."

"Oh?" Atalanta arched an eybrow, curious, and moved over so that Kirei could join her on the bench.

He sat down next to her and gathered his thoughts. The images he had received were still somewhat jumbled up, having had no time to organize them, but now they were falling into place.

"The corruption inside the Grail... I know more of its nature, now." He stared up at the ceiling. "That man, Avenger, is not truly Angra Mainyu, but he is something close to it. All the World's Evils."

"The people of ancient times wished for such a thing to exist. They did not want to believe that evil was subjective, that it came from inside as a natural aspect of humanity. They needed Evil to exist as a real physical thing that existed so they could believe themselves to be pure deep down inside. A simple, childlike belief."

"Avenger is that belief realized. Not a true god, but a representation of a twisted wish. When he died, and his soul returned to the Holy Grail, it turned the Grail into a representation of All the World's Evils."

Kirei didn't even notice he began to smile a little. "The Holy Grail was corrupted by humanity's own perverted wish."

Atalanta did chuckle a little at that, "Well, I'm not suprised to be honest. It's very interesting to know," she poked the slightly upturned corner of his mouth teasingly.

Kirei blushed somewhat when Atalanta caught her smiling, and somewhat forced himself to keep a straight face.

"I think it makes more sense now why the Grail chose me as a Master." He looked down not at his existing Command Spells, but to the blank back of his hand, where his Spells had appeared at the beginning of the last war.

Over ten years ago, just after his wife had died. When he realized how twisted he really was inside, and was questioning his existence.

Atalanta nodded in agreement, staring off herself as her own wheels turned. She believed what he was saying, and therefore wasn't sure what exactly she should do. The grail had been corrupted, and that was why it had chosen him, but following that logic, would that not be the path humanity should then take? Should she help him win the grail himself, or continue working with the others. She leaned her head on his shoulder as she bounced back and forth between answers, unable to decide.