24-hour Hotel in Fuyuki

He put a hand on his chin. "You say it's important that I be happy. But so far, the only thing that has brought me happiness is seeing other people suffer. So, I wonder: if I do have a wish, what kind of wish would it be for someone like me? A wish from someone who only wants to see people suffer? And do you really think the others would allow such a wish?"

"I didn't say they would. And I do doubt they would allow a wish that causes anyone pain. Perhaps, though, your wish is to know why you are the way you are, why you have no wish? I would ask for that. Then more answers might be forthcoming..."

Kirei clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "If my wish is to know why I was born this way... To answer a question that even God couldn't answer. All the more reason to see the Grail born into this world."

"Well I think that Lazarus and Yui would find that information for you, if it was available. They wouldn't want you to hurt anyone directly with a wish, but I'm sure they'd be more than happy to find answers for you as best they can. "

Kirei narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. "I have to see it..."

Suddenly, he flinched. A burning sensation erupted on the back of his hand, and he gripped his wrist with pain. "This pain... It's..."

As the three of them looked on, in a flash of red, Kirei's Command Spells reappeared on the back of his hand, just as they were when he had lost them.

The priest's eyes bulged. "This... isn't possible..."

Atalanta's eyes widenened in shock, "How...how did that happen?"

Rider's hands sprang over his mouth, pressed tight. "Kirei-san...!!"

He inspected the Command Spells with far more concern than excitement, mulling it over in his head.

"...If there are unclaimed Servants, the Grail has been known to give out Command Spells to a potential Master that can claim them." He furrowed his brow. "But this has only ever happened to a member of the Three Founding Families. And it should be outright impossible of my Spells were taken by force."

Rider's mind ran wild. "What if you're a secret lovechild from one of the families!"

Atalanta stifled a laugh as she held her forehead in her hands. "Well, it seems that the grail has done something new. We should inform the others." She rose knocked on the door to the other room before entering. "Exscuse me everyone. I feel I should inform you that Kirei has gained new command spells."

Lazarus' face lit up with excitement. "Really?! How interesting!" He rand into the room and grabbed Kirei's hand without thinking to inspect them. "Oh my goodness! What an odd thing to happen!"

Kirei irritably pulled his hand away. The Command Spells looked the same as they had before, now matching the ones Caster had placed on his own hand.

Yui stood up with a perturbed expression. "You're joking." When she saw the Command Spells, she looked even more horrified. "That can't be."

Caster rubbed his chin with a finger after double-checking his own spells. "Is there any precedent for this?"

Rider piped up, raising a hand. "Yes yes! He's the lovechild of one of the three founding families!" Caster blinked in surprise.

"Is that true, Mr. Kirei?"

"Well..." Lazarus said, stroking his chin for a moment. "We have all worked together so far. What are you thinking now Kirei? What would you like to do?" If the mage wasn't so worried, he would definitely like to see Caster AND Kirei contract a servant with similar command seals. It would be SO interesting! But he didn't know if Kirei could be trusted to continue with the truce once he had his own servant.

"Command Spells are sometimes given back to disqualified Masters if there are free Servants, but these are unusual circumstances. It could mean..."

She stopped and bit her tongue, but Kirei guessed the rest of her sentence. "The Grail still wants me as a Master. Why?"

"I don't know," Yui sighed. "But I don't like this. Kirei can't be trusted with a Servant."

"Not from the grail's point of view," Lazarus countered. "But from ours, I agree. Should we just kill him then?"

Yui crossed her arms. "Well. Even if he regained his Command Spells, we still took his contract. As long as he doesn't contract with a new Servant, it doesn't matter if he has them or not."

Kirei's stoic facade cracked as he smirked. "Are you saying you're going to oppose the Grail's will? If the Grail wants me to be a Master..."

Yui grimaced and cut him off. "How could this be the Grail's will?! You said you had no desire for the Grail. How could you get picked, twice?!" She bit her thumb.

"It's the same thing as that Dead Apostle. How the hell could he be picked as a Master? And Elizabeth Bathory as a Servant! She's no Heroic Spirit, so how could that be possible? Something fishy is going on with this whole thing!" She bit harder into her thumb, quickly growing panicky about the entire situation.

Caster gently placed his hands on Yui's shoulders. "Something strange is happening, I agree. It's important that we keep the truce going long enough to discover what that is, regardless of who has Servants. Perhaps we'll be able to answer your questions in the meantime, Mr. Kirei."

"Also, Astolfo, it'll be imperative for you to make a contract with someone to make sure you'll be here for us should we need you, and I'm sure you're just as curious." Rider nodded in agreement and understanding.

"The question still remains if we let him have a servant or not? If we can't trust the grail, then perhaps he should not contract with anyone?" he turned to the priest, " Clearly, something is amiss. I would rather work with you than kill you. I have no problem with you having a servant if you continue to work with us, but I'll need a guarantee. A magical one."

Yui's panic turned to worry. "Are you talking about a geis? It is possible, but it's one of the worst curses a magus can use."

Lazarus shrugged, "It's the only peaceful option. We cannot trust him, he can't trust us. If he wants to live it's got to be under a geis."

Kirei frowned. "Die, or submit to a geis? If those are my only two choices, I'd rather just not form a contract."

"And we have to trust that you won't form a contract in secret," Yui responded, then sighed. "Archer, Rider, we can still have you contract with Caster and Lazarus if you prefer. I trust you two more than this man."

Atalanta laughed at the last comment. They didn't know the things she'd done. She turned to her master, "I'd prefer that you work with them. For everyone's sake. If you agree to do this, I will contract with you again."

"I don't mind working with them, but a geis takes it too far. It's a binding on one's soul that lasts for the rest of their life. As long as I live, I would be at their mercy. If they forbid me from attacking them, they can kill me with impunity; I would not even be able to defend myself."

Lazarus let out an exhasperated sigh, "We would not forbid you from killing us entirely. Especially since you are the mediator. If a geis were to be created, my conditions would only state that you do not harm us for the time being. Perhaps until the conclusion of this specific war, and that we could not hurt you in return. That also requires you to go with our plan for the grail, however. Now that you have your own command seals, that's not something you need to do. However of course if you don't, we will retaliate."

Caster stepped forward. "As a Heroic Spirit, I have been granted with the knowledge of many curses - and the means to undo them. I could create something similar to a geas without the long-term effects, and reverse it just as easily, with as many qualifiers and stipulations as I choose."

"However, Atalanta watching him is good enough for me. Trust is give and take - there's no reason to impose so much upon him and expect him to feel comfortable and open with us."