Fanfiction Against Expectations

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Takumi

Member of the Yato Club
This is set after Calamitous Reprise, and details certain events that are briefly mentioned in Amir's prologue for House of M. This is Azel and Mata's offensive, shortly after his return to the familiar...

Written with @Yun Lee

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After giving a goodbye to Jin, consisting of telling the man that no matter the distance and trials ahead, their bond as honoured brothers would surely stay strong, Azel would return to Margreet, or rather, Mata's side. "Come Margreet." He spoke with a small smile, slipping his hand in her's. He had many questions that'd need answers, but for now, there were bigger things at stake-like the upcoming invasion his family set out to do.

Praying at the statue, with Margreet's hand in his, Azel wasn't necessarily sure wjat happened next other than opening his eyes to a clear sky.

And a foal looking down at him curiously. Sitting up, he watched the young foal return to it's mother side. He was home, the green pastures and tent like structures in the distance confirming it. He heard the beatimg of horse's hooves some distance away and a call of his name-likely one of his cousins looking for him and wondered....how long was he gone? Shaking his head briefly, he looked to his side to ensure himself that it was even real. To make sure Margreet was next to him…

"It's beautiful..."

All she had ever wanted was peace. A normal, happy life, with someone who she loved that loved her back. As Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, she had never received that. The man she had married was cruel, and had taken her children. As Mata Hari, she never received that, either. She had fame, yes, and the adoration of hundreds of men and women all over the world. But it didn't last. She made grave mistakes, and paid with her life. As an Assassin-class Servant, she also never received it. She dreamed for it, wished for it, but every time, there had always been someone stronger. Someone better to defeat her.

She had feared that would be the case again, facing off against Ganondorf and Mephistopheles...but it wasn't. She had overcome them both, fight for her happy ending, and now...now everything she wanted was finally in her reach.

So, she reached out and took it.

Placing her hand on Azel's, she turned to him, stars in her eyes. "It's beautiful, Azel. This is your home?"

"It is." He responded, glad that it was real, and that he hadn't had an odd dream in the end. There were a few problems though. What would he tell his father and cousins in the end?

Speaking of, one of them happened to show up.

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"Azel!! There you are! We-oh!" Their horse coming to a stop they blinked.

"....Azel, don't tell me you've spent the past hour here courting this woman or whatever with the horses around." He blinked.

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Wait, what?

"What gave you that idea?" Azel asked, honestly surprised that his cousin came to such a conclusion. It wasn't necessarily wrong, nor right, but it was still surprising.

"You're holding her hand. Now unless this is a lady friend you've somehow kept secret from everyone then I dunno what else to think." Joruk sighed, scratching the back ofnhis head. "Either way, err, now's a bad time to try and court anyone. The old man's been looking...well, been making Baimat and me look for you! He's ready to head out and thing is he's probably cross with ya by now."

Beat.

"You can introduce us on the way, and maybe an explanation'd be nice too I guess? Personally I'd rather stay home and not go on this invading mission, just so I can understand how you met a lady and didn't tell me, Baimat, or Father of all people." Joruk grumbled softly.

Mata couldn't help but giggle at that, smiling impishly at Azel. "Someone's is in trouble~" she whispered, though she was a bit concerned by this young man's seriousness...and something else he said.

"Invading mission?" She whispered to her new Master. "What is he talking about?" There was a hint of worry in her voice, and thinly-concealed panic.

Azel...please don't tell me that you're actually a...bad man!

It was faint, but Azel's cheeks grew a little pink at his Servant's teasing. Instead of addressing that though, he regained his composure and decided to clear up some things. Keeping calm, due to Mata's barely contained panic, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He wasn't necessarily one for comforting words, but did his best to let his actions speak clearly. "Remember when I told you that my father was a fool?" He muttered to Mata, before adding, "This invasion mission is part of a foolish plan he came up with." He explained, briefly. "He wants to expand our lands, or else once winter comes chances are that we won't make it to spring." With that, Joruk decided to join in and add his two cents.

"Yeah, and the old goat's too blind to spot a weasel when it's right in front of him, since he already plans to meet up with the Batan men before we head across the plains. Anyway I'll get your horse Azel, I guess it's nice to meet ya." He spoke, turning his head to Mata before getting off his horse and going to approach a stallion among the herd, muttering under his breath abou grunt work all the while.

Now it was Mata's turn to blush as Azel squeezed her hand, both from the butterflies it gave her, and from embarrassment for having doubted him. No...Azel wasn't like the men she knew back in the old days. He was different, and she knew he was different. But even so...this father of his. From the way these two spoke of him, he didn't seem like a good person at all. And he was the one calling the shots here...

As Joruk left, she looked to Azel, concern written plainly on her face. "I think I can keep you out of trouble if I come with you," she said. "Luckily for us, I have a very useful skill for situations like this. Oh! And there's something else I can do..."



"But um...you might want to look away. You don't seem like the type of man who would want to see this..." And honestly, part of her didn't want him to see her this way, either. She was becoming an honest woman, after all! ...or at least trying to.

"With your skill with a bow, I have no doubt about it." Azel commented, before a curious look crossed his face at the mention of being able to do something else to help. Though he looked away when asked, still holding her hand as he waited. Joruk was off in the distance trying to get his cousin's horse to come to him currently, and paid the two lovebirds no mind as it wasn't his business. Besides he knew Azel wouldn't stall for too long, or else they'd all get a nasty scolding or whatnot.

"By the way, what would you prefer me calling you? Mata or Margreet?" Azel spoke up suddenly, as something to keep his mind occupied from any worries concerning the upcoming nuisance known as the Batan showing their ugly mugs sooner or later.

"Hm? Oh, names. Well, normally, we Servants are referred to by our class so that nobody knows our true identity. In my own time, I was very well-known around the world, so I'd need to keep my name secret so it couldn't be used against me. I'm considered an Assassin, so usually I would go by that. Hyrule was different, since going by Assassin when people are trying to kill you...isn't very smart."

She paused a moment, lightly humming to herself, before saying, "You're my Master now, since you and I made a contract together. So, you can call me anything you want! Mata Hari was my stage name, and Margreet was a nickname. My real name is actually Margaretha. Oh-and you can look now~"

When Azel would turn to look, his Servant was now dressed in the fashion of the women of this time and place. "Ta-da! What I was famous for was being a spy, so that carried on into my role as a Servant! Even in my old clothes, no one would sense anything unusual about me, but I think dressing like I belong in this time is nicer."

With so many names, along with giving him the choice to just call her whichever he prefered, wasn't something Azel was expecting really. But if she was fine with it then he couldn't complain.

"Very well then, Mata." He spoke, testing the name out for himself mostly, before turning once she said she was done with whatever it is she had been doing. He wasn't sure how she did it really, but he smiled nonetheless. "It suits you rather nicely." He complimented, just as Joruk came back with Azel's horse ready to go.

"Well we left them waiting long enough, eh?" He yawned, handing the reigns to Azel, who nodded before offering to help Mata onto the steed. Then handed her his bow and arrows.

"I would hope you won't have to use them at all, but with you joining us it's for the best that you at least have them." He tried explaining, while Joruk got settled on his own horse and would lead them back to the tent like structures in the distance.

The ride wasn't too long, and from there the three would eventually meet up with a group of about forty men total.

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"Hmph, took you long enough, Joruk. Let us not waste anymore daylight and head out, hm?" The one at the forefront, Belqat Halgal and the head of the clan grunted gruffly to Joruk and to Azel to an extent. Eye landing on Mata, he looked intrigued to a degree.

"Oh? A friend of yours, Azel?" He asked, eye shifting to sharply look at the Master in question, who simply straightened his posture. Before any response could be given the elder clicked his tongue and began leading the group onward.

"Of all the ones I expected to run off doing their own thing, Joruk is the first to come to mind." he spoke, causing both cousin and Master to grimace slightly.

"Girl, I hope you're skilled with that bow there, else you'll be no more than a burden." He added, not even bothering to turn his head to address Mata.

Immediately upon meeting this man, Mata disliked him immensely. She could smell tyranny a mile away, and she regretted doubting Azel even more now. To think soneone kind as her Master could be related to a man like this…

"You don't have to worry about me being a liability, sir," she replied, trying to remain cheerful while also forcing the illusion of respect. "I'll be able to help however I can." Hopefully whatever she could wasn't something awful...

Belqat remained silent, and the rest of the ride along the plains was uneventful save for maybe a rabbit being spotted in the distance. Eventually, they would meet with a group of eighty men, armed with guns and canons, the one leading them smirking slyly as the smaller group approached.

"That is the leader of the Batan." Azel muttered, a slight edge to his voice. With the Halgal and Batan together, they would eventually come.upon a quaint village.

Azel tuned out what one of the elders were saying to Joruk, seeming to have sent him into the village to warn Amir, before turning his head to glance at Mata.

"I have only one request for you, Mata. If you have to use that bow given to you, only fire an arrow to defend yourself." There was a silent plea in there, somewhere. He didn't want to make Mata do anything she wouldn't want to do, after all, despite being her Master. Suddenly, there was a shout and the canons were going off. After a few rounds, Joruk was rushing back to them, luckily alive and uninjured. Belqat, once everyone was accounted for and he was sure the path was clear called for the Halgal men (and their guest) to charge.

For a second, Azel and his cousins didn't follow, instead throwing a quick glance to the Batan men, their leader shrugging and claiming that they will follow.

With that, the Master and his cousins rode off into the village.

"Mata, after this, you won't be put into anymore of these situations." Azel reassured, turning to look at her one more time. He didn't fully believe himself, however, with the Russians slowly becoming a threat to the entire Ottoman Empire.

He just hoped that he at least put Mata at ease for the time being.

Mata remained silent, watching the guns and cannons fire off. She shut her eyes, seemingly not a fan of the sounds of gunfire. She had never enjoyed war, and to be back in the thick of it now...it wasn't exactly the thing she wanted most of all. But if Azel promised her this would be the end of it, maybe it would be? She could trust her Master, right?

"...I'm right behind you, Azel. No matter what." After all they had gone through in Hyrule, she wouldn't abandon him due to her own misgivings. She was his Servant, and would remain so until she breathed her last in this world.


Once in the village, things went relatively smoothly, despite those of the village using rather clever tactics against the Halgal, the nomadic group fought back with great skill.

Then the Batan finally showed up, and Azel knew the moment they had drew their guns that he had to warn the elder memebers quickly. Throwing his arm out he gave a warning that was slightly too late, as the Batan opened fire on some of the Halgal present, and quickly telling the his uncles to take side roads to safety he directed his horse behind a wall. He, in all honesty, saw the betrayal coming. But this soon? And like this? If things went south this fast then...shaking his head, he would eventually coming to some form of decision.

"Joruk, Baimat! You go too!" He called to his cousins, with Joruk giving protest, Azel quickly shut him down and insisted that he would be fine, especially with Mata by his side. Joruk, at least seemed skeptical, but eventually relented and they all split.

Looking for a high point for a moment he stopped his horse and took the bow and arrows from Mata before getting off.

"The area is clear so far, but wait here, I won't be long." He assured, the Master giving his Servant's hand a squeeze. He wasn't sure if she would approve with what he planned to do next, but in these circumstances it was for the best of the Halgal and this village. He just hoped that if she frowned upon it, she would forgive him...

Leaning forward briefly, he placed a small kiss to her cheek before turning and making his way up to the highest roof he could get to among the nearby deserted houses still in tact.


"Ah..." Considering her line of work, kisses should've been nothing to her. She'd received them from so many men (more than she honestly wanted to admit) that they were just part of the job now. But Azel's kiss, even if small...it caught her by complete surprise. It was so sweet, so genuine...and from a serious man like him, it meant more than any physical affection she'd experienced in her past life.

If only she could enjoy it...but she quickly noticed what it was her Master was doing. "Azel! Wait!" She called out to him, but it was no use. He had told her to wait, and even if she didn't want to, he was still the Master here. But if anything happened to him, well...he would have to understand if she wasn't all that patient with the culprit.


Hearing Mata call for him gave him brief pause, before he continued on to a high wall near one of the roofs. Keeping his balance until he finally found his target among a group of Batan forces, he crouched and drew an arrow.

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"..." Lining up his shot, he found that he wasn't going to regret his next actions.

Below, said target laughed, instructing his men joyously.

"Oops! Missed some over there, make sure you get 'em all! Hahaha! Nothing to it! Yes, yes! Hahaha-"

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"Ha..."

From there, the man's body fell off his horse and the surrounding men gave surprised and shocked shouts as they began to search for the culprit.

"It came from up there!" Shouted one man, leading Azel to quickly turn and make his way back to Mata, a hail of bullets coming after him shortly afterwards.

Luckily uninjured, he made his way onto his horse and to Mata again, and with the reigns in hand rode deeper into the village.

"Hold onto me. The Batan are going to come after us heavily now, if you have to, shoot them down." He spoke. It wasn't an order, it wouldn't feel right to give Mata any orders, but he wanted her to remain safe in all of this at all cost.


"R-Right!" Mata forced the determination into her voice, her grip on Azel's waist tight. This relationship of Master and Servant was already so different than what was expected, what with these additional feelings involved...it made it rather hard to focus! And adding to the fact that she was already one of the weaker Servants out there, this really put the two of them at a disadvantage. Thank goodness there was no Holy Grail War or anything to worry about...she was lucky enough to have survived Hyrule for so long, and even then it had been close!

But perhaps her magic would have some sort of advantage here. If these men got any closer, well...that would be the time to find out.

Shooting down a few Batan in his path, and inadvertently saving some of the village men in the process, Azel blinked, before having his horse continue on through smoke from canon fire and burning hut remains. The bow and arrows returning to Mata so that Azel could focus on leading them away from the Batan, the Master released a soft breath.

"Mata," he started, turning his head slightly to look at her, "I'm sorry for dragging you into-" he started before his attention quickly went to a Batan man who caught up with them on horseback.

Whoosh!

"Lean into me!" He called out, leaning forward and avoiding the man's sudden sword swing. Losing his hat in the process, the Halgal was grateful for the fact he still had his head. He quickly glanced over his shoulder to Mata to make sure she was okay, one of his hands releasing the reigns to hold onto her's for a split second. His other went to his blade at his hip. If Mata turned out to be okay, he would make quick work of two more assailants trying to surround them, though the first was quickly trying to take another swing at the pair before Azel could focus on him.

The rest of the fight was a blur of movement and shouts, only ending with a flash of red
and white from the corner of Azel's eyes and the death of Belqat Halgal. Things took a rather chaotic turn as the men of the village set about beating the cousins, but luckily the women who witnessed most of the abttle stepped in to vouch for the three Halgal men.

Azel took notice that Mata wasn't around, and quickly began to worry, later he'd find that she was still there, just unable to be seen due to a skill she had as a servant. After being questioned by the village elders and seperated from his cousins, he got a visit from his remaining sister, and was thankful for the fact that him and the remaining Halgal men were allowed to return home, any bad blood between the village and the Halgal settled.

He payed little attention to the woman in red during the time before things cleared. As days turned to weeks and weeks to nearly months and winter approached, Azel was head of the family with Mata beside him. He wouldn't hear of what would happen to Amir until long after.

Maybe it would be for the best, maybe not. In the end, the multiverse had dug it's claws into the siblings and their supposedly peaceful world.

End.
 
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