A male figure in a black suit was running away, as he was terrified. He was running in the park, at night, holding a black briefcase. He panted, as he was scared stiff from what is after him. Suddenly, he ran into a shadowy figure with a long ponytail. She held her sword up and asked, "Are you a ninja? If so, challenge me?"

The man screamed, as he was cornered by the evil samurai. She emerged from the shadows, brimming in a blood red aura, and wearing a dark blue hakama, with her eyes covered in shadows. She raised her sword high and then she slashed at the man.

SLASH!
The man fell dead, as she walked off in the shadows.

Miz-K Productions presents:

Fate XIII: The Legend of the Dark Blade Kuromasu

SPOILER ALERT: This fic takes place BEFORE "The Book of Rival Swords" arc.

The newspapers read "Mizaki City Slasher strikes again! Found body of wealthy businessman dead in park!"

A man in brown spiky hair was in a blue suit, as he was reading it, "Well, I'll be darned. Here we are, about to enjoy a wonderful musical gig here in Mizaki City, and trouble sets foot. This isn't like our last gigs."

He went to the phone, as he called, "Hello, Yui? It's Lan. Look, are you and the others back at the hotel? Thank you. Now look, can you stay indoors, while I discuss with the band? Sorry, babe, but there's a little trouble going on at night, and the rest of us will be practicing, indoors, at a studio. It if gets too late, make sure to stay indoors with the girls. Right, I love you, too, babe."

He hung up, as he said, "Mizaki City Slasher…"

A man in brown hair and a blue shirt asked him, "Hey. Lan, you heard the news, too?"

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sore about it." Lan said.

Geo stated, "Mio didn't want to hear it. When I heard about the slasher, Sonia slipped up, and she just shrieked in terror."

Lan said, "Sonia is a prankster."

"I know, right? Well, what about our gig, next week? We're supposed to perform at the usual venue, and Ju Sakamoto's performing, too. We're the headliners."

Lan smirked, "Oh, yes. Wait until the fans get these LOVE buttons." He showed a button that says "LOVE", and he stated, "This is a movement for love and peace. And everyone in this small town would love to get the news on what MegaStar is all about."

Geo said, "Well, I appreciate it, but… Don't you think we should go practice?"

Lan smiled, "Chillax, Geo. You tell the others that I'll meet them there."

He spotted a girl in long light brown hair, with a girl with short white hair, dressed in black and purple school uniforms. Lan grinned, "Well, more from the world movement. Pardon me."

Geo asked, "Wait, aren't you married?"

Lan ignored him, and approached the two girls. Lan said, "Excuse me, who might you girls be?"

The girl in brown hair has purple eyes, heavy makeup, and hoop earrings. She spoke in a Valley Girl accent, "Like, who are you?"

"Everybody knows me. I'm-."

The girl in white snarled, as she prepared a stance. She hissed, "You! Get away from me!"

Lan cried, "HUH? Wha's with the boy in drag?"

The girl shrieked, "BOY IN DRAG?!"

She scratched at Lan, as he cried, "YAAAAAGH! MY FACE!"

The other girl cried, "OMG! NO, MASHIRO! He's friendly! Stop!"

Mashiro calmed down, as she huffed, "Is he… He doesn't look friendly."

Lan muttered, "Just for that, NO autographs…"

The girl said, "I'm sorry. Mashiro's, like, still too aloof to the city life. I've been showing her around, lately."

Lan moaned, "That's alright. We never met, but I am-."

The girl barked, "Jeez, would you please not act high and mighty? You remind me of another pervert!"

Mashiro asked, "He doesn't reek of pervert."

Geo walked in and asked, "You alright?"

The girl blushed, "O! M! G! Two of you?"

"Oh, no, we are nothing alike. He's got darker hair." Lan instructed.

Geo smirked, "Yes. Geo Stelar, at your service."

The girl winked, "Charmed, like, I'm sure. Like totally."

Lan asked, "Let's go. Should we stick around with these two? I won't do anything you tell me to, to her."

Geo said, "Now, come. We're wasting time. The girls are waiting."

Lan said, "Yes, sorry, I have to go. You're welcome to see our performance, tonight, if you'd like."

Geo stated, "Give them the free tickets, if they're interested."

Lan shouted, "After what they did to my face?! NEVER! Come on!"

They walked off, as the girl said, "Mashiro, you should've known better… That was Lan Hikari of MegaStar!"

Mashiro sobbed, "I'm sorry. But the guy was taking advantage of you. I couldn't help myself."

"Like, you're such a catty girl. Come on, I'll treat you to some kebab."

"OH, BOY!"

They walked off, as Lan and Geo went to the hotel. Lan moaned, as he was fixing his face, "Ruined… They ruined my face… See if I ever welcome her into my fanbase."

Geo said, "Oh, dry up…"

XXXXX

At the hotel, that night, Lan was mended by Yui, who was treating to his face. She said, "Oh, Lan, darling… A fan scratched you? It wasn't like that, dear."

She was a woman in brown hair, wearing a pink shirt and a beige skirt, as she was swabbing the blood from his wounds. He muttered, "She's like a wolf or something. That sinister beast. And with that prissy girl in the hoop earrings. I hope I never run into these girls, again."

Yui smiled, "Well, I cannot kiss you, if they slash off your lips."

She kissed him, as Geo said, "More importantly, Sonia and Maylu said that the girls are safe, sleeping in Sonia's room. They heard about the Slasher."

Lan said, "I know. I wish I wouldn't run into her, again… The girl slashed my face off!"

Geo barked, "NO! Not that girl…"

Sonia asked, "Which girl?"

Sonia, a girl in dark purple hair, appeared to Geo and asked, "I heard you had a run-in with a fan. Who is she?"

Lan moaned, "Some woman in white hair… A high schooler that should belong in a zoo. She looked nimble."

Sonia asked, "Is she pretty?"

Geo smirked, "Well, no, but that other girl was smoking hot."

Sonia glared at him, as he muttered, "No, I mean… Sonia, you know I would never cheat on Mio."

Sonia barked, "But you would say that she's prettier than me?"

Lan said, "Well, she has huge boobs, that's for-!"

SSSS!
"OW! YUI?!" He cried, as Yui jabbed the swab into one of his wounds.

Yui wept, "She's packed? What about me, Lan? Don't you love me?"

Sonia huffed, "Oh, he'd swoon over any woman, that womanizer."

Lan cried, "But, you don't under-!"

SLAP!
Yui slapped him and huffed, "JERK!"

Sonia said, "Oh, leave him to fawn over fangirls."

Geo stated, "That's NOT true! He was cuddling to the girls, and he was mauled by that weird girl, only to suffer a painful scratch. Yet the girl in long hair was nice. But she does-."

Lan barked, "Don't help me!"

Sonia said, "I'll overlook this, Lan Hikari, but you better focus on practice, before we play for Ju Sakamoto, tonight. You and Yui just stay here… Geo…"

She tugged his ear and said, "Mio's going to hear all about it."

Geo moaned, "OW! Sonia, wait! OW!"

She slammed the door, as Lan hissed at Yui, "Whose idea was it to bring the wives?"

Yui pouted, as she giggled, "Eh-heh-heh-heh… Well, Mugi-chan and Azu-nyan were unavailable, so Mio-chan and Ri-chan said that they'd come. Sorry, but I love to bring them in, to see you play in this venue."

Lan smiled, "Well, yes. Anyways, we have to prepare, tomorrow. And thanks for fixing my face."

"It's alright."

XXXXX

The next afternoon, MegaStar was busy setting up, as Maylu, a woman in dark pink hair, was setting up the drum kit. Tory, a man in brown hair, said, "So, we open for YTG8, before Ju Sakamoto, right?"

Lan asked, "Who's YTG8?"

Maylu smiled, "You didn't hear? They're the newest pop idol group in the underground circuit. They are known for their eight girls, performing in crow masks and feathers. Not to mention that they dance robotically, like toy soldiers."

Lan asked, "Eh? They're robots?"

Maylu said, "Oh, no. They dance in perfect unison. Ever wonder why dancers dance perfectly and beautifully?" She pondered, "It reminds me of a cartoon I saw, with a dance troupe, featuring Cut Man, Guts Man, Ice Man, and Wind Man. It was great."

Miz-K NOTE: When I said NO robots, I didn't mean Robot Masters.

As MegaStar was preparing, Sonia moaned, "Well, I hope these girls are beautiful singers. Do you have the pics of them?"

Maylu said, "No… That's the thing. They got no website or fanbase. I even looked at Discord, and no one told me about a YTG8."

Sonia pondered, "YTG8… It does seem peculiar."

Geo asked, "Hey, how many do we get for this packed crowd?"

Lan asked, "Yeah, think we'll have our wives sing as special guests?"

Sonia said, "Absolutely not!"

Lan said, "Well, we tried."

Tory asked, "Hey, suppose that the Slasher comes in and ruins our performance?"

Sonia smirked, "Oh, come now. We know that's not a possibility. Come on, let's prepare the first set."

MegaStar prepares, as they played one of their songs. Meanwhile, in another dressing room, three girls were dressed in black and blue idol outfits with black feathers. One was with long red hair and said, "Oh, wow. The internationally popular MegaStar is performing with us!"

A girl in black hair, done in a ponytail, said, "Futaba, they are a bunch of mega celebrities. Though, I'd die to get Sonia and Maylu's autographs."

Futaba smiled, "Oh, come now, Sena. There's no need to be angry over the others."

Sena huffed, "What I want is Sonia's autograph, so I can show it to Araya-san, the next time she visits."

A girl in blue hair, done in pigtails, said to them, "We should be get ready! I cannot wait to see Lan Hikari in action!"

Sena said, "Yes, he's a delicate singer, but he's no Kazuki Araya. That guy's a pervert."

Futaba sighed, "I guess so… but he does care for the other girls."

Sena snarled, "LIAR!"

A stagehand called, "Girls, you're on in fifteen minutes. Get ready."

Futaba put her mask on and said, "Well, let's do this!"

YTG8 was about to go on-stage, first, as the three girls, along with five others in the same crow mask and outfit walked to the stage. They walked past Mio & Ritsu, two women, one in long black hair and one in short brown hair, with her bangs combed back in a headband. Mio blushed, "Is that-?"

Ritsu smirked, "YTG8. They're that pop idol troupe that I heard about. I wish we'd wore something like that."

Mio said, "Don't encourage me to go onstage, in that mask."

"It does have a beautiful crow face."

"EEK!"

"No, I don't mean that…"

As YTG8 performed on the stage, the girl in long brown hair was watching on, smiling in joy, listening to the music. As she watched on, YTG8 finished their performance. The girls in YTG8 leave, as MegaStar was about to perform next. Sena passes by Lan, ignoring him. Futaba said to Lan, "Break a leg, Lan Hikari! It's an honor, sir!"

Lan smiled, "You said it, babe."

Futaba winked, "It's Apple."

She left, as Lan said to the others, "Okay, YTG8 done their part, so now, it's our turn! Ready, guys?"

They cheered, "YEAH!"

They approached the stage, as they began to sing their songs. The girl in light brown hair gasped, as she whispered, "It's him…"

Lan and company performed "A Sky Full of Stars", and everyone was singing along in the closing song. The girl in the crowd was in tears, as she was enjoying the music. After that, MegaStar took a bow, as Lan waved to the crowd, "LOVE AND PEACE!" The fans cheered, as the girl shrieked, "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

That evening, backstage, the girl in light brown hair, was approaching MegaStar, as she smiled, "Excuse me, like, MegaStar?"

Geo said, "Oh, look who it is."

Sonia asked, "Eh? Is that-?"

Lan asked, "The girl from the other day?"

The girl smiled, "Heh! You surprised to see me here? I only come for my friends in YTG8. Plus, you guys are the real deal."

She extended her hand and said, "My name's Hotaru Kokonohi. Like, I'm your biggest fan."

Lan smiled, "Nice to meet you. Where is the other girl?"

"At the shrine. She didn't want to come. She's not used to the city life."

"So I heard."

"So, you guys available for a job? Or are you booked solid?"

Sonia smiled, "Well, we have days before our next gig in Hokkaido. We should stay a while."

They gave Hotaru an autograph, as Tory said, "There. Now you can be a part of our fan base."

Hotaru said, "Thank you. If you need anything on YTG8, lemme know. Okay?"

Lan said, "Well, we'd like to know more about them, firsthand. Maylu is just dying to know who they are."

Hotaru giggled, "Oh, they're… Well, let's keep this a secret. They go to my school in Ochatomizu High, along with Mashiro."

Lan asked, "You mean the girl in white?"

"That's her." Hotaru said, "Anyways, if you're interested, you can come visit, if you would like. I'll set you up, every bit of details."

Lan said, "Come to your school? No, I think we're happy if they met us in the hotel. We're more than happy to know about YTG8, especially with the career that they chose."

Hotaru said, "Excellent! I may give you the full details. For now, thanks for the performance."

She was given a LOVE button, as he said, "Here. A memento for you. If they like, they can wear LOVE buttons, too."

Hotaru smiled, putting the button on, "Swell! It's, like, gaudy, but stylish! It makes me understand what love is!"

She left, as she waved, "Call me, if you're interested."

Sonia said, "She's a hassle. The way she talks, it's like she talks like an American Surfer."

Tory said, "Oh, ignore her. Let's go see the girls, and tell them about the performance."

MegaStar left to find the others, as Mio was in awe over a woman in short black hair, wearing a black vest and jeans. She was drooling over Ju Sakamoto. Ritsu said, "Uh, guys? Mio's suddenly drooling over him."

Lan said, "Uh… Mio?"

Geo held her and said, "Uh, Mio, it's alright. He's not your type."

Ju Sakamoto smiled, "Oh, is she a fan?"

Mio blushed, "Ju Sakamoto… You're awesome!"

Geo said, "Sorry, forgive me. My wife's suddenly a super fan of yours."

Ju smiled, "Oh, that's alright…"

Mio lavished to him, "I want you! Marry me, you hot studly man! Marry me, Ju Sakamoto!"

Ju asked, as she was confused, "Uhhhhh… I'm actually…" She then stated, "No, it's not what you think, but…"

Lan pulled Mio away, "Come on, we're going home."

He and Geo pulled her out, as Mio wailed, "JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Ritsu barked, "Dude, Ju Sakamoto's a chick!"

Mio moaned, "I don't care! He's a man! He's a man!"

Yui asked, "Is Mio-chan alright?"

Sonia said, "She's suddenly blushing over tomboys…"

MegaStar and the girls leave, as Sena peeked from behind the corner, as she hissed, "I knew it… Lan Hikari is trouble… All men are trouble…"

She disappeared into the shadows, as the others left the music hall.

That night, Lan and Yui were sleeping together, as Mio was watching from the balcony. She blushed, as she held up a cup of tea, wearing a pink robe. She smiled, "Ju Sakamoto… I want him, more than Geo Stelar…"

She was perched by the balcony, as she hummed a few bars of one of Sakamoto's songs. Suddenly, she saw a shadow flew by. She gasped, "Huh?"

She looked around, "What was that?"

A shadowy figure approached Mio in the balcony, as she held her katana sword up, behind her. Mio shivered, "Uh… Hello? Who's there?"

The figure called, "Are you a ninja? If not, you die."

Mio turned around, as she shrieked. The figure raised her sword high and prepared to strike. But Geo called out, "Mio? What's wrong?"

The figure vanished, as Mio dropped to her knees, covering her chest. She wept, "GEO! GEO! Help me! GEOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Geo held her and asked, "What happened? You okay?"

Mio blubbered, "GEO! GEO! Someone… Someone attacked me! I was in my panties… No man can marry me now!"

Geo comforted her, as he said, "There, there, it's alright… You have me."

The Slasher suddenly appeared, and she attacked Mio. Something was bound to happen, as MegaStar's day in Mizaki City was about to begin.

Sonia asked, "What happened?" She was out of her bedroom, as she asked him, "What happened to Mio?"

Geo said, "Mio saw her. The Slasher!"

"THE SLASHER?!" Sonia cried.

He explained everything, as the figure was watching from far away. She then glared, "It's her… Is she a ninja, too? Whatever it takes, she must be killed…"

She leapt off, disappearing into the night. Who was The Slasher, and why is she after Mio?