Fate/All Fiction

[Prix with a Silent X]

I apologize for the fact that I honestly have no context whatsoever to make this fic make sense to me given that I don't know the fandom it's being crossed over with at all. But I understand the desire for constructive feedback and not getting any at all. Just wanted to say that I think that as tempting as it is that it doesn't generally help to insist that people give you feedback when they're not doing it anyway, whether the fault is yours or theirs. Writing only gets better with two things at its center: 1) more reading of writing you find good that others at least somewhat agree is good and 2) practice that is mindful of what you are practicing. It is not just cranking up the volume of what you are producing and writing more words blindly. It is looking at something that is not your own, deciding what you think is good about it, and analyzing why it is good. It is also looking back at criticism of your other work that has content to the criticism rather than just insult and figuring out how you could respond to that in a positive way. Also, if you are actually paying attention to your own process while you're writing, rather than just writing out more of the same, that is how practice makes you better. This is not actually good criticism of your work, because as I have mentioned I don't have a good enough background to feel like I can read, understand, and critique it. It's just general advice.

That said, could we like, as a community, not tell people that what they're doing is a waste of their time if they're actually trying to improve? There is a difference in constructive criticism and heckling. If we find something genuinely hopeless, let's just... not tear down people's self image in the process.

But on the flipside of that, don't as writers be so egotistical that "this isn't working," just always means that you are going to make people see that it works. There's a balance, but just... don't be mean to people?

[RoydGolden]

Well, you wouldn't need to know about Medaka Box (where Misogi originates) to appreciate (or critique) the Bazett/Scathach scene, or the Shirou/Gilgamesh one. Of the four sections the chapter's divided into, only the Rin/Misogi one could really require any familiarity with the work its been being crossed over with.

- - - Updated - - -

This is a digression, but I really like those scenes with Gil and Enkidu in your signature. Where did you get those from? They make me want to see a genuine Nasu adaption of the Epic Of Gilgamesh...

[Prix with a Silent X]

Unfortunately I don't have the source link at the moment, but I think I found it on gelbooru? I uploaded the original image to imgur, so maybe you can google image search the source (link: http://i.imgur.com/vPAzWhQ.jpg). If I come across it I'll tell you. Basically it is the Second ED from Fate/Zero with Gilgamesh and Enkidu instead.

[RoydGolden]

So, when writing out the latest chapter I suddenly realized that the timeline with the Bazett interlude in chapter 4 is completely wonky. The other scenes take place at night, but yet the one with Bazett (theoretically going on simultaneously) is early in the morning. This is bad enough as is, but it would only become more obvious when I plan to have the plot-threads intersect later on. It doesn't make sense that Gilgamesh would attack the Emiya household during the day where there'd be tons of witnesses, so I can't solve it that way. And it also wouldn't make sense for Bazett to wake up so early after having practically died from bloodloss a few hours prior, plus a night setting wouldn't really jibe with the "early morning antics" atmosphere in that interlude. I could just make the interludes non-sequential, but that seems like it would just make things really confusing later on. I could move scrap the Bazett interlude from the chapter and move it somewhere else later on, but I can't see where it would fit.

Can someone help me out here?

[RoydGolden]

Chapter 6- Oncoming Storm:

Shirou Emiya's mind was a swirl of abject confusion. Just one night ago, he'd been attacked afterschool by a crazed spearman clad in blue tights and skewered through the heart with a (suspiciously phallic looking, he might add) spear.

Normally that would mark the end-point of anyone's story, but for our hero this was just the beginning. What happened immediately afterwards was blurry, but he heard a girl's voice and felt some kind of energy surging into his body. Then it all went dark, and when he'd woken up he was totally fine, leaving no traces of the spear that had pierced through his heart. As if it were simply a bad dream.

But it wasn't. Not a dream. The pain of that event was way too real for him to be able to dismiss it so easily. And besides, he was a Magus even if only an amateur. To an ordinary person, such absurd events would likely be forgotten upon waking, like fleeting dreams evaporating before the light of dawn.

But the Magus Shirou Emiya already knew that they were things in this world beyond the imaginings of humans.

The surge he felt in his body back then must have been the effects of some kind of healing Magecraft. Though, to bring back someone truly at the brink of death, nothing short of an absurd expense of magical energy would be required.

-Ah. That brought him back to the jewel pendant, dangling idly from his fingers. When he focused, Shirou could feel flickers of magical energy dancing across his palm as he held it up, pondering its dazzling scarlet color.

It was faint. But like the water left at the bottom of a dried up oasis, it was obvious that there used to have been a tremendous amount of Mana stored up within this gem.

...Enough to resurrect the dead?

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A sharp ringing of bells jolted the Emiya boy out of his imposed reverie. Flinching slightly, Shirou quickly stashed the pendant back within his jacket pocket so nobody would see it.

"Hey, Shirrrouuu~!" his teacher called out in a loud, exuberent tone. "You better not be slacking off or somethin'! If you don't pay attention in class, how can you ever expect to end up in a good college?"

That was Taiga Fujimura. His homeroom teacher, neighbor and resident freeloader. A twenty something woman with short light brown hair, matching eyes and troublesome disposition.

"S-sorry Fuji-nee." he smiled sheepishly, snatching exam papers off his desk as he rose up to his feet. He'd have to be more careful in the future. If Taiga had seen that gem... Well, knowing her she'd probably ask him if it was gift from a secret lover or something of that nature. Loudly. In front of the entire class.

Taiga harrumphed audibly. "You can't call me that in class, y'know? At home you may be my adorable Shirou-chan but here you're just another student amongst many."

"You don't want anyone getting the wrong ideas about our relationship, do you?" she smiled widely and stuck out her tongue as if posing for a picture.

Shirou scowled at her, a light blush staining his cheeks. "What are you insinuating...?"

"Nothing, silly!" Taiga giggled. "But if you keep glaring at your poor teacher, your face is going to freeze like that ya know!"

On that note, Taiga skipped (yes, skipped) out of class along with the rest of her students, humming a jaunty little tune as she went.

Shirou let out a soft sigh of relief. That woman could be seriously hard to deal with at times. In spite of her childish attitude though, when matters got serious she was the very picture of a responsible adult. It wasn't that she couldn't act mature, just that she preferred not to unless necessary.

In a way, Shirou even found himself admiring her. Loud and energetic, her antics were a bright spot in his life and he was grateful for her presence every day, even if it was only to mooch off his cooking. Yeah. When she was around, he could almost forget 'that day'...

...Now, back to more pressing matters at hand.

The voice he heard just before passing out. Even half-dead from bloodloss, Shirou couldn't have mistaken that voice in a thousand years.

The school idol, Rin Tohsaka. Though he'd never been close to her, he'd looked up to her more then anything. A cool, strong and steadfast girl who never lost her composure. Her voice and the voice of his savior were one and the same.

"...Tohsaka's a Magus?" Shirou asked himself aloud, assured that nobody else was within hearing distance. He could hardly believe another Magus attended his school, but neither could he simply deny the evidence of his own senses.

There was only way to find out for sure.

Exiting the classroom, Shirou took off down the hallway at a brisk pace. In moments he'd caught up to the crowd of students making their leave after class, blending in perfectly if not for his shock of red hair sticking out.

Tuning out the sounds of idle chatter, Shirou's golden brown eyes scanned the crowd quickly in search of his target.

It wasn't like Rin was hard to find. Even her way of walking was that of an idol. Every step she took was high, firm and purposeful. Her head was arched high, not out of pomposity but a natural sense of higher purpose infusing itself into her every motion. Her ebony twintails swayed back and forth majestically as she walked, while her clear blue eyes called to mind a pair of oceans...

Shirou shook his head firmly, expelling such thoughts from his mind. This was no time to be drooling over her!

Doing his best to appear jauntily casual, Shirou slid up next to Rin (carefully stepping in between several other students in the process). Then- as inspicuously as possible- he fetched the amber pendant from his pocket and held it up, twisting it about in his hands like some meagre trinket.

Now was the moment of truth...!

Rin's eyes lit up in a look of both recognition and surprise that vanished as soon it appeared, leaving in its place her usual unconcerned expression. The effect was so sudden that if Shirou hadn't known what he was looking for, he would have surely written it off as fruit of an over-active imagination.

Then- without any warning at all- Rin grabbed his hand, yanked him out of the bustling crowd of students and into an empty classroom off to one side.

"Gah-huhh?!"

Before pulling this little stunt, Shirou had already gone over in his head some of the myriad ways Rin might react. Not noticing the jewel at all, or acting mildly surprised and asking where he'd found something so rare, now those were the most obvious. In that case, it would mean his impression was wrong and Rin Tohsaka was not- in fact- a Magus. Either that, or she was a very good actor.

Demanding what he knew about it or why he had it was another predictable one.

But beautiful, composed school idol Rin Tohsaka grabbing his hand and pulling him aside into an empty classroom? That was most certainly not anything he'd thought to anticipate.

Not to say it didn't make sense. After all, it was forbidden for Mages to share any information on the Art to outsiders, even accidentally. So it was totally logical she'd want to get him somewhere private away away from their fellow students. Total and complete sense. In fact, it was the most logical choice anyone could have made put in her situation.

So, why was he- a hormonal teenage boy- blushing bright red at the thought of spending time alone with a beautiful girl in an isolated classroom after school?

The question answered itself, really. Now where we we?

Right.

As Shirou grunted inarticulately, Rin shut the door behind her (careful not to make any needless noise), grabbed the boy's arm in a judo hold, twisted it behind his back and pushed him up against the back wall- all in one smooth motion.

"Where did you get that?" Rin barked, more a demand then a question.

"Y-you gave it to me! When you saved my life!" stammered Shirou.

Rin glared at him for a second, before letting out a deep sigh. "So, you figured it out huh? What was it, the sound of my voice?"

Her features relaxed into an almost sheepish smile.

"Y-yeah. That was it, actually." Shirou agreed, cracking a grin. "I knew nobody else had as beautiful a voice as yours, so it had to be you."

Now it was Tohsaka's turn to blush. "M-my voice? What in the world are you blabbering about Emiya? If you speak so thoughtlessly in public then people might...!"

Shirou smirked. 'You're the one grabbing people's hands and pulling them off into rooms for some alone time Tohsaka.' was what he felt like saying.

But instead he just said-

"So, you're a Magus then, Tohsaka."

"Y-yes." Rin answered, having regained her composure for the most part.

"And... you saved my life."

"Yes."

"Okay. One last question. What was up with that crazy spearman who tried to- scratch that- actually did kill me the other day?"

"That was Lancer." Rin explained.

"Lancer? What is this, an RPG or something?"

"I'm serious, Emiya." Rin went on with a stern expression. "Lancer is one of seven beings known as Servants, heroes from ancient myth brought into modern day through a ritual. Seven Maguses- known as Masters- summon seven Servants and they compete for an artifact known as 'the Holy Grail' said to grant any wish of its possessor."

"T-the Holy Grail? Tohsaka, this is crazy! You're saying a war like that is raging in our very city? And..." he shot her a glare. "You're a participant, aren't you?"

"Yes." said Rin after a moment's pause. "I am the Master of Archer. Though I have to say, I have no idea what mythology he's from. Even he won't tell me."

「Hey!」A voice cut in out of nowhere. 「It's rude to talk about someone like they're not there. What am I, a lowly background character while Emiya over there ends up in the protagonist slot?」

In a haze of blue light, a familiar smiling boy clad in black appeared behind Rin.

"H-HUH?!" Shirou exclaimed in shock, clearly not expecting a figure to pop out of thin air behind him. "Who are you?!"

"That's my Archer Class Servant- Misogi." Rin explained with a smile. "Enemy Servants can attack at any time so it's only precaution to bring your own to school with you in noncorporeal form."

「Yep!」 Misogi agreed. 「Though my mean Master won't even let me peek in the girl's changing rooms or anything. I finally achieve my long-held fantasy of invisibility, and I can't even put it to any good use! So tragic.」

Rin elbowed him. Hard. In the gut.

「Ghrk...!」Misogi grunted, staggering backwards.

「I understand you don't want me looking at any other girls but you Master. Ah, the trials and tribulations of having a yandere as a girlfriend!] Misogi put his hand dramatically against his heart as he spoke. [It's worth it, though.」

"Next time," Rin said in a deadly calm voice. "I'll aim for the groin."

Misogi shut up.

"So... that's your Servant?" Shirou finally asked. "He's a weirdo."

"Tell me about it." Rin said.

"Anyways-" Her expression hardened. "I'm telling you- if you know what's good for you Emiya- stay out of the War. Don't get involved. The Lancer Class Servant is dead, so you should be safe from any further attacks. But I can't guarantee that safety if you decide to play the hero and meddle in things you don't understand."

"Got that?"

"Yeah. Got it." Shirou replied meekly. Of course, he couldn't promise not to get involved if innocents were in danger, but there was no sense telling Tohsaka that. Worrying her over his own safety would be just selfish.

Rin scrutinized him. "You're taking this awfully well all things considered. No existential astonishment over living in a universe where the laws of science are more like guidelines then absolutes?"

"Nope." Shirou said cheerily. "My dad was a Magus, so I already know all about that stuff. Just the War was new to me."

"So, you know then not to tell anyone about any of this, right?" Rin interogated.

"That's right."

Several moments passed. "...Tohsaka?"

"-Yes?"

"Can you let go of my arm now? It's starting to get a little stiff."

"A-ah! S-sorry!" Rin apologized profusely, releasing her hold on the boy's arm and taking a few steps backward.

"Thanks, Tohsaka."

He said it with such an earnest smile too, Rin thought with pangs of guilt. After she'd literally slammed him against the wall and interogated him.

...That boy really is too nice for his own good. It's going to get him killed someday, isn't it?

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Remind me again what we're going out here?" Bazett asked.

"Surveying the terrain. I've just been summoned, so it's important that I get a lay of the city before battling other Servants. Consider this a scouting mission." Scathach- her Lancer Class Servant- answered flawlessly.

"Okay. But... why am I dressed like this?!"

The pair- Master and Servant- had been strolling about Fuyuki City for the past half-hour or so, drawing no small amount of attention from passersby. Scathach for being a 6'4 redhead whose combination of naturally pale skin and piercing red eyes gave the impression of some B-movie vampiress. And Bazett...

Well, Bazett was decked out head-to-toe in what was quite possibly the frilliest getup known to man. She was clad in a miniskirt (emphasis on the 'mini', much to her mortification), crop top and stockings, all of which seemed to be made entirely from frills and ribbon, with the occational bowtie for variety. Overall she looked like some kind of stage idol, or perhaps a doll.

Scathach on the other hand, was wearing what had formerly been Bazett's outfit of dark business suit and matching slacks. The only difference was Scathach chose to leave out the white undershirt, as well as leave the top several buttons undone, giving an ample view of her cleavage.

"For a lady with as nice a body as yours, stuffing it under dull suits ought to be a crime." Scathach answered calmly, without any hint of lechery staining her voice.

"Also, I needed the clothing. Or did you want me to waltz about in my bodysuit?"

"O-of course not!" Bazett stammered red-faced, her Servant's words calling to mind just how utterly skimpy said bodysuit was. "That is not an option!"

"I wouldn't mind." Scathach added, utterly deadpan.

Bazett grit her teeth in frustration. "H-how the Hell did Cu ever put up with a dirty old hag like you anyway?"

Scathach drifted forwards like a shade, closing the distance between Master and Servant nigh-instantly. The next thing Bazett knew she felt her Servant's hot breath brushing her neck as Scathach practically purred into her ear.

"The sex. Was. Smoldering."

Bazett's face lit up in an iridiscent blush, whirling her head around to look at her smirking Servant. "D-don't say those kinds of things!" she exclaimed, forcing her voice into a whisper. "What if people hear us?"

"You asked." Scathach responded simply enough. Was it Bazett's imagination, or did her smirk just widen a little?

Bazett just sighed a little inside. "Let's just keep going."

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Shirou Emiya woke to the persistant chiming of bells. Grimacing at the unexpected awakening, his eyes snapped open when he realized just what this meant. The Bounded Field his father Kiritsugu had set up, alerting occupants to any hostilities through a special bell attached to the ceiling. If it had been set off then that could only mean...!

His sense of danger was only confirmed by the acrid smell of smoke suddenly assailing his still bleary senses. Shooting out of bed, the boy saw before his eyes a visage straight out of the bowels of Hell itself.

The Emiya household in flames; with weapons from swords, to spears, to axes and other kinds of weaponry he could hardly classify imbedded into every surface imaginable. The walls and ceilings had been torn apart like cardboard, and the building as a whole resembled nothing so much as swiss cheese.

"What... the Hell... just happened here...?" Shirou gazed open-mouthed at what had once been his bedroom, a dazed look on his face.

Cthunk!

Reflexes took over just in time, the red-haired youth hurling himself out of the way as a long blade tore through the wall in front of him, imbedding itself up to the hilt in the bed's headboard.

It was a sword, Shirou realized. No doubt about it. The blade was about five feet in diameter, silver with golden trim and ornate carvings adorning either side. The craftsmanship spoke for itself, attesting to its peerless quality. The impression was like something out of a fantasy novel brought into reality.

"Wait, why in the world am I thinking about this now of all times?!" Shirou exclaimed to nobody in particular. He could ponder its metallurgy some other time, right now the boy had other concerns to busy himself with. Like figuring out why somebody was throwing swords at his house.

Really well-crafted swords at that. Swords that good really shouldn't be thrown off so wastefully like that, Shirou thought. Rather disrespectful to the obvious work and craftsmanship put into such a... argh, he was doing it again!

Okay, okay. Shirou tried to steady his heartbeat and come up with a plan of action in this scenario. Judging by the smell of smoke, his house was probably (definitely) on fire right now. Possibly about to collapse into a smoking, ashen wreck soon with him trapped inside. No pressure, though. Furthermore, there were weapons imbedded in every surface he could name and still more rocketing in from heavens only knows where.

In other words, the optimal solution here was clearly to RUN!!

Sprinting off down the hall, Shirou just barely dodged another weapon hurtling toward him, this time a large halberd with flame patterns along the sides which gouged into the floor a scarce few centimeters behind him.

Immediately following were a fusillade of further unidentifiable weapons which demolished (what remained of) the wall next to him with a cacophonous crash. Sent hurtling onto his rear end by the shockwave but thankfully unscathed by the blades themselves, Shirou dragged himself along the floor into the kitchen.

-The kitchen. In his time in the Emiya Household, the kitchen had been without a doubt Shirou Emiya's pride and joy. Engraved within that simple room were the memories of all the wonderful meals he'd made over the years, plus the happy smiling faces of Taiga and Sakura. Ah, those were the days~

And now, it was a smoking wreck riddled with weaponry. It was almost enough to make the boy sob, but for now survival alone took priority.

Shirou dove behind his kitchen counter as the bombardment began anew, a hail of blades ripping through the air towards him like predatory beasts of steel.

Judging by the sounds, Shirou knew he didn't have much time before the counter gave away completely. But if he just ran out like this unprotected he'd be made a pincushion in a matter of seconds! What could he...?

Aha! Insight flashed like a stroke of lightning through the redhead's mind. Reaching over to grab a table next to him, Shirou began to apply his Reinforcement magic to it, veins of green energy spreading across the humble piece of furniture. Thankfully, it was just big enough to cover his whole torso but not so much as to be impossible for him to lift.

'This will totally get me killed.' Shirou thought to himself before running out into the open with a table held in front of him like a shield, screaming like a maniac all the while.

The screaming was not strictly necessary truth be told, but Shirou needed all the adrenaline he could get right now.

He made it past the kitchen and down into the outer hall, blade after blade imbedding itself into his makeshift 'shield'. Finally, he had to toss it aside after a particularly hefty battleaxe whirling down the hall at him had split it nearly in half. Thankfully he was almost to the front door by then.

Narrowly avoiding tripping over the hilt of a sword stuck into the ground, Shirou tugged the oaken door open with all his strength and threw himself onto the household's front porch as if in supplication. Moments later the residence behind him collapsed into a flaming heap of debris.

For a moment, it seemed as if the storm around him had ceased. Then, Shirou looked up. It was in flames. All of it. Not just the Emiya household, but the whole neighborhood around as well. Everything was in flames as far as his eyes could see, smoke rising so high as to blot out the stars.

Shirou's mind went cold. This was...!

The fire that had burned down half of Fuyuki ten years ago. An infernal sight that would surely scourge a man's soul just be looking at it... Was such an event truly happening again? Here, of all places?

No. No no no no no no. That couldn't be. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be true! This had to be a dream. To think that this Hell would recur again, that his survival had all been for nothing, that he still couldn't save anyone even after all those years was just far too much or anyone to bear, let alone one so young.

'Wait,' Shirou thought, the numbness in his mind replaced with steely determination. "Survivors." he recited the word aloud, his tone grave. "Even if the fire's spread this far, there's no guarantee there wouldn't still be survivors. I have to look. If I... if I can save just one person in this Hell..."

"-Then your meaningless existence might be worth something?" A voice cold and mocking rang out through the night air, jolting the boy out of his thoughts. "How truly pathetic."

In front of him stood a man, his hair of gold and his eyes scarlet like those of a beast. Fair skinned and of a stunningly handsome form, the unbelievable arrogance displayed on his face soiling his otherwise graceful features. He was dressed simply but stylishly in a black jacket, matching pants and a white dress-shirt underneath.

Most impressively of all were the countless shimmering discs of golden light filling the air behind him, each one with the tip of a blade poking out from its center. And every one of them was trained firmly upon Shirou Emiya.

"You!" Shirou rose to his feet, too shocked and outraged to even be intimidated by the man's presence. "D-did you- did you do this?!"

"Hoh?" The golden figure snorted with derision. "Perhaps I did, and perhaps I didn't. Regardless, the time has come for me to claim your life, boy."

"Really, it's beneath me to have to snuff out the life of some mongrel. I'm just as unhappy with this as you are, boy." With a slight shake of his head, the man looked at Shirou as if feeling some bizarre sense of commiseration. "But it can't be helped, I suppose."

"Now die."

The sentence was pronounced. Whether an astute judgement synonymous with universal truth or even an errant misrule committed during a drunken stupor, the king's judgement could not be denied. And now the day of sentencing had arrived.

The uncountable portals dotting the night sky bared their iron fangs more fully, in preparation to fire.


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New chapter of Fate/All Fiction is ouuuuuuu~oout!! As you can see, I've gone back and tinkered with the order of events to make more sense chronologically (thanks to a few users on BL for helping me out with that, BTW). Before, Gilgamesh making his move on the Emiya household was on the very same night that Shirou got stabbed by Lancer. Now, I've moved those events from the end of the last chapter to the end of this, which makes the previous chapter come off as a little uneventful (without a 'punchy' end) but I guess you could think of it as a breather chapter or something. I think I might've written Shirou as being a little more guileful then he is in canon, but the guy is far from stupid despite what some people say.

Next up will be the awaited confrontation between the newly summoned Saber, Gilgamesh, Scathach and Misogi. I deleted the snippet of it I left but don't worry, it's still safely on my computer and I'll put it back when I finish the next chapter- [Storm Fall].

By sure to drop by with comments and criticisms, everybody! Seriously, I get the feeling nobody reads this thing sometimes... It can't be that bad...

[RoydGolden]

Update: Added an index to the first page so y'all can find designated chapters without having to crawl through the whole thread. Had a lot of trouble putting it in 'cuz the formatting kept getting screwed up for some strange reason (I ended up having to do the links in their own page and then insert them in afterwards), but now it is done.

Any critique on the latest chapter would still be appreciated by the way, especially the action scene at the end which I'm not sure how well I managed to convey at all. Thanks!

[RoydGolden]

Chapter 7- Storm Fall:

Misogi Kumagawa was in love.

Ever since he'd met her when they were both no more then two years old, he'd been in awe of her radiance. Every obstacle fell before her like it was nothing, and every challenge was conquered with effortless grace.

But yet. Her eyes were so empty. She, who never had the experience of hardship, couldn't understand why humans struggled and persevered. Why they filled their lives with so many frivolous things. That girl couldn't understand any part of it.

She really was just like him. He'd told her, of course. Back in the children's hospital where they first met. That life was meaningless, and human lives were purposeless. They lived for nothing, and then at the end they died for nothing too. It was nothing more then an absurd farce.

She'd looked at him as if mulling over the words, unbelievable thoughtfulness showing in her childish features. Then, she'd walked away with that same look still etched upon her face, not showing either acceptance or rejection. Misogi wondered if he'd found a kindred spirit in that girl.

Of course not. He couldn't win, after all.

She'd found another friend, and decided upon her purpose in life. She rejected his nihilism, and persued the path of helping others to the very end. Saying she would die a fulfilled woman as long as her life was lived in service to others.

Of course, she excelled at saving people just as much as she'd excelled at everything else she'd ever set her mind to. Delinquents. Lowlifes. Criminals. She saved all of them without distinction. In her mind, it didn't matter whether one was "good" or "evil", for she saw everyone as worthy of being saved.

Except for him, that is. When he ripped off his girlfriend's face as a way of proving his love to her (it was a long story), she gave into brute rage and pummelled him senseless until he'd agreed to leave the school. It was the first time the boy had ever seen her truly angry.

She was beautiful when she was angry, of course. But then again, she was beautiful not matter what she did, and no matter what emotion she showed.

For some time, he tried to brushed off all thoughts of the girl who was his first ever love. But he couldn't forget her. Her radiance, her pride, her beauty, her strength, and most of all her indomitable spirit. Much as he tried, he couldn't erase the traces of her from his memories.

It wasn't long before they met again, as mortal enemies. She was the one person whom he could never forget, and he was the one person she could never forgive. Perhaps it was destiny, or perhaps it was simply brute chance in a world that turned without any sort of order or purpose.

Either way, it hardly mattered.

Their confrontation in front of the school building. With a beatific smile, she'd declared how she would accept all his feelings whether good or ill.

So, this was the chance. He could finally show her all the rotten feelings welling up in his heart...!

It wasn't a love confession you'd see in some cheesy Shoujo manga, but for the boy known as Misogi Kumagawa, it was an expression of his utmost love. And utmost hatred as well. His feelings were... complicated, to say the least.

The screw pierced cleanly through the girl's chest, bringing her to her knees. Her body was unscathed, for "Book Maker" was an ability that soils only the heart. Now she could feel it. What it was like to be hated, despised, ridiculed, to have victory slip from your fingers no matter how hard you tried.

She'd never once met an obstacle she couldn't overcome, and the feeling of true loss was alien to her. Though she claimed to love humans, in truth she was nothing more then a monster wearing their form. Inhuman in her virtue, oblivious to the darker sides of human nature. Of course, he'd loved that aspect of her as well.

"Ah, it really is pointless in the end. It's my loss, so forgive me."

When he'd heard those despair-filled words from his mouth of his first love, Misogi's face contorted into an expression of maniacal elation.

"...Is what you thought I would say, right?"

Saying such, she rose to her feet bearing an expression of boundless happiness.

Even having fallen to the boy's level in body, mind and soul, her heart refused to falter.

"You're not weak." she had declared. "Someone who fights for their friends, someone who goes all in even if they know there's no chance of winning. Someone like that can't possibly be weak!"

They fought furiously. Expressing their pent-up feelings with their fists, they unloaded on each other while laughing with an almost deranged glee. Like two old friends sharing a vigorous handshake after having been seperated for many years.

In the end, Misogi lost. No surprise there. But, it wasn't a loss preordained by fate or destiny. He fought, put in his all against an overwhelming adversary, and was defeated. In a way, wasn't there a kind of dignity to that? Was defeat really so terribly wrong? All it was is the promise that one would have to work harder next time. You can't have victory without defeat, achievement without struggle. That was something the girl in front of him knew better then anyone else.

Misogi lost, but at the same time he 'gained' something immeasureably valuable. All thanks to a certain purple-haired Medaka Kurokami. He'd loved her, now and long ago, and also hated her, now and long ago.

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Rin Tohsaka woke up with a start. "What... was that?" she asked herself, memories that weren't her own filling her head.

She'd heard that Masters and Servants could sometimes dream each other's memories, but this was the first time she'd had that experience for herself. Rin couldn't help but felt a little bit guilty having peeked into someone's most private memories like this, even as she'd wanted to learn more of her Servant's past.

Rin always knew something was off about Misogi. His smile never seemed to quite reach his face, and his cheery words rang hollow in her ears. Like someone who was hiding a boundless sadness that they couldn't show to anyone else.

But even suspecting that, the burden that he bore with his every waking moment was one she could scarcely imagine. Certainly, the life of a Magus such as herself was one fraught with hardships, but those hardships were always merely stepping stones along the path towards greater triumph.

But for that boy, it was like his whole life was a hardship in itself. Despite everything, he still laughed, smiled and gave it his all, even knowing that he was crushed before he'd even started.

"Idiot!" Rin cursed to herself, the faintest hint of tears showing in her green-blue eyes. "Calling yourself a loser like that, after all that you've been through... don't be such an idiot!!"

The girl in her dream was right about one thing, at least. Her Servant was anything but weak.

Since there was no way she'd be able to go back to sleep anytime soon, Rin decided to get out of bed and get some fresh air. Shrugging off the covers, she strolled lazily over to the balcony door and slid it open gently, careful not to wake the slumbering Misogi in the bedroom across from her. Stepping out into the balcony, Rin took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cool, crisp night air.

The night was still and quiet, absent the constant stream of lights and sounds normally accompanying urban life. It lent the area a kind of tranquility, which Rin appreciated. To think, humans were going about their ordinary lives every day, oblivious to the supernatural war raging around them. The night truly was a furtive mistress.

Rin's attention was abruptly caught by the thick, charcoal-black smoke rising up in the far horizon. A gasp forced its way past the budding Magus's throat, and her eyes widened in alarm.

The city was burning, consumed in orange-red flames that Rin almost mistook for the rising sun at first sight. A very specific part of the city, to be exact.

-The neighborhood of a certain Shirou Emiya.

Rin immediately realized what this meant. 'Shirou's in danger..!'

Flinging open the balcony door with a loud crash, Rin called out to her Servant.

"Archer! Wake up, Archer!!"

「 Mmmgh...? What's going on, Master?」

Wood creaked as her Servant pried himself out of bed, accompanied by the light, groggy sound of his voice.

"It's bad. Really bad." Rin spoke gravely. "Shirou's neighborhood is on fire. I think it must be the work of an enemy Servant, but how would they even know he was a witness? Or alive, for that matter?"

She scrunched up her face. "Unless...?"

Lancer had been taken out before he managed to report back to his Master. But, there existed curses that allowed one to view the world from the perceptions of another. If Lancer's Master had used such a curse- geas- then he could've found about Shirou that way, even without an active report.

But that still left how he knew Shirou was still alive after Lancer 'killed' him, and how a Master without a Servant managed to wreak that much destruction. They must be dealing with someone who had a hefty information network at their disposal, plus an alliance with fellow Masters who could do their dirty work for them.

Rin was shooting in the dark and she knew it. Speculating with so little information at hand was just as likely to lead her wildly astray. But if there really was a conspiracy of Masters working in tandem then...

Right. It hardly mattered for now, Rin thought with an icy determination. She had to save Shirou, worries about the War and fellow Masters could come later.

Misogi stood at her side now, a screw held firmly in each hand. 「 Looks like someone's been making quite a bit of trouble while we were asleep.」

"Let's go, Misogi." Rin spoke, resolve hardening her words.

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Shirou Emiya was running for his life. Behind him, streaks of brilliant gold lit up the sky as blade after enchanted blade were hurled at his location. Shockwaves rattled his bones and nearly sent him sprawling several times, the ground in the boy's wake reduced to steaming molten slag.

First, he was attacked by a bloodthirsty spearman clad in blue tights. Then, a golden haired king who seemed to regard killing him as a bothersome chore. At any other time, Shirou would be marvelling at the turn his life had taken as of late.

However, right now, the boy had other matters to consider. Such as survival.

"Quit running, mongrel!" Gilgamesh hollered out in his usual regal tones. "Halt this meaningless chase and I shall grant you the privilege of a painless death!"
'Very inviting', Shirou thought to himself, most definitely not stopping.

A sword whizzed by his chest, just barely grazing the side of his shirt. He could feel that his pursuer was getting more accurate. At first, he'd been just toying around, throwing out his projectiles without bothering to aim properly. Now, he was getting angry. And impatient.

Shirou knew the only reason he was still alive was that the kingly man's patience had yet to be fully tested. A point which was coming closer and closer to breaking.

Charging across his backyard which now looked more like the site of a nuclear war, Shirou had finally reached his promised land- the shed. It wasn't much, but this shed- more like Workshop- where he practiced his Projection Magic was the only place where he could even hope to mount a counter-attack against this foe.

Shirou scrambled to the door and gave it a sharp, desperate yank. Thankfully it was unlocked. He rushed inside just before about a dozen wickedly curved blades turned the ground he was standing into a cratered pincushion.

Slamming the door behind him, Shirou pressed his hand against the concrete. "Trace, On." he incanted, feeling the Magic Circuits roar inside him as magical energy poured through his hands, into the walls and suffused throughout the shed. It now had about the durability of a wartime bunker which could withstand tankfire.

Panting, Shirou collapsed to his knees as he did his best to process what had just happened in the past few minutes. He checked off in his head each horrifying realization after another.

His house had burnt down. Fuyuki- or at the very least his neighborhood- was in the middle of sharing the same fate. And the man chasing him...

He wasn't human. The powers he'd shown were evidence enough of that. But even more, the aura he exuded wasn't anything Shirou had felt from another human being. No human sentiment or emotion. No forgiveness, pity or empathy. Just an absolute malevolance and desire to conquer everything and everyone.

Those red eyes... that calm look as he pronounced merciless judgement...

Shirou shook his head. There was no point thinking about the man attacking him. The only thought he could afford right now was how to defend himself. He couldn't save anyone from the fires raging outside if he died here. He had to survive.

Shirou stepped purposefully to the Magic Circle at the shed's center. It was roughly sketched in chalk, looking like it had been drawn countless times, erased and subsequently redrawn before finally settling on something workable.

Well, Shirou Emiya was hardly an experienced Magus, so such a thing was to be expected. Kneeling down in the circle, Shirou readied himself. It wasn't much, but surely if he could Reinforce some basic weaponry to withstand the coming attack...

He froze. The sounds of destruction raging outside had ceased utterly, leaving an ominous, crushing silence. No threats barked at him, no explosions as swords hit the ground with the force of ballistic missiles. Nothing.

Shirou wasn't sure what he was expecting. The golden haired man to barge down the door himself and stomp in? To shout for him to get out and accept his execution with humility? Or...

BOOM!!

...That.

A deafening roar of steel and fire filled the air, shattering the previous silence. A shockwave followed immediately after, carried by a rain of swords.

The shed's roof was stripped off in an instant from the shockwave alone, concrete peeling away and disintigrating into dust like in the aftermath of a bomb detonation. The walls barely held up any longer, given the rough semblance of swiss cheese by the innumerable swords hurtling through.

Shirou gaped in horrified astonishment. The shed's walls, magically reinforced to survive military-grade weaponry- had been demolished with no more difficulty then a child tearing down a cardboard fort.

The impromptu fortress around him was torn away in seconds, leaving him exposed under the stars. Standing in front, his gaze cold and regal, was Gilgamesh. Above were were countless discs of shimmering gold as he readied another barrage.

Shirou gulped. This was the end.

It was pointless. The reason he survived the Fuyuki fire, when he met Kiritsugu, when he swore to be a hero of justice, it was all in vain. His life, ambitions, meaning and hopes were all about to be snuffed out. For a reason he couldn't hope to understand, the life known as Shirou Emiya was about to come to an end.

No. He couldn't accept that. He wouldn't accept that. There was a reason he survived that hell all those years ago, there was a reason Kiritsugu found him... At the very least, he had to live to pay back his debts to those who weren't saved!

That's right... In order to fulfill his dream of being a hero of justice... Shirou Emiya absolutely wouldn't die here!!

In truth, there was not any strategy Shirou had in mind at that moment. It was simply, a wish. But sometimes, ever so rarely, such a wish might just come true.

All the magic circuits in his body kicked into overdrive. It was pain more then he'd ever felt, like his body was being torn apart and his veins filled with acid. It was pain. But, it was also the burning will to survive that Shirou Emiya felt.

The magic circle beneath his feet, the only thing left of the magical rain that could only have been termed a 'bombardment', suddenly began to glow with life...!

"Hoh?" Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, looking on at the proceedings with some mixture of curiosity and contempt. "What is this, mongrel?"

A blinding flash of light. All the debris from the attack was kicked up and thrown in all directions, forming a great cloud of dust which obscured Shirou from sight.

The dust finally cleared. Shirou's eyes burned. His everything burned. Standing there before him was...

A maidenly girl clad in armor. Everything about her was striking. Her supple, pale skin, her golden blonde hair pulled into a royal bun and encircled by a braid. The armor shrouding her slight body looked to have been woven out of moonlight itself.

In her right hand, she carried what could only have been a long sword in the English style, though a faint rippling in the air was all one discern of its blade.

'W-who are you...?!" Shirou thought, but the words failed to emerge.

"I ask of thou." the girl said in a soft, firm voice that radiated nobility. It stood in stark contrast to the golden-haired man's obscene arrogance. "Art thou my Master?"

'Your... Master?" Shirou could hardly think straight. This girl... this beautiful girl clad in armor like that of a 19th century knight... was calling him 'Master'?

"Well, isn't this poetic." From afar, Gilgamesh's eyes widened with delight. "Saber, it seems you have once again been had the fortune of being summoned alongside me. The fates of this world truly do have a sense of humor."

He spoke with familial tones, but his voice dripped with cruel amusement.

"Archer...!" the girl growled, and her voice revealed only hatred.

"Albeit, this time there is some pesky mongrel dogging your side. Worry not though. I shall eliminate him in no time at all."

As he spoke, the countless golden portals in the air extended their blades out. All of Saber's muscles tensed, as she prepared to deflect the coming barrage. Even if they'd just met, she'd sworn fealty to him all the same. And that meant, by her honor as a knight, she couldn't let him die here...!

"...Am I interupting something?"

Cutting through the proceedings was a mischevous, ladylike voice.

-One that Shirou Emiya recognized all too well. "T-Tohsaka?"

"The one and only." answered Rin Tohsaka, standing with one arm crossed under her chest and the other resting on it at a 90 degree angle. Her bright red sweater and dark skirt made for a striking impression in the moonlit yard.

Behind her stood another familiar figure. A boy with wide blue eyes, short slightly mussed dark hair and clad in a black, formal school uniform. A pair of oversized metal screws were held firmly in each of his hands, like twin daggers.

[Yep!] the second figure exclaimed with a cheerful wave. [And I'm here too!]

Rin was glad she'd come when she had. Standing across from Shirou was a golden-haired figure with the most infuriating smile Rin could imagine (and from someone who encountered Shinji on a regular basis, that truly was saying something), with a mind-boggling number of weapons hovering in formation above him.

Clearly a Servant. And judging by his casual attitude and the firepower he possessed, he must be the one responsible for tonight's destruction. Even though the Grail War was supposed to only be amongst Magi, this man was razing an entire neighborhood to the ground just to get at one person?

Either his Master was the most careless person in the world, or, they somehow had the means and clout to cover up this level of destruction. Neither possibility was one that the Tohsaka heir found terribly appealing.

"Misogi." Rin said gravely. "Protect the boy. He's the reason we came down here in the first place so whatever you do, don't let him die!"

[Got it, Master!]

"Hmph." As his scarlet eyes locked themselves upon the two new arrivals, Gilgamesh's expression went from profound joy to utmost irritation. "How unsightly. Some mongrels interfering in the romantic affairs of the king. If you leave this instant, I might just forgive your transgression tonight."

[Y'know...] Misogi said irreverently, placing a finger to his chin in thought. [You really remind me of somebody I met once. Heck, you even look similar! Are you sure you don't know an 'Oudo Miyakonojo' by any chance?]

"Silence!" bellowed Gilgamesh, his eyes narrowing in anger. "The king is a unique existence! Not even across the entire world will you find anyone approaching my magnificence! Comparing me to some fraud, how dare you mongrel! To think, in my utmost magnanimity I once considered letting you leave here untouched. Now I shall have no choice but to show you the proper punishment to those who defy the king!"

Gilgamesh snapped his fingers and the portals multiplied. What had once been mere ripples became an enormous golden overflow parting the air like a curtain.

In that instant, the smog-choked sky was lit up by ten thousand golden stars.

This was the king's judgement. Omniscient, omnipotent and all-purvading. Shining gold rivalling even the most brilliant of stars. No matter how far one scurried, there was no escaping this sentencing.

"N-no way...?" Rin gasped, looking up at the absolutely obscene amount of firepower the golden haired Servant had brought forth. This was unfair! It was totally unfair! How the HELL was she supposed to find a counter to this?

-Fwoosh!

All of a sudden, four streaks of scarlet shot forth out of nowhere, each of them aimed to skewer the King of Heroes where he stood. Gilgamesh barely reacted in time, four swords hurtling out from his treasury to match the incoming projectiles.

The sound of steel ringing out against steel resonated throughout the field as Gilgamesh's swords collided with the spears of his unknown assailant, deflecting them out of the air.

The deflected spears fell to the ground point-first, sticking upright before dissolving into particles of red light that scattered to nothingness. But not before Rin got a good idea of what they looked like. Blood red, with veined patterns along the shaft...

Just like Lancer's spear... but how...?

"Who is this that seeks to interupt my judgement?" barked the king.

"Ah. That'd be me." Another figure stepped out of the shadows.

A soft voice, with an undercurrent of predation. Like a cat stalking prey.

A tall, intimidating woman with flowing violet hair and piercing red eyes, clad in a purple and black bodysuit that accentuated her form's every curve. In each of her hands rested a long, familar blood red spear.

Beside her, a woman... no, compared to the towering woman next to her 'girl' was surely more appropriate, clad in a dark suit and matching dress pants. Her left arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder, her right hand was encased in a dark glove. Though slight in stature, she gave the impression of a fiercesome warrior woman.

"Oi, Lancer." Bazett said in a rough voice, adjusting her sole glove slightly. "Looks like somebody else's gotten here before us."

"Perhaps we would've gotten here quicker if you hadn't stopped to change back into these clothes, Master." Lancer replied, speaking like a teacher to a student.

"D-don't be absurd!" Bazett barked, her face lighting up suddenly with anger and embarassment. "As if I was ever going to fight with t-that outfit on...!"

"Your choice, I suppose. But then it scarcely suits you to complain, now does it?" replied the Heroic Spirit of the spear calmly. "Anyhow, are you sure you wish these other Masters to witness such a display? It's rather unfitting of a warrior."

They were right. Looking at this new pair, Rin could barely resist the urge to palm her face in exasperation. She imagined the boy she'd come to save would likely be having a similar reaction, that is if he was lucid after what had transpired.

Rather then preparing for a fight, the two looked more like they were practicing to be a 'Manzai' comedy duo...

Gilgamesh gave a royal snort. "This is too much. Cleaning up one or two mongrels would be enough, but five of you lot? Such labor is unsuited to a king of my nature. Begone from my sight. I shall deal with you later."

With that, the golden lights in the sky darkened into nothing. The portals which once looked to rain down total destruction simply closed up without a trace. Having called off his destruction, the King of Heroes departed. His radiant figure seemed to sink back into the shadows of the yard, becoming formless.

"W-who was that guy?" Rin gaped.

[Hmm. Judging by his bishonen looks and the generally ridiculous amount of power he was flaunting, I'm guessing 'final boss'.]

Rin sighed. "Can you give me an answer to anything that isn't in terms of manga cliches?"

[Hey, that's not true!] Misogi burst out indignantly. [I can do anime and light novel cliches too! Don't accuse me of having such a limited specialty!]

"You're missing the point." Rin deadpanned.

"Um, guys?" Shirou called out, finally getting his wits together enough to speak. "Can somebody please tell me what the Hell is going on?"

"Remember the Grail War I told you about yesterday?" Rin did her best to explain. "Well, it looks like the spearman wasn't the only one to try and kill you. I rushed over here as soon as I saw the smoke rising."

"Y-you mean..." Shirou stammered. "All this happened b-because... because of me?"

Saber put a hand reassuringly on his shoulder. A gesture made less effective by the thick iron gauntlet encasing her hand. "This isn't your fault, Master."

"What is going on?" Shirou snapped. "Masters and Servants... Magi competing for the Holy Grail... all this is totally crazy, Rin!"

Rin regarded him coolly. It was only normal for someone to have difficulty accepting such a thing. Even though she'd told him earlier that day, it seems it had taken until now for the absurd events to have truly sunk in.

How bothersome. She liked the boy, so she'd prefer if he stayed uninvolved. An outsider like him was going to get killed in an environment like the Holy Grail War.

But that was simply impossible now.

At least Shirou's Servant seemed strong... from the looks of it, he'd somehow managed to get Saber, the strongest of the seven Servant Classes.

Under normal circumstances, Rin would be cursing her misfortune that some nobody ended up with the sought-after Saber instead of herself, but in this case she had more important things demanding her attention.

Like why there was another Lancer Class Servant standing across from her.

Rin turned to the violet haired Master. "That Servant of yours... a Lancer, right?"

"Of course." Bazett replied smoothly.

"But that's impossible." Rin retorted. "The Lancer Class Servant in this War already died last night."

"Is that so?" Bazett smirked, placing her gloved hand over her forehead. "Not just that, but it was your Servant that killed him. Isn't that right, Rin Tohsaka?"

Rin's eyes went wide. "H-how do you know that?"

"What?" Bazett waved her hand dismissively. "You think I haven't heard of the Second Owner of Fuyuki? It's only natural to have an eye for the terrain before embarking on a war, and that includes those in it."

"As for the other matter... ah, you see... before the original Lancer died, I found a bunch of screws stuck through his body."

"Remind you of anything, Rin?"

As Bazett delivered her explanation, Scathach stood tall at her side. Silent and unmoving. Her watchful scarlet eyes surveyed the battlefield vigilantly, while her honed warrior's body awaited a command to strike down the enemy.

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Reposting the snippet from before I went back and tinkered with the timeline, with a little extra added on. Next chapter probably won't be done in a while, so this is all I have to satiate you guys (at least, whoever reads this thing) until then. As always, comments and criticisms would be appreciated. Thanks!