Magical Vanguard Shirou

[Erlkonig]

Chapter Index (Shamelessly stolen from hero's idea)

Magical Vanguard Shirou

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20

Status Menu

Kotomine Kirei, Tohsaka Rin, Emiya Shirou
Souichirou Kuzuki (deceased), Matou Sakura
Kiritsugu Emiya (deceased), Illyasviel von Einzbern
THE FIRST DAEVA

Questions & Answers

Q&A 1
Q&A 2

---

Magical Vanguard Shirou
All Evils of the World (I)

------

The Greater Holy Grail.

A vessel of such a vast amount of prana that it is capable of granting any wish, capable of accomplishing the Third true magic. With it, the dreams of the Einzberns, Makiri, and Toshaka could be realized.

Right now, however, Zelretch was having a very bad feeling about what they had created. He knew perfectly well that anything could go wrong with this, yet he didn't know exactly what was the issue that was nagging him. He had traveled through parallel realities, and knew that some of the worst case scenarios were horrendous, to say the least. He was shaken out of his thoughts by his comrade, Makiri Zouken.

"Such a wonderful thing, isn't it, Tohsaka?" Mentioned the man, looking up at the vessel towering over them. "I wish Justica could see it with us..." Zouken then lowered his sight, saddened by the sacrifice of his love.

Zelretch slowly nodded. "It is quite a sight, but I'm feeling that something bad's up."

"'Something bad?' Whatever are you talking about, Tohsaka...?" Zouken glared at him. "We are at one of the ley lines, a center of huge amounts of prana, places which we've set as the access points of the Great Grail. Justica designed this. It's impossible for an error to occur."

The Second Sorcerer scoffed. "You know impossible is a word that doesn't exist to me. I respect Justica's abilities, but I believe we have overlooked something. I just don't know exactly what..."

"...?" Zouken looked at him questioningly. 'What is he talking about?'

Zelretch sank into deep thought. What had they overlooked? What blind spot was there on the system? The lack of a core? No, Justica had sacrificed herself to become the core. The prana? Impossible, the Great Grail was placed over four ley lines, and is an immense magic circuit. It can gather more than enough prana to function. Administration of the system? It could only be manipulated through the access points, which only activated after the vessel had been summoned. Then... what!?

"...Yeah, perhaps I'm just getting paranoid." Zelretch shook his head, then spoke to Zouken. "Then, let's turn the system on standby. I should leave soon."

Zouken nodded. "Are you coming back?" He asked, knowing that the Sorcerer liked to stay long amounts of time in parallel worlds.

Zelretch frowned. "I'm not sure. My children seem to be pretty incompetent. I don't think it possible that they will be able to reproduce my magic, even though I left them the blueprints."

Zouken grinned. "Well, this is as closest to the root we can get. I can't wait to see it completed. These Grail Wars are going to be interesting."

Zelretch sighed. "I should be going now. Are you sure you can handle everything?" He said, referring to the system.

Zouken gravely nodded.. "I wouldn't dare screw up Justica's dream."

Zelretch smirked. "Whipped until the very end, heh? Well then, I'm of-"

RUMBLE!

At that instant. The cave started to tremble. Both magi stumbled, eyes wide as they looked at each other.

"What in the name of the Root..." Zouken started.

RUMBLE!

There it was again. Zelretch searched for the source of the sound. The roof was intact, so it wasn't natural. The structure of the cave seemed untouched, so what...?

He saw it then. It was small at first, a bubbling shadow that started to rise from the base of the Grail, slowly crawling up the towering vessel, corroding it. A form started to shape itself, quickly growing massive. It was a black darkness, a prana so foul, so evil, that could be said to be the foulest of curses. An uncountable number of eyes stared at the two magi from the towering black shape, and Zelretch realized what they had overlooked.

Something that was material couldn't affect the grail... But a spirit with no body?

Infiltration. A god-damned spirit had infiltrated the Grail. Zelretch saw no other option. He nodded at Zouken, and they began to do what was necessary.

They proceeded to purge the being.

------

"What the hell was that!?" Exclaimed Zouken. "That thing was no joke... How did we even win?"

Zelretch couldn't answer. He was too tired to answer. That thing had been inhuman. An uncountable amount of curses incarnate, it was something that he never again wanted to face. If he hadn't been a Sorcerer, he was sure he couldn't have won against that thing. Hell, it wasn't even complete! There was only one thing it could be...

"Do you know of Zoroastrianism, Makiri?" Asked Zelretch, glaring at the magus of absorption.

Zouken's eyes widened. "Zoroastrianism... Are you saying that thing was a divine spirit!?"

Zelretch nodded. "Something like that, but not quite. I believe it is the original devil, Angra Mainyu. Or at least, a shadow of that being. Did you see how it spread into various parts?"

Zouken nodded. After they had defeated the being (Which hadn't been easy at all), it had spread into various parts which had gotten away before they had been able to destroy them. "What of it? Well, besides that it could end up being a threat to the world."

Zelretch explained. "I think they are going to reform. You know, that thing possessed immense amounts of prana, amounts no magus could gather even in ten lifetimes. So, what if, after each shadow has recovered, they try to infiltrate the system?" Zelretch shook his head. "Looks like we are going to have to modify the Holy Grail system. I don't think we can start wars with such an obvious threat looming behind us."

Zouken winced. Certainly, starting a Grail war at the same time all evils of the world try to take the prize for itself would be a very... unwise decision. He frowned. "What do you propose we do, then?"

Zelretch grinned. "Hehehe..." Well, if he had to reprogram the system to fight against a terrible evil, then he could have fun while doing so...

...right???

------

CLANG!

The sound of clashing swords.

CLANG!

It resounded through the dark sky, black clouds looming overhead. There was fire everywhere, a horrible fire of an otherwordly nature. Houses burned, people with them. A terrifying presence of destruction which destroyed all it touched, a horrendous conflagration.

And in the middle of this conflagration, two humans- No, they could not be called humans- faced each other. Near them was a black puddle, untouched by the fire, the remains of a vicious monster which had almost destroyed humanity.

The first person glared at the other one. "What do you think you're doing, Kotomine? No, I shouldn't be asking that. I'm not surprised that you did all this."

The person now known as Kotomine remained passive, an ever-present, hollow smile plastered on his face. "Oh? Kiritsugu, you should know... My only joy in life is to watch others suffer. That is why this devastation is exactly what I wanted. Also, I should thank you for helping me defeat Avenger." He paused, as his grin widened. "After all, I wouldn't want it stealing the joy of causing all this suffering from me."

Kiritsugu's glare turned fierce. "KOTOMINE KIREI! You used the Grail system to create this, of your own will! You are the most miserable kind of being I have ever seen." He then drew his gun. "I pity you."

Kotomine's visage turned into a frown. Pity. If there was one thing he hated, it was being pitied. Hollow beings had no need for something such as pity. He then turned back to his usual smiling facade. "You expect to kill me with that gun?"

Kiritsugu remained impassive. "I will kill you by any means necessary." He then extended his left arm. "No matter how ridiculous they may be."

Kotomine raised an eyebrow. "That? That ridiculous system?" He then sighed. "Then, Kiritsugu..." He extended his right arm. "I will show you despair."

Then there was a flash of light, as a massive amount of prana went into both magi. It overwhelmed the fires, the sky, and the ground, a blinding flash that blocked all sight. Soon, it receded, and the two beings there had now changed.

Kiritsugu now sported a suit of armour, composed of steel greaves, gauntlets, and a steel plate, held together by chain mail. Over that he had a grey trenchcoat, and he now held a shotgun on each hand. He winced. "This is ridiculous... But it's also absurd how much power is coursing through me."

On the other hand, Kotomine's coat had been replaced with a completely black one, with torn sleeves. It exhuded an aura of foulness, as if something was just not right with it. On one hand he held three Black keys, and his other hand seemed demonic in appearance, and was surrounded by a crimson aura; a cursed hand. "No comment," Nodded the fake priest.

Kiritsugu stared at the source of this destruction, and turned his mind into steel. 'Let's end this.'

The Vanguard system had been a change made to the Great Grail System. By establishing a link between the system and a Master, Masters were able to recieve immense amounts of prana which resulted in a transformation. Sometimes, these transformations were ridiculous, similar to the Magical Girl shows that were so popular. Others, not so much. One thing they all had in common, was that they boosted the Master's abilities and granted them innate skills that allowed them to fight at the level of Servants, though Servants still possessed Noble Phantasms which made them stronger than Vanguards.

Kiritsugu leaped at Kirei, immediately activating his trump card. 'Double Accel.' Suddenly, Kiritsugu's body accelerated in time, moving at double the speed he should be able to move. Still, Kirei saw it coming from a mile away, and quickly jumped to avoid Kiritsugu's charge. He managed to dodge with plenty of time, avoiding the shells Kiritsugu had planned to shoot at him from point-blank range.

He threw his black keys at him, immediately drawing three other ones form his coat. Kiritsugu avoided them thanks to his accelerated body, grazing through them with masterful skill. Thanks to his Vanguard ability, his Innate Time Control ability no longer destroyed his body with each use, though he couldn't go faster than Quad Accel before suffering damage regardless of his power. He accelerated into triple Accel, knowing that Kotomine possessed superhuman speed. He quickly changed direction and jumped at Kirei, firing a barrage of shotgun shells.

Kotomine extended his right arm, which somehow took all the shots into its flesh. Kotomine felt the pain of each barrage, and his hand glowed with the curse. "If you want to deliver pain unto others..." He then clenched his cursed arm into a fist. "You should be ready to recieve that pain tenfold."

Kiritsugu stopped when he felt a tremendous pain, similar to his body being ripped apart several times. He almost doubled over, but his mind was steel, so he could ignore the pain to an extent. 'That won't work on me, you hollow monster.' He knew he had to end this quickly. People were dying. He had to save them. He was a hero, after all. So he went all out, and rushed Kirei at Quad Accel speed.

Kotomine almost staggered at the sudden speed at which Kiritsugu came at him, as he concentrated in order to evade the shells the man fired at him with monstruous speed, and blinking at how easily he evaded the black keys he threw at him. He launched one at the ground near him, but Kiritsugu quickly moved his shadow out of the way, and resumed attacking him. However, even with Quad Accel Kiritsugu was having trouble reaching him, his shots grazing Kirei's body.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and both magi jumped away from the wave of energy that almost razed them. 'That was... Excalibur!'. It seems the battle between the two magi's servants was coming to an end. Kotomine had stumbled as the wave had passed.

That had been his mistake.

In that moment, Kiritsugu had gotten into Kotomine's guard, and aimed a shotgun at his heart. "It's over." Claimed the hero, as he pressed the trigger.

BANG!

The force of the blow sent Kotomine flying away, and he was overcome by pain, as the shell had impacted against his heart. Or rather, what was now left of it. With darkness surrounding his vision Kotomine faced where he was landing.

He fell into the black puddle which housed the remains of the most evil of the curses.

There was a moment of silence, until it was broken by a sigh. "Goodbye, Kotomine Kirei." murmured Emiya Kiritsugu. He then stood up, and went to where Saber had been fighting Kotomine's Servant. But when he arrived there, no one was present. 'Looks like she's already gone. Of course, since Kotomine wasted the Grail with a ridiculous wish like destruction, Saber couldn't realize her wish.' He then put on a determined face, as he ran through the fire, searching for someone who could be alive. 'There has to be someone, anyone!' Before his battle with Kotomine, he had been tainted by Avenger's curse. He knew that if he was to save someone, he would most likely have to use the one thing keeping him alive.

But he didn't care.

He had to save someone. He needed to, otherwise he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for what he had done.

He needed to...

It was then he heard it. It was a faint whisper, the last breaths of someone who was on the verge of death.

"Help me..." Called the voice.

And he answered the call. When he saw who it was, he grimaced. It was a little child, no more than about seven years old, and he was in a horrible state. He felt a rush of relief when he felt the boy was alive.

'Don't worry... I'm here for you. I'll save you...'

There was a flash of light, and Kiritsugu held an ornate sheath in his hand. There was another flash of light, and the boy now glowed with a faint golden light, even now his wounds starting to heal. He picked up the boy with his arms, and ran to the nearest hospital, dispelling the outfit he had donned during the battle.

------

GLOSSARY

Angra Mainyu: In Zoroastrianism, it is the original devil, all evils of the world. In reality, it is a being as ancient as humanity, who was given form 200 years ago, in Heaven's Feel.

Heaven's Feel: Originally intended to create a system for an omnipotent vessel capable of granting any wish, it was the incident where the system was taken over by Angra Mainyu, who until then had no form, giving it an incomplete form on this world. Together, Zelretch and Makiri Zouken managed to shatter Angra Mainyu's incomplete form, which then shattered into many pieces which went into hiding. Every 60 years, Angra Mainyu's fragments come to gather to Fuyuki City, where it may take form once again. To defend itself from Angra Mainyu, the Greater Grail System summons seven Heroic Spirits, borrowed from the Throne of Heroes to destroy the various pieces of Shadows. These are the Heaven's Feel that happen every 60 years.

As I said, very AU.

[Erlkonig]

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Omen (I)

Fire. Fire was everywhere. It spread through the grass, through the trees, through ashes, through houses, through people. Many were experiencing the last seconds of their life in this conflagration. It was an otherwordly fire which horribly burned humans, and it provoked a terrible pain. Yet, the boy continued to walk.

He walked through the spots were the fire was not present, people next to him crying out in pain, shouting for help. Yet, their voices reached him, but at the same time they did not. For the boy not only had his body destroyed, but also was his heart gone. As he looked to the red sky, he saw a white sun. It was stunning: a beautiful contrast to the destruction happening on the ground.

It was finally, that the boy started to fall towards the ground...

"...pai!"

"Senpai!"

"Huh!?" Emiya Shirou woke up with a start, cradling his head. He hadn't dreamed of that fateful incident in a long while. He shook his head, and noticed that he wasn't on his bed. 'Oh, I fell asleep on the shed again...' He slowly blinked, when a voice called out to him.

"Sempai, are you awake yet?" Asked a voice, giggling. Shirou turned to stare at a purple-haired girl in a school uniform. He nodded. "Yeah, Sakura. Thank you for waking me up."

Sakura blushed. "No problem, Sempai. I-I'm going to go and make breakfast now, Fujimura-sensei will probably arrive soon."

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, if she didn't appear I would have to assume the world was coming to an end or something." They both laughed. After Sakura left, Shirou decided that sitting down wouldn't do.

As Shirou exited the shed, he thought about his dream. He had been the only known survivor of that incident, saved by his foster father, Emiya Kiritsugu. When he had woke up after the incident, he had been in a hospital, where, after he was released, he was approached by Kiritsugu, who offered to adopt him. Shirou had taken him up on that offer.

He had wondered about one thing though: why was that beautiful white sun on the sky? That was the only thing which had made him move forward, a shining beacon of hope. He had asked Kiritsugu, but he either didn't know, or hadn't wanted to answer. He shook his head to clear his mind.

'Well, right now I should help Sakura with breakfast.' Decided Shirou, as he walked into the main residence.

------

To his surprise, Sakura had already finished breakfast. He decided he could help set the dishes anyway and headed over to the kitchen. As he approached, he saw Sakura was now in an apron, as she turned to face him.

"Senpai?" Asked the girl, wondering why he was here.

"Let me help, Sakura." Said Shirou as he started to place the food in plates and picked up the silverware. Sakura looked at him. "Why, Senpai?"

"Well, you do have to go to the Archery club for Morning activities, right? So you shouldn't be too busy with chores while having to go so early." Explained Shirou. "I'm just worried, is all."

Sakura blushed. "Thank you, Senpai, but I've been doing this for a while now, right? So, it's not like is a problem."

Shirou frowned stubbornly. "Even so, I'll help you."

Sakura sighed. Senpai always tried to help people even though it wasn't always necessary. 'Which kind of superhero cooks anyway?'

------

As he set the dishes, Shirou heard the sound of the door opening. Soon enough, a person entered the lounge. No, it couldn't be called a person, the way it jumped with such ferocity at the dining table, how it cluched the silverware anxiously, how it hungered for food. This could only be a ferocious tiger---!

"Morning, Fuji-nee." Sighed Shirou. Fujimura Taiga nodded at him, feeling in a good mood. "Good morning, Shirou." She looked as he set the dishes. "I love how you're always so accurate on time, it's like you can sense when I'm going to arrive!" Exclaimed Fujimura as she resisted the urge to dig in.

Shirou snorted. 'More like you come charging in when you smell the food from miles away.'

As they set the table, and began to eat, Fujimura asked suddenly. "So, Sakura, have you confessed yet?"

"F-Fujimura-sensei!" Exclaimed Sakura, throwing glances at Shirou while blushing furiously. Shirou just stared at them, and you could swear there was a floating question mark above his head. "Wait, what?" Asked Shirou.

"N-nothing! Fujimura-sensei was just joking!" Continued Sakura. Fujimura sighed. "Sakura, it's been, what? A year and a half since you started living here? If you don't hurry, someone's going to take him from you."

Sakura looked down. She did know. She knew who Fujimura was talking about, but she hadn't been able to tell Shirou her feelings, since she thought he deserved a better girl, or rather, used that as an excuse, as she was afraid of what would happen if Shirou rejected her.

Shirou just stared at them. "You lost me."

XxSome hours laterxX

After breakfast, Fujimura had quickly departed to school, and Shirou and Sakura went soon after cleaning the dishes. They had parted at the gate, and school had quickly passed. During lunch, he had been asked by his friend, the Student Council President to repair a heater. The afternoon was uneventful, and after the last period Shirou had gone to keep his promise.

Shirou sighed, as he finished repairing the heater. He had vizualized its structure, and reinforced the parts which needed it, so it would last for some more years. "There you go," He said as he stood up, walking out of the clasroom as he met with his friend Ryuudo Issei. "It's done."

The Student Council President sighed in relief. "Thanks, Emiya. You always help out with these things."

Shirou smiled. "It's no problem, really."

Shirou heard footsteps behind him. The figure passed by him, and he managed to identify it. "Tohsaka?" asked Shirou. The School Idol paused, as she turned to look at him. "Good afternoon." She greeted, as she continued to pass.

Shirou scratched his neck. He had admired Rin for a while, but he had only first met her when she had approached Sakura. It seems the two girls were on fairly good terms, and he had only seen Rin smile when she was talking to her. It made him wonder what kind of connection those two had. Sakura wouldn't answer, and Rin gave him the cold shoulder. 'Really,' He shook his head. 'It's not like they're long-since separated sisters...'

------

As Shirou arrived at the Emiya household, he realized it was evening. As he passed a little girl, he heard a voice call to him from behind.

"You'll die if you don't summon it soon, Onii-chan."

He turned to look at the girl, but she was gone.

------

After dinner, which was a bit uneventful, besides Fujimura confessing how Shirou had always wanted to be a superhero when he was a kid, Shirou stood up as Sakura prepared to leave. "Sakura."

"Y-yes, Senpai?" Asked Sakura, as she looked at Shirou.

"I'm walking you home." Shirou nodded, determined.

"Wha- But Senpai, it's pretty late!" Answered Sakura, blushing.

Shirou frowned. "Exactly. Do you think I'd leave a girl alone this late while she has to walk to her home?"

Sakura gazed at him, as she looked down and up again. "Th-thank you, Senpai."

Shirou smiled. "What are you talking about? You're part of this house, Sakura. Of course it's normal for me to worry. You shouldn't be thanking me." He tilted his head towards the door. "Let's go."

Sakura smiled. "Y-yes!"

------

Somewhere else...

"I am sorry, Remitz, but I needed your arm. I hope you can forgive me." Said Kotomine Kirei, smiling hollowly, as he dropped the now useless torn arm he had ripped from his acquaintance, looking at the command spells he now possessed.

Standing up form beside a woman's dead body was a man in a blue body suit, glaring fiercely at the fake priest. "Kotomine, you..." Growled the man, gripping a spear tightly.

Kotomine didn't flinch. "I would advise against attacking your new Master, Servant Lancer." Stated the priest, smiling. Lancer hated that smile.

Lancer glared. He wanted to kill Kotomine, he really did. But he was torn between his hatred and his desire to fight. While killing Kirei for harming a woman he had found very endearing would be satisfying indeed, he would immediately be thrown out of the war. And fighting in the Grail War was a very tempting offer, one he found very difficult to refuse.

In the end, his desire won and he closed his eyes. "...What do you want me to do, Master?" He said that last word with venom in his voice.

Kotomine spread his arms. "Rejoice, Cu Chulainn, for this Grail Wars have more than meets the eye. Not only is it a battle royale for the Grail, but there is also the ungodly power of the foulest of darkness looking to corrupt the grail. A mighty enemy, indeed."

Lancer raised his eyebrows. Darkness? Mighty? What was he talking about. "Speak clearly, Kotomine!"

Kirei extended his right arm. "I am talking about the Shadow which looms over every Heaven's Feel, the darkness which seeks to corrupt the Grail, in order to take form. The force with the power to destroy the world. The master of Shadows, and the Master of the 8th Servant, Avenger: Divine Spirit Angra Mainyu." He then placed his hand over where his heart would be. "And also the being which keeps me alive..."

Lancer flinched. He started to think that this priest wasn't very sane. "...You still haven't told me what you want from me..."

Kotomine nodded. He placed his hand over the Command Spell. "You will find and fight every Servant once, but will not kill them then. Return after you have fought all of them. Carefully analyze the Master's and Servant's abilities and weaknesses."

And with that, Lancer was gone. Alone, Kotomine took off his coat, and looked at his chest, where a glowing crimson scar was over the place where his heart would be...

Xx10 years ago...xX

Kiritsugu spared one last glance at the black puddle, and the ran off to find Saber. Had he stayed for some more minutes, he would have noticed that puddle started to spew bubbles, and glow with an eerie crimson light. The puddle wasn't really a puddle and more like a tiny lake, since it was pretty deep.

At that instant. Soaked in the dark fluid, a hand came out of the puddle, gripping one of the edges in the ground. Slowly but surely, a body crawled out of the puddle, shakily standing up. His clothes were torn in many places, and part of it looked like it had been eaten off. But the most horrifying feature was his chest that had a gaping hole dripping with black blood, and the black heart with crimson lines which produced a beat which sounded like a bastardisation of a heartbeat.

"It seems I will not rest, until I have seen the world drown in misery." Said the fake priest with inhuman eyes, laughing to the warped sky.

[Erlkonig]

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Omen (II)

It's a sunny day on the Emiya Household. A child looks up at his surrogate father. "Hey, Dad, how did you save me?" Asks the child. The father kindly looks at his son and answers, smiling. "That's because I'm a magus. I used magic to save you." The boy's eyes light up, filled with renewed awe at the person he so admired. Jumping, he exclaimed. "I want to be a magus too! Will you teach me, Dad?" But as the boy said this, the father's expression turned grim. "Shirou, being a magus is much more than simply using magic to save others. A magus walks with death, knows death, and is ready to welcome it and give it at any time. If you want to be a magus, you must understand this."

At the father's grave words, the child's face grew impassive. He tilted his head, then smiled again. "It's okay, Dad. I really don't understand what you're saying, but I will understand it if I need to, so I can become a superhero, just like you!" The child's words were bright, filled with hope, a great contrast to the hollow shell the father had found on the incident. Chuckling, Emiya Kiritsugu patted the boy's head. "I'm sure of it, you'll be a great hero, Shirou."

The boy's grin widened.

------

With a start, Tohsaka Rin woke up, rubbing her eyes. 'Ugh, what time is it?'

Despite her amazing magical abilities, Tohsaka Rin was NOT a morning person. Ever since she was little, she had absolutely despised waking up early, unlike her sister, who always woke up much earlier. Even now, she failed to understand how someone could wake up earlier than ten in the morning without dying from lack of sleep. What's more, whenever she woke up she would find herself in a very bad mood, with her hair being very unruly, and her eyes laking the focus they normally had.

"So the not-so-charming princess decided to wake up, huh?"

So it was understable that, when Rin heard a snarky voice mock her while in her bedroom, she screamed at it, "WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" and threw the nearest thing she had at it.

Archer ducked to evade the lamp thrown at his face, which shattered against the wall with a loud noise. He chuckled. "I see you haven't woken up yet, I was just going to tell you breakfast was ready."

The magus yelled. "YOU IDIOT! You prepared breakfast this early just to piss me off! It better be a good one!" Rin came out of bed with a huff, stomping her way to the bathroom in her pajamas.

Archer stepped aside as he let her pass. He continued to chuckle inwardly. 'This is what I like the most about you, Rin.'

------

"This is...!? It's delicious!" Said Rin as she continued to dig into the food. 'Damn him! Damn him for making such a delicious breakfast!'

Archer leaned on the table on the other side, smirking. "Oh? Does this meet your morning expectations, Master?"

'Damn him! He continues to make fun of me!' "D-don't be stupid, there's no way somebody like you could meet my expectations!" She lied through her teeth. Her cooking was good, but this was...!?

Archer raised an eyebrow, the smirk never leaving his face. "Oh, well then, I suppose I shouldn't cook anymor-"

"NO!" Almost screamed the magus. She then realized her mistake. 'Damn him! He played me again!' "I-I mean, it's the Servant's duty to serve her Master! I-it's not like I like your cooking or anything!" She stammered, blushing.

Archer grinned. "Sure thing, Master."

The breakfast after that was mostly uneventful.

------

Rin paused as she heard the beeps of the phone, waiting for somebody to take the call. "Yes?" came a deep voice from the other side.

"Hello, you fake priest." Started Tohsaka.

"Ah, Rin. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Answered the voice of Kotomine from the other side of the phone.

"Can you tell me which Servants have been summoned?" Asked Tohsaka.

There was a pause on the other side, then Kotomine replied. "Yes. With the summoning of Archer, there are already six servants summoned. Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Asssassin and Caster have been summoned. The only one left is the seventh, Saber."

"I see, so it's the same as last night." Muttered Tohsaka. "Then, I assume either tonight or tomorrow, Saber will be summoned?"

"Indeed." Agreed Kotomine. "Though I worry, summoning a Servant on the third day might attract... them."

Rin's eyes widened. "Them... You mean those monsters after the Grail, the Shadows?"

"Yes, the foulest of curses." Kotomine's voice sharpened.

"It would have been better if they had never existed." Sighed Tohsaka.

There was a short pause. "...You don't really think that, do you?"

"...What did you say?" The magus' eyes narrowed.

"Were it not for those Shadows, you and your sister might not have spoken as much. Or perhaps, she would've been treated in an even more inhumane way than she currently is."

Rin's grip on the phone tightened. She hated this man. She hated how he never lied, and how his words seemed to always ring on your heart. He knew what he was saying carried some truth behind it. She knew his words did. All the more reason to hate him. "...Enough, you fake priest. I'll call you later, if I need you again."

"I'll be waiting." She could swear she saw his smiling face for a moment, as she hanged up abruptly.

"You seem shaken, Rin." Came a cynical voice from behind her. Rin twitched. 'On one hand I've got that fake priest, on the other I have a disrespectful Servant who can't stop making fun of me... I hate this War.' She turned to glare at him. "Tonight we're going on patrol. Make sure you're ready."

Archer bowed. "Of course, Master." He said this in a sarcastic tone, as he dematerialized.

'Damn him!'

------

Night had quickly fallen, and Rin and Archer stood at the highest point in the Shinto district, a high skyscraper. Rin squinted as she looked at the city from above. "What can you see, Archer?"

Archer's eyes skillfully scanned the people below, trying to find anything suspicious. As a Servant Archer, his eyesight was greater than any of the other Servants', being capable of reading the expression of a person driving a car from hundreds of feet away. "I can see as far as the bridge, Rin."

Rin looked impressed, but quickly regained her serious expression. "Do you find anything suspicious?" She asked.

Archer shook his head. "The war hasn't begun yet, and even then it's unlikely we'd see anything suspicious unless the Master was very idiotic." Well, Archer did know two Masters who would be enough of an idiot, but he would keep that to himself.

Suddenly, Rin felt someone's gaze on her. Eyes wide, she quickly looked down, reinforcing her senses so she could spot the person looking at her. She was very surprised when she found out the eyes looking at her belonged from a read-headed boy. 'Shirou? Can Shirou really be looking at me... No, it's just a coincidence.' Tohsaka quickly retreated from the edge of the roof.

She turned her gaze to Archer. "Archer, we're leaving."

Archer nodded. "Very well, Master."

------

Emiya Shirou turned his gaze away from the skyscraper's edge. He had to be imagining things, as there was no way Tohsaka would be standing in the top of a building in the middle of the night. He continued to walk through the streets, towards his destination. He had been worried about Sakura, so he had decided to go see how she was doing. There was something else that had bothered him when he had gone there... 'There were three lights turned on that day.' Which meant... Could there be a third person on the Matou residence? One he was not aware of...?

It took him an hour before he arrived at the Matou residence. The lights were on, and as he walked towards the main entrance, a voice called out to him.

"Do I know you...?" Asked a raspy voice. Shirou turned to look at the old man who had suddenly appeared from the shadows. Shirou felt uncomfortable. This man exhuded wrongness. He shook his head as he answered.

"I-I'm Emiya Shirou, sir. I'm a friend of Sakura. May I ask who you are?" kindly replied Shirou.

The man's wrinkled face shifted as his lips tilted upwards. "Emiya... I am Matou Zouken. I am Sakura's grandfather. Sakura is at home right now." His eyes squinted. "Do you need to speak to her?"

"...No, thank you." Shirou sighed. "I was just worried about her, that's all. Could you tell her I came by since I was worried?"

The old man nodded. Shirou turned to leave. 'So, Sakura has a grandfather...' Now, this was a surprise. He had played sometimes with Shinji during the day on the house, but he had never seen or heard about Zouken. He supposed he would have to ask Sakura about it later. As he walked to the street, however, a voice called out to him.

"Emiya, tell von Einzbern I send her my regards." Called the voice of Zouken. Shirou paused. "von Einzbern? What are you talking about, sir?"

Zouken looked surprised, but then closed his eyes. "I see, he didn't tell you... Never mind, don't worry about it. Leave." Concluded Zouken as he dismissed Shirou. Shirou nodded after a while, and resumed walking.

Purple eyes stared at the young man's retreating form from a window. 'Senpai...'

[Erlkonig]

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Into the Night (I)

The boy had grown. He had developed into a fine person, filled with the ideals of a savior, of equality, and of Justice. Kiritsugu was moved by the naivety of the boy. Would Kiritsugu have been able to think like that anymore... No, he could not. Because, the sins of mankind were slowly taking his life away.

Sinner, you are a sinner sinning sins made by sins of sins you are impure impure impure impure impure, you have killed killed killed, for that you must atone atone atone with death and DIE!

The boy sat down next to his father. "Dad, I'm going to use these powers to help everyone I can. I'll be a hero, just like you!"

DIE DIE DIE

Kiritsugu closed his eyes. "So, you say you'll be my successor?"

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

Shirou nodded, giving a fateful nod which sealed Kiritsugu's fate.

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

Kiritsugu looked at the sky, "I see..." And stopped resisting. "I'm relieved."

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

Emiya Shirou stared at the unmoving body in front of him. "...Dad?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Shirou woke up, breathing heavily. If the other dreams had been rare, this one was amazingly so. He had only dreamed about his father's death the fist few days after the said event. Why of all times would he be dreaming about this...? 'No, I shouldn't worry about it.' Emiya Shirou had not cried at his fathers death, he could not shed tears for the man, as he knew the hero had had no regrets.

Shirou stood up. 'Sakura is early as usual...'

------

Breakfast had been uneventful, aside from Taiga's insistance on him coming to cook for her to help her wallet, an offer which he kindly refused. After parting with Taiga, Shirou and Sakura left the Emiya household to go to school. It was then Sakura noticed something. "Sempai, your hand...!" She gasped, eyes wide.

Shirou looked at his left hand. It was bleeding. "Huh? I hadn't noticed that..." He didn't feel any pain, despite seeing the blood quite clearly.

WHINE!

A nasty noise resounded in Shirou's head. He was confused. Where had that come from? But there was nothing in the street which could have made a whining sound like that. He cleared his thoughts over the matter, reminding himself to pay attention the next time it happens. He turned to Sakura, as they walked. "By the way, Sakura. I went to your house the other day, you know how I worry." He put one hand behind his neck, as he smiled.

Sakura paused. She knew what he was talking about. And she knew what he was going to ask. Shirou continued, "But when I was near the front entrance, I met an old man. He said is name was Zouken, and that he was your grandfather. Is that true...?" He asked. 'If he isn't, then I might have to do something about it...'

'No!' Is what Sakura wanted to say. She wanted to deny being related to that man. She wasn't, she had never been. But, what good would come out of saying that? Her Sempai would likely try and confront Zouken, and then he'd most likely... No. No matter what, she wouldn't think about that. She wouldn't accept a world where her Sempai didn't exist. Never.

So, it was understandable that she nodded, resigning herself to more suffering at the hands of that monster. Shirou sighed. "Thank god. I would have been horrified if that had been a criminal or some other guy. You know, something just felt wrong about him. Oh, sorry. I guess I shouldn't be speaking of your grandfather like that. Sorry, Sakura."

Sakura shook her head. Honestly she didn't want him to talk about Zouken at all. She wanted that man to vanish, to fall into an unending abyss and be forgotten by anyone and everyone... "Don't worry about it, Sempai" She finished the conversation.

Shirou paused. He slowed down so he was beside her. "Sakura, you look sad..." Said Shirou, worried. Sakura blushed. "N-no, it's nothing, Sempai..." She hid her gaze, shying away from him. 'Coward,' she said at herself. 'You're a coward'

Shirou paused, then nodded, closing his eyes. "Alright, if you say so..." He continued to walk beside her. Even if she didn't want to speak about the topic, she enjoyed his company.

------

Shirou walked through the hallways after the last period. He planned of going to work today, but fate would have him doing otherwise.

"Oh, Emiya. There you are" Came the voice of a blue-haired boy surrounded by girls. Shirou nodded at him. "Shinji, what is it?" Emiya Shirou considered Matou Shinji one of his friends, although their relationship had been strained after Shirou had found out what he did to his own sister. That is to say, Shirou had decked him in the face.

Shinji smirked. "Well, I wanted to ask you to clean up the Archery club. It's a lot of work, and I'd do it myself, but as you can see, I'm pretty busy." 'Oh,' Realized Shirou. 'He's doing that playboy nonsense again.' Regardless, Emiya Shirou would not pass up an opportunity to help anyone, much less a friend. "Sure." He nodded.

Shinji laughed. "See, I'd told you he'd help us. You're very helpful in that way, Emiya." He threw the Archery dojo keys at him, which Shirou skillfully caught. "Later!" Said Shinji as he walked away.

Shirou sighed. "Well, let's do this."

------


Rin ran through the night, Archer following close behind her. They landed on the School Grounds, and turned to the figure who had been chasing them. They hadn't expected to encounter a servant on the very first day, but Tohsaka was ready to fight if it was necessary. After all, she needed to win. To save the innocent as Fuyuki's protector and... to make her wish as Tohsaka Rin.

Lancer landed in front of the two figures. 'Finally, I was getting tired of running.' His blood was boiling, itching for a fight. It was a pain that Kotomine had ordered him to hold back. He would've liked nothing more than to fight at full power, but the damn priest had told him not to kill the Servants. Who the hell did he think he was!? And even more, he was deranged, speaking about Shadows or a divine spirit or other shit! How could anyone stand him! "Well, this looks like a good place to fight." He said, warming up as he gripped his lance, ready for battle.

Rin narrowed her eyes. 'Can you beat him, Archer?' She asked of her Servant. Archer nodded. The magus looked coldly at Lancer and muttered. "Go, Archer."

It was on.

Lancer leaped towards Archer, spear at the ready. 'I can't let him get into a distance long enough to fire arrows!' He thrusted with his lance, confident that it would hit... But then something unexpected happened. His spear was blocked by a pair of swords. Blocking his crimson lance were two beautifully crafted Chinese blades engraved with the Yin-yang symbol on them, one with an obsidian blade with red patterns, the other a bright white. "What the fuck!?" Exclaimed Lancer. He looked at the smirking face of Archer. 'This fucking...!' He delivered multiple thrusts at Archer with blinding speed, which were blocked by his swords. All of them aimed at his vitals. A thrust to the throat, one to the thigh, the other to the heart... All were blocked by the Chinese blades. He suddenly managed to disarm him, and thrust his lance at the opening...

Only for the Archer to block his thrust with the same goddamn sword which he had been disarmed of! Lancer's eyes widened as his visage turned furious. His thrusts suddenly increased in force, but Archer stood his ground. No matter how many of his thrusts disarmed him, swords once again appeared in his hands. Sixteen times, Seventeen times, he had already been disarmed. Yet he was on the same exact position he had been in at the start of the battle, unbothered by Lancer's superior speed or skill. Lancer growled. 'Who the hell is this guy!?'

Lancer performed a sweep with his lance, forcing Archer to roll away from him. "Twenty-seven times. I've already disarmed you Twenty-seven times. What kind of Archer uses swords like that!"

Archer smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know...?"

Lancer's eyes widened. "Damn you... I'll wipe that smirk right off your face!!!" Lancer launched himself at Archer faster than even before, determined to utterly crush him...

Only to feel a flash of heat next to him. He only had a fraction of a second to dodge, but his reaction speed was superhuman, so it was more than enough to evade the wave of energy that almost smashed him. 'What power...!'

"Archer, are you okay?" Called the voice of the Servant's Master. Archer turned to look at her, only to almost fall over. "R-rin, what is...?"

"Don't ask!" Answered Rin. Her clothing had completely changed. She was now was in a frilly outfit, decorated with various glowing jewels. Her sleeves, skirt, and blouse were all decorated with glowing jewels and black ribbons. Not only that, but her clothes looked... eccentric to say the least. Archer held back a laugh. If only because he had seen the power behind that ridiculous outfit.

The Vanguard clothing wasn't just there for aesthetic. It merged with the body on a spiritual level, and possessed magic circuits of its own, a lot of them, all of them top-quality. The clothing was fabricated by the Grail system according to the Master's memories, desires, origin, and soul. Some of the clothing even altered the body of the user, to make them able to adapt to the abilities of the Vanguard mode.

So, Rin would bear with this. Because with this power, she could fight by her Servant's side. Five jewels appeared from nowhere to Rin's hand, all of them instantly infused with magic energy. She released all of them at once, releasing a volle of missiles of different elements: Balls of fire, spheres of water, gusts of wind, Rocks of earth, and bullets of metal...!

Lancer spun his lance, blocking the projectiles, his protection from long-ranged attacks taking effect. Around him, the ground was devastated by the destruction caused by the elemental magic. He turned as he suddenly felt Archer upon him, forcing him to stay on the defensive as he had to not only fend off Archer, but his Master as well. Suddenly the volley ceased, and Lancer felt relieved, but once again felt the gut instinct he had grown up with scream at him. He suddenly dodged as a huge rock of transparent quartz, sharp as steel, burst from the ground. "Oh god, what the hell!? This isn't fair!" He continued to retreat under the assault from both Servant and Master. What the hell was up with this war!? Why were the Masters so overpowered!? He felt the blood pump through his veins. He was really excited, overcome with the thrill of battle. The priest was not the only deranged person, this whole war was insane!

Lancer cursed. This was getting him nowhere. He had learned of both the Master and the Servant's abilities, their style, their power, their reflexes, and he had only one conlusion: 'EVERYONE IS FUCKING INSANE!!!'. He had no choice. He would have to use his Noble Phantasm, Gae Bolg. Lancer retreated using his inhuman speed, and quickly gathered mana. A demonic air suddenly filled the surroundings. Archer and Rin froze. Lancer prepared to shout the name of his most trusted weapon.

"Gae-"

"Tohsaka!? Is that you!?" When a voice cut through the tension like a butter knife cuts... butter?

------

Emiya Shirou had been watching the battle for a while now, awed at the power of all three combatants. But when he had recognized the girl fighting alongside the man in red, he couldn't help but call out. All three combatants turned to look at him. As they began to look at him, he felt a dread rising inside him.

Killing intent.

He was going to die.

Emiya Shirou broke into a run, running inside the school. He ran to the hallways, running blindly through floors and rooms, hoping to lose the pursuer he no doubt had behind him. He leaned against a wall, panting. "I lost him...?" He said as he looked around. Maybe he had lost him after all...

"Well, looks like you finally got tired of running."

No.

It had been hopeless.

The man in the blue suit stared at him. His red eyes emotionless, as he sighed. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to kill you now." He lifted his spear.

What...? What had that man said...!?

Shirou turned to run, but it was too late. The lance had pierced him through his heart, eagerly sinking into his flesh and through it. "A-ah..." He collapsed against the wall as he slumped to the ground. "Nothing personal, kid." And the man vanished, along with Shirou's sight.

Rin arrived at the scene, Archer at her side. She looked at the dying body lying on the wall. She kneeled. "I failed to protect the innocents I had to protect. I'm sorry, the least I can do is stay by your side until the end..." She looked at the boy's face, and as she realized who he was, she gasped in horror. "No... Why did it have to be you...!?"

Rin couldn't let this boy die. No matter what, she could not let this boy die. The blow it would deal to her sister would be... She didn't want to think about it. She checked for his pulse, and was amazed. He had been pierced through the heart, but was still alive! Barely, but as long as he wasn't dead... She clenched the pendant in her hands, the pendant her father had given her. "I'm sorry father..." She said as the pendant began to shine...

------

"Argh!" Shirou blinked his eyes open, clutching his chest. He felt the blood staining his shirt, but saw no signs of a wound whatsoever. The boy blinked. 'So someone did save me...' He shakily stood up. 'I should go home...'

After some time, he arrived at the Emiya Residence, where there was a thick tension building up. 'I should arm myself, in case that guy comes back...' He looked for a weapon he could use, and looked at the steel poster Fuji-nee had left him. 'That will have to do...' He grabbed it and quickly reinforced it. Suddenly, he felt something go off in the house. And he realized.

He was here. The man who had killed him. He had likely smelled his scent back to this place. He suddenly felt a spike of killing intent as he moved the steel poster to block as he turned back...!

The lance met with the magical steel poster, and a sound of clashing metal rang out. Lancer raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Good reflexes, kid." He then narrowed his eyes. "What's up with this day? Overpowered Masters, Swordsman Archers, and now the Living Dead?" He looked down at the boy. "I'm in a real bad mood right now kid. I don't like killing somebody twice." He thrusted again with his spear, but it was again blocked by the poster. By now the poster was a bit bent. He then kicked the boy, sending him flying right through the window and out into the courtyard.

Shirou winced as he impacted against the ground. Thankfully, he had landed on grass. He then realized he was very close to the shed. He managed to stand up, as the ran to the shed...! He suddenly turned behind him as soon as he was halfway through! Steel met lance again, and now the poster really started to suffer. Shirou was knocked back by the blow into the shed, as the man in blue glared down at him.

Lancer chuckled. "It's a pity. Maybe you could have been the Seventh..." He drew back his lance, ready to finish the battle in one blow.

Shirou was cornered. He had no way to escape. No way to survive. But he had to live. There were people waiting for him, people wanting to be saved. Was this how he was going to die, unable to save anyone...? No. Emiya Shirou could not die just yet. That was why Fate had allowed him to live, as he accidentaly placed his hand on a magic circle, and cried out for help. Something inside him resounded, and he heard a familiar sound.

whine... Whine... Whine! WHINE!!!

There was a flash of light, as an enormous amount of prana burst out of the circle. A form materialized, and when the flash of light was gone, gold eyes met emerald ones.

"I ask of you, are you my master?"

[Erlkonig]

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Into the Night (II)

Inside a deep darkness, hidden from sight, which none dared to enter, the shadow was becoming aware. It slowly began to 'see', as it became conscious. As it was born, the darkness' thoughts were announced.

Left to rot left to rot left to rot by man, evils long forgotten which we can't escape- it hurts it hurts it hurts- GreedLustEnvyGluttonyPrideWrathSloth forgotten forgotten forgotten forgotten-

The Shadow stirred as it rose, four eyes of crimson energy looking at its surroundings. The Shadow moved with surprising speed as its currently formless body slithered through the ground, a tall mass of darkness enveloping all on the Shadow's way. More thougts surface from it-

Make them remember remember remember- Go back to him awaken him join him- join him to atone atone atone

The Shadow paused. It suddenly felt a flare of energy, something which instantly caught its attention. As it began to take a form, the Shadow's thoughts shifted.

They're here here here- Go to them go to them they must atone atone atone with death and DIE

DIE
DIE DIE DIE
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
DIEDIEIDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIED IEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE

And thus, the Shadows moved.

------

"I ask of you, are you my master?"

It was a sight Shirou couldn't have even imagined he'd experience. Before him was a beautiful, armored woman. He was captived by her emerald eyes, their cold look making him hold his breath. Her blond hair, tied up, shone with the moonlight, giving it an illusion of a platinum shine. She was wearing plated armor, with blue cloth. The plate shone like silver, giving the woman an ethereal appearance. It was when his head began to act normally again that he realized the question he had been asked. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Shirou didn't know anything about Masters, nor did he know how the girl was here.

The petite woman suddenly looked at his left hand, and as he followed her gaze, he found out what she had been looking at. A tatoo, which had never been on his hand before, was clearly there, and though Shirou wasn't exactly a talented magus, even he could realize that it was magical in origin. The girl nodded. "The Command Spells. You are my master, then. Servant Saber, at your service." She then turned to the presence which had been watching them, and Shirou blinked. One second, she was where she had stood. The next, she was outside the shed and he heard the sounds of steel clashing.

Lancer cursed. Surely it was his luck that had placed him in this situation. On one hand, he was fighting Saber (He knew she was Saber because she had been the last Servant to have been summoned, and his Master was the supervisor of the War) now, meaning he had less Servants to go through before he could finally fight. On the other, well, he was a bit frustrated with the War's current events. Of course, it's not like he had been summoned before, or like he could even remember if he had. But, even so, he knew Masters weren't supposed to be as powerful as that girl. Thankfully, it seemed she was an exception to the rule, as this Master had to be the weakest he had ever seen. And he realized, as he avoided a slash that left a small crater in the ground, he had no time to think about these things!

Saber slashed at the Servant Lancer. As soon as she had been summoned, she found herself on the midst of battle. 'It's not like you're not used to fighting as soon as you wake up.' Reminded her a voice. She continued to slash at Lancer, aiming with fatal attacks. Any attack from Saber could be a fatal attack, as she possessed enormous strength, and her (currently) invisible sword was one of the most powerful in the Earth.

Lancer dodged the attacks, finding that he had to retreat at Saber's assault. 'Of course, the woman's weapon is invisible! No one plays fair anymore!' Well, at least Saber was using a sword. The problem was, which one? Was it a longer sword than he thought? Was it shorter? Was it one-edged? two-edged? The possibilty that he might get hit while trying to find out was sobering, so he was forced to stay on the defensive, as no matter how fast he or his thrusts were, he couldn't even see the attacks. The only reason he was dodging them was because they cut the wind. He suddenly thought, 'This is Saber, right? So, then, maybe she'll survive this attack.'

Lancer leaped back, avoiding a slash aimed at his neck. "Here I come, Saber!" Saber suddenly felt her instincts warn her, as Lancer thrusted his lance and her, she side stepped it, "Gae Bolg!" And the spear twisted, aiming at her heart in an alarming speed--!

Saber jumped back at the last fraction of a second, the lance only managing to graze her heart. 'What was that? Reversal of causality? A curse that strong, from a demonic lance like that... Yes, it could only be Cu Chulainn...' She cluched her chest as she leaped back, panting. "Saber!" Shouted a concerned voice. She looked at her Master, who had went out of the shed. "Are you okay?" Saber nodded. "I am fine, Master." She then turned back. "Lanc-" She called out to the Servant, when she realized no one was there. The Servant had escpaed. Saber cursed. She had let the enemy escape! She turned to speak to her Master, when she sensed another presence. Immediately, she rushed towards the presence.

Shirou looked at Saber's dashing form, and decided to chase after her. 'Just what is she going to do...!'

------

Rin and Archer arrived at the Emiya household, chasing after Lancer. If they were right, Lancer would have been able to track Shirou by his scent. 'He's a dog after all,' Laughed Archer in his head. He then realized that he had probably already summoned Saber, and that if he was near his house, something bad would happen.

So, he wasn't really surprised when Saber jumped from over the wall, diving at him. He sidestepped the first one, but the second one came at an unavoidable speed, as Saber had already closed the distance-

"STOP, SABER!!!" Yelled a voice, and there was a red flash of light, and Archer suddenly found himself staring at a blade mere inches from his chest. Thank god Saber's Master was an idiot.

Tohsaka stared in disbelief at the scene before her. Shirou had just commanded a Servant to stop. And not any Servant, but if she heard correctly, this was Saber, the most balanced and over-all strongest class. 'Why did he summon Saber, of all Servants?' No, it had to be a coincidence. Saber was the only remaining class, so it was only possible for him to summon a Saber. It didn't mean anything at all.

Archer laughed inwardly as he noticed Rin's troubled expression. Saber had turned to Shirou, and was yelling at him for stopping her. He also found that fun, as he did anything concerning the idiot's suffering.

Shirou turned to look at Rin. "Tohsaka, what is this Grail War Saber is talking about?" Rin stared at him, and sighed. "If I'm going to tell you, then we might as well enter the house," She said gesturing to the Emiya residence. Shirou nodded, and the three entered the house, and Archer disappeared into spirit form.

------

Shirou winced. After Rin had given him an explanation of the Grail War, she'd also scolded him severely after he'd revealed his lack of talent as a magus. She had then sighed, wondering how somebody like him entered the war. He looked at Rin. "Um, Rin is there anything else?"

Rin looked at Shirou, and sighed again. How many times had she sighed already? "Yes, there are two other things you should know. The first is the Vanguard system. It's a miracle of the Grail which allows even a useless magus like you to fight on even grounds with Servants."

Shirou gaped. "On even grounds? Seriously?" He looked at Saber, and broke into a grin."That's a relief, I thought I would have to make Saber fight-"

Rin slammed her hands on the table. "OF COURSE you have to make her fight! She's a Servant! Servants were summoned to fight in the war, telling them not to fight is like calling them trash!"

Shirou frowned. "That's not right, Tohsaka. Girls shouldn't fight! That includes you too, even if there is that Vanguard system, you could get hurt!"

From the rooftop, Archer chuckled. This was one of his favorite "idiot quotes". His "idiot quotes" were things his younger self said, or did, which were incredibly foolish or amusing, such as "People die when they are killed. Plain and simple" or "SABER!" as he put himself between her and Berserker.

Tohsaka stared at him. "You are an idiot." She deadpanned. Behind him, he could feel Saber's slight nod. 'N-no way!'

"A-anyway!" Shirou exclaimed, changing the subject. "I'm not sure I understand everything very well. Anyway, which was that second thing you were talking about?" Asked Shirou.

As soon as he mentioned that, Rin avoided his gaze. "About that thing, there is one person who knows much better than I about them." Shirou nodded. "Where is he?" He inquired about the man's location. Rin looked at him and replied, "He lives at the church."

------

As soon as Shirou entered the church, leaving behind Saber (Who had been dressed on a raincoat to avoid attracting attention) he felt something was wrong with this place. There was something ominous about this church. Rin didn't seem bothered by it, as she called out. "Where are you, fake priest!?" She yelled. And then, from a door, he came out. The moment Shirou saw him, he knew. His and this man's paths would unavoidably cross each others'.

Kotomine Kirei looked at the boy, and instantly decided he liked him. As he looked into his eyes, he realized that they were similar. They were the eyes of a sinner, a man devoted to atoning by believing in one thing he thought was only pure. One who didn't fit between humans, for he was hollow. He turned to look at his former apprentice. "Rin. To what do I owe this pleasure?" He said, an ever-present smile on his face. He felt the boy's glare on him, but ignored it. Rin narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm here to ask you to explain to Shirou the Grail war in full detail."

Kirei then looked at Emiya Shirou. "Shirou, that's your name?" He asked of the boy. The boy, still on edge, replied. "Yes. My name is Emiya Shirou."

BA-DUMP!

At that moment. Kotomine's eyes widen. Emiya--- Emiya. Shirou. This boy was the son of his most bitter enemy. He thought about it...

...And realized he just didn't care. So what? The boy was not like Kiritsugu. He was more like the tails to his heads, the other side of a coin, so to speak. "Very well, then, Emiya Shirou. I will tell you about the Grail War."

Kotomine explained in more detail the Grail War to Shirou. He explained the powers of the seven classes, the reason Servants fought in the Grail War (To make their wishes come true), and reviewed what Shirou had already heard from Tohsaka. Then, however, he began to explain another part of the system.

"The Vanguard system is an act of the Grail system, and is nothing less than use of the Third Sorcery." At this Shirou's eyes almost burst wide open. Sorcery!? "Indeed, one of the Magics science has not reached, and probably never will. In this case it materializes the outfit and programs the magic circuits on it, according the soul's current memories, origin, personality and attribute. Vanguards also possess special qualities similar to skills, and possess at least one ability that, while not on the exact level of a Noble Phantasm, is very close to it."

Shirou nodded. "And how does one activate it?" Asks Shirou. Kotomine pauses, before answering. "It should come to you as you need it, since you lack talent as a magus, the ability won't be triggered by you until it happens once."

Shirou then realized. None of them had spoken about the second thing he needed to know. "What is the last thing I need to know?" He reluctantly inquired. He wondered what kind of thing would be more surprising than what he had already heard.

Kotomine's smile got wider, as he extended his arms. "You should know, Emiya Shirou. As of yet, the Grail is a holy artifact, who will grant wishes exactly as one wants. It knows no good and no evil, as it is a colorless essence. However, there is a force who seeks to take over this grail, to realize its wish. Its first attempt to take over the Grail was thwarted by two of the three Grail system's founders. Its incomplete form was shattered into many pieces, which spread throughout Fuyuki and the area surrounding. And between every Grail War, they lay in wait, gathering immense amounts of prana as each independent fragment tries to access the Grail to become the most evil of demons, the original devil, all evils of the world: Angra Mainyu." Shirou shuddered as soon as he heard the name. "You could say it is a twisted form of checkers. If a Master wants to obtain the Grail, then first it has to defeat the Shadow of Shadows, the independent eighth Servant, Avenger. It is a Shadow with enough intelligence to go after the Grail on it's own, and powerful enough to challenge three Servants on its own. To defeat Avenger, at least three Servants are needed, unless they are either weaker than average or very strong."

Shirou frowned. These Shadows... It seems they couldn't actually discern left from right, so... "Does that mean..." Shirou's eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth. "Innocents will be involved?"

Kotomine grinned. Just as he expected from his opposite and Kiritsugu's son. "Indeed. They run to great sources of prana, so if they run into an innocent passerby while running after the source of the prana, they will either kill him, or worse, absorb him, or perhaps in the worst-case scenario, possess him." He enjoyed seeing the expression of indignation on the boy's face.

Emiya Shirou realized, then. It was not a matter of whether or not he would fight. From the moment innocent people had been involved, Emiya Shirou would fight. He would fight, and he would break through or die trying. Because, he could not rest until everyone was saved. Because that's what it meant to be a hero to Shirou, to protect Innocence and happiness over all things, including himself. Because that was Emiya Shirou's atonement. For the people he could not save that fated day, he would fight.

"...That's all I need to know. I will fight in the Grail War." Kotomine's smile widened. "Not because I have a wish, but I'm going to stop those Shadows. They're not human, so there should be no problem in destroying them." Replied Shirou calmly.

Rin stared at Emiya. 'So, he is going to fight.' Would Tohsaka be forced to fight him? No, not yet. She was Fuyuki's protector first and foremost, so cooperating with Shirou would be the best course of action. 'And, knowing him, he'd jump at any chance to avoid fighting.'

Kotomine turned his back on him. "Leave now. I have nothing more to say to you. If you ever lose your servant, and decide not to fight using only your Vanguard form, you can seek safety on the church." 'Though I am sure that if you come here, it will be as a bodybag.' He chuckled inwardly.

------

Shirou, Saber, and Rin left the church. As they wont down the hill, and neared the crossroads, they felt a terrifying presence.

Archer materialized in an instant. This world was different from the one he came from. As far as he knew, the Vanguard system had never existed, and the Grail had already been corrupted. But, it seems, no matter where you are, some things never change.

A perfect example of that was the figure towering above them, walking behind a small, white-haired girl.

Shirou looked up. And up. And up. The man- no, the monster- standing behind the girl was gigantic. He couldn't believe something that huge could exist as a living being. And as he looked at the girl, he realized. It had been the girl who had talked to him two days ago.

Rin looked at the girl. "...Who are you...?" She let the quesion hang in the air.

The small girl bowed. "I am Ilyasviel von Einzbern, the Master of Berserker. This is Hercules, who is also Servant Berserker." The giant growled as his name was mentioned, sending chills down Shirou's spine. 'Wait, Einzbern?' Hadn't there been someone who had asked him about the Einzberns...?

Rin's eyes widened. Hercules was a demigod, one of the strongest Heroic Spirits! For it to be summoned as a Berserker and be controlled... 'It's ridiculous!'

Ilyasviel then narrowed her eyes, smiling impishly. "Berserker, you know what to do- kill everyone except Onii-chan."

Shirou and Rin didn't even have time to process what the girl had said before the giant roared, "@#%$&!!!" and rushed at the two Masters in an instant---!

Saber intercepted Berserker, clashing her invisible weapon against the juggernaut's jagged Axe-Sword. Rin instantly commanded Archer to get into a sniping location, and Archer vanished to do as he had been told. She then transformed.

It was Shirou's first time seeing somebody transforming. He had to admit that the outfit did suit Rin, but still... It was a bit ridiculous.

Berserker repeatedly slammed his Axe-sword against Saber's weapon, slowly but surely forcing her to retreat and go on the defensive against his berserk charge. When he felt spheres of various elemental energy, he ignored them, his body unharmed. Rin raised an eyebrow as she saw her spells weren't doing any damage. She had prepared quite a few A-rank spells for an occasion like this. Thanks to her Vanguard Mode, even ridiculous things like crafting gems with A-rank spells in them in only a minute was possible. She took out five of them, and released them all at once at berserker. Amazingly powerful gusts of wind flew at Berserker, damaging the ground and slicing anything on their path. Berserker retreated, as the gusts of wind took away his entire left arm. He turned to roar at the magus, when he was sent flying by Saber's attack.

Rin moved to attack again, but suddenly had to dodge a wave of energy coming at her. The wave impacted against the ground, and sent a huge shockwave of power that knocked Rin back dozens of feet. 'Of course,' She thought. 'Such a ridiculous Servant as a Berserker Hercules would need a ridiculous Master.' She glared at the one who had attacked her.

Ilya's outfit had changed into a white dress, with red jewels and gold patterns. It was reminiscent of Justica's ceremonial dress, Heaven's Feel. The only difference was that there was no crown, and you could see the magic circuits flow around the dress. It exhuded a ridiculously powerful aura, even for a Vanguard. Ilya smirked. "You shouldn't get in the way, stupid little girl."

Rin twitched. "Who are you calling a little girl, you brat...!"

Shirou ignored them. He was too focused on Saber's fight. Even without a left arm, Berserker was demolishing Saber. He saw she was getting exhausted quickly. And he realized; He had to do something: If he called himself Emiya, then he would have to what was necessary. As Saber was slashed at the shoulder, Shirou broke into a run.

Saber winced as pain overtook her body. She had been getting tired, and finally Berserker's attack had gotten through her. She then realized she was about to be defeated. Berserker roared, and swung down his arm to deliver the final attack...

Saber's eyes widened as she was pushed away by a boy. 'Shirou!!!' She thought.

Shirou pushed Saber away in the nick of the moment, and time slowed down for him as Berserker's sword slowly came at him. He would die. That sword would cleave through him and kill him. There was no chance for a human like Shirou to survive.

WHINE!

The sound of swords sliding on each other. Somehow, the sound reminded him of his promise. He had to fight. If he died now, no one would be saved. If he died now, the Shadows would kill a large amount of people- who weren't involved in the slightest with this. And he realized.

WHINE!

Emiya Shirou would not die here. Emiya Shirou would not allow the world to kill him off so soon. He was an Ally of Justice. So, if he dared call himself that...!

WHINE! WHINE! WHINE!

He had to protect everyone...!

CLASH!

Steel met Rock. Saber blinked, awed at what she saw.

There was no sword in Shirou's hands. He was gripping Berserker's sword, as the ground under him crumbled. The sword had opened a huge laceration on Shirou's hands, but no blood came out. Because in Shirou's body was no blood. His bones didn't break from the impact, as he had something more resistant than bones. His hands weren't shaken, because he hadn't flinched as the sword impacted. No, Shirou's body was no longer a human body.

He was made of swords.

Saber wasted no time, Slashing at Berserker to send him away from her Master. On Shirou's open wound, one could see many small blades, all connected with each other, slowly covering the wound and repairing the skin. His outfit had changed. His arms were left bare, showing muscles that were made of steel. White armor was on his chest and back, and so was it on his thighs and legs. Blue cloth was placed under the armor, and a blue cape flowed down from his back.

He looked like some morally-abiding white knight.

Shirou looked at his body. He felt weird, to say the least. He could feel his heart beating, but was it a heart? Or another thing entirely? He could feel his body, but sensed it was much more resistant, as the pain of his already healing wound wasn't overwhelming. He looked at the floor, were pieces of steel laid, and realized those had been a part of him. He was shaken out of his thoughts by a roar, as Berserker prepared to run at them with his sword again. Shirou's attention was caught by Berserker's sword. He began to see it in a different light. As time stopped, he saw it split into eight parts. He saw everything about it: It's origin, abilities, reason of creation, forger, wielder, age, and other qualities. He realized then: he could make a perfect replica of it. Shirou quickly moved to intercept Berserker as he fused all eight parts of the Axe Sword into one---!

"--------------------!"

And a bone chilling sound rang out through the battlefield.

[Erlkonig]

Magical Vanguard Shirou
All Evils of the World (II)

"--------------!"

It was a terrifying sound. It did not resemble the sound anything on this world could make. It rang out inside the souls of the ones who heard it, followed by a stagnation of the air-

Greed, humans full of avarice power riches- consuming consuming consuming- more more more- Never full never deep enough always need more. A sin a sin a sin- You must atone atone with death and DIE!

The thoughts of the being were communicated to the people who had been battle seconds ago, thoughts stagnated with so much hatred and madness one could not help but feel despair. Berserker had stopped charging at Shirou, as had Shirou been immobilized. Rin shakily stood up, feeling the stagnation on the air. Ilya looked unnerved. 'That's weird, she should know about them...' Rin thought. Saber also widened her eyes at the stagnation, looking around to find the source of such an evil power.

From half a mile away, Archer looked at the scene. Why had they stopped? He couldn't feel anything, but he was sure over there the situation was different. His bow had stood at the ready, for when the best moment would show up to fire his Noble Phantasm. Yet, the idiot had suddenly frozen as something happened. It frustrated him not knowing what was happening.

And suddenly, in the midst of the tension, the Shadow appeared. One side of the street was basked in absolute darkness, and four crimson eyes glared from it. It was then that Shirou noticed who the Shadow was closest to. Like if it had been an instinct, he moved. He dashed past Berserker, and used him as a leaping board to leap at the one who was about to be targeted by that monster--!

Archer's body moved as soon as he saw the location of the Shadow. There was a chance that he might hit the one closest to it, so he had hesitated, but as soon as he saw the idiot move, he knew that was no longer a problem. He took aim at the crimson eyes glaring from the darkness, and a sword with a helixed blade appeared on his hands. Caladbolg II, his most trusted projectile, was flooded with mana. He then fired.

Time slowed down.

As Shirou neared the one he wanted to save, red flashes of dark energy appeared on the space above the person. Shirou finally got the person in the nick of time, as he shielded her lithe body with his as he impacted to the ground dozens of feet away, and at the same time, dozens of crimson stakes had pierced the ground where Ilya had been, and there was another flash as something impacted against the darkness, detonating a huge explosion.

Ilyasviel blinked. She felt a warm body covering her own. She had been immobilized by the corruption in the air, but someone had saved her as she had almost been killed. She felt the one holding her stand up.

Shirou rised from his position. Where he had fell, the concrete had cracked, and several pieces of steel laid on the ground. That impact would have broken all his bones if he had been normal. He realized now, with this power, he could save people. He looked at the girl on his arms. "Are you alright?" He asked, smiling.

Ilyasviel was feeling confused at the man. Why? Why had he saved her? What did he want from her? He had to want something! Yet, when she looked into his eyes, all she saw was the pure trust of an innocent child. Her older side told her not to trust him, that he was the son of a liar and thus a liar as well. Yet...

"I-I'm okay!" Yelled the homunculus as she got off the man. Shirou stared at her. He had saved an enemy Master who had even attacked them. But Emiya Shirou was an Ally of Justice first and foremost, and this was just a little girl. No way he was going to let somebody like that die!

"Berserker!" Called Ilyasviel, and in an instant the giant was by her side, crossing the fire as he stood by her at alarming speed. "Get ready to fight that thing!" Ordered the girl. Berserker roared in approval.

Shirou looked for Saber. He decided to call her when he heard her voice, "Shirou!" As Saber leaped over the fire, jumping several meters into the air, and landing gracefully by his side. Shirou nodded at her. "Who made that explosion, anyway?"

"Archer did." Said Tohsaka Rin as she approached Shirou. "He's been watching the fight, remember?" She explained to him. Shirou nodded. He didn't like having THAT man watching over their backs, but there was nothing he could do about it. He then realized something. "Ilya, did you say 'get ready to fight that thing'? But he's already de-"

"---------------!"

No. That couldn't be.

From the fire, came out a terrifying visage. Darkness rose from the fire, a shadowy liquid, that drew in all light and energy. It first formed a head, as four crimson eyes glared at them from the hellish fire. The Shadow rose. It possessed four limbs it used as arms, with crimson spikes jutting out on the ends of the limbs. Its legs looked solid, dark limbs which ended up in crimson hooves with dark red lines mixing with the dark black. It was enormous, about the size of Berserker plus Shirou's size, a hulking beast with a terrifying visage, the dark side of humanity: A fragment of their evil, Angra Mainyu. This was the Shadow. As it walked out of the fire, a black mist of mana covered it, forming a protective shield around it, and it growled once again.

"----------------------------!"

DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDI EDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE

The first wave came as soon as the beast's growl. A wave of crimson stakes was launched at them. Rin extended her arm, and a wave of quartz crystals rose to protect everyone from the stakes. Darkness met hard crystal, and shards of quartz flew into the air as the defense was instantly shattered. Rin grit her teeth. 'What amazing firepower!'

Ilyasviel decided to test the Shadow's misty shield, as she fired a full-powered wave at the Shadow. The sheer burst of mana burned all it touched, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, but as it impacted against the Shadow, it dispersed with the mist. Just as she expected. "Berserker, you'll have to get in close!" Berserker roared, and he charged at the Shadow.

Shirou looked at Saber as she was about to leap, only for her to wince in pain at the terrible wound she had. "No, Saber." He told the swordswoman. "Leave this battle to me. You've done enough for now." He told her. Saber looked at him in defiance for a second, then sighed. "Go ahead Shirou. But," She said this seriously. "Don't die."

Shirou nodded, and focused. Time was stopped. Berserker's Axe Sword came to mind, in his mind divided in eight parts. He recalled the feeling he had felt when he had been fighting the giant. He gathered the weapon's history, parameters, and special qualities and materials, and merged all eight parts into one---!

Shirou held the enormous Axe Sword on his right hand, as he charged towards the Shadow which Berserker was already confronting. He leaped as one of the limbs noticed him and fired stakes at him, avoiding the shots. He blocked the ones in the air with the Axe Sword with no name. He landed on Berserker's shoulder, and jumped once again, swinging the Axe-sword in a descending arc, as it impacted with the Shadow's mana-reinforced body, taking a chunk out of the monster. He landed behind it, and he and Berserker ferociously attacked the Shadow, Shirou having to dodge the various stakes thrown at him while Berserker ignored them.

Suddenly, the Shadow made an unexpected move. It launched an arm again at Ilyasviel, as it was the largest the source of prana...! Shirou and Berserker moved at the same time. Berserker chopped off the arm as it extended, but it was too late, the spiked arm lanced towards Ilyasviel...!

And was blocked by an enormous Axe-sword. The homunculus looked up, thinking Berserker had saved her, but was shocked at what she saw. The hand holding the Axe-sword belonged to a red-head, whose back stood protectively in front of her, as the arm laid buried on the Axe-sword. The Axe-sword shattered, the shadowy arm falling uselessly. Her saviour turned to meet her gaze, and golden eyes locked on to red ones.

Shirou turned his sight away form Ilyasviel, and turned to feel Berserker's sight on him. The giant stared silently at him, and there was a moment where they understood each other. Shirou nodded, and Berserker roared. Together, the both of them charged at the Shadow...!

Archer raised his bow, projecting Caladbolg. 'Here it comes...!'

Berserker charged at the shadow, his body of iron blocking all the stakes launched at him. Below him, Shirou ran through the stakes, dashing his way through them. As Shirou slid through the ground, he attacked with a second Axe-sword he traced, this time flooding it with mana, the Axe-Sword easily severing the lower body of the Shadow, as Berserker swung with all his might, tearing the head and first arms off the Shadow...!

Shirou and Berserker landed besides each other, making the ground tremble as the Shadow was severed into three pieces, and once again an arrow impacted on the Shadow's now exposed body...!

IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HUR-
BOOOOOM!!!

With that final explosion, the Shadow's body was torn into pieces, and it slowly dissipated.

------

After the battle, Shirou, Saber, Rin and Archer once again faced Berserker, but...

"Berserker." Ilyasviel spoke. She didn't know what to think. Emiya Shirou had saved her not once, but twice. She had came here prepared to see him as a liar and a deciever, but... "I'm bored. We're going home." That was a lie. She wanted to know more about Emiya Shirou. But she was confused about a lot of things. She needed time to think.

In a moment, Berserker had scooped Ilya up and left.

Shirou looked at Rin. "Let's go, Tohsaka." Rin stared at him, then nodded. There was nothing left for them to do in this place. All they could do now, was rest and discuss what they would do.

The four walked to the Emiya residence, as if nothing had happened.

Of course, the street told otherwise.

[Erlkonig]

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Omen (III)

Their first meeting had been as children. The boy who longed to be a hero, and the boy whose greatest desire was to become a magus. “Hey, Shirou.” Asked the latter boy. “If you’re a hero, does that mean you want to beat up the bad guys?” Shirou frowned at him. “That’s not true! Heroes don’t just beat up bad guys! The reason they fight is to protect others, to protect their smiles, Shinji!” Shinji looked at him. “Smiles, huh…? Well, you certainly seem to like smiling a lot.” Said Shinji with a smirk. “…Even though your father’s gone…” Shinji realized what he had said and was about to apologize when he saw Shirou’s smiling face. “Yeah…” His smile turned sad. “Dad’s gone… But there was nothing I could’ve done about it. Right now, there’s one thing I absolutely must do…” Shinji blinked, and asked. “What’s that?” Shirou looked at Shinji with a fierce determination. “Become strong enough to be a true superhero!”

Shirou blinked his eyes open. ‘A true superhero, huh…’ Were his thoughts as he got out of bed. Shirou had always wanted to be a superhero. And yesterday, that wish had been granted to him. He tried to get up from the bed only to feel warmth besides him. He turned and looked at the body of his Sevant laying besides him on the futon. And he did what any reasonable, respectable man would’ve done. Scream like a little girl. “AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” He screamed as he rolled out of bed and stood up. “S-Saber, what are you doing!?” Blurted Shirou, as Saber woke up and looked at him. Saber was now in a blue dress with a white shirt, as she rubbed her eyes. “Oh, Shirou. Good morning.” She replied. “Good mo- DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!”

------

Shirou had broken into a discussion with Saber as to where she should sleep in, and they both ended up deciding it would be better if she slept on the room next to his. He looked at Saber. “Saber, in a few minutes Taiga and Sakura will probably be here,” Said Shirou seriously as they sat in the living room. “So you should go to your room until they are, gone, okay?” Saber nodded. “But why is that necessary?” She asked. “Well, because it will be awkward to explain why there suddenly is a woman living with me in the house. I guess we could call you a relative of Dad, or something… Yes, that could work.” He was going to continue pondering when he heard somebody knock on the door. He turned to Saber. “Quickly, hide!” He ordered, as Saber dashed to her room.

At the same time he felt the sound of the door opening, and went to greet Sakura. He met the purple hair girl at the front entrance. “Good morning, Sakura.” Greeted Shirou. Sakura smiled at him. “Good morning, Senpai. Who’s going to make breakfast today?” Shirou pointed at himself. “You made breakfast yesterday, so it’s my turn to do so now.” Sakura nodded at him.

Immediately after he went to prepare breakfast, Fujimura entered the residence as she sat around the table and said. “Shirou. Food.” Shirou snorted. ‘Geez, Fuji-nee, at least you could pretend to come here because you care…’

------

As they ate in silence, Shirou realized something. Eating breakfast like this, while not giving Saber any… He shouldn’t. He really shouldn’t. But at the same time, he also couldn’t leave a girl like her alone. ‘Well, I’d better get prepared for the lecture Fuji-nee’s going to give me.’ Shirou stood up, and walked to Saber’s room. He grabbed her hand, and dragged her to the living room. "Shirou? What are you doing?" Asked Saber, following him.

Shirou looked at her. "You have to eat too, right? I'm not going to let you get hungry in there!" As they neared the living room, Shirou felt a dread rise up his spine. 'Somehow, I feel that letting Saber eat is going to have consequences, but I don't know exactly what.'

Sakura was worried. All of a sudden her Senpai had stood up and gone to the hallway. She wondered what made him leave the table so suddenly. 'Is Senpai sick?' Her thoughts were interrupted as Shirou came to the living room, followed by a blonde girl. "Okay Saber, sit down and get comfortable, I'll serve you a dish right now." As Shirou told that to the girl, Sakura froze. First of all, why was a girl on Senpai's house, 'Was Senpai...!?' It was then she realized another thing. How he had called the girl. Saber. Her Senpai's hand had been bleeding yesterday, and suddenly a girl was at his house, and she was called Saber. She wanted to believe it was a lie, she wanted to forget about the girl, but she knew it was useless.

Her Senpai was involved in the Grail War. He was a Master.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Fujimura screamed.

"WHY IS THERE A GIRL IN YOUR HOUSE, SHIROOOOOUUU!?"

------

Besides having to deal with Fuji-nee, after she was curb-stomped by Saber in the dojo, Shirou also realized he had awakened Saber's hunger. The Servant probably had a black hole in her stomach, as she ate everything he gave her, at a frightening pace. The morning had passed quickly, and it was time for Shirou and Sakura to go to school. Shirou had convinced Saber to stay, explaining he could defend himself. Saber had put up a fight at first, but Shirou had told her it had been him who had defeated the Shadow yesterday. Saber finally accepted.

As Shirou walked to school besides Sakura, the girl was deep in thought. What if her grandfather ordered her to fight Senpai? Would she be able to attack Senpai? No, she wouldn't be able to even scratch him. But she couldn't defy grandfather either- She remembered a memory of her childhood, her dear Uncle Kariya's dead body. She had screamed, and she had cried. Grandfather had told her it was because she had tried to escape her duties as a Matou, her uncle had tried to free her from that. Zouken had told her it was useless- that was when Sakura had resigned herself to be a Matou, to be used as breeding stock for the Matou bloodline and to fight for her Grandfather's wish. But then she had met Senpai, and she had fallen in love. She had obtained a wish of her own, one which she could not tell anyone. But now, she might have to fight Senpai to obtain her wish, one which involved said Senpai himself. She decided, if worst came to worst, she would disobey her grandfather. Even if she died, she would've done something to help Senpai-

"Hey, Sakura, your face looks pretty grim there, are you okay?" Said Shirou, walking over to her. He had not wanted to interrupt Sakura's thoughts, but he did it once he saw Sakura starting to look sad. It reminded him of her face years ago, and it was a face he did not want to see. The girl who refused to look at anyone in the eye, who never talked, who seemed to be out of place in a happy atmosphere. That girl had vanished soon after Shirou had met Sakura, though he did not know exactly why. Perhaps it was him teaching her to cook. 'Yes, that's it. Cooking made her happy. I'm such a genius' Shirou nodded to himself, satisfacted. Sakura looked a bit startled after he shook her out of her thoughts, but smiled. "Y-yes, Senpai. It's nothing." Sakura said as she looked down.

Shirou nodded. "Okay then, let's get going."

------

It was lunchtime, and Shirou read the note that had been attached to his desk.

'Meet me at the roof during lunch period, or I'll kill you I will get mad.'

Shirou felt beads of sweat run down his neck.

------

As Shirou opened the door to the roof, he quickly spotted the one he was supposed to meet and walked over to her. "Hey, Tohsaka, why did you call me here?" He said as he sat down besides her. Rin nodded at him. "Thanks for coming. It's about yesterday." Said the girl, as she opened the bentou she had brought. Shirou did the same, and they started eating.

After they had finished eating, Shirou turned to her. "What about it?" Rin looked at him. "Huh?" She answered. "About yesterday, what about it?" Rin blushed. "O-oh, well," Rin crossed her arms. "You saw how powerful Berserker, or those Shadows were, right?" Shirou nodded. "Well," Rin continued, pointing to the air. "We don't know if Berserker's Master is hostile anymore, as she suddenly retreated. But we do know more Shadows were going to come, so, how about we form a truce?" Proposed Rin. 'Sure,' Shirou was about to say, but realized the decision was not his only to make. "Sorry, Tohsaka, but I have to ask Saber on her opinion." Rin nodded, understanding. "Of course, you do treat everyone as an equal, Shirou. I'm sure she'll approve, but you ask her anyways." Shirou smiled. "Thanks, Tohsaka. You're a really understanding person." Rin blushed, as she suddenly screamed. "J-just w-what do you m-mean by that!? Oh, look at the time!?" She said quickly, looking at the watch on her wrist. "I-It's already time to go back to class! Go, Shirou, Go!"

"W-wait, Tohsaka!" Exclaimed Shirou as he was pushed. Tohsaka would have none of it, though. How dare he smile at her like that, making her go all doki doki! 'Damn him! Damn Archer, and Damn Emiya-kun- wait, why am I calling him that!?'

------

After school, Shirou went to the shopping district, as he had forgotten to buy groceries yesterday. Soon after walking out of a store, carrying bags on his hands, he felt a voice behind him.

"Hello, Onii-chan."

Shirou froze. He slowly turned around, and looked at the little girl smiling at him with beads of sweat running down his neck. 'Just why is it that I'm being surrounded by so many dangerous women!?' Shirou exclaimed in his head. Ilyasviel pulled at his sleeve. "Onii-chan, come play with me!" She asked him, looking at his eyes. Shirou thought of resisting, of shaking out the girl, but those innocent eyes pleading at him were impossible to forget. It had been his loss from the moment he had met her gaze. He sighed. "Alright..."

Ilyasviel smiled, as she danced around the street. "Yay! Let's go to the park! Follow me, Onii-chan!" She said as she continued to dance and twirl around like a faerie.

As he sat down in one of the park's benches, Shirou asked her. "Hey, Ilyasviel," Asked Shirou. "Hmm?" The girl looked at him. "Can I call you by a nickname? Ilyasviel is kinda long... I know! I'll call you Ilya!" Shirou said, snapping his fingers. The homunculus smiled at him. "Fine! But only if Onii-chan tells me his name!" Shirou nodded at her. "I'm Emiya Shirou." Ilya put a finger over her mouth. "Emiyashiro? Hey, you say my name is long but yours is even longer!" Said Ilya, pouting. Of course, she knew his real name. She was just messing with him. "No, my name is Shirou. Emiya is my family name." Ilya's mouth took the form of an 'o' as she then nodded, smiling. "So, Onii-chan is called Shirou! That's nice..." She said as she tilted her head. Ilya suddenly exhaled, feeling the cold air of the winter. "Hey, aren't you cold?" Asked Shirou. Ilya nodded. "Yeah, but I'm used to the cold. From where I come, it snows a lot!" She said, spinning around. Shirou nodded, smiling. "I see..."

Shirou then spent time with Ilya, playing simple games as time passed. Eventually, he realized he'd have to prepare dinner soon, and said to Ilya. "Sorry, I have to go, it was fun!" He said, as he turned to go. "W-wait!" Ilya said. Shirou turned to her. "Will you come back here?" Shirou nodded. "Sure, why not." And then he ran away.

Ilya smiled. "It's a promise, Onii-chan."

------

As soon as Shirou had come home, he had to face Saber's eyes of doom and hunger. After preparing a dinner together with Sakura big enough to appease a feasting King, Saber had reluctantly forgiven him for being late. Besides that, dinner had been uneventful, and as soon as Sakura had left together with Taiga, Shirou looked at Saber. He told her about Tohsaka's proposal, and Saber agreed, as she had felt the power of the Shadow. However, Shirou surprised her when he said:

"I don't think Berserker's Master is hostile, Saber. I spoke to her today and-" "YOU TALKED TO BERSERKER'S MASTER!?" Yelled Saber as she grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are you an idiot, Master Shirou!?" Said Saber as she shook him like a sandbag. "S-sorry, Saber! But she wasn't with Berserker! She had left him at the mansion." Answered Shirou. Saber stopped shaking him, and sighed. "Fine."

Shirou then turned serious. "Saber, I think we should patrol the neighborhood. I don't want any Shadows being near Sakura, Rin or us."

Saber nodded. "A wise decision, Shirou. It seems you are competent in some things." She said, smiling. Shirou smirked. "Like cooking, for example."

Saber blushed.

------

Shirou and Saber dashed through the dark streets of the district where Shirou lived, on the lookout for anything suspicious. They stopped on a lit area. Shirou shook his head. "There doesn't seem to be any Shadows in the area. Perhaps they only move when they sense prana?" Pondered Shirou. Saber nodded at him. Although Shirou had already transformed, it didn't seem to draw any Shadows as they were not expelling huge amounts of prana. "Well," sighed Shirou. "At least this means we won't have to worry about-!"

A scream suddenly pierced the silence of the night. Before Saber had reacted, Shirou was already running to the source of the voice, and Saber turned to follow him. They arrived at the source of the scream, and looked as a purple-haired woman of tall height and dressed in black and purple gear while wearing a blindfold was about to bit down on a girl's throat. Shirou moved, and threw a punch at the purple-haired woman. The mana-reinforced punch of his sword-made body easily knocked away the woman from the girl. Shirou kneeled to examine the girl's wounds, seeing that she had various bite marks, but none of them looked to be fatal.

"W-well, if it isn't Emiya..." Rang out an arrogant voice. Shirou froze. He knew that voice. He had known it for years, and the last time he had heard it had been yesterday...!

"...Shinji." Growled Emiya Shirou as he looked at the boy in a school uniform standing besides the purple-haired woman, as Saber arrived to the scene.

[Erlkonig]

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Overwhelming Power (I)

'Shinji.' Emiya Shirou's friend stared at him, standing besides the woman who moments ago had been aiming to feast on the girl laying on the ground. 'What... Is Shinji doing here...?' He was confused. "Is that really you, Shinji?" Shirou asked, doubting that his friend was involved.

Shinji sneered. "What's the matter, Emiya? Can't you recognize me?"

No, Shirou did recognize him. It was impossible for him not to recognize the one in front of him. Yet, he did not want to admit that the one in front of him was Matou Shinji. Because... 'That woman... Has to be...' "Shinji, who's that?" Asked Shirou.

Shinji continued to sneer. "This is my Servant, Emiya. Or what, can't you recognize another Master when you see one?"

His Servant. This was Shinji's Servant, which meant he was a Master. But more importantly... "Shinji, did you order your Servant to attack this innocent person?" He said, gesturing seriously to the half-dead girl. Shinji scoffed. "So what if I was?" He said this as if it was nothing serious. He was dead wrong. To Emiya Shirou, the fact as to whether or not he was harming the innocent was the most important fact he needed to know. "Why?" Shirou croaked out, disbelieving. Shinji looked at him. "To obtain power. Why else, Emiya?"

To obtain power. The words came out naturally to Shinji. Shirou could not believe the words of this man who used to be his friend. Why? Why? Why!?

"...You're going to continue doing it, aren't you." Now Shirou wasn't even asking. He was just reaching a conclusion based on what Shinji had told him. He waited for him to deny it, to have some semblance of dignity, to refuse to admit deliberately killing bystanders. But all he got was a nod. It was at this nod, that Shirou turned his mind into Steel. He would crush Shinji's Servant, and remove him from the war.

"...I'm sorry, Shinji. But I'm going to have to have to stop you. If you want to stop being friends, I won't blame you. But I'll have to crush your Servant now, Shinji." He said this with cold steel behind his voice. Emiya Shirou would achieve this objective. Nothing could stop him now. In an instant, sensing her Master's distress, Saber was at side. "Shirou?" Asked the Servant.

Shinji growled. "So you're declaring war on me Emiya? Fine then. Rider, kill Saber." He said this speaking as if victory was already his. What a fool. He had lost from the moment he had admitted to harming innocent bystanders. Emiya Shirou would not lose to evil. His mind was steel, his body was made of swords. "Saber, go. And win." He added the last part as an afterthought.

Rider had already rushed towards Saber, throwing a nail connected by a long chain to another nail she held on her hand at her. Saber reflected the nail, and advanced towards Rider. She swung her invisible weapon at Rider, the sword coming in a descending arc at the Servant...!

Rider felt a gust of wind following Saber's invisible weapon, and managed to evade it by avoiding where the wind was cut. On her hand the nail she thrown was already back, as she attacked with both nails. The nails moved in confusing arcs and angles, but Saber's instincts allowed her to block them fairly well. She dodged over a passing nail and swung her sword horizontally, forcing Rider to step back. However, the nails continued to be thrown at Saber, who evaded them and blocked them, forcing to abandon an attack of opportunity.

For now, both Servants were equally matched, but Saber began to notice beads of sweat on Rider's forehead: she was tiring. 'Good,' Saber thought. Because right now, Shirou was transformed, the prana she was recieving from him was more than enough for her to fight for hours without tiring. However, it seems Rider's master lacked the prana to sustain Rider in top shape for a long time. This would make the rest of the battle easier.

Shirou furrowed his eyebrows. Shinji looked gleeful. "Ha! See, Emiya! You can't win against me!" Laughed Shinji. Shirou blinked. Had Shinji not noticed the exhaustion on his Servant? "...Are you serious? Can't you tell your Servant's getting tired?" Said Shirou, confused. Shinji scoffed. "How do you think that bluff will help you? You're mine, Emiya!"

Shirou realized, then. Shinji was not fit to be a Master. He didn't even notice the exhaustion of his Servant, even though there was a bond between them. Not only that, but he also hadn't transformed -He probably didn't even know how-. It was like... 'Like somebody had given a 3-year old a bazooka.' Shinji could not be anything but the average popular high-school student. There was no way he could be a Master, even if he was a magus. His abilities as a magus were probably as bad as his. "Shinji, can I ask you something?" Shirou said, straightening himself. Shinji sneered. "What is it, Emiya?" Ignoring the clash of weapons in the background, Shirou asked a question which rang through Shinji's heart.

"How good of a magus are you?"

The question made Shinji flinch. Why? Of all questions he could ask... Why had he asked that!? "A-Are you saying I'm a bad magus!?" Exclaimed Shinji. 'Impossible.' He reminded himself. 'I'm a Master now. I have a Servant. I'M NOT WEAK ANYMORE!!!' "Emiya...!" Shinji growled. Shirou frowned. "I didn't mean to say that. I mean, how can you not notice that your Servant is exhausted? And more importantly, why haven't you used the Vanguard System?" Shirou threw two questions at him. The first one Shinji scoffed at. "That again? I tell you, my Servant is not exhausted! And as to that other question, what do you mean?" Inquired Shinji.

What.

'Just now, Shinji said something really worrying...' That's right. He just said he had no idea of what the Vanguard System was. That meant he probably didn't know he could transform. Shirou realized then, that stopping him now would be the best way to save him. If any other Master had found him, and he challenged that Master... He shuddered as he imagined his friend encountering Berserker. Emiya Shirou had to finish this fight now.

"Sorry, Shinji." He said, as he prepared to project a weapon---!

Trace o---

"---------------!"

The same bone-chilling sound as yesterday.

Rider panted silently. It had already been 15 minutes since they had started fighting, she was feeling very tired. After all, Shinji wasn't her true Master, so he failed to give her the mana she required to fight. That was why he made her attack those people. However, that wasn't enough to keep her fighting for such a long amount of time. She saw as Saber rushed at her, determined to give the final blow...!

"----------------!"

Get away Get away GET AWAY GET AWAY

Four tendrils shot out of the darkness towards Saber. As Saber quickly jumped back to avoid them, the tendrils buried themselves deep in the concrete, causing cracks on the street. Suddenly, another four tendrils shot out towards Rider, who also sped away to dodge the incoming spear-headed limbs. As they buried themselves on the ground, Saber examined them. They were each about 30 centimetres thick. A stab from those would surely be fatal. They were made of solid darkness, and pulsed with red lines. As the tendrils pulled themselves out of the concrete, three crimson eyes glared from the darkness.

Isolation Isolation Isolation get away get away get away why aren't you running get away get away get away or DIE

DIE DIE DIE

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

The body where the eyes where slowly moved out of the darkness- No, it was as if the shadows themselves had moved. It was a sphere of darkness, pulsing with red lines of cursed prana. The eight limbs were connected to it, as they retracted towards it, and then flailed about wildly around it, forcing Saber and Rider to retreat away from it. The sphere itself was about 1.5 metres wide, but the limbs' length constantly changed. Certainly, only a ranged fighter could fight against this creature: its limbs would quickly counterattack anything that targeted any part of the Shadow. Saber knew that Shirou would not leave until this Shadow was dead. The only thing she thought of which could beat this Shadow, among the ones who were present here, would be her Noble Phantasm. She, however, was reluctant on using such a thing. She was forced out of her thoughts as the Shadow suddenly switched to the offensive, launching three tendrils at her with fast, precise, machine-like thrusts.

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

Shinji fell on his butt, as he stared horrified at the monster which had appeared. "Wh-what is that!?" He suddenly felt a presence, as he saw Shirou, with the white armor and blue clothes he had only seen on him this night, glaring at the Shadow. "Shinji, order your Servant to retreat. Now." The words, however, didn't reach Shinji. He could only stare in horror at the darkness telling him to die. It ordered him to fall into an Abyss of shadows, to drown in his sins.

Rider evaded the tendrils to the best of her ability- No, this couldn't be called the best of her ability. She couldn't fight like she was supposed to, because Shinji was an unefficient Master. Furthermore, she was tired from her battle with Saber. So she, normally one of the Servants with the most agility due to her history, was having trouble with even things like this. Suddenly, one of the tendrils smashed dangerously close to her, lifting a shockwave which knocked her away from the Shadow, and smashed her to the ground, leaving a crater. Quickly, the tendrils looked for another target.

Saber was forced to increase her speed as three other tendrils attacked her, and then she was being attacked by seven limbs at once. She quickly jumped back, but the thrust did not lose their ferocity. Any attempt to attack would result in a ferocious counter attack. Then, the tendrils began to attack in seven different angles at once, forcing her to continue to retreat. If the enemy had been capable of rational thought, it could've used those limbs to perform an unavoidable attack. She thanked whatever god that existed that Shadows acted on instinct, as she suddeny was surprised from behind, and she was sent flying to a wall, leaving an imprint on it. She had not spotted a missing eighth limb. How careless of her. The Shadow quickly turned to the only moving targets. It could consume the other two later.

Shinji's eyes widened as the Shadow's three eyes turned to glare at him. Emiya Shirou leaned down, seeing the Shadow was glaring at where they were. Shinji was scared beyond belief. Even if he was a Master, even if he had a Servant, this thing was going to kill him. He was going to die. The tendrils all pointed at Shinji, and were sent at him like lances-

"Trace on."

In front of him stood Shirou, a huge Axe-sword on his right hand.

Emiya Shirou traced Berserker's Axe-sword. He had examined the history of where the sword was made. It was made from the columns of a temple to Hercules made by the Einzberns. Browsing through the history of Hercules, he had found an ability that originated not from a weapon of him, but from a deed so great he had comitted, it had been immortalized in legend. The Shooting Hundred Heads, an incredibly powerful Noble Phantasm. Such a technique was something he could not be able to accomplish right now, but he could use a variation of it...! His arms traced even Berserker's strength, as the Axe-sword felt as light as a feather...!

Shinji watched in awe as Shirou leaped towards the tendrils of darkness.

Eight limbs came at him. Eight heads. Eight slashes they would take to be destroyed. Shirou's speed suddenly sky-rocketed, as he closed the distance using godspeed...!

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

One Slash. A limb fell off.
Two Slashes.
Three Slashes.
Four Slashes. Half of the Shadow's limbs were gone.
Five Slashes.
Six Slashes. Only two limbs remained attached to the Shadow's main body.
Seven Slashes.
Eight Slashes. The Shadow's main body was exposed as all of its weapons were turned void...!

"Set---Nine Lives-" Shirou jumped at the Shadow's main body, and buried the Axe-sword deep between the Shadow's eyes. "--Blade Works."

NO GET AWAY IT HURTS----

"---------!??!?!?!"

The Shadow exploded, violently spilling black liquid on the whole street.

Shinji stared trembling at the figure walking over to him. Stained with liquid darkness, golden eyes glared at him. "Shinji, I told you to retreat!"

Shinji mumbled "A-ah n-no G-get a-away!" As he ran away, he suddenly felt something was on fire in his hand. He looked, eyes wide, at the burning book. He knew what the message transmitted to him was.

"You've disappointed me for the last time."

"Grandfather, why...!?" He dropped the burning book, losing all hope. He stared at the eyes of Shirou. "P-please let me go!" He asked to the monster his eyes were seeing.

Shirou stared down Shinji. He suddenlty felt a spike of prana, and looked as the body of Shinji's Servant suddenly disappeared. Did this mean, he had stopped Shinji...? He turned to look at Shinji. "Go." He told his friend, and watched as he stood up and ran away desperately. 'Grandfather...?' Shinji's grandfather could only be Matou Zouken. Why? How was he involved? Wait. Matou Zouken had also known about the Einzberns. It could just be a coincidence. As he went to help Saber get up, who had already recovered from being slammed away by the Shadow, he realized something.

He needed answers.

And he knew where to get them. Though he would've preferred not going to that place for a while.

[Erlkonig]

BAR power output at 30%. Increasing output to 60%
WARINING: Increasing the BAR's output to a level superior to 50% might attract more girls than you can handle. You have been warned.

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Into the Night (III)
Day 5

The doors to the church opened with a loud sound, as a red-head entered the deserted place and sat down in one of the benches. Soon after, from a door came out the person he had come to see. Emiya Shirou stood up and glared at Kotomine Kirei. "I need answers, Kotomine."

The priest chuckled. "Hmm, of course. I did not imagine you were here to seek shelter. What is it that you wish to know about?"

Shirou's answer was simple and to the point. "Matou Zouken."

Kirei stared at him, startled, before smiling again. "And what brought this up?"

Shirou sighed, before saying "His grandson was a Master. Was, because I already destroyed his Servant." 'I think so, at least.'

Kotomine clasped his hands behind his back, as he looked to the side, as if reminiscing about something. "Matou Zouken... His name was originally Makiri Zouken. The Makiris, now known as the Matous, were one of the three founders of the Holy Grail." He then stared at Shirou. "Makiri Zouken was there when the Grail was created, 200 years ago."

"Two hundred?!" Blurted out Shirou, disbelieving.

"Indeed, Matou Zouken has been alive for a long time. He is akin to a worm, living on and squirming despite being supposed to die a long while ago."

"Why? Why has he lived for so long?" Said Shirou.

"You could say he was looking forward to when the Grail would appear, to grant his wish." Chuckled the priest. 'Now, let's see how sharp the boy is...'

"Ah, I think that'd ma- Wait, "was"?" Exclaimed Shirou, looking suspiciously at Kirei.

'Very sharp, Emiya Shirou...' "Yes. I'm sure he wished for that a long time ago, but I am not sure what his wish is now. People's minds use to change with time..." He let the sentence hang in the air.

Shirou relaxed. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Kotomine paused, then glared at him. "Never trust Matou Zouken. Everything is a tool to him, to help him obtain the Grail. Be careful around worms." He then turned his back on him. "Is that all?"

"Could you tell me about the Einzberns?" Shirou followed up with that question.

Kotomine closed his eyes. "...The Einzberns are one of the founders of the Grail. They have existed for over a thousand years, and have done something of notice on every Grail War. It is also their duty to make a vessel for the Holy Grail."

"A vessel?" Asked Shirou.

"Yes. In order to invoke the Great Grail, a smaller Grail is needed. That is that vessel. The Einzberns have made the vessels for every grail war."

"I see..." Shirou sighed. "I guess that's all, Kotomine."

Kotomine turned to leave. "Take care, Emiya Shirou. I would like you to see this to the very end."

"What did you mean by that, Kotomine? Geez..." Shirou stared at the ceiling. He had only recently woken up, and had been reviewing what he had learned from Kotomine. 'I shouldn't trust Zouken, huh...' Shirou looked down. Could he take that priest's word? 'Probably not.' But something in him said to believe in that man, that there was something wrong with Matou Zouken.

'Well, shouldn't worry too much about it.' He stood up, and knocked at Saber's door. "Hey, Saber. Wake up," He called. When nobody answered, he opened the door. 'She's not here... Where is she?' Shirou started to look for Saber, looking in the living room, kitchen, hallways, until he decided she wasn't on the main household. 'There's the dojo...'

As Shirou entered the dojo, he looked for Saber, until he found her in a corner of the dojo. She was sitting on her knees, with her eyes closed in concentration. "Saber?" He called reluctantly. Saber looked at Shirou and stood up. "Shirou. What's the matter?"

"Ah, I was going to tell you that I'm going to start making breakfast." He told her, smiling. Saber smiled, then nodded. "Very well, Shirou. I will go to the dining room." She said as she moved out of the dojo.

------

It wasn't long before Sakura and Taiga arrived, but by then Shirou was already halfway through cooking breakfast. He apologized to Sakura for forgetting that it was her duty to make breakfast today, and Shirou promised her to let her make the bentous. Taiga just didn't care as the only thing she wanted was food. As the four sat down and started eating, Shirou thought aloud.

"Man, I hope this doesn't get any more crowded."

He had no idea of the incoming chaos.

Breakfast was more cheerful than usually, as there was another person sitting on the table. Taiga made it her job to poke fun at Saber's eating pace, to which Saber answered that "a warrior like her needed a lot of nutrients to regain her stamina", to which Taiga replied by saying "too bad all those nutrients end up in the black hole inside your stomach". Shirou just chuckled at the irony when Taiga accused Saber of being a freeloader. No, in fact, he laughed so hard he fell to the floor holding his stomach. He then was smacked by Taiga's "chopstick flick", which he did not have any idea of how it was even possible for the wood to have that much power and avoid breaking.

As Shirou and Sakura again walked to school, Sakura was staring at Shirou intently. Shirou looked at her. "Um, what's the matter, Sakura?" He asked.

Sakura shook her head. "It's nothing, Senpai, don't worry." She blushed as she avoided his gaze. Last night, during one of those awful training sessions, her grandfather had been tense. Shinji had failed, and she had known that as soon as Rider had returned to her. Her grandfather had then explained in detail facts that he had hidden from her, now that it was decided that she was going to have to fight. What she had heard after that had raised many emotions in her: Doubt, fear, hope, happiness, and shock. He had told her to ally herself with Senpai. She was doubtful, because she didn't know what her grandfather planned to do to her Senpai. Afraid, because he might end up hurting Senpai through this alliance. Hopeful, because this could be her chance to get even closer to Senpai. And happy, because wouldn't have to fight her Senpai. But... When he had explained on the Shadows and Avenger, she had asked Grandfather what to do after it had been defeated. He had smiled at her, answering simply.

"In the end, you should have to claim the grail."

Of course. Her grandfather wanted to claim the grail for himself, after all. She knew Senpai. All he wanted to do was help people. Surely she could be able to negotiate with Senpai, so he could let her make the wish. She had to find a way to obtain the grail without harming Senpai. and, if she could stand by his side, to protect him...

'You should feel happy, you finally have the chance to be with him more.' Said her inner voice. That's right. She could protect her Senpai, and she would be able to reveal more of herself to him...

'Perhaps he might even start to love you...' The voice in her head reminded her. But Sakura flinched at that. If she spent more time around Senpai, if she protected him... Could that event really happen...? Did Sakura even deserve him? Still...

She prayed with all her might for that event.

"...kura!" She was shaken out of her thoughts as she stared into the face of Senpai, gazing at her while holding her shoulders. "Are you okay?" Asked her Senpai with a worried voice, looking at her blushing face. She quickly backed away. "I-I-I'M FINE, SENPAI!" She screamed, nearly tripping as she fought to contain a nosebleed at being so close to her crush. As she calmed down, she smiled. She didn't have to think about those things right now.

What she needed to do, was enjoy her time with her Senpai.

------

Shirou started sweating as he read the note pasted to his desk again.

Meet me at the roof during lunch. If you don't I'll eviscerate you get very angry at you, slave Emiya-kun.

------

Shirou sat down besides Rin, as they both opened their bentous and started eating. As Shirou dug into his food, he noticed Rin sneaking glances at him, looking away when his eyes met hers. 'Well, too bad Tohsaka. If you had wanted my food you could've asked me to make you a bentou.' Shirou came to a reasonable conclusion based on Rin's actions. Bonehead

In-between bites, Rin glanced at Shirou, wondering what's on his mind. 'Did Saber accept? Is he going to ally himself with me? What if Saber thought otherwise?' This was on her mind as she glanced at Shirou. She would never admit it, but she admired the boy. He never gave up on his ideals, and pursued them to the very end, despite how futile it might be. That was why she had chosen to ally herself with the boy. With him, surely they could fight against any threat. She paused as the boy suddenly finished his lunch, and waited for her to finish.

"Well, Emiya-kun? What did Saber say?" Rin hadn't even noticed that she had started to call him that way. Nor did Shirou, apparently. Shirou smiled at the magus. "It's alright, Rin. She agreed to it. So, are there any terms to the alliance?"

Rin nodded. "First, Emiya-kun, we will not attack each other, and help each other when in need." Shirou sweat-dropped. 'Tha- That's kinda obvious, isn't it?' Still, he nodded. "Whenever we find something out, we discuss it with each other." Shirou nodded. "And, you have to obey to anything I say."

Shirou paused.

"NO WAY, TOHSAKA!!!" The boy yelled. Rin chuckled. She loved teasing him. She then accepted those terms, and declared their alliance officially established. As they stood up, Shirou commented: "Well, Tohsaka. I expected some outrageous demands from you, but the terms were pretty agreeable. I guess you're just kind." Said Shirou, smiling. Rin blushed. "N-no way! Wh-what are you saying, Emiya-kun!? Come on, i-it's time for you to go to class!" She said as she dragged him to the roof's exit. Damn him! He had done it again!

"That's a really cute way of expressing your affection, Rin." Called a snarky voice to her.

Damn that bastard as well!

------

As Shirou left the school, something clicked on his memory as he remembered he had to go to the park. As he arrived there, he found the white-haired girl sleeping on a bench. He walked over to her, and shook her a bit. "Hey, Ilya..." He said. Ilya slowly blinked her red eyes open, looking at him groggily. She quickly recovered, and her face brightened. "Onii-chan! You came!" She said, as she glomped him. Shirou stumbled, but managed to remain standing. He smiled. "Well, I did promise, didn't I?"

Ilya frowned at him, and pouted. "You're late!" She said, as she punched him on the arm with her little fist. 'OW!' Shirou almost yelped. 'S-strong!' "What do you mean, Ilya? I only left school now. ...Wait." Shirou frowned. "Ilya, since when where you waiting in here?"

Ilya placed a finger on her mouth. "Um, morning, I guess?"

"N-NO WAY!" Yelled Shirou as he almost fell over. "I-Ilya, I think we should decide on a determined time, instead of you waiting all day until I come here." Ilya, blinked, then nodded. "Okay!"

Shirou agreed with Ilya on coming to the park after school whenever he could. Today, they continued playing for a few hours, until Shirou looked at the time and decided he had to go. He patted Ilya's head as he said goodbye. But, as he turned to leave...

"Onii-chan." Said Ilya. "Hmm?" Shirou turned to look at her. "Closer, please!" Pouted Ilya, as Shirou bent down to her level. "What is it, Il-" He was silenced as Ilya gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for today." Shirou blushed furiously, as he stood up quickly. Around him, a passing couple whispered to themselves, and he managed to hear the words "pervert" and "lolicon".

'I-I'm not!!!' "S-sorry, Ilya. C-catch you later!" He hurried off.

The homunculus giggled. Her onii-chan wasn't so bad, after all. Perhaps she could trust him... 'And I could also steal him from that brat...' She thought as the twin-tailed magus appeared in her mind's eye.

------

Shirou looked at the jewel in his hand. Apparently, he could use this to talk to Tohsaka whenever he found something suspicious. He and Saber were just about to start patrolling. He and Tohsaka decided to refrain from joint patrolling until they were sure the neighborhood was secured. As he was deep in thought, he was suddenly called by Saber. "Shirou, look!" His Servant exclaimed, pointing to a house's roof. Shirou's eyes widened. On that roof, there was a purple-haired woman dressed in black, staring at him. There was no way Emiya Shirou couldn't recognize that woman.

Rider, Shinji's Servant. Rider leaped from the roof, and landed on the ground. As Shirou was about to ask what she was doing here, she suddenly ran away. Saber quickly followed after her, Shirou transforming to better follow them. They chased Rider through alleys, streets, looking for her shadow, for signs of her, as they finally saw her clearly in the park...!

Rider suddenly stopped, in the middle of the park. Shirou and Saber stopped near her, confused. Why had she taken them here? Shirou paused to look around, to see if there were any traps.

"Rider, what's this!? Where's your Master, where's Shinji!?" He exclaimed at Rider. The blind-folded woman smirked.

"...Senpai." A voice suddenly called out behind him. Shirou froze. He stared at Rider in front of him, who dared him to turn around. And he did. He looked at the girl in a school uniform, shining under the moonlight. A girl he had known for years.

Matou Sakura.

[Erlkonig]

BAR Status: 60%

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Hope ~ Miracle (I)

Sakura. The purple-haired girl standing on the moonlit park could not be anyone but his childhood friend, Matou Sakura. 'But, why...?' Why was she here? More importantly, what was Rider doing here? Wasn't she dead?

"...Senpai, um..." Sakura walked over to him, and was about to say something, but looked down.

"Sakura, what is it?" Asked Shirou. He did not know why Rider was here, but if Shinji was trying to do anything to Sakura, he...!

"Senpai, I-I've been hiding some things from you..." Muttered Sakura. She looked ashamed.

Shirou was wondering what she was talking about, when Rider suddenly appeared besides her. Shirou immediately moved, placing himself between Sakura and Rider. But Rider did not move to attack, or to even do anything besides move. Shirou moved away and turned to speak to his underclassman. "Sakura, why is Shinji's Servant with you? More importantly, why do you know about the Grail War? Did Shinji involve you into this!? If he did, then I'll---!"

"Nii-san didn't tell me anything!" Exclaimed Sakura. She then blushed as she realized she had shouted at him and looked down again. "U-um... The truth is... I've known about the Grail War for a while."

The shocking revelation. Emiya Shirou forgot to breathe. The girl who only smiled in his company, who had treated him like family, hid a secret of that magnitude. But Shirou did not blame her. Why should he? Until now, the Grail War hadn't involved him. Besides, the girl was one of his precious friends. How could he get angry for just that?

"And... I'm also Rider's true Master." Another revelation. This time, Shirou straightened. Sakura... a master? Why? If she was a Master, why had she come to him? "The truth is, Senpai... When I knew you were a Master, I... did not want to fight you. But... I found out about "them"." It was not necessary to know what "them" meant. It was obvious to both Masters, who knew each other like the backs of their hands. "Senpai... You're going to fight the Shadows, right?" Sakura already knew the answer. Monsters which didn't even have a conscience. Her Senpai, who always boasted about wanting to save everyone, would surely fight them.

Both Servants stayed silent, watching their Masters talk. Obviously, there was a lot of emotion behind their talk, and their intervention would not help at all. Shirou stared at Sakura, and without a shred of hesitation nodded. He would fight, until this armor of his was stained red with his blood, and his head fell off his shoulders, he would fight.

"Then... Senpai... Please let me help you!" Sakura's words made his eyes widen. This frail girl, who he thought as merciful, and kind... Wanted to help in such a thing...? Shirou shook his head. "Sakura, I can't. You'll get hurt. I... Would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

Sakura knew her Senpai would say this. But, she also knew she could convince him. "Senpai..." She stared into his eyes. "...I'm a Master. I'm going to get hurt whether or not I help you. If we help each other, I'm sure we can get through this without being harmed." Shirou stepped back at Sakura's words. She was right. Masters would not be able to just hide and stay unharmed. "Sakura... I..." He did not want to back down. If there was even a chance that she would get hurt, he'd...

"Please, Senpai..." Those words of insistence made him remember that day. Time and time again, Sakura had asked him to let her help him with the housework. She had asked again and again, with a determination that had surprised him. He then knew, they would be here all night if it was necessary. His mind of steel buckled, as his emotions slipped by that mental defense, and his face showed signs of doubt.

"Besides, you'll protect me, right?" That had done it. The only girl who would be able to get to him had done so. His mind of steel shattered like shards of glass. "...Alright, Sakura." Shirou smiled. "Let's go together."

Sakura blushed as she saw him smile. That smile made her feel warm, it made her believe everything would work out in the end. "...Yes, Senpai." She nodded. Saber, who had been tense until now, relaxed her body. Shirou sighed. Everything was crashing down on him so suddenly. He then remembered something. "Oh, Sakura. Why was Shinji using Rider before?"

"Well, since I did not want to fight Senpai, Nii-san wanted to fight in the Grail War. So, I transferred a Command Spell to him so he could be Rider's Master..." She said, looking to the side. Shirou sighed in relief. Good, that meant she had not known what Shinji had done. As he thought of this, suddenly a horrible thought hit him like one of Berserker's fists.

'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...' He fell down to his knees. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."

"Senpai!" Sakura kneeled down besides him. "A-are you alright!?"

No, he was not alright. He was screwed.

------

"Emiya-kun, you did what???" The voice coming from the jewel was dark as the abyss, and promised pain greater than all the demons from Hell could offer. Shirou could only shrink away from the voice in fear as its dark whispers sent a shiver down his mortal spine. At his side, Sakura looked worriedly at him. She had asked if she had done something wrong. 'It's a bit too late to ask that, Sakura.' He thought as he answered meekly to the voice. "...I'm sorry, Tohsaka?"

"YOU'D DAMN BETTER BE SORRY!!!" Images of death appeared on Shirou's mind, its scythe slowly descending on him... He then heard a sigh from the magus. "Well, I don't think you're going to want to kick her out now, besides... You're saying she's Sakura?" Shirou confirmed that he was sure it was, and Tohsaka gave a longer, resigned sigh. "Well, the fact that she's a Master is a surprise to me... But I'm not really surprised she'd want to ally with you..." 'To be honest, I'm glad she did ally with you...' Thought Rin. Shirou frowned. "What do you mean, Tohsaka? Why would she---? Oh, because we're childhood friends, right?" Rin twitched. She forgot this was a bonehead of boneheads. "...Yes, Emiya-kun. That, and she probably knew you were a Master beforehand. Did she see anything weird on you?" Shirou thought. "Hmm... Hey, Sakura, how did you find out I was a Master anyway?"

Sakura looked up at him. She had been deep in thought the moment she had heard her sister's voice. Apparently, Shirou had also formed an alliance with her Nee-san. 'That... Nee-san always seems to be ahead of me...' She did not have anything against fighting alongside her Nee-san as well. In fact, her grandfather would probably accept better chances of obtaining victory. As Shirou talked on the phone, she realized Nee-san was also good at managing her Senpai. If her sister wasn't allied to Shirou, he probably would be much more reckless. She was shaken out of her thoughts when Senpai had asked her how she had found out about him being a Master. "Um, well, when I saw Senpai's hand two days ago, and when you showed Saber-chan to us, I figured out you were one."

"Saber? You showed Saber to them, Emiya-kun!?" He was certain Rin would be strangling him now if she could. It took some minutes for her to calm down, and then she finally told him. "Go to your home. Bring Sakura and Rider with you." And she hung up.

------

It took them a while before they arrived at the Emiya Household, and as Shirou neared the entrance, he spotted Rin glaring at him, and as he looked to the person besides her, he twitched. The man was smirking at him. 'You're screwed', he mouthed, grinning. Shirou felt his right eye unintentionally twitch. But as Rin walked over to Shirou, his frustration was replaced by horror.

"You certainly have some nerve, Emiya-kun... I wonder what I should do with you...?"

Shirou stepped back. Give him Shadows, give him Servants, give him Angra Mainyu itself, anything but an angry Tohsaka Rin!

"N-nee-san, please calm down, it wasn't his fault...!" Sakura called out to her. Immediately, Rin calmed down, as she regarded her sister. "Oh, Sakura." She said simply.

Shirou stared in shock and awe. 'A-amazing!' With but a word, the beauty had tamed the beast...! Rin glared at him. "You just thought of something insulting, didn't you Emiya-kun?" As he stepped back again, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. It was death, calling out to him. "It's time...!" It whispered to him. Suddenly, a light of hope struck him. "W-wait. Sakura, did you call Tohsaka your nee-san?" Shirou skillfully changed the subject. Sakura looked at him, then her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "O-oh..." Rin, however, only nodded. "That's actually because we're sisters."

A pause. Shirou held his breath, as his brain temporarily shut down. "..." After about a minute,

"Wh-what the hell!?"

------

After that rather shocking revelation, everyone had entered the Emiya Household, including Archer who before had been on the roof. Shirou and Sakura sat Japanese-style in front of Tohsaka, who had put on her glasses as she looked at the members of their alliance. "Well, with this many members I'm sure we can form a solid power on this war." Tohsaka sat down as she thought.

"We can definitely win against Berserker. ...But it's the Shadows I'm worried about. I've only faced one so far, and that one had amazing firepower. Shirou fought against another one, which had supreme motor skills. And those are supposed to be the weaker ones." She lifted her glasses with two fingers. "Hmm... Let's see. Saber has over-all the best abilities, and can't be anything but a close range fighter. We'll use her and Shirou as shock troops, since they have an overall amazing constitution. Rider can support them from mid-range thanks to her abilities with those nails, and I haven't seen her mount yet, but it should be great to deal immense damage to the Shadow if it's an offensive one."

At Rider's confirmation, she nodded. "Yes, definitely an offensive approach, then. As for me and Sakura, I'm sure we're suited to be mid-to-long range fighters. And Archer, as far I've seen is a wild card, capable of both extremely long-ranged sniping and close quarters combat with great ability." At this, Archer smirked. "That's certainly better than being a meatshield." He remarked as he looked at Shirou, who glared at him. Rin looked at Sakura. "Sakura, have you tried to transform yet?" She said to her sister. "Ah, n-no, nee-san. I... I don't know what I'm good at..." Sakura said, looking down. Rin smiled. "Well then, the next time we encounter a Shadow we'll have you test it out. By the way, just fighting the Shadows we aren't going to make any progress. We need to find out all the remaining Servants. We know who Archer, Rider, Saber, Berserker, and Lancer are, though we don't know who is Lancer's Master yet."

Shirou looked at Rin. "Hey, Tohsaka. That means only Caster and Assassin are left, right?" Rin nodded. Then she sighed. "There's also another matter. If we're going to cooperate, then we need to arrange where we'll stay." Saber then said something surprising. "Shirou, shouldn't everyone stay in here? There's a boundary field, after all." Rin's eyes widened. "There is?" Shirou nodded. "When anyone with hostile intent enters the house, it goes off." Rin then clasped her hands. "It's decided then. We'll all stay here."

A pause.

"...Wait, what?" Said Shirou. Sakura blushed. Rin blinked. "What? It's the most reasonable option!"

Shirou sighed. "Oh, man..."

Shirou arranged bedrooms for everyone. Sakura and Rin would each stay in empty rooms on the household, since Rider and Archer did not need to sleep, they would just do whatever they wanted for the night. Saber also didn't need to sleep, since Shirou could provide sufficient mana during battle, but since she lacked a decent supply when Shirou wasn't transformed, she preferred to do so. As Rin and Sakura went to get their things, Shirou decided he was dead tired, and would leave them to set their bedrooms on their own. If they needed help, they could always wake him up...

Shirou yawned as he covered himself with the futon. As he started to fall asleep, he remembered he had been neglecting his training on the shed. So he once again stood up, and headed out of his room.

------

After a rigorous magic training session, Shirou returned to his room and swiftly fell asleep.

[Erlkonig]

Kotomine Kirei

Vanguard Stats

Strength: /0000_/ - B
Endurance: /000__/ - C
Agility: /00000/ - A
Mana: /0000_/ - B (All vanguards possess a great amount of mana)
Luck: /_____/ - F (Such misfortune)

Skills

Battle Continuation: A - Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.
Chinese Martial Arts: C - Uses something similar to martial arts in one's own style.
Mental Pollution: B - Kotomine is a hollow being, who only finds happiness in others' misfortunes.
Healer: A+ - Able to heal all but death.

Weapons
Black Keys: Commonly used by members of the church, Black Keys are magical in nature, as they have the ability to immobilize one through their Shadow. Vanguard Kotomine possesses an infinite number of these.

Special Qualities
Left Arm of Healing: Kotomine's left arm allows for extremely high-leveled healing, as well as Exorcism.
Cursed Right Arm: Kotomine's Right Arm is capable of absorbing any damage coming from a C-rank Noble Phantasm or B-rank Spell, but still suffers the pain of the attack. The curse consists of giving back that pain to the one who inflicted it.
Artificial Heart: Kotomine's heart is an artificial one, created by the part of Angra Mainyu that lives inside him. It is the source of all his life force, and most likely his weak point.

Vanguard Abilities
Kyrie Eleison (A): A holy Exorcising spell, it inflicts a heavy amount of Holy damage, capable of directly injuring the soul.
Angra Mainyu (A+): The foulest of curses, Angra Mainyu is a curse that is percieved in the physical world as a black darkness. It constantly damages and corrodes one's soul if one is not able to control it. Since the damage is applied to the soul, the only way to get rid of it is with a curse-nullifying ability or artifact.

------

Tohsaka Rin
Vanguard Stats

Strength - /000__/ C
Endurance - /00___/ D
Agility - /000__/ C
Mana - /00000/ A+
Luck - /000__/ C

Skills
Territory Creation: B - Allows creation of a workshop
Magecraft: B+
Chinese Martial Arts: A - Has learned Martial Arts.
Gemcraft: A - An ability which allows the creation of magical gems. At this level it allows to create gems capable of holding one A-ranked Spell in only a minute.
---???---: Not yet known

Weapons

None so far.

Special Qualities:
Quartz manipulation: Able to create crystals out of magical energy. These crystals are extremely hard, and can be manipulated in many ways.
--???--: Not yet known

Vanguard Ability:
Prism Ground: A - Surrounds the enemy in prism-colored crystals, which may only be broken by A-ranked spells or B-ranked Noble Phantasm. The prison may be enlarged and shrinked at will
---???---: Not yet known.

------

Emiya Shirou
Vanguard Stats

Strength: /00000/ A (C) (Orange is a stat enhancement obtained by tracing)
Agility: /00___/ D
Endurance: /00000/ A+ (Sword-made body + Reinforcement? Total Juggernaut)
Mana: /0000_/ B
Luck: /00___/ D

Skills

Battle Continuation: A+ - Can continue fighting even with lost limbs, can only be stopped by having his torso destroyed or being decapitated.
Magecraft: E - Nearly Total Failure, only capable of one branch of orthodox Thaumaturgy
Mind of Steel: A - Immune to most mental interferance, highly resistant otherwise.
Regeneration: A - Able to close wounds of various sizes and ablilty to replace lost limbs with sword-made limbs.
THE BAR: EX - Heroic Acts of any type in front of a woman who is not already in love will make her fall in love with one. No exceptions.

Weapons

He possesses no personal weapon, but uses various weapons he copies from other beings.

Special Qualities
Made of Swords: Replaces the muscle, bones, and body's organs with miniature interconnected blades. Serves as a natural armor. The head is not transformed, but is reinforced by a layer of blades in-between the skull and the outer skin.
Tracing: The ability to perfectly replicate an object that has been seen, from the very age, to the abilities. The copied object itself is an Illusion, something that should not exist, and is projected into the world. Note that some objects are beyond mortal comprehension and cannot be copied by Emiya Shirou.

Vanguard Abilities
Nine Lives (B+): Anti-unit. Delivers nine slashes to the targeted parts of the enemy at several times the speed of sound. Requires Berserker's Axe-sword. Since it is a technique traced alongside Berserker's Axe-Sword, obtained due to the fact that merely by associating Heracles to the Axe-Sword made the ability possible, trying to prolong the number of slashes without taking damage oneself is impossible.
---???---: Not yet known
---???---: Not yet known
??? (A++): Anti-Fortress. Gathers dark prana into a beam of cursed devastation which tears apart everything on its path.
---???---: Not yet known

???

[ItsaRandomUsername]

YAY! (^o^) IT's back!

[Zeranion]

*prays to the Emiya Stat sheet* Oh my god... Shirou's ability to attract women and develop a harem has been turned into an immortalized skill. All hail "THE BAR"!!!

[mangafreak7793]

Heh, the BAR is truly fearsome

[ItsaRandomUsername]

The crystallization of Getting DA Wimminz, yessir. It will go down in legend!

[Erlkonig]

BAR output at 70%

Magical Vanguard Shirou
Into the Night (IV)
Day 6

Shirou dreamt of an age long passed, an age of swords and magic, and of heroic tales. One of those tales, was that of the Sword in the Stone and the King it chooses. He saw as many gathered over the sword, and tried to pull it with no avail. Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, and nobody could pull the sword. Yet, to the sword, a familiar girl went, accompanied by an old man who seemed as wise as the girl was determined.

The old man turned to his Servant, and spoke words to her, which though he felt he could understand, they sounded too far away for him to know what it was. Yet, he felt as if that man was warning her of something. But...

If it's warning her on something... Then why does her face not change? Why does it look as determined as it was before? He looks on as she nods solemnly, wishing he could know what it is they're saying. As his Servant approaches the sword, and draws it from the stone, the sword imprints itself on his mind, the image clearly appearing on his head, then becoming fainter, as everything turns white...

---

The Knight shuddered. Everywhere she looked at, there were scorching flames. Burning the buildings, the dead grass, and the people, who screamed in pain and agony, hoping for someone to save them, even if they were already far too lost to live. She flinched as a beam of flaming wood dropped besides her.

And then she saw him. He was walking through the fire, his little body full of burnt patches of skin, which had been touched by the flame. She saw as his half-lidded, empty golden eyes spared a single glance at every dying person who cried out to him, yet he took his glance away, and continued walking, leaving behind the destroyed. She watched as he painfully endured the strain on his body.

Step. Step. Step. Watching that boy continue walking, even though he seemed hollow of feelings, it reminded her of the facade she had took as King, as she had traded her emotions for the right to lead.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to weep for the half-dead boy, yet she could only watch, as a King was not supposed to shed tears. She hated it. She wanted to weep for the boy.

If only she hadn't been a King...

If only...

---

Shirou's eyes blink open. "A sword in the stone..." 'Where have I heard that before?' A sword in the stone. It seemed so familiar, yet he could not grasp what. He stood up, and heard the sound of a door sliding, as Saber looked at him. She seemed solemn.

Shirou didn't like that look. "Saber? What happened?" He walked over to her, worried. She stared at him, startled, then, slowly met his gaze. "Shirou..." She began. "...Are you alright?"

Shirou frowned at her. "What? Do I look weird, or something?" He looked at his body. Saber shook her head. "No... Nevermind, Shirou." She looked down, not wanting to look at that cheerful face. The boy who could still smile at her with that face, even after what he had been through...

Shirou smiled. "Well, anyway, we should go and have breakfast. I'm going to wake Sakura and Rin up."

The green-eyed Servant nodded.

---

Shirou knocked on the door to the bedroom where Tohsaka was staying in. "Tohsaka? It's time for breakfast!"

At first, there was no response. But Shirou then heard a groan, and as the door was opened, he almost stumbled back. 'Toh--- Tohsaka?!' Rin looked at him with bags on her eyes and her hair sticking out and ruffled in places. "Yeah, yeah, just let me go to the bathroom..." She grumbled as she walked past him. As she walked outside, Shirou suddenly felt someone appear in front of him, as he was pushed to the wall.

"You---!" Shirou glared at the man in red who 'accidentally' shoved him. Archer smirked. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." Said the knight snarkily. Shirou straightened as he glared up at the taller man. Their eyes met, both expressing enmity towards each other, until Archer walked off, smirking. Shirou continued glaring at him.

Shirou walked over to Sakura's bedroom, but before he had opened the door, Sakura came out, and as she turned around, she blushed. "Oh! Senpai! Um... Good morning!" She said, smiling at him. Shirou nodded at her, smiling. "Morning, Sakura." He squinted his eyes. "So... Where's Rider?" He asked, looking around.

"Do you need something?" Shirou jumped at the voice of a woman behind him. He turned to stare at the blindfold of the purple-haired Servant. "N-No! Jeez, you and Archer both like to do that..."

Sakura pouted. "Rider, please don't scare Senpai like that again..." She said. Rider silently nodded.

Shirou laughed nervously.

---

Shirou bit at the food Sakura had prepared. "Wow! Sakura, you're great!" He smiled. "You've already surpassed my Japanese dishes!" He continued to eat, as Saber nodded. "Though Shirou's cooking is good, this one tastes better." Saber nodded as she wolfed down the dishes steadily, but without stopping. Rin twitched. 'How much can she eat, anyway?'

Archer nodded. "Indeed, this is good cooking. It seems clear that you pour your feelings into this cooking. That is probably the most important ingredient of cooks: Emotion." He muched slowly the food, savoring it. "However, I can see a few things that can be improved."

Shirou frowned at him. "How do you know so much, anyway? Are you good at cooking?" He looked tentatively at the Archer. The red knight smirked. "Indeed. My cooking is, at least, much better than your flawed one." Shirou's frown became more pronunciated.

Sakura looked at the two forces staring each other down. 'It's amazing... When they do this, they seem so alike...'

The tension was suddenly broken as Saber muttered. "...Seconds, please..." Everyone turned to look at the tower of empty bowls Saber had left. They sweat-dropped. And then, Shirou remembered something. 'Crap! Fuji-nee hasn't come yet!' He was shaken as the door to the Emiya household was suddenly knocked at, and almost screams when Tohsaka walks to the entrance to open the door. He moves to stop her, but it is too late.

Tohsaka reenters the living room, followed by Fujimura. "Shirou, sorry I'm la- WHAT IS THIS!?"

Shirou winced.

---

Shirou stared in awe at Tohsaka. While he had been shocked to muteness, Tohsaka had calmly explained why she and Sakura were staying at his house. Thankfully, Archer and Rider had dematerialized the moment Taiga had entered, and moving their bowls to Saber's plenty amount of empty ones served to prevent Taiga from noticing a superflous amount of bowls.

As Fujimura prepared to head over to the school, Tohsaka pulled Shirou and Sakura towards her.

"Listen, Emiya-kun. We need to decide as to whether or not we'll continue going to school for the duration of the war."

Shirou paused. Tohsaka was right. The war was obviously more important than going to school, but... "The Shadows don't go out at night, right? Plus, we could gather together at lunch period at the roof. Besides," Shirou looked at Sakura. "Sakura needs to go to the Archery club-" Shirou froze. He quickly remembered who else went to the Archery Club. 'Shinji.' While Shirou knew he and Shinji weren't exactly on the best terms, it was probably worse, now that he had even attacked his friend. He sighed. Even so, he couldn't just leave Sakura to go to school alone while she was a Master. She could get attacked.

He didn't look forward to school.

---

As the three masters passed the school's gate, Tohsaka separated from Shirou and Sakura, and Sakura went over to do the morning club activities. Shirou paused as he looked at her retreating figure. 'Shinji...' No, Shinji was his friend. He had to check on him. What if his encounter with the Shadow had traumatized him or something worse?

As Sakura entered the club, she was greeted by Ayako. After greeting her back, and making small talk, she went and dressed herself in the Archery outfit, as she grabbed a bow. As she went out of the changing rooms, someone growled at her.

"You..." Sakura turned around as she looked at the blue-haired boy. "How dare you show yourself in front of me..." Shinji growled at her. She froze. "Nii-sa-" She was cut off by Shinji yelling at her. "Don't speak to me! Damn it... Why! I should be the one fighing, not you!" He glared at her, and moved towards her. "I'll-" He raised his hand.

"Shinji, are you oka- ...Shinji." Shinji froze. As he turned around, he stared at the red-headed boy, trembling. The memory of the same boy chopping a gargantuan colossus into pieces with a giant sword came to his mind, as the boy had turned to glare at him with bright golden orbs, his armor stained with black, inky drops of darkness...

"E-Emiya..." He slowly lowered his hand, petrified. Shirou walked over to him. "I came to check up on you after you-know-what. I felt guilty for not coming to apologize to you yesterday. More importantly," Shirou's eyes narrowed. "What were you doing?"

Shinji stuttered. "I-I... W-well..." He growled. "Damn you, Emiya... Why do you always take her side---!" He then ran off. Shirou stared at his retreating form. 'Shinji...' He stared at him with sad eyes.

"Um, Senpai..." Shirou turned to Sakura. "Please don't get mad at Nii-san, he didn't do anything wrong." Shirou nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not mad." 'That's a lie. If Shinji was going to do what I think he was going to do, then I am mad. I am very mad.' Sakura nodded, after a pause. "Alright... Thanks, Senpai." Shirou smiled. "Don't worry."

---

Emiya-kun, you should hurry to the roof. Otherwise, I'll rip you apart limb by limb I'll be sad.

He could hear them. Death's whispers.

It's time...

It's time... It's time...

IT IS TIME IT IS TIME IT IS TIME!!!

---

Shirou ate his bentou, as Sakura and Rin sat together with him, eating their own bentous. Sakura was blushing. 'I-I'm eating lunch together with Senpai and Nee-san!' She looked at them as they continued to eat. Shirou looked at her. "Hm? Is something wrong, Sakura?" Sakura shook her head. "No, Senpai." She smiled.

Shirou blinked, then shrugged. As they finished their boxed lunches, Shirou let out a sigh, looking at the sky. He looked at Tohsaka. "So, Tohsaka? What was it that you wanted to say?"

Rin nodded at him. "It's about the War."

...
......
.........

"Ryuudo Temple?" Shirou exclaimed. "Is there really a Master in Ryuudo Temple?" Sakura nodded. "Rider told me that there was something going on at the temple, too, Nee-san." Shirou turned to look at her. 'You too!?'

Rin nodded. "There has been a lot of life-force flowing into that place. You know those incidents with fainting people? They are probably..."

"The work of that Master?" Shirou asked, narrowing his eyes.

Rin nodded. "Most likely. Though I don't know what they'd get from using such a place..."

Both Shirou and Sakura stared weirdly at Tohsaka. "Wh-what?" Said the magus. Shirou paused. "...Tohsaka... I'm pretty sure temples are sacred. Shouldn't they have a lot of prana there?" Sakura nodded. "I-Isn't it also one of the places where the ley lines converge?"

Rin's eyes widened. "What!? You mean it's a legitimate temple!?" Rin cursed. If the Master was using a place where the ley lines converged, then that meant he had a great advantage!

"So, Tohsaka... What do you think we should do?" Shirou asked Tohsaka. She thought for a moment. "We have three Servants on our side. I think it's better if we go to Ryuudo temple tonight."

Shirou nodded. "Sakura, are you okay with that?" He turned to look at the purple-haired girl. Sakura nodded at him. If all six of them were together, then no one would stop them...!

--After School--

CLASH!

The sound of clashing weapons. In crimson flashes of light, the man in blue thrust his lance at the skilled samurai wielding an extremely long katana. This was Servant Assassin, Sasaki Kojiro, or a fictional being who claimed to be him. His skilled attacks were at equal range than those of Lancer's, due to his extremely long eastern sword. As he expertly blocked Lancer's thrusts due to having the high ground, he swung at the knight of the spear, forcing him to step back.

"Tch. Passing this guy is going to be difficult." Lancer grumbled. He had tried to find an opening on Assassin he could abuse, but his defense was nigh-perfect thanks to his high ground and swordsmanship. He prepared to continue attacking when...

"Kojiro." A voice suddenly called behind Lancer. He turned to look at a green-haired man wearing glasses. "Is he bothering you?" Asked the man.

Assassin only nodded. "He's been trying to get me to use my full abilities, or so I think, Kuzuki-sama."

"I see. Then I should send him away." Kuzuki nodded, and Lancer stood on guard. Suddenly there was a flash of light. Lance prepared to block with his lance any incoming attack---!

The force of the fist impacting with his lance lifted him off his feet. He stared in shock at the sharp, green eyes of Kuzuki, before a sonic boom sent him flying off the mountain.

Amidst the smoke left behind by his blow, Kuzuki closed his eyes. "Good day to you, Kojiro." And with that, he entered the temple gates.

Kojiro frowned.

------

Kuzuki no Ken? It's more likely than you think.

[Keyne]

Actually, it's Taiga who's the vacuum. Saber eats a lot, but not as fast as Taiga. Also, more graciously. And it wouldn't be "more" but "seconds, please".

[Erlkonig]

Fixed like a broken blade

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Hot damn, this'll be getting good.

[Keyne]

I've skimmed through it.... and I have to say... that from my experience.... I freaking hate harem ends. :|