Fate/Proto Crossing (Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Prototype Crossover)

[Magus]

Summary: In a world where the Sajyou fought in the 4th Holy Grail War, two children are rescued from the Great Fuyuki Fire, Emiya Shirou, and Sajyou Ayaka. Ten years later, the 5th War looms over them both, and while Ayaka does not trust the son of the Magus Killer, they will have to work together if they are to keep darkness from overrunning the city… and


This was a fanfic that I started back in 2014 as part of Arashi's fan fiction contest to write the first chapter or two of a longer story. I've since been occupied by the demands of graduate school, but since I'm almost finished with my Master's degree now I have some more time to write again, and I decided to revisit this story. The story is being entirely rewritten to correct various issues with detail and pacing, along with some changes to the roster, and I'd highly value it if I could find someone to beta-read the story as I write it. This is my first "serious" fanfic, so while it is welcomed please keep any criticism constructive.

Also, I've included links in the text to music that I listened to while writing the story in links, so if you want you can listen them too and get a better idea of the intended mood.

And thanks to NuclearConsensus for the more professional "cover art".

And now on to the story:

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Prologue: Nightmares

Sajyou Ayaka blinked in disorientation, adjusting her glasses as she tried to clear her vision. What had happened? Where was she? She instinctively felt an oppressive force in the room, some sort of palpable evil threatening to close in and snuff out her pitiful life, but no matter how her being screamed at her body to run she found she could scarcely move.

And then, as her senses returned to her, she heard them, the tortured screams of the dying, and she smelled the stench of the dead all around her. Fighting off her mounting nausea, she fearfully looked around and found herself within a cavernous auditorium. Upon the stage in the center there was a golden cup, shining in the light, and she immediately knew what it was – the Holy Grail of Fuyuki, the wish-granting relic that her older sister, Manaka, and their father, Sajyou Hiroki, had been fighting for against six other teams of mages.

But something was terribly wrong. For out of the Grail spewed forth a continuous stream of an unnatural mud, and she could tell at once that this mud was the source of the evil she had felt. And once the mud reached the ground, it would assume the form of dark tentacles, reaching out to victims who seemed unaware of their impending doom, as if in a trance, and then… burning, dissolving, rending them to death like a voracious monster. She wanted to cry out and warn them, but her voice died in her throat as she noticed another horror. For only meters away from her was her father’s dismembered corpse, lying in a pool of his own blood.

“Father!” she screamed after a moment of disbelief.

“Don’t worry,” an angelic voice said from above her, and at once Ayaka looked up toward her savior. She knew that voice. And sure enough, it was that of her older sister, her golden hair, bright blue eyes, and matching dress untarnished amidst the violence. “It’ll be okay. This will soon be over, and then we’ll have everything we’ve always dreamed of.” Her words were so calming and spoken with such conviction that Ayaka could not help but believe them. If anyone could save her, it would be her genius sister Manaka. She could stop whatever was wrong with the Grail and bring back Dad. Right?

But Manaka’s attention was no longer on her, for she had turned to face someone who had just entered the auditorium.

“Welcome, Emiya Kiritsugu,” she said, giving a curtsey. “I had thought that my Servants should have kept you from here. At the very least, you would have had to bring Saber with you. But if you call her here and then promise to stand aside we can finally finish this.”

Kiritsugu surveyed the scene, glancing from Manaka, to the Grail, and back again. And then he raised his gun and fired it at Manaka without another word. Her sister tried to defend herself, but it was too late, and the bullet pierced Manaka through her heart. Moments later, violent spasms shook through her body, and she crumpled down like delicate doll whose strings had been cut.

“Why?” Manaka murmured, still struggling to realize that she had been shot. But as the realization that she was dying dawned upon her, tears rolled from her eyes. “I’m…. sorry… that I couldn’t… save you…” she managed, and then she died.

Overwhelmed by grief and with her last hope for survival crushed, Ayaka felt her own consciousness slipping away. All she could pray for now was that the end would be quick and that she might see her family again in the next world.

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

Fires raged all around the boy amid a devastated landscape filled with rubble, smoke, and the dying. He had been walking through the ruins for so long, and those he passed had pleaded with him for help, but he had forced himself to ignore them. We wanted to live, and if he stopped walking he would die with them. But his strength was quickly giving out, and soon he collapsed, unable to take another step. So that was it. He would die now, and just like all of those others there would be no one to save him. He had been so desperate to live that he had carried on even when he could no longer remember his family or name, but now there was no sense to any of it.

And so he simply watched the flames around him and gazed up at the baleful hole in the sky, saying not a word as his life ebbed away.
But then he heard footsteps approaching through the rubble, and slowly a dark-haired man came into view, carrying the unconscious form of a bespectacled girl with dark brown hair in an arm while his eyes scanned the rubble for other survivors. The girl was about the boy’s own age, and he had a passing thought that she looked pretty, but above all he was relieved to see someone who could help him.

There was a dead look in the man’s eyes, but as the man knelt down and saw that he was still alive, that was replaced by a look of pure joy. And the boy could not help but feel jealous of the man; it was as if in saving him, the man had saved himself.

The man produced something that glowed brilliantly, and as he was suffused in its light, the boy felt a pleasant warmth welling up within him, carrying him away from the horrors of the fire as his vitality, once moments away from being extinguished, returned. But whatever it was could not change the fact that he was exhausted in body and mind, and before long the boy’s eyes fell closed into a restful sleep.

[kinlyki]

Sooo... what happened to Ayaka?

[Magus]

Sooo... what happened to Ayaka?

Ayaka simply lost consciousness after witnessing her sister's death. After the Grail was Excaliblasted, Kiritsugu carried her out of the fire (she's the bespectacled girl in his arms) since the War is over and she's an innocent, and rescued Shirou as well. Kiritsugu will only be adopting Shirou though - it would be too traumatic for her for her sister's killer to become her guardian, and unwanted scrutiny would fall upon him (and Shirou) if he was found to have kidnapped the surviving member of a family of mages.

So Ayaka will grow up alone at home, the sole heir to the Sajyou, orphaned in much the same way that Rin will be (though I believe Ayaka's mother died before the war). Since Kirei is essentially supervising Fuyuki while Rin is too young to do so, it is likely that he will assume the role of Ayaka's guardian as well, leading Ayaka and Rin to know each other better than they otherwise would. But of course they won't get too close… they're from different magical families and, unlike Rin, Ayaka will want nothing to do with the war.

That's a quick summary of what happened / will happen to Ayaka in the aftermath of the fire.

[Magus]

By the way, does anyone know how to change the text in a hyperlink so that it can just be made to blend in as regular text instead of showing the URL, like what TheInfamousMan does on "Just an Unorthodox Thief" to unobtrusively add an optional soundtrack to the story? It's something I would like to do with mine as well, since I wrote each scene while listening to a particular piece of music.

For example: Up until Kiritsugu shoots Manaka, All the World's Evil was playing, after which point I changed it to Tragedy and Fate ​for Manaka's death and Shirou's scene.

[Seika]

[url=www.youtube.com]YouTube[/url] 

YouTube

[Magus]

[url=www.youtube.com]YouTube[/url] 

YouTube

Ah, thanks for the example!

[blitz1/2]

So Ayaka is now a possible osana najimi/rival to Shirou. I can ship this. xD

[Magus]

So Ayaka is now a possible osana najimi/rival to Shirou. I can ship this. xD

It would be more a rival at first. Ayaka is terrified of Kiritsugu after seeing him kill her sister, and as the daughter of a Magus family will naturally assume that Kiritsugu will be training Shirou to be the Magus Killer 2.0. So it won't be until she actually has reason to know him better during 5th War that she'll learn that he's actually a decent, if distorted, guy.

The character Ayaka will be in closer contact with throughout her childhood will be Tohsaka Rin. After all, the Tohsaka Family owns the lands of Fuyuki as far as the Mage's Association is concerned, so the Sajyou would have needed their permission to settle there. As I envision it, Tohsaka Tokiomi permitted Sajyou Hiroki and his family to move into Fuyuki some years before the 4th War, with the full knowledge that they planned to join the Holy Grail War, because he found that Sajyou's ideals of reaching the Root were pure, like his own (well, besides the obvious resulting glory to his family), and should the worst case scenario present itself and the Tohsaka lost the war, then the Grail might not fall into the hands of the withered Matous, the cheating Einzberns, or anyone who would make a selfish wish upon it, and have better chance of being claimed by someone worthy. Of course, Tokiomi expected to triumph over the Sajyou and could not have foreseen Sajyou Manaka being as powerful or obssessed as she was.

So when Ayaka is orphaned at about the same time as Rin, it can fall to Kotomine Kirei to become their mutual guardian. After all, it does not do to let a young Magus live unsupervised, and since Rin is a minor he is the de facto Second Owner of Fuyuki in her stead in the meantime, not to mention the Supervisor of the Holy Grail War.

But that's not to say Rin and Ayaka will get too close to each other either - that comes with the territory of both belonging to Magus families.

[blitz1/2]

It would be more a rival at first. Ayaka is terrified of Kiritsugu after seeing him kill her sister, and as the daughter of a Magus family will naturally assume that Kiritsugu will be training Shirou to be the Magus Killer 2.0. So it won't be until she actually has reason to know him better during 5th War that she'll learn that he's actually a decent, if distorted, guy.

The character Ayaka will be in closer contact with throughout her childhood will be Tohsaka Rin. After all, the Tohsaka Family owns the lands of Fuyuki as far as the Mage's Association is concerned, so the Sajyou would have needed their permission to settle there. As I envision it, Tohsaka Tokiomi permitted Sajyou Hiroki and his family to move into Fuyuki some years before the 4th War, with the full knowledge that they planned to join the Holy Grail War, because he found that Sajyou's ideals of reaching the Root were pure, like his own (well, besides the obvious resulting glory to his family), and should the worst case scenario present itself and the Tohsaka lost the war, then the Grail might not fall into the hands of the withered Matous, the cheating Einzberns, or anyone who would make a selfish wish upon it, and have better chance of being claimed by someone worthy. Of course, Tokiomi expected to triumph over the Sajyou and could not have foreseen Sajyou Manaka being as powerful or obssessed as she was.

So when Ayaka is orphaned at about the same time as Rin, it can fall to Kotomine Kirei to become their mutual guardian. After all, it does not do to let a young Magus live unsupervised, and since Rin is a minor he is the de facto Second Owner of Fuyuki in her stead in the meantime, not to mention the Supervisor of the Holy Grail War.

But that's not to say Rin and Ayaka will get too close to each other either - that comes with the territory of both belonging to Magus families.

Wow, Kirei is going to raise Ayaka? If that's the case, THEN I could see Ayaka fearing Kiritsugu more and in extension Shirou, because Kirei 'hates' Kiritsugu. Shirou....well....he kind of get alongs with everybody, assuming that Ayaka MAY/may not go to the same school, if they are going to the same school, then I could see Ayaka knowing Shirou better because of his reputation as the Janitor and because he helps everybody which of course would cause Ayaka to become friendly while remaining suspicious of any possible motives.

I am pretty interested in the '4th war' of this verse. Seeing as the Saiyous are masters too, which means that there was an extra servant or simply they replaced somebody else.

[Magus]

Wow, Kirei is going to raise Ayaka? If that's the case, THEN I could see Ayaka fearing Kiritsugu more and in extension Shirou, because Kirei 'hates' Kiritsugu. Shirou....well....he kind of get alongs with everybody, assuming that Ayaka MAY/may not go to the same school, if they are going to the same school, then I could see Ayaka knowing Shirou better because of his reputation as the Janitor and because he helps everybody which of course would cause Ayaka to become friendly while remaining suspicious of any possible motives.

I am pretty interested in the '4th war' of this verse. Seeing as the Saiyous are masters too, which means that there was an extra servant or simply they replaced somebody else.

In this story, Shirou and Ayaka indeed go to the same school. She does see his reputation as the Janitor and thinks that he outwardly seems harmless. But as she's spent quite a bit of time around Rin during her upbringing, she knows that Rin's "perfect Honors Student / school idol" persona is a fake to hide the fact that she's a Magus. So why then can't the Fake Janitor conceal Kiritsugu 2.0? And again, I think seeing her sister murdered by Kiritsugu would be plenty of reason for her to hate the Magus Killer, regardless if Kirei's raising her or not. And there's the fact that in Prototype Ayaka seems to suffer from a degree of fatalism and being somewhat withdrawn, at least before she decides to fight back, making it harder for her to reach out to others. Like Shirou, she's deeply scarred by PTSD, but it manifests in different ways for her.

As for the 4th War….

In this War, Ryuunosuke never had a chance to become a Master as there were already seven qualified candidates (Kiritsugu, Kayneth, Tokiomi, Waver, Kariya, Kirei, and Manaka). In the original version of the story I mentioned that the serial killer who stalked Fuyuki about 10 years before the 5th war (Ryuunosuke) was caught and executed, and I might include another throwaway line to that in the new version of the story that I'm writing here.

Manaka's Servant also was a Caster (to her great disappointment - she wanted Saber!), but unlike Fate/Zero her Caster was not Giles de Rais. Rather, she was the Master of Paracelsus, the alchemist (a Servant from Fate/Prototype: Fragments who betrayed his Master to work with Manaka), who actually has a rather versatile and nasty skill set.

Of course, there's also the issue that Manaka's extremely high-quality magic circuits give her firepower in a similar league to Aozaki Aoko if she wishes it. e.g. Manaka is fully capable of killing a Servant by herself if they do not regard her as a proper threat​. Suffice to say, the implications of such firepower would have done much to tilt the War in her favor, which is a big reason why it's her in the Civic Center instead of Kirei.

[Magus]

Chapter One: Death Sentence

Sajyou Ayaka woke with a start, drenched with sweat. She had been having that dream more frequently in the past weeks, a vivid recollection of the worst night of her life, the night she awoke into a nightmare, the night her father was killed, the night she witnessed the Magus Killer murdering her sister, the night that the Holy Grail, touched by a corrupt wish, unleashed the devastation of the Great Fuyuki Fire ten years ago, killing hundreds of people, to say nothing of how many had already been slaughtered by the cursed mud in the auditorium of the Fuyuki Civic Center. Of course, she hadn’t seen the fire with her own eyes, as she was unconscious at the time, held limp in the Magus Killer’s arm, but she had heard plenty of its aftermath and the agonizing deaths of its victims. And of those who had been caught in the blaze, only the Magus Killer, herself, and a small boy had survived.

Why had Emiya Kiritsugu, the Magus Killer, saved her life after coldly taking her sister’s? They were enemies. Of course, Ayaka was grateful to be alive, but she knew she would never forgive Kiritsugu for what he had done. And though she had no proof for it, a part of her mind surmised that he had somehow been the one responsible for the corruption in the Grail, and thus her father’s death and the ensuing fire as well; she didn’t believe that anything good could have come from the wish of a mercenary like him. And that was why she didn’t understand the mercy he had shown her that night. She could have approached the Emiya Residence in the years hence, where Kiritsugu seemed to be lying low with his adoptive son, the other survivor of the fire, Shirou, but she had been too terrified of what Kiritsugu might do to her to dare the attempt. And now it was too late for her to ask him, for Kiritsugu had died five years ago.

In any case, the consensus on the outcome of the 4^th Holy Grail War was that the young Sajyou prodigy, Manaka, guided by her father, Hiroki, and defended by her Servant, Caster, had dominated the competition, bringing prominence to the Sajyou, a family that few had imagined would produce a Magus capable of challenging those from long-established families such as the Einzberns, Tohsaka, Matou, or even the Lord El-Melloi from the Clock Tower. There were even rumors that her sister had managed to personally kill a Servant during the war, a feat possible only to the most powerful mages, such as the famed wielder of the Fifth Magic, Aozaki Aoko, who could direct enough firepower through her Magic Circuits to level a city if she wished to. But something or someone had interfered when the Sajyou were on the verge of victory and attaining their goal of reaching the Root, producing the catastrophic fire and leaving Ayaka as the sole surviving Sajyou heiress.

And so she came to be introduced to Kotomine Kirei.

The priest arrived one morning in her hospital room while she was recovering from her ordeal at the civic center. Her actual injuries had been rather light, but she had been exhausted and required several days to rest. Ayaka remembered taking an immediate dislike to the man. There was just something wrong with how he faintly smiled upon seeing her.

“Greetings, Sajyou Ayaka. I am Kotomine Kirei, the Supervisor of the Holy Grail War after the passing of my father, Kotomine Risei, and the legal guardian of the Second Owner of Fuyuki following the death of her own father in the War. It is unfortunate that we must meet in this way.”

Kotomine didn’t look sorry for her at all.

Still, it wouldn’t do for her to offend such an influential man in Fuyuki, so Ayaka replied, “Then you’ve come on her behalf?”

“In part,” the priest affirmed. “Rest assured, the Tohsaka will continue to permit the settlement of the Sajyou upon their lands in Fuyuki. But we have other matters to discuss. You will be pleased to know that your father’s remains have been identified, and that the Sajyou Magic Crest should be salvageable from it.”

No, that was no comfort at all. Ayaka had never wanted the life of a Magus for herself, and as the firstborn and with her natural talent it was only natural that Manaka would be the family heiress. Ayaka of course learned some basic Magecraft out of duty to her family but she had no expectation of inheriting all of its secrets. Most likely, she would have been married off to another family after Manaka had made a name for the Sajyou far outside of the backwater that the Mage’s Association considered Japan to be, strengthening the Sajyou in a way that she could not otherwise, and giving her a better chance of bearing magically-potent offspring. Of course, it wouldn’t be true to say that Ayaka was magically deficient, but she only had about twenty Magic Circuits of decent quality, marking her as a strictly average Magus whose potential would pale against mages from families with long lineages, and was unquestionably eclipsed by Manaka. For while Manaka had actually possessed very few Magic Circuits, far fewer than even Ayaka, hers had been of an exceptional quality that made channeling prana through them almost effortless for her. If anything, other Magus families might hope that perhaps this trait was recessive in the Sajyou bloodline, and that Ayaka’s offspring might be similarly gifted to their aunt. But now that both her father and sister were dead, it was her duty to continue their work as mages as the head of the Sajyou. Yet she also told herself that she would never again let herself become involved in another Holy Grail War.

At last, she asked “And my sister?”

“Sajyou Manaka’s remains could not be identified among the ruins of the civic center,” Kotomine crisply replied. “It seems likely that they were burned beyond recognition during the fire or scattered into ash.”

That was another grisly image she didn’t need in her head. Even if Manaka was already dead Ayaka couldn’t bear thinking of her like that. Her death had been horrific enough as it was.

“So what happens to me now?”

“You will of course receive your father’s Magic Crest, and as one practiced in spiritual surgery I shall conduct the transplant for you. Young Tohsaka Rin has already undergone the first half of the procedure and inherited part of the Tohsaka family crest, to receive the rest in a few months’ time when she has had sufficient time to recuperate from the transplant. And as I said before, you will be allowed to continue living in Fuyuki. However, it is highly imprudent for a Magus as young as you to be living unsupervised. Therefore, I shall assume guardianship over you as well and see to it that you are also diligent in your duties. It is the least I can do for my late teacher, Tohsaka Tokiomi, beyond taking care of his daughter, as he was also the one who welcomed the Sajyou to Fuyuki several years ago when they expressed an interest in joining the ritual, for he saw that your father’s desire to reach the Root was pure, as his own was.”

And so it was that Kotomine had become her guardian, she obtained the Sajyou Crest, and that she became more closely acquainted with Tohsaka Rin than she otherwise would have been. That was not to say that they were particularly close. At first Rin considered Ayaka a potential enemy for the next Holy Grail War, and she didn’t want to get to know well anyone she might have to kill, but she relented after seeing just how panicked Ayaka got at the thought of participating in the 5^th War and how the other girl repeatedly renounced any desire for the Grail. For a moment, Ayaka had thought that the Second Owner would evict her from Fuyuki now that the Sajyou had abandoned the Grail and were of no further use to her family’s ambitions. To this, Rin had just gotten irritable and said that while she was disappointed in Ayaka, she wasn’t so heartless to kick her out when she had nowhere else to go, provided that she didn’t cause the Tohsaka any trouble. Besides, would Kotomine really let her leave like that? Overjoyed, Ayaka had thanked Rin profusely, but that had only caused Rin to get really grouchy and demand that she stop making a fool of herself before the Second Owner changed her mind.

But even if they were no longer enemies, they were still mages, and as a matter of course they weren’t too open with each other, particularly regarding the details of their families’ Magecraft. Still, Ayaka could tell that Rin was easily superior to her in talent; even if the gap between their abilities wasn’t quite as large as it had been between her and Manaka, Rin still had twice as many inborn Magic Circuits as her, and they were of a higher quality too. The Tohsaka Crest also contained extensive knowledge of Jewel Magecraft, among many other useful spells, and while the Sajyou Crest had a good selection of Black Magic, Ayaka didn’t feel like she had taken to it as well as Rin had assimilated her family’s magic.

They knew enough about each other’s styles to notice that they both had similar projectile-based spells. But while Rin’s Gandr shot appeared as black and red bolts of prana that would weaken the target (or blow a hole in it if concentrated enough) fired from the finger in rapid succession, Ayaka’s would momentarily Project a swarm of small and sharp black feathers that carried a similar curse. The weaknesses of Ayaka’s version were that it took her a moment longer to cast the spell and that its prana requirements drained her faster than Gandr taxed Rin (though this was also in part due to Ayaka's lower prana capacity). The Second Owner scoffed at how inefficient it was – why would Ayaka’s ancestors go to all of the trouble of Projecting feathers? But it was a spell that Ayaka felt a real affinity for, and one of the Sajyou’s Mystic Codes, a ring left behind by her mother, further simplified the casting for her.

The two young mages bonded over their dislike of Kotomine Kirei, who had run the Tohsaka family’s properties into the ground through his inept management (and would have surely done the same to the Sajyou if they were wealthier), and was mostly a distant guardian, but never missed an opportunity to get under their skins when he checked on them. And as Ayaka already knew she was a Magus, she was one of the few people whom Rin would allow to see beneath her perfect Honors-student façade, but never at school.

Indeed, they rarely spoke at school beyond a meaningless exchange of pleasantries or polite idle conversation. In the meantime, Rin got all of the attention as the school idol, and Ayaka could easily why: Rin was prettier, stronger, and smarter than her. But she didn’t mind. She was used to there always being someone better than her, and if Rin used popularity to mask the truth that she was a Magus, Ayaka was simply content to blend into the crowd to achieve the same purpose. Besides, it wouldn’t do for her to get to close to others lest she bring them down with her.

Since the end of the 4^th Holy Grail War, Sajyou Ayaka had suffered from a degree of fatalism. She feared that even if she didn’t seek the Grail she would either somehow end up getting drawn into the War anyway (for as Kotomine regularly told her, it was the Grail who chose the Masters) or a Servant would come to kill her on the chance that she might pose the same sort of threat that her sister had before she ever could become a Master. And with all indications being that the 5^th War would be starting any day now, her days were very likely numbered. She was living under a death sentence, yet she desperately tried to close her eyes to this truth and continue her daily routines as if nothing was wrong.

And so she forced herself to get out of bed, donning the standard Homurahara Academy female uniform, and headed downstairs. The house was on the larger side, and had once accommodated the Sajyou’s family of four quite comfortably while having plenty of room to spare for her fathers’ workshop, where he had conducted his own research and trained Manaka, and a greenhouse where her mother had once tended rare plants, and was in a similar style to the nearby Tohsaka and Matou Manors, reflecting the Sajyou’s former ambitions, but it was nonetheless smaller than either in a mark of deference to the Second Owner and the Founding Families of the Holy Grail War. But it was so quiet these days, now that it was just her and…pigeons.

That was another item she could add to her list of failures as a Magus. One of the instructions she had received from her father during her own training before he died was to regularly sacrifice a pigeon or similar small animal so that she could use its blood for their magic by chopping off its head. She tried to dutifully follow his instruction, but ever since that night ten years ago she hadn’t had the stomach for it, and would invariably end up cutting her own fingers so that she could use her own blood instead and bandaging them before school. And thus the Sajyou garden became a sanctuary for pigeons and other birds.

She made a simple breakfast for herself, frying an egg, preparing a small salad with cucumbers and tomatoes, and pouring some water for herself, and then ate her meal in silence. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, she saw that she had let her mind wander during breakfast, and she was now running behind schedule for school, so she quickly packed up her things and started into a brisk jog, hurrying through the crossroads and to the school gate.

She was almost there when she noticed that someone was waiting by the gate. Slowing her pace, she noticed that it was the red-haired transfer student, Isemi. He had arrived at the school a few weeks ago and won the admiration of much of Homurahara Academy’s female population, to the great ire of Matou Shinji. In spite of his name, Isemi’s handsome features suggested that he had European ancestry, and his friendly manner generally made people relax around him. Ayaka wasn’t really sure what she thought of him; it almost seemed as there was more to him than met the eye.

“Good morning, Sajyou!” he called out. “You’re certainly in a hurry today.”

“ I don’t have time to talk. Sorry.”

“That’s too bad. Well, I’m sure that they’ll tell you in class, but it’s dangerous to be alone these days. That serial killer struck again last night; it was on the news this morning. It was some really grisly stuff. So my point is, if you want anyone to walk home with you, just give me a call. After all, you’re my friend, Sajyou Ayaka.”

She felt her cheeks burns red. “I- I really have – to go” she stammered, and ran past him without looking back.

But no sooner did she enter the building did she almost run into another student.

Emiya Shirou.

“Hi, Sajyou! I didn’t see you there,” he said, adjusting his grip on the box of tools that he was carrying, undoubtedly on his way to fix something on the behalf of the Student Council.

Yet in spite of his friendly demeanor, his mere presence made her tense up. After all, how did she know that the “Fake Janitor” persona he showed around school wasn’t just a front, like Rin’s “School Idol” persona? In her mind Emiya Shirou was almost certainly another Magus, personally trained by Emiya Kiritsugu, the Magus Killer, her sister’s murderer. And that made Emiya Shirou her enemy. Of course, she could have reported him to Rin at any time, but while Kiritsugu lived since was unwilling to act out of fear of retribution, and now… well, she just didn’t want to broach the subject, and she didn’t have proof that Shirou was a Magus anyway. Besides, he didn’t seem to be hurting anyone… yet.

“Excuse me. I have to go,” she replied tersely, averting her gaze from him. Even if by chance Shirou was completely innocent, he was still a living reminder of Emiya Kiritsugu and what she had lost ten years ago.

----

Shirou sighed. For as long as he could remember, Ayaka hadn’t liked him, and he didn’t know why. But he could tell just from looking at her that she was unhappy. Ayaka rarely smiled, and increasingly her attention seemed to be elsewhere. Then again, he couldn’t really blame for her that; she had lost her family in that fire. Of course, he had lost his birth family too, but the trauma of the blaze had wiped away his old self, so that loss wasn’t as stinging to him as-

“PLEASE!”

“HELP US!”

“I’M DYING HERE!”

Shirou went rigid at the memory, and heard a clang as his toolbox fell to the floor. Scarcely aware of his surroundings, he could see the fires again, and he felt his heart pounding.

“Emiya, are you alright?” a voice asked as a firm hand gripped his shoulder, brining him back to reality.

“Oh – thanks, Issei. Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

“You tried talking to Sajyou again.” Ryuudou Issei stated flatly.

“Yeah, I did.”

“She’s a nice girl. She’s humble and a hard-worker. Pretty too, but she isn’t a devil like Tohsaka who tries to wrap every guy in school around her thumb. She’s on the gloomy side though, and you should know by now that she doesn’t like you. You’d have a better chance even with Tohsaka, and for your sake don’t try that.”

“It’s not like that, Issei. I’d just like to see her smile for once.”

Sajyou Ayaka. In a way, she was far stronger than him, as her mind hadn’t collapsed under the horrors of the fire. He had been able to rebound by dedicating himself to achieving the ideal of being a hero of justice that his father, Kiritsugu, had been unable to reach five years ago. But it seemed to him that instead of moving forward, Ayaka was still lost among the rubble, wherever she had been when Kiritsugu had found her ten years ago, only going through the motions of living. And so he wished to save her. What sort of hero of justice would he be if he couldn’t even help someone in as much need as her and would never see her smile? And maybe if he could save her he would truly understand what his father felt when he saved a young boy.

----

Above them, Tohsaka Rin had watched as Ayaka ran through the gate. There was no sign of a Servant, nor Command Spells upon her. Good. Her friend showed no signs of going back on her word; it would be most unfortunate if she had to kill Sajyou in the coming War. She knew that Sajyou couldn’t be a serious threat next to her, but she nonetheless steeled herself, telling herself that she would strike her down without mercy should it become necessary. Where her father had failed, she would claim the Holy Grail.

Only a few Servants remained to be summoned. According to Kirei, only Caster, Archer, and Saber were left, and the remaining would-be Masters were sure to complete their own summoning rituals in the next few days. Thus, the time was right. Tonight, she would conduct the ritual and summon Saber, the strongest Servant, to her side at precisely 2 a.m., when her powers were at their daily peak. With her skill and the few remaining Servants, she was sure that she would get one she desired.

Rin fought the urge to yawn. She already wasn’t a morning person, and her clock had broken earlier that morning, causing her to come to school an hour too early. But she wouldn’t let a lack of sleep stop her from summoning Saber. Everything would be perfect!

[Magus]

So evidently someone on the Fanfiction.net version of this story wants me to summon both Saber and Proto!Saber. Unfortunately for them, that won't be happening. While way back in the creative process I considered that last summer, I quickly rejected it, as such a mechanical violation of Grail War Rules was too significant for a serious story. Now granted, Manaka may be able to bend certain rules of the War compared to regular Fate/Stay Night, but as this is a crossover with Fate/Prototype and those modifications are in line with what happened in Fate/Prototype I don't feel bad about making them.

Besides, I think the modifications I've made to the Servant roster, plus some other twists I have planned (as detailed in the ideas thread) should prove more interesting than just having Arturia/Altria and Arthur.

----

On an unrelated note, I am wondering if I want to make some omakes, namely "Taiga Dojos", as the story progresses. Of course, in Taiga's own words, these skits destroy the mood of the route, but on the other hand, they (and the associated Dead Ends) are very much a part of the Fate experience and flavor.

[kinlyki]

I'm fine with the omakes.

[Magus]

Yeah, I can keep a consistently serious tone in the main chapters (and any Dead Ends that I choose to include in omakes) but then occasionally lighten things up with a helpful Taiga Dojo! It's not a Fate route without them. And the Dojo is also the natural place for various characters who didn't make the cut into the main story to appear for a cameo.

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Considering the "Death Sentence" Ayaka is under, she might be paying a visit to the Dojo very soon....

[Nobody]

I also second the dojo. Also, quick question. If Ayaka doesn't want to fight in the war, can't she just give up her command seals and hide out in the church?

[Magus]

I also second the dojo. Also, quick question. If Ayaka doesn't want to fight in the war, can't she just give up her command seals and hide out in the church?

Noted.

As for Ayaka just giving up her Command Spells.., yes, that is certainly a valid option for her. And I thank you for bringing up that point... that's Dead End #2!

While she might not be reduced to a head, courtesy of Berserker, if she drops out of the war, as Shirou did in Fate/Stay Night, there are a few points to consider. (a). She would end up spending the rest of the war with Kotomine, and as we know, he is not trustworthy. And (b) even if Kotomine does not bring harm to her, events are moving in the background, and if she does not fight, they will eventually catch up to her and then there will be no place for her to hide or way for her to defend herself, and in the meantime, through her inaction the others will be killed too. Either way, DEAD END.

Of course, Ayaka does not know the extent of Kotomine's untrustworthiness, though she certainly wouldn't relish being confined with him for the duration of the war. And she has no reasonable means of knowing of the broader events that are about to cast a shadow over the 5th Holy Grail War. So the key to her logic would be along the following lines. She wasn't able to run away from the Holy Grail War no matter how she wanted nothing to do with it. And she still suffers from that same fatalism and on some level believes there's truly no escape for her from it even if she does yield the position of Master. So even if she will most likely die either way, she will make the decision to fight rather than hide anymore, taking the battle to her enemies and working to ensure that the catastrophe of the 4th War does not repeat itself. And, while she may still be wary of the Grail, if she mistakenly believes that that the mud from the Grail was only the result of an evil wish, rather than the Grail itself being tainted to the core with Angra Mainyu, can she truly deny that her heart desperately wishes to see her father, sister, and mother again? It's those strong desires, as well as the will to survive, that mark her as a Master.

[Magus]

Well, I reserve the right for Illya to potentially murder Ayaka with Berserker in one of the Dead Ends. Berserker is just too convenient of a murder machine for me to promise otherwise.

But Illya certainly won't be keeping Ayaka's head in any case. And I do promise that such a Dead End won't come about following Ayaka surrendering her Command Seals at the Church.

[Nobody]

Ah, okay. I'd thought dropping out might end up in a dead end.

[Magus]

Taiga Dojo #1: Flight/Clipped Wings

The next day, after visiting her family’s graves in the rain, Ayaka realized that she could no longer lie to herself. She had to take action now or she would be killed once the Holy Grail War started. She could have sought sanctuary in Kotomine Church, but she didn’t relish the thought of being cooped up with her guardian, the fake priest, for the duration of the war. And nor could she ask Rin for shelter; the other Magus was undoubtedly completing her own preparations for the War and would not welcome any interruptions. At best, she’d be told to either take shelter at the Church or leave Fuyuki. And Ayaka knew that all of Fuyuki was to become a battleground, perhaps only in a matter of hours. So she would do what she should have done long ago and flee to safety. Maybe she could lie low in Misaki Town or Mifune City, or even return to the Sajyou’s old home outside of Tokyo. All that mattered was that she got away from Fuyuki before the night was over.

And so she hurried home and grabbed a bag, hastily packing it with a few changes of clothes, some food, whatever money she had around the house, and a few valuables that she could exchange for more while she was away. She also grabbed her mother’s ring and securely fastened the Mystic Code to her finger; there was a chance that she would have to fight while making her escape and she didn’t want to be unprepared.

Satisfied that she had the necessities, she slipped out through the back, leaving the lights on to create the impression that Sajyou Manor was still occupied. With any luck that misdirection and the Bounded Field still around the house would distract her would-be assailants and buy her some time.

The sun had already set as she neared the station, and Ayaka hoped that she wasn’t too late. In any case, she was sure that no one had seen her come this way.

"Good evening, Sajyou Ayaka.”

Ayaka froze. Someone knew she was here after all! And that someone was most likely a Magus!

From the fog appeared what looked like a young girl with pale skin, silver hair, and red eyes wearing a warm purple coat. But Ayaka knew better. It was an Einzbern homunculus!

There was a humming sound in the air, and a familiar in the form of a glowing bird made of fine wire flew past Ayaka and to the homunculus’ side.

“I should introduce myself,” the homunculus continued. “I am Illyasviel von Einzbern. But you may call me Illya.” Her tone was polite, but it unmistakably carried a threat.

“If it’s about the Grail War, I want nothing to do with it!” Ayaka shouted, feeling panic grip her heart. “I’m nowhere near the Magus my sister was! Please! Just let me go!” She was under no illusions that she could defeat one of the Einzbern’s creations in a duel of Magecraft.

“You should have left Fuyuki earlier then or sought refuge at the church.” Illya replied pitilessly. “I don’t have anything against you, Sajyou, but I was told to eliminate you if we crossed paths so that there won’t be any surprises from your family this time. It’s unfortunate that you haven’t summoned a Servant yet, but I suppose this is a good chance for me to warm up before I deal with my brother. If you play along, I won’t even set Berserker on you until the end!”

Berserker? Illya was the Master of Berserker?

Focus, Ayaka. What were her options? If she ran, she’d be leaving her back exposed to Illyasviel’s familiar…. or the Einzbern would simply have Berserker mow her down. Her only choice was to fight! And with that resolution, she tossed aside her bag and held out the hand with her mother’s ring on it, steadying her aim with the other, but she couldn’t stop trembling.

“I’m pleased you’ve chosen to fight, Ayaka. Show me the best you can muster.”

Ayaka concentrated, feeling the burn of prana as it rushed through her Magic Circuits, and invoked the spell that had been passed down to her, a plume of black feathers bursting into existence and then flying toward their targets like a storm of tiny blades. She must have gotten lucky, for some of the feathers clipped Illya’s familiar, causing it to tumble out of the sky before failing and bursting apart, but Illya herself was protected from harm by a Bounded Field that disintegrated the feathers as they drew near her.

“An unconventional attack,” Illya murmured. “But I wonder how well it can deal with moving targets.” And pulling two strands of hair from her head, she fashioned another pair of familiars in a matter of moments, each identical to the one Ayaka had dispatched.

And then they attacked, deftly weaving between Ayaka’s plumes while returning fire of their own, sending bright blue bolts of energy flying toward Ayaka, erupting against the pavement as they landed all around her. Losing her balance as she tried to put distance between herself and the bird familiars, Ayaka fell, and they wasted no time in pressing their advantage, one shooting her in the leg so she couldn’t stand and another punching a hole in the side of her chest. The wound was deep, as if a bullet had struck her, and Ayaka instantly knew that it would prove fatal without healing or prompt medical attention, painfully bleeding her out over the course of a few minutes, if the familiars didn’t finish her off first.

But the familiars had stopped, simply hovering in the air above her, and looking up Ayaka saw that Illya was walking toward her.

“That’s all, Ayaka?” she said with a pout. “Well, I’ll admit that I had hoped you would put up a better fight. But since you played along with me, I’ll grant you a quick death, and even show you my Servant. Come, Berserker!”

Ayaka could only gape as a massive, dark… thing… materialized before her, absurdly muscular, large enough to crush her in its fists if it wished, and with the red gleam of madness in an eye.

“Ayaka, this is Hercules, the strongest Greek Hero. Now Berserker, make it quick.”

The monster before her raised a massive stone blade.... and with a bellow of “__________________!!!” swung it down upon her, swiftly cutting her in two, cleaving through her spine and her stomach, leaving Sajyou Ayaka’s world filled with red and pain. But already the pain seemed to be fading away as her body shut down, and for a moment she thought she could see her family before her.

“I’m sorry Dad, and Mom… And Manaka… I’ll…”

She made a weak attempt to reach out to them, but her hand fell limply in front of her, and then she was gone.

DEAD END


….


….


….

Was that a light? She thought she could almost hear the clatter of shinai against each other. Where was she?


“Rise and shine!” a bubbly voice called out, and Ayaka felt a shinai land on her head, startling her awake.

Adjusting her glasses, she saw… her English teacher? “Fujimura-sensei?”

“It’s fine, I’m just Sensei here!”, Ms. Fujimura chuckled, waving her hand. Ayaka then noticed that her teacher was dressed in a kendo uniform and holding the shinai that had whacked her.

Then Ms. Fujimura noticed her. “My! I never expected to see you here! Usually it’s Shirou after he does something stupid, or even more often something not reckless enough.” Her eyes went wide. “Does this make you the new heroine? Student! You have to see this!”

“Coming, Sensei!” And bounding in, dressed in gym clothes was… Illya. What was she doing here?

“Student! I think we have a new heroine!”

Illya looked at Ayaka in disbelief before a scandalized expression formed on her face. “What? No fair! She gets a route before I do?!”

WHACK!

“My head!” Illya cried, nursing a comically large bump left by Ms. Fujimura’s shinai.

“Well, I guess I should get to explaining this place. Welcome to the Taiga Dojo, the mysterious helpful hint corner that helps you avoid all of the Dead Ends!”

“Dead End…” Ayaka whispered. “Oh…”

“You!” she shouted at Illya. “You killed me!”

“Well Berserker did, and what else was I supposed to do when you were walking around, almost defenseless when you knew the Grail War would be starting up? That’s almost a Shirou-level of idiocy!”

Ms. Fujimura nodded, “Student is right! What you did was very foolish, Ayaka. If you’re already at home, you’re better off staying there. And you may be able to find something there that can help you. Though I can’t promise that it would have let you fend off Berserker.”

“Berserker’s so strong! Nobody can beat him!”

WHACK!

“Except for all of the times he was defeated in the other routes, Student! In fact, Berserker doesn’t survive in a single one of them, or had you forgotten?”

“But this is a new route! Berserker might survive this time!”

Ayaka could only look on in complete puzzlement. What were these “routes” that they were talking about?

“Well, that’s almost all of the time that we have for today,” Ms. Fujimura told her. “Do you now know what you need to do to avoid your Dead End, new heroine?”

“But… I’m dead,” Ayaka protested. “Berserker cut me in two. This is some sort of strange afterlife or near-death hallucination… I just wish I could see my family again.”

WHACK!

This time it was Ayaka who was reeling from the full force of the shinai.

“What do they teach kids these days?” Ms. Fujimura huffed. “I’ll have you know that my Dojo isn’t the afterlife, nor a mere hallucination! “ Moderating her tone, she continued, “You just have to start again from your last save and choose differently next time.”

“Save?” Now she was really confused.

“Look!” Ms. Fujimura said, sweating and waving her hands rapidly. “Don’t worry about it! You’ll just wake up in the morning and have no memory that this occurred! Just don’t forget what we told you!”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“My, my! We’ve gone overtime!” Ms. Fujimura exclaimed as she grabbed Ayaka, wheeled her around, and started pushing her toward the door. “But know that we at the Taiga Dojo will always be here for you if you need help avoiding another Dead End!”

“Yeah! You’ll be back soon!” cried Illya, her voice growing distant as Ayaka’s surroundings grew indistinct. “I won’t let you steal-”

WHACK!

And then the mysterious Dojo was no longer behind her, and Sajyou Ayaka drifted to sleep.

[Walnut Sparks]

“I won’t let you steal-”

heheheheheHAHAHAHAHA...

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I like Ayaka's and Shirou's views of each other. It's cute and sad.