Kariya's Legacy

[Twi]

Kariya's Legacy
A Fate / Stay Night Fanfic

Summary: Due to a chance meeting with Kariya before the events of Fate/Zero, Shinji strives to follow in his uncle's footsteps and save Sakura from damnation of the Matou Clan. To do so, he must make many sacrifices and will endure pain like no other to compete in the next Holy Grail War, including becoming a Spellcaster—all for Sakura's sake. An AU Fate Stay Night story.

About this Thread:
Okay, so I came up with this fic some time ago and I'm starting on it again. I work out of The Fanfiction Forum the most, but it's rather dry over there when it comes to advice on the Nasuverse and I want some advice on and feed back. So, following fallacies' advice, I'm posting here now.


Index
Current Chapters (Off-site for now, will post in thread later): Prologue - 10
Chapter 11: Working on Outline



Question on Spell #1
Currently getting back into writing this, but came up with an idea for a spell I want to run by the Nasu-wisemen of the forum. Onmyoudo has weather manipulation as a trait (or at least it will in this fic), so one spell I want to have Shinji engineer near the end of the war is the ability to summon a true lightning bolt with the preparation being that the ritual summons a thunder cloud.

The ritual would end up gathering enough moisture inside of a bounded field and then raise it up into the air using heat until it reached a cold pocket further up, at the second layer of the bounded field to cool into a storm cloud. From there, he would use his prana to control the flow of the step-leader and streamers so that the bolt struck the marked target. Unlike using the lightning element, it's a true thunder cloud so the lightning hits fast enough that there is no dodging it. I think it would take about an hour to form normally, but the prana for maintaining it would require him to leech off a leyline or the equivalent.

Question on Chapter #11 Outline
Okay, for the next chapter, I'm debating on how to have it go.

The first part is Lancer vs Rider, in which Lancer is using his rune magecraft to enhance his hounds while laying traps for Rider before supercharging his spear with prana from a rune circle and then hawking it at him. I'm thinking that Lu Bu should be able to tank it well because of his magic resistence but not too well before he starts hammering away at Lancer, tripping his luck check into a berserker state. From there, Rider calls Red Hare to trample him (sort of like the Rider of the previous war ran over lancelot). He retreats into astral form by Kirei's orders, and Lu Bu states that whether he fled or not he'd won.

And then Shinji tells Rider to get back there because Hercules is there.

The second part is Saber vs Archer, the latter of whom barely holds her back, allowing Archer to figure out that she has a complete connection with Shirou. He breaks away and warns her that Berkerserk is nearing her master before falling down from the building and going into Astral Form after shooting her with an arrow that explodes when she jumps after him. Saber then starts to run back to where Shirou is.

The third part is Shirou telling her that Kiritsugu wanted to save her and he promised to do so. She tells him that she'll listen to him once she has his head and orders Berserker to get him as Rider shows up. Shinji tries to get Shirou to retreat, but he won't go because he has to try and reach out to her. Ilya then points out that neither of them are escaping before unleashing her familiars at them, leaving them to try and fend them off while Rider gets both his arms torn off by Berserker. Shinji forces him into astral form before he can die and tells Shirou to summon Saber. He does and Saber picks up the battle while Shirou tries to reach out to her again, but Ilya doesn't want to hear it so she orders one familiar to go into sword form and it skewers him, causing Shinji to scream his name and Saber to kill Berserker once with Invisible Air to get to his side.

Even skewered, he tries to tell her that he wants her to come with him and Ilya says it's boring listening to the ramblings of someone about to die before dismissing the familiar and letting him bleed out. Shinji says that he can save him as long as he's alive. The Berserker comes back to life and Shinji has Bashe swallow him and Emiya by forcibly taking control of it while Saber remains behind. Ilya waits for them to go before telling Berserker to take her home and warning Saber that the next time she meets them she'll kill them all.

The final part is Ilya walking home and deep in thought about his words.

How does that sound?

[ZidanReign]

one of my favorites comes here

avid fan of this story, twi

I'm rather tired so I can't into lore rn, gl on advice

[Renko]

I read this one too.

Odd that it wasn't posted here until now.

[Twi]

Yeah, I probably should have posted sooner. Just call it laziness on my part.

[Twi]

Prologue: Shinji Matou, Spellcaster

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Summary: Due to a chance meeting with Kariya before the events of Fate/Zero, Shinji strives to follow in his uncle's footsteps and save Sakura from damnation of the Matou Clan. To do so, he must make many sacrifices and will endure pain like no other to compete in the next Holy Grail War, including becoming a Spellcaster—all for Sakura's sake.

[Prologue -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

Before the 4th Holy Grail War


Shinji Matou should have been in bed that night, slumbering before his flight out of the country to study abroad. But he couldn't sleep. It was a small thing—just a bit of anticipation and fright before he went far away and would leave his home, his grandfather, his father, and his new sister, Sakura.


He was her big brother now and soon to be the head of the Matou house. The head had to look after the youngest, so he opened his arms and accepted her, a stranger, into their home. He took that quiet girl and showed her around the house, teaching her how things worked since she was new here.


Despite what he said, Shinji had kinda gotten to like Sakura over the last year or so. He simply showed it in a different way. Sure he picked on her occasionally, but that was because it showed her he noticed her.


Not like his grandfather, who ignored him for the most part. Or his dad, more so lately since he had started drinking even more than usual. He didn't know what happened to his mother, only the fact that she died.


Seeking to remedy the lack of sleep, he decided to get a glass of milk from the kitchen and made his way down the Matou estate to do so, passing by the floor where the family head's study would be. He wasn't allowed in it yet, nor the basement, but once he became the head when he was older he could go wherever he wanted. Entering the kitchen, he froze as he saw someone there. Who was this pale, ugly man who trespassed in their home?


"Ah…" said the man in a raspy voice, after a long and arduous breath. "Shinji? I see you've…gotten bigger than the pictures I'd seen…"


That voice sounded familiar to Shinji, on he heard over the phone arguing with his father. Taking a guess, he said, "Uncle Kariya?"


The man nodded weakly, making his way over to a chair. "Yeah, it's me."


"What happened to you?" Shinji asked. He only saw his uncle in photos, but he didn't look like this.


"Oh…" he froze, trying to think of what to say. Shinji didn't know about the Matou magus line just yet, if they ever planned on telling him. The kid didn't realize how lucky he had it. "This…was the price I paid for power. Is Sakura around?"


"She's asleep," Shinji said.


"I see…" Kariya let out a pained sigh and sat down the chair, his head leaned back with the hood of his parka covering his eyes. "Ah…I could use something to drink…"


"Let me get it," Shinji said, going to the refrigerator and opening it. Looking at the contents, he pulled out a bottle of water and placed in front of his uncle.


"Thank you," he said, before quietly drinking it down.


Shinji watched him while pulling at the bangs of his hair. He wanted to try and gather up the courage to ask what he always wanted to know. His father and grandfather (whenever he saw the old man) seemed to dislike him. "Why did you leave the family? Dad always complains that you should be the one to be the heir…"


It boggled young Shinji's mind that someone would turn down the wealth of the Matou home, being one of the oldest families with ties everywhere in Fuyuki. They had hundreds years of history in this land. What about their family name was so bad that the one who should have been the next family had ran away and forsaken it?


"Byakuya said that, huh?" Kariya let out what sounded like a mad laugh before sighing again. "I imagine living as your grandfather's puppet has left him a shell of a man. He should have followed in my footsteps and left this place behind, even if it meant becoming a pauper. Maybe then he could've lived a life with you and your mother away from all this and let the Matou name fall into oblivion like it should."


Shinji blinked. "But…why did you leave?"


"Pray you never find out," Kariya told him. After a moment of looking at his nephew and seeing a younger, innocent version of his brother, he said, "The Matou Clan has many dark, disgusting secrets, Shinji. To be the head means to learn them all and endure the suffering that comes with it. Your father's drinking came from those secrets, and my body is breaking because of them as well. I came back so Sakura could be freed from those secrets and suffering."


"What do you mean?" Shinji asked as he sat in a chair across from the man. His little sister was suffering? He just thought she was quiet. As the one looking out for her, he should know these things.


"Tell me Shinji," he said with a rasp. "What do you see when you look at her?"


Sakura was weird since he had known her. "She's quiet and…empty. It's creepy."


"She wasn't always like that," Kariya said, his lips trembling. "She was outgoing, like her mother, Aoi Tohsaka, only for that to be snuffed out in three days time."


So her original last name was Tohsaka…Shinji thought. He never did learn who Sakura was before she got here. He never thought much about it. "You knew her mother?"


"I…was in love with her mother," he said. "I wanted her to be happy, so I left her with someone I thought she could be happy with. I wanted her to be happy no matter what and so I bowed out and left to get away from the old vampire's plans and risk sentencing her to the same fate as your mother."


Shinji noted the man's features growing darker with rage, his hand crushing the bottle so that the remaining water surged out and washed over his quaking hand. "Then I learned that Sakura's bastard of a father abandoned her to Zouken!"


Kariya started coughing violently and Shinji was afraid for the man's health...and kinda scared, but he wouldn't admit that. "U-uncle?"


Kariya took several deep breaths and calmed his soul. "Shinji…I'm going off to fight for her. If I don't make it back…"


Shinji swallowed in anticipation at the words that he seemed to be struggling to say. "Yes?"


"Please, look after Sakura," he asked in voice that was trembling with resolve, but he held no delusions about his chances of survival. "Cast out of her home, forced apart from her mother and sister by the bastard, and now…she has to bear that unholy thing our family calls a legacy. Please…"


"I will," Shinji said after a moment. "I promise, no matter what. It's my job as the older brother to do that, and the future head of Matou."


"Thank you," the older Matou's expression softened after that and Kariya rose from the chair and made his way to the door. For the first and last time, Shinji saw his uncle smile as he opened the door and walked away in his half-broken body. He wouldn't see his uncle ever again after that, but his promise would remain in place for years to come.


It was some time later when Shinji learned just what horrible secrets his family held onto. While he was studying abroad, he received one final thing left behind by his uncle. It was a letter, telling him that he wished for Shinji to remember their promise: Look after Sakura.


In order for him to do that, he needed to know the sins of the Matou, so he could understand her pain and sorrow. So, keeping his promise, Shinji disobeyed his father and looked into the room where they often took Sakura for hours on end…only to see the nightmare that was every waking moment of Sakura's life.


The sound of the meaty worms writhing around, hungrily partaking in the girl's innocence as she lied their lifeless, was sickening. Even more so was the smell of the dark and dank chamber. There was no hope to be found inside that…that…hellhole.


Shinji shut the door and ran, unsure what to do or think. Why did his father and grandfather subject her to such a thing nearly every day? Why didn't she say something?


He needed to know why, but his father was dead drunk somewhere and his grandfather…Shinji shivered at the thought, somehow recalling that same feeling he got from that place and his elderly caretaker. He needed answers, and there was only one other place to get it since his uncle had died.


He entered the study that only the head of the Matou could enter and combed through the knowledge there for hours without realizing it, learning that his clan was one of Magecraft users. Those worms were a part of their family's mysteries, and that was considered training for the head of the clan, meaning she was the head and not him.


For a moment, he was angry. That moment passed when his thoughts came back to that pit of worms and basement of corpses. Sakura didn't deserve hatred, not for saving him from that. Now he had to return the favor.


As he looked over more and more of the information, more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. His uncle had the right idea about getting away from his family and saving her. The question was how was he going to save Sakura?


He lacked the Magic Circuit to perform Magecraft according to the notes he found. His uncle had them and failed apparently due to a lack of formal training. So how was he going to do what Kariya failed to?


"There has to be some way," Shinji muttered as he fished through the numerous tomes for even one that would give him the strength to do so. It was then that he brushed off an old tome on the back shelf, hand-written and authored by his grandfather.


And Shinji saw it as the answer he had been searching for.


It would take time, but even if it was one-chance in a fifty, he would become capable of Magecraft, free Sakura, and, better yet, change the system of the Matou into something that didn't make his skin crawl. His uncle ran away from the Matou name out of disgust. His father resigned himself to being a puppet of the Matou name, drinking away his sorrow. His grandfather clung to their aged traditions, continuously in pursuit of a goal that sacrificed even family to do so and the price of failure was steep.


Shinji would surpass them all.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Three Years later

Shinji went silent for final time, his mind teetering on the edge of destruction once again after he screamed loud and hard for roughly half-a-day before the spiritual surgery was complete. Lying naked on a platform in the basement that normally served as Sakura's training grounds, Shinji Matou had been reborn through the hellish pain of having his very soul perverted to an extent that even the girl could sympathize with. His body had become paler than before, as the physical expression of the what now resided in his soul stretched through his body like a second nervous system, and the strain of the surgery had gave him bleach-white stripes alongside his blue hair.

"I had to admit, I was rather surprised by your request," said a man dressed in an ashen robe that had seen many years, with a cowl shielding his face. In a soft, but crude voice, he continued with, "To transplant the circuits from a magus to a non-magus was something that few would ever do on sheer principle—after all, circuits run the risk of being destroyed like that for nothing."

A wet chuckle came from Zouken's mouth as he looked from the boy to the Spiritual Doctor he enlisted from an old contact he still had in Russia. "I figured I may as well take the defective materials I had to work with and see if something productive could be made from them."

To be honest, he found it amusing and somewhat unexpected that his useless grandson managed to endure each session. It was even more amusing that the boy was the one who opted to take his dying father's Magic Circuit after reading up on an old theory of his. To think he had originally considered just getting rid of the boy after Kariya somehow managed to convince him to accept—not just tolerate, but actually accept—the girl.

Upon having the role as the head of the Matou taken from him to be given to her, something he was supposed to think was his birthright, Shinji was supposed to have become abusive, driving her further into despair over time. Once puberty kicked in and the worms inside her became active a few years before the next war, he would also serve a purpose of keeping her in balance by dealing with those urges. Zouken did not like changing his plans, even though he was perfectly capable of it!

But such a death, while it would still serve to drive a minor wedge into the girl's mental defense, was pointless for the moment. Fifteen circuits of the twenty-three from Byakuya's soul managed to successfully integrate into him. It was less than the average magus, admittedly, but still a boon given the low-rate of success.

Magic Circuit Transference—it was an absurd idea Zouken had conceived in his youth, shortly before discarding the notion and relying to his current method of prolonging his life through his worms. The process of engraving the circuits onto Shinji's soul was excruciating, to say the least—what with peeling away his humanity inch-by-inch, exposing his naked soul to the absent mercy of the doctor, who soldered one circuit as slowly as possible to get the best results every session. The boy had far more willpower than even he expected just to function after the first surgery, let alone the twenty-third one.

Even though Shinji lived through the process and somehow came out sane, if results were consistent with the last twenty-two times, his body had been weakened and he would suffered as his uncle did. It would be a constant reminder of what awaited those who disappointed him and a living monument to the price others paid for the girl's sake, never allowing her to forget that it is all because she refused to simply give in.

Zouken looked at the boy again, pleased to a small extent that his earlier research held up to his standards. "Are you not satisfied for being called out for such a monumental task?"


A smile crept up on the doctor's face. "The simple fact that I may have successfully created the first artificial magus alone, with these hands, was more than enough of a reason for me to come. The research on his body's rejection of the foreign elements of the first five circuits and then acceptance of seventeen due to a hereditary Sorcery Trait thought useless was more than enough. I dare I may take my fruits to the Department of Spiritual Invocation in the Clock Tower."


Zouken had to admit that for the process to go so well, even with the somewhat talented Spiritual Doctor transplanting the circuits, was simply an unexpected boon from the Sorcery Trait he inherited from his mother. She had been the daughter of a third-rate magus from the continent that Byakuya had wedded and was a Carrier for the Sorcery trait 'Inheritor', which should have maximized the chances of Shinji having circuits upon birth. However, even if that didn't happen, the Sorcery Trait was still inherited and made the transference of the circuits much more plausible.


Inheritance covered many things. One could inherit wealth and other things upon birth…or the death of the original owner. Why should the Magic Circuit be any different? Maybe he had been too hasty in discarding the woman rather than forcing her to deliver another offspring through some lesser means.


Byakuya had been a failure, of that he had no doubt. The fact that Shinji had managed to enter the study for the last few years as he pleased due to his father's lush behavior was even more of a reason for Zouken to dismiss him. But, in light of the success, Zouken decided that Byakuya would finally be allowed to die in peace, compared to his current state of being placed between life and death for the transplant.


The writhing of the gross familiars everywhere bought another thing to the mind of the doctor. "While it was a success, I am afraid that the use of your clan's mysteries through typical means would result in his complete destruction. I would prefer he lived long enough to show he is capable of the Art to even a small extent to further my research. He shouldn't attempt anything for at least a month, and I would like periodic reports of his progress over time."


"Very well," he agreed to all the requests, especially not to use the Crest Worms as he did Kariya. It was not out of kindness, but the fact that the grail wouldn't be active for some time and, as it stood, Shinji would be lucky to reach his father's age. That being said, he wouldn't waste any more time than he already did outside of training the girl and plotting his next movements.


Shinji would simply have to make do with what he could find until the war began and he ran out of uses. Perhaps, out of some sense of twisted and sadistic post-mortem gratitude for the woman who had been the boy's mother, he would reach out to her remaining family and have them take the child for a year or so and rehabilitate him.


It never hurt to be thankful.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

One Month Later


"I'll be leaving for a little while, Sakura," Shinji said as he patted Sakura on the head. "It's only for a year or so, but I'll come back for you better than ever before. In order to keep my promise, I'll become a magus."


Sakura looked at her older brother with tears in her eyes. So far he had been the only light in the darkness after uncle Kariya died, showing her the price of fighting back against their grandfather. Even then, she could see Shinji was suffering just to do this for her. "Nii-sama, your health—"


"I'll be fine," he switched to giving her a light noogie. "From what I've learned, Mother's sister is taking me in and passing down what her father practiced. Since he was just a third-rate magus by standards, that isn't much and it shouldn't put too much of a strain on my body before I get accustomed to using my circuits. Plus she's some kind of medicine woman too."


He leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Hold onto hope, and wait for me. Okay?"


She nodded, watching as he got into the car and prepared for another long trip. She wiped away the forming tears and refused to cry anymore as Zouken approached her from the side and prepared to usher her into the hellhole again. She would bear it without her brother's kindness, clinging to that distant hope.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

One Plane Trip Later


Fang Yin was not happy to be in the airport, waiting her sister's son. Not after her sister died because he supposedly wasn't born as with a Magic Circuit. Now he had been supposedly turned into an Artificial Magus?


Bullshit. If such a thing were possible in the first place, why did her sister have to die as the price of failure before that old worm…If he hadn't paid upfront enough money to let her thrive for the next few years she would have hung up the phone and burned it for good measure, so she didn't have to even think of hearing his slimy voice again. She hated the Matou name as much as she hated her father.


Her father was just a third-rate magus who got himself killed pursing the Art. He had been lucky enough to have been born into a family with relatively new linage and a Sorcery Trait, but unlucky enough to be born without talent and thusly passed up for his family crest that was starting to develop. He wasn't supposed to learn of magic, but he did and decided to attempt to make it on his own, taking what little knowledge he could gather in time and running off only to die a pauper who sold her beloved sister for a chance to explore and recreate a dying craft.


Her sister resigned to her fate without complaint, seeing it as a chance to better their lives through sacrificing hers. The money paid by Zouken would help their father accomplish his goal somewhat and they would have enough to live. Fang Yin trained in her abilities in Chinese Alchemy rather than her father's field, allowing her to produce medicines and concoctions that still held a great deal of worth to the populace of her country, even in this age of digital encroachment.


But more money never hurt, and she would admit she was greedy after growing up poor. So she'd take the brat in and teach him the minimal basics to become a third-rate magus seeking knowledge for knowledge, hand over the remnants of her father's research, and then send him back to the worm thing in the shape of a bitter, short, impotent old man.


As she spotted the pale boy with blue and white hair, she resigned herself to her task. To think her sister died to give birth to a carbon copy of that puppet man…with the exception of his hair. She spun on her heel and started walking after he met up with her. "Keep up boy. I won't slow down for your sake since I have a tall order to fill this week."

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Three Days Later


"I've told you," Fang Yin said, tired annoyance lacing her voice. She had already given him medicine laced with magical energy to force open the Magic Circuit and now she was telling him to switch to the circuits as the feeling in his limbs returned. "You need to have something that triggers a reaction to serve as a switch on your Magic Circuit."


Shinji huffed in frustration and gritted his teeth as the sweat rolled from his brow. Everything was harder than he had imagined for the last three years upon reading the knowledge from the Matou study. Practical application was always harder in retrospect, let alone with the added difficulties.


He was burning as he tried to trigger the fifteen in his head to open. The scent of weird medicines in the small studio apartment that served as the location of where she practiced the Art seemed to make him feel even dizzier than before, entering his nose and perverting his mind. He could feel the sheer animosity rolling off the woman as well.


Shinji wasn't dumb. He lived with Zouken and his father, who were far less reserved about it than her. The source of their anger was always his Magic Circuit. The men disliked him because he lacked them, and now that he had them she disliked him. As long as it didn't hinder his training it was fine.


After another failure late in the evening, Fang Yin merely told him to go to bed. Lighting the elegant tobacco pipe she pulled from her robe, she wandered off to get back to her own craft and pushed the thoughts of the Byakuya clone to side and delved into her work. Hours later, as the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, she surfaced from her workshop and back into the room…only to see the brat still going at it.


What the Hell? Fang Yin thought, listening to the Byakuya clone swear under his breath words that a boy his age shouldn't know. He was still trying? "I thought I told you to go to bed, Brat."

He shook his head and tried once again to access his circuits.


"You're just burning yourself out," she said, slightly more annoyed that he didn't listen. "It can wait, you have all year."


"Don't say something as ridiculous as that," he said in an aggravated and tired tone, trying to conjure up a mental image strong enough to invoke a reaction to fire off his inherited circuits. "I can't afford to take this slow and lounge around. Not on this."


The stupid brat is going to kill himself from exhaustion at this rate, she thought, watching him try again. A mental debate waged to see if she should just knock him out and drag him to bed, but she relented, allowing him to do as he pleased. "Fine, just try to die without making a mess."

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Later…


Oh, come on, Fang Yin thought. Shinji's figure was paler than before and his shirt was stained and soaked through. He was still trying! Honestly, he really is going to die at this rate.


On one hand, she could go back to not having to feed more than one person a day. On the other, the old worm would be crossed…no, he wouldn't care that an unimportant puppet like him had gotten broken. That old worm kept the things he truly valued closer to his chest and within reach.


Screw it, I don't feel like getting rid of a corpse today. Fang Yin sat down, crossed her legs, and flicked him in the head, causing Shinji to yelp. It hurt a lot more than he expected. "What's the rush? Are you that eager to die or follow the words of that old worm?"


Shinji looked up at her. "I am not like my father and I'm not doing this to please grandfather."


Fang Yin raised an eyebrow.


"Even if I possess father's circuits, he was a failure who bowed to grandfather's wishes and drowned himself in sorrow as a puppet," he said, concentrating again. "I have no intention of doing the same. I promised uncle to protect my sister and for that I need power for that alone."


That was news to her. "What sister? You were an only child."


"She was adopted from another magus family that followed the tradition of one magus per family and given to grandfather to be…trained." Shinji shuddered, briefly recalling the scene of those things all around her. "She doesn't complain about or anything, she just accepts it without fighting back, so I have to do it for her."


Fang Yin felt a pang of rage and sympathy. That was the same thing that happened to her own sister, bought by that old worm to serve a purpose.


"I know that there's nothing I can do now," Shinji continued. "As a mere human being, I could do nothing to help her. Being a patchwork magus, my uncle failed and died defying the old man, only driving her further into being a shell, while my father simply drunk himself stupid. That's why I will accomplish my uncle's goal by keeping my promise—no, better yet, I will be a superior magus than them both and use that power to save Sakura."


"You've got brass ones, Brat," she said after a moment. "But you're wrong. A magus is someone who studies the Art for the sake of reaching the Root and simply knowing. You're talking about using the Art as a tool, a means to an end."


"I don't care about knowledge for the sake of knowledge," he stated. "If it can be used to help Sakura, I'll use it. Magical or otherwise, I want to break her free of the Matou name before I redeem it through purging the rotten worms."


Fang Yin reconsidered her plans for him. Originally, she was just going to drag him along through slow self-study to make him barely a third-rate magus. But if she was turning him into a Spellcaster instead…she could work with that. "You know the old worm will never let her go, right?"


Shinji's eyes became narrow. "I'll find a way to deal with him eventually. Unlike my father and uncle, I won't run from the Matou name. I will reform it and get rid of the current system…after all, why should I accept a system as vile as that when I run it?"


Brass ones, she thought to herself. If he actually managed to kill the old worm somehow, it would be revenge for her sister. Even if he didn't have the ability to, as long as he was trained enough to be competent then he would be able to survive long enough so that the girl wouldn't be all alone.


"Explain the process you're using," she demanded impassively. She had appearances to maintain after all. "Be quick about it, I'm a busy woman."


Wiping sweat from his eyes, he gave her the step-by-step process he used.


"You're not using a strong enough mental trigger," she settled on. "Every magus responds differently, but it seems like you aren't producing an image strong enough to flip the switch. It may be because of the transplanted circuits, or the fact that you weren't a magus to begin with."


"Then what am I supposed to do!" Shinji demanded, getting another flick. In his defense, he was still tired, sweaty, hot, thirsty, and in pain.


"Use your worst fear to drive yourself forward," she said. "Until you can think become accustomed to using a different mental trigger, use what you fear the most activate your circuits for now. The sheer terror alone should have enough of an impact to do so."


His mind was a void as he tried to reach into the recesses of his imagination to find the necessary vision to trigger the reaction he needed…


And was rewarded to the sight of Sakura lying in that bed of worms and decay once again, a sight he never wanted to see again. But it got worse, as Sakura reached towards him and started screaming—something he never heard considering she had been hollowed out well before they had met due to his grandfather introducing her into that nightmare after not even three days of being in that household.


As she reached for him, her flesh was devoured by the worms. Sinew, tendon, eyes, organs, hair—they consumed everything with sickening squelches and loud chewing. The meaty, grubby worms left only bleached white bones that still seemed to reach for him in agony until they too were devoured.


"Guh!" The formless switch was flipped and the sensation of being melted rolled across his body, as if being turned into water in the transition from a solid to a liquid. The liquid body was filled with the mana that lingered in the room, absorbed and transmuted to magical energy to be processed. The molten substance ate away at his nerves as they inverted into circuits and the illusion of steam wafting off his skin as the liquefied contents of his insides were starting to boil.


The price of success was steep and Shinji lost himself in that pain as prana surged, running their course and flooding the circuits for the first time of his own violation. He passed out, his body convulsing briefly and then settling.


Fang Yin bit down a swearword in her native tongue as she inspected him. He had passed out, but it was just from the shock of going full throttle at the start of his training and dehydration. Reaching for a bottle of elixir, she prepared to give him a swig to deal with both at once. He couldn't die now, not before she tested his resolve.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Two Weeks Later


Progress was being made now that he could toggle the switch on his Magic Circuit. The consecration Fang Yin conducted showed his element was water, as expected of the Matou clan. His Origin was what the main problem was and the reason for that personality that screamed he wanted to be on top and was entitled to great things. His Origin was 'Predominance.'


Predominance—the desire to be superior—was troublesome. He wanted to be superior to his father (a mere puppet), his uncle (who was a ramshackle magus who fought and failed), and everyone else in general. At least it was somewhat driven in a good direction by trying to be a better brother, who would look out for his lesser sibling.


She opted out of telling him that though. The Origin was a cause, but if he knew of it then it would become impossible to separate him from it. As it stood now, he had a chance for improvement before things went south once he started getting older and feeling entitled to doing whatever the hell he wanted to women once those hormones kicked in.


"Why am I stuck writing symbols on these slips of paper, over and over!?" Shinji exclaimed to the woman smoking from that elegant pipe she carried, breaking her from her thoughts. "I thought you were going to teach me to be a Spellcaster and use my knowledge practically. How is scribbling characters on a slip of paper practical?"


Fang Yin's only response was to take his brush, dip it in the ink well, grab a slip, inscribe a character while channeling prana and then sticking it on his head. Shinji's gave a muffled cry as his body felt far heavier and it felt like gravity was stomping him into the ground. She blew out a puff of smoke in his face as she kneeled down and looked him in the eyes as he coughed.


"You need to use something established to practice besides the basics of Material Transmutation to gain and use magical energy, if you want to be a halfway decent Spellcaster by the end of the year we have. For all the studying that you claimed to do in Japan, little of it was Formalcraft, which knowledge of is necessary and I don't have, so we're using what my father researched—his half-completed knowledge of unique Shenfu (Talisman) and Fuwen (Magic Writing).


"You have no lineage because you don't carry your family's crest, just as my father had no Magic Crest since he wasn't the one to continue as his family heir; after all it's like transferring a major organ and can't be split. He wasn't supposed to have learned about magic at all and live a normal life, but he did learn about it and split himself off from the main family to attempt to succeed as a magus. He failed, but his knowledge can be used to aid you.


"That ink you're using contains your blood, laced with magical energy since it clings to fluids better than nearly anything else outside the body. The fuwen he collected cost a great deal of money since they came from several Fulu Pai and managed to get compiled into something useful, but the principles are the same as runes. Combined with shenfu, they can store magical energy in them temporarily or realize a mystery at your discretion."


There was a snap as the shenfu placed on him deactivated, allowing him to move freely once again. He just didn't because the woman scared him a bit. He might have been better off when she didn't take an interest in him.


"Every day, you will realize a mystery through fuwen and every time you fail at you will do it over, along with the basics of reinforcement and transformation. Then I'm putting you to work," she finished her lecture and watched as Shinji cringed.


"Work!?" he sputtered out.


"Of course," she said as she stood, looking down at him. "I'm taking my time out to train you, so I'm putting you to work as my assistant while you're here. If you're lucky you can pick up a few tidbits of knowledge in the process, so you can deal with that weak body of yours that breaks down under the weight of your own mysteries."


And so he learned over the course of the year.


With the circuits he inherited and the knowledge he gained from Fang Yin, combined with his own creativity and drive, Shinji Matou would become a major player in the grail war in his attempts to succeed where his uncle had failed.

[Prologue -o0o- End]

Old Author's Note: Now, I had this idea on revamping Shinji after I realized that even though in canon he was a horrible person, he was nicer as a child and the situation of his household may have been one of those factors that changed everything. His mother, who had a Sorcery Trait left untapped and was the daughter of another magus, was killed by Zouken, his father became a distant douche upon him learning about Sakura, and his grandfather…well, he's Zouken. Do I even have to say it?


So, what if Shinji met Sakura shortly after she arrived, as well as Kariya and Shinji mother's side of the family had met with him and it led to him being a better person to Sakura? Not a hero, like Shirou, or a complete monster of a magus, like his grandfather. A Spellcaster and jerk with a heart of gold.


This is a combination of Characters and Plots form Fate/Extra, Fate/Prototype, Fate/Stay Night (Anime, Manga, and Game), Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven's Feel. Even though I'm a fan of the Nasuverse, I'm not as adept at several factors and legends I have planned so research will slow me down in making what will hopefully be a decent fanfic.

I will probably be screwing around with some facts and borrowing some elements from other fanfics, but if you think you can do better, I encourage it as a challenge and see my (Fanfic.net) profile. This is an untapped field after all.

[Twi]

Chapter 1: Shirou Emiya, Wannabe Hero

[Chapter 1 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

One Year Later

A delicate string of smoke rose from the end of the tobacco pipe as Fang Yin attempted not to laugh at Shinji, his face hidden behind a Chinese opera mask with a fixed smiling expression. The mask itself had a mystery applied to it that made it cling to the boy’s face and, considering his personality and the visage of the mask…she failed, hard. Her face broke into a smile as she laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it.


Shinji’s eyes narrowed behind the mask. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”


“Yes,” she admitted with a smirk. “Yes I am. Don’t you like your graduation present?”


Shinji’s eye twitched in response. “This is why you shouldn’t go out shopping with that old geezer that smells like opium while drunk. Now get this thing off me before I enter airport!”


“I can’t remember the phrase to do that…” Fang Yin chuckled. “It’ll probably come back to me before we get there…”


The pair was in her car, heading to the airport to get Shinji back to Fuyuki. It had been a year since they had met and she had taught him as much as she could cram into him within that time frame. Chinese Alchemy, Material Transmutation, Minor Mental Manipulation, Fuwen, Shenfu—she covered the basics and left the deeper mysteries for him to discover on his own time in Japan, laying the ground work for improvement.


As they pulled into the parking lot of the airport, the phrase finally came back to her and she spoke it while prana laced her voice. “Tsang!”


The mask unstuck itself and fell into Shinji’s lap, who breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally!”


“Okay,” Fang Yin said from the driver’s side as her temporary charge got out of the car. “It’s been real, Brat. Try not to play into the old worm’s hands and, if you do, die well.”


“I don’t intend to fall into his hands or die before I’ve accomplished my goals,” he replied smugly. “Same goes to you, lay off the smoking or you’ll get wrinkles…Sifu.”


“Hmph,” she snorted, pulling out her pipe and lighting it. “You’re getting soft to call me master. Hurry up and get out of here.”


With their words said, Shinji Matou made his way into the airport. Fang Yin already had his equipment and workshop things sent ahead, while Shinji kept his notes in a note book he had on him, which he planned on switching over to a laptop or something—I mean it was the new millennium, not ancient times—so as to prevent the old worm from guessing what he could do completely. He was on his own from now on when it came to his studies into the Art and how it could benefit his health, his sister, and his circumstances.


As he made his way to the plane he fingered the candy he made through his Sifu’s art. It had some medicinal properties as well as magical, which would make her feel a little bit happier and brighter. Fang Yin described it as sunshine for your mouth. Anything that made Sakura feel better until he could do something about those worms in her body was a boon.


And so, Shinji Matou made his way back to Japan.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Sometime Later


A fist was clumsily thrown at the boy with red-hair, one that could be easily dodged. He could see it coming, but he couldn’t dodge it unless he wanted to risk the plum-haired girl behind him getting hit instead. So he took the hit meant for her. “Ghh—!”


Shirou Emiya stood strong as he weathered the blows that came one after another. Granted, they were simply the untempered fists of school children only a year older than him at best, but his tiny body was just as untempered.


He didn’t know the girl, having come to the park with his adoptive father, whose health had been getting a bit worse and sometimes strolled around to take in the often relaxing nature of the area. Shirou wandered off for a bit when he came across a scene that angered him.


Three kids were picking on a girl who seemed to lack any life in her eyes, simply crouching over and holding her head as they dumped sand on her and tugged on her hair for one reason or another. He jumped into the fray by body-checking one of them and then becoming a human shield. Confident that they, who outnumbered him three-to-one, could take him, the beating began.


The entire time the girl looked at him like he was an enigma. Who was this boy? Why did he help her? What did he gain from it?


No one helped Sakura unless they knew her. If they tried to help her, they got hurt. That seemed to be written in stone ever since she became a Matou and her original family abandoned her.


Shinji told her their uncle tried to help her, but he died in front of her pitifully. Her brother said he would help her and Grandfather had her watch as he went through the surgery to attach the circuits to his soul a few times. The same thing would happen to anyone else that tried, she was sure.


So why did this boy continuously take hit after hit for her, without knowing her. She hadn’t seen him before. She hadn’t spoken to him before. So why did he continue to stand up for her?


The boys halted their assault after one managed to get in a hit that left Shirou with a nosebleed and the biggest of them puffed out his chest proudly. He seemed to be neglecting the fact that his hands were starting to hurt and the boy didn’t fight back. “See what you get when you mess with us?”


Shirou simply let out a breath he had been holding and asked, “Why were you picking on her?”


“Because she’s weird,” the leader said. “You got a problem with that?”


“He might not, but I do,” said a voice from behind the three. That got everyone’s attention and they turned to see Shinji Matou approach, huffing from his brief running pace.


“Nii-sama?” Sakura said, her eyes regaining a bit of their light. It seemed like he had gotten a little better since then and his skin tone was healthier, a little bit…although the look of anger on his face was a new one for her.


The leader stormed over and jacked the blue-and-white haired kid up by the collar of his shirt and looked him in the eye. “What are you going to do about it?”


Oh no, Shirou thought as the other two that remained stood in front of him and blocked his way. If he left to go help the boy, then he couldn’t help the girl.


Shinji, on the other hand, put on a nasty smirk and activate the circuits in his eyes, triggering his artificial Mystic Eyes of Whisper. The connection was made and he whispered low so that no one else heard him order the boy to, “Go beat up your friends.”


The bully stared at him for a bit…and then dropped him to go plant his fist into the back of the other kid’s head. The kid rubbed his head and then hit him back, and it soon escalated while Shinji walked over them and went to the idiot and his sister.


“What happened to them?” Shirou asked, conflicted if he should stop it or not. On the one hand, they were beating him up. On the other, the bigger kid had grabbed a stick.


“I told him the other kids were making fun of him behind his back,” Shinji lied smoothly. “Morons with muscle like that will believe anything and, since those two were merely lackeys, he didn’t doubt it.”


Shinji narrowed his eyes and asked, “Why did you just stand there and take a beating? What are you to Sakura?”


“I saw her being bullied and decided to help,” Shirou said as he looked at the girl and extended a hand to help her stand up. “You have a pretty name, Sakura.”


“So you’ve never met and decided to help her even though they outnumbered you?” Shinji said with disbelief in his voice. When he saw Shirou nod, and actually meant it, he bluntly said, “You’re an idiot…”


And then he froze as ice ran down his spine. Someone was behind him, someone dangerous. He turned to face a grown man who looked even paler than him on a bad day.


“Dad?” Shirou said. “Is something wrong?”


Shinji hurriedly corrected himself. “I meant he was an idiot in a good way—no, I mean not an idiot.”


Kiritsugu merely nodded and fixed his gaze on his son. “I’m curious as to what happened here and why those three are fighting?”


“A petty squabble,” Shinji said. “They turned on themselves as quickly as they do others. They’re morons.”


“Hmm,” the older man said, “Let me go have a word with those three before they hurt themselves seriously then. Trying to hit each other with sticks is a bit overdoing it for a small squabble.”


As the man walked off, Shinji wiped the sweat from his brow at meeting the man. He felt it was time to leave, but one of the first things his Sifu taught him was to be thankful to those who helped you. After all, it made using them again easier, and the boy did help his sister. “What’s your name?”


“Shirou Emiya,” the boy stated.


“My name is Shinji Matou, and this is Sakura,” he nodded to his sister, who now stood behind him. “Thanks for being a well-meaning idiot. I’d give you something else as thanks but the best I can do for now is say that.”


“It’s fine,” Shirou said. “I don’t help people for thanks, but because it needed to be done.”


“Hm…” Shinji shook his head at the idiocy and turned to Sakura. “Let’s go.”


“Okay, Nii-sama,” she said softly, before turning and giving Shirou a small, “Thank you.”


Shirou watched the brother and sister walk off into the distance, until his father returned. “Shirou, did you get their names, by any chance?”


“Yeah,” the boy nodded. “Shinji and Sakura Matou.”


“I see…” was all the man said. The wheels in his head however were turning. He knew that family name.


The boy was a magus, considering that he had hypnotized one of the boys into committing an act of violence. Kiritsugu had dispelled it through his last active circuit, which put a bit of stress on him despite the fact that it should have been easy, due to his health, but that didn’t change the fact that Shirou wasn’t at a point where he could discern that. The fact that his nose was bleeding and the scent of blood probably made it so he didn’t smell when the child used his artificial mystic eyes in addition to it being so weak.


It would be…troublesome if he came looking for revenge after the Magus Killer had personally broken into their home and shot the hand off of what was probably his father, going by appearances, and Shirou couldn’t defend himself. His skill in Magecraft was poor at best, despite the quality of his circuits. “Shirou, how has it been going with using your Magic Circuit?”


“Better,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt as much when I make the circuit now. But whenever I try to use Projection the items are empty inside, so I use it as an extension of strengthening through Reinforcement instead.”


Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow at the boy’s choice of words. Leaving aside the unorthodox strengthening he focused on, “What do you mean it doesn’t hurt as much when you ‘make’ the circuit now?”


Shirou scrunched up his face and thought about it. “When I make my circuit from scratch, it felt like a hot rod going down my spine, but I’m used to that.”


The man’s ailing heart froze for a beat and he gave a withered cough.


“Dad, are you okay?” Shirou asked.


He waved the boy’s concern off for a bigger one. Shirou had been turning his nerves into makeshift circuits. He had literally been walking alongside death until this point, and Kiritsugu just noticed it now while his time was running out. He had been adamant on not teaching him much to avoid him walking such a path, and it was for naught.


“Shirou, let’s go over how to use your Magic Circuit a few more times as we walk,” he said. “After that, we need to discuss the future if you still plan on using Magecraft.”

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With the Matou Siblings


“Nii-sama, when did you get back?” Sakura asked as they made their way back home.


“A few hours ago,” he answered. “I had came home and found out that you weren’t there, so I came retrieve you…why didn’t you tell me you were being bullied in the letters you sent?”


“Because you were working so hard and I didn’t want to burden you,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt, so…”


“Regardless, next time you tell me,” he with a slight growl. “Standing there and needing to get help from a stranger makes you look bad and got the idiot a bloody nose. You’re lucky his dad didn’t make us recompensate or something for the trouble.”


“Yes, Nii-sama,” Sakura answered. A few minutes of silence followed until she asked him a question. “What…did you learn over there?”


“I learned a diversity of skills, rather than exceeding in one,” Shinji told her. “The ground work has been laid. All that’s left is to improve what I know and devour more knowledge. To that extent, I’ve been looking up some arts that interested me and decided to see if I can get access to it. I’m setting up one of the spare rooms as my workshop, and because I’m so smart I’ve even gotten my own Mystic Code.”


“Really?” Sakura tilted her head. He pulled out an intricate fountain pen and inscribed on the air the symbol for ‘water’ in fuwen, causing it to shoot a spout of clear water out like a hose. “Wow…”


“It uses my blood mixed with ink and my element to transcribe the fuwen in the air using water molecules,” he said, leaving out that it was a drain to use compared to the more stable shenfu. But he had to show her some results from his efforts. His ego demanded it.


“You’re amazing, Nii-sama,” she said honestly.


“That’s right,” he gloated, patting her head. Then he remembered the candy he made and pulled one in a clear wrapper out for her. “Try this. I made it for you.”


She unwrapped and put it in her mouth curiously…and was met with a warm, comforting feeling enveloping her body. It was nice and soothing. “It’s delicious and it makes me feel a little…better.”


“That’s what it’s supposed to do,” he said. “Now, let’s go home and I’ll tell you about what I did overseas. You wouldn’t believe how irresponsible that aunt of mine was…”

[FSN-oOo-KL]

One Year Later


“Trace on. Basic structure, analyze. Composition, analyze. Basic structure, alter. Composition, reinforce.” Practicing Structural Grasping, the twelve-year old Shirou Emiya set out to work on the skills he had at the moment to pass the time now that Kiritsugu had passed away under the moonlight a few months ago.


He was lucky to have gotten a job at the Copenhagen thanks to the Master and he got paid extremely well for only three hours of work. His daughter, Otoko Hotaruzuka was nice too but, even though she and Taiga had known each other since High School, they clashed over personalities. Otoko was hardworking and despised lazy people, considering Taiga to be a bad influence on him.


His father did not leave his Magic Crest behind for Shirou, but he left behind knowledge of his exploits and his method of anti-magus combat—except for the details of the event that left him sick. The weary man spent his final hours helping his son make up for what he lacked over the years, due to his lackluster interest in introducing Shirou into the world of Magecraft and mysteries. The lessons were meaningful, but at the same time harsh.


However, one cannot cram a lifetime of training into a year, and Shirou Emiya from then on had to practice on his own with his limited resources. His father had no idea that the next war would start soon, and thusly only told him that the grail wasn’t worth it and left a final request, asking for his daughter to be saved if Shirou continued to pursue the path he did.


And so Shirou trained, learning from his father even after death…


All in hopes of being a superhero someday.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji Matou


It was truly lucky that the Matou lived close to the outskirts of the city that had a fairly large area of woodland and an additional Bounded Field, set in an inconspicuous section by his grandfather, which allowed Shinji to practice his Art since he refused to do so in that basement of worms and corpses. His only regret for the moment was that he had to deal with his grandfather’s idea of adequate training partners as a result—Blade Wing Worms.


As if the horrendous familiars of the old worm couldn’t get any worse, now they could fly…and seemed hungry. Then again, he found it somewhat stress-relieving to think that for every one of them he killed, it was one less that Sakura had to deal with and he would have to get rid of later. The old worm was probably breeding a dozen for every single one he killed, but it was the thought that counted.


From the right sleeves of Shinji’s shirt came shenfu that appeared in his hands, each bearing a simple symbol of flame written in fuwen, and were tossed towards the incoming horde. The ‘Seal of Flames’ on each one ignited in mid-flight as they went streaking and fire hungrily consumed the flesh and fat of the worms, bestowing upon them a fate similar to the corpses that they fed off of—being turned into fuel and nourishment. But it wasn’t enough as more soon took their place and he kept running.


Using the base-level shenfu he created wasn’t nearly as taxing as trying to inscribe new characters in the magic writing since he simply needed to give them a prana tug to trigger the magical energy stored within them. Plus, he wasn’t going to use some of the higher-tier ones in a situation like this, nor the other mysteries he had up his sleeves. It would only be a waste considering how much magical energy he managed to store inside those shenfu through his blood-ink when he could only channel so few units of prana through them.


Getting aggravated by the constant swarms that tried to linger outside his range and holding shenfu between each of his fingers, with the lightning character denoting them as ‘Seal of Lightning’ talismans, he began the to impress his will upon them.


“Form, construct—” The shenfu began to fold upon themselves, taking the shape of dragonflies with their wings locked into place. “Life, impart—” There was a glow as the dragonflies came to life, fluttering their wings as they awaited their command. “Purpose, destruction of enemy—” With their orders set, they only awaited to command to begin. “Mission, start!”


The animated manikin constructs flew off at his command and threw themselves at the flying worms. Upon reaching the menaces, they released their curse that served as the basis of their existence, unloading a string of lightning that washed over the bugs. The flow of electricity ruptured their bloated bodies and fried their wings, leaving the mess of fluid and meat to fall to the ground.


Shikigami Exertion—the art of creating a being similar to a familiar with the power to do a single-purpose curse and would last until he lost the energy to sustain them. It was the second piece, useful information he could reclaim from the Ryuudou Temple after bribing an unscrupulous monk for access to the scrolls of their Houjutsu…and some hypnotism using his Mystic Eyes of Whisper to make sure he kept quiet and couldn’t identify him afterwards.


Even then, what he used was merely a degraded version compared to the ones he had at home and even then a familiar was preferable. These creations weren’t alive in the sense of a familiar and were inferior. They could only carry out his simplistic orders on their own, unless he guided them, and they weren’t capable of using the Art or having their own Magic Circuit.


In the end it was just something thrown together to work for his low number of circuits and health. Not that they didn’t have their uses as excellent suicide bombers, trackers, and spies, especially when he used a shenfu as a medium to serve as the basis of the single-use curse they could unleash. Since he wasn’t limited to using living animals, he’d often reshape them into that of a dragonfly for size and speed, further reinforcing it if he needed durability.


If he needed something bigger, like the size of a dog or up, he needed to have an appropriate amount of paper with a shenfu inside as a core and to use a Formalcraft ritual belonging to the school of magic. The one time he tried to do it without the ritual it failed and left him gasping for air while in pain from the strain of using magic that was beyond him…for now. In other words, it was a cheap practice that required a lot of set up if you wanted to do something impressive, but even then it was still limited.


Still, given the temple’s history and despite the fact that there were no longer any active Houjutsushi, there should have been more knowledge than a couple of scrolls that he found besides the shikigami information in a spiritual land like this. Somehow Shinji didn’t doubt the fact that it was purposely hollowed out by his grandfather at one point and time, given how effective their exorcism arts tended to be on things like him. Now that he truly knew how twisted his grandfather’s craft was, it wouldn’t be a surprise.


Shinji registered the presence of magical energy and interpreted it as sound. To him, the sound of Zouken’s body alone was the same squelching sound of bloated worms moving about in an unnatural manner that sent shivers down his spine.


Throb.


“Ngh…” Shinji grunted as the feeling of his circuits running hot was becoming all consuming and his od levels were dropping. As if sensing his distraught, the horde of insects prepared to swarm, leaving him no choice but to wrap this up and then head back to the Matou Residence to go take the medicine he made to aid his body from the strain.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Inside Shinji’s Workshop


Sakura Matou stared in curiosity at the items in her brother’s workshop as she waited for him to return from the shower after practicing, feeling a little dizzy and hot. Even though it had been a few years, she subconsciously found herself comparing it to the Tohsaka one that her sister had once taken her into. It was different, to say the least.


In one corner, by a fireplace, was a sturdy table with chemicals in vials and…gourds? A cauldron was bubbling over a low fire, and the scent of herbs and medicine was in a cabinet that was nailed to the wall. She didn’t know what he used, but Shinji would make her some of that candy that made her feel better once a month from there.


She looked over to his laptop in another corner, where he typed in the notes he had gathered. He mentioned that he was slowly transcribing all the materials in the study too, but it would take a few years. Her fat—Tokiomi Tohsaka never used something like that, always relying on older methods because of his pride as a magus…


Sakura hated that and loved it about him when she was younger. His obsession with the elegance of being a magus was what led to her current situation. The fact that he died and her mother was soon to follow left her feeling conflicted, a mixture of glee and sorrow. They were responsible for everything, giving her to Zouken, introducing her to the pain of betrayal and perversion of the Crest Worms.


Even though it was a cruel feeling, knowing that Rin had no one and she had her brother left her somewhat happy and horribly guilty at the same time, because she knew there was nothing Rin could have done. A sinister part of her even wished she could put her through what she went through, sharing the pain. Although she would be hard pressed to admit it, she missed her sister and the fact that they never saw each other despite their residence being so close together…but Rin was a magus before she was a sister, and following tradition meant a lot to her, so they would never be sisters.


Walking over to the corner by the door, Sakura saw ran her hand alongside a large shikigami modeled after, and scaled to the size of, a tiger. Her brother named it ‘Baihu‘ and said that the white sheets of construction paper that made it were all reinforced through fuwen written on the underside of the individual pieces that merged seamlessly, to the extent that you could barely tell where one sheet began and another ended, placing its exterior at the same level as steel. He told her that the ritual took him four hours to make sure he didn’t botch it since it was his first major combat shikigami…and it took a lot of paper, so much he had to have her help bring it in.


Since then he made a few more that lay in the pile: Zhuque, the phoenix made of red and gold sheets. Qinglong, the dragon made of azure-blue sheets. Genbu, the turtle made of black sheets. Fangfeng, the giant made of tanned sheets. Bashe, the serpent made of two-shades of green sheets.


The numerous shikigami there were merely shells, manikins who’s ‘Seal of False Life’ had not received the necessary connection to move on their own after they had been tested. They were his proudest prototypes; ones that would serve to further improve his future shikigami…Sakura still wondered how he got them out of the house to test and then back inside being so big and heavy.


On another desk, to the left of the group of constructs, were origami animals in containers that her brother used. There were a couple of map of Fuyuki that had scribbling on them as well, a few charred at certain points. He said he was making a divination tracking array or something, using the four gods.


Nii-sama is really learning magic, Sakura thought. And part of that scared her. What if he decided to follow the path of a magus as well and abandon her?


Crreeekkkk…The door creaked open as Shinji appeared, a towel around his neck after changing into a thermal shirt and pajama pants.


“Sakura, it’s late,” he said. “Why are you still up? It’s nearly Midnight.”


“I…wanted to see you,” she said softly, staggering as she walked towards him.


“You can barely stand straight,” he said, his brow furrowed in curiosity as he felt her head. “You’re burning up too. I’ll give you some medicine and put you into bed.”


“I’m…fine,” she said.


“No, you’re not,” Shinji sighed before taking the girl into his arms and carrying her out. “I’ll stay with you tonight to make sure you get some sleep.”


“But, your notes…?” Sakura tried to argue; poorly given she could barely stay awake. “You said you were going to—”


“They can wait until the morning,” he assured her, carrying her through the hall. “I’m your brother before I’m a spellcaster.”


A magus who doesn’t follow the traditional path of the magus was a spellcaster. Shinji was not a magus in that sense, as he refused the tradition that abandoned her to this life. He studied the Art to help her, not for the sake of the Art itself.


Knowing that, Sakura resigned to resting in his arms and basking in his warmth. He would never betray her or abandon her, not like her family before now. “Okay, Nii-sama…”

[FSN-oOo-KL]

In A Dark Alley Somewhere


Zouken felt the warm emotion of Storge affection filling the girl, after going through a range of other emotions, using the connection with his familiars inside her. He smiled enough that it shifted the wrinkles on his newly acquired body’s cheeks as he walked from the point of the victim’s death back to his home. He could capitalize on those emotions, and twist them into something ugly soon enough.


After all, the worms were starting to feed on her prana more and more as she grew older.


The process was not too quickly, as to not break her body before he could get her soul and mind to do it first. Right now she merely felt feverish and a twinge of craving that was easily suppressed subconsciously. But soon, in two or three years, it would get to the point where she would seek relief from the all-consuming carnal desires of the Crest Worms through the more satiable means.


And Shinji would be forced to give it to her or watch as her mind crumbled beneath the lust.


That sibling bond would make the act even more sickening to the pair, their bodies savoring the feeling as their minds rejected their actions. It would stain their souls with every ounce of self-loathing, pity, anger, shame, and hatred they could muster. They would probably try to rationalize it as them not being actual siblings in blood, but the dark feelings would mar their souls and make them wallow in private—staining an innocent affection forever.


Zouken would admit that Shinji was worth more than his father ever was as a puppet. The man was an easily controlled fool, whom he simply allowed to waste away due to his vices. But unlike his father, the boy didn’t know he was being manipulated. Every ounce of kindness he showed her, every thought of freeing her from her fate, and every bit of happiness that was obtained would be thrown back as despair three times over.


Shinji was much like his uncle Kariya in the fact that he believed that he could do something on his own and was defying the elderly Matou. Yet he different in the fact that he was actively studying a craft and seeking knowledge and power rather than expecting Zouken to hand it to him, as his uncle did and paid the price for it. With that power, he could at least serve as a decent pawn in the Holy Grail War that was coming.


Zouken had monitoring systems in place, and he knew that the destruction of the physical body of the grail had ended up leaving it with so much unspent energy that it was devoting it to restarting the war sooner. As if a fire that small could encompass all the energy of the grail. It would be less than ten years by his guess, although he would know for certain once a Servant had been summoned and a command seal issued.


The representative of the Matou would most likely be the girl and thusly placing her in danger. The boy would act to protect her and at the same time bring him the grail for her freedom, as did Kariya. While Shinji didn’t have the prana levels to sustain a Servant and probably wouldn’t, there was always the ‘Book of the False Attendant‘ Zouken had developed to fill in the gap rather than risk his most valuable pawn. It would also have the benefit of allowing him to fight with all his power without the strain of handling such a large existence.


Still, it wouldn’t be as effective as a real command seal and once exposed it would place Sakura as a target. But hopefully the boy will have managed to kill a Master or two with the skills he did have by that point, before being killed by the Tohsaka heir and spurring the girl to loathe her sister anew at taking away her seemingly last shot at happiness. That should be enough to twist her into the perfect existence.


There was always the slim possibility that Shinji could win the prize himself if the Servant was strong enough, but Zouken liked not laying all his worms in a single pit, so to speak. Perhaps he should actually make an effort to seek out a suitable summoning catalyst while he had the time and advantage of the knowledge. That would maximize his chances to ensure him the Holy Grail and immortality that didn’t rely on having such a withered body.


“Just a little more time before the pieces fall into place,” the old worm in human form said, as he walked the dark street with a smile on his face.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Second Year, Middle School


Time had passed.


Within the halls of a school building, the spellcaster and the one who sought the path of the hero met once again on even ground, unaware that the other walked alongside death for the sake of a goal otherwise unreachable.


“Ah…you’re that idiot from a few years back, aren’t you?” Shinji asked as the sun was starting to set. He was inspecting the cultural festival signboard that Shirou was fixing up. “You’re still an idiot for doing this for those third-year guys, but you do really good work.”


“Thanks,” Shirou blinked until he recognized him by his hair, after all it was unique. “Shinji Matou, right? How’s your sister?”


“Fine as she can be,” he said. “If you’re planning on doing the other signboards you’ll be late getting home. Won’t that worry your family?”


“I live alone for the most part since my Dad died, and Fuji-nee is at her job until later.” Shirou said plainly.


“Sorry to hear that,” Shinji said honestly. The thought did cross his mind considering how the man seemed sick but…still. “Anyway, I still owe from that time with Sakura. How about we head out to this Italian Restaurant I know.”


“I told you, I wasn’t expecting a reward—”


“I insist,” Shinji said. “Besides, the company will keep me from getting bored.”


Shirou simply shrugged, realizing he wasn’t getting out of it. It didn’t hurt to eat out every now and again, plus he rarely made friends. It was the beginning of an awkward friendship to say the least.

[Twi]

Chapter 2: Rin Tohsaka, Rival Magus

[Chapter 2 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

High School, First Year

Shinji Matou stared at the blackboard while waiting for class to begin in Homurahara High School. He didn't really know most of the people as it had been a short time since he enrolled. While Shirou Emiya was in the same class, he was called out to help deal with something at the request of Issei Ryuudou, at the recommendation of their English and Homeroom teacher, Taiga Fujimura…who was asleep at her desk.

Not really feeling like talking to anyone for a prolonged period, it left him listening to the murmurings of his classmates while writing down some new ideas for his shikigami silently, until a certain line of dialogue came up.

"That girl was pretty cute wasn't she? What was her name again…" Gai Gatou scratched his head in thought, before slamming is fist into his palm. "Oh yeah, Rin Tohsaka!"

SNAP! There was a loud snap as Shinji crushed his pencil in shock. He knew that name, or at least the last name. It was the name his uncle told him that night, Sakura's original family name. Her sister was in the building?

"Hey," Shinji got up and tapped the kid on the shoulder, to get his attention. "What class did you see Rin Tohsaka in?

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Rin Tohsaka

Rin Tohsaka was busily trying to manage her regular life and her life as a magus, maintaining both with a sense of elegance that had been driven throughout her lineage since the time of her ancestors. It was a chore, but something she practiced after her father died and her best friend, Kotone had to move away shortly after she had been rescued. While maintaining her school idol personality, she was confident nothing could shake her.

"I'm trying out for the track-and-field team again once they start recruiting," Kaede Makidera told her. "What about you Rin?"

"No," she said while sitting straight in her chair, giving the girl a smile. "I won't have time for a club since I do a lot of self-study on average. Grades are—"

She was cut off when the door slid open, and in came a boy with a slightly pale complexion and blue hair tainted with white areas. He looked around until he saw her and walked straight up to her. "Rin Tohsaka?"

"I am," she responded, curious as to the sudden development. "Can I help you with something?"

"My name is Shinji Matou," he said curtly. No one but Shinji saw the realization in her eye at his last name. "Will you accompany me to speak in private before class begins?"

The class broke into whispers, saying things like, "A confession already?"

"…Very well," Rin said after a moment and followed him out of the class to the rooftop. The Matou name was not one she could take lightly making a request and she sincerely doubt it would be about a confession. If anything, they just made a cover for her.

Once they made it to the rooftop and shut the door, Rin leaned against the fence and turned to face him. "What did you want to discuss?"

"Sakura," he said bluntly. "Your sister."

"I have no sister," Rin said plainly, as if speaking on the weather. "I am the sole daughter of the Tohsaka family."

Shinji gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "Are you serious?"

"Sakura Matou is not my sister," Rin said again. "She's a daughter of the Matou clan, taken in and removed from the Tohsaka linage."

"Do you even know how the Matou Magecraft works?" Shinji asked, with venom in his voice. "Every single day she suffers because of it."

"That's the price of a magus," Rin said, losing just a bit of her cool and flipping her hair. "You should be grateful since without her, your bloodline would have ended since your generation didn't have any circuits. With Sakura, the Matou name can remain that of one that practices the Art."

"To Hell with the Art!" Shinji snapped. "Sakura—"

"Matou-san." Rin stated with her voice flat but aggravation present within it. "You aren't a magus, so you can't understand what it means to have the pride of one. However, what is done is done. Rin Tohsaka doesn't have a sister, understood?"

"Is that your final word?" Shinji asked, constraining his anger. He could hear the magical energy being processed by her circuits, most likely planning on hypnotizing him if he continued.

"It is," she said. "Now, never bring up this topic again. As a member of a founding family, absence of circuits or not, it would be a shame if I had to use Mental Manipulation on you."

"…You'll regret this," Shinji replied, before walking over to the door and slamming it as he left.

The moment that he was down the stairs and no longer in hearing range, Rin turned to the fence and tightened her grip on the links. Her face broke its elegant mask and scrunched up as she held back the tears. It was the right thing to do, her father ensured her, no matter what.

Only one may inherit the family art, while the other may inherit nothing. If the Matou hadn't taken her in, she would have been relegated to a life of exclusion from the Art. To one of a magus bloodline that was the ultimate disgrace.

For Rin to be a Tohsaka magus meant that Sakura had to be sacrificed. It was as simple as that. If her new brother was looking out for her then it at least she was being cared for…

But it didn't mean that it didn't hurt her deep inside. "Sakura…"

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji

How dare she write off Sakura like that, Shinji thought to himself as he made his way back to class with a scowl on his face, not paying attention to the people who were around him and whispering as he passed by. She has friends while Sakura feels unworthy of them! She doesn't have the burdens Sakura does—and then says I should be grateful that such a repulsive art remains because of her sacrifice?

It was only once he was in the classroom, where a student was prodding Taiga as she slept, did he learn the contents of the discussions.

"Shinji," Shirou called out to get his attention. "Are you okay?"

"Ah, Emiya," he shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

Gai decided to answer that. "Well, you just got turned down by Rin Tohsaka, so we were expecting you to be heartbroken and crying tears of regret and lamentation…"

Shinji's response was a flat, "Huh?"

"It's all over the building. Everyone's talking about how you went to confess to the school idol in the making," Gai said factually. "I take it that it went badly?"

What the hell? Shinji thought before deciding to roll with it. "Yeah, she rejected me thoroughly. Stupid girl doesn't know what she passed up on. Her loss…"

Technically it wasn't a lie. She rejected his efforts to reconcile her with her sister. She passed up on a chance to help her sister heal.

"Cheer up man," Gai said. "At least it was in private. Plus, your sacrifice will ensure that no one else has to bear the mark of being the first person she's rejected. We salute your martyrdom!"

And then, as if to mock him, several other boys did so as well.

"That's not really funny," Shirou said.

Shinji agreed silently and would get even soon enough. For now, he had other priorities.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Later that Evening at the Matou Estate

Shinji made his way back home after class was done, his emotions still stirring over the conversation with the Tohsaka girl. Upon entering the domain and then the living room, he froze as he saw his year-younger sister, already dressed in more casual clothing now that she had been let out of school as well.

"Sakura…" Shinji looked away from her. He had kept a somewhat distant approach after those worms made it necessary for him to…Shinji shivered, not willing to think about it. Sakura was by all accounts attractive, but the circumstance and their relationship alone made it sickening. He could barely stand to look at himself in the mirror for enjoying the physical aspect of it, but his body would often betray him otherwise. He could only imagine how it must've felt for Sakura.

As if sensing his distraught, she also looked away and took a few steps back. "I'm sorry…"

"No, you've done nothing wrong…" he said as he scratched the back of his head. Clearing the visions of her naked body writhing before him and the moans that followed in the cluster of emotions, he snapped back to reality in order to tell her the bad news. "I met Rin Tohsaka at school."

Sakura stiffened. While her lips pursed and her body tensed in anticipation, she noticed his face melt into one that was filled with regret. That was enough of an answer for her. "I…see…"

"I'm sorry," he told her as gently as possible. The contents of what he was apologizing for were all too clear between them. "I…I tried, but she wouldn't—"

"It's fine," was all Sakura said. "I didn't expect her to…I-I'm feeling a bit ill…I'll be resting in my room for a while."

He reached out as she ran through the corridor and up the stairs, but never stopped her or called for her. All he could do was clench his fist and fall into self-loathing as he mentally apologized for not being able to bring himself to do anything about the awkwardness of the situation.

"Well, well," the aged voice of Zouken reach Shinji's ears as the creature entered the room. "That was a cruel thing you did, Shinji."

"Grandfather." Shinji said in a cold, indifferent tone. He was to blame for the awkwardness that ensued—him and his worms in her body. "I take it you were listening in?"

"Of course you would fail," Zouken said as a matter of fact, answering Shinji's question indirectly. "The Tohsaka heir is a true magus, not an artificial one. She follows tradition and, in accordance with that, she has no sister. Your efforts are only as much a waste as your uncle Kariya's."

"His efforts weren't wasted," Shinji defended. "The fact that he was able to support a Servant, which, from my understanding of the notes in the study, requires a far greater depth of magical energy than most are capable of, indicates that he would have fared better if he had not been required to use a Berserker. Perhaps he would have succeeded if those worms hadn't left him in a state where half his body was useless as well. I've seen him after your treatment and read about what happens with those things writhing around in a male. "

"True, he died with some assistance from the Crest Worms," the elderly Matou admitted. "That was what happened when he rushed through a lifetime of training in a year. He squandered his gift and tried to claim the grail by summoning a Berserker of his own will.

"However, what I am referring to is that he tried to reason with Tokiomi during the war and received a much thorough explanation to what I said, before being burned to near death. Rin, as the Tohsaka heir, will be no different. A magus will stick to their beliefs and traditions, not simply bow before another's opinion. You have no right to question their family's decision."

"It was the wrong decision," Shinji said. "I'll make her accept Sakura, even if I have to grind that so-called tradition to dust."

"A foolhardy effort," the old worm chuckled as he turned to walk away. "Leaving aside the fact that going against hundreds of years of the Art would be blasphemy to any magus of the Tohsaka linage, you cannot force her to do anything. Unlike you, she has an abundance of circuits, far more training, and the resolve of a magus. As far as she knows, you have nothing to do with the Art and for that reason Sakura was taken. It is the sole advantage you have…give up, boy."

"I won't," Shinji said, resolving himself. "For Sakura, I will succeed. Even if I have to…"

He trailed off, by the intention was clear. If Rin wouldn't accept her sister, then he would take everything she had and offer it to Sakura. If she could not hold the Tohsaka name, he would take all their possessions, all their mysteries—everything that she should have had—and give them to her…

Even if he had to kill Rin to do it.

Zouken smiled once Shinji couldn't see his face. Traditions, teenagers, and hormones—it was all too easy to manipulate youngsters by their emotions. And with that done, the die was cast in his favor and the puppet was now on its strings.

Just to twist the knife in, Zouken added, "By the way, the girl will need tending to fairly soon again. If you have that much resolve to do something meaningless, I would suggest you expend some of that into more effort instead of restraining yourself with her. It will only hurt her more in the end if you have to do it many more times because you didn't put forth your best in the beginning…or was that your intention all along? Youngsters these days…"

Shinji gritted his teeth and restrained himself from jumping the old worm in an attempt to throttle him. Storming off to his workshop to get at the transcribed notes in his laptop, he set forth to deal with something he could accomplish right then and there—researching the Tohsaka mysteries in order to defeat Rin.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

The Next Day

Shinji looked even paler than normal with bags under his eyes the next day, sitting down through the club recruitment drive going on.

He had spent last night going over the notes he transcribed onto his computer from the study about the Tohsaka Magecraft, gathered from the last few Holy Grail Wars and independent research. What he learned was that Rin would beat him in close combat with absolute certainty. Their family was one just as long as his, except they held far more accomplishments.

At some point during the third war they stole the Gandr Shot from one of the Edelfelts that participated in the war, who managed to summon two aspects of the same servant using Ore Scales. It was a spell that fired a curse of illness with such density and speed it was comparable to a bullet, seeping past physical defense to invoke illness. He'd need a way to deal with the physical embodiment of a curse before anything else.

Then there was the jewel-based craft. Loaded with prana thanks to their ability with the flow and transference of power, it becomes tainted by the spirit of the stones and can be used as a one-off spell or energy reserve. Done over years, it made them high-ranking spells.

The only good news was that Shinji was certain she was limited in the number of jewels she had. They were expensive and a quick look into their remaining assets revealed they were in new ownership, meaning she was barely able to hold on to the illusion of wealth. Thus taking away her family's most dangerous craft would be just a case of avoiding death by jewels that carried elements and could rain hell down until she ran out.

It was only slightly less suicidal than fighting up-close and personal with his body the way it was. Even if he started abusing some of the concoctions he learned to make during his time with Fang Yin, it would leave him strained. But Material Transmutation (Reinforcing, Alteration, and Projection) was something Shinji could do since it was a basic skill—the levels of success varied in general, but he could do everything to an extent.

Reinforcing was the easiest on objects, but he wouldn't dare try a serious immediate reinforcement on his body again after the last time nearly left him screaming in pain as Fang Yin laughed after warning him. Projection was useful for when he needed something like a small stand or tool for some of the medical practices that Fang Yin showed him, but it was worthless to him in the long run with his low number of circuits—a complete waste. In the end, it was the alteration was what he found to be the most useful.

If he used alteration he could shape himself a weapon and then reinforce it to stand up to abuse and armor to weather her blows. Avoid the jewels, attack from a distance with a weapon of some sort, and have something to block her cursed shots. And then, after he dealt with Rin, he needed to deal with the old worm.

Yes, Shinji was definitely going to kill that old worm one of these days. Even if he had to purge every inch of the Matou estate with fire…lots of fire. Maybe he'd catch the Tohsaka estate in the process as well since they were so close…

"Shinji," said a voice from behind the Matou. He turned to see Shirou standing there.

"This had better be good, Emiya," he said annoyed, taken from his fantasy of watching the old worm burn. "If you're trying to pitch for the Kendo club, I'll have to decline. I fear for my health after seeing what you did to that other guy."

"That was an accident," Shirou said, narrowing his eyes slightly in defense. "Fuji-nee sucked me into the place and gave me Tora-Shinai. Once it was drawn, there was no putting it down until blood was drawn."

And blood was definitely drawn. So much blood…they won't even let Shirou back into the club anymore. "They called you the Second Coming of the Tiger."

"I'm telling you, that thing is cursed." Shirou said, recalling the scene his imagination painted while he was using it, including Taiga using it to nail a guy pointing a gun at her grandfather. "Truly, only Fuji-nee could use such a monstrosity without succumbing."

Shinji shrugged. "Either way, I'm not much for using a sword."

"What about Archery?" Shirou offered. "There aren't as many people applying this year according to Fuji-nee, who's the supervisor…"

"Hmm…" Shinji rubbed his chin in thought. He settled on, "I'll go and observe it for now, then decide."

Entering the Archery Club, he settled down and watched a girl of no importance nock an arrow. Watching the scene, Shinji entered his spellcaster's mindset and mentally took in the pros and cons. If I used alteration I could easily shape the shenfu into arrows for a longer and faster method of using them, attacking outside the range of the Gandr Shot the Tohsaka were known for using after the third war…or was it Fin Shot? Let's see, taking in the shape of the arrows, the length and width of the average shenfu, the initial prana unit costs for each one made, etc…etc…

Yeah, I could definitely work with that if I came up with the proper method of compacting the paper to maintain an aerodynamic shape. Although, I should swap out the idea of using solely shenfu arrows and use reinforced and altered newspaper or something—those shenfu arrows could be saved for a triumph cards…and it would save on the costs of regular arrows as well. No sense in wasting money on that end, even if I have more than enough.

But if she does somehow get in close, I'd need to deal with the Gan—

"Matou—" Shinji jumped as someone put a hand on his shoulder and spun around. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to mind his surroundings. Of course, his sudden reaction caused the owner of that hand to back away in shock for a moment.

She was a classmate of Shirou and Shinji. Tall, with light brown hair and a confident demeanor befitting an older sibling, Ayako Mitsuzuri touched him so casually despite them only knowing each other's name from class. "—easy there…I was just wondering, since you were all fixated on that girl on the shooting range, were going to sign up just to ogle?"

"Well…" Shinji shifted his mindset from that of a spellcaster to that of a normal male and noticed the girl he was staring at was alright, 7 out of 10. "I should learn a martial art and this has the least amount of stress on my body. In fact, being surrounded by lovely ladies would do wonders for my health."

"So it's you, me, and Emiya joining from the same class," she concluded, ignoring that last part.

Shinji looked over to the idiot in question, already making himself useful by attaching strings to bows at the behest of another student. His 'fake janitor' status had become fairly well known in short order. "Honestly, people will continue to take advantage of him like that."

Ayako raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. "Don't you take advantage of him as well?"

"That's different," Shinji defended. "I'm his friend, so it's okay when I do it. That's how our relationship works. Besides, I occasionally compensate him for it and never ask him to do something that may take away too much of his free time…plus, he enjoys it. Helping others is like a drug to him."

Ayako simply sighed. "Your definition of friendship leaves a lot to question. Well, if it works for you then I can't interfere. Let's go see if we can't get some practice with a bow today and then spring for uniforms."

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Hours Later

"Grrr…" Shinji growled as he gritted his teeth as the arrow missed for who knows how many times. He had yet to hit a single target and everyone else had left the club already, and possibly the school…except for Shirou, in the main building doing his helping thing, and one other person.

"Are you still at it?" Ayako asked, already dressed and ready to leave. "I'm pretty sure that it's time for everything to be put back and the dojo locked up for the night."

"I have permission to use the dojo until later," Shinji told her. Granted, he hypnotized a few people to get said permission and Taiga wasn't there to approve of it, but he did have permission that he could use to shift the blame if he did get in trouble.

"Even if you have permission, you should take a break," she insisted. "You've been at it all day."

"I can't," he stated, readying another arrow. "Emiya managed to not miss even once and it was his first time. For me to simply give up without success is unforgivable, even if I have to shoot 200 arrows a day to do so."

"Wow, you are prideful," she shrugged, before some concern entered her voice. "But you're looking worse and sweating…"

"I'll be fine," Shinji said. "I have a little sister, a year younger, that I made a promise to. For that promise to come to pass, I need to get better at this faster. Stopping without hitting a few times would be a sin, and my body can withstand this much."

"Hmm," Ayako nodded slowly. "So you want to prove you're responsible by showing her that even with your body in such poor condition you can do something if you set your mind and will to it."

He shrugged. "…Sure, let's go with that."

"It sounds like you've got a decent relationship with her," she sighed. "I wish my brother and I were like that. I'm supposed to be looking over him, but he feels the need to be overprotective of me as a man…despite the fact I know plenty of ways to defend myself."

"Sounds rough…" Shinji fired another arrow. It missed. "Tch…"

"You'll be here all night at this rate," Ayako claimed after witnessing the failure again. "Let me help you out."

Though reluctant, Shinji accepted her help. Had this of been simply a hobby, his pride would have had turned her away. But this was preparation against an enemy, whom he would do whatever it took to win.

"Get into position—" Ayako nestled next to him, correcting his mistakes in posture by hand. "—like that. Can you feel the difference in balance?"

"A bit…" Shinji admitted.

"Archery has three portions: Endurance, Accuracy, and Piercing Strength. Accuracy is how well you hit the target. Piercing Strength is the power to pierce the target. Endurance is to maintain the other two. But in truth you aren't shooting the arrow, but you're shooting at your mind that's trying to shoot at the target."

He couldn't help but blink. "That makes…little sense."

"It means you're killing yourself," she corrected. "You're making yourself transparent and one with nature—abandoning your ego. Following eight steps, the purpose of archery is one of mentality where the goal isn't to hit the target, but you only know you succeed if you do. In other words, as a martial artist, you reach a state of nothingness."

"Hmm…" That sounds like the basics of magic meditation. Erasing yourself and turning into a Magic Circuit in order to modify the world's inner workings. Let nothing distract you, move forward... "So, because I've been trying to hit the target, I've been missing because of my ego?"

"Yeah," she nodded, getting closer and attaching her hand to his to steady the bow. "Emiya has already reached that form even before he began. It's strange, but he's kinda strange overall being so unselfish at his age. It would be better if he were a bit like you."

Shinji said nothing, slipping into his meditative state with his eyes open. Visualize the target. Set the path. Filter out all distraction—

"Like that…" she whispered in his ear, her eyes fixed ahead to match his own sight. "Now…just let it go."

His fingers opened from their grip and the arrow cut through the space between and hit the target. Not a bull's-eye, but it did hit. "Finally!"

"Congratulations," she said…and then realized how close they were and separated from him. "It took a while, but you got it done."

Shinji smiled confidently. This was how he could fight against her, by sniping her from outside her attacking range, which was beyond ordinary human eyesight and arm strength. Against Rin Tohsaka, a born magus, Shinji Matou could only hope to overwhelm her with such tactics as fighting from afar, ambushes, and dirty tactics. He could not be her in magical ability overall, but in a specialized circumstance he held a chance.

He'd have to work on reinforcing his eyes to increase the accuracy and arms to handle the bow tension. That meant he was going to have to start practicing on his body again. If he took it slow, he probably wouldn't lose an eye by accident or shred his muscles to pieces…again. "You seem to be as natural as Emiya and a good teacher."

"No, his form is really beautiful…" Ayako shook her head. "In my case, martial arts are a hobby and true nothingness is beyond me at the moment. In all honesty though, I didn't expect you to get a hit on the first time with some guidance. Maybe you're deeper than I thought to have attained such a state in short order."

"Perhaps," Shinji told her, eyes still fixed on the target. It didn't hurt him to maintain a good standing with someone who was useful and Mitsuzuri was straightforwardly honest, like Emiya…but less of a gopher. "I will pay you back for this."

"If you want to pay me back, keep this private session to yourself," she said. "Tohsaka and I have a bet going on and she'd consider two people alone in a club room after hours ammunition. Despite how she's shaping up as Miss Perfect, there's a different person there."

"I'm not fooled by Rin Tohsaka's mask," Shinji said as he nocked another arrow. Following the principles that Ayako showed him, his muscles tensed as he drew back the string and then fired the arrow. It hit a little closer to the center.

"That's good you're not fooled," Ayako said. "I thought you were going to be like one of those guys who idol her because of her appearance or the fact that she lives in a big mansion or something, but I guess when she turned you down it showed you a bit of her second nature."

Shinji scoffed. "You have no idea."

Ayako left after that and Shinji continued to practice until his arms gave out. He briefly wondered if he could just leave the mess as it was and hypnotize whoever came here early in the morning to clean it up. But then came Shirou, the one person he wouldn't need to do anything but ask.

"Emiya," Shinji called out. "Can you handle the clean up? I need to get home and take some medicine."

"Sure," he agreed, unselfishly. "Tell your sister I said hello."

"I will…" Shinji sighed as he left to get changed.

Emiya was an idiot, but nice to have around. Shinji could let down his guard and be frank with him. In return he would occasionally redirect some requests from others to have him do grunt work away so that he could have time to himself…or so he could do Shinji's work. One directs and the other follows. It was a somewhat poisonous friendship, but at least both parties knew their roles.

Plus Sakura seemed to have gained some kind of affection for him after watching him stupidly try to jump a bar repeatedly in addition to defending her a few years ago. Maybe he should see about pairing them up. Emiya wouldn't use or betray Sakura, giving her another bastion of hope until he could free her from the Matou name.

Walking home, a thought crossed his mind on a new mental trigger and he concentrated. The image of an arrow hitting his brain opened the circuits in a single blow. He settled on it, saying, "Well, it's better than what I used before…faster as well."

[Twi]

Chapter 3: Sakura Matou, Sister


[Chapter 3 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

Outskirts of Fuyuki

Sakura Matou watched as her brother continued what must've been a daily ritual at this point.

Thonk. Ever since he told her he joined the Archery Club, he had come out here every evening on school days and stayed until he felt satisfied with his progress in practicing archery and his mysteries.

Thonk. Thonk. He would take a bundle of newspaper that he got from around easily and freely, and work them into the shape of arrows before reinforcing them to become harder. At first he did it by hand, but he seemed to have found a way to do it by alteration now.

Thonk. Thonk-thonk. It started at twenty arrows a day, and now he was up to sixty. The process of refining the shape and strength was becoming easier and easier, until he would most likely be able to do it by second nature with any type of paper, no matter the composition.

Thunk. It was the same thing as the bow and string, both made of paper spun tight and altered. Analyze the materials, strengthen the base, alter the form, and utilize it to its fullest ability. Over and over, he did it until he ran out of strength.

Thwamp! Shinji would practice thoroughly after school and in the archery club, complaining that he could never match up with Emiya or Mitsuzuri. But that drove him forward, all to reach a goal that he would fire a thousand arrows at and then a thousand-and-one more to reach.

Sakura could only watch as he moved and shot arrow after arrow, touching the hair decoration that he gave her. It had a charm cast on it, supposedly working into his divination tracking spell that he had gotten working. Just one of the many leaps and bounds he grew by, next to working on a new Mystic Code and getting in touch with a craftsman who could make it—someone he called an opium smelling geezer.

A part of her recognized a change in his demeanor and actions. He was getting ready to fight an enemy and Sakura instinctively knew that it was her sister. The battle would likely kill one of them and leave the other near death or soon to follow.

His shikigami were becoming more deadly through the improving of their single-use curses and resistance to elements as he layered on fuwen after fuwen to deal with perceived weaknesses, making sure the overlapping didn't cause unexpected results through miscalculations by trial-and-error. His medicines were designed to enhance his prowess in battle rather than keep him healthy and he seemed to be turning his body into a weapon. His tactics were designed to be harder to hit at a closer range, controlling the distance between him and his opponent.

Sakura didn't want them to fight.

"Haa…hah…ha…" Shinji panted as he reached for a different arrow than before. He filled it with his prana, sending it to the tip in a way to delay the activation until it hit. Drawing the paper-spun string back, he let it fly towards the log that had been pierced by dozens of arrows that night.

Snap! The 'Snare Arrow' instantly unfurled and then took on a claw shape as it came around and clamped down on the log like a bear trap, the addition of the 'Seal of Restriction' shenfu that was melded into the alteration and reinforcement at the blunt tip of the arrow. Taking a deep breath, he drew a final arrow and nocked it, lining up the shot and letting the arrow fly…

BLAM! And the 'Explosive Arrow' turned the log into splinters, rupturing it in a sudden expansion of pressure rather than heat.

Shinji staggered, clutching his chest and wheezing for the moment at the strain of using prana the entire time to strengthen his eyes and muscles after forming the arrows. It was done incrementally, so as to improve but not risk breaking his body apart. Progress was made, but his stamina was nowhere near enough to keep it up as long as he did.

"Gack—" Blood escaped his mouth as he coughed violently, and the veins in his neck and temple became pronounced as the circuits appeared just under his skin, glowing with a luminous hue. He wavered on his feet, dropping the makeshift equipment carelessly.

"Nii-sama!" Sakura ran over and caught him before his legs gave out. He was looking paler again and blood was trickling down his lips. "Nii-sama, let's go home. Your body can't take anymore tonight."

And so, Sakura escorted her brother back to their home. The elder was nowhere to be seen, perhaps off killing and pilfering someone else's body for his own use. The pair made their way up to his Workshop, where a futon had been set up for him to lay on since he had begun spending more and more time there.

"Sakura," Shinji pointed to the table that had his Chinese Alchemy materials. There were a variety of gourds, all hollowed out and corked off to be filled with his concoctions. She didn't know what was in them, only that they would help him. "Hand me the yellow gourd."

Sakura did just that and watched as he drank the contents down before sighing. His complexion still looked horrible and he seemed weary, all the excessive practice catching up to him. "You aren't well. Should we have grandfather tell the school you won't be coming tomorrow?"

"No, I'm going…" Shinji told her, taking another drink from the yellow gourd. "I've already missed more days than I'd like and being in this place alone all the time with the old worm would leave me feeling worse than before. Besides, Ayako needs me to help out with a couple of things."

Sakura tilted her head at that. "Ayako…?"

"Mitsuzuri, I mean. Another member of the Archery Club from the same class as me and Emiya," he said, his eyes going unfocused as the medicine took effect. "She's a bit of a tomboy, but she helps out a lot. I owe her quite a bit. When you come to our school, you should join so that you can get know her and Emiya better."

"He wouldn't be interested in me," Sakura said with her lowered, plum-colored hair hiding her eyes from his view. "Even if he was, I would only stain him like I did you."

"Sakura…" Shinji lowered his voice in a warning tone. He was tired of hearing her tear herself down.

"I'm so sorry, Nii-sama…" Sakura said, her hands tensing as teardrops started to stain her blouse. "Everything is my fault. I made you take on the Magic Circuit and your body suffered. I defiled you in order to maintain my own sanity. I—"

"ENOUGH!" Shinji barked, making her flinch. Taking a deep breath, he rubbed the bridge between his eyes. "Sakura, from the very beginning, none of this was your fault. I knew the consequences of my actions and still went through with it. I'm not doing this because I have to—I'm doing this because I want to."

That's right. This was the path that Shinji Matou decided to walk on. His uncle only told him to look after her, Shinji decided to free her. Even if he died, he would have no regrets as long as he accomplished his goal.

"And never let the old worm see you cry," he said, before turning away from her on the futon and closing his eyes. "It's what he wants."

[FSN-oOo-KL]

The Next Morning, Archery Club

"What do you mean you're putting two of the three freshmen in our place!?" One of two second-years exclaimed. They were meeting with the club president, who dropped this bombshell on them all of a sudden.

"They're skilled enough," the current club president said with a shrug. "I mean look at them. Emiya-kun hasn't missed besides one time, which he called. Mitsuzuri-chan helps the other freshmen and is a natural. Matou-san has improved leaps and bounds, and from the muscle he's building on his arms I can assume he's been practicing in private as well, meaning he's serious about this."

Pointing an arrow at the gathered pair, she narrowed her eyes. "You two, on the other hand, are lazy. You take advantage of Emiya-kun whenever I assign you to clean up and haven't even tried to improve. Those three are in here the earliest and leave the latest, making me grateful it's a school competition with no grade-limit. My only regret is that Emiya turned me down because of he claimed to be busy that day."

As the club captain walked off, the pair furrowed their eyes. The duo, Shinoa and Matsuri proceeded to hang back and discuss this turn of events.

"We got to get rid of them," Shinoa said, fingering the bangs of her hair roughly to deal with the agitation. "I'm not going to deal with being known as the one who got replaced by newbies."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Matsuri asked with her voice flat. "If we touch them, we'll be the ones in trouble. The sick one will probably keel over and the tomboy can probably take us both."

"We just need to set them up," Shinoa muttered as she looked at the pair. They seemed awfully close, the both of them practicing side-by-side. "The regulations say that if you get caught in a fight, break school propriety, or get caught doing something indecent then you're suspended from club activities, meaning no competition."

"You should know that last one," Matsuri pointed out. "Didn't you and your boyfriend get slapped with that penalty last year?"

Shinoa ignored her comment. "I happen to know that the tomboy has an overprotective younger brother since my little sister goes to school with him. If we work the angle right, we can get them both involved on all three accounts by the end of the day."

[FSN-oOo-KL]

After School Practice

"Line up the shot and focus on piercing through it," Shinji told another freshman who joined up and still sucked. "Get it right this time or I'll bring over a bunch of girls and have them laugh at you until you hit."
"That had better not have been a legitimate threat," Ayako warned. It was half-hearted, but she was addressing Shinji after all.

Shinji shrugged and pointed to the kid, who let the arrow fly. It hit the target near the edges. "It works. Besides, I wouldn't waste the time and effort trying to corral enough people to humiliate him anyway. "

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he took a deep breath and noted the change in Ayako's expression as she looked at him closely. It was like she was inspecting glasswork, fragile enough to break apart with a touch. "See something you like? Look, but don't touch."

"You're looking a bit pale today," she said with concern, ignoring the obvious bait for a reaction. He often did that when he felt that someone was going to pity him for his heath. "You could have simply have skipped coming today. I could have gotten Emiya-kun to help."

Shinji shook his head. "Emiya keeps himself busy and can't really explain or motivate others in Archery. You said it yourself. He's surpassed you from the beginning since it comes as naturally to him as breathing. You can't teach someone something that comes so naturally, as you can't teach a normal person to become a genius.

"Besides, how could I refuse a request for help from a woman like yourself?" Shinji said, laying on the charm. "Speaking of which, would you care to join me sometime for a meal at this lovely Italian restaurant?"

"Careful Matou-kun," Ayako said with a raised eyebrow. "Your choice of words makes it sound like you're trying to go on a date?"

"Well, I merely see it as taking you out for a nice dinner to repay all the help you've given me over the last few months." He then gave her a small smug smirk. "But if you want it to be a date, then I'd accept. Not many could resist my charm for long, so it was only a matter of time anyway."

She crossed her arms and leaned against a wall. "A wise guy, huh?"

"Only if you want me to be," he replied. "I am serious about repaying you for everything. If eating out makes you uncomfortable it can be something else. Being in debt never sits well for me."

"No, it might be good to eat out at a decent place every now and again…" Ayako scratched her head in thought. "But let's focus on helping the others and winning the competition before anything else."

"Agreed," Shinji stated, before making his rounds. The duo continued until it was time for everyone to leave and stayed late to finish making the targets for the next day…

They were unaware that Shinoa made a certain call and Matsuri tampered with the lock to the door, jamming it. They left the school grounds and let things fall into motion, confident that the next day their positions would be secure.

So when Ayako tried to leave the club while Shinji was getting dressed in the changing room, she was surprised to learn it wouldn't budge. She began beating against the door, hoping for someone to hear her. "Can someone out there hear me!?"

Luckily, one hero-in-the making was passing by. "What's wrong?"

"The door won't open!" Ayako told him.

The hammer of a gun went off as Shirou opened a circuit and used Structural Grasping to see the problem before closing it. Had Shinji been more sensitive to magic, a little closer, and less ill, he would have heard it rather than an almost non-existent buzz. "I see, something is jammed inside of it. I'll need to run and get some supplies to undo the lock."

As Shirou ran off to get his tools, another person had just entered the school grounds and made a beeline for the archery range, just as Shinji had approached her and learned the gist of everything.

"Nee-san, are you in there!?" the newcomer yelled.

Ayako blinked in confusion. "Minori?"

"Who?" Shinji asked.

"My younger brother," she clarified. "He's going to be attending next year."

"Hold on, I got your message!" Minori said. "I'll save you!"

"What message?" Ayako asked.

WHAM! The sound of wood starting to splinter came as Minori slammed his shoulder into the door. When it didn't give, he got ready to take a running start for another one.

"Hey! Don't break down the door!" Shirou said, reappearing with the needed tools and glaring at the split wood and damage.

He could fix it with magecraft later on, but the entire thing was starting to draw a crowd and if it was suddenly fixed there would be questions. He dropped his tools in order to stop him from doing any further damage. It devolved fairly quickly in Shirou having to avoid the boy's panicked fist.

About five minutes later—after a struggle and a threat from Ayako—everyone was out and answers were needed.

"Minori!" Ayako barked, her tone serious as she crossed her arms and looked at her brother with a gaze that could petrify a gorgon. "What were you thinking trying to break down the door? Not to mention trying to fight Emiya when he attempted to stop you—in fact, why are you here now?"

"I got a message from Nee-san telling me that some guy named Shinji Matou was forcing her to do…things…"

Ayako was taken aback in disbelief. Composing herself and ridding her face of a subtle blush, she pointed to Shinji. "Does he look like he could force me into doing something like that?"

The boy took in the pale and blue-haired with white strands sprinkled about individual who looked as though a strong breeze could knock him over. He had no idea what this Shinji had looked like originally. His mind simply created false images of a beast ravaging his sister that made him drop his normally impassive face around her.

"Not physically…" he admitted a few seconds later. "But he could be taking advantage of your caring nature and guilting you into doing something…"

"Isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?" Shinji pointed out to the boy, ignoring the last response between the siblings. He could probably take them both and he knew it.

After all, since when was Shinji Matou known to fight fair if he had to? "I was locked into the club room with Mitsuzuri after hours with no one around, leaving people to wonder what happened. At the same time, you received a text from her phone claiming I was abusing her when she could just call the police or manhandle me herself.

"So you ran over to confront me on school grounds, where she would get into trouble by proxy because of you being aggressive, breaking school property, and attacking a student. If you broke the door open to get in or we broke it down to get out, then there was no way to prove that the lock malfunctioned before it was opened and at the very least the two of us would have been kicked out the club and forced to pay for damages. You probably wouldn't be accepted to the school next year either."

Shirou crossed his arms in thought. "You think it's a set-up? That's stretching it a bit…"

Shinji shook his head. "Mitsuzuri, check your phone to see the last time you texted your brother…"

She did just that. "It says about an hour ago. Roughly the same time the club let out and the others were changing while I was still practicing…I didn't write any of this—it doesn't even sound like something I'd write! Who would do this?"

"Probably those two we replaced for the upcoming tournament," Shinji said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Admittingly, there's no way to prove this short of a confession."

"I'll confront them tomorrow about it," Mitsuzuri sighed in annoyance. Being immature was one thing, but getting her brother involved was another.

"No, there's no need for that," Shinji stated. "I have a feeling they'll both apologize to us and drop out of the club afterwards. As for the fact that there were damages to the school's property, though negligible, I'll speak with the principal about it and make sure no one here was to blame."

"Shinji, you make it sound like you're going to do some arm twisting behind the scenes…" Shirou looked at him carefully. "You should go home and rest so you get better. You'll worry your sister otherwise."

"I'd be more concerned about myself if I were you," Shinji told him…before putting on a smug smile. "Taiga would have finished her work some time ago and be expecting dinner. Added to the fact that the Archery Club is under her supervision, this will most likely leave her unhappy and hungry. From what you've told me, you know what happens to those who deny a tiger their meal."

"Crap…" Shirou sighed.

"Well, I'd better take this knucklehead home," Ayako said while pointing her thumb to her brother. "I need to have a long to talk with him about picking fights and damaging property. As for what we'll do tomorrow, we'll see. Sorry for the trouble, Emiya-kun. Take care of yourself, Matou-kun."

"Same, Mitsuzuri," he said.

Then, once Shirou left, Shinji's eyes narrowed and he went back inside the Archery Club. Since the uniforms were kept there, finding some stray strands of hair from the pair he was certain orchestrated this would be easy. From there, a simple tracking spell to find them and little chat would be in order…and hypnotism…and blackmail.

Shinji Matou was the worst person to have as your enemy, as they would soon learn.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

At Shirou's Home

Typically speaking, bad things happened when Shirou was late making Taiga dinner. And he was late tonight. On top of that, when she learned he was in a one-sided fight and there was damage to the club she was the supervisor of—meaning she'd get an earful later from the principal—she was less than pleased.

Which is why he found himself in the dojo at his home, holding a shinai and facing off against the angry tiger who wielding her favored weapon that craved blood. He'd heal quickly enough, sure. But pain was pain, dammit!

"Fuji-nee, you're overdoing it tonight! Have mercy!" Shirou winced as he tried to stop the flurry of blows that rained down. "You're a national-level kendoka! Isn't going at it this hard a bit overkill?"

"Liar!" she yelled, delivering a blow to his side, thigh, and shoulder in short order. "You were holding back on me until now! I saw you copying me during that time at the Kendo Club!"

He narrowly blocked a blow and wheezed, "I was?"

"It was a little off, but otherwise fine!" Taiga let her blade do the rest of the talking, catching him in the ribs again and then the inner thigh to hit the soft meat there. She'd avoid the hands and arms; he needed those afterwards to cook for her.

"Ow! Seriously, Fuji-nee, at least use a normal shinai!" Shirou screamed without thinking. In his defense, pain loosened lips. "That thing has been cursed since you beat down an armed gunman with it!"

Taiga froze at hearing that, the blade just barely not striking his head. The sudden change from Tiger to suspicious was almost immediate and sudden enough to catch Shirou's attention. "Fuji-nee?"

"Shirou," she said in an eerily quiet manner. "How do you know that?"

"Huh?" Shirou said. His mind, on the other hand realized he let something important slip. That really happened?

"That I used this shinai against someone who shot my grandpa and…" Taiga shook her head at recalling what happened afterwards. There was a reason that her grandfather didn't have her around during Yakuza business. "Did Kiritsugu tell you?"

"Y-yeah…" Shirou lied, seeing no way out of it without hypnotizing her.

Taiga…looked sad. "He promised he wouldn't tell anyone…"

"Well, Dad was sick and knew he didn't have long," Shirou continued the lie, feeling worse and worse about dragging it out. "I was scared of only having you to watch over me, so he said that you were dependable, even if someone were to point a gun at me…"

"But what happened afterwards…" Taiga looked at the ground, tears starting to come out as she recalled her grandfather's men opening fire and the blood that followed. So much blood, covering her from head to toe as she stared wide-eyed and froze. "He promised me…"

"Fuji-nee, look at me," Shirou said, activating the circuits in his eyes to put her to sleep when she did. He caught her before she hit the floor and prepared to wipe the last few minutes from her memories. She would wake up feeling hungry and demanding dinner without thinking that Kiritsugu betrayed her trust. "Sorry about reminding you of something terrible."

It was an honest mistake. He had thought the vivid images that flowed into him when he wielded the sword had just been a figment of his imagination. But it was actually in the history of it instead and he had been drawing from it on a subconscious level…

"You were copying me fine during that match," were the words Taiga said. He didn't notice that either. Had he been drawing from the experience of the blade itself as well? Looking at Tora-Shinai, he decided to try a little experiment once Taiga had been fed and rested.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

A Few Weeks Later…

Shinji frowned as he got dressed out of his archery clothing and made his way back to the crowd that had gathered in the aftermath of the tournament. He was aiming for top three at least, but barely made it past the top fifteen instead. In retrospect, he should have cheated and used his magecraft, but Rin Tohsaka was there to support Ayako and he couldn't tip his hand just yet.

"Nii-sama, you did well," Sakura consoled her brother after being allowed on the grounds to watch the match.

Ayako pitched in her opinion as well. "In a competition that size it's amazing for someone who only started out so soon to score so high. Not many people could have managed that, so cheer up."

He gave her a look of disbelief. "I don't want to hear that from the person who got 5th place."

"Well, it's not like I wasn't aiming for 1st," she responded. There was a note of discontent since she really hated being not being on top during a competition. "Anyway, let's just celebrate that we made a good showing."

"Agreed!" Taiga jumped in unannounced. "Shirou will cook a celebration dinner for us doing so well!"

Shirou blinked. "Wait, what?"

Shinji saw and opportunity and took it. "Thanks for volunteering Emiya. You wouldn't mind if Sakura joined us as well, would you?"

"No, but—"

Sakura fidgeted a bit. "I couldn't impose on you all…"

"That's fine, isn't it?" Shinji nudged his sister. "You should get to know your future school mates better."

Shirou scratched his head and sighed in defeat. Well, it wasn't like he didn't like cooking. "He's right. Please come eat with us, Sakura-chan."

Sakura felt as though her heart could stop in secretive delight. "Th-then I'll look forward to your cooking, Emiya-senpai."

"Senpai?" Shirou looked at Shinji at the term.

"Sakura will be coming here next term, so you're her Senpai," he told him, stating the obvious.

"Calling me Shirou would be fine as well," he said without thinking.

"I can't do such a thing!" Sakura said with a blush.

Shirou only noticed the red hue and asked if she was feeling well. His skull was so thick he failed to put together that it would be considered something intimate to call him by his first name.

Shinji only shook his head and sighed. He had pegged his friend as, well, an idiot and had long since grown used to it. Well, either way, it was a chance for him to try to get them closer.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Rin

"Congratulations on your position," Rin Tohsaka said to Ayako. But, while her mouth was moving, her eyes went passed her friend and instead darted to the plum-haired girl who was next to Shinji and the Fake Janitor.

As Rin watched her sister for the first time in years, she was filled with various emotions:

Guilt for abandoning her in the path of the Magi. Sorrow for losing a sister to share her now empty life with. Relief that she had a loving brother and happiness…and just a shade of envy that she lacked someone to confide in and cheer her as he did.

Not that she needed it. She was a Magus and walked the path of death. She didn't need someone holding her hand, not even that fake priest.

She took the time to note the differences, such as how her hair was closer to Shinji's palette, a plum-color to go with the blue of his family, minus the white in his hair. She supposed it was from their family craft, but she lacked intimate knowledge of the Matou arts.

As Ayako left to join the others at Taiga's insistence, Rin walked the path alone to her home.

It had been enough to see her sister in good health.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

At Shirou's Home

Kiritsugu knew his way around bounded fields. He knew how to make them and how to break them. It was somewhat of a specialty of his.

So it was no surprise that despite the two Matou entering the one around his home they felt nothing.

As everyone else took a seat while Shirou cooked, Shinji arranged it so that Sakura had a seat to the left of where Shirou would be, while Taiga occupied the right side. He himself sat between Ayako and Issei, who came along for some reason or another at Shirou's insistence.

Once in the kitchen, the knives sung a beautiful song as he worked his culinary magic and prepared a feast fit of a king. He had pride in his cooking. It was a pride so strong it would transcend death, he was sure.

It only took one bite to have everyone acknowledge his skills.

"Emiya-kun's as good at cooking as he is Archery," Ayako stated as she took a bite out of the food gathered onto her plate.

"His diligence shows," Issei agreed.

Sakura covered her mouth in amazement. "Senpai, this is amazing…"

He's moving in when he and Sakura gets together, Shinji thought. Even he couldn't deny the workings of Emiya's skill in the kitchen. He's handy with a wrench and a knife, some formal training and he'd be the perfect butler.

As the meal went mostly silent from then on until everyone had cleaned their plates and had seconds, Ayako looked around at the Japanese-style mansion and made small talk. "I've gotta say I'm surprised Emiya-kun has such a big home. I always imagined you were the hard working type that dwelled in a more modest abode."

Shirou snorted. "You should see where Shinji and Sakura live. Fuji-nee had me bring his homework over one night he was sick and I saw they had a manor in the foreign homes district. Besides, I'm not wealthy or anything and I make my own money from working, this was my father's before he passed away."

You're lucky the old worm was away at the time, Shinji thought. The last thing he wanted was for someone like Emiya to meet his grandfather. He had a feeling Sakura felt the same way.

"It is lucky you did not meet that fox woman along the way," Issei stated while thinking on the subject. "Their residence is listed close to the Tohsaka residence as well."

"We're one of the oldest families in Fuyuki along with the Tohsaka, so naturally we'd live close to one another," Shinji said, his tone hiding his emotions when Rin's family was mentioned. Suddenly he felt a kinship with the man who seemed to be wary of her. "Anyway, it's true we have some wealth, but we don't see the need to flaunt it. Carelessly wasting money will only leave debt and regrets."

Issei nodded. "You're surprisingly frugal. It is refreshing that one of such a background would think like that."

"I have my aunt to thank for that," Shinji stated. Fang Yin had started out from nothing and pounded it into him that wasteful spending wasn't tolerated in the time he lived there. "I won't make the same mistakes my father did…that being said, I do allow myself to indulge a little occasionally for company or to repay favors."

Ayako noticed his eyes wandering over to her. "I'll keep that in mind."

Issei gave him a look of warning. "Then you should be cautious. There are many who would take advantage of someone with such standing. I have heard whispers after your donation to the Archery Club."

Sakura tilted her head slighty in confusion. "What donation?"

"It's nothing," Shinji said.

Taiga begged to differ. "Shinji-kun, you're so modest. I thought you would have at least told Ayako-chan and Shirou that you paid to have the equipment replaced."

Shinji shook his head. To be honest, he had done it so that the incident involving her brother would be swept under the rug. Money had its own magic after all. "Like I said, it was nothing."

He then returned a gaze to Issei. "Anyway, I'm not foolish enough to let myself fall for the fake charms being doled out by the girls in class." As an afterthought he mentally added, Mind you, I'm not above taking advantage of it.

The after-dinner chat continued on after that, the conversation light as they exchanged pleasantries…blissfully unaware of the wheels that were turning the background.

This would be one of the few times everything was peaceful as the Greater Grail beneath the city began to awaken and the die of fate was cast. Even now, despite the oddity of the war itself starting soon, a call was being made to secure the Matou's place in the war.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

In China

Fang Yin frowned as she answered her phone, only to learn who was on the other end. "What do you want, you old worm."

"Now, now, is that anyway to speak to your nephew's grandfather?" Zouken's voice made her skin crawl. "You should be more grateful. After all, you were only able to carve out a living thanks to the money the Matou contributed to you."

"Get to the point or I will hang up," she snarled.

"The Holy Grail War will be starting sooner than before," Zouken said, skipping to the point. "The summoning catalyst I need resides in your country, and I have no doubt you would have some contacts capable of finding it."

Fang Yin scoffed. "Why should I help you?"

"The grail will choose a Matou, as it always has, and while the girl will be the most likely choice I know that the boy will fight in her place regardless," he stated. "Considering he will take to the battlefield, I merely wish to secure a higher chance of their continued survival by ensuring he has a Servant capable of lasting in battle…unless you wish to lose your last link to your sister."

Fang Yin growled silently in agreement. That year together had given her a soft spot for the brat. She should have known he would take advantage of it. "State your terms."

"You will retrieve the artifact I require," Zouken continued. "I am willing to pay any price and you shall be compensated as well. Get in touch with whomever you need, but tell no one of why you are seeking it. You have a year at the longest…"

[Twi]

Chapter 4: Preparations for War

[Chapter 4 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

That Italian Restaurant


Close to a year had passed.


Shinji had finally gotten Ayako to agree to go with him to that restaurant he frequented after much more effort than anyone would expend in repaying a debt, as he claimed. So, dressed in casual clothing, they both enjoyed the cuisine and made small talk.


“This place is nice,” Ayako said while waiting for dessert. “I can’t believe it took so long for you to talk me into it—but this doesn’t mean we’re going out or anything!”


“Fair enough,” Shinji said simply, hands interwoven and hiding his smile like he had taken lessons from Gendo. “I can be patient until I’ve won you over with my charm.”


“Sure, sure. In the meantime we’re just the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Archery Club. You keep the pressure off your sister and I keep my brother off of you.”


“What is his problem with me?”


“It’s because he doesn’t trust you and you’re with Emiya-kun all the time,” she explained. “Do the math. He likes Sakura-chan. She obviously likes Emiya-kun. You keep trying to push the pair together.”


Shinji feigned innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”


“Even I can see you’re trying to set your sister up with Emiya-kun,” Ayako continued. “You always have him help her, despite telling me that someone as natural as him at it couldn’t teach someone normal. You try and have them eat lunch together, let her go to his house in morning to learn to cook, take care of him after he had that burn on his arm…need I go on?”


“You’re quite perceptive,” Shinji admitted as someone brought Gelato and set it on the table. “That’s one of the qualities I find attractive in you to be honest. Still, I can’t figure out why you’re so hesitant to go out with me?”


“Well, for starters, I don’t see what you like about me,” Ayako said. “I’m kinda a tomboy and I know it. There are plenty of others who would be more attractive and submissive to a guy like you.”


“Most of the girls who throw themselves at me are only interested in the wealth I have and cover up who they really are. You don’t and I find that endearing,” Shinji admitted. “You don’t try to hide anything behind make-up or a false mask. Emiya and you have that quality in that you’re both honest in who you are, making you trustworthy.”


“Huh…” Ayako tried to keep the color off her cheeks as her Vice-Captain admitted something so frank honestly. “Uh, back to the second reason. You’re wearing a mask yourself. You and Tohsaka are alike in the fact that both of you seem to have two sides. ”


“Who knows?” Shinji said, not bothering to deny it. “Maybe one day you’ll see the other me. But there’s no guarantee you’ll like what you find.”


Ayako shrugged. “Well, if we ever get to that point, we’ll see.”


They finished their dessert in silence and then departed the restaurant, with Shinji escorting Ayako her home as they made their way through the collection of buildings that lined the illuminated streets that stood out from the spacious and vast manors in the foreigner’s district that he lived in, on the opposite side of the bridge.


Passing them were others of varying ages, some working salarymen and women coming from a tiring but well-paying job that kept them fed. Others were youngsters around their ages, dressed in variety of outfits, going to the still-present arcades, or singing Karaoke. The few that were most likely to cause trouble were deterred by the warding talisman he had hidden inside his jacket.


Eventually they stopped in front of a modern apartment. In the second story window there was figure watching, just beyond the curtains and trying to remain unnoticed. He failed in that aspect.


“Looks like my brother is waiting for me,” Ayako said exasperatedly. “Thanks for the meal and dessert. Whatever debt you owed has been paid.”


“Then the next time it’ll be a date between us,” Shinji said wryly, getting a small laugh from her as she grabbed her doorknob. He gave her small wave. “Good night, Mitsuzuri-san.”


“Good night, Matou-kun,” Ayako replied warmly.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Shirou’s Home - Dojo


Crimson flared as the Dojo was filled with the harmonious clashing of wooden blades.


“RAAAAHHH—” Overwhelming bloodlust consumed the hero-wannabe, a strange and foreign sensation he’d never in his memory experienced. He bit down the bloodlust slightly, but it doubled as his opponent blocked his blade. How dare they!


He swung, blade in hand, against the opponent who he couldn’t seem to beat. She was always a step ahead of him. It was as if she could read the way his body moved and how it would react.


Pain flared in his shoulder as the enemy struck with a thrust that made his own strike come up short. Moving like a fearsome beast, the enemy’s blade was its claws. It used them to great proficiency in tearing apart his flesh.


Head, ribs, thigh, side of the knee, shoulder, and chest—the claws struck so fluidly that they flowed as one and brought Shirou to his knees. The final strike to the forearm made him relinquish his blade…


And the bloodlust was quelled inside his mind.


“He-heh…” The childish voice of the enemy chuckled. Prowling over to the defeated swordsman, his guardian and expert kendoka, Taiga, retrieved her favorite blade from the floor and rested it on her shoulder. “I win again, Shirou. This time you have to make me triple portions.”


“As agreed, Fuji-nee…” Shirou stood up and fought down the desires to scrub his body and mind clean after using that…that thing called a shinai. How she could wield it or ignore the blatant bloodlust coming off of it in waves, Shirou had no clue. Perhaps she was a psychic or somehow removed from the logic of fearing such a thing.


“But you really were copying me,” she stated. “I don’t brag, but keeping up with me is really good considering you didn’t have any formal training. Kiritsugu would be proud.”


Shirou had been wielding the fearsome Tora- Shinai while his sister-figure wielded a normal one and they had a match. The third one this week. How did this oddity occur, you ask?


Well, after the fiasco that led to him drawing knowledge from the blade accidentally, he asked to borrow it and purposely delved into it. Taiga obliged as long as they could spar as a stress reliever for her. Shirou made for an excellent punching bag, after all.


“Ah, but maybe I should have went a little easier on you.” Taiga said as an afterthought. “Sakura-chan won’t be happy if she finds out you’re too bruised to enjoy her date.”


Once again, Shirou’s ignorance of the female mind reared its ugly head. “Huh?”


Taiga looked at him as if he grew a second head. “Well, you’re cooking for Sakura-chan tomorrow right?”


“Yeah,” he said.


Taiga asked, “And you’ll both be alone?”


“I guess…” he admitted.


“And there’ll be candles, right?”


Shirou still didn’t see where it was going. “Shinji said it would be good for her to relax after trying so hard in the Archery Club and improve her mood.”


Her eyebrow arched at the sheer magnitude of ignorance. She’d suspect that he was lying about not realizing where it was going, but he wasn’t that good at it. “And you don’t see what any of that implies? Really?”


The answer to that was obvious. “…That he’s worried for her health?”


“…” Taiga closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them, there was steel in them and she attacked with renewed vigor. “Shirou, you idiot!”


The tiger pounced and unleashed its claws once again on the hero-wannabe. “Ow! Fuji-nee, what’d I do!?”


“I’m going to beat you over the head until you get it!”


The beating—I mean lecture on how not to undermine a girl’s feelings continued well into the night.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

The Next Day - At the Matou Manor


“Emiya, you idiot,” Shinji said as he read the text message on his phone from Taiga.


It was Sunday night, and he had just finished up his notes on an onmyouji magecraft ritual he had appropriated not too long ago. When he had orchestrated this date as a part of his long-term plan, he needed to get her out of the way for them to be alone. To his surprise, she was on-board the ‘Sakura and Emiya Love-Love Plan’ as she called it.


He briefly considered hypnotizing Shirou into getting a clue. “No, Sakura would never forgive me for toying with his brain. Plus, with his head being so thick, it might be impossible anyway.”


“Nii-sama?” Sakura called as she entered the living room while dressed in a white dress with a blouse over it. In her hair was the decoration charm Shinji had given her, inert and undetectable to a magus until within the presence of magecraft or Shinji activated it to track her. That way Rin couldn’t sense it and find out what he was. “Is something wrong?”


“Nothing at all,” Shinji said as he texted Taiga to give the pair more time by having the idiot meet her halfway. “Give it your best and enjoy yourself, Sakura.”


A blush crossed her face. “Alright. Then I’ll be leaving.”


Shinji watched her leave out as the sun set and then headed to his workshop.


To Sakura’s pleasant surprise, her senpai was waiting to meet her halfway while slightly winded after his guardian had booted him out the door. He held her hand as they walked, as per the orders of Taiga, who silently cheered on the pairing before heading out to eat—all expenses paid by Shinji Matou. Sakura was worth any cost.


Neither of them noticed the plain, white van trailing them.


The men inside the van were just a nameless father and son in the grand scope of things. They happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and had a vehicle that could get the job done. So they were hypnotized and given a mission:


“Retrieve the Matou Heir once she was far from home.”


Inside the van were three hounds that slept in waiting, to ensure the secrecy of his task by silencing any witnesses. Then, when they saw them standing outside the Emiya household, the road all but deserted, the two pawns saw an opening and took it. Blowing the dog whistle they’d been given, the doors of the van opened and the hounds moved.


The suddenly flux of magical energy wafting from the hounds caught both parties off-guard as their attention was focused on the imminent threat. Moving swiftly as the hounds circled the boy to separate them, the passenger managed to get out and cover the girl’s mouth and nose with a rag. The chloroform on it was given to him since using magecraft on a magus would be far more difficult compared to holding a drugged rag to her face until she stopped moving and he shoved her into the van.


With abnormal strength and a howl of rage, the boy managed to reach the side of the van and lay a hand on it as the hounds seemed to struggle to tear off his legs and other arm. One of the hounds settled for body-checking him into the entrance of his home and away from the truck. The rest chased after him to tear out his throat.


The pair took off with the girl inside.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shirou


A hound lunged for his throat.


He saw it coming and was prepared, having applied Reinforcement to his body the moment the hounds jumped him originally. He blocked with his forearm and winced as it managed to barely break the surface of his skin that was as hard as iron. These creatures would have destroyed and devoured an ordinary human with ease.


“Get off!” His reinforced fist quickly smashed down on its skull and the familiar ceased functioning. The second and third ones attacked from the left and back. They met with hands of steel as well and fell as quickly. Shioru looked up to see that the van was gone…and with it Sakura.


She had been kidnapped.


He didn’t chase after the van since the rune he managed to place before being thrown into his own home would lead him to her. He could tell that they were long gone, heading towards the more distant coastline between the temple and his home, and he wouldn’t catch up on foot.


The biggest problem was the fact that those familiars indicated he was facing a magus. Therefore he couldn’t just rush in stupidly. He needed to arm himself first. Then, he could rush in stupidly and save Sakura as quickly as possible.


He grabbed a bokken and rushed to his workshop to don the coat of the late Magus Killer, lined with enchantments to protect his flesh. It was not because he was afraid to get hurt. It was because if his body broke then he could not save the one who needed saving.


Shirou then tore away a veil covering his means of transportation. It was a motorcycle that he received for his birthday after all the hard work he’d done for the Yakuza without asking for anything in return in keeping up their vehicles and equipment. He did not ask for it, but he did not refuse it.


Mentally thanking his big sister-figure and her family for the gift, he tore after them.


It was time to be a hero.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


Shinji’s charm, which he had given to Sakura as a hair decoration, was tripped at the presence of magecraft and set him into a state of high-alert. The first thing he did was try her cellphone. There no response.


So he activated the tracking array on the table with a map of Fuyuki.


The manikins that marked the four directions lifted themselves off the table and began to spin in place as a luminous glow radiated from within like lanterns. The light speared from one to another to create a boundary and then each shot a ray into the center of the map of Fuyuki that pinned itself down at a single point that began moving. That point was the decoration he gave Sakura.


She was moving to a point between the coast and temple, the thin lining of forest making it ideal for a private coastal home. Before Shinji could mobilize, Zouken’s voice came from the outside of the closed door to the workshop.


“It would appear that you noticed Sakura has been kidnapped,” Zouken stated. Shinji never once doubted he had a method keeping track of her. “It is the work of another magus.”


“Why would a magus kidnap her?” Shinji demanded an answer. She should have been with…Shirou! “What happened to the boy she was with?”


All he got was a flat, “Who can say? Given the abruptness of the kidnapping and usual behavior of magus…”


Shinji knew what he was implying by trailing off. Shirou was most likely dead. The only consolation was that it had been quick. Shinji focused on who could be saved at the moment: His sister. “Why haven’t you done something yet?”


“The only means of rescuing the girl I possess would be to unleash the worms that swim in her body,” he lied to Shinji. “The damage done would be…immense and a last resort. Therefore, you get one chance boy. Go and bring her back.”


Show me that you would be capable of the coming war, boy, Zouken thought with a smile. Fail and die as your uncle had, widening the cracks in the girl. Succeed and become a more useful pawn.


The sound of his footsteps and cane on the wooden floors echoed in the hall as he left to go back to his worm-filled basement that he used to practice his craft as Shinji howled. “I should have expected nothing else from you!”


The arrow was fired within his mind and hit the mark. The artificial magus let his magical energy roar as the circuits came to life. Activating a mystery known as ‘Armament’ he formed his armor.


Construction paper that had been enchanted and inscribed with fuwen came to life and swarmed his body, clinging like glue had been applied and changing as Alteration was performed to link them together and give them a fabric like quality as they took the form of a pants and a leather-like hoodie with a deep hood to cover his hair and obscure his face.


Next he armed himself, forging the bow, the quiver, and arrows using magecraft and fuwen to blend them together so seamlessly they looked as if they were a single object instead of many. Looking over his larger shikigami, Shinji grabbed the small container holding the origami manikin of the phoenix to aid him.


Finally, he reached out for the mask he had received as a so-called graduation present form Fang Yin. Fixing the mask onto his face to hide the tears of rage at the presumed death of his sole male friend, he grabbed the knife he used when preparing his medicines. He was going to shove it into the magus’ heart after putting a dozen arrows into his body.


Running to the rooftop he filled the container with prana and crimson flames swallowed the origami. He tossed the bottled flame over the edge and jumped after it. “Come, Zhuque!”


The window of his workshop burst opened as the paper constructing the shikigami dissembled itself and reformed around the flame. Beneath his feet, the vermillion bird—the phoenix of the south that resembled the evening twilight—took flight. The magecraft would render it unnoticeable to non-magi, so he didn’t worry about the majestic bird taking to skies and rushing towards the horizon that was dyed the color of twilight as well, the colors matching its own.


It was time to rescue his sister.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Sakura


Sakura awoke with a splitting headache and her arms tied around her back. The worms and circuits in her body could break down foreign elements true enough, but it took time and something was hindering them. Her mind raced as she took in surroundings and noticed she was in a parlor that was lavishly decorated.


“You’ve finally awakened, have you?” a rather smooth voice came from behind her. She sat up and came to see a man dressed in a suit with a glass of wine between his fingers, swishing the contents around. “That’s good. For a second I was worried you would be damaged and useless for my plans.”


“Who…are you?” Sakura asked, keeping her cool.


“My name is Reginald Adeliz, Matou Heiress,” he gave a slight bow to look into her eyes. A smirk carved itself onto his face in short order. “A first-rate magus with blue-blood circuits and your new master.”


Now, Sakura was by no means weak of heart. True, Shinji’s affection had softened her experiences when around him, but he was a spellcaster. To this man, who was a magus like her sister who ignored her, like her father that threw her away, and like her grandfather who abused her, her heart was sealed up and her will indomitable.


She became cold as ice. “What exactly are you implying?”


He pulled out a piece of parchment and unraveled it, before releasing it and letting it drift down in front of her. “A Self-Geas Scroll of sorts, modified to fit my standards. I’ll save you the trouble of reading and just skip to the point. The contract will have you serve as my loyal servant during the Holy Grail War.”


A geas—a curse of coercion that binds one to their word, on top of that a self-geas scroll leaves them with an unbreakable contract enforced by their own circuits. The nature of the contract would not allow her to escape should she sign it of her own will.


After glancing over it, Sakura stated, “The Holy Grail War won’t start again for decades. Why now?”


“Could it be that you really don’t know?” Reginald asked in mild amusement, before revealing his Command Seals. “If you require further proof, allow me to introduce my Servant. Caster, appear before me.”


Inhuman—in every sense of the word, this sensation was unmistakable in that it wasn’t even remotely human. The worms in her body became active in the wake of the air rippling, distorting from the inhumane magical energy of a legend that had ascended beyond space and time to a throne, her deeds having become renowned as the Age of the Gods passed. Her appearance matched that of a witch reminiscent of fairy tales, and not the nice ones.


The Servant appeared with a small smirk on her face, superiority lacing her voice as she spoke. “Good evening, young lady. I look forward to working with you in future.”


Gathering herself mentally, as much as she could under circumstances, Sakura shook her head. “I won’t sign.”


“Ah, defiance rears its ugly head,” the magus shook his head, “Caster will take her time in breaking you until you willingly take on the Geas. As history has shown, she has her…ways, of doing so. I sincerely urge you to reconsider your predicament.”


The room was silent for a moment as he awaited the girl’s consent that would not come. It was only broken prematurely when Caster felt her field being penetrated and conjured her crystal ball.


“Master…” Caster called. “It would appear we have an intruder. A magus coming from the skies on a construct that appears to be a rather large…shikigami, is the term in this age I believe.”


Sakura had a good poker face. It was one not easily seen through. But, her brother was heading into what amounted to a fortress guarded by the bane of modern magi everywhere—a creature that could weave spells from the Age of the Gods. The mask broke for a moment and it was all Caster needed to forge a plan.


“Master, the girl’s reaction indicates she knows the magus approaching,” Caster warned. “Should you go and capture him, he could be leverage and speed up the process of coercing her into the Geas. You may even gain two pawns rather than one.”


“Can’t you handle that?”


“I need to prepare my domain for the ensuing ritual,” she stated. “Surely you are not frightened by such a meager magus? With one of such blood as yourself, any backwater magus in this land cannot match your skill. After all, you had enough talent to summon myself before the two families that reside here, only behind the Einzberns.”


Step one in getting a noble magus to do what you want: Feed their ego. Medea would admit the man she reluctantly called Master had a decent plan, but it was far from enough in her eyes. And besides, after spending time under the whims of the Gods, she had just about enough of being controlled.


“Very well!” Reginald stated as he rose to his feet. “Bestow upon me my weapon and I shall bring them to my heels.”


With a mere wave of her hand, the air distorted yet again. Within her grasp rose a sword that seemed beyond the elegance of a man such as him, a blade adorned in an inhumanely golden decoration and a pure-white hilt. She presented the blade to him, a mystic code he had found but was unable to use as anything but a symbol of his supposed authority.


He flourished the blade, the air weaving itself around him. Satisfied with the result, he walked off to ready the defenses of his workshop and welcome the fly to his parlor.


“Now then, young lady,” Caster ran her fingers across Sakura’s cheek as her Master vanished, “I can sense something inside you that’s very interesting. You will…”


She trailed off as she sensed her field being penetrated again. Another person had entered the field and Caster watched her crystal ball as it showed Shirou Emiya getting off his motorcycle some distance from the manor and hiding it before rushing towards the home. I may as well keep him entertained while my Master is hopefully being driven into a corner. Either way, today will be productive.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


Shinji frowned beneath his mask as he crossed a boundary field and his sense of hearing became a liability. Like nails on a chalkboard the constant scraping of magical energy dampened his ability to sense it. It was only because the shikigami let of a shill warble as it sensed the incoming danger that he noticed the almost invisible rippling of air blades that attempted to slice Zhuque apart.


“Avoid them!” Shinji ordered as Zhuque flapped its wings to avoid the barrage of wind blades. When it became obvious that the shikigami couldn’t keep up on its own, he took the reins by placing a hand to where its control talisman was. The shikigami turned on a dime, making sharp right angle turns to clear the blades.


Nature and physics dictated that such a movement was impossible. A sharp turn of that nature should have been impossible. But because he was a Matou, it was. The Matou were blessed with the water element, which held much versatility, including altering and manipulating the flow of prana.


His shikigami was a mass of stored prana, fed through a ritual over time and allowed to sit within a field that prevent it from diffusing at the world’s will. Thankfully his armor had charms on it to deal with the whiplash and g-forces, so he didn’t black out. But his concentration did lapse as his head felt the strain of maintaining the flow and his consciousness wavered a bit. One of the blades clipped his shikigami’s rear section as they went over the manor.


Leaping off the back of his shikigami as it fell at an angle to the forest below, he nocked an arrow and fired towards the glass of the skylight. The arrow pierced through, the force spreading out and shattering the area around it, and kept going until it embedded itself into the floor and the fuwen on the arrow’s head was triggered and inscribed itself on the floor.


Gravity was distorted in a narrow perimeter around the arrow, expanding as a pillar of light that blew the rest of the skylight’s glass into the air and, within that boundary, gravity lowered to the extent he landed safely. It was not simply lowered, but spread out with the area outside the immediate perimeter was surrounded by a boundary field that contained the excess gravity. When the mystery faded and the world crushed the boundary field as unnatural, the weight that had been spread snapped back beneath his feet and dug into the floor around it as glass rained down like a glimmering shower.


Standing within the domain of the enemy he did not know, Shinji Matou nocked another arrow and prepared to kill anything that got in his way of rescuing his sister. Starting with the familiars that burst through the door…

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shirou


“RAAGGHH—” Shirou swung the bokken down, his muscles tensing and releasing as they brought the reinforced wood about to smash inhuman bone with a hardy crunch. His hands and arms reverberated as the impact resounded through the practice blade.


Then he fell back and prepared to deal with the rest that had gathered, refusing to let them surround him as he face a number of Dragon Tooth Warriors—golems made of, well, dragon teeth. He would admit that he was taken off-guard when he saw them originally and that nearly got his head cut off.


He quickly learned from that mistake. Through the trees that line the ground he fled, refusing to hang out in the opening where they could surround him. At least forcing the numbers to file through the trees would give him—


Clackle-clack!


Shirou ducked into a knee slide as he narrowly avoided losing his head again from when one of the warriors swung a blade from behind a tree that was in his path. It had the privilege of shattering two that were following behind, while he spun and slammed the blade of the wooden sword onto the assailant.


He gritted his teeth, lamenting that his magical sense, filtered through smell, was faulty due to the strange boundary field that had been erected. He was fighting blind, but that wasn’t enough to deter him. He would smash every one of them in his way and then make his way to Sakura, defeat the magus behind them, and get his charge home safe.


He would be a hero who could save everyone.


He swore it!


Fueled by belief, he forced himself onwards until and through a dozen more until the sound of crunching wood spelled the end of his weapon as it rained splinters and the force of the strike knocked him back against a tree.


A single Dragon Tooth Warrior closed in for the kill and swung down its blade, the hunt over and intent to kill obvious…


Yet there was still steel in Shirou’s eyes.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


Shinji found himself, after leaving the dissipating corpses of hound familiars in pieces from explosive arrows, facing a man adorned in expensive garbs that introduced himself in a pompous manner and let loose an arrow the moment the magus’ name left his lips. After all, all he needed something to label the corpse as he dug up information on why the deceased bastard abducted his sister. To his mild surprise, the arrow was deflected by what seemed to be a barrier of air weaving itself around the man like armor, constantly moving and spiraling.


The man then outstretched his hand and a bulwark of wind was turned into a bludgeon that knocked him down the hallway, to the corner, and embedded him into the wall that began to crack under his weight. He pulled himself out of it and fired arrow after arrow, before running down the turn and out of the magus’s sight.


“Stop prolonging the inevitable,” the magus declared, his pace slow and glacial as he took mere steps while believing in the solidity of his defenses. “Surrender now and I shall keep you in one piece.”


Shinji’s response was to pull out an arrow that’s head was an explosive talisman and filled the tip with prana before nocking it and aiming straight ahead. He let it fly and it approached the opposing wall, before pulling a sudden right angle turn and curving around the bend to reach the magus.


The magus’s smirk stayed on his face as he extended his hand and defenses…right until the arrow hit the spiraling defense and ruptured with a deafening explosion. The shock wave and force displaced the air and created an opening that Shinji decided to take the straight path to by shooting through the wall, nocking another paper arrow.


This one has a spiraled head that was designed to make the arrow spin as it flew. It would drill through such meager walls. Closing his right eye and reinforcing the concept of ‘sight’ in his left—he didn’t reinforce both since there was a chance he could blow out one—his vision penetrated the walls and showed the magus, looking disheveled and less than pleased that his defenses were circumvented and focused his defenses to the front, where he was certain that attack would curve from again.


The arrow was released.


The air let out a minor shriek as it was spun and forced apart, sprays of drywall and plaster following a wet sound as meat was punched through and a dry shriek escaped from the magus’ throat. The drill arrow borrowed through the man’s left shoulder after catching him off-guard, having only prepared a defense to the front, where the arrow had curved from before.


Shinji clicked his tongue in mild anger. He was trying to pierce the brain, but the use of reinforcement in only one eye and the multiple walls themselves threw him off. He would have to compensate for that the next time.


The magus thought otherwise as he gave an indecipherable yell and thrust out both hands. If the previous attack was mere gust of wind, then this one was a gale fueled by the power of a cheat sheet known as a Crest.


It was easy for people to ignore the wind on their back, but impossible to run from a wall of death coming from the front. And that’s what it was, Shinji recognized as he inscribed a fuwen into the air in front of him with his own mystic code as wind plowed through the rooms and walls, crafting a billowing wave of pressure and shrapnel that consumed everything in its path and turned it into a weapon. Taking the straight path despite the obstacles, it was clear the enemy had lost his temper and decided to resort to killing the younger spellcaster.


The defensive fuwen was torn apart after withstanding roughly a third of the force that blew out half of the top floor. The armor he wore lined with defenses blocked another third. Unfortunately for Shinji, the final third left a large piece of wood embedded in his thigh as he was blown through another wall and into a large study that was now missing the back wall, exposing the cold moonlight that shone down on him.


There was pain, but compared to having circuits engraved on his soul, it was nothing. Still it would hinder his ability to move. Behind his mask, his eyes darted around to find his bow knocked over in the corner and crawled to it, only for a squall to blow him into the wall and keep him pressed there as the magus arrived.


“You backwater magus”—he increased the wind pressure and buried Shinji further into the wall that was about ready to give way—“dare to draw the blood of one whose family is…”


Shinji tried not to smile behind the mask as the wind drowned out the man’s rambling while he applied further pressure as he closed in. Even as he fought not to blackout from the pressure, he saw the magus in front of the missing section of the wall that exposed moonlight into the room. Just where he wanted him. “Zhu…que!”


There was a shrill and the shikigami appeared at the opening, blocking the moonlight. The talismans that made up the tail end of its feather seemed to glow an ominous hue as it readied itself to unleash the sole curse it possessed. The swelling magical energy brought the magus’s attention to bigger threat, and he stopped his assault in order to shield himself.


“Rain Hell,” Shinji ordered, grabbing his bow and plowing through the weakened wall to escape the blast range. “Curse of the Crimson Plumes!”


Stating the words of release as he weaved another gravity-lessening fuwen to take the landing, the shikigami unleashed its curse and hell did indeed rain down and sound as though bombs were being dropped. The bombardment was merciless, every blast alternating between pressure and flame as they blew away the floor itself…

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shirou


The bone sword was swung down like a blade of execution.


A reinforced left forearm blocked beneath the wrist made on inhuman bone, halting the execution, as his right fist smashed into the bones of the arm and they crumbled beneath the weight of his conviction. There was no hesitation as he took the blade of bone in hand.


“RAAHHH—” With the stolen weapon he unleashed a fearsome strike towards the closest opposition and pilfered their weapon to arm himself further. His empty hand was now filled with another blade.


And it felt right.


The two blades flailed in a frenzy. There was no grace or elegance in the strikes, merely a means to crush and smash bones rather than cleave flesh. A means to survive the overwhelming numbers presented before him. That ceased when one of them grabbed the sword and held it so that its hand that brandished a weapon could be swung.


“You can have it!” Shirou abandoned the weapon. His foot shot out to meet the ribcage and mass of the golem. Reinforced, the blow shattered the golem with the sound of bones breaking as he continued to fend for himself, claiming another enemy’s weapon as his own.


Fire stirred in his lungs and limbs as he struggled to keep up the Reinforcement and continued to fight. Somehow, it was enough. Somehow, their numbers dwindled to the point where he could see an end.


Of course, Shirou had no idea that Caster had simply decided to test out her new pet project on the magus in light of his efforts and refused to summon more. Instead, watching from her crystal ball, she chanted in a language that held power itself and the bone graveyard that had been built over the course of mere minutes became picked clean as the bones gathered up into the shape of a legendary creature long gone.


The False Dragon of Colchis—a failed attempt by Caster in an effort to once again work her Argon Coin noble phantasm. It took only one swipe of its mighty claw to create a shockwave that tossed the son of the Magus Killer aside like a rag doll and sent him tumbling to the ground after having broken something or other as it approached with a low rumble.


He knew some healing mysteries suitable for combat first aid, courtesy of his father’s lessons—being an assassin and all—but he lacked the skill for anything spot on in such a short time. Weaponless and outclassed, Shirou stood on shaky legs regardless in the face of such a creature…


Then came the sound of bombs dropping from the rear of the manor and from the sky fell salvation in the form of a blade that pierced the ground, the white hilt angled up to greet the warrior who had lost his only weapon.

It was obvious that a mere blade would not make a lick of difference against the enemy before him. It was bigger, stronger, and from an age older than him. It was a mystery that Shirou Emiya could not defeat.


“I am—” However, he could not fail. There was someone who needed to be saved. To do that, the enemy in front of him needed to be defeat. Without knowing the meaning of the words he began to utter, he started the spell so that he could continue down the path he walked.


For that reason, he forced his aching body to grab hold of the sword’s hilt as the dragon clawed its way forward. “—the bone of my sword…”


The hammer of a gun came down and the history of the blade was revealed as he attempted to draw from it the same as he did the Tora-Shinai. However, this time the blade demanded his undivided attention and told an untold legend of a king to the magus whose body was made of blades.


A magus and king, who hailed from Wales and bore the title of ‘the generous’ one, wielded this blade originally before his death and it was stolen from his grave and held onto by the Adeliz family, with the current owner being a magus named Reginald Adeliz. This sword was a mystic code, whose mystery lay hidden in the method of which prana was inserted, only known to the original owner. It bore a single technique, with a few minor variants—one for which the blade was renowned for and only capable of being used by the swords original wielder as he knew the key method to unlocking its potential.


The sword’s name: Dyrnwyn (White-Hilt).


Raising the blade and injecting his prana properly, he declared the name of the technique: Urddasol Ffagl (Noble Blaze)!!


White fire erupted from the blade as it was swung down and the creation of bones burned.


The dragon wailed in agony, despite the lack of vocal cords, as flames so hot they melt steel with ease, yet never once touching the flesh of the wielder or anything other than the ‘enemy’ that must be defeated were unleashed to swallow the faux dragon, consuming every ounce of it.


Victory indeed lied in the sword in his hand that sang at being used once again for a noble purpose.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Caster


“Master, do you need assistance?” Caster asked as she appeared in front of the man who held her Command Seals. Reginald survived the bombardment, a downpour of explosives that used concussive shockwaves and heat to decimate the section of the upper floor he was on. However, it couldn’t stop it all and with the building giving way before his defenses did, he wound up having enough of it dropped on him that some shrapnel had eaten into his skin and buried his legs.


He was not amused. “Kill him. Bring me his corpse. NOW!”


“Master, you’ve kept my reserves fairly low,” she said. “Even if this magus used such filthy tactics rather than an honorable duel, he still outdid you. May I request that you provide me with as much prana as you can?”


Now, here’s the thing about magi when they get mad. They make some mistakes and become so focus and driven on a sole thing, they lose sight of the wide perspective. So, he did what she asked without question, seemingly forgetting that despite appearing submissive towards him, she was the Witch of Betrayal and he was on her shit-list.


Thus it was no surprise that, while filled with her master’s mana, she drew her dagger and plunged into the man’s heart. The contract was severed by Rulebreaker and the piercing of his heart gave him a few moments to realize what just happened, before his head slumped down, never to rise again under his own power.


“Well, now that that’s out of the way, I really should deal with the children gathered here.” Caster sheathed her dagger and looked into her crystal ball as her pet project burned. To be honest, the dragon was a failure because it was too frail and weak, nowhere close to the strength of the real dragon. It was basically an oversized Dragon Tooth Warrior with much more mass to throw around.


Still, to think that young magus somehow managed to figure out the trick to that mystic code—which she admittingly did not reveal to her former Master as he had the audacity to try and command her so brazenly—so suddenly and was starting to make his way towards the building while on his last leg…it couldn’t be a coincidence.


Switching to the masked magus, she noticed he was struggling to move as well, clutching his head and chest with some kind of medicinal paste applied to the wound on his thigh to stop the bleeding. It seemed as if there was something off about him…ah, his Magic Circuit seemed to be different from his soul, as if welded on forcibly. How amusing.


Lastly was the girl, who was wandering around the ground floor in an attempt to escape now that someone wasn’t watching her, arms still tied around her back. Cute. There was definitely something dark about her, not to mention the fact that her element was such a rarity.


In all honesty, things were better than Caster hoped. Of the three that were present within her territory, at least two could be seen as potential Masters in the upcoming war and a third who could be useful in some manner or another. All she would need to do was bring them under her thrall. How hard could that be, considering two were half-dead on their feet.


She would start with the girl, of course. Out of all of them, she held the greatest interest and the greatest potential. The air distorted around her as she vanished, leaving her former Master’s corpse where it laid.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shirou


There was nothing left in his body after unleashing such a blaze. He had to resort to using the sword as a makeshift walking stick just to keep advancing. But he wouldn’t give up, despite the fact that every single thing in is body ached as he forced himself forward towards the door that led into the manor.


When it opened, he was prepared to face whatever came out to save his kidnapped friend, despite barely being able to stand on his own two feet. Thus it was a pleasant, but unexpected surprise when said friend emerged from the door, hands still tied behind her back and looking just as surprised as he was.


“Senpai…?” Sakura said, shocked at him coming.


“Sakura,” he huffed, tension giving out and his body wavering at the sight of her safe…and then, for reasons completely beyond his control, his and Sakura’s bodies seized up completely. “Wh…at?”


“You did well in defeating my dragon,” a voice carried in the air and reached his ears alone as the air distorted as Caster appeared. “I shall make good uses of your talents soon.”


The last thing he heard before the world went black, as if his brain was unplugged, was Sakura screaming for him.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Zouken


Zouken watched in amusement as the son of the Magus Killer went limp and the crack in the girl widened substantially. Still, he couldn’t let a mere Servant get above her station. He may as well eliminate her now and speed up his plans.

So, with a snap of the finger, the girl’s consciousness was drowned in black.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Caster


It all happened in an instant.


The girl was paralyzed by Caster’s arts; only for it to be broken as…well there was no better way to explain it other than that she changed into something unnatural, even by one such as her. Black mire poured forth from every orifice, swallowing her and encasing her in a shroud of black with a red-outline that screamed dangerous, like poisonous animals possessed such markings in bright colors to warn potential predators.


Splat! After that, something sliced clean through the barrier she possessed around her and impaled her deeply through her abdomen. Caster looked down to see it was one of those tendrils that were almost as thin as paper.


It hurt.


Filling her to the brim with an unholy agony that surpassed anything she had known in life, Caster screamed. The single piercing seemed to erode a part of her being, miraculously missing her core by chance…no, not by chance.

The creature was hungry, seeking to devour her inch-by-inch in order to savor her flesh, bone, and essence. It was an abysmal void of emptiness that hungered for an infinite amount to fill it up, a being that would swallow everything on the planet before it swallowed itself into oblivion. With a wet and raspy breath from the creature, something dark and alien to even a magus of ages past, the other tendrils lashed out.

It took a great deal of Caster’s pilfered energy to teleport as far away as she could before the razor thin, paper-like tendrils pierced her further, shattering the barrier that formed her territory. Everything she had to spare would be needed to heal from…whatever the thing did to her.

Without knowing what was happening or if she would be chased down and devoured, Caster lost consciousness, right around the time that a man found her outside the steps to the temple.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji

That disturbing magical energy deafened Shinji, the boundary field surrounding the manor rupturing as something even more horrible took its place. It hammered at his head, constantly battering the connecting point of the soul to the body and his transplanted Magic Circuit. Shinji fell to his knees and clutched his head in agony at being so close to that thing.

Bile rose to his throat and expelled itself into his mask as he began to claw at his own flesh to stop that feeling inside his skull; unaware that a familiar of his grandfather was watching him suffer in the presence of the thing that was born of the girl until Caster had vanished. Only then did it retreat and the girl returned to her human shell, easing the sledgehammer striking at his mind relentlessly and mercilessly.

It took everything he had to stand again and start moving, the world tilting as each step was unbalanced and his mind still throbbing in pain. Using the words of release in a prana-laced voice, the mask fell and Shinji breathed in the air that was slowly returning to normal rather than a chill that originated from a void. It was like he was walking on knives the entire time as he forced himself to move…until he found Sakura and Shirou unconscious on the front porch of the manor, both still breathing and with minor injuries.

The tension that kept him strung up out of hatred and fear was severed like a string. Relief took away his legs at the sight of both of them, knowing that his best friend and sister still lived and not caring about anything else at the moment. Since the boundary field was shattered and that ominous presence vanished, the thought of safety briefly crossed his exhausted mind and it shut down.

Shinji passed out.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Zouken- Some Time Later


Zouken looked down at the sight of his grandson before he thrust his cane into Shinji’s wounded thigh, which awoke him with a startled scream.


“Son of a bitch!” Shinji grasp where the sealed off wound was, ignoring the sudden bombardment to his senses that he had passed out next to his mask that reeked of dried vomit, to find his grandfather. “Why?”


“Because you’re pathetic,” Zouken grumbled with a crooked grin on his face. To be honest, he was very pleased with the results of last night when it came to gathering information and testing his control over the thing, but he still had to criticize the fact that Shinji failed to make it back on his own while still in enemy territory. “If that magus hadn’t been a joke, you would have accomplished nothing.”


Shinji ignored the dig as his head still throbbed, expecting nothing less from the aged worm that refused to die. “Sakura…did her and the boy make it out already? Did Sakura say why she was kidnapped and what happened here?”


“The girl is fine,” he said gruffly. “As is the boy…I’ve seen to it that they both were returned to his household by re-hypnotizing those two men who I found out front in their van. They should have been dropped off by now and then have gone about their business.


“As for what happened here, it was the first battle in the upcoming Holy Grail War,” he stated, carrying his old body around to the basement of the building and not waiting for Shinji to keep up. “The magus wanted her as a pawn to be used during that war as she is technically the heir. You can ask the girl for details later, for now make yourself useful.”


“You knew this was happening?” Shinji asked incredulously as he opened the door to the basement, noting that the enchantments on it had been broken already—probably on the magus’ death. Then he remembered who he was talking to, a worm past his prime and had participated in the last four wars. “Nevermind. What are we looking for in particular?”


He shot the boy a glance of disapproval. “Isn’t it obvious? We’re searching for a clue as to what Servant was summoned.”


The younger spellcaster flipped the switch to the lights and revealed the contents of the room. The lab reminded Shinji of an animal shelter, with cages lining one of the walls with dogs. None of them had been turned into familiars yet, and they all looked well-cared for. There other wall was filled with tomes on shelves. On a dais in the back was book that looked old and musty, despite the presence of magecraft preserving it.


“Colchis literature…” Zouken mused darkly as worms surged from his flesh and entered the gaps in the cages, feasting on the dogs that had yet to be turned into familiars with sickening crunches and dying yelps. Shinji did his best not to flinch at the gruesome scene of unnecessary violence. “A spirit from the Age of the Gods summoned as a Caster and commanding warriors made of dragon teeth…Medea, then?”


Shinji made a mental note to look up that name on Wikipedia later. “The Grail War, you’re not going to make Sakura fight, are you?”


“That depends on you, boy.” Zouken stood in the center of the summoning circle in front of the dais as the worms slithered towards him and tapped it with his cane. “You want the girl to be free, I want the Holy Grail and it just so happens that the catalyst I have procured for your summoning has been found and will be delivered shortly by your aunt. Other than that, I won’t provide you with any help, much like I did Kariya.”


Shinji’s eyes narrowed. Someone who wants the grail as much as him not assisting or taking the stage was disturbingly offsetting. “Why aren’t you entering it yourself?”


“There is something off with this war,” he admitted, “an anomaly, if you will. I can just as easily wait until the next one to claim the grail, but I will use the girl to create a suitable Master for the next war, and you most certainly will not be around.”


Shinji grimaced. Knowing the old worm, he wouldn’t hazard a guess as to how he would force Sakura into making him another Matou heir or heiress. Sakura would either have to watch as her child went through what she did or…no, way in hell would Shinji let that happen. He swore he would protect her! He fucking swore he would free her from the old worm’s grasp!


But he couldn’t go into the war blind.


He needed information. Zouken would keep the information pertaining to the last war to himself, in his mind, since he didn’t participate or keep records. But wasn’t there at another source he could access?


“The previous war,” Shinji started, “was there anyone who survived and would be willing to trade for their memories of the last war?”


“Hmph, a fairly reasonable idea,” Zouken consented as he started walking again, “there are only two survivors to the last war, and only one of them will aid you as the other should be the Tohsaka’s guardian and maintain impartiality as the moderator of the next war.”


Zouken knew about Gilgamesh and that Kotomine would probably keep an eye on things for his own amusement. They were alike in that aspect. But, there was no need to go into specifics, much like he neglected to mention the identity of the other boy as a magus—partly because Shinji’s suffering amused him, and partly because it would be another step towards his goal.


Zouken didn’t think the boy could win the war. But the girl on the other hand, she would break regardless. As long as she, her sister, her crush, and her brother were involved, it would suffice. If her brother died fighting for the girl, she would break for certain. If her crush or sister were the ones who did it, there would be nothing left to hold her together.


“I shall make the necessary arrangements for a meeting later. For now, go and collect the magus’ corpse and anything useful to have your creation bring back home…”

- - - Updated - - -

Chapter 5: Preparations for War 2


[Chapter 5 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

With Shirou

Shirou Emiya snapped awake with a grunt of discomfort as he found himself on his front porch, the sun shining down on him. He was alive. The very notion of such a thing, after encountering that smothering presence brought about by the oddly dressed woman, seemed almost alien to the Spellcaster.

Truthfully he was tempted to dismiss everything as a dream. It would have been so much easier to do so. But no, he couldn't assume it was a dream…not when the sword of the Generous King rested next to him, sheathed in a scabbard he did not recognized but seemed fitting. Running his fingers over the scabbard and white hilt, he could feel the song of Dyrnwyn resounding in his ears after so long and feel the noble blaze of its fire dancing on his finger tips in delight.

But if it wasn't a dream then Sakura really did get kidnapped by some Magus and he had no idea how he got back or what happened to her. He had failed in the end, and that frightened him more than the notion of being at the mercy of a Magus who could have done Root-knows-what to him while unconscious. He had failed to save his Kohai and best friend's sister.

"Senpai?" said a soft voice from behind, gentle with a touch of concern that Shirou recognized all too well.

Shirou whipped his head around so fast that there was a cracking noise and he strained it, but he found the pain worth it as he stared into the violet eyes of Sakura Matou. She seemed unharmed and safe, which allowed him to breathe out a sigh of relief. "Sakura, are you okay?"

Sakura tilted her head in feigned confusion at the question. Her grandfather, through the worms that swam through her body, had instructed her to play along like nothing happened and claimed to have modified his memories to keep him from being involved. While Sakura had so many questions, like how he managed to reach her there, she followed his orders so that her beloved person did not become drawn into their family affairs. "What do you mean?"

"What happened yesterday," he clarified, testing the boundaries of her recollection.

"We had dinner and watched the stars," she stated.

Does she not remember? Shirou wondered. Then he entertained a thought when he recalled that Fuyuki was under the protection of another Magus, even though they were the same age. Reginald's actions would warrant her intervention he supposed, depending on the circumstances. If it was the Second Owner of the land who rescued us then she would have wiped her memory. But if she knew about me…no sense in worrying about it until Tohsaka brings it up. For now I'll just be grateful that Sakura is safe.

The ringing of the phone followed the train of thought. Excusing himself he went to retrieve the phone. "Emiya residen—"

"Emiya!" Shinji's voice came over the phone, sounding more than a little annoyed. "You'd better have a decent excuse for keeping my sister over at your place all night without a single call!"

Shirou winced at the tone. "Shinji, it was an accident I swear. We had just stayed up for a bit watching the stars, nothing inappropriate happened. "

Shinji scoffed over the line. "Fine, whatever. Listen, something's come up so I need for her to stay at your place for the rest of the day."

"That's no trouble at all, she's always welcomed," Shirou stated before Shinji hung up the phone. It was obvious to him that Shinji was feeling less than pleased at the circumstances since he hadn't called to tell him that Sakura was alright. The Matou siblings always did look after one another's wellbeing with earnest interests.

But it wasn't like he could tell him that she had been kidnapped. Still, he probably should apologize for keeping her all night and get stronger so that something like this never happened again, but for now there was a more pressing matter on his mind. He needed to go back to get his motorcycle and investigate the site of where the battle occurred.

Turning back to Sakura, he told her she could stay while he ran out for a chore. Eyeing the foreign steel resting on the veranda, he decided to bring it along as well. Just in case.

Getting back to the scene of the previous struggle was somewhat of an issue, due to the fact that his main means of transportation was at the location already, but he eventually made it there. While his motorcycle was undamaged, the building itself had been thoroughly burned down within the confines of a boundary field, leaving Shirou to assume that it was indeed the work of the Second Owner of this land.

Still, that presence that appeared before him and severed his consciousness haunted him. He couldn't let it go. He needed to know what it was, so he looked to the blade for an answer. Kneeling in the grass at the site of the destruction and taking the blade into his hands, he uttered two words: "Trace. On."

His consciousness sunk into the blade and through its history once more. The tale of the Generous King was too far in the past, but the present held answers as he traced from the moment the Mystic Code was lost to the moment it was retrieved, buried beneath the earth until found by that very presence that had smothered him before. Thus he listened and listened closely to the tale.

Buried, earth to all sides without a wielder after the Generous King met his end. Sleeping within the earth like a womb it awaited for centuries to be found. Then there was a tug of magic, older and far more ancient than the blade itself. This magic forced the blade to surface from the womb it was in and into the hands of a man who was also a Magus, Reginald Adeliz.

"So this is the blade of the Welsh King?" he said, gingerly fingering the blade.

The woman from before, the smothering presence in a human form, nodded her head from beneath her hood. "Yes, Master. It is indeed an interesting Mystic Code. Quite befitting of one of your stature and nobility."

He made a noise that may as well have said 'Of Course', believing in her words as they fed into his ego. "Well done, Caster…"

The name broke him from his trance and pulled him out of the memory that was within the blade. Caster, one of the classes of Servants in his father's tale of a war that had come and passed, only leaving destruction in its wake. The event itself was something Kiritsugu had often glossed over when it came to recalling, the acts in which he did many things that he regretted and ultimately had a single shining point—Shirou being saved.

When Shirou expressed his fears of another such thing coming to pass and all the lives that would be lost, Kiritsugu had stated that another war was fifty years off at least and that he had taken measures to interrupt it. But it seems like there was something wrong if a Servant had been summoned already. Another Holy Grail war was starting.

The question was: What could Shirou do?

Should he enter? He didn't have a wish that the grail could grant. He only wanted to prevent that nightmare from before being repeated. He didn't want another incident where bodies would be twisted by the heat into abstract shapes, the air dancing so that you couldn't tell who was alive and waving for help or corpses that would never move again.

He just needed to save as many innocents as he could, keep them off the battlefield, and limit the collateral of the war. It may also mean that he would have to be ready to face and possibly kill those that came for the prize of the grail, just like the one who kidnapped Sakura for some reason. Kiritsugu had taught him that, but he prayed he never would have to.

First things first, he needed to know what he faced in the first place. That meant he would have to comb over his research as well as any major incidents that happened during the last war. With that decided Shirou hopped on his motorcycle and made for home once more.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji

Little did Shirou know, after the line was cut, that Shinji's annoyance was due to the stresses of the events of last evening.

To start with, his sister had been kidnapped and Shirou presumed dead. That alone got his blood boiling and urged him to do something, to take up arms and fight like he had planned against Rin eventually.
Then he learned that this was the prelude to a war that shouldn't take place for decades. The same one that had claimed his Uncle Kariya years ago and left him a broken man before his death. Sakura was almost turned into a puppet for some Magus and they were apparently dealing with a Caster Servant.

Then he learned that not only had the Old Worm known this was happening and he was manipulating events so that he could throw Shinji or Sakura to the dogs, but he had apparently been contacting his Aunt behind his back and searching for an artifact to summon a Heroic Spirit to fight for the Matou. He knew that his Aunt hated the man with a passion so pure it could be holy and, with any luck, purge him from the world considering that his Mother, her sister, was fed to the bastard's worm.

"A little warning would have been nice!" Shinji snarled under his breath as he worked on restoring Zhuque back into a condition it could be used to its fullest again. If he had known about the war coming a year ago, or even a month ago, he could have made more shikigami or studied more or planned accordingly and add safe measures to ensure Sakura would be okay.

But it was too late for that now. All he could do was make as many preparations as he could for the time being while combing over his notes for the Holy Grail War that were transcribed onto his laptop. But notes, as thorough as they were, wouldn't be his saving grace during the war. He needed experience that could only come through memory.

He needed to see the war from the perspective of someone who lived through it…aside from Zouken. The things that evil bastard had been up to would no doubt haunt Shinji's nightmares, which were already cringe-worthy for all the Hell that Sakura got put through. No, anyone but him.

To that end he made contact with the only known survivor of the previous war within the Clock Tower, one Lord El-Melloi. Best of all he did it through e-mail. It made for a discreet method of sending the inventory list of everything taken from the Manor that had been considered trade-worthy and would be exchanged in order to attain something more valuable—memories from the last war.

The Magic Crest from Reginald was the main selling point. He had kidnapped a scion of the Matou clan and was slaughtered, so his Crest would be handed to Lord El-Melloi II, who would no doubt sell it back to the original family for a hefty profit under the table and in privacy so that they did not have to bare the shame of not only losing their Crest, but having to buy it back. Of course, he himself could use the extra money from the exchange towards a nest egg for his projects should the Archibald house decide to cut their funding.

There were some hitches, of course. It would only cover general events rather than personal ones, the Magus had been insistent on that, as he stated he needed the memories as reference point for future generations. That was fine, so long as he saw the battles in action and the tactics of those involved, but because Shinji knew how to bargain and Zouken had an invested interest in the outcome in this war in particular and knew of the previous Head of the Archibald family's perversion of the system he had put into place, he managed to secure additional research by claiming that, as the family that came up with the Command Seal system, they needed to patch up any exploitable loopholes for the next war.

That perversion, Shared Mastership, was going to be a key feature. Even if Shinji hated to admit it, he would not be able to win this war on his own. Kariya held the capacity to use a Berserker, but Shinji was an artificial magus piggybacking off his father's circuits that only bonded to him because of his mother's sorcery trait. Sakura, however, could support a Servant.

While he would keep her off the battlefield and minimize the amount of strain put on her so those damn worms weren't agitated into feeding off her more than usual, he needed her help so that he could save her. But the Matou family always entered the war and Rin Tohsaka would not be fooled into thinking that it wasn't Sakura if she bore the command seals. So he would bare them, hide them somehow during school since Rin believed he didn't possess circuits or skip school entirely, and then act in disguise as a Master to eliminate the competition.

Rin, of course, would be killed during the war. That was inevitable and he would see to that one way or another. The question was whether or not he would kill Rin first and how he would do it.

She had abandoned Sakura completely, choosing the Art over family. Not even at school did she treat her like a friend, nor even mere acquaintances. She was ignorant of Sakura's pain and suffering, her longing for what she had lost in exchange for continuing a dying line of abominable Magecraft. The war, quite frankly, gave him an excuse to kill her off without incurring the wrath of the Mage's Association for usurping one of their Second Owners and give Sakura everything that she lost as the last of the Tohsaka.

But at the same time she was a known quantity, her family arts were within the confines of the Matou Library, if not the secrets of how their mysteries worked. He had already been working on counter-measures for anything she might be able to throw at him, with the exception of whatever Servant that was summoned to her side.

At the same time Shinji had to admit, begrudgingly, that she was most likely a better Magus than he was a Spellcaster. She had her family crest, while he only had faulty circuits that would drive him to an early grave in exchange for the benefits they presented. She could be better used by letting her eliminate the unknown enemies…

Well, it's not like he needed to kill her personally, right? There would be five other Masters besides him and her, so chances are someone else would bump her off. Then again, Shinji felt that her death would benefit his purpose greatly if he was the one to do it.

Then there was the Old Worm, who wanted the grail more than life itself. Sakura and his to be exact. Quite frankly, Shinji would be a damn fool if he said he trusted the worm that walked to release Sakura considering all the things flowing through her. No, he needed some way to deal with Zouken as well. If the Grail could grant any wish, then he could wish that the Old Worm was dead, that Sakura was normal without those things inside of her, and who knows what else.

Then there was Caster, whom Zouken helpfully informed him had not been taken into the grail upon the death of her Master. She was still around, somehow, probably leeching the life and soul out of someone else to sustain her existence. While from his notes he learned that Casters weren't the most offensively inclined Servants, Medea was from the Ages of the Gods and knew things that would make most modern magi foam at the mouth for the chance of learning. Not to mention she could sustain herself off others far easier if she tapped into a leyline.

Again, it depended on what Servant Shinji would summon. If the Magic Resistance was high enough then he would move to kill her himself with his Servant. If not, whoever had the highest would do so eventually, with prodding if necessary. As for the rest…well, Shinji did have a few advantages providing that the Shared Mastership could be duplicated.

For starters, he wouldn't need to support his Servant so prana moving through his circuits wouldn't give him away. Sakura had a far greater capacity than him, so she could have anything short of a Berserker going at full strength. Also, if something should happen to him, the Servant wouldn't fade with his death.

Next was the fact that he didn't use the Matou mysteries. Using Eastern Magecraft, even though it was merely patchwork, rather than the craft that the Makiri brought with them to this land would leave anyone who witnessed it completely clueless that it was him as long as he kept his face hidden. While in his guise the conclusion they drew would most likely be that he was a third party hired to fight for the family that lacked a capable combatant.

In terms of armaments, the shenfu were about as good as single-action spells, and his fuwen could be inscribed on the moisture in the air to realize mysteries. The larger shikigami could serve as combat assistance and transportation. Fang Yin was coming with the catalyst and his new Mystic Code as well. But would it be enough?

No. No, it wouldn't. He needed several fallbacks.

Fuyuki was where he lived and breathed, he should make use of that. As long as he had time before the war began he could map the area thoroughly and set up bolt-holes with bounded fields to use appropriately. Storing some emergency supplies and aids within them could mean the difference between life and death.

Then there were those scrolls he appropriated from the temple, one of which held a Formalcraft from Onmyoudo that he could use since he had just finished reading up on it. But it required him in the center of the circle until it was ready to be used and he was still trying to figure out a way past that, like if he used a simulacrum or effigy and ran a pass through it. It would be ideal if he could place it over a leyline, but that probably would be the first place any Magus inspected and the pass could be used as a means to curse him or attack him directly.

Shinji's thought process was cut off as he coughed violently into his hand. Pulling it away he observed the scarlet hue painting his hand and focused on downing the contents of a gourd to ease his pain. That fighting last night had potentially worsened his condition, either from the pounding he took or whatever it was that made his head feel as though a sledgehammer hit it.

He shook it off so he could move to the table with his laptop and pull up a map of Fuyuki, along with a similar one scanned from some old documents laying out the spiritual hotspots from the Matou library. He could scout the potential sites out personally after Archery Club…

Actually, he may need to withdraw from the club. He could practice in private and he needed as much time as possible while he could still get it. As long as Rin didn't suspect him of being a capable of using Magecraft it wouldn't look too suspicious, not when his frail health was already a known fact and was the reason he would miss school for several upcoming days after tomorrow.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shirou

Shirou found himself up earlier than normal the proceeding morning of his revelation that the Holy Grail War was potentially starting up again. And he was frustrated more than ever as he swung Dyrnwyn around at targets that weren't there. He wasn't ready for this and he knew it. If he didn't move his body the frustration of knowing that there wasn't much he could do at present would leave him distraught more than he could allow.

At present Shirou was a failure as a Magus in the limited scope of what he could do. It wouldn't be anywhere near enough to deal with another. Kiritsugu just didn't have enough time to teach him.

While he had left behind his exploits, many things that left a foul taste in Shirou's mouth at the details of what he had done and for what reason, the bits of the information on the Holy Grail War Kiritsugu compiled before the war took place only contained limited information, such as on the class system and what was at stake—a wish that could be granted upon defeating all other Servants. The only other thing of importance, and perhaps most distressing, was the names of the three families involved in the creation of the war itself.

The Tohsaka lineage was down to Rin as far as he could tell. Most likely the representative of the Einzbern family would be the very person that Shirou had been asked to save. The last was the Matou, meaning that either Shinji or Sakura would become his enemy.

A part of Shirou couldn't believe that one or both of them were part of a bloodline that practiced the Art. From what he knew it was common practice for only one in a bloodline to inherit their traditions, while the other would be locked out of the loop. While he had to confront them on this before the war began, he had known them for some time now and never once did he entertain the thought that they were a part of this world—for the sake of the Root, Sakura was still asleep in one of the guests rooms that morning.

While he didn't think that either one of them were the type to catch innocents in a fight, magi wore masks with great ease and the people he thought he knew could be entirely different. Granted, it seemed far-fetched, but he could never be too careful. He could only hope for the best, but he needed to be ready to take action if they were being particularly unscrupulous and killing off innocents for the sake of power.

Even if they weren't amoral, they both would probably need help in the long run. Shinji was frail in health and Sakura was timid, neither of which seemed like an act to him. Even if they had a Servant to protect them, the rigors of combat would put a strain on them and endanger them. But, while he was good enough to deal with those things that attacked him during his attempts at a rescue, it wouldn't suffice for against a Servant.

In the end, the only way he would most likely be able to help them or stop them if necessary, shield the innocent, and prevent an incident similar to that Hell he walked through once before would be to participate in the war itself. To do that he needed to enter with a Servant of his own, but he didn't have any clue as to where to begin since the general notes on the war didn't contain the summoning ritual.

Pushing the string of thoughts out of his mind, Shirou took a deep breath and prepared to delve into the sword once more to draw from the experience that dwelled inside of it and allow it to guide his movements. More practice, followed by a shower and breakfast, then school.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji

The classes passed fairly quickly for all those involved and Shirou, Sakura, and Shinji found themselves in the Archery Club later that day. Among the constant sound of bowstrings being stretched and released, with the thumps of arrows penetrating targets of cloth, was where Shinji broke the news to the Captain of the club, Ayako Mitsuzuri, alongside his oldest friend and sister.

He spun a tale of his condition worsening due to stress among other factors and he needed to rest in accordance to his doctor. Thus his grandfather had ordered him to leave the club out of concern for the wellbeing of his grandson, despite knowing how much he liked it. They had argued about it, but Sakura had also asked that he withdrew from the club as well out of her love for him.

"So, you're withdrawing from the club for good?" she asked after he summed up his situation. Her tone stated she could tell there was something more to it. Maybe the fact that he told such a blatant lie about his grandfather being concerned for him, something that even he had trouble trying to fake despite his skill in spinning tales without Magecraft, was what made her skeptical. But since Sakura was there and her face was one of obvious concern, she believed in it enough. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped."

"It's only temporary," he assured her. "Just a month or two, so that my condition gets better, and it's not like I can't visit once in a while. I don't like it any better than you do, but the Old Wo—Man, won't budge on it and you've never had to deal with Sakura crying. Even I couldn't disobey after that, even if it means the club loses my magnetic appeal that drew in so many recruits and made so many people take up the bow upon becoming the Vice-Captain."

"Oh no, however will we cope," Ayako said in a dry and plain tone. Taking a deep breath, her expression softened to that of a soft smile. "Well, your narcissism aside, it's good that you're taking care of yourself and we will miss you for the time being."

Shinji returned the smile with a mischievous one aimed at Shirou. "As for my captaincy, Emiya will serve as a good enough substitute until I get back on my feet."

Shirou looked skeptical at that. "Wait, me?"

Ayako put on a rather smug smile as she looked to the aforementioned substitute. "Yes, he'll do nicely. Everyone knows he should probably have my captaincy, but he's been avoiding it. "

Shirou held his hands up and tried to deny the position. "Hold on, we all know I'm not suitable to teach others like you two and—"

Shinji placed a hand on his shoulder and cut him off. "Now Emiya, you wouldn't dare turn down a request for help. Especially not that of a sick friend who only wants to ensure that his place is taken care of by the most suitable person, would you?"

"Ahh…" Well when put like that, suspicions of Shinji being a Magus or not, he couldn't just refuse. Still, in one futile attempt, he looked to Sakura for support.

She merely brought her hands to her face and hid a gentle smile behind it as she said, "Congratulations, Senpai."

Thus he was defeated and acknowledged it. "Fine, I'll do it. It's not like Fuji-nee can be mad at me if I'm late with dinner because I'm taking a role in the club she's supervising."

"Excellent," Ayako stated. "Let's commemorate this moment, shall we?"

A few minute later all four of them stood out on the shooting range that was cleared for the moment, standing with the sun overhead as they were poised to take a photo. Ayako stood to the right of Shinji, her shoulder pressed against his as he rested an arm around his sister to the left. Sakura was leaning into Shirou at Shinji's insistence, blushing as the Emiya stood there relaxed with a bow in his left hand. All of them were smiling, unaware that this would be one of the few peaceful days in the upcoming month that they would look back on fondly.

After the photo was taken, with copies to be made for all four of them later that week, and the rest of the club period passed without incident, Shirou approached Shinji near the end and asked, "Shinji, can I talk to you in private after I finished cleaning up?"

"That's fine since I wanted to discuss some things with you as well." Shinji looked to the sky, a pleasant shade of fuchsia that marked the arrival of the evening twilight hour that lay between sunset and dusk. In a way it called to him, reminding him that he may very well be in the twilight of his life with the impending war. It would make the perfect backdrop for the discussion he wanted to have with him as well. "I'll be waiting on the rooftop, so don't take too long."

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shirou

Shirou diligently cleaned the club room in haste to meet up with Shinji on the rooftop. Since Ayako and Shinji became the Captain and Vice-Captain things were usually kept at a level where it didn't take him as long as it did in their first year of the club, allowing him to help out around the other parts of the school and add to his title as the 'Fake Janitor' of Homurahara Gakuen. So, after thirty or so minutes, he found himself out of his club uniform and into his school one, climbing the stairs to the rooftop exit.

In a way, the rooftop made for an ideal place to confirm if it was Shinji who was the Magus in his family. The appearance of a Servant and the sudden decision to leave his responsibility as a club vice-captain indicated that the Holy Grail War was indeed looming. Thus he couldn't put it off if he was to be proactive.

He thought about bringing some kind of weapon, a bokken or shinai for example, that he could reinforce in case Shinji proved to be put off by his discovering that he had kept such a thing from him for years and attacked. Magi did not like to be deceived, even though they often relished doing the deceiving, hiding in plain sight amongst the rest of the unsuspecting populace. But it was Shinji, a friend of his who he had known for years.

It may have been a foolish hope and something that Kiritsugu would have definitely loathed, meeting with a potential hostile unarmed, but…Shirou wanted to believe that all these years meant something and they could talk it out. He wanted to believe his somewhat selfish and narcissistic friend was still a good person. Resting a hand on the door handle, knowing that Shinji was on the other side, Shirou took a deep breath before he opened the door.

The hinges groaned as the metal swung and light poured into his view from the sun that was almost completely beyond the horizon, blinding Shirou for a moment. He shielded his eyes with his hands until the sudden effects from the natural flare faded. It was then he saw Shinji.

The eldest Matou child stood at the fence at the edge of the building with his hands in his pockets. His bag was leaning against it as he looked through to see the skyline while dusk approached, showing his back to his oldest friend. There was a gentle breeze that swayed his blue hair with a spattering of white strands and rustled his clothes.

"I really like it up here," Shinji said without looking, knowing that it was him. "I figured I should burn this sight into my eyes since I won't be in school and see it from this viewpoint until I get back."

"So, you're taking a few days out of school as well?" Shirou asked as he stepped onto the hard tiles of the roof and shut the door behind him.

"Yeah, things to do and people to see," Shinji mused in an otherwise distant tone. "I should be back after a week or two, not that it'll be a problem. It's what's happening in the long run that's concerning me…and that's why I wanted to talk to you like this, just in case. If it's you then things will be fine, I believe…"

Shirou's eyes narrowed. "Shinji…what's wrong? If you wanted something you never once hesitated to ask. For you to do so now…"

Shinji pulled his hands out of his pockets and placed them against the fence. "Emiya…there's a very real chance I'll be dead before Spring rolls around. There's no avoiding that, so if something happens to me…"

His fingers tightened around the fencing, the metal letting out a small rattle as it bent. "If something happens to me…promise to look after Sakura for me."

A selfish final wish for his sister, whom he wanted to be looked after even beyond death…It was at that instant that Shirou began to curse himself for thinking, even once before, that Shinji could be anyone other than himself. "Shinji…"

"You're a good person," Shinji continued. "A stupidly honest person, but a good person nonetheless. You…you're the only one who will stay by her side once I'm gone. She won't have anyone else once that happens."

"Shinji, I can help you," Shirou told him. "I don't know how much help I will be, not yet, but I can help you both. You and Sakura…"

"No," Shinji stated firmly. He was readying himself to be involved in a battle between Masters and Servants, which wasn't a place he would drag his friend. Not after he thought he nearly got him killed before with Caster. Not when he thought he was just a good, but normal person.

The eldest Matou sibling shook his head and turned to face him. "No, you can't. There's nothing you can do to help me besides a vow to look after my sister. That's everything to me."

And Shirou Emiya could see it clearly in his eyes that Shinji had given him his sincerest wish, what he wanted to protect. She was his happiness and losing her would leave him with nothing else. "I'll look after her, Shinji. I promise."

The tension in Shinji's hands faded at that, his grip on the fence coming loose as his hands fell to his side. He turned to look at his friend and, even though he would never admit it otherwise, it could be heard in his tone that he was truly grateful having a friend like Shirou. "Emiya…thank you…"

"I'll look after Sakura and protect her happiness, so…" Shirou continued as he pulled back the imaginary hammer of a gun in his soul. Shinji was being selfish whether he knew it or not. He was Sakura's happiness as she was his, and if Shinji died so would Sakura's happiness. Thus he made up his mind that this was the real Shinji bearing his heart to him, and he would give it his all to protect them both. "I'll protect you both."

He pulled the trigger and his Magic Circuits flared to life, the meshing of steel against steel resonating in Shinji's head as his sense of sound registered the prana coming from his best friend. "I know what your wish is, so I'll help you in the Holy Grail War, Shinji."

[Twi]

Chapter 6: Last Preparations

[Chapter 6 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

On the Rooftop of the school


Reality flipped on itself for Shinji as the grating of steel-on-steel filled his ears.


He wanted to believe it was a lie. He wanted to believe, more than anything else, that his best friend wasn’t a Magus and had just expressed an interest in the Holy Grail War.


But he had. “Emiya…you’re…”


Shirou nodded to the unfinished question. “I’m a Magecraft-user…”


Shinji’s faith crumbled at that instant. If the stupidly honest person he trusted more than anyone else besides Sakura had been hiding something this big from him, who else could he trust?


It was funny though. Even though he felt betrayed, there surprisingly wasn’t any pain. Only numbness that seemed to spread throughout him as his mind began to re-evaluate every single thing they did, every interaction and every moment they shared, to make sure it wasn’t a ploy to get him to reveal something that could be used against him.


The fact that Shirou Emiya, who just stood there, hid behind a mask so well-crafted that Shinji couldn’t see through it put the artificial magus on alert. He kept his Mystic Code, an amplifier in the form of a pen that allowed him to use the moisture in the air as a medium, inside his bag and there was plenty of paper to use at the expense of homework. The question was if he was fast enough to access them.


He had no idea what mysteries his opponent had and the sound of steel in his ears told him that prana was already in effect. There was no other choice but to blitzkrieg it, fire all seventeen at once and draw out as much magical energy as he could in an instant and reinforce himself to survive the first two seconds. He nocked the arrow in his mind and prepared to hit the target…


But would such a trigger act fast enough to set off all the Magic Circuits he had?


No, it wouldn’t. He needed a stronger image…so he visualized it. His mind, the anchor of his soul and the most important part of his body, replaced the target. If there was anything that could set off all seventeen, it was the mental image of that which he needed the most being driven through by an arrow.


The bowstring was drawn. Tension in the string made it taut. The release converted the potential energy into kinetic. The arrow flew and a flare of white hot pain bloomed as all seventeen awoke from their slumber, flaring to life in preparation for combat.


In response, Shirou showed no hostile reaction. He let out a breath of relief instead, ultimately glad that his educated guess was proven correct…at least as far as he knew. “So, you were the Magus in your family after all. Good. That means that Sakura wouldn’t be involved in something like this.”


That information passed through Shinji’s mind, conclusions drawn rapidly and discarded in succession based on insight. The opponent was unaware of Sakura’s status, believing Shinji was the heir to the Matou mysteries. Something was amiss. “You…does the Second Owner know about you?”


Shirou rubbed the back of his head before shaking it, switching his Magic Circuit off now that his point had been made. “She doesn’t. Kiritsugu told me not to get involved unless I couldn’t remain hidden anymore, so since the war was beginning I was planning on telling her later.”


Confusion popped up. Why would an enemy reveal their hand and drop the element of surprise? Recalling his words seconds prior before panic set in, considering the lack of hostility, accounting for past history, Shinji reached one conclusion. Emiya was who he was, the mask his actual personality…


Suddenly Shinji wondered if that was potentially worse than if it had been an act. If Rin didn’t know about him before and he told her, before he had a Servant, then she would probably get rid of him to thin out the competition. “How do you even know about the war?”


“Kiritsugu found me in the disaster that happened at the end of the last war,” he stated. “He didn’t tell me much, and I didn’t ask since it was a sore topic, but I thought the war wasn’t going to happen for a couple of more decades until Sakura was kidnapped and I went to get her back. I guess whoever it was that kidnapped Sakura had done so to get you to come out, and I thought that Tohsaka had altered her memories and just decided to confront me on it later.”


“That was me,” Shinji decided to say, taking the situation as it was so that he could potentially salvage it. That meant lying. “I altered Sakura’s memories once I killed the Magus, but since your circuits were inactive I couldn’t tell you were like me. Most likely the alterations didn’t take effect or were worn away or something. ”


“Shinji…you killed them?” Shirou asked as his expression became one of discomfort at the thought.


“He kidnapped my sister!” Shinji snarled defensively. “You said you went there to get her, so would you have done anything differently?”


Shirou looked pained at the question, unsure of what to say. All he could do was lick his lips and say, “To be a Magus is to walk with death. Kiritsugu told me that sometimes…sometimes it’s necessary if there is no other way. If Caster hadn’t disabled me I probably could have done something else or at least would have spared you the burden.”


“There wasn’t any other way,” Shinji told him. “He was going to torture her in front of me until I agreed to work with him. He got what he deserved. Besides, there’s a bigger problem now since Caster is running loose without a leash.”


Shirou’s body tensed at the revelation. “She’s still around?”


Shinji nodded. “Somehow. Most likely by feeding on souls…”


Shirou’s eyes narrowed at that. Feeding off souls of the innocent was something he couldn’t tolerate. “I have to stop her or—”


Shinji cut him off. “How are you going to do that as you are? We’re talking about a Servant here. Tell me, how many Magic Circuits do you have? What Magecraft are you competent at? Do you have anything that can stack up against her?”


“Well, I have twenty-seven circuits and I know the basic three Material Transmutation, some runes, and a few other things…”


Shinji might have been jealous of him being born with the luck to have so many circuits if his mind wasn’t in its current mode. Instead he just shook his head and berated him. “Think Emiya! Do you honestly think that would be enough against a Servant who wields arts from the Age of the Gods?”


“Age of the Gods?” Shirou repeated, catching the underlying meaning. “Shinji, do you know—”


“What can you do against her?” Shinji demanded, cutting him off. He had to back him into a corner to see if he had anything else that Shinji needed to know about. “How can you beat an enemy like that with just that? You’d be dead in a heartbeat if you don’t have something else.”


Shirou shuffled on his feet at the claim. “I know that I can’t do much on my own, that’s why I need to know how to enter the war with a Servant. I can save more innocents and help you, ending the entire thing as soon as possible with as few deaths as possible. Even if I can’t enter for some reason, I’ll still help without one.”


Shinji gritted his teeth behind pursed lips at that and he could have sworn more of his hair had shifted to a pale color. Every instinct and experience with the person in front of him told Shinji that he was being truthful. Does he have no sense of self-preservation?


It was clear that he was going to get himself killed jumping into things without thinking. Even if he was a Magecraft-user, the notes Shinji had said witnesses had to be taken care of. Since trying to wipe his memories would be too difficult, silencing him permanently would be the best option.


Shirou needed a Servant just to stay alive.


But the Servants came to fight for the grail in exchange for a wish and, knowing this idiot, he would tell them he didn’t care for it. They wouldn’t be willing to surrender the chance to have it and the conflict would allow one of the other Masters to cut him down. If Shinji did nothing, he was sure Shirou would get himself killed.


He supposed he would feel somewhat bad about letting Shirou be sacrificed without being able to do anything, leaving his oldest friend to die for being ill-prepared. But that would take care of one potential Master and put him closer to the grail.


An alliance, on the other hand, provided him with an extra Servant. In addition to another venue of use depending on what he was capable of. Yes, Shinji would pull his strings like a puppet to use him to the fullest before stabbing him in the back…oh, but Sakura still liked him. It would hurt her and take away her happiness if he killed him, so maybe he should keep him alive for Sakura’s happiness…


And it was that exact instant that Shinji realized he was acting no better than Zouken and Rin, willing to sacrifice the well-meaning doofus in front of him for his goal after he could get no further use out of him, and promptly shivered in disgust at himself. This wasn’t even just any chump off the street, but his best friend to this point. He let his circuits go inactive and pulled himself out of that mindset before he went too far to come back.


“Fine, we’ll work together,” Shinji stated as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll contact you with the details later, but until then don’t tell Tohsaka anything in case she decides to cull the competition early…”


Shirou sighed. “I don’t think she’d be that bad. She seems to be reasonable, at least at school.”


“You don’t know her,” Shinji told him, also deciding that during their partnership Shirou would never learn of his plans to kill Tohsaka. “You’ve been squatting on her land for ages without telling her, only to enter into the Holy Grail War. You’d be dead before you knew what hit you.”


Then he walked past the other Magecraft-user and down the stairs to make his way home, silent the entire way with a scowl. He was angry at both himself, for falling into the mentality that he was going to kill Tohsaka for, and Shirou. Despite the idiot’s vow to help him, Shinji’s job just got harder as he now had weigh the life of an eventual competitor to that of Sakura’s and her happiness, and actually try to keep him alive through the war so he didn’t die from his stupidity.


That anger needed an outlet. And he found one the moment he entered the living room, where Sakura was waiting for him with Zouken standing at the entrance to the corridor that led to the catacombs. The Old Worm’s smile as Shinji entered immediately tipped him off to the depths of the man’s knowledge of the current situation and gave him the justification to release the rage that filled him. “You bastard.”


The sudden snarl in his tone set off Sakura’s concern for him. Despite her knowing he loathed Zouken, she also knew that he would never blatantly disrespect him like that out loud. It put her on edge immediately, making her drop her normally impassive mask in the presence of her Grandfather. “Nii-sama? What’s wrong?”


Shinji ignored her as he approached Zouken. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”


“I only took notice shortly after you became involved with the boy,” Zouken stated unashamedly, making no note to hide that he was watching the scene on the rooftop through his familiars. “Once I determined he was utterly clueless to both of your identities and held to secrecy as you did, I saw no need to inform you. His assistance in the kidnapping and his offer this evening are just boons to be exploited.”


Shinji snapped. “You miserable, old, disgusting relic! If you had said something earlier—”


Zouken silenced him with a tap of his cane on the floor that sounded like a gunshot in the room. “I never once dictated whom it was you talked to, so why should I have started then? Why should I tell you what you were too unobservant to notice? When have I ever held your hand, boy?


“Know your place,” Zouken made clear. The look in his eyes carried weight that spoke of punishment should Shinji continue his tirade. “My tolerance for this teenage bout of disrespect only goes so far now that the time draws near. But you are not the only card I can play for the grail. If offered the same deal that I did for you, I am certain he would be better suited in your place.”


This was the worst situation. Now Shinji had to prevent Zouken from using Emiya as a pawn or getting rid of him to deal with whatever Servant he summoned near the end. Not to mention what if he decided to change his mind about the wish at the last minute, for something like World Peace. What would he do then, kill him and take away Sakura’s happiness for her freedom?


Sakura approached Shinji, grasping onto his arms as he stood there silently with his gaze cast down, hiding his eyes in the shadow of his hair. The feeling of his muscles tensing so tight that he shook was made worse by the fact that he gritted his teeth so hard they looked like they would crack from the pressure. “Nii-sama, please tell me what’s wrong…”


“Tell her boy,” Zouken ordered curtly as he left the room for his domain. “Or would you prefer to have her learn as he lay dying once the battle begins?”


“Sakura…” Shinji paused to consider how she would react before he dropped the bombshell. Then he told her, his tone stripped of all emotion. “Emiya wants to enter the Holy Grail War.”


Fear and shock crept up her spine at the declaration, the worms inside of her teeming at the mention and the sense of despair entering her. She shook her head slowly as the implications sunk in. “But, that means…”


“He’s a Magus,” Shinji confirmed. “Or at least he’s a Spellcaster, like me, and capable of using Magecraft.”


Sakura felt her blood run cold at that. If he was a Magus then he could tell what she was, what was coursing through her body. The one person she was so desperate to hide it from could tell how defiled and unclean she was. “No…not him…”


It was enough to bring her to her knees, just short of breaking, until Shinji spoke as though he read her mind. “He doesn’t know about you.”


“What do you mean?” she asked carefully, afraid of the hope that those words brought.


“He doesn’t know about you,” Shinji assured her softly. “He doesn’t know you’re capable of using Magecraft. He thinks I’m the Matou heir, a natural born Magus rather than an artificial one. He thinks you’re in the dark about it because of that and asked me not to get you involved.”


Relief briefly filled her, only to be replaced by guilt, shame, and horror that she had placed him realizing what she was over the fact that the man she loved and admired would be facing against the other man she loved and admired as family if he entered the war. It was something the worms inside her seemed to squirm and gurgle in delight at, mocking her for it and reminding her that she was unworthy of either of them and only thought of herself. “Are you and he going to…”


“He proposed an alliance,” Shinji explained, gesturing to the couch. “I told him I would think about it. Let’s sit down and I’ll explain.”


So Shinji told her and, in the end, Sakura had left for her room to cry in private at the thought that not only would her brother have to face her sister who abandoned her, but the young man she loved as well. Rin wasn’t like them. She was a proper Magus with a Crest and the desire for the grail.


Out of fear she was going to lose everything to her again, Sakura began to lie to herself at that moment and convince herself that Rin wouldn’t go that far. She went so far as to touch the ribbon in her hair, the only gift Rin gave her that still remained. It gave her just enough hope that Rin wouldn’t kill them both to claim the Holy Grail for the Tohsaka name…just like the man she once called her father sold her to maintain the one heir rule for their family.


If she didn’t lie to herself she wouldn’t be able to go on, but a small part of her recognized that those lies were just lies, nothing more. It recognized what she truly felt was hatred at Rin, at the knowledge that she didn’t know or want to know what she went through, and the knowledge that she was going to take everything away from her again. It recognized that she wanted to kill her, even if she hid it so deep that she herself didn’t realize the depths at which the desire dwelled.


But Zouken knew, even from the catacombs that served as his lair. He could feel it and gave a wet chuckle at the dark feelings slowly blossoming in the container that held the form of a human. It was coming to pass, her love and concern giving birth to hatred and despair.


All it would take was the right push now and he had so many buttons he could press.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji – Some Time Later


January was coming to a close by the time Shinji found himself waiting one of the safe houses he set up in preparation for the upcoming war, a hotel room between the Big Bridge and Station Front, with his sister nervously sitting in a chair set against the wall. Money and Mystic Eyes of Whisper went a long way at securing in a few places to hide out in all over Fuyuki for the duration of the war, just in case making it home wasn’t feasible.


At present they were waiting for Fang Yin to arrive of her own volition. As she wasn’t stepping foot into the Matou Manor, this was the ideal location for them to meet. It was someplace far away from Zouken’s domain and the prying eyes of his familiars.


It was a shame she would not be able to stay longer, Shinji thought, but he reasoned it was for the best. When she called him and they exchanged the times, she expressed that she might have been interested in seeing the Servant being summoned. But she knew once the Old Worm had the catalyst he had no reason to keep her alive nor would she restrain herself in trying to rid the world of him herself, so as soon as they were done she was on the next flight out of the country.


Thus the Matou siblings waited, with Shinji checking the time on his phone impatiently and thinking back to how things had grown so far out of hand. He originally just wanted to kill his Grandfather and set Sakura free. Then killing Rin was added to the list. Now the Holy Grail War, which would give him the opportunity to do so if he didn’t get wasted considering just how much of a snafu the last one was.


He clicked his teeth as he recalled some of the key memories from Lord Mello II’s point of view, stored on a crystal from the Mineralogy Department from the Clock Tower that could be viewed and passed through the generations. None were more so horrifying than the Cthulhu-ish creature summoned by that war’s Caster and his child-murdering Master. That, and witnessing the effects of an Anti-World Noble Phantasm on a Reality Marble.


After witnessing that he was starting to think that he was in over his head. Not that Shinji would admit it out loud. Nor did he have a choice in the matter. He didn’t have enough time for another solution to winning Sakura’s freedom and dealing with Rin and the Old Worm.


He would have to make do, most likely by targeting the Masters from the shadows while the Servants did battle themselves. Shirou already refused it as a suggestion when Shinji brought up the idea a few times over the course of the last few weeks, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him and his distorted priorities. Shinji supposed the argument the last week between them was inevitable in retrospect.


They were both different people at their core, even more so as practitioners of the Art. Even if they both saw their craft as only a tool to be used for their goals, those goals were different from the beginning. Shirou wanted to save everyone while Shinji couldn’t care less about those outside his sphere of interests.


It wasn’t helped that, to Shinji, Shirou’s value as an asset during the war was fairly low. Initially Shinji was hopeful since he did research to learn that Emiya’s adoptive father was a dangerous Freelancer known as the Magus Killer. He thought the man would have taught Shirou beyond what he knew, since he was supposedly an expert at taking down Boundary Fields and killing other Magi, but Shinji was quickly disappointed to learn that Shirou was in many ways even more unprepared than he was.


He claimed that he was fluent at Structural Grasping, but that had limited uses during combat so Shinji brushed it aside right off-hand. Out of the Material Transmutation trio he was only decent at using Reinforcement while his skill with Alteration was fairly low. Then there was Gradation Air or Projection.


It was typically a useless spell for combat since it was merely meant to be used if you needed a disposable item for ritual work or as practice for using Magecraft. The projections were too fragile to be used in battle, cost too much to maintain, and the world tried to crush them as long as they existed. It was a completely worthless spell for most users of the Art who transcended beyond the basics, so Shinji couldn’t see why he bothered practicing it on those equipment pieces in his dingy workshop.


As for Magic Foundations, Shirou used Runes somewhat but with no real level of proficiency beyond Shinji’s Fuwen due to his lack of resources or formal knowledge. On top of that they couldn’t tell what his element was with the mediums they had on-hand, meaning it wasn’t one of the Western Five elements or the Eastern Five elements. It had to be something unique like Shadow for example. He could help him find out after the war ended provided they both lived...actually should he really be all that concerned with Shirou’s survival?


Even now that decision still troubled him. One of the few things Shinji valued to the extent of Sakura was honesty. It was the reason he was drawn to the people he knew, the most honest people he could think of.

It was why he had a thing for Ayako, despite her tomboyish nature. It was the reason why he was friends with Shirou initially. That and because he helped Sakura when they were younger. If the lie was something minor he would probably understand, but this was something big.


When he visited the Archery Club yesterday alone, as he did occasionally, even Ayako could tell something was off between them, with the complications of trying to work in an alliance during the war and the distrust he had for Shirou now driving a wedge between them. Shinji couldn’t help but wonder if he would truly ever be able to trust Shirou again …


Driving his thoughts away from the doubt that would hinder him, he checked his phone. The time had incremented again and his impatience grew further and further. He was about ready to try and track his aunt down when there was a knock on the door and a voice followed.


“Brat,”—that voice made it clear who it was right off the bat—“open up!”


“Finally,” he muttered as he checked through the peep hole to see his aunt standing there, a long trench coat adorning her and steel-case in her left hand and a long wooden case in her right. She was still smoking, despite the fact that they were in a hotel room on the fifth floor. Unlocking the door he made his displeasure known. “You’re late!”


“Well, considering what I held onto as a carry-on for the entire flight, you can imagine that there were some set-backs,” she countered, before coming in and fixing her gaze on Sakura. “So, you’re the sister I’ve heard so much about?”


Sakura stood and gave her a courtesy bow of deep gratitude. “Yes, Sakura Matou. I wanted to thank you for looking over my brother during his time on the continent.”


“Hmm…” Fang Yin’s eyes rose slightly as she pulled the tobacco pipe out of her mouth and let out a steady breath, the grayish wisps of smoke flowing out in tandem. “Nice to see a Matou who isn’t rude for once…I guess it’s genetic rather than fixed by the family name.”


“I’ll show you the amount of respect you deserve,” Shinji stated at the implied insult, unrepentant. “You’re late on so many fronts it’s not funny since the war is starting within days. Lancer, Berserker, Caster, and Assassin have all been summoned in accordance to the Old Worm. That leaves only three classes remaining: Rider, Saber, and Archer.”


“You’re lucky I managed to even get this ready on time,” Fang Yin shot back, crossing her arms as she stared down at him. She was still a good head taller than he was. “I’m not going to be here long, so let’s get down to business. Strip off your clothes.”


Shinji’s eyebrows rose at the demand. “Huh?”


“You look worse than before,” she clarified. “I need to check on your condition and your clothes are in the way.”


“Fine,” Shinji scoffed as he reached for the hem of his shirt. “Let’s just get this over with.”


Sakura did her best to look away as he removed his shirt over his head, but shamefully stole a few furtive glances at her brother’s broad back and noted how toned it was from his archery practice. While they were both well-accustomed to one another’s bodies, not that either of them were thrilled with the fact that it was a necessity to deal with the carnal impulses welling up inside her, it was nearing the time that she was going to require his affection. It made her feel further shame that she was in the presence of someone Shinji respected, despite him otherwise saying, and left her hoping the woman didn’t notice how she was lightly rubbing her thighs against one another and clenching the fabric of her skirt.


She promptly excused herself. “I’ll wait outside the door…”


As Sakura left and shut the door behind her, Fang Yin noted an anomaly with Shinji as her eyes examined not only the flesh but the soul and artificial circuits. “Was there an incident recently that put a huge strain on the Circuits inside of you, specifically where they are anchored?”


“Something like that,” Shinji confessed. “A Master tried to kidnap Sakura and I think Caster, his Servant, did something near the end or something…worse, came about. It felt like a sledgehammer was hitting there over and over.”


Fang Yin followed up with, “Has it been more taxing on you to use your magecraft?”


He nodded. “Only for prolonged use or if I need to expel a lot of prana at once, but since most of the things I do are just quick bursts to trigger effects or stored shenfu, it’s not a problem…at the moment anyway.”


“You’ll need to see someone who specializes in spiritual surgery and won’t turn you into a lab rat when the war is over,” she told him. “Until then don’t push yourself or you’ll be lucky if you don’t have a stroke. You can get dressed and call in your sister now.”


He did so as Fang Yin sat down on the bed and pulled out her tobacco pipe, lighting it. As long as he knew the risks that was enough, since she was never the type to coddle when teaching him. When he was dressed and Sakura was back in the room, she opened the long wooden case and revealed the three things inside it.


The first was a composite bow, made of a stronger material that conducted prana well, and the second was a set of light blue clothing that went well with the night. Both had fuwen characters inscribed on them. “Considering the time frame when you contacted me before I hopped on a flight, I couldn’t get anything customized to handle extensive battle. The main advantage they provide is that they allow you to conserve your prana, compared to keeping the effects active on the paper you use as a bow and armor, and are stronger overall.”


Shinji paid them little mind. It was a rush job and you got what you paid for. What he did pay mind to was the last of the three things inside the case, the most expensive of them, his sister taking an interest as well as her fingers glided over the elegant shape.


It was a Chinese Magic Mirror, or a Makyoh, the size of a head and made of lead, tin, copper, and prana conductive grains of powdered metal that was melted inside a gas furnace until it was all liquefied. Once ready it was poured into two molds that had been purposed specifically for this mirror, as burnt straw was used to filter out the surface impurities, one to serve as the back plate of the mirror and the other to serve as the mirror itself.


The back of the copper plate of what was to be the mirror side had a design that was akin to a web or circuit pattern trapped inside the symbol of the Taijitu, while the front was scraped smooth and polished over months before a thin layer of nickel was applied to give it its reflective surface. The back plate was larger and held the rimming that was designed to have pointed ends, empty holes uniformly fixed and to be filled with glass spheres containing a fluid to serve as storage for foreign prana. It was then hand-painted, the left half of the mirror ivory white and the right half ebony black.


Fang Yin blew out a small ring of smoke and lifted the mirror as spoke. “It’s a Specialized Mystic Code designed to deal with curses. Since mirrors have a long history of use in both Magecraft and myths around the world, none more so than Japan and China, the motif is thus fitting.”


Her prana entered the mirror through receiver points and passed through the conduct lines within the mystic code to activate its mystery. It began to defy gravity, a constant stream of magical energy passing through it to keep it aloft as it circled her like a satellite. “To be specific, the mirror’s purpose is ‘Defense and Retaliation against curses’ once activated. Try using a curse on me.”


Shinji reached into his pocket and pulled out his previous mystic code, the pen that used the water in the atmosphere as a medium for realizing mysteries. Inscribing the fuwen character of Gu, his prana was molded by the intention and purpose within fuwen as it went into the character. The curse was born and slithered towards her like a black centipede made out of polluted water.


It was a Chinese curse that could be interpreted in many ways, but in this case it was much like the Gandr shot—a curse of illness. The effects of the pen and his element gave it a watery body to physically reach out and curse her. However, whereas the Gandr afflicted the body, it affected the mind to bring forth hallucinations and insanity depending on the amount prana put into place behind it.


However, the mirror moved to protect her and intercepted the curse. The watery centipede collided with the reflective surface of the mirror but, rather than break apart or splatter, it sank into it with ripples flowing outwards like the surface of a pond. The fluid of a smaller glass sphere on the bottom rim darkened slightly, like ink had been dropped into it, while one on the top looked as though a light blue dye had been injected into it.


“Does it work on the theory found in the Fauna of Mirrors myth?” Shinji wondered out loud. The myth held that each mirror led to another realm, but it could be that it was merely a folded space represented by the glass orbs on how much space was left for the curses and prana. Given how much it cost, that wouldn’t be a surprise.


“The mirror actively seeks out curses that enter within a certain range of the code-user,” Fang Yin explained. “So, when the curse is detected the mirror moves to intercept it and then absorbs it through an efficient method of prana absorption. The mirror has a filtering system, designed to strip the curse of all properties and store them into the smaller designs around the rim. That being said, it allows for a little of the prana and curse properties to meld so it retains its purpose rather than fading away.


“In addition the stored prana and curse can be returned if the code-user wills it. The retaliation comes from the central mirror, where the combination of curses and prana make for a materialized curse with the cumulative effects of everything that was used against it. However, there is a set amount of curses it can take into itself and because it automatically moves to protect its caster within a certain radius, if the number of curses entering the range is too great it may not keep up.”


With that said she returned the mirror to its resting place and closed the wooden case. She then opened the metal case to reveal a very long and aged bone within the confines of a soft material to cradle it. “As for this, it is a femur belonging to a horse known as Red Hare. Without a doubt, as long as this catalyst is used during the summoning ritual, you’ll summon Lu Bu under the Rider class…


“Be careful,” Fang Yin warned him a final time. “Between the war, your health, and a Heroic Spirit like this…with this much riding on your shoulders, the weight of it all may crush you to nothing, Brat.”


Shinji shut the case, sealing away the catalyst once more, before glancing over his shoulder at Sakura. “As long as I accomplish my goal it doesn’t matter if even my soul is crushed in the end…”

[FSN-oOo-KL]

That Night


The witching hour was upon them as the moon hung above the satin night sky of Fuyuki, the date shifting over once to become the thirty-first of the first month. Even though the silvery rays touched down and shone upon the land, the light would not reach the catacombs that stood beneath the manor above. For once it was absent of the despicable worms and corpses that normally resided inside of it, for the sole purpose of calling forth the Ghost Liner that would serve in the war that was to be fought.


It was within the center of the dark and dreary room that a dais stood. On it was the femur of a horse that had long since died. That bone was the catalyst that, with the help of the overlapping sigils etched in Shinji’s blood that was gathered over time and soaked in prana, would access the Throne of Heroes and call forth one who earned their place in legends.


“It’s time,” Zouken declared, his old and ragged voice stern as he looked upon the boy who was a puppet with invisible strings and the thing that could wore the skin of a girl. In his hundreds years of surviving, chasing immortality for a purpose that eluded him by harvesting the flesh of others, there was no greater chance than this of him grasping the grail with his own two hands. While there were anomalies, such as the Witch on the mountain calling forth her own bastardized Servant that wore the name of Assassin like a mask over its nameless identity as a wraith, there was no doubt in the aged Magus’ mind that the war was already won.


One way or another. “Begin, the ritual with the altered aria and the grail itself with call forth the summoning. Do not falter and do not speak out of concert until the anointed time. Become the anchor and make solid our sword to cleave a path to the grail.”


Shinji stood there, adorned in the cloth that formed his new battle garments and his bow resting on his back, with his right hand outstretched as though reaching for a distant dream. Sakura kneeled to his side, hands clasped and fingers locked together as though she was about to pray. Both had so much riding on this and neither could fail, so they spoke as one.


“Silver and iron serve as the base. The foundation built upon stone by the archduke of contracts and my ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg. The alighted wind is blocked by an impenetrable wall. The gates in the four directions close. Born from within the crown of the ruler, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom forms.”


Crimson light was born, running through the lines that made up the circle and sigils once, twice, and thrice as a wind blew through the enclosed space. White noise reached the ears of the one who stood and the creatures that filled the vessel that kneeled awakened. It had begun.


“Enclose. Enclose. Enclose. Enclose. Enclose. Five times per repetition to fill to the brim and destroy to spill. Shatter the bound time and cross the never-ending distance.”


The prana that was laced throughout the sigil was charged, reaching out and beyond time and space to a place that could not be reached through normal means. The path was forged, taking shape as the sound of the gateway coming into existence was one of deafening chimes. Pushing it aside and keeping his concentration, the hallucination of an arrow pierced the skull of the artificial magus and the circuits not of his own flared to life.


The body drew in the prana that permeated the catacombs, already filled through the sacrifice of countless bodies devoured and made food for the familiars that were offered up to cap off the amount held within the confined workshop of the aged one who refused to die. Seventeen acting as one refined it and sent magical energy coursing through channels like magma through a vein of earth, liquid fire melting his body from the inside. The pain was eating him from the inside out, but at the end of the road of that may have been made of hellfire laid the goal he turned to Magecraft to reach and the sound of bells tolling in his ears rang loud.


“—I hereby propose. Thy body shall be under my command and my fate shall be determined by thy sword. In accordance with the call of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this mind and this reason, then answer my summons.”


Taking all the magical energy and dumping it into the magic circle that stood before them, the connection was established. The door to the throne that cataloged those who earned their place as legends was now cracked opened to those who sought the grail. From that crack, the catalyst that served as the search term filtered through those countless beings that were once called heroes and narrowed it down to one who slept in waiting for the call.


Closing their eyes as that which should not be seen slowly came into existence, the colorless ether being prepared to give form to that which had none, the two who spoke as one until now spoke as individuals. The girl offered herself as the vessel from which that composed of the fifth element would drink from, the worms flowing throughout her defiled body writhing as they surrendered their power to support a being greater than their host as living prana batteries that etched the Matou mysteries into her flesh.


She bore with it as she always had, continuing with utmost concentration as she spoke. “Yet the burden shall be shared by two entwined, from which the sword will part from the body and be bestowed upon the vassal to sacrifice themselves and cleave through space and time.”


Her brother followed suit, his tone rigid and his resolve firm. Bracing his outstretched wrist, he made his pledge. “Mark upon this unworthy flesh the emblem of the sacrifice, the vassal whose death shall bring forth victory through the fields of steel and blood!”


Zouken smiled as the two spoke in perfect unity once more, the raging winds billowing throughout the catacomb as the pair prayed for the path to his victory. “The oath is laid here. We are the ones who represent all the good within the pure lands, and we are the ones who judge what is evil within the pure lands. Thou, Seven Heavens clad in three mere words of unequal power, shall emerge from the spiral of control, O keeper of the balance—!”


The flare that erupted from the circle blinded those with closed eyes as the circle that served as the door was wrenched wide open. The world twisted as magical energy great enough to distort reality surged in as lasso and snared the template, drawing it forth into the material world. Magical energy was drunk deep from the vessel that offered itself, the chalice emptied to fill the template in the way melted steel filled a mold and cooled.


And, at the same time, a blade of poison from a dagger of malice stabbed into the center of Shinji’s right hand. He grimaced as, without mercy or hesitation, the formless blade carved into the back of the Matou’s right hand and used his blood to etch the intricate design that served as his qualification to enter the war. He had been chosen.


The sound of an inhuman breath from mighty lungs reached the pair’s ears and the presence of a being constrained to a physical form daunted over them. Hesitation and anticipation, the juxtaposition so great that it overwhelmed all other feelings, filled the two. Yet grey and purple eyes opened and fixed themselves on the being that stood before them.


There was a large man, adorned in an ancient Chinese general uniform that was red with linings of gold, the torso looking as though it were the face of a dragon with fangs bared. Twin feathers of crimson decorated his short red-hair, peaking from his head and cascading down his back. Slowly opening his war-paint rimmed eyes, pupils of red copper were revealed and held within their sight a furious might.


In his hand was that unmistakable Chinese halberd that could pierce the clouds and cut the heavens, Sky Piercer. Between his legs was the steed colored ashen red, as if dyed the color of pale flames, Red Hare. There was no doubt whom it was that they had summoned, even if they had not known the identity of the Servant before they called him forth.


It was Lu Bu Fengxian, an infamous Chinese general turned Warlord. For the loose definition of a Heroic Spirit, he qualified. His legacy began and ended in treachery and betrayal, but there was no doubt he was one of the greatest warriors of his time.


The mighty steed let loose a breath, an arid heat washing over Shinji and knocking over his hood as he stared not into the gleaming red eyes of the beast, but its rider. Just the same, the Servant cast his gaze down at the frail looking blue-and-white haired boy and the girl who now stood at his side, not a word leaving his mouth. The Servant watched in silence as Shinji held his hand out and gently pushed against Sakura, nudging her to take several steps back just in case something happened.


She spared him a concerned glance, her purple eyes falling upon the mark on his right hand that now held his bow. It was a scar that represented the burdens now on his shoulders. Sakura then took several steps back, slowly leaving him to confront the Servant himself as tension between them mounted.


Then, after a moment of silence, the Flying General raised and swung down Sky Piercer. The ground beneath them ruptured in a spray of concrete dust and a roar of destruction that drowned out Sakura’s scream when her brother disappeared in the dirty veil that went up. From within the cloud that obscured her vision, an unfamiliar voice rang out.


“For a moment it seemed like a weak child and feeble woman that had no place on the battlefield stood before Lu Bu,” the Servant mused aloud as his steed let loose a snort that blew away the rest of the lingering dust, revealing Shinji standing there with blood trickling down from a cut beneath his eye. A sharp piece of debris that had clipped him. In his hand was the bow, paper arrow nocked and drawn back to where the string was taut as he took aim at the Servant’s eye. “But it seems you possess some measure of a spine to stand against the Mightiest Warrior. Do you claim to be my Master, boy?”


Shinji tilted his right hand without faltering on his aim, revealing the command seals on his hand. It was the shape of the blade of the warrior’s halberd, overlapping three-fold. He was to be their sword and Shinji was to wield him. “Yes, I do.”


To that, what sounded to be a condescending chuckle left from between the Servant’s lips. “And you think to lead Lu Bu onto the battlefield with that frail body of yours? To regard a great warrior as the lackey of a lame child?”


The bowstring let out a low hum, as if crying it was ready to be unleashed. “If that is the only place where my wish can be granted, then the battlefield is where I will call my home. For the sake of my wish, I’ll walk through a land of steel, bone, and fire barefooted. The only question is whether or not you will ride alongside me as an ally who holds the same goal, facing those who would claim to be the strongest in your place?”


Lu Bu stared at into the eyes that held no lie, his words serving as his belief. The corners of the Servant’s mouth rose into a crooked smirk. Then came a tumultuous laugh that echoed throughout the catacomb and the arrogant warrior spoke. “Very well.”


He hoisted the halberd of red, gold, and black onto his shoulder and bared teeth with a hungry smile. “Then let us journey to the battlefield, where the blood-soaked earth shall be trampled underfoot of my mount and steel will ring out to the heavens as it clashes, Boy.”

[End-oOo-Note]

Servant Stats: Rider

Spirit: Lu Bu Fengxian

Master: Shinji Matou (Command Seals), Sakura Matou (Prana Supply)

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Strength: B-

Mana: B

Endurance: B+

Luck: C

Agility: C

N.Phantasm: (A)

Class Skills:

* Riding (B-)
* Magic Resistance (C)

Personal Skills:

* Bravery (B): The ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination, at this rank Lu Bu does not suffer in skill from sudden engagements or changes within the skirmish.
* Nature of a Rebellious Spirit (B): The temperament to never remain at one location and never embrace a lord, a wandering star that does not have the capacity to be king nor is capable of finding his own king. Negates the effects of Charisma with the same rank.
* Military Tactics (C): The tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. At this rank bonus modifiers are provided during use of one's own Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.


Noble Phantasms:

* Red Hare: (Anti-Unit) – The loyal steed that served only Lu Bu, a horse without comparison that gallivanted across many battlefields alongside its rider.

* God Force: The Five Soldiers of the War God (Anti-Unit, Anti-Army, Anti-Fortress) – Chen Gong saw a war god in Lu Bu's strength and form, and projected on him the image of China's oldest god of war, Chi You, who was said to be the inventor of the war axe, shield, and bow and arrow and held a different weapon in each of his six arms. The result born from this idea was an artificial, multi-mode Noble Phantasm super weapon that had six forms in order to let the many martial techniques of Lu Bu bloom as he pleased. It has three different categorizations of varying strength, and it can be said Lu Bu has the equivalent of six Servants' worth of Noble Phantasms for himself.

** Slash Force (Axe Form) - for heavy damage attacks that nullify or cut through and break all kinds of physical defense.

** Thrust Force (Halberd Form, Sky Piercer) - for heavy damage attacks that can stun on hit, the target being rendered immobile due to spear impalement, and penetrate through a line of enemies.

** Blunt Strike Force (Bracer Form) - for raising his defense by transforming into huge bracers, or using a special defensive technique for blocking and redirecting attacks.

** Sweep Force (Scythe Force) - for sweeping aside a row of enemies.

** Parry Force (Sword Form) - for doing special counterattacks to do damage while deflecting physical attacks

** Cannon Force (Bow Force) - for a large-bore, wave motion cannon-like "Lu Bu beam." The halberd separates into a large bow and arrow that charges and fires at the enemy.

- - - Updated - - -

Chapter 7: Rider Vs Lancer

[Chapter 7 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

Within the Catacombs beneath the Matou Residence


Sakura let a tense and long breath she didn't know she had held out as the Servant they called forth relaxed his halberd-arm and the tension seemed to fade. She had been so worried that she would have lost her brother…

But now that they had a Servant they were actually in the Holy Grail War as active combatants. Well, more like her brother. He was the one taking to the field as a Master, along with her Senpai and her… her sister….
They were going to be trying to kill one another.


Sakura couldn't help fear that they would end up like her uncle Kariya, dying to try and save her. Between Shinji and her Senpai… even if they had strong Servants, would they be able to fight and defeat Rin's? Even if they managed to defeat whatever Servant she summoned, she would keep fighting to win the grail for the sake of the Tohsaka name.


She would keep pressing them, maybe even attacking them to get rid of them directly. Would they actually kill her in the attempt? Would she succeed in killing one of them?


Her chest tightened at the thought. No matter what she would lose someone close to her. No matter what she would turn one or more of them into killers. How could she let it get this far?


She had to call it off somehow, but when she turned towards where the elderly magus had been Sakura noticed the amalgam of worms she called a Grandfather was missing. Then again, even if he was here, what would it have mattered?


Zouken made it clear that he didn't consider her human. Her feelings and thoughts never mattered, only her body and its use for his sake. Her wishes were her own. They never mattered to anyone else in the end… No, that wasn't right.


Shinji heard her wishes and was doing his damndest to grant them, even putting so much strain on his body and facing their grandfather. Yes, her loving and strong brother who knew just how to hold her and comfort her after they—


Her breathing tensed and her body shuddered as she banished the thoughts. The Servant's presence was already starting to tire her out after what was spent for the summoning and so the worms fed and her lust grew. She need time to adjust before the carnal impulses grew and she became driven to sate it, defiling her brother once more. She had already done so too many times.


There was a flutter in the corner of her eyes that caught her attention. She turned towards the exit of the catacombs, atop the flight of stairs that hugged the wall, where she spotted paper cranes fluttering towards her brother, origami keyed to his magecraft. "Nii-sama, why are they…"


"We're under attack," Shinji explaining the unfinished question. "I set up a small ward system of my own using a few shenfu after the debacle with Caster. It reacts to the presence of foreign magical energy and sends out one of my battle shikigami to deal with the threat while alerting me. "


He looked around to see that Zouken was gone as well. "Then again, it probably tripped the main boundary field before it reached my array. The fact that we're just finding out means from this point on we're on our own."


"A challenger appears already," the Servant mused. A grin etched itself across his face at the thought and his halberd-arm tensed. He was ready for combat, eager for a chance to prove himself the strongest of the summoned warriors.


"Wait," Shinji said, before Rider went gallivanting off. "You should return to your astral form so we can assess the threat first. We shouldn't reveal you until we can be certain the enemy is worth your might."


"You think you understand my might?" Lu Bu asked in a low tone, his steed turning its burning gaze once more towards Shinji.


Shinji silently shook his head. "Not the full extent. We have yet to take to the battlefield so I can observe it for myself. However, I do know that only another Servant would provide an adequate challenge for a warrior such as yourself and I know that the Caster of this war is capable of summoning minions who would not be worth your time and would only allow her to observe your abilities. Giving up an advantage isn't pragmatic if we are to take the prize, especially if the battle that follows won't prove you as the strongest out of all the summoned Servants."


"…Very well," Lu Bu consented after a moment. Then both he and his steed vanished, as though turning into motes of light and then fading away. Despite being in astral form, Sakura and Shinji could feel the warrior's presence about them through the contract.


"Sakura," Shinji called, keeping his voice level as he pulled the opera mask he had from beneath the clothing he wore. "From this point on it's my fight, not yours. Grandfather won't help, he's made that clear."


"But…" she trailed off, unable to say what she wanted to after they came this far. I don't want you to get hurt for my sake.


"Just go to my workshop and stay safe," Shinji stated as he ran up the stairs to get back into the mansion, heading out to the first battlefield and leaving her by herself.


Sakura felt the weight in her heart of being useless once he was out of sight, only serving as an anchor of the Servant they called forth. But it was all she could do, tie Rider down to Earth and hope for the best.


Wriggle.


That and try to curb the growing lust she felt courtesy of those damnable worms inside of her.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Outskirts of Matou Residence


The blades of grass barely sounded as they crunched beneath argent steel boots and soft paws. Thick roots jutting out of the ground failed to hinder the hunter or his hounds as they advanced through the woodlands for the manor that rested between them. They noticed when the crossed the first and secondary boundary fields and were prepared to expect opposition.


Still, there was a brief moment of pause when countless sheets of paper followed some invisible current only to take the form of a humanoid giant.


The hunter whistled at the sight, his four hounds baring their fangs and tensing their muscles to pounce. The giant moved without grace, merely brute strength backing it as it swung its arms and fists around like clubs to mow the blue-haired hunter down. The trees hindered it more than the hunter and his hounds, all of whom avoided the hammer strike that knocked over the nearest tree and scattered thick splinters that failed to penetrate his bandage-wrapped greaves and the gauntlet on his left arm.


A short and high whistle left the hunters mouth, a trained command to yield the hounds while he stood up the shikigami that bore down on him. Vicious blows were unleashed, empowered by the source deep within the construct that acted as a battery to keep it moving for a short but effective time. But the hunter avoided them with a smile on his face, every movement sharp and crisp while he enjoyed the brief interlude before getting serious.


When the shikigami, Fangfeng, sought to deliver a crushing overhead strike it met with the sharpened edge of a blade and was severed. The tanned giant stumbled back a step in response and glared at the hunter, now wielding a weapon. The long shaft was deep green in color, tipped by a sharp blade that looked like a wolf's head if you squinted. Fangfeng let out a low growl from its throat as strings of prana connected from the severed limb and darted to the undamaged sigils on the sheets that were severed, dragging them back into place to reclaim its arm.


The spear-wielding hunter pressed his attack, striking with sharp thrusts into the giant and severing its limbs over and over.


Fangfeng reconnected the severed parts that could be salvaged, but it slowed down at a steady pace. Reattaching what was lost cost the power source, The Seal of False Life, even more of its reserves of prana. To compensate for the loss, it became sluggish and its strength lessened.


The hunter noticed that and decided the brief distraction needed to come to an end. Setting the forefinger of his gauntlet-covered finger aflame with prana, the blue-haired hunter crossed the distance between them in the span of a heartbeat and risted the rune of flames onto the shikigami.


Fire was born from the rune, a gluttonous blaze that swallowed up the giant and ate through whatever defensive enchantment it had bestowed upon it against the flames of one who knew the Original 18 Runes. Fangfeng took another step forward, trying to fulfill its duty, but the flames devoured it and left ashes behind.


With that out of the way, the hunter motioned towards the manor with two fingers and whistled for the hounds to advance.


The four moved to do so. Their legs crossed the distance with their master following, only to be intercepted by a streaking flash that cleaved through the four hounds in a single stroke as a second figured appeared.


Now impeding the way of the hunter was the warrior adorned in the armor of an ancient Chinese general. Twirling his halberd into a fighting position, red copper pupils were fixed on the similar set that were the hunter's and something unspoken passed between them. It was a challenge.


The hunter took up a fighting stance. His legs spread out, muscles tensed, and the spear-head pointed down so that it could ascend with ease to pierce the heart from below. A grin stretched across his face in acceptance of the challenge.


The two sped forth and clashed.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


Shinji stood atop the tree limbs that rested beneath the canopy, watching through the emblem of an eye on a shikigami as prana forged a connection from his left eye's optic nerve to it. He couldn't hear anything that would be said between the two, but he doubt he would be able to hear anything anyway as the two weapons continued to clash in the storm of steel.


His first thoughts when he observed the Servant was that it was a Lancer. The deftness of its speed and the use of a spear made that much clear. Although he didn't expect to see the Servant utilize a rune to burn Fangfeng to ashes, so he would expect it to use Magecraft as well and compensate for it later.


He would be more upset about that, but ultimately that was Fangfeng's role in the grand scheme of things. For ground transportation he had Baihu, for aerial he had Zhuque, Genbu was for pure defense, Qinglong and Bashe had more esoteric uses, but Fangfeng was made to hit hard and fast to wipe out minions like Caster made in droves. It was never meant to be used against a Servant, not even for an adequate distraction.


Shinji had to admit that he would have preferred to observe the fight from his workshop, so he could note the effects the fighting was having on Sakura. She was already tired from the initial summoning. The fighting wouldn't help her at all.


But he had to come out and witness this for himself for two reasons. The first was to observe the battle between Servants with his own eyes and possibly kill the enemy Master. The second was to keep Lu Bu's respect.


The Servant was a warrior and, for the time being, they needed to work together. Hiding away with his sister while his Servant fought wouldn't send a positive message and, considering the Servant tried to kill him once already, he needed to show he wasn't a coward. Although he wouldn't interfere in Lu Bu's fight unless he deemed it necessary enough to use a Command Seal.


Turning his attention back to the fight, he watched as Lancer and Rider tried to kill one another.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Lancer and Rider


The air reverberated with the clashing of steel against steel as the two pole weapons smashed against one another. In a single session more than a dozen lethal attacks were released between the two warriors as they fought in one of the first battles of the Holy Grail War.


Letting out a roaring battle cry, Rider twirled his halberd around in arches as he tried to take off the hunter's head. The powerful swipes of the halberd were followed by spinning motions of the body that added to the momentum. Like a raging inferno, the fierce motions were deadly to both the opponent and the surroundings.


Lancer avoided the swipes with sharp and direct motions that brought him just outside his opponent's range, looking for an opportunity to strike. When he found it his spear was sent forward, stabbing with fierce thrusts that punctured to inflict death by a thousand cuts should he fail to pierce the core of his opponent. Like lightning he struck with unparalleled accuracy, only to be thwarted by mere centimeters as the armor of the Chinese general was scraped and scarred from the sudden twists that preluded the incoming halberd smashing down.


The initial session consisted over twenty exchanges, both assessing their opponents. Then they changed it up, Rider switching from a swipe to planting his feet on the ground with his legs spread as he began a barrage of thrusts. Lancer avoided the thrusts with narrow twists of the body, following up with his own attacks all aimed at the fatal spots that Rider's halberd deflected.


"Not bad," Lancer said. Then he poured on the speed of his thrusts, increasing the number of attacks to overwhelm the opposing spearman. "But challenging me to a fight with spears was suicidal!"


The influx of the attacks soon overtook Rider's defense, his war paint marred by blood as the blade of Lancer's spear grazed his cheek. The arms and legs follows, the armor chipping as the strikes that were meant to kill were the only ones that could be blocked successfully. With no other choice, Rider leapt back.


"Not a chance!" Lancer advance, using his speed to close the distance and sending forth a thrust aimed for the heart. Rider's halberd was coming around to guard, but it wouldn't be nearly fast enough…


Which is why he was he surprised to find that his spear was deflected, Rider sliding in with a fist chambered. Halting his advance and bringing his spear around he used the shaft to guard against the impending strike. The fist snaked past the shaft and grabbed his collar, lifting him up and throwing him around with it enough force to send Lancer skating off his feet as he touched down. Following the motion he leapt back and noted that his opponent was now missing his halberd, a set of bracers now taking its place.


Of all the classes, Lancers were the fastest. There was no doubt about that. Utilizing their speed they could strike down their opponents with precision attacks faster than most other classes could defend against as long as they were in range.


However, Riders were known for their Noble Phantasms and their versatility. Lu Bu's God Force was no exception. Possessing multiple forms that he could exchange on the fly, Rider could approach combat from multiple angles and catch his opponent at a disadvantage.


Exchanging Thrust Force for Blunt Strike Force, now Rider closed the distance while intent on invading the range of the spear, the point where it would lose its effectiveness. Facing the storm of demon-like thrusts, the bracers caught and deflected the majority as he moved his arms to block them until he passed the effective range of the spear. The bracers vanished in an instant, replaced by a Jian that had appeared in the left hand, and the sword was thrust forward like a viper's strike, aiming to pierce the skull.


Lancer tilted his head to the side and then spun his spear around to knock the shaft against the blade before it could come around in a follow-up swipe. Pain flared in his stomach and the hunter was sent back, skidding along the ground once more as the right fist of the general smashed into his unprotected gut.


"Tricky, huh?" Lancer mused as the general advanced, before setting the tip of his spear alight with prana and risting a set of runes on the ground. Calling upon his knowledge of runes, taught to him by the witch, Lancer brought the earth now under the runes to life. It rose up to form a defensive bulwark, hardening to be unyielding stone that stood between the two.


God Force shifted once more. Parry Force was replaced by Slash Force. Bringing his full strength to bear and twisting with all his might, Rider cleaved the bulwark in half with the war ax now in his hands. But Lancer was nowhere to be found…


The sound of parting air reached Rider's ear before the ominous glow that radiated from above. He looked up to find the hunter in air, his spear twirling in his hands above his hands. Lining the head of the spear was a set of runes that left a luminous trail of prana as he began to fall to Earth with the intention of using it like one would a hammer. The war ax was replaced with the bracers once more and guarded against the strike with both arms as the prana-wrapped spear head was brought down.


A thunderous roar filled the woodlands on impact. The shockwave that was unleashed as the rune-enhanced blade smashed down against the bracers, the force alone caving in the earth surrounding them, stripped trees bare and their branches torn asunder. There was nothing that could be heard over the howling of magical energy as the two forces continued to push one another, until finally the sound of shattering steel rang out.


Lancer disengaged, retreating to safety and sparing the broken weapon in his hand a single glance. It couldn't be helped that the spear broke under the force of the battle. It wasn't the real Gáe Bolg after all; his new 'Master' had sealed his original one away and replaced it with this facsimile.


"We'll call this one even," Lancer said bitterly, the displeasure in his voice apparent as he reverted to astral form at the beckoning of his Master through their shared perception. "Next time, we finish this..."

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


Shinji made his way back into the Manor once it had been confirmed that the enemy Servant had left. Rider was obviously displeased at his battle being cut short and had gone off to see if he could pick up the trail while in astral form or find another Servant to do battle with. Shinji thought it to be pointless, but didn't argue with the Servant on the grounds of not wanting to stress their newly formed alliance as long as he stated in astral form to avoid stressing his sister.


However, the moment he entered his workshop he found Sakura already collapsed on the floor. Her breathing was heavy, hard and hoarse. Sweat had laden her body to the extent that her gown was soaked enough to be seen through. Her fair skin was feverish red as she burned from the inside out with desire and pain as the worms were the most active they'd been in so long from both the summoning and the combat.


Tossing the bow and mask aside, Shinji kneeled onto the floor and took her into his arms. "Sakura! Are you okay?"


"Nii-sama…" she whispered, reaching up and touching his face. "I'm sorry, but I can't hold out anymore…"


"I know," he said as he lifted her up and carried her onto the bed. "I… I'll take care of you…"


"I'm sorry," she said again, knowing once more she was going to defile him for her own sake.


Shinji said nothing, merely steeling himself to do what was necessary. He simply told himself it would be just a little while longer. Once the war was over and they had the Holy Grail, he could do something to rid her of the worms once and for all. It could grant any wish, right?


Then, after that, he would kill Zouken for everything he had done…

[End-oOo-Note]

Servant Stats: Lancer


Spirit: Cu Chulainn


Master: Kotomine Kirei


Alignment: Lawful Neutral


Strength: B - ((A) while under Warp Spasm)


Mana: B


Endurance: C ((B+) while under Warp Spasm)


Luck: E ((B-) due to the protective amulet that he carries his luck is raised.)


Agility: B ((A++) while under Warp Spasm)


N. Phantasm: A


Class Skills:

* Magic Resistance C (B+): This version of Cu Chulainn carries on him a protective amulet that further enhances his Magic Resistance beyond his class skill.


Personal Skills:

* Rune Magic (B ): capacity to use the 18 original runes.

* Battle Continuation (A ): The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated. At this rank it makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

* Battle Frenzy (A ): The flaw of losing oneself in the midst of battle. During combat, when damaged a Luck Check is performed. Because of the protective amulet the Luck check keeps the Battle Frenzy from activating with a 1/10 chance. Should the amulet be lost, the chance becomes 1/4 and should it fail Warp Spasm is activated.

* Protection from Arrows (B ): An inborn ability of Cu Chulainn; as long as the shooter is within his line of sight, he can track down ranged weapons with his eyes and defend against them. Does not apply for attacks made from super-long-range or with a great area-of –effect.

* Disengage (C ): The ability to break away from combat. At this rank it has the bonus effect of returning battle conditions to what they were at the beginning of the match.


Noble Phantasms:

* Warp Spasm: Last Riastrad (Anti-Unit) – The berserker state that he was renowned for, it is not manually accessed, but done via Battle Frenzy. Once it reaches a tipping point, all his stats become enhanced but he loses the use of any other Noble Phantasm to enter a state similar to Mad Enhancement.

* Hounds of Ulster (Anti-Squad) - The ability to summon hound familiar based on the legend of rearing the replacement hound of Chulainn. He can only summon up to twenty per night with the amount of mana available to him, in groups of four.

* Gáe Bolg: Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death (Anti-Army) - The true use of Gáe Bolg, is the largest and most powerful attack delivered using the spear. It is the "attack that unleashes countless darts at the enemy" that is spoken of in the legends. It is the attack that made him a hero which utilizes the full potential of the lance's curse, converting all of Lancer's prana into energy and releasing the accumulated power after the spear is hurled, detonating on impact with enough power to blow away a multitude of enemies.

[Twi]

Chapter 8: Rider vs. Assassin

[Chapter 8 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

The Church on the Hill


There stood a lone church on a hill, opposite of the Miongawa river, where the air felt stale. Towering over the surroundings, it represented the only absolute neutral grounds for the upcoming war that was to be waged. Within it was a priest who stared at a bible in his hand, standing at the head of the rows of pews, just before an altar upon which a candle burned.


Only the creaking of the doors drew him out of his reading. He closed the book and turned his gaze to a young man with a long case in one hand and a slip of paper in the other. He recognized him as a Matou from the profiles he had done in the past, the nephew of the previous war's representative from their family. One never did forget the forbidden fruit, and witnessing the man's fall and misery was what allowed him to acknowledge his own pleasures in life.


"What brings you to this place, lost lamb?" he asked in a voice that seemed placid, yet it resounded in the empty church.


The Matou approached the priest and presented the paper. "I've come to be added to the official list to participate in the Holy Grail War."


"Oh? I must admit that I did not know that you were capable of the Art," he said with a note of curiosity in his voice. His eyes set themselves on the Command Seals on the boy's hand, so the grail recognized him as a Master one way or the other. "Though, is it not strange that the Matou would prepare two heirs for their family when the standard practice is to raise only one?"


The young man tensed. The priest could see the muscles in his jaw clamp together as, through gritted teeth, he ground out, "And why do you presume that?"


"I was made aware of certain facts during my time as an apprentice of the Tohsaka Clan." A blasé means of informing him that he was aware of Sakura's former status as he reviewed the application. "But I assure you that my neutrality in the war is enforced, regardless of my previous allegiances."


His words were in doubt. The young man's eyes made it clear he did not believe such a thing. Not that it mattered. "Everything seems to be in order. However, are you certain you wish to pursue this course of action? The nature of the conflict may prove disastrous for one in your… condition."


Grey eyes narrowed in offense and suspicion. "And what does that mean?"


"Forgive me," the priest said, though there was no change in his expression or tone. "I meant no offense. It is merely that I possess a modest amount of talent in spiritual surgery and can see the signs of one afflicted by aliments that would require such treatment. The last participant from the Matou suffered greatly from it before meeting his end, and I thought you should be aware of the risks."


"The risks don't matter as long as I accomplish what I set out to do," was all that the young boy said. His pale fingers grasped the handle of his long case tighter. "Death comes to everything in end."


"If nothing else your conviction is clear," the priest said. "Very well. But keep in mind that this place is a safe haven should you decide to seek refuge from the war. Do not hesitate should you find yourself wishing to be withdrawn from the conflict."


An idle part of the priest wondered, as he watched the young man leave, if the same scenario that once stirred him to accept himself for what he was would somehow play out once more. He would need to pay close attention to the competitors. But first he needed to contact Rin and remind her that the deadline for the war was approaching and there were only two slots left, Archer and Saber.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

Outside the Church


"You don't actually trust that man, do you?" were the first words Rider said as they left the church on the hill. He was in his astral form, invisible to the eyes of all as he spoke through their connection.


"Of course not." Shinji cracked open the case and took out a small stack of flyers with adhesive strips on them. "I already knew from the Old Worm that he was Rin's guardian and took appropriate measures ahead of time."


He set one of the flyers on a telephone pole at the bottom of the hill, continuing what he had been doing prior to arriving at the Church. He had skipped school to set them up over a great deal of the western side of the big bridge already. While the flyers all had meaningless announcements on them about a performance, he had applied a stamp on them in a special blend of invisible ink that acted as a receptor to processed magical energy or large shifts in mana outside the saturation level within the surroundings upon activation.


In other words, they formed a detection system for magical activity. All of the seals were linked to the map he had at home. It would allow him to monitor the track down Servants within the city.


"Anyway, the biggest issue right now that Servant that attacked us last night," Shinji said as they began a slow walk. As if a filter overlapped his eyes, the information about Lancer appeared due to the contract. A sort of clairvoyance that put both his stats and name on display now that he had made the connection. "He's an incarnation of Cu Chulainn."


"How did you discover his identity?" Rider asked. He didn't sound as interested as one would expect for learning his enemies' identity.


"'Hounds of Ulster' was the name of one his Noble Phantasms—" A quick cough left Shinji's lips as he covered his mouth. No blood, but it felt like his lungs were trying to hack themselves up. He'd need medicine once he was done here.


He continued where he left off. "A five-minute Internet search for a lance-wielding hero who used magic, and had a connection to Ulster and hounds, pretty much gave him away. Technology has advanced to the point that communications between different parts of the world have become trivial, while the Holy Grail War was started two-hundred years ago when tales of heroes were spread slower because of the inferior means of communication, making it harder for the identities of foreign Servants to be found. To reinforce that one safeguards of the Grail made it filter out potential Servants from the East."


"And yet here I stand," Rider stated. He sounded as if it was something to be proud of.


Misplaced pride, if Shinji had to guess as he set another flyer out of sight, behind a dumpster in an alley. "The war wasn't supposed to go on for as long as it has, but in every war until now there hasn't been anyone to claim the prize. As a consequence of that I can only assume that certain aspects of the Grail System have broken down, so to speak. The introduction of figures like Caster, Medea of Colchis, is another example to support that theory."


"Despite that you still fight for it?" Rider pointed out. "One would call that the actions of a fool, fighting over the contents of a broken cup."


He shrugged his shoulders. "As long the wish-granting portion works then I really don't care. What matters now is that we've identified two of the Servants and can take the appropriate measures in the future."


"I care not for their identities. Only that they are strong enough to present to me a challenge," Rider stated. "There's no point in bearing the title of the mightiest if there's no one to test myself against."


The conversation died there as Shinji continued the repetitive and menial task at hand without pause. Perhaps it was due to the fact that his summoning was done through a catalyst rather than without one, but the two had little connection with one another. Master and Servant, one who wanted to claim the prize to accomplish his goal while the other wished to fight and sate his battle-lust and ego.


Shinji just hoped that the fact that their goals weren't perfectly aligned wouldn't bite him in the ass.


And then there was Emiya. He'd have to tell Shirou the same thing, of course. He knew where he would be by the time they finished setting up the flyers, at a place called Copenhagen.


But part of him wondered if he shouldn't keep the information to himself unless absolutely necessary. Just to have just a few more advantages over Shirou given that he wasn't sure how much he could trust him after he had hidden the fact that he was a magecraft-user. Even if his doormat, stupid personality was the real thing, and he was inferior to Shinji, there was no telling if he would be willing to surrender the Grail if his Servant desired it and….


Well, even a saint could fall to greed when presented with an item that could grant wishes. He'd probably waste it on world peace or something.


I suppose just informing him of the Servants' abilities would suffice unless necessary, he reaffirmed in the confines of his mind. Tomorrow, after we have the rest of our measures in place, before we summon his Servant.


[FSN-oOo-KL]
At the Matou Manor


The cascading hot water from the showerhead battered against Sakura's body, a futile effort to cleanse her after spending time undergoing 'training' in the catacombs. But no matter how scalding the water, searing her skin and driving heat deep beneath the surface until it became flushed, it could never completely rid her of the phantom sensation that lingered for hours afterwards. Nor could it rid her of those that inhabiting her body, constantly violating her in ways that left a stain on her soul.


Toweling off and dressing for the evening, Sakura stepped through the corridors of the manor. The silence of it was familiar with only three of them living in it, one away and the other in the catacombs. She came to a stop at her brother's workshop.


Opening the door revealed the light of the evening sun as it dwindled on the horizon. It casted the last of its sobering rays into the room. It was a soothing sight that made her hesitant to smother it out with the artificial lights above. Not much had changed since the time she had entered into his room all those years ago, bearing a fever.


The room still bore with the scent of herbs and medicine, stemming from the fireplace in the room. The table in front of it had medicine that he had recently made, pills of some kind that was supposed to help him. There was even more of the candy that he had given her after coming back from the continent.


Half of his shikigami were gone. Relocated to another hiding place he had established. Since he was determined to keep the fighting as far away from her as possible, it made more sense to have them somewhere more favorable that he could deploy them from.


There was also the futon on the floor. It was fairly comfortable, the comforter thick and the pillow on it soft. There was an allure to it, lying under it while the cold of winter had yet to pass with a warm body beside her.

Yes, he would wrap his toned arms around her legs. His chest would rise and fall, breathing in deeply as he trace his calloused fingers up her thighs. Tempting, teasing her inadvertently with the promise of pleasure until she begged him. Then they would reach her inner thighs and—


Wriggle.


Sakura gasped as she tore her eyes away from the futon, before the thoughts and memories could stir the worms up further. Even though Shinji had been more tender than usual last night, on that very spot after the fighting, there was still a desire for more. A wave of disgust rolled over her like a landslide at how incestuous things had gotten between, and how she feared she was starting to look forward to it.


She told herself it was because of the worms. They were insatiable little monsters by their very design. The act of supporting his Servant would mean that the worms nestled inside of her would be even more active than usual for the duration of the war. That meant she would continue to defile him in order to satisfy them, taking a perverse satisfaction herself in the process.


It was a cruel reality that they both had to face. No matter how hard or long she held out between the points where she simply had to have someone acting as her lover for a time, it came down him being the only choice and she was okay with it. In fact, she was more than okay with it.


It was painful because, during moments like these, it made her realize how twisted things were. When she thought about her own feelings for Shirou and the feelings she had for her brother, they overlapped in certain places when they shouldn't. And then when she thought about how Shinji liked Ayako, someone who she found herself just a bit jealous of but could accept, but would never truly be likely to be with her given the nature of their circumstances….


She silently damned the ones responsible. She damned the Tohsaka name and all that it had entailed. She damned Zouken, a monster that refused to die. She damned magecraft for what it had done to her and her brother. She damned herself for not simply taking the easy way out by throwing herself off the roof of the school, whether because she was too afraid of death or because of the worms within wouldn't allow her to do so.


And, occasionally, she damned the world itself for allowing her to suffer such an existence.


Either way, she couldn't keep taking from her brother without giving something in return. She couldn't fight, she couldn't really use magecraft either, but she couldn't sit there and do nothing aside from anchoring the Servant to the world. Not while both of the men she found herself drawn to were fighting for her sake. That was why she had decided to do this, to act as his support during the war.


Sakura took a seat at the desk where the map of Fuyuki was, bordered by the four corner manikins that were luminous in their containers. On one side of it were the flyers he was putting up around the city, next to a custom stamp he made and the ink that he used for his shenfu. The map was active, with nodes of light indicating where he had set up them up round the city.


Shinji didn't want her in the war at all, but she had begged him to at least let her monitor the map when he wasn't there to do so. It seemed to be a good call since, after the sun had set, there seemed to be activity in the Shinto part of the city. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number….

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


"Be careful, Nii-sama," were the last words Sakura said over the line before Shinji hung up the phone and sighed to himself. He was feeling somewhat tired from the repetitive actions of the day and his walk over a great deal of the city. It didn't help that the cell phone reception was poor within his current location.


He was within the sewer that had once been the hideaway of the Caster of the last war, courtesy of the memories he had bought. While he really didn't take solace in what had transpired within the dark chambers that ran beneath the city, it was isolated enough that no one would come looking here without prior knowledge. Not unless they pulled the same stunt Waver had done.


Unlike the last psychopath who came here he had plenty of floodlights up and running, their glow glistening off the once damp and slime-riddled walls. It was by no means glamorous and the dark arts carried out had left a tainted sensation sunken deep into the walls, despite being thoroughly bathed in fire ten years ago. But it was at least kept sanitary and free of any sort of spiritual beings with the fuwen that lined with walls and floor to inscribe a bounded field.


The shikigami he had removed from the house were now here, along with some spare things for his Art. It wasn't an ideal place to do Chinese Alchemy—in fact Fang Yin would probably kick his ass if he even thought about blemishing her Art by doing it in such a place—but it was the perfect place to set up the focal point for his ritual spell.


One of the central arts of the East, at least when it came to Taoism and Onmyoudo, was the ability to manipulate weather. He was able to get his hands on one ritual that would convert a large amount of magical energy into lighting within a vessel and call it forth. Lighting in a bottle in a literal sense, it only needed to store enough mana over time from the different sources he had set up and were drawing in mana constantly.


"Rider, we're leaving," he said to his Servant after he dressed himself for combat and grabbed his case. It wasn't a far trip from where they were. Armed and with Rider by his side in astral form, Shinji approached the building that Sakura had mentioned before on-foot.


The mask rested stiffly against his face while his bow was within its case. His outfit wouldn't draw the attention of any non-magus due to a number of enchantments inscribed on it. It was basically rendered unremarkable through a mild application of Mental Interference.


The building itself was also unremarkable within the business district, three floors and almost uniform compared to the surroundings. The interior was grim and silent, the lack of sound too unnatural when office workers should still be toiling away at their desks to eke out a living. As if that didn't set off warning bells, there was a potent stench that caught his nose coming from above.


His footsteps against the tiled floor were louder than he liked as he walked towards the staircase. The elevator was a bad idea, an ideal place for a trap if there ever was one. Cramped quarters in possibly enemy terrain, it was a kill box.


No sooner than he opened the door to the emergency stairwell did he have to duck down. It was either that or the white blur that leapt through the air at where his head was would have taken it off instead of sailing past him. He spun around as it bounded off the wall to claim him from behind, the case coming in an arch to intercept it. The sound of bones being shattered and then clattering across the floor echoed through the corridor.

He grimaced. It had to be Caster's work. With that in mind he retrieved his shenfu and origami from his case. There would be more of them for certain, and Rider had no intention of helping him in dealing with them. Not when they were beneath him after Shinji told him not to waste revealing himself should they have been the ones attacking the manor last night.


He let an origami butterfly take flight first, using the symbol painted on its wings to act as extra eye. Through a pass he connected it to the sensory input of his left eye so he could scout the stairwell. With it he counted and located the other bone creatures inhabiting the stairwell and dragonflies followed.


The shikigami landed on them and then ruptured. The thunderous explosions echoed throughout the vertical corridor of steel. The force and heat stripped the cheap constructs of the hold they had on themselves and they fell damaged and in pieces.


With the stairwell emptied Shinji climbed upwards to the second floor, where the foreign scent grew stronger. He directed prana to a fuwen that was applied to the interior of the mask, where a set of lenses had been placed over the eyeholes. It applied a form of Alteration so his line of sight could see through the x-ray spectrum without the risk of damaging his eyes.


The immediate threat was three bone constructs in a humanoid form that were on the opposite side of the door, an ambush. He let three of the shenfu he in his hands slip from his grasp, controlling the prana that he saturated the paper with to control how it moved. Telekinesis, basically.


They snaked through the bottom of the door and found their way onto the ribcage of the constructs before detonating. The explosions dented the wall, trying to punch through it and reach him on the opposite side. The construction materials used weren't that cheap, so they held.


Shinji opened the door, letting the butterfly take flight to continue scouting ahead of him. It was swatted down, cleaved in two by blade of bone, and the connection between it and the eye was severed with a note of pain from the backlash.


It readjusted in time to see them coming from around the corner. They met with the same fate as their predecessors, explosive talismans turning them to smoldering piles of bone fragments. Stepping past them he let another handful go and then slipped them through the grates in the vent leading above to catch the ones spying on him from there.


Using his mask's x-ray and combing over the building for anymore signs of the creations of Caster, he found none. So instead focused on the still forms of the people in the rooms. All of them were unconscious; leading him to recognize the incense pilfered their inherent mana and siphoned it out.


"What are you doing, Boy?" asked the Servant in astral form as Shinji pulled out the pen that was his Mystic Code.


"I'm going to contain it to," he explained. "If we need to broker with another Master to ally against Caster, this is proof of her harvesting power and making her a legitimate threat. It's another advantage and the sooner she's gone the better. I don't expect your help but if anything approaches, at least alert me."


He didn't mention that since he had a vested interest in trying to reproduce it somehow. How often was it that you had a chance to sample a product of Witchcraft from the Age of the Gods? Since Caster was limited to the resources of this age, if he could discern the method of creation he could probably advance his own studies in Chinese Alchemy… or, in a last resort, use it.


The Servant made a noncommittal sound as Shinji set to work with crafting the bounded field with his Mystic Code. Every stroke had to be perfect, the foundation of the Art of Fuwen in the words as much as the strokes of the pen or brush. He needed something that could draw it in, contain the gas, compress it, and sustain it, multiple lines….


Once he had the circle drawn up it came to life with a cobalt flare as he provided the prana to be used. The air shifted as it was drawn in, gathering the violet incense that loomed into the bounded field and prevented it from escaping. Soon it appeared to be a column that stretched up to the ceiling and the gas seemed to storm about, yearning to be free.


Once it finished gathering the secondary function took place. The second outer layer altered the air between it and the innermost layer, compressing and congealing until it was a solid. Where there was once a column there was now a sphere the size of a crystal ball, the hue a deep shade of violet that you could sink into.


With a final series of strokes with the pen on the surface of the sphere it was done, a bounded field to contain it while drawing in enough mana to keep the orb it its present state, warding off Gaia's attempt at returning it to its natural state. By the time he had finished more than ten minutes had passed. He picked it up with one hand and noted it felt heavier than it looked, after which he placed a call to his sister and asked her if she managed to track the flow of the stolen mana taken from the people in the building.


Her answer was unexpected. "Ryuudou Temple?"


"Yes, Nii-sama." Sakura said over the line. "I'm not mistaken. It's heading towards the temple."


He shook his head. "That's where the major leyline runs. It figures she'd hide there then. That's… going to be a problem if she can tap it. No, who am I kidding, she's the Caster class—of course she can."


"Are you going after her?" A note of worry was in her voice, no doubt recalling her own experiences with the Servant. Shinji had asked her the general details when she had gotten home after that particular debacle.


His answer set her at ease. "No, I'm coming home. Caster is a problem for another day."


A soft, but audible, exhalation that came with relief could be heard. "I'll see you then, Nii-sama."


Shinji put away his phone ad turned to where he thought his Servant was. "Let's go back to the manor, Rider. We're done for the night."


"If you wish to do so then do it on your own," the Servant stated tersely as he materialized. "This war is not meant for cowards. They have no place amongst us. I intend to get rid of this Caster that slinks in the shadows before the night ends, lest her interference hinders the battles to come."


"Going after Caster alone is—" Rider leapt out a window before he finished speaking. "—a bad idea…."


He slapped his palms over his eyes and sighed. He had to get to the manor before Caster or Lancer decided to take a shot at him while he was Servant-less. After making a call to the police over the landline in the building he departed with a shikigami's help.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Rider


The Chinese armor that adorned Rider seemed to stand out in the argent moonlight. He stood before the entrance to the mountain with his halberd in hand. It was quiet, almost dead silent with the thick trees on either side of it. Rising up the slope they held within them a power that warded his entry barring this single and narrow passage. It was the ideal place for a trap.


He set foot on the carved stone that constituted steps and found nothing amiss, thus he climbed. It was well before he neared the top, where the temple resided, that he caught sight of the Servant that stood to obstruct his path. A samurai dressed in purple, carrying a long Japanese-style sword on his back.


"I have to ask that you go no further," the mysterious Servant said. His voice was rather lax given he was in the presence of an opponent who would no doubt try to kill him. His posture was much the same, his hands hiding within the sleeves of his kimono as he stared down from the high ground.


Coming to a stop, more so out curiosity at the lack of a presence he felt from the opposing Servant, Rider's red-copper eyes stare into the indigo ones of the swordsman. "I came here seeking Caster, but it seems that this hunt bore an unexpected prey. Who are you to stand before my might?"


"Servant Assassin, Sasaki Kojirou," the Servant clad in purple announced with a smile as he drew his sword. The grey steel seemed sharp enough to cut the moonlight itself as he brought it to his shoulder. "Will you name yourself? Or will my blade simply claim your head namelessly?"


The causal revelation of the name and drawing of the blade bought about a heavy laugh from Rider. It was a merely steel. Well-forged as it was, it wouldn't hold be able to bear the full brunt of Sky Piercer. "A mere assassin, wielding such a flimsy blade, dares claim it will take the head of Lu Bu Fengxian?"


It was then Shinji's voice reached the Servant's ears. He had opened a pass between them once he made it back to the manor, enabling Shared Perception. "You had to tell him your name? That's supposed to be kept a secret for a reason!"


"I have no need to hide who I am," Rider stated, unshakable in his tone as he addressed both his Master and his opponent. Raising his halberd so that the moonlight gleamed off the red and gold of the blade, he pointed it towards Assassin. "I am the mightiest of Servants in this war!"


A small chuckle left Assassin's mouth as he let the blade hang in his grip, taking a single step forward in the process. "That's a rather bold statement to claim so soon while the madden warrior and ojou-chan are running around. But you should be able to stop my blade from taking your head if that is true."


"He's baiting you," Shinji warned.


Rider didn't care. The ground beneath him cracked as he lunged for the samurai, his lungs releasing a boisterous battle cry. The air itself seemed to split as he released a straight-downward strike meant to cleave Assassin in two.


A twist of the legs and torso was all it took to dodge. Flowing like water his blade followed and brought the impossibly long sword up to fulfill his promise as it sought out his neck. The rear of the halberd's shaft came around to intercept it, the blade skimming off the surface as it grated along the slanted slope with sparks.


Brute strength came from Rider's arms as he brought the point of the halberd up again, seeking to open Assassin up. Once more he was dodged and forced to defend. The sharpened length of steel that came around from the front in a stab was shielded with the neck of the halberd, his hand bracing the flat of the blade in defense.


The point of the sword then circumvented a third exchange, coming up from below on the other side. Rider barely managed to get away, retreating just in time so that the blade bit into the armor that adorned him and carved a bloodless furrow from the lower right hip to the upper-right shoulder.


Assassin followed with a graceful deadliness as his sword turned on a dime many times. Fluid strokes that had a seemingly endless number of patterns that he couldn't predict, all seeking his neck. Eventually it drew blood, barely stopped from opening up Rider's throat as he leapt back while his halberd soaked up the rest of it..


"If you had been merely average then you would have already lost your head," Assassin said as he flicked the miniscule amount of blood on his blade off. "I suppose I should be proud that such a flimsy blade was sullied with the blood of the mightiest, after all."


Rider's eyes narrowed as he bared his teeth at the samurai while the wound quickly mended itself. Part of it was in anger at the barb, but excitement bubbled beneath the surface at the face of the challenge before him. That deceptively mundane sword was deadly within the grasp of the purple-clad Assassin, an underestimation that nearly cost him his head.


Twirling the Chinese steel above his head, Rider approached for a second time. He brought it around in a fearsome arch. Wide and sharp, it would take off the samurai's entire upper body if it connected in truth.


But Assassin's sword was faster. It came around from the top-left, a diagonal flash that would reach Rider before the halberd, cutting off his head and then his arm as it passed through…


Assassin abandoned the slash and leaned back as intuition spoke to him, Eye of the Mind (False). It was all that saved him as a thin, red line wept at his throat and stained his clothes. Indigo eyes stared down at the weapon in Rider's hands.


It was no longer a halberd. What had been a pointed blade tipping the long staff was now a curved, half-crescent blade meant to reap lives rather than grain. The interior of it was red, with the trimming of the exterior gold, resembling a grim reaper's scythe from which blood stained the tip.


"A weapon that switches forms as the user wills it in the midst of battle, huh?" Assassin mused as a wind blew, one eye closed with a smirk on his face as the wound closed. "In that essence, it's not one opponent I'm facing, but as many as you have at your disposal. Interesting…."


With twist of his wrist the scythe returned to a halberd. He then invaded the samurai's space as he stepped forward. The point moved with precision as it thrust a number of times, seeking to stab into the kempt kimono and the flesh beneath it.


The samurai avoided the thrusts, until one particularly deep stab invited the counterattack. The katana guided the point of the halberd aside before skating along the top end before arching for his neck like a demonic wind. Even if he used the scythe as he did before, it wouldn't be able to retract fast enough to do fatal damage….


Yet metal rang out as the blade was deflected by the bracers that now adorned his forearms. Even if the katana could cut steel, the bracers themselves were unbreakable against such a flimsy weapon. Rider's hand set out and snared Assassin's sword while his other came down. The bracers were gone, instead replaced with Noble Phantasm in its axe form.


Assassin slammed his palm against the butt of his sword and angled up so that it sliced Rider's hand open. Earth and stone erupted in a plume of dust as the ax smashed down, but before the dust cloud even had time to clear Assassin broke out of it as the scythe blade came out of it and reaped the space where he had been. The samurai fell back to regain the high ground.


Three arrows followed after him, half the size of the halberd but the same design. One shot sequentially after the other. Assassin slapped the first two away with the flat of his blade and leaned to avoid the third as it passed where his torso had been an impaled itself into a higher stair. Then he readied himself as prana surged and a gale dispelled the remains of the dust cloud to reveal Rider standing there in an archer's poise with his bow, Cannon Force, nocked.


Rider wasn't able to read the path of the sword no matter how many times they had clashed. And no matter the weapon, Assassin's swordsmanship, position, and reach made all but one of his weapon forms useless. And while he could dodge the base arrows, a charged shot would encompass the entirety of the mountain pass—


Ατλας!


—foreign words left distant lips and echoed throughout the mountain. Divine Words that had space itself distorted at her command, sealed within a sphere as a portion of the atmosphere that made up the world compressed down into it. Everything nestled tightly within it was frozen in place.


Rider couldn't move. He was helpless as the gathered prana that illuminated the tip of his arrow evaporated in an instant, snuffed out as an ebony haze washed over the dome. He could only watch as it then congealed into a solid form, the Witch of Betrayal herself.


"I have seen enough," she said, the cowl of her hood hiding her eyes while her lips painted themselves into a smile.


"Don't interfere, Vixen," Assassin stated.


"Silence dog." She didn't even turn to face him as she pulled out an iridescent and faced Rider. "Berserker can be bought down a number of times with his Noble Phantasm if the weapons themselves can count as individuals. If not, then having another dog leashed will make it easier to catch a more useful Servant."


"Andddd, we're done here," Shinji spoke through the pass, having been silent until now. Whatever Caster was planning as she approached Rider, he wasn't going to risk losing his Servant to her like that. "By the Power of the Command Seal! Rider, I order you to return to my side this instant!"


At the expense of a crystallized miracle, the Forced Summoning took hold and Rider was pulled from the battlefield.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


No sooner than his Servant had arrived back in the woodlands behind the Matou Manor, behind the bounded fields that had been established by the Old Worm over the centuries, did Shinji find the halberd at his throat. All it would take was a muscle twitch really, and the blade would open up the carotid artery at the very least if it didn't take his head off. It was safe to say Rider was upset.


Oddly enough, Shinji felt rather calm due to the fact that he flat-out knew that Rider would probably betray him at some point. His rank in Nature of a Rebellious Spirit all but ensured it would happen eventually. Not even a king could keep him loyal for a long period of time.


But, if Rider managed to kill him, then his sister would inherit the Command Seals that were on his hand upon his death because of the modified Shared Mastership. And he'd told her that if that happened she was to have Rider promptly kill himself and then seek out Shirou to make sure he kept his word. Sure, he'd be dead, but considering his Servant's acts in life it felt appropriate that it would at least be a mutual kill. Still, he preferred living to death if he could help it.


"I could have called you back at any time," Shinji stated after a few more seconds had passed and the blade didn't move to decapitate him. "The moment you left my side I could have ordered you to break off rather than let that fight start, especially knowing now that Caster was in an alliance with Assassin's Master to guard her. But I didn't interfere while you and Assassin fought because I respected that you wanted a one-on-one fight. The strongest would have prevailed."


"Then why did you interfere, Boy?" Rider growled through clinched teeth. "Do you think her dagger could have felled me?"


"Caster interfered first," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She took advantage of the situation and had you pinned down, with your neck exposed for Assassin to take if he didn't seem to follow Bushido. Plus, I had no idea what that dagger would have done unless I let her use it, which would have been a betrayal considering I was in a position to act. I played it safe so that you could remain in the war rather than be eliminated or brought to heel before it officially begins because of a cheap trick by a coward that hid in the shadows."


Red-copper eyes narrowed. "And yet you weren't there either."


"Because you left me behind," he pointed out. Steel entered into his voice as he gritted his teeth. "Leaving aside the fact that Caster probably could have mind-controlled me into using a Command Seal to order you into obedience, you abandoned me! I asked you if you would ride alongside me as an ally and didn't use a Command Seal when we first met and you attacked me because I respected you too much to simply order you to follow me. Is it too much to ask that it be returned?"


Betrayal and Respect, two words that summed up the entirety of Lu Bu's history beyond the blood-soaked battlefield, were the words he stressed. In the end, they were the ones that reached the Servant. The tension that lingered in the air dissipated as the halberd left his throat and was perched on Rider's shoulders.


Shinji rubbed where the blade had been and felt a nick where blood had been drawn. He frowned, but spoke in a more relaxed tone. "We need allies before we try to take the mountain again, someone to deal with Caster while you and Assassin have your bout to the death. Whether Archer or Saber, as long as they have decent enough Magic Resistance then that'll suffice."


"… I am not patient, Boy," Rider stated. "I was not satisfied with the outcome of that battle. Nor that of the one with Lancer."


"One night," Shinji told him. "I'll have his Servant summoned tomorrow, get him registered, and then you can storm the mountain, have your great battle, and not worry about the witch pulling a stunt like this again. After that we work with them until you and that Servant are the only ones left to fight and you can prove yourself the strongest."

[End-oOo-Note]

Servant Stats: Assassin


Spirit: Sasaki Kojirou

Master: Caster

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Strength: C

Mana: E

Endurance: E

Luck: A

Agility: A+


N. Phantasm: ?


Class Skill:

* Presence Concealment (Rank: D): is the capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. It is a common skill to the Assassin class.


Personal Skills:


* Eye of the Mind (False) (Rank: A): is a natural talent to avoid danger on the basis of an innate 6th sense, intuition, or prescience, where accuracy of instinct has been augmented by experience - somewhat overcoming the problem of visual obstructions that appear in the course of combat. The difference between Eye of the Mind (True) and Eye of the Mind (False) lies in that the former is an ability that humans can obtain through accumulation of experience. The 'False' version is superficially similar, but in fact represents a natural instinct that cannot be obtained regardless of effort or experience - even though experience can refine its accuracy.


* Knowledge of Respect and Harmony (Rank: B): prevents any decrease in the effectiveness of a technique, regardless of how many times it is used against the same opponent.


* Vitrification (Rank: B+): is a serene state of mind. A mental protection that nullifies mental interference.


* Tsubame Gaeshi: The fabled technique of the legendary swordsman Sasaki Kojirou, who was said to be able to cut down a swallow in mid-flight. It is not something recognized as a Noble Phantasm under the Servant system, but rather an intrinsic skill of the anonymous swordsman representing the legend of Kojirou. This demonic sword technique, the utmost and sole technique used by Assassin, is not a Noble Phantasm or a magical phenomenon, but it has reached a level comparable to one out of pure godlike skill that "surpasses even Servants."

[Twi]

Chapter 9: The Last Servant Summoned

[Chapter 9 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

Morning


Leaving her home, Rin Tohsaka felt a myriad of feeling at the moment.


First and foremost was a sense of accomplishment and pride. Like her father before her, she had managed to summon a Servant… albeit not the one she wanted. Still, the summoning in itself was a success and the Command Seals on her hand were proof of that. Now all that was left was to claim the grail that should be hers, even though she didn't have a wish that needed to be granted.


But not all of her feelings were so pleasant.


Her servant infuriated her. There were some people who could get under her skin, but he was special considering he managed to antagonize her to the point she had wasted a Command Seal on him. Oh, he'd better prove his worth or so help her….


Rin came to a stop partway down the hill leading to the school, looking down at where the Matou Residence was. There was a foreigner there, blond hair and red eyes, muttering words that she couldn't hear at that distance to her sist—to the Matou heir. As he walked away, she saw that Sakura looked dejected for a moment, her violet eyes clouded with dark thoughts as she reached up to touch the decoration in her hair.


It was odd. Rin thought that she had crushed whatever remained of her storge affection, but now she wanted to say something to soothe whatever had been said to make Sakura look like that. Her hand was already moving to reach out for her and the words were forming in her throat. All that stopped them was when she caught sight of the Command Seals on her hand.


The Holy Grail War was beginning, and there was no way that the Matou didn't have someone fighting in this war. That meant she was possibly an enemy that had to be defeated. The thought made her hand drop, leaving her to watch as Sakura walked towards the school with her back to Rin.


It was then she made a call, seeking to soothe her curiosity and steel her resolve if necessary. "Archer," she whispered. "Can you see if that girl has Command Seals on her hands?"


His response was swift and dutiful, contrary to his behavior to this point, leaving her presence for a mere moment to fulfill her request. "She does not."


Rin let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "That's good I suppose."


"May I ask why you suspected she would have one?" Archer asked.


"Her family is one of the three involved in the creation of the Holy Grail," Rin said, keeping her distance as she trailed behind Sakura. They were heading in the same direction, but she didn't dare approach her side as she had when they were children walking with their mother between them. Those days were gone. "She's the only known Magus of her line, so it seemed like she would be the prime candidate."


"I see." She could practically hear the wheels turning in Archer's head. "The fact that she doesn't seems strange, in that case."


"It's probably because the war is starting earlier than it should have," Rin guessed. "If I wasn't contacted, I wouldn't have known. So either she isn't entering or…."


Archer finished where she trailed off. "She hasn't summoned her Servant yet."


Rin's lips pursed into a thin line at that thought. There was one Servant left to be summoned: Saber. That was what Rin had hoped to get when she performed the ritual, because they were known for their balanced stats according to the records her family had of the war.


"Master," Archer said, making Rin realize that they were closer to the school than she thought. The gates were practically upon them. When did she get distracted? "What will you do if she does become a Master?"


That was the question then, wasn't it? She didn't know how well-trained Sakura was, meaning that if they got into a conflict she couldn't predict the odds…No, Rin would win. The real question was would she be able to claim victory without permanently injuring her?


The smart and pragmatic thing to do would be to capture her brother. With a hostage, she could force her to surrender her Command Seals after having her Servant kill itself, removing them both safely from the war. But Shinji would no doubt suspect something if she called him out.


They were never seen remotely near one another after the last time they had met. While most people still suspected it was because she'd rejected him, she knew it was because she had thrown away the chance to reunite with Sakura for the sake of upholding the tradition of the Art. Though, to her surprise, a decent number of those girls who would speak to her actually said they pitied Shinji when the rumors spread of her turning him down.


Honestly, they painted her as the villain—what with how the frail and weak Matou heir, taken by her beauty and grace, put his heart on the line for a confession in private. Yet, he was turned down and crushed by her brutal denial, slinking back to his classroom and looking as though he was ready to keel over. Supposedly he'd been so disheartened that he gently turned down every effort to console him, leaving other women to want to heal his broken and reasonably wealthy heart.


He may not have been a magus, but he was crafty. That was partly why she doubted she'd be able to get him alone to actually capture him. Even if she did, the thought of Sakura looking at her with hatred in her eyes for taking her brother away left the bottom of her stomach feeling as though it was about to drop. It was stupid that she felt this way after so long, but that was something she couldn't erase.


She came to a conclusion after an elongated pause. "…You should be good enough to deal with whatever Servant she summons if you pick them off at a distance, right?"


"Of course," Archer said. "I'm an Archer, after all. I wouldn't be much of one if I couldn't pick a target off before they realized it."


How smug he sounded annoyed her, but in this case it also bought some comfort. If he was this confident, then he could probably do it. That made her glad that she had gotten the ranged-specialist in the end.


Stepping through the threshold of the gate, she watched as Sakura met up with the Emiya boy and her brother. The latter of who glared at her when he noticed her standing behind Sakura. He placed a bandaged hand over her shoulder and whispered something in her ear while Emiya looked on confused for a moment. When Sakura shook her head, he guided her inside the building with Emiya following behind.


"Is he still angry about that rejection last year?" Rin heard from behind her. The voice was one she recognized and warranted her attention, leading to her looking over her shoulder to see Ayako there in her uniform. She looked a bit concerned and sheepish. "I don't think I've seen him looking that mad before."


"Who knows?" Rin shrugged. "That being said, was that a lovelorn gaze I saw coming from you, Mitsuzuri-san?"


"It's not like that." Her denial would be more believable if her face wasn't turning a sanguine hue. Of course, after the moment, passed she stared at the door he went behind wistfully and sighed. "I'm just worried about him since he injured himself while helping Emiya last night."


Rin raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"


"You saw the bandages on their hands, right?" She nodded. "Sakura called me last night and told me the three of them were at Emiya's place cooking when Shinji had a coughing fit while they were handling the ceramic plates. They broke and cut their hands in the process, so Shinji and Emiya weren't going to attend the club today."


"Isn't that a bit inconvenient for your club?" Rin pointed out. "They're both important, aren't they?"


She could only shrug. "Losing both the Vice-Captain and Substitute Vice-Captain leaves me short-handed, but I'll manage until then. Sakura said she'd help out, so there's that. Either way, I should head there now."


With that, Rin allowed Ayako to walk towards the club without further commentary.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Archer


Archer had been summoned once more, as he usually was, only this time he felt somewhat more at peace with himself than the usual bitterness that made up his ethereal existence. He had parted with Rin after saying he would do his best, and hadn't been subjected to another bout of being a Counter Guardian between the usual lags in the summoning, meaning that for this brief moment he had some measure of relief from his eternal Hell of condemnation.


But, while he was familiar with the how every time he was summoned things were different, he took the time to try and spot differences within the dimension that he was now a part of. Normally there wasn't much—a misplaced stone, someone new when they hadn't been before, or Rin actually being a cup size larger than usual. The point being, it was usually something small and inconsequential, making it easy to miss.


Other things were more apparent. Like the fact that Rider's boundary field was missing. That either meant she hadn't been summoned, or that Sakura was the one holding her reins instead of Shinji. Given that she didn't have Command Seals, he found that scenario unlikely and would have to make a note to see what that meant later down the road.


Oddly enough, the minor changes were what seemed to bother him the most. When an assortment of minor changes piled on top of one another they often caused for major changes. And, in this case, they all seemed to stem from Shinji Matou.


Shinji Matou was a prime example of someone who couldn't be saved, no matter what. In his life as Shirou Emiya, he was arguably Shinji's only friend and the only one besides his sister who genuinely liked him. At least before what happened with Sakura came to light and the resulting Grail War of his time, which was arguably the first time his idea of saving everyone was proven to be impossible. Every time they had met after his indoctrination into being a Counter Guardian, it had always been simpler to kill him to save more lives.


The fact that Sakura had another hair decoration that she treated fondly, as though drawing comfort from it in the wake of Gilgamesh appearing to tell her to kill herself, meant that she had another pillar to support herself. Given her circumstances, the fact that she had another supporting figure meant that there was another chink in her armor that could be exploited. That was troubling in its own way, and may result in him having to kill Rin's sister somewhere down the road—which may not be as much of a mercy as it usually would.


And then there was the fact that Ayako had been staring at Shinji Matou with a look that was both fond and concerned. Rin's teasing, and the subsequent denial, only further hinted at a budding relationship. As she would never consider such a thing given his usual personality, it meant that he most likely wasn't as vile as he could have been due to some intervention in the past.


That meant he wouldn't be as likely to lash out at others for the sake of his ego. And because he wasn't abusive, he and Shirou Emiya wouldn't have as much animosity between them. That meant that when he summoned Saber—which was another constant, even if the Saber in question could vary from Nero to Mordred to Okita Souji—Shinji would not be an enemy to be defeated by him.


What change this would bring about would depend on what happened next, but Archer was already putting plans into place to ensure the least amount of casualties should the worst case scenario come about.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Shinji


"We're going to try this one more time," Shinji said as he set down the bag he brought with him from his workshop. They were in the shed that Emiya called his own, having left the school-grounds thirty minutes ago to get things done as soon as possible. The walls were lined with runes, meant to prevent prana leaks and sound, leaving it somewhat secure in addition to being within the boundary field of the estate he lived on. "One more time, and then we do the summoning."


"Shinji, if we didn't find out the last few times, what will be different this time?" Shirou asked. It was a fair question. Why waste time on something when there was nothing further to gain?


Shinji ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. "My pride demands I make one more attempt." He set down a towel and two cups that he filled with bottled water. "After this we'll summon your Servant. Now cast Reinforcement on this."


Shirou sighed as he grabbed the slip of shenfu paper Shinji handed him. Shinji had a better understanding at magic comprehension and explained that elements acted as a modifier to spells in a subtle sense, such as if someone with an Imaginary Numbers element were to use Reinforcement then the object that was affected would be able to interact with spiritual entities on a more efficient level. They were trying to figure out what his element was through an abstract method, since they didn't have an exact test to determine what it was because he didn't correspond with any of the basic ones.


"Trace: On." The magic circuits in his right hand grew luminous and then slithered up the slip of paper. The shenfu became rigid and took on a metallic sheen. Shirou waved it around to see that it had also lost its flexibility.


Shinji took the paper and examined it. Then he pulled out one of his shenfu with the fuwen for 'Metal' on it and channeled his own prana into it. It took on a similar nature to Shirou's, but he recognized the differences. "It looks like the Metal Eastern Element at a superficial level, but it's not the same. The texture feels different… maybe metal is too broad and it's something more constrained, specialized at its core within that frame. We'll try the water method next."


Shinji stuck one finger into one cup filled with water and cast Reinforcement on the water itself. The volume of liquid in the cup rose until it overflowed and spilled down the sides onto the towel. He pulled his finger out and the water followed, until he held the finger up with a sphere of water the size of a soft ball loitering there. "I have a Water element, so if I perform Reinforcement in a broad sense, it simply gives the water more volume and makes it easier to manipulate."


"So if I do the same…." Shirou stuck his finger inside and cast Reinforcement on his water. Like the paper it took on a metallic sheen, but that was all at a glance.


Shinji stuck a finger inside to see if the temperature had changed, such as if the Fire Element had been introduced. He pulled it back after he felt a sharp sensation and watched blood mix into the water. He frowned. "Did you just make the water sharp enough to cut me?"


"I guess?" Shirou shrugged. "It's not like there's been a need to cast Reinforcement on water of all things."


Shinji grumbled under his breath about how it was even more confusing now as he put up the things for the element testing and started drawing the circle for the summoning. "Since we couldn't get a catalyst we don't know what Servant you'll get, but it will definitely be in the Saber class."


"Shouldn't yours be here too?" Shirou asked.


Shinji scoffed. "I left Rider to his own devices for the day. I didn't want Rin's Servant to detect him around one of us and he tends to rub people the wrong way. I've checked on him through our shared senses every now and again today, but he's mostly lingered in astral form around the base of the mountain."


Shirou's inquisitive expression asked the unspoken question.


"I'll explain after you summon your Servant." Shinji stood up and stretched his back, cracking bones audibly within the shed. "Now, I think you understand how the whole system works when it comes to the Command Seals and Servants, but I want to tell you about it in greater detail since it could mean life or death."


He unwrapped his hand and showed Shirou his remaining two seals. "Of the three families who worked together to make the system of the war, the Matou were the ones who made the Command Seal system. Because of that we know how to utilize it better than anyone else."


Each of the three families had, in some form or way, cheated in the previous wars using the advantages they had garnered. The Tohsaka had local allies and laid claim to the nodes where mana gathered since they provided the land, giving them access to the most resources. The Einzbern made the grail itself and were the ones who could use it for the Third Magic, according to the Old Worm's notes. The Makiri themselves gamed the system through the Command Seals.


"The Command Seals utilize mana gathered over the decades between the wars and compacted them into these markings," he continued. "Most competitors see it as a means of manipulating a Servant for short-term compliance, or compiling their effects by using more than one to enforce a rule, but with it you can actually interface with the grail system itself.


"For example, let's say that you summon a Servant into a class but it could have fit in multiple classes at once. With the seal you can install an additional class, reopening the connection between the Throne of Heroes and downloading that class information. A Servant would then be a Double Class."


"Double Class…." Shirou scratched his head. If it was possible to enter more than once class, then what was the point of constraining them into a single one? It did seem like a cheat being exploited, but the practicality of it was questionable. "When was the last time someone used it?"


"Not since the Second War," Shinji said. "It requires two seals to enforce the Double Class—one to make the initial change and one to interface with the grail and stop it from auto-correcting the change after a set period of time. And, despite being able to have both sets of Class Skills, their Noble Phantasms and Personal Skills don't change."


"And if you're using a catalyst, then you're summoning a Servant in what would be an ideal form," Shirou reasoned, crossing his arms in thought. "So there's no need for a shift in the class then, since it wouldn't be worth the cost."


Shinji nodded his head. "We don't have a catalyst for you, so if by some chance you get a Saber that was also a renowned spell-caster then you can invoke the Double Class and give them access to skills they wouldn't otherwise have because of the system constraints. That's why I'm tell you now."


Lancer would be a perfect example. If Cu Chulainn had been summoned under the Double Class system as a Lancer-Caster, then his Rune Magecraft would have been more effective. It would have probably plowed straight through Rider's level of Magic Resistance.


"Another use is as an external battery," Shinji went on. "You can burn the Command Seals as a power source for magecraft that goes beyond your limits. I don't think you have any spells that would require that kind of power, and in most cases anything you can do a Servant can do better, but keep it in mind as a last resort."


"Right…" Shirou didn't think he would need a Command Seal for that. His Rune Magecraft was limited after all, and Reinforcement didn't require that much energy itself. Still, he wouldn't hesitate to burn it if he could use it to save someone else.


With that explanation out of the way, the two began the process of summoning his Servant. Blood was shed for the sake of power as Shirou stood with his hand outstretched and his circuits opened. Shinji stood off to the side to stay out of the way.


He closed his eyes when there was a flash as the fifth element composed itself to take on the form of the Servant. When he opened them again, there was a woman clad in silver armor that glinted in the evening light, with a blue dress beneath it. Matching gauntlets and greaves covered her hands and feet, though she lacked a helmet as one would expect, leaving her blonde-hair and green eyes on display for all to see.


Standing proudly, the Servant spoke to Shirou and asked, "I ask of you: Are you my Master?"


"I am," Shirou stated, revealing the Command Seals fixed on his wrist as a shriek of surprise left Shinji's mouth while he pointed to the regal woman. "Shinji, what's wrong?"


"Arthur Pendragon," he said, barely above a whisper. "King Arthur."


"Who are you?" she asked with her invisible blade in her hands. Shinji couldn't see it, but he knew from the memories of Waver what it was like. The gleaming, golden blade of Promised Victory being raised to slay the monster that once loitered on the bay was something that had been deeply entrenched onto both Waver's, and subsequently Shinji's, minds.


"Forgive the rudeness of calling you by name, King of Knights," Shinji said, putting on a diplomatic face when he gathered himself. "I am the Master of Rider for this war, Shinji Matou. Your Master and I have entered into an alliance for the duration of the war, as we've been friends for some time now and there are other matters that must be addressed."


Shirou held up his hands. "Wait, wasn't King Arthur…." He trailed off when Saber turned her eyes on him. "I mean, you're really King Arthur?"


"You were unaware of my identity?" the Servant asked her Master.


Shinji spoke for him. "Your Master didn't have a catalyst so we were uncertain which Servant would be summoned, and I had recently come across memories of the former Master of Rider, from the last Grail War ten years prior. During that time, a previous template of yourself had been summoned, so I became aware of your identity through those means. It was pure circumstance that these facts aligned."


The Servant stood silent for a moment, before replying, "If those are the circumstances, then it cannot be helped. However, I ask that you keep silent on my identity from this point onwards."


"Of course," he said. "In exchange for any perceived slight, and as a token of goodwill, I will give you the names of Caster, Assassin, and Lancer."


"You've already fought them, Shinji?" Shirou asked. "And you didn't tell me?"


"Lancer attacked my home after I summoned Rider," Shinji explained. "He's an incarnation of Cu Chulainn, an Irish folk-hero. In addition to his speed and the use of a spear, he's capable of summoning dogs in a limited number, and the use of Rune Magic. More than him though, Caster in herself is the largest problem."


He reached into the bag he brought to produce a smaller box. He removed the lid to showcase the sphere of swirling violet. "Recently there have been a number of people slipping into comas from what is perceived to be gas attacks. In truth, it's because of this."


Shirou leaned in and caught the scent of it. "It's laced with prana."


"I analyzed it and found that it's used to steal od from people who aren't capable of magecraft," he explained. "It also has the side-effect of rendering men impotent, so even if the victims wake they won't be able to have children. She's doing some major damage while amassing power, making her a credible threat the longer it goes on to anyone without sufficient Magic Resistance."


"Such an act is intolerable," Saber spoke, more than a note of disdain in her voice.


Shirou nodded in agreement, happy that his Servant shared the same idea. "We have to stop her."


"Rider and I already attempted to confront her." Shinji put the sphere back into his bag. "However, the Assassin of this war is a skilled warrior named Kojiro Sasaki. His swordsmanship managed to hold back Rider, and Caster assisted him by binding Rider in place. I had to use a Command Seal to retrieve him before he could be eliminated."


"So their Masters are in an alliance as well," Shirou figured. "Do you know where their base is?"


Shinji rubbed his eyes. "The Ryuudouji Temple."


Shirou tensed. "That's where Issei stays. If she's been there for a long time then—"


"He's probably under her control already," Shinji stated factually, having already reached the same conclusion. "I was careful talking to him today, since there's no telling if there's a trigger on him or anyone else from there. He seemed normal, but we can't be sure he hasn't been made a sleeper agent of some kind."


"And there's no telling what will happen if we try and check on him in school," Shirou said through his gritted his teeth. "Damn."


"That's why we need to work together." He looked between Saber and Shirou. "The mountain has a barrier around it that weakens any spiritual entities that try to enter it from anywhere but the front, where Assassin guards the gate. Working together, Rider will deal with Assassin while you bypass them and eliminate Caster. If we do this properly, we can end the threat they pose to the city tonight."


"Certainly, they must be made to cease this at once," Saber acknowledged.


"So, do we go there now?" Shirou asked.


"No, you need to go register for the war within the next two hours or so," he told him. They had decided to hold off on the registration until now because Shinji wanted to operate on the principle it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and doing so belatedly like this prevented Rin from finding out prematurely. "I'll meet you on the road there afterwards with my Servant—and wear a mask so that you don't end up being accidentally outed to Tohsaka."


Shirou nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Okay, we'll meet you there soon."


With that said Shinji left the shed and made it halfway across the yard before his face tightened up and he clenched his fist. He couldn't help but wonder why Emiya got that Servant of all the possible ones? A loyal knight with a blade made to slay evil would be so much better in his hands than Emiya's.


It just seemed like Shirou kept upstaging him at every turn—first having circuits and then having a better Servant. What next?


Shinji took a deep breath and drove away his reservations and jealousy for the moment. There was work to be done tonight, and he couldn't let these feelings ruin his chances. For Sakura's sake, he had to do this right.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Saber


Saber found it strange to be riding behind the son of the Magus Killer, her hands wrapped around his waist as they drove near-silently on the streets of Fuyuki. They were still on Shinto side of the Miongawa, having just come from the Church after Shirou completed his registration. Nothing seemed amiss as she waited outside of the Church, but he did come back with a small frown courtesy of whatever discussion he had with the moderator of the war.


In the short time they had known each other, Saber found him to be a strong contrast with his father. Her former Master was a cold man whose betrayal had cost her chance for the grail, yet the boy who bore his last name didn't seem to have that cold and calculating nature that Kiritsugu did. Rather than stony silence, he offered her food once their discussion had abated.


Unfortunately, her inability to go into astral-form left her with little recourse but to don a cloak to hide her appearance. At least it was night, so they didn't draw too much attention. The search for clothing could come later, preferably a suit of some kind like the last time she had been summoned.


"I think I see something ahead," her Master said with his voice slightly muffled. He had a black cloth wrapped around his face, covering his hair and mouth, and his sword was nestled in a bag over his shoulder. He slowed the motorcycle to a crawl as a silhouette came into view ahead, a masked man wearing a Chinese Opera mask.


Next to him, a Chinese General materialized while welding a polearm weapon. He was a Servant, that much was clear. And bloodlust was wafting off of him as he stood there, despite his calm façade.


Saber's response was to stand in front of her Master as he came to a stop and hold her hidden blade at the ready. The opposing Servant's grip on the haft of his weapon seemed to tighten, and a challenging smile seemed to etch itself on his face. She could tell he would relish the challenge.


"Enough," said the masked figure next to the Servant. The voice matched the Master she had met before. "We're on the same side for now, remember?"


Shirou tilted his head. "Shinji?"


"Idiot, don't use my name!" Rider's Master said. "We don't know if she has familiars listening in. Call me something else!"


"Like what?" her Master asked.


"I don't know, think of something!" The masked boy shook his head. "We don't have time for this! We need to act fast if we're going to take out Caster tonight and—"


The vibrating of his phone cut him off as he pulled it out and looked at the screen. It must've been rather important considering how he was the one expressing the severity of their clandestine activities tonight. It certainly made him tense, his fingers wrapping around the handle of the case he carried in his left hand as he listened to the response on the other end.


"Okay, got it." Rider's Master hung up the phone and then he opened the case he was carrying and pulled out a bow. "That was a warning that I had set up. There were at least a dozen signals, so it's a toss-up between Caster's minions or Lancer's hounds."


Her Master reached for the sword slung in the bag hanging over his shoulder, as though he was getting ready to fight. Another contrast to his father, though one that was rather foolhardy. She stopped him.


"Master, there's no need for you to fight," she told him, removing her cloak. Her armor glinted in the moonlight. "This War is for the Servants to clash with one another. The Masters need only to concern themselves with the other Masters. You and Rider's Master should take shelter somewhere safe."


"I mean no disrespect, Your Majesty," Rider's Master told her. "The closest safe-house that I've established will take ten minutes to reach, and if we split up we'll risk being overwhelmed after separating, or picked off by the Servant."


"Take Rider with you then," she said. "If we're in an alliance, then he should be able to keep you both safe."


"I do not coddle those who seek to ride into battle," the Servant spoke for the first time that night. The tone was heated, as if he found her suggestion reprehensible. "Only those who resolved to fight under their own strength and die have any right to stand on the battlefield. If the boy cannot do so, then he doesn't have the right to call himself my Master."


"… It's exactly as he said," the masked boy said bluntly, looking towards his Servant. "His strength is for fighting other Servants, not on enemies beneath him. I wouldn't ask him to, nor would I expect him to defend me."


Saber spared the Servant a glance, as if rebuking his words. It was clear that the dynamic between the two was not the same as the previous war's pair. Though their Masters had entered into an alliance, she felt that she couldn't trust hers to his care. Then there was no more time to talk as snarls reached their ears.


Clad in a hunter's garb, Lancer appeared at the top of a lamp post with his spear on his shoulder. "Well, tonight is turning out to be productive," he said, half-amused. "First a sword-wielding Archer, now a woman clad in armor masking herself as a Saber without a sword. I hope you'll put up a better fight than he did?"


And, with that, she determined that he was nothing like the Lancer of the war prior. "We shall see if your tongue is so brazen after I've cut you in twain, Lancer."


She didn't get the chance. Rider had already lunged for the Servant, his halberd now an axe. With a war-cry, he cleaved the light pole in two and forced the lance-wielding hero to abandon his perch.


"Well, that was rude, don't you think?" Lancer said, the hounds circling him in a defensive manner. "My business tonight is with Saber."


"You fled from our last encounter," Rider stated, baring teeth in a feral smile. "I will not be denied my battle a second time! Even if I have to cut through her to do it."


Her grip on her sword tightened at the admission. Rider's Master placed his hand to his mask and shook his head.


"It's a bit rude to deny the woman her due in battle," Lancer mused, "but since you insist then let's take this somewhere private. I'll be back for her once I've dealt with you."


He whistled and snapped his fingers. The hounds moved to follow him as he took up his spear and jaunted over the concrete wall towards the south were there were woodlands to be found for their duel. Naturally, Rider chased after him.


That left the three of them to their own devices. There was an unnatural silence to be found for a moment as they processed what happened. Then, the remaining Servant spoke.


"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Master," Saber said to Shirou, her tone restrained while carrying an underlying fury in it. "But I do not think this alliance will be very successful if he cannot rein in his Servant's behavior."


"I… I'm sorry about him," he said. "He's… well, I'm not going to make any excuses. But the Command Seals can't—"


She moved before he finished, leaping into the air as Hero's Instinct spoke to her and swinging the invisible blade in her hand. It clashed with a red streak that suddenly appeared, roaring as the steel met with the sheath of churning wind, only to shatter in the wake of her blade. The shockwave of the impact rustled the Masters behind her, sending her own a step back and Rider's to his knees.


"What was that?" he asked, slowly rising to his feet and reaching into his case for something out of her view.


Pressed for time, she summed it up in one word. "Archer."


Then she brought the blade around to deflect another shot.

[FSN-oOo-KL]

With Archer


Standing on top of a building closer to the bridge, Archer fired another sword-turned-arrow at Saber. He knew she could block it, but his objective wasn't to kill her expressly. Not that he could with the arrows he was using, since they were in the middle of the street and an arrow that could do so would level the surrounding area.


"Master," he said. "I believe I have Saber's attention."


"So what happened to not being much of an Archer if you couldn't pick off a target before they realized it," Rin said through their shared sense of hearing, throwing his earlier words back in his face. "Lancer was forgivable given you couldn't get the distance, but I'm starting to question if you're really worthy of your class."


"Your words wound me, Master," Archer said, his tone lacking sincerity in it. Even if circumstances changed, Rin would still be Rin. "If it's any conciliation, Rider will probably deal with him… or the other way around. Besides, isn't this why you came up with such a reckless plan?"


"Just lure her away!" Rin demanded. "I'll deal with the Masters."


"As you wish." He nocked his bow and drew back the string, taking aim at his younger counterpart's Servant. He let go, and the arrow flew across the distance uncontested until it met the invisible sword. When she moved, leaving the two Masters at a calculated distance to see whether or not he would prioritize her or them, he fired at her again.


She smashed it as prana-laced fog was conjured to blanket the area while the two Masters stealthily disappeared behind an alley on the enchanted motorbike. She burst out of it then and advanced at inhuman speeds, no doubt having learned the trajectory of his arrows and coming to attack him. He gave her three seconds before he fired again.


"Their Servant has left them," he said. "Proceed with your plan, Rin."

- - - Updated - - -

Chapter 10: Ambushed (Masters)

[Chapter 10 -o0o- Start]

Spoiler:

Elsewhere


An albino girl clad in purple walked the streets at night, one eye closed. She was observing the pair on the motorcycle, riding unaware into a trap that was being arranged by Archer's Master, through a temporary familiar. Her focus was mostly on the boy who had summoned the same Servant her father had. It left her wondering if he had bequeathed the catalyst to summon it to him before her father's death.


She cared nothing for the sickly magus accompanying him, or the Tohsaka girl, or either of their Servants. Hers was unbeatable, so they didn't matter. What mattered was the boy who her father had replaced her with, and how she would take her time in letting him know the suffering she went through.


"Let's go, Berserker," she said, a lilt decorating her voice. "We'll go give him a proper greeting tonight."


A low, inhuman growl echoed from behind her as the ethereal giant followed after her.

[~~~~~~]

With Shirou

The motorcycle thrummed between their legs as it smoothly and silently sped down the road, turning with a twist and lean around a corner. In the corner of his vision he could make out the distant streaks of light from Archer's arrows growing ephemeral as they came to an abrupt end upon hitting the invisible layer of air wreathed around Saber's blade. She was drawing his fire, but Shirou remained vigilant since all it would take is a single shot that he didn't notice coming upon them to kill Shinji and himself.

It was then they both felt themselves entering a bounded field, like passing through a curtain, and he turned into a brake just as something hit his bike hard enough to send them into a sudden stop. Both of them were thrown off the bike, sent airborne and then coming to a landing on the ground, but neither suffered a severe injury as they tumbled away from his now ruined bike.

That had been a gift.

Three shots were fired in an instant as Shirou rolled out of the way and onto his feet. He protected his head with his arms crossed as more slammed into him from ahead. His coat had been engraved with runes to resist curses after Shinji gave him an overview of what Rin would be capable of, but the force behind them staggered him back a few steps as the barrage battered him.

The air parted as an arrow cut through it, passing over his shoulder and his ear towards their assailant, Rin. A trio of Gandr shots was fired to intercept it. The paper arrow exploded between them in a bloom of fire and force, displacing the follow-up shots from the shockwave.

"Em—Swordsman!" Shinji yelled from behind. Shirou looked to see he'd gotten his bow out and his mirror was circling around him. In his right hand was the bag that held White-Hilt. "Catch!"

Shirou dispelled the projected bag as it sailed for him and grabbed the hilt of the sword as the next series of curses came for him. Bringing down at an angle as his prana surged within the mystic code, white flames emerged in a flare of heat that left a searing arc in front of him. The flames purged the curses made solid, and the horizontal sweep that followed created a wall of fire between him and Rin, buying precious seconds as the flames incinerated the curses that touched it.

Reinforced hearing picked up when Rin clicked her teeth. Then she switched targets, releasing a volley towards Shinji, where his flames didn't reach. The mirror intercepted them as he nocked three arrows and let them loose. She folded her hand and released a cannonball-sized volley to intercept them as well, shattering the solidified paper with the shots only for them to sink within the mirror.

Shinji rammed his fist into the back of the mirror. It knocked loose a massive centipede that looked the half the size of a person, made of tenebrous mire, dark mud, and liquid muck. The creature slithered through the air and chittered as it lunged for Rin, who shot at it another three times with her entire hand.

The creature consumed the shots and grew even larger. Now that he thought about it, Shriou felt the creature was similar to the curse that came from Rin—a curse of illness. It must've worked with the Chinese variation of a Kodoku. Only, instead of insects devouring insects, he crafted a curse that devoured other curses.

The creature born of curses closed the distance and hovered over her. Before it could come down on her and leave her stewing in an amalgamation of pestilence that would bring about a blighted death, she leapt back and flung a ruby. An incantation followed from Rin's mouth and the jewel ruptured in a wave of fire.

The flames surged forward to incinerate the centipede, purging it entirely, before it could touch her. Then it continued, barreling towards them. There would be nothing but ashes left if it connected.

Finger alight with magical energy, Shirou acted by risting a rune array onto the asphalt. The ground buckled and raised itself into a wall to intercept the flames. He leapt back with reinforced legs as the bulwark held up until he was by Shinji's side. Rin leapt over the wall of asphalt as the fire snuffed itself and fired several more Gandr shots that were caught by the mirror.

Shinji threw out three shenfu that were suddenly transmuted into a dense mist. The veil obscured them from sight."We need to change the battlefield!"

Shirou nodded. Then they both ran and escaped the bounded field that had been erected to mute the sound and keep away prying eyes. That ambush alone made it clear she wasn't playing around. They couldn't afford to let her fight them on her terms if they had any chance of surviving.

[~~~~~~]

With Rin

Rin's chest rose and fell, her breath visible as it escaped her mouth.

She came to a stop at the top of a hill that overlooked a mass graveyard, hidden behind a tree. She had chased the pair there only to find that the entire thing was coated in a dense fog, her refined sense picking up the feeling of prana behind it. One of them must've created it through magecraft, either transmuting their prana into the mist or lowering the temperature of the moisture in the air until it became visible.

She was annoyed that her ambush failed. It was simple in concept: Sneak up on them, use the curses to leave them helpless, and so on. Her Gandr shot was her primary attack spell for the speed and debilitating effect it had, since most people never bothered to guard against curses specifically.

Yet that mirror mystic code only flew towards her curses, and the swordsman wasn't immediately beset by illness or nausea. Rin couldn't help but think that they had prepared defenses against curses specifically, even if the swordsman didn't have something to nullify the kinetic force behind it. They probably worked for the Matou then, forewarned of what she could do to some extent.

It made enough sense. Sakura was their only heir, and her brother couldn't use magecraft. Rather than risk losing them both and setting back their Art being passed to the next generation, they'd hire someone to do the job for them. In that case, there was no reason to go easy on them.

The question was what to do now. If she wandered into the mist, she'd be playing into their hands. Given that one seemed to use Runes and the other used an eastern art, from the brief glance she caught of the arrow tip before it blew up close to her, it was likely they'd set up traps within miniature bounded fields set to trigger when stepped on or passed by.

She could blow them all away using a wind spell bound to a jewel, but given the size of the graveyard it was likely she'd miss them in the process. That'd be too much of a waste considering the one she burned earlier. It'd leave her with eight more of her finer jewels, and she'd still have four other teams to go against with them gone.

"Archer, how's it going on your end?" she asked as she fished though her pockets and pulled out her two jades gemstones, which weren't really as valuable as the ones she had been charging over the years, with tufts of hair wrapped around them, and a folded piece of paper.

"Managing for the moment, Master." A strained grunt left his mouth, nearly drowned out by the clashing of steel and… the breaking of glass? "I'd suggest hurrying it along though."

She opened the paper up to reveal a magic circle on it, a revised design to the one that she practiced with as a child with her father, to create simple familiars. Placing the hair-wrapped pieces of jade on in the center, Rin floated her hand over it and channeled magical energy into them. The gemstones reshaped themselves into owl familiars that each had only one eye, brought to life by the hairs implanting circuits into them. A short chant created a pass between them and her, connecting their eyes to hers through a faux optic nerve while she briefly disabled her own, leaving one to act as her left and one to act as her right.

Programming them with a directive to find anything that moved within the graveyard, they took flight and dove into the fog. The one representing her right eye sailed low to the ground, weaving between the graves skillfully and silently, until it came across a talisman on one of the graves it flew past. There was a sudden bloom of heat and force as it ruptured, the familiar having passed a bounded field tied to the talisman.

The explosion destroyed it, snapping Rin's connection with it. At least it confirmed her suspicions. She pulled out the jewel with wind spells bound into it as the second familiar flew higher to observe without being caught in a trap. It eventually caught sight of them both, hiding behind one of the larger sets of gravestones.

The one with the hood and mask held a container in one hand, an origami effigy of a serpent burning within it. The familiar moved upwards to mark the location when its wings disturbed the fog enough to draw their attention, and he flung a talisman towards it. The owl tried outmaneuvered it but the talisman followed, likely directed by remotely moving the prana within it, until it connected just as the familiar breached the top of the fog and exploded.

Location marked, Rin threw it with her reinforced arms and uttered the incantation. The jewel shattered and unleashed windstorm that howled with fury. It blew the mist away and devastated the area they were within with hurricane gale winds, using broken bits of coffin, scattered bones, upturned graveyard soil, splintered pieces of wood, and chunks of the broken headstones as shrapnel that tore everything within it asunder until the windstorm faded.

Rin slid down the slope and came to a stop at the entrance of the graveyard, outside the wrought-iron fence. The location she had targeted was a wind-carved crater that ran almost ten feet deep and had carved out enough of the cemetery that it stretched towards the end. Such a mess to clean up…ah well, Kirei was responsible for that anyway.

She didn't see any signs of the two. It was possible they had been torn to shreds so utterly that nothing remained, but making assumptions was an easy way to make yourself look stupid from being careless. She connected to her Servant instead. "Archer, has Saber disappeared?"

"She has not." The sound of wind parting and steel crashing against something else rang out, reaching her ears through her Servant's. "Her Master must still be active. Be cautious, Rin."

That meant either they had escaped or were rendered unconscious by the attack, and were buried beneath it. She could wait to see if the circumstances would change. But she didn't like the thought that they were fleeing while she waiting around.

Not that it mattered as the ground behind her splashed upwards. A giant snake emerged through the concrete like it was mud. Caught by surprise, it slammed into her with its head and the force sent her airborne into the cemetery.

She accessed the Magic Crest on her left arm and uttered the aria to trigger the spell of weight-reduction and gravity control. It eased her landing within the ruined graveyard and she was up on her feet as the two magi emerged from the serpent's mouth unharmed. Then it lunged for her again, slithering its way towards her while the ground around it turned into a semi-liquid state on contact with its body before solidifying again once no longer touching it.

On reflex, she fired her cannonball-sized Gandr shots at it. The serpent couldn't be cursed, but the force behind it was enough to blow chunks out of it and reveal that the 'scales' were sheets of construction paper lined with that Chinese script. Three more shots followed and she rolled out of the way as the oversized shikigami crashed into the ground, the straightforward lunge turned into a chaotic tumble as it went still. Had she done enough damage to it?

The sound of dirt and rubble being crossed reached her ears and she turned her head to see the swordsman coming for her. The blade was chambered, but the flames were doused. He crossed the space in quick strides like the wind was on his back.

She waited until he made his first swing before her martial arts training was put to work, ducking low under the slash and thrusting her reinforced fist forward like a spear against his chest. It was followed be her foot sweeping his leg, bringing him to his knees for a moment as they buckled. Her empty palm came around next, smashing into his face and breaking his nose as he backed a step away reflexively.

To finish, Rin stepped in as she gathered her magical power into her fist until it shone. She twisted her hips, carrying the momentum into her strike, and planted her fist into his mid-section. He tried to guard at the last second with his free hand, but Rin felt his bones in his arm give way on impact.

"Stoß!" The magical energy was converted into kinetic energy with the word of release to overwhelm whatever defensive enchantments he had on him. The swordsman went flying, spiraling backwards as the strike rocketed him to the other side of the graveyard. The landing impact threw up a cloud of dirt and dust with an audible crash. As bits of earth that were thrown high rained back down, he remained unmoving inside of the crater.

One down. She turned to see the other one had an arrow nocked and let loose. Her feet exploded into movement as she darted to the side, only for the arrow to curve towards her with a gesture and then unraveled into several talismans that were transmuted into metal and then lengthened, becoming a rain of steel spears—some combination of elemental transmutation and alteration spells woven into the script maybe?

She jumped back as they embedded themselves into the ground in front of her, only for another arrow hit one. The moment it did, the arrow and spear both turned into a stream of water that carried the momentum of the arrow. As it slammed into the rest and transmuted them in a split second, the surging water slammed into her like she had been hit full-on in the chest with enough pressure it felt like she was standing in front of a fire hose.

Dripping wet and on her knees, she forced herself to roll as another arrow planted itself into the wet ground. Then it bloomed into thick ivy that sprouted at a frenzied pace from the water, including that soaking her. The ivy ensnared her body, leaving her tangled within its grasp and anchored to the ground.

Bound as she was, Rin was fairly sure she knew his magecraft now. Metal to water, water to wood, and fire used earlier—shifting seamlessly through elemental conversion within a cycle using talismans—it had to be the five element cycle of the Wu Xing. As long as he followed the cycle, he would be able to shift the prana used into the different elements, multiplying the strength of the next spell. Likewise, if he went in the opposite direction the prana would destabilize and undergo a violent dispersal.

Either way, she didn't want to be caught by the next one. Rin reached into her pocket and tossed out an emerald as best she could while he nocked the next arrow. She recited the world of release and a translucent emerald shield burst from it and spun in place, blocking the arrow that burst into flames against it.

Next she accessed her Magic Crest for a Galdr to release her from the bindings, the Scandinavian equivalent of a Kotodama. The moment she spoke it, an ancient mystery was realized and the ivy holding fast loosened from her. Freed from her fetters, Rin closed the distance with a burst of magical energy beneath her feet. He swung the bow as a last-resort only to miss, and Rin drove her fist into abdomen as hard as she could.

[~~~~~~]

With Shinji

Everything hurt.

The blow robbed him of his breath, and pain hard enough to strip his reason away assaulted him as he was thrown backwards like a ragdoll. The bottom half of the mask shattered as his head smashed into the ground several times when he skipped across it, until he came to an abrupt stop at a gravestone that leaned to the side. But that was fortunate, given that bile and blood escaped violently and uncontrollably.

Curling up in pain and vomiting, Shinji had only one thought in mind:

Rin Tohsaka was a monster.

Even working together, even with everything they threw at her, and even with the element of surprise earlier, she was still dominating them. Emiya was down, though that was partially his own fault. He didn't use the sword's flames on her, probably because he feared he would kill her. She repaid that kindness by pulverizing his insides with her trained body and hardened fist.

A single hit had messed him up good, protective fuwen and shenfu or not, and she hadn't even hit him with that same spell that left Emiya lying in a ditch. The pain was so intense he couldn't move, or even reestablish the connection he had with Bashe and get the case containing his other shikigami from the inside. He couldn't even have it swallow him so he could escape underground and flee.

He tried to concentrate to numb the pain as she began to approach, but it was no good. Even when the vomiting stopped, he couldn't breathe either. By the time he could again, it would be too late. Even if he focused on healing himself, it wouldn't be fast enough for him to escape having his crushed as she approached.

As death neared, he wondered what he could have done differently. The Lightning-in-a-Bottle, so to speak, was still charging back at his base through the sewer. He didn't think trying to use it against Caster would be a good idea, so he didn't bring it. He didn't have the antidote pills he prepared either in the event that they were hit by the Gandr shot either, nor anything else that could help him.

Tears ran from his eyes and rage bubbled into his throat, coming out as a strangled cry at the injustice of it all. He had sworn to save his sister, to avenge what her family had done by sending her over to the Matou. Yet… yet, he couldn't do anything about it!

He was going to die here without accomplishing anything! On the first night of the Holy Grail war. What was Sakura going to do if both of them died here?

"Get away from him!"

A curtain of white flames erupted in a straight line between them, revealing Emiya had gotten back onto his feet. Ragged breathes left his mouth, and he hardly looked stable on his feet. But he roared as he swung again and the flames rose even higher between them, forcing her to back off as the heat intensified. He darted to Shinji's side and stood in his defense, sword at the ready.

Rin stood on the opposite side of the flame, her arm extending like she was going to cast a spell… then she flinched, holding a hand up to her ear.

"Wha…ean…ker?" The words were distorted by the flames and his struggles to breathe, so he couldn't make out what she said until she spoke loud enough to be heard. "If you survive tonight, order your Servants to kill themselves and withdraw from the war. Otherwise, you won't be so lucky."

Then she ran as fast as she could out of the graveyard.

They were saved, but it was a bitter feeling. It was by her mercy that they were spared, his enemy's mercy. The very thought made him want to pull out his own hair as Emiya came over and tried to lift him into his feet.

"Shinji, are you okay?" he asked. Shinji couldn't speak, the last bits of his meal beforehand spilling out onto someone's grave. "Hold on, I'm going to see use Structural Analysis to see how badly you're hurt, and—"

His words died as a sudden, looming, unspeakable dread fell upon them like the sky was falling. Shinji felt a weight upon his head, keeping it held low to protect himself from whatever it was that were there—a primal instinct that told him not to look if he wanted to maintain the illusion of safety. But, with a wet, strained groan, he forced himself to look up…

And up.

And up.

He found himself laughing and crying softly at the same time, realizing that Tohsaka hadn't spared them at all. She'd just decided not to dirty her own hands. Instead, she left it to what could only be described as Death incarnate—a nightmare made of flesh and stone, a behemoth loomed ahead of them, standing just outside the graveyard.

There was no fucking way that thing was a Servant.

At the base of it, standing there with no fear at all, was a little albino girl. She didn't even seem to acknowledge it as anything possibly threatening. Instead, her eyes were fixated on Shirou as she curtsied. "Good Evening, Onii-chan."

Shirou strained his voice to speak. "Are you… Illyasviel?"

"So you know who I am?" she asked. A soft, cruel smile appeared on her face when he nodded once. "Then you know I've come to kill you, right?"

- - - Updated - - -

Whew. Finally got all of them uploaded here. In some cases they merged onto the same post rather than remained separated, so I had to place them in spoilers to divide them. Even so it should save space. And, to bring up my previous questions:


Question on Spell #1
Currently getting back into writing this, but came up with an idea for a spell I want to run by the Nasu-wisemen of the forum. Onmyoudo has weather manipulation as a trait (or at least it will in this fic), so one spell I want to have Shinji engineer near the end of the war is the ability to summon a true lightning bolt with the preparation being that the ritual summons a thunder cloud.

The ritual would end up gathering enough moisture inside of a bounded field and then raise it up into the air using heat until it reached a cold pocket further up, at the second layer of the bounded field to cool into a storm cloud. From there, he would use his prana to control the flow of the step-leader and streamers so that the bolt struck the marked target. Unlike using the lightning element, it's a true thunder cloud so the lightning hits fast enough that there is no dodging it. I think it would take about an hour to form normally, but the prana for maintaining it would require him to leech off a leyline or the equivalent.

Question on Chapter #11 Outline
Okay, for the next chapter, I'm debating on how to have it go.

The first part is Lancer vs Rider, in which Lancer is using his rune magecraft to enhance his hounds while laying traps for Rider before supercharging his spear with prana from a rune circle and then hawking it at him. I'm thinking that Lu Bu should be able to tank it well because of his magic resistence but not too well before he starts hammering away at Lancer, tripping his luck check into a berserker state. From there, Rider calls Red Hare to trample him (sort of like the Rider of the previous war ran over lancelot). He retreats into astral form by Kirei's orders, and Lu Bu states that whether he fled or not he'd won.

And then Shinji tells Rider to get back there because Hercules is there.

The second part is Saber vs Archer, the latter of whom barely holds her back, allowing Archer to figure out that she has a complete connection with Shirou. He breaks away and warns her that Berkerserk is nearing her master before falling down from the building and going into Astral Form after shooting her with an arrow that explodes when she jumps after him. Saber then starts to run back to where Shirou is.

The third part is Shirou telling her that Kiritsugu wanted to save her and he promised to do so. She tells him that she'll listen to him once she has his head and orders Berserker to get him as Rider shows up. Shinji tries to get Shirou to retreat, but he won't go because he has to try and reach out to her. Ilya then points out that neither of them are escaping before unleashing her familiars at them, leaving them to try and fend them off while Rider gets both his arms torn off by Berserker. Shinji forces him into astral form before he can die and tells Shirou to summon Saber. He does and Saber picks up the battle while Shirou tries to reach out to her again, but Ilya doesn't want to hear it so she orders one familiar to go into sword form and it skewers him, causing Shinji to scream his name and Saber to kill Berserker once with Invisible Air to get to his side.

Even skewered, he tries to tell her that he wants her to come with him and Ilya says it's boring listening to the ramblings of someone about to die before dismissing the familiar and letting him bleed out. Shinji says that he can save him as long as he's alive. The Berserker comes back to life and Shinji has Bashe swallow him and Emiya by forcibly taking control of it while Saber remains behind. Ilya waits for them to go before telling Berserker to take her home and warning Saber that the next time she meets them she'll kill them all.

The final part is Ilya walking home and deep in thought about his words.

How does that sound?