DD 62: I have decided to start another multi-chapter story. This is an Alternate Universe for the Fate series. The title is a work in progress and is subject to change. Any of you who have read the Fate/EXTRA A to Z that I collaborated with Twin Wavelength with will recognize this story. I decided I wanted to do more with the "C" chapter I wrote and came to the conclusion that I should write a story to continue it. There will be new and reoccurring Masters and Servants, so some you will recognize others you won't. I have taken great creative liberty here so let's see where it takes us.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/EXTRA or anything of the Fate franchise. All I own is a copy of Fate/EXTRA and this idea. Enjoy!

~xXxXx~

Time seemed to move slowly as I floated patiently in the center of the Moon Cell awaiting my fate. I had done the impossible and defeated every Master-Servant duo that came my way. Each and every battle served to prepare me for the next and molded me into the Master and person I was now. In the beginning, my Servant had voiced his thoughts that I wouldn't survive the first round and was pleasantly shocked when I defied his opinion. As the weeks flew by, he watched as my prowess as a magus grew and my talent for battle flourish. It wasn't until the very last round that he made a comment that would ultimately shape our next meeting.

"I wasn't thrilled about being summoned by a seemingly hopeless Master but you managed to surprise me at every turn." He had smirked at my shocked expression. It wasn't often that he awarded me a compliment so I was always generally surprised to receive one. "I would hate to meet you in battle, Master. Luckily I'll never have to worry about that."

How wrong he was.

It's not like Archer meant anything by it, he was just stating that I had improved over the weeks. He could never expect the Moon Cell to find the idea intriguing.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The story must be told in order of the events that took place after all.

We had just defeated Leo and Gawain when we were faced with yet another enemy. I never would have imagined running into the cyber-ghost of Twice H. Pieceman in the very heart of the Moon Cell. He explained in a rather long monologue how he had gained awareness in his own war and slaughtered each and every opponent assigned to him to achieve his goal. It wasn't until he had reached the 'Holy Grail' that he realized he could not enter to state his wish. Pieceman remained in the Moon Cell to wait for the day he would find one worthy of making his wish a reality. Many Masters had come and gone; none seemingly to be of the quality he was looking for. My struggles had caught his eye and it appeared that I had gained his favor and 'blessing' to bear his wish to the Moon Cell.

"Cast the world into eternal war, for it is the only way man can evolve."

Although flawed, Pieceman's theory on war wasn't too far off base. In times of struggle man rose above his defeat and adapted to survive. The idea of mankind in eternal war, however, was repulsing and ridiculous. How could man hope to thrive if he was continuously bombarded with battles and wars to focus on? Pieceman reasoned that the 'Survival of the Fittest' theory by Darwin would hold true during this time of strife. When it became apparent that I did not agree with his philosophy, Pieceman called forth a Servant of his own to oppose my ascent to the Moon Cell. A battle broke out and it seemed like in no time I had vanquished yet another opponent. Pieceman's face was unreadable as he slowly began to fade, never to return. This shook me to the core as I realized that this would also be my fate. Pieceman had said that NPC's would not be accepted by the Moon Cell and dubbed as invalid data. Even though I had won the war, I could not claim my prize without meeting certain death.

"I can't believe it. It's finally over."

I smiled happily at the dark haired girl that had quickly become my friend. Yes, all our fighting and struggles were finally at an end. All that was left was for me to enter the Moon Cell and use what little time I had to make a wish. Many thoughts whirled around in my mind as I took each step to the Moon Cell's center. I didn't hesitant to place my hand on the core. At the contact, I was teleported to what appeared to be an ocean of data and information. Wasting no time, I quickly typed out my wish and waited for my deletion. The voice of my Servant was comforting as the Moon Cell seemed to take its sweet time with my fate. After several more minutes of insufferable waiting, a stream of information came to me and took me to another part of the Moon Cell.

"Medical records?" I mumbled going over the information. My eyes widened as it became clear as to why I had not yet been deleted. The Moon Cell was calculating the possibility of the virtual me still being connected to the real me asleep on Earth. It was surprisingly humane of the system to try to find a solution to this dilemma. Does it kill its victor that was thought to be useless data or does it choose to let me live in the possibility that I would awaken one day?

"What a predicament. It seems like you are far more interesting than you let on Master."

I glared half-heartedly at my sarcastic Servant. How he could make jokes during this intense time is beyond me. Yet, it was somewhat comforting hearing him tease me. I would sorely miss his company when my fate took me and when his took him. No doubt we would never meet again and he would be called upon to serve another Master in another war. His fate was more definite than mine. That's a sobering thought. I didn't notice I was crying until Archer's hands cupped my face and gently wiped the tears from my face.

"Don't worry Master; I'll be right here with you until the end."

"How very gentlemanly of you." I managed to croak out. He smirked at my reply before pulling me into his arms. I stayed still for a moment shocked by his behavior, but soon relaxed in his comforting embrace. I buried my face into his chest and mumbled, "I love you, Archer."

His body tensed at my statement. Afraid that I had offended him in some way, I began to pull away when his arms tightened around me. I glanced nervously up at him. He had his face turned away from me so that I couldn't see it. I was about to attempt to apologize when he surprised me yet again. He turned his face back to mine and wore such a gentle expression that I hardly recognized him. His face drew closer to mine and I felt my face heat up and my heart pound loudly at the close proximity. With his lips just inches from mine, he whispered, "I love you too Hakuno."

Our lips met in an instant. I was surprised at how gentle Archer was being with this kiss. He had always seemed like he would be a passionate kisser but with the way his lips moved against mine was almost so tender it made me want to cry. The currents of data that surrounded us moved faster and faster as the Moon Cell had finally settled on a solution to its problem. I felt myself being torn from Archer's arms and shouted his name as data engulfed me and my vision began to darken. The last thing I saw was his anguished face as we both slipped away.

~xXxXx~

I had never felt as alone as I did now. Not even during the preliminaries. The darkness just seemed to go on and on in a never ending way. My body felt cold and numb. The fear I had felt in Julius's presence couldn't hold a candle to what I was feeling now. Was this what death felt like? Did this mean there was no after life? No happy ending for those who believed? What a rude awakening.

I stayed there for what felt like an eternity. Nothing happened or occurred. I couldn't see my body so I couldn't tell if I was moving my hands and feet or not. What a dull ending. I was expecting something grander or at least get to see those that I had defeated. No such luck. It seems like I was doomed to a dismal and lonely fate.

A tugging sensation caught my attention. It felt like a rope had been tied around my waist and was now attempting to pull me away from this dark realm. I gladly let it pull me away and towards a gradually growing light. The light had become too bright to keep my eyes open and they reluctantly closed. My body felt as if it was under extreme pressure almost like I was being shrunk down and split apart atom by atom. Slowly, each atom was brought back together reassembling me and the bright light started to dim. I could tell I was standing now and hesitantly opened my eyes.

I was indeed standing. I found myself in the center of a small building so disorganized that it couldn't be classified as a house. Several objects and what appeared to be boxes lay scattered around the floor obscuring my view of most of the room. A boy sat huddled before me with a shocked and confused look plastered on his face. His hair was an interesting shade of red and was cut short with some spike in it. His school uniform was disheveled and what seemed to be a blood stain covered the top left part of his jacket. This was certainly an unexpected event.

"What…who…?"

My lips moved before my mind had time to process what was occurring. "Are you my Master?"

He looked about as confused as I felt. The question I asked hung in the air between us. Did I just say what I think I said? Did I just ask if this boy was my Master? That would mean that I was-

A noise from behind caused me to whirl around. There stood a man wearing what looked to be a bronze chest plate and matching bottoms. His helmet prevented me from seeing his facial features. His eyes glimmered with excitement as he advanced towards me. I felt my hands clench into fists and felt the air around me surge with power. The weight of an object in my hands was temporarily overlooked when the man lunged at me. He shoved the head of a spear at me which I deflected with the object that had formed in my hands. I was surprised to see myself wielding a sword that seemed oddly familiar. It felt like it belonged with me on the battlefield. I pushed the man back and took a defensive stance in front of the boy. My opponent's eyes narrowed.

"So, you are the seventh Servant for this war. It would be foolish of me to attack you now. I shall be taking my leave then." The enemy Servant spun on his heels and briskly walked from the building never once glancing back to see if I was pursuing him. I turned my attention back to the boy. He was standing now but glanced nervously at the sword I held. As quickly as it appeared it vanished which seemed to calm the already frightened boy.

"Thank you for protecting me from that strange man."

"It is the duty of a Servant to protect their Master from harm. I was simply doing my job."

The boy cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean by 'Master' and 'Servant'?"

My jaw dropped to the ground. I was suddenly struck with pity for Archer. Was I this clueless at the beginning of my own war? Disregarding these feelings, I took a deep breath ready to explain the situation when another prana signature registered. "Someone is outside."

Not waiting for my Master to respond, I rushed out the door expecting to see the armored man again. I was struck with a sight I could never have guessed. There stood Rin Tohsaka and her Servant Lancer, the same Servant that had sacrificed his life to save his Master's and mine. I had to remind myself that this wasn't the same girl I knew and that no matter what I felt, this girl was an enemy and a threat to my Master. I felt the sword reappear in my hands and dashed forward at the unsuspecting Servant. I managed to land a hit on his chest before he summoned his lance to protect himself. He sliced at me causing me to jump away from him. I vaguely wondered where I learnt how to fight as our weapons clashed again and again. Neither of us gave the other an edge.

"Lancer, stop this instant!"

He gritted his teeth at the girl's command. "That wouldn't be a good idea my dear Master. If I let up now, what's stopping her from attacking you directly?"

"You're smarter than you look." I teased lightly. "However, if you pose no threat to my Master then I have no purpose in attacking yours."

"Tohsaka?"

All of us turned our heads at my Master's question. Again a look of confusion was spread across his face and again I was reminded of Archer. He really did have it hard with me as his Master. If this boy is anything like I was then I must've been an open book to my enemies. Lancer and I uneasily let our weapons disappear and we both took position in front of our respective Masters. Rin looked shocked at my Master and me before recovering and replacing her uncaring mask she so fondly wore.

"Emiya Shirou, so you're a magus and the seventh Master for this Holy Grail War."

"What do you mean by 'Holy Grail War'? And why do you guys keep calling me a 'Master'?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "You mean you don't know? You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into?!"

The now named Shirou cringed at her rising tone of condensation. I glared fiercely at the so familiar yet so unfamiliar girl. This girl acted eerily similar to the Rin I knew. I silently prayed that I wouldn't meet anyone else I knew from my own war, but knowing my luck the prayer would go unanswered. I focused my attention back to the conversation and managed to hear the last portion.

"This priest you speak of, the one who is supposed to monitor the war, what is his name?"

Rin flipped her hair behind her back. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

~xXxXx~

"Ah, Rin! It's so nice to see you."

I mentally groaned at the voice. It just had to be that inhumane priest Kotomine. Fate was surely laughing at me as our group entered the church. The air was filled with traces of prana and it gave it an ominous feel. It sort of reminded me of the chapel and the two sisters that were responsible for Alterations of the Soul. Upon inspection, I saw neither hide nor tail of the two and soon gave up any hopes of meeting them again.

"I'm not here on a social visit, Father Kotomine. I'm here to pay back a debt."

The dark priest laughed. "You owing someone a favor? I find that hard to believe." He glanced at my Master in mild interest. "Who might this boy be?"

"Emiya Shirou, the seventh Master of the Fifth Holy Grail War." Rin announced motioning with her hand. Shirou jumped at her comment and quickly bowed to the priest in respect.

"The seventh Master, you say? And who might you're Servant be?"

I spoke up before anyone else could. "Is that information necessary for your duties as moderator or is it a question to satisfy your own curiosity?"

Kotomine stared at me for a moment. A sly grin slowly made its way onto his face. "Well well, what a prudent Servant you are. Very well, don't tell me. It will become known what class you belong to in time." He gave his attention back to my Master. "I take it that you know nothing of the Holy Grail War that you are now a participant in?"

"Yes sir." Was his meek reply.

"Then I shall explain the rules and basics of the war to you. Now," He sighed, "where to begin? There are seven Masters that battle for the chance to have any wish granted by the Holy Grail, hence the name of the war. Each Master is given a Servant to be their sword and shield to fight for their wish. Servants can be classified into seven classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Caster, Rider, Assassin, and Berserker. Every Servant has their own set of skills and abilities to be used by their Masters in the duration of the war. The war is fought until there is one Master left standing. Only that Master may have their wish granted by the Grail. Do you have any questions?"

Shirou stood silent for a minute before speaking. "The Holy Grail can grant any wish?"

"Yes, anything the human mind can think up the Grail can make it happen. Take that disastrous fire that occurred ten years ago. The last victor of the Holy Grail War wished for it to happen and so it did."

Anger crossed my Master's face. I hadn't expected him to react so fiercely to the priest's statement. Did that fire Kotomine mentioned have anything to do with my Master? I decided not to voice my question at that moment. Better to wait for a time when we were alone and it was appropriate to ask.

"If you should ever find yourself without your Servant, you may come to this church to find safety. You will be most welcome here."

"I highly advise against that Master." I mumbled quickly to Shirou. If I didn't trust the Kotomine from my own war then I definitely didn't trust the Kotomine from this one.

"Thank you for explaining everything to me. We will be leaving now."

Kotomine nodded and turned his back on us as we began to leave. I felt someone's gaze upon me and quickly looked over my shoulder. A pair of red eyes stared intently at me. A sense of fright overwhelmed me for a second before being replaced with a sense of relief. The owner of the red eyes made me feel scared yet oddly safe at the same time. The thought that I may know the stranger crossed my mind completely puzzling me. Who in the world did I know that had red eyes?

"Thank you Tohsaka for bringing me here."

Rin blushed slightly at Shirou's earnest remark. "W-what do you mean by that? Don't think that I'm going to take it easy on you just because I helped you out this once."

"Then don't be surprised when we come at you full force." I smartly replied.

Lancer laughed at Rin's expression. "My dear Master, I do believe this pair will be interesting to watch. Plus," His eyes traveled up and down my body, "I wouldn't mind spending some time with another lovely lady."

"Lancer!"

His laughter echoed around us as they walked away from us. That pair was going to be difficult for me to fight against. I would have to push back my former opinion of Rin and focus on taking her and Lancer down. It would be hard but I felt like I could beat Lancer in a fair fight. I waited until they were far enough away from us before speaking to my Master.

"Shall we return to your house? As I am your Servant, I will ned a place to stay for the duration of the war."

"Yes, of course. You're welcome at my house." I nodded and we stared to walk in the direction of Shirou's home. A few moments of silence passed between us. After a while, Shirou cleared his throat and looked at me. "So, what class are you?"

"What class do you think I am?"

"Well, if your performance with that sword from earlier is any clue, I'd guess Saber. Judging by your appearance, however, leads me to believe I'm wrong in my assumption."

I blinked. All this time I hadn't given a second thought to how I looked. I had been too busy with everything that had happened; it never crossed my mind to see how much my clothing had changed. I hadn't expected to be summoned in my school uniform so I wasn't too terribly shocked by my new clothing. I wore a red cloak with the hood up concealing the top part of my face from my enemies. My torso was covered by a blue tunic and brown trousers protected my legs from the weather. My feet were in dark brown boots and look very sturdy. A belt - or perhaps a scarf? - was tied around my waist. It was an orangish-yellow color and the tips that dangled from my side were adorned in feathers. A silver bracelet was around my right wrist and both of my hands were covered by fingerless gloves. It was quite an elaborate get-up. All of it seemed familiar somehow.

"My class is Caster," I automatically replied. Well, I'm glad that I somehow know what class I am.

"What's your real name?"

"That's information our enemies can use against us. I'd rather not tell you anyway. Just call me by my class name."

"Alright then Caster, you can just call me Shirou. I don't feel comfortable being called 'Master' by a girl."

I grinned mischievously at him. "How very forward of you, Master, to allow me to call you by your first name." His blushing face made me erupt with laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I couldn't resist. I'll just call you Shirou from now on." He nodded his head in thanks and we continued on our way in comfortable silence. A new adventure awaited us both. Only time would tell if we would survive this endeavor.

~xXxXx~

DD 62: I used some of the same things from the chapter I wrote from Twin Wavelength's Fate A to Z fic. I didn't expect to be so inspired to write this fic. I think I'll keep it going and see how it plays out. Won't you join me on this journey? Reviews are welcome and appreciated! Until we meet again.