Disclaimer: I do not own Type-Moon or any of their novels, as well as the ideas I borrowed from other manga/stories/anime/etc, and I am borrowing them purely for entertainment purpose only.


Prologue

Hibari Kyoya, the Cloud Guardian of Famiglia Vongola, was losing, and his defeat was just about assured, there was no doubt it. He was out of weapons, he was out of tricks. At the start of their fight, the two of them had been evenly matched. Using everything he had, the Cloud Guardian did everything in his power to eliminate his foe, the Second Sword Emperor, Genkishi.

Unfortunately, it was not enough. He and his opponent, when it comes to fighting abilities, were on even footing. However, his opponent had more weapons in his arsenal than him.

All of his rings had been destroyed, the strength of his flames so powerful that they would break every single time he used one. His tonfas, his weapon of choice, had been sliced to bits. By using his remaining rings, Hibari Kyoya created an arena, Needle Sphere Form Reversed, in which he and the Mist Guardian could fight where Dying Will Flames would not work... or so he thought. For sadly, he was mistaken. The Dome did prevent the useage of Flames, but only mostly, as it did not prevent the activation of items from the Trinesette, which include the Mare Rings. And since the skylark did not have his Vongola Ring, it was a fatal disadvantage.

And now he was at the mercy of his opponent, defenceless, against the Phantom Knight, who was also the Mist Funeral Wreath of the Millefiore Famiglia. He was about to die...

Or not...

Unknown to his opponent, being defeated there was actually part of a much grander scheme, a plan that had been set between himself, his boss, the Vongola Decimo, Tsunayoshi Sawada, and the enemy's second-in-command, the Sun Funeral Wreath of Millefiore, Souichi Irie, who, in reality, is actually a spy working for Famiglia Vongola.

Just as Genkishi was about to strike the finishing blow, Hibari Kyoya was replaced by his younger self from ten years in the past, as was part of the plan. He, the future self, by an ingenius glitch that was placed on the system of the ten-year bazooka, would in turn be transported into a machine that was created by Irie instead of getting sent to the past, where he would be in suspended animation, just like the rest of Guardians, until their past selves, on whom they pinned their hopes on, were able defeat Byakuran and fix everything.

Yes, that was their plan, their plan to finally put an end to the Milleflore's reign of terror. Unfortunately, as what usually happens, not everything goes according to plan.

In the end, their ten year younger selves did succeed, and managed to become even stronger than their future selves. They managed to defeat Byakuran and the Six Real Funeral Wreaths. They succeeded in fixing everything, in restoring the equilibrium.

However, when their past selves finally returned to their own time after the battle was over, there was one guardian, in that future, who was missing.

The Storm Guardian, Gokudera Hayato, the Rain Guardian, Yamamoto Takeshi, the Sun Guardian, Sasagawa Ryohei, the Lightning Guardian, Lambo, the Mist Guardian, Chrome Dokuro and also their Boss, the Sky, Sawada Tsunayoshi, were returned to their physical states after being cooped up in the circular machine all that time, had all awakened from their slumber.

Everything was fine. The equilibrium and balance of the universe has been restored. Except for one.

The Cloud Guardian of ten years later, Hibari Kyoya, was nowhere to be seen.

Something must have gone wrong with the machine.

And no one had ever seen him again, no matter how hard they tried to find him. No one knew, where the elusive cloud ended up drifting off to.

Thus, unable to do anything, the entire Vongola Famiglia were saddened at the loss of the skylark, and the position of Cloud Guardian had remained vacant, for they still believed, despite not being able to find him, that he was still alive out there somewhere.. Hibari may have been a loner, an anti-social and violent person, but despite this fact, he had been steadfast, and while he denied that he was helping them and was only doing it on a personal whim, his actions proved exactly the opposite of what he said, and he had always been there when they needed him most.

And indeed, they were correct. For in a way, Hibari Kyoya, was dead, gone from the world forever more.

And yet, at the same time, even though he was dead, in another way, he was in fact, actually still alive, yet was now drifting somewhere, like the cloud that he... that she, happened to be, that was beyond their reach.

xxxXXXxxx

"No, you won't die, Shirou. Because I'm the one that's going to shut the gate," A female voice declared calmly, yet determinedly.

She knew that what she was about to do would mean her end, yet in truth, it did not really bother her that much. After all, controlling and manipulating the Holy Grail had been the centuries-old wish of the Einzbern family, and she was one of the homunculi specifically created, and modified, to serve as its vessel. Well, at least the last two parts were true.

Since unlike her 'sisters,' she was special, for even though it was true that her body had undergone cruel experimentation, she came into the world, unlike any others of her kind, born from the love between her , who abandoned her to her fate. Parents, who chose the greater good over the well-being of their daughter.

"Hey. Do you want to live Shirou? Do you want to live on, no matter what kind of life you become?"

The boy, however, who obviously no longer had the power of speech due to the damage he received from using the Heroic Spirit's left arm, could only nod in response, driven by his instinct.

Yet it only lasted a second. For in the next moment.

"Il..."

His face contorted in worry, retracting, denying, his own wish to survive, unwillingly, knowing, the price to be paid for him to able to continue on living.

"Yeah, I'm glad to hear that. I wanted you to live instead of me."

The girl, however ignored it, whatever refusal he tried to voice out, for his protests actually served only to strengthen her resolve.

Yes, the girl had suffered, and led a sad life, a miserable existence.

She hated her father for choosing his ideals over his family.

She loathed her mother for going along with Kiritsugu's wishes.

She detested Shirou because her father chose him over her.

Yes, she loved them, yet at the same time, she hated her parents, and at the beginning, she also hated the boy, who was now a young man. Still, it had nothing to do with her grandfather's conditioning, for just like her father, she was strong-willed. No, she hated them out of her own free will and judgement.

And right now, she still hated them, that fact did not change. She still despised them, and she believed that while her mother deserved fate, despite the pain he must have gone through because of the slow and painful death the dark mud from the Grail gave him, he did not deserve the peaceful end he met, and should have received much worse.

And yet, here she was, the daughter of the ones who left to suffer, willingly walking to her own death, not to save the world from evil, not to fulfil the long time wish of the Einzberns, but instead, she was here, prepared to sacrifice her life, to save her younger brother. The boy, who her father had raised, the boy who he had loved and cared for, instead of her own flesh and blood, the boy, who had stolen her father away from her.

For the boy, the boy was different from them. The boy had been hell-bent on following the same path as his father, the path towards becoming a hero, the path that led towards his ideals.

Yet he did not continue to pursue it. He had stopped going for the impossible dream. Instead of choosing to save the many by sacrificing the few, he decided to throw it all away, and followed his heart instead. She may not fully approve of the woman he chose, believing that her brother in all but blood deserved someone better but the fact remained, he was different from her... from their... father.

"Then I'll show you a miracle. It's an application of the magic I showed you earlier, but this one's amazing. This is the sorcery everyone wanted to see after all."

"Il...ya..."

"But the container's a bit cheap. I can't reproduce it using only my own body, but it's alright. You'll be back in no time if you and Rin keep trying."

"Don't... y... die... Il... ya... Ilya..."

"Goodbye. We aren't related by blood. But I'm glad were siblings."

"Pl... come... ba... I... ya... ILYA!"

"No. You said an older brother protects his younger sister, right?Yeah, I'm the older sister. So I have to protect my younger brother."

She smiles as she walked toward the center of the circle, facing the corrupted Grail, prepared to sacrifice herself.

Yes, there was no stopping her, for the love which she felt for her brother had won over her hate, and nothing anyone did or say will ever be able to stop her.

"It's time," the girl whispered to herself, as she started to close the Gate.

Yes, she knew the price she had to pay for the ritual, which was nothing other than her entire existence, body, mind and soul, yet it did not really bother her that much.

And as she was engulfed in a bright white light, which shone brightly, pushing back the darkness that came from Angra Mainyu, the girl closed her eyes, and allowed the Grail to take her, without a tinge of regret. For all that mattered, was that with her sacrifice, she was able to save Shirou. She was able to save her brother, the person she cared for the most in the world.

It was the end for her, and indeed, in a sense, it was the end. Unknown to her, however, for her, it was only the beginning. For just as her soul was about to be taken to the Grail, an unknown outside force and influence, caused a glitch in the Grail's system, and instead of dying and losing her soul, something else happened to the girl who went by name Ilyasviel von Einzbern.

For better or for worse, only time would tell...

xxxXXXxxx

The Heaven's Feel Holy Grail War, a war which is fought between seven magi who are chosen by the Grail, each of whom are deemed worthy of obtaining the ultimate prize: the Holy Grail. Each of the seven mages are competent, and receive sigils, Command Seals, which signify their participation. Using these Command Seals to bind the contract, the seven participants, Masters, would each summon a Servant, to aid them in their quest. These Servants, however, are no ordinary familiars, and are actually heroes, figures of legend who had been known throughout for their greatness and prowess. Each one of these Servants are basically far more powerful than their Master, yet they need their Master's prana in order for them to be able to remain in the world. The contract is established, and the seven sides go to war against each other. The main objective of each Master is to eliminate, by any means, all other six Servants, aside from their own, after which the Holy Grail would appear, and both Servant and Master would be able to have their wish granted.

The air was heavy with pressure. Every single individual at the harbour could feel it, as well as the individuals who were watching from afar.

Five Servants. Five out of the Seven Servants have gathered in one location, each one of them a being of great power, and had accomplished great deeds during their lifetime.

The gathering started fairly simply. Lancer, who had been looking for a fight upon his Master's, purposely refrained from hiding his presence as a form of challenge. Eventually, someone accepted the challenge: the Servant of the Sword, Saber.

The two clashed, both of whom showed skills and abilities that were excellent and commendable. Both warriors duelled, trying to kill the enemy before them, yet at the same time, admiring said enemy, at the display of strength that was only befitting of legends like themselves.

After a while, however, Lancer managed to get the upper hand, when he revealed his Noble Phantasm, or Noble Phantasms. Capitalizing on Saber's error in judgement, Lancer was able to wound the Servant of the Sword with Gae Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality, a spear which carries a curse. Any wound it inflicts cannot be healed by any means, and the only way to cure it would be if Lancer decides to lift the curse, which is equivalent to breaking his own spear.

Saber's hand was injured, and she was at a disadvantage. However, despite this fact, she still believed... no she knew, that she would win.

Just as they were about to continue their battle, they found themselves interrupted, as the mounted Servant, Rider, appeared, a jolly idiot who not only revealed his true name, but actually had the nerve to ask them to be his subordinates.

He was the third Servant to appear, yet in truth, there was fourth Servant in the area. Assassin, the Servant of Stealth, was actually there, but hiding his presence, his task merely to observe, the eyes and ears of his Master, or his Master's Master, for in fact, his Master, while technically human, was actually the subordinate of another Master, the Master of the Servant who killed one of the one hundred Assassins, to put up a show and a facade, to make their enemies think that Assassin was dead, when in fact, he... they... were still very much alive.

And now that Servant had also appeared.

"If you want to say that much, could you first announce yourself? If you are such a King, you couldn't be ashamed of your fame." Servant Rider, whose true identity which he just revealed is Iskander, Alexander the Great, the King of Conquerors, asked the new arrival calmly. After all, said Heroic Spirit had just declared himself as the true King, while calling the rest 'a collection of mongrels.'

"Are you questioning me? A lowly mongrel questioning a King like me?"

The Golden Servant, however, instead of giving out his name, appeared to be insulted by that statement.

"I grant you the honor of my presence yet you can't recognize me? Such Ignorance isn't even worth living."

The space behind the Golden Servant distorted, and through the ripples which appeared behind him, spears, blades, swords, of all kinds, appeared.

That in itself made it difficult to guess his identity. It is a general known fact for the weapons, Noble Phantasms, of a Heroic Spirit to be connected to his Legend. However, no one has ever heard of a Hero who owned a large number of them. One or two, or even five perhaps is understandable, but owning at least a dozen legendary weapons of great power, that was just about insane.

The weapons were prepared, readied to be fired with contempt at the Mounted Soldier, who had insulted the Knight of the Bow. He did not have a bow, but his way utilizing his swords did indeed make him qualified as an Archer.

"Prepare yourselves, mongrels, for you are about to witness the power of a True King." Archer declared, his rage-filled eyes focused on Rider. The King of Conquerors, however, did not even flinch at his gaze, and instead, smiled at the Golden Servant.

"Hahaha! Bring it on then." He laughed, his face radiating his excitement and anticipation, although the same could not be said for his Master, Waver Velvet, who was on the chariot beside him: his face was one of fear and worry.

"So you really do have a death wish, mongrel. Very well then, I shall indulge you."

The air had become thicker and tenser than ever before, as the number of weapons floating behind Archer which was around sixteen, increased to thirty-two, and not a single one of those additional weapons could be considered as something that was not a Noble Phantasm, each one of the swords and spears having a legendary aura about them.

It was apparent now what was going to happen. With four Servants present (only Kiritsugu and Maiya, who had seen Assassin's location knew there were actually five), it was unwise to make any move without thinking.

At the sight of the numerous weapons, even Rider was slightly worried. A barrage of arrows he knew he could easily evade with his flying chariot, yet the arrows he was facing were no ordinary Projectiles, as each one was a Noble Phantasm, each one with their own unique effects. To make matters worse, his Master was riding with him, and the King of Conquerors was unsure if he could hold out. Not that he was angry at his Master of course, and in fact, he was proud of the kid for having the balls to join him in his chariot, but still, he was just being factual.

Of course, he still had trump cards of his own that could surpass even that, but in the presence of other Servants... Rider may be a jolly fellow who so easily revealed his identity but he was no complete fool. Once revealed his ace, he would have to eliminate every single one of the enemies in the vicinity, something which his nature would not permit.

"Begone, fool."

Archer raised his right hand, the same pose he took before he rained down his weapons on the Servant of Stealth. Just as he was about to flick his finger, the signal for releasing the projectiles as he had done when he 'killed' Assassin, instead of flicking his finger, he slowly lowered them, while he turned his head southwards.

"Do you think a sermon from someone like you could appease a king's anger? You're quite presumptuous, Tokiomi..."

With a tone of abject annoyance, Archer spat in a suppressed voice. The glow of the countless Noble Phantasms around him disappeared at once, off to somewhere else.

"... You dodged death by a hair, mongrel."

He was containing his resentment, but his crimson eyes had already lost the flame of the killing intent. With his firm haughtiness, the golden Archer glared at the row of Servants.

"You mongrels. Cut down the mob next time. I will tolerate no less than a real hero."

With one final statement, the Golden Servant , still standing on the pole, turned his back on the other Heroic Spirits, about to dematerialize himself when...

?!

Without warning, there was a sudden spike of energy in the area, and in the next moment, the pole which Archer was standing on suddenly bent downward, as if hit by a large speeding truck.

"Who dares?" The Golden Servant snarled. He may have been taken by surprise, but even then, he managed to jump off in time unscathed.

?!

Only for the Servant of the Bow to be met by something heading for his face... the very pole that he was standing on just a mere second before. With his quick instinct and reflexes that was far beyond a normal human's, Archer immediately raised his hands to block it, yet to his surprise, his golden armor, which in itself was a high end Noble Phantasm that could block even A rank spells and take punishment from high class swords and spears, was easily dented in the spot where it made impact, while the one who wore it was knocked backwards a few meters by the force of the collision.

Normally it would have been easy for Archer to counter in such a situation. Unfortunately, the order issued by his pathetic excuse for a Master was one which used a Command Seal, and therefore he could not retaliate, not until he returned to the Tohsaka Mansion which would hereby recognize the order as fulfilled and would therefore render the Command useless, leaving the Golden Servant free to do as he wished once again. He was strong, and he could go against even that, but even someone with a pride like Archer's knew that in his current state, he had no chance of winning whatsoever, and he was greatly reminded of the one and only person he considered as a friend in the past, who died because of similar manipulations.

"You dog!"

Gritting his teeth in irritation at the fact that he, the mightiest of heroes, was being overcome by the Command Seal, he, against his will, turned back into spirit form and left, grudgingly allowing himself to be guided by the order back to his Master's base, but not without first getting a glimpse of what it was that assaulted him...

xxxXXXxxx

Almost as if from nowhere, a sudden spike of energy was felt, and Lancer had barely enough time to dodge the pole that was thrown at him, before he was forced parry the sword that was aimed at his neck. The figure which attacked the Golden Servant was now going after him, having closed the distance between them in a mere second. None of them had forgotten the numerous Noble Phantasms which the Golden Servant brought out, but the appearance of the newcomer, as of present, was a higher... a much higher priority.

It was Berserker, the Servant of Madness, a warrior whose body and armour was covered with a black mist, thus concealing his identity. At least, that was what the Masters, who have the ability to read the stats of enemy Servants, could see. However...

"That bastard... is he really a Berserker?"

"For someone who has forsaken his reason for madness, he's a remarkably skilled chap," Rider replied to the question of his Master, Waver.

Yes, Berserker was supposed to be a Servant who gains additional boosts in exchange for its sanity. Such a Servant was difficult to control, and the constant activation of Mad Enhancement puts a lot of strain on the Master.

Overall, the black knight does fit the bill of Mad Warrior in most aspects. The man's armor was black. Without any delicate ornament, with no polished luster. Like darkness, like Hell, it was just a bottomless black. The face was also invisible, covered with a rustic helmet. In the depth of a thinly carved slit, there was the ghastly glow of a pair of eyes with a glare burning like a flame.

Due to the clairvoyance which the Masters have, an ability that was granted by the Grail, even though Berserker's ability somehow prevented them from seeing any of his stats, the word Berserker was still clear for all of them to read.

And yet, he did not fight like a Berserker at all. A Berserker was supposed to be insane, filled with Madness, and was bound to charge head-on without thinking. Yet this one... contrary to his appearance, this one, fought with great skill and swordsmanship as if he had not lost his sanity.

Lancer knew that he was in trouble. A keen and observant warrior, the Servant of the Spear noticed, that every time his red spear, Gae Dearg, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism, made contact with his enemy's sword, the black aura and reddish lines covering his enemy's weapon would disappear... the same aura which covered the pole when the Mad Servant was holding it. It was only for a moment, but when the sword was revealed, he noticed there did not seem to be anything extraordinary about them, which could only mean one thing: the sword was not Berserker's Noble Phantasm.

It did not take long for Lancer to figure out the nature of the Mad Warrior's ability. For as he noticed, the weapon, once it was not covered by the black mist, were slowly being chipped off by his Gae Dearg, something which his shorter lance could not, even though that particular shorter spear, Gae Buidhe, was harder and tougher, if only slightly, than the red one, having been more specifically built to pierce through armor than through magic. There was no doubt about it, the black mist was either part, or was in itself, Berserker's Noble Phantasm.

Unfortunately, even this knowledge wasn't that helpful. Unlike how a Berserker should act, Lancer noticed that the man was actually acting more like a sane individual than an insane one. It was of course possible for a Berserker to retain his skills even in his maddened state, but with the way he was fighting, it was hard to believe that he did not have his sanity. He seemed focused on avoiding getting hit by Lancer's Yellow Spear of Mortality at all cost, almost as if he understood the curse.

But most of all, what made Lancer half certain that Berserker was feigning madness... was the look in his eyes, which held intelligence. The Mad Servant's eyes may seem to glow with fury and insanity, but the Knight of Fiana was not fooled, and when he stared right at them, he saw the eyes of a sane warrior, not an insane one.

So far, their battle was seemingly a stalemate, yet in truth Lancer was losing. Being a Heroic Spirit, Diarmuid does indeed have a considerable amount of Endurance by human standards. However, even then, after his fight with Saber, even though Rider's and Archer's interruption gave him a few minutes to rest, he was still a little exhausted... and that slight exhaustion, against his present opponent, was a considerable disadvantage. Slowly, ever so slowly, he was being pushed back.

?!

Then, without warning, the Mad Servant, taking advantage of a slight opening the Servant of the Spear overlooked, with surprising flexibility for a man wearing armor, kicked Lancer in the gut and sent him flying backward a few meters.

Crap, the spearman cursed inwardly. With his immense flexibility, he managed to jump backwards just in time to avoid most of the force of the kick, but as a price, he landed slightly off balance, and he looked up just in time to see Berserker upon him, his sword raised high, almost as if it was part of the Mad Warrior's plan all along. It was only a slight opening, but still, a fatal opening nonetheless, one which Lancer knew, despite his incredible speed, he would not be able to escape.

Berserker's sword however, contrary to what the Servant of the Spear expected, did not strike him down.

"Please stop this now, Berserker."

Saber appeared in front of Lancer, and despite her hand injury, with surprising strength from someone of her small stature, she managed to push Berserker back a few meters as she parried his blow.

"Lancer has a previous engagement with me. I would appreciate it if you did not interfere."

"Saber."

Even though the two of them were enemies, even though they were inevitably going to kill each other in the end, Lancer was touched by Saber's words. Mortal enemies though the two of them were by circumstances, he could not help but be grateful to the Servant of the Sword.

xxxXXXxxx

Kayneth Archibald, a member of the Mage Association, who is more commonly known by his title Lord El-Melloi, a proud magus recognized for his research and exploits of thaumaturgy. Due to certain circumstances, as well as carelessness on his part, he ended up losing the precious artefact which he intended to use to summon his Servant for the Heaven's Feel, and to make matters worse, it was his hated student of all people who did it.

Still, it was not like he did not have a backup plan, and thus, even with the main catalyst gone, he had another one, one which was meant to summon Diarmuid, another hero of considerable prowess. Unfortunately, instead of summoning him as a Saber, he ended up appearing as Lancer, probably due to the fact that the particular Servant Class had already been taken.

Knowing the particular Servant Class' reputation, Kayneth originally wanted to prioritize eliminating the Servant of the Sword, believing it to be the greatest threat. However, after seeing the events which unfolded, he took a moment to analyze things.

Archer and Rider were without a doubt the huge threats in the war. Weak and pathetic though the Master of Rider, Waver Velvet was, Kayneth had to admit that Iskander was a considerable threat. He did not yet know of the Servant's full capabilities, but his flying chariot alone that would already make it difficult even for someone like Lancer to defeat him in a battle.

As for Archer, even though Lancer's skills should make him very versatile against projectiles, the fact that the Golden Servant's arrows were all Noble Phantasms would render it useless. To make matters worse, his Master was Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had a home field advantage, seeing as he was the owner of the land in which the War was taking place.

But the worst part, however, as far as Kayneth was concerned, was there was already an alliance between two Masters. He was Lord El-Melloi, after all, and he was not that naive. He knew that Assassin was still alive, as well as the master-apprentice relationship between the Masters of Archer and Assassin. Not once did he believe their little 'falling out.'

Bearing the pride of a magus, Kayneth Archibald was not one who would easily consider an alliance, but given the circumstances, it might be necessary.

Then, there was Berserker, the Mad Servant, who launched a surprise attack on Archer. Even though he failed, he still made quite an impression.

Berserker had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and after Archer left, he immediately targeted Lancer, who was proving to be weaker than said Servant of Madness. Due to the situation, Lord El-Melloi prepared a Command Spell to make him retreat, but it was too late then.

To his relief, however, the Servant of the Sword stepped in to assist Lancer.

And that was when he decided that it would be a good idea to have an alliance with Saber. It did not matter what their reasons were, whether it was pride or foolishness. All he knew was that if Saber and Lancer were the last Servants standing, due to the injury which Saber has received, when it comes to a one on one, Kayneth was confident that his Lancer would win. Berserker had proven itself to be the bigger threat, and thus, it would for the best if said Servant was eliminated first.

xxxXXXxxx

"Lancer," the Servant of the Spear heard his Master's voice echo in the harbor, "Assist Saber in killing Berserker."

Normally, Lancer would have tried to refuse such an order, as fighting two against one was not exactly chivalrous. Given their current situation, however, it would be much less chivalrous if he did not assist the one who just saved his life, one who is injured and whose abilities have been lowered due to the injury which his spear had caused.

"As you wish, my Lord," the Servant of the Spear replied to his Master, before he called out to the silver-clad female knight. "Saber..."

The King of Knights too, would normally be against fighting under such conditions, favourable though they were. However, as she weighed the pros and cons as well as her code of honor, she decided that it would be for the best. It was dishonourable in a sense, but in a way, it was also not. Deciding it was more honourable for them to be able to finish their duel, the Servant of the Sword decided to take the man's offer, and gave him a nod in response as a sign of acceptance.

As if realizing that he was in a fix, the Mad Servant, uncharacteristic of one who had lost his sanity, was slowly backing away, as if to retreat.

The two Heroic Spirits he was facing, however, had no intention of letting the Mad Warrior escape. Almost as if it had been part of their plan, despite not communicating, neither by word nor by signal, the two Servants charged forward in tandem, Saber moved in from the Berserker's left, while Lancer moved in from the Mad Servant's right, each one advancing in such a way that they would not get in the way of the other.

Even if Berserker was at such a high level of skill, not even he would be able to survive an attack from two beings who are on the same footing as him at close combat. Even if he turned out to be slightly better than them, it was two against one. Even someone like him would not stand a chance.

Heroes who are summoned as Lancer are usually known for their speed and agility, and Diarmuid of the Love Spot did not disappoint. Summoned by a competent magus, his agility was ranked A+.

However, with the proper skills, even someone like him could be beaten in a race, and Saber's skill, did just that. Using her magical energy, the King of Knights, in a surge of Prana, charged forward, at a speed that was more than twice even that of Lancer's.

The resounding clang of metal was heard as sparks flew in the air. As expected, Berserker was indeed powerful and had quick reflexes. Despite the Servant of the Sword's surge of speed, he easily deflected the blade that had been aimed at his neck.

But that was only a distraction, as its true purpose was not to kill him, but rather, to force him to lower his guard, and it worked.

Now, the Mad Servant was completely open, and even with his incredible skills, he would not be able to stop the spear that was thrust at his heart, as his hands were full.

If he did not do anything, his heart was going to be skewered. If he blocked the spear with his sword, then Saber would take advantage of the opening and decapitate him. If he jumped backward, it would still be useless, since both his enemies were slightly faster than him on their feet.

The Heroic Spirit of the Spear thrust his red spear forward, but the Mad Servant stopped it, by grabbing onto the spear with one of his hands. Unfortunately, with both his hands occupied, one with a sword that was blocking Saber's invisible blade, while the other was stopping one of the spears, that left him completely open.

"This is the end," Lancer stated, as he thrust the Gae Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality, straight at the Mad Servant's chest.

It was only the first night, yet one of the Seven Servants was already going to be eliminated.

"Two on one isn't exactly fair, is it?"

?!

Or not...

"Kuh?!"

The instant Lancer made his declaration, everyone who was present believed that it was indeed over for the Servant of Madness.

Instead, the Servant of the Spear jumped backwards, barely avoiding something hard and metal that almost hit him in the temple. Had Lancer not possessed incredible speed and quick reflexes, he would have really taken some damage.

"Master..."

Everyone who was witnessing the battle were naturally surprised. Berserker... a Servant who was supposed to have exchanged his sanity for strength, and should thus be unable to speak, just spoke.

"It seems like you are having some trouble handling them on your own."

However, their surprise to this bit of information, was nothing compared to the shock they felt when they saw the one who the Mad Servant was addressing.

The person was wearing a black suit, similar to those used for formal gatherings, with a purple shirt and black necktie, and was wielding a pair of silver-colored tonfas.

Yes, everyone in the harbour as well those who were watching was surprised by her sudden appearance. However, there were three people in particular who were more surprised than any of the others.

What in the world? Emiya Kiritsugu thought in shock, barely able to keep his expression stoic and neutral, as he saw the new arrival, unaware that his wife and Servant were having the same lines of thoughts.

For the person's most distinguishing figure, was the fact that the person was a girl, who, based from her appearance, seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen years of age.

... with crimson eyes and silver hair.

xxxXXXxxx

To be continued...


AUTHOR'S NOTES

Alright This is the first chapter for my new fic, Fate Zero: Il Cielo Nuvoloso (title was changed from Fate Zero: Wandering Cloud), which I decided to write upon the request of a certain someone who I cannot refuse. As to who she is, I will not mention. But since I am a he, and since I don't want to upset her, I'm sure you'll be able to guess who she is. Basically, this story is a crossover fic between the Fate Universe and Katekyo Hitman Reborn, although it is only a slight crossover. I'm not sure if there are others but I think mine is the first one.

Naturally, due to the disappointing ending of the manga, even though I am still a fan of Hitman Reborn, I kind of lost interest in continuing any of the fanfic notes I wrote about it, but since someone insisted, I decided to comply.

Of course, since someone specifically requested me to write this, I will probably be focusing my attention on this one. My other projects are not dropped of course (although A New Fate, my Harry Potter and Fate Stay Night Crossover and Fate Zero: Blade Sanctuary, my Anime-xovers and Fate Stay Night Crossover, might undergo a major rewrite.).

I suppose I'll stop here for now though. More details will be explained in the next chapter, although I think some of you can guess what happened.

And like always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter...

Later then, people...