Fate Final Curtain

by RogerShanksLuffy

The Holy Grail has been summoning servants, and the Mage's Association has sent one of their best, Hayashi Tsukamoto, to investigate these instances and send them back to the Throne of Heroes. Along with his own servants, Nero, Altera, and Jeanne, he sets out on his task. However, his dark past resurfaces, and another powerful servant is eyeing Jeanne. M for Language, Blood, Sex.

1. Part 1: London

Hey Guys! Here's my new Fate story! My friend and I recently immersed ourselves in the franchise, and it's honestly become my favorite one. We watched them out of order, starting with Fate/Zero, and we just finished Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works today. We're going to watch the Grand Order movie next, which I have finished up through chapter 3 in the game, then onto Apocrypha. I also might be getting Fate/Extella, since I just realized that it's on Steam, and I have an account. This will take place post Unlimited Blade Works. So, without further ado, here we go!

Songs

Preparing to Summon: Confrontation (Fate/Zero OST)

Summoning: Rule the Battlefield (Fate/Zero OST)

Vs. London Servants: A Chaser (Fate/Zero OST)

Jeanne Defeats Caster: Tragedy and Fate (Fate/Zero OST)

Nero Defeats Caster: Let the Stars Fall Down (Fate/Zero OST)

Altera Summons Her Sword: The World is Tumbling Down (Fate/Zero OST)

Altera Vs. Moriarty: This Day and Never Again (Fate/Zero OST)

Hayashi vs. Nightingale: Grief (Fate/Zero OST)

Hayashi's Condition: Painful (Fate/Zero OST)

Watching Jeanne: Secret Maneuvers (Fate/Zero OST)

A knock at the door.

"What is it?"

"The Vice-Director wants to see you."

"Oh, very well, I'll be right there."

"Thank you, Lord Tsukamoto." Hayashi sighed once he realized that the messenger had left. What did she want now? He just got back to the Clock Tower, and now she wanted to see him again? He sighed, and put his coat on, locking his study and going upstairs to where the "Queen" of London's Clock Tower resided.

Hayashi Tsukamoto. What did that name mean to him? It was his name obviously, but most people knew him as Lord Tsukamoto, the powerful mage with the rank of Brand and the color Red, the second highest rank and the highest accompanying color in all of the Mage's Association. But he wasn't given that rank on his magic abilities alone. He had a special feature about him, and it came down to how he was able to summon and use servants. Multiple sets of command seals, and the unique ability to-

"I'm here."

"Well then get in here." She ordered. He sighed and rolled his eyes, opening the door up into her office and closing the door behind himself. Hayashi walked up to her desk and sat down across from her, sighing.

"So, why did you call me in here, Lorelei?"

"I have an important assignment for you."

"I just got back."

"I know. But this can't wait. Heroic Spirits of all classes have randomly started materializing around most of Europe and Asia."

"Why?"

"Hell if I know. But the Holy Grail had something to do with it. Following the end of the Fifth War three years ago, two of the participants, Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya, moved here and became apprentices of our college. Upon El-Melloi's request, they submitted a report of what they experienced to me. Do you remember what happened at the end of the Fourth War?"

"Yes. I was 13 at the time, but I remember it clearly. After all, it was all over the news. The wish the Grail granted was an end to humanity. Only Fuyuki City was affected, but it was burned to the ground, and there was only one survivor."

"Yes, that's right. This wish that was granted, was the wish of both the Archer servant as well as his master, the now deceased Kirei Kotomine. That servant was Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes and the most powerful of all Heroic Spirits."

"And he was defeated and became the new core for the Holy Grail, yada yada yada. I know this already. So why are we going over this again?"

"Because if the Grail just received the most powerful Servant as its core, isn't it possible that it operated on its own?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Hayashi was one of the few mages in the world who knew what the Grail truly was, and why it was that way. Angra Mainyu, the original Avenger, and the Persian God of Darkness. After his defeat in the Third Holy Grail War, the Grail became corrupted, representing all of the world's evils, and he fused with the chalice, essentially becoming the Grail itself. However, this was secret information that he had not disclosed to anyone below his rank, a policy on the file. Of course, the only others who knew were those with the rank of Grand Mage, the Vice-Director, and the actual Director.

"I suppose it's possible. After all, if you were suddenly given a boost in magic power, wouldn't you want to try out your new abilities as well?"

"Yes, I would. You think that's what's happening?"

"All I know is that the Association always overestimates what's really happening. It's probably a simple solution, something like that. We're getting off topic. What is it exactly that you want me to do?"

"Ahem. You're right. The reason why you're a Brand Red is because you have the unusual capacity to be able to summon and control multiple servants at a time, no matter what class they are. That's why you're the perfect person for this job. Your task is to summon servants of your own, as many as you need, and take out the rest of them to return this world to normal."

"...I LITERALLY just got back. And now you want me to travel around half the world?"

"I know it's not ideal."

"That's the understatement of the century. I know you'd prefer me because of my specialties with Heroic Spirits, but can't you just send like three or four other powerful mages instead?"

"The less manpower we need, the better. London is no exception to this phenomenon. We've detected rogue servant activity here as well. And we need as many capable mages as possible to help keep the Clock Tower safe. This is a direct order from the Director, you know."

"Ugh. You guys are impossible. Fine, fine. I guess I'll go get ready to summon some servants then. Where do you want me to start?"

"Up to you. But I recommend starting in this city so that we don't have to worry so much."

"Yeah." He waved, heading out and going back down the hall to where his room was.

X

Three years. He hadn't summoned a servant since then. Since the accident. This time had to be different. He needed to summon a regular servant, not...him.

He got dressed properly, putting on gray pants, black shoes, a white shirt, a black jacket with the emblem of the Mage's Association on it, and a black trench coat. The only things he took with him were his wallet and his small notebook, along with a pen. Locking his door behind him, he went off to the basement.

"Lord Tsukamoto?" One of the guards asked.

"I need the biggest room we have down here, orders from both the Director and Vice-Director."

"Right this way, sir." The guard led him into the biggest summoning room they had, an extremely high ceiling, as well as very wide and long. It could easily fit three summoning circles inside of it.

"Perfect. That is all, you may leave me."

"Of course, sir." Once the door closed, Hayashi turned the lights on, and got right to work drawing up three summoning circles. Once he was finished, he stood in front of the middle one, and held out his hand, gathering magic power through his arm, and beginning the incantations.

"Come now, Heroes of the Past. I call on your powers to guide me, and help me through this hellish time. I use your abilities not in the interests of the Holy Grail, but for the interests of humanity and only for humanity. From stone to bronze, from bronze to iron, from iron to steel, from steel to silver, from silver to gold, and from gold to platinum, so too have you evolved throughout your past lives. Bless me with their forms in their prime, and allow me to call upon their abilities to make this world right!"

The three circles began to light up with magical energy, and before long, three different people began to materialize.

The first one was very short, not even reaching 5 feet, and probably less than 100 pounds. She had blonde hair that was tied back into a bun with a red ribbon, piercing green eyes, and wore a poofy red dress that had gold trim and was white and completely transparent in the front, displaying the Roman shin guards and the bottom of her underwear. Despite wearing an outfit that seemed to be too big in some places and too small in others, she was very beautiful, and seemed to have a certain air of authority about her, despite being short and skinny.

The second one was noticeably taller than the first, but was also relatively short by modern standards, standing only a few inches above the five foot mark. She as well only seemed to weigh little more than 100 pounds, but this time, it looked to be mostly muscle mass. She didn't have visible abs, or ripped arms, but you could tell that she was extremely strong compared to a normal servant. She wore a somewhat skimpy outfit (as if the last one was anything more), a white dress and rather revealing skirt that had short white frills jutting out from it, but still did little to cover her legs, really only succeeding in shrouding her special place from view. Her arms had white sleeves that went from her forearms to a little below her shoulders. She had short white hair, only going to the top of her back, but due to the long veil she wore, it seemed as if she had long hair. Although, to Hayashi, the most noticeable feature about her was her red eyes, that had a loneliness and lack of life in them. Eyes like his.

The third servant was very beautiful, and was slightly shorter than the second, while also seeming to weigh less. She wore an obvious medieval outfit: long dark blue leggings that went up to her thighs, a long dark blue skirt that was open on the side, and same color clothes that covered her upper body. She had a slightly darker mini cape that just went around her neck, and two chains that wrapped around her chest, connected by small silver plates. She had silver plated armor that covered both arms and feet, as well as a large piece that extended from just below her large breasts to a little past her waist. Wrapped around the stomach area of her armor was a thin black sash with a scabbard, and an ornate rapier housed in it. Her hair was long and blonde, braided into a long ponytail that went down her back and rested against her rear, the very end tied together by a black bow. She also had a bit of plated armor on the front of her head, on her hair, and had amethyst eyes. The final thing she wore was a large dark blue cloak that was draped around her shoulders, a big white cross emblazoned on the side, and with two white shoulder pauldrons that were tied together with a string, also keeping the cape up.

Once the light died down, the three looked around and found Hayashi standing in front of them.

"Huh? What's going on?" The one in red asked.

"It appears we've been summoned." The third responded. The second remained silent, seemingly surprised that she had been summoned in the first place.

"Hm? You there! Are you my Master?" The first asked again, pointing at him.

"Yes."

"I see. And us? Where are our masters?" The second finally spoke up.

"Once again, you're looking at him. I summoned all three of you." Their eyes all widened, especially the medieval one.

'To summon me alone is an impressive feature...but to summon myself and two others at the same time? Who is this master of mine?'

"Yeah. I know you're all surprised. I have the magical capacity to summon and control multiple Heroic Spirits at once. Now then...your names."

"Saber."

"Also Saber."

"Ruler."

"Well that's all well and good, but I meant your true names."

"Why would we tell you our true names right away? I need to have a certain degree of trust in my master already present before I disclose that information." The second saber said.

"It's the same for me, but in the opposite way. I feel as if I can't trust you as my helpers if I don't know your real names. So what are they?" They all looked at each other in silence before turning back to him.

"Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. You may address me as-"

"JESUS CHRIST!" Hayashi yelled, startling all three of them.

"WHAT?! WHERE?! HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!" Nero screamed back, frantically looking around the room.

"No, it's...it's an expression-don't worry about it." He shook his head. "You're Nero?!"

"That's what I said. You may address me as Emperor Nero."

"Do you have any memories of what you did in your life?! You're one of the most notorious tyrants in history! Hell, tons of people considered you to be the Antichrist!"

"Antichrist? What's that?" She asked curiously.

"THE SPAWN OF THE DEVIL." He said slowly and commandingly.

"That's impossible! You lie! The Roman people loved me! Rome loved me! I was the city of Rome itself!"

"So then I take it you don't remember?"

"Well, no...after my mother died, I began to have frequent headaches and my mental state admittedly declined…I don't remember anything after that...It's as if I was in a dream..."

"You were hysteric and delirious. Many people blamed you for starting the Great Fire of Rome in order to level a good portion of the city and build your Domus Aurea. In fact, they said you sang and played the fiddle while it was happening." The other two's expressions softened, and directed their eyes towards Nero, remembering what they had heard about the insane emperor during their own times.

"So...what did I end up doing?" Nero asked quietly.

"Let me see…" Hayashi took out his phone and looked her up. The others waited patiently, but were curious as to what the device he was holding was.

"Hmmm…...Okay, so apparently you didn't actually sing or fiddle while the fire happened. That's just urban myth. You also didn't actually start the fire, and were away as it happened. And upon return, you administered aid to the citizens personally, and even opened your palaces to give homes to those who didn't have them."

"Umu! I told you I was a good leader!"

"However...as the public slighted you for causing the fire, you threw the suspicion off of yourself by blaming the Christians, and then proceeded to throw them to the dogs, nail them to crosses, and sometimes dip them in oil, light them on fire, and used the burning bodies to illuminate your gardens at night time. Jesus."

"Where?!"

"He's not here! He's dead! Anyway, some historians also believe that you exiled your first wife to marry your second, then ended up kicking her to death while she was pregnant with your second child, and going on to marry a man who looked very much like her. You castrated him and took him back to the palace, calling him the pet names you used to call her."

"What?! What else does it say about me?!" She asked hurriedly.

"Umm…" He scrolled down more. "You fastened naked boys and girls to stakes before putting on the hides of wild animals, and then attack them, giving the appearance of devouring their bodies. You murdered your brother and your mother, had a squad of 5000 roman soldiers clap at every one of your performances so that you felt good about your singing, emptied out the Roman Treasury in order to build your Domus Aurea, instead of using it to fund the city's rebuilding, and then ordered your own assistant to impale you after the revolt, even though the messengers that were arriving were there to tell you that you were being reinstated. I think that about covers it." He put his phone back in his pocket. Nero was clearly saddened by this information.

"I see...my brother, Britannicus, was murdered by the senate, not myself, and I sent an assassin to get rid of my mother, but that didn't work, so I had no choice but to kill her publicly. Those I know for sure weren't my fault. But these other atrocities...I never thought I'd become like my uncle…"

"Not to rub salt in the wound, but a lot of these historians consider you worse than Caligula, although I personally disagree. After all, a lot of these accounts are rather contrasting to each other, and some recent historians don't believe you were as bad as the old ones are saying. So not all of it may be true."

"Still though…"

"Well...anyways, let's move on. This is depressing everyone." Hayashi sighed, turning to the second servant.

"My name is Altera. The Hun King who serves the God of War, Mars."

"Oh, you've gotta be freaking kidding me…" Hayashi shook his head.

"Is something the matter?" She asked.

"It's just...I mean, how am I stuck with two notorious tyrants? I mean, being Attila the Hun, I'm sure you're incredibly powerful, but you're…"

"If it makes you feel better, I personally do not like fighting."

"Then why did you conquer most of eastern Europe and a good part of western Asia?" He asked with half-lidded eyes.

"Because I knew not of anything else. I am nothing but a warrior, a savage killing machine by nature. And while I pondered upon what other life I could lead, it was nigh impossible for me to comprehend, because the only thing in front of me were armies to be crushed."

"Getting darker…" he mumbled to himself. "And you?" He looked to the third. "What do you have in common with these two?"

"Not a lot, I'd like to think. My name is Jeanne d'Arc."

"Oh. Well that's a nice change of pace. Nice to meet you, Jeanne. I look forward to working with you."

"Me as well, Master." she smiled.

"Why does she get special treatment?!" Nero asked angrily.

"Maybe because she was considered a hero and not...whatever it is you two are." He pointed back and forth at the other two, only making the Red Saber pout more. Altera acted indifferently.

"Um...if I may...for what purpose did you summon us? Is there a Holy Grail War beginning?" Jeanne asked shyly.

"No. The previous war finished up three years ago. I summoned you because of the repercussions of that war. At the end of it, the darkness inside the Grail was released, and it was sealed up again by stealing the Archer Class Servant Gilgamesh and using him as its new core. Gilgamesh is widely considered to be the most powerful Heroic Spirit that's possible to summon. So, with a new core like that, the Grail summoned many servants across Europe and Asia, and it's become our responsibility to defeat them and send them back to the Throne."

"Do you know how many there are?"

"No, I don't. But I know that it didn't discriminate. Some servants were heroes, while some were much more like anti-heroes. Of course, the most dangerous ones are our primary threat, but we can't allow so many to exist in this world at once. Their magic power will start to tear the fabric of reality apart. And obviously, we can't have that. So it falls to us to save the world, in a sense."

"Understood! And I'll get to see my beloved Rome again!" Nero hugged herself excitedly.

"Alright then. But first...I think we're going to have to buy you guys some more modern clothes." He scratched his chin, watching the either confused or embarrassed faces of them.

"What's wrong with my outfit? It makes me look adorable!" Nero protested.

"Because it's not normal to see people wearing a roman imperial dress, or an ancient skimpy...whatever that is, or medieval armor complete with a cape that has a cross on it anymore. It's been 600 years since Jeanne was born after all, and that means it's been 1600 since you died, and 1950 since you died." He looked at all of them, before closing his eyes.

"Aren't servants given some knowledge of whatever era they're summoned into?"

"Not very much. We know of cars and lights and whatnot, but we don't really know what society's norm is." Jeanne replied.

"Alright then, I guess we have some work to do in the cultural department. I guess I'll start catching you up on what you missed soon. But like I said, let's go get you some clothes to start."

X

Hayashi took them to a nearby outlet, allowing them to observe many people's different outfits along the way to get an idea of what they wanted to wear. Once arriving, he let them go and pick something out, promising to pay for everything, and telling them that he'd wait out front. After waiting a few minutes, Nero came out, dressed in a short frilly red dress with black trim. A thin and transparent black ribbon was tied in a bow under her breasts. She wore frilly white socks as well, along with red shoes with tall heels.

"Well, Master? What do you think?" She giggled, spinning around for him once.

"It's certainly an improvement."

"Hey! That gown is what I usually wear!"

"I know, I know. I meant no disrespect, but this just looks more...normal, I guess. Is that what you decided on?"

"Yes, these as well." She held up a small pile of various other shirts, jackets, shorts, underwear, and socks.

"Master...is this appropriate?" Altera came out as well, now wearing short black athletic shorts with two red lines running down the sides, plus a turquoise tank top. She had red wristbands on too, and had tied both her hair and her veil back into a ponytail.

"Yeah...that's great." He almost stuttered, feeling attraction to one of the most powerful conquerors in history. Hayashi regained his composure and took notice of the other clothes that she had with her.

"You're getting all of those?"

"Indeed. I don't expect this quest of yours to take long to complete, so I figured I might have some time to explore these places I never got to go to."

"Oh, really? Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but I believe that this 'quest' will take a bit longer than you think."

"We shall see. With my strength, most enemies will surrender before it even begins." She said emotionlessly, and with a confidence that didn't even merit a response from her commander.

"Master...pray tell, who is this singing?" Nero asked, pointing up to the ceiling, where the speakers were playing music. So she figured that one out already.

"This song? It's Nobody Love by Tori Kelly."

"Tori Kelly? I like her voice, but I know I can do better! Bring me to her, and we shall compete! And I will prove my superiority." Altera and Hayashi both stared at her blankly.

"Okay, a couple of things. First, she has one of the strongest voices in all of Pop Music, and considering her range, no offense, but I doubt that you could beat her. Second, I can't just bring her to you. She's an icon, and I don't know her personally. I can't just go up to her and say 'here's someone who thinks she can sing better than you. Go.'"

"That's how we used to do it in my time!"

"Well, if you recall what I told you a half hour ago, it's been almost 2000 years since you were alive. So, by that logic, the world is not exactly the same as it was back then." He explained sarcastically, making her cross her arms and pout again.

"What's taking Jeanne so long? I guess she's the shopping type?" Hayashi wondered. Right on cue, she walked out of the fitting room, now wearing a outfit that was a bit revealing. She had removed her head piece, and now wore a sleeveless white collared shirt that was open in the back, along with a short black tie. It was accompanied by a short, tight black skirt, along with tall black leggings, and fancy brown shoes.

"Master...how is this?" she asked shyly, also carrying a small pile of clothes. Hayashi had no reply, and neither did the other two.

"M-Master...say something…" she squeaked.

"...You're not wearing a bra." He replied, noticing that there was nothing really under her shirt.

"N-No, I'm not...It was too uncomfortable with this shirt. I hope it isn't that apparent...do you think people will stare?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. I'll take care of them if they do. Besides, that shirt's not see-through." They walked up to the register and Hayashi paid for all of their clothes, then taking them to his home.

His house was fairly big, two stories, though not a single room unused or overused. Hayashi seemed to be an organized person.

"I guess the first thing I should figure out is where you're going to sleep."

"Big fluffy bed!" Nero cheered.

"Anywhere." Altera replied.

"I'm not particular either, Master." Jeanne smiled.

'It's like I have three daughters.' Hayashi rubbed his face.

"Alright, follow me." He led them upstairs, bringing them into the guest room, where there was a full-sized bed and a couch on the opposite wall.

"Two of you can sleep in here. And I guess the third will stay in my room. Any volunteers?"

"Me! Bed!"

"That's not fair. We should take turns." Altera protested with a monotonous tone, as usual.

"Indeed. All three of us were summoned, and all three of us should take turns protecting him." Jeanne agreed.

"Well...I suppose that makes sense...but I get the first night!" She called, running down the hall.

"Just...try to deal with her." Hayashi advised, the other two nodding slowly.

"You can put your clothes in that dresser against the wall. Call if you need anything, and feel free to take a look around." He nodded to them before going down the hall and finding Nero already lying down in his queen-sized bed, hugging the pillows, sprawled out across the entire thing.

"Please tell me that's not the position that you sleep in."

"It's not. At least I don't think it is. Don't worry, I'm nice enough to let you have some room in your own sleeping chamber." She winked at him.

"Yeah. Somehow I'm not fully convinced. Anyways, you can put what clothes you bought in that dresser there. I don't really use it."

"My thanks, Master. Actually, do you mind if I refer to you as Praetor?"

"Depends on what it means?"

"It was a title that our government granted to men who were either the commander of an army, or an elected official. You are both, in a sense, since you were chosen for this campaign, and are also our leader."

"Then no. I don't mind."

"Very well then!" She leapt up and began to put her clothes away.

"You know, I'm a bit surprised. I thought most Roman emperors had people to do everything for them. You have a bit of that haughtiness, but you don't mind doing things yourself."

"Yes, I often argued with the Senate about that. They believed that the Emperor was above interaction with the public, and I disagreed. What's the point of being a leader if you cannot lead yourself?"

"Good point. I like that."

"Yes. At least that's how I wanted things to go. My predatory mother tried to use my position to form Rome into her ideal city. And that meant poisoning me as a child in order to make me obey her without opposition."

"So that's why your mind deteriorated."

"Yes. The last thing I remember clearly was executing her. Of course, those atrocities I committed were real, but they feel a bit hazy as memories."

"Nero. Here's something to think about. If you were such a monster, then why were you summoned as a Heroic Spirit, and before your decline at that? Clearly, you must have made a rather large positive influence during your early years."

"Yeah...maybe you're right, but...it doesn't change what I did. I can't go back and redo anything, and as you said, this was almost 2000 years ago now. I'm not remembered as a good person, I'm remembered as a demon."

"To me, you're just another person who I haven't gotten to know yet. You know what? I never met the real Emperor Nero. And now I'm having a conversation with her. And I'm sure as I get to know you better, I'll learn who the real person is." He smiled at her before going downstairs and turning the TV on, sitting on the couch. A few minutes later, the other three came down and sat down next to him.

"Master...if you don't mind my saying, shouldn't we be out looking for rogue servants?" Jeanne asked.

"That'd be nice if I knew where to start looking. My boss said that she'd let us know when she finds a trail to follow. In the meantime, we can relax here. You should take advantage of it, I imagine in your lifetimes there weren't a whole lot of opportunities to do nothing." He stretched, putting his hands behind his head. Jeanne looked at him curiously before exhaling softly.

"Let's see, what could we watch in the meantime?" He pondered. He turned on his Xbox and started up Netflix.

"How about Family Guy? Oh, here's one you'll like." He started up the episode "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."

"What is...all of this called?" Altera asked.

"Oh...right." He paused it and stood up, walking over to the TV.

"This is what we call a Television, or TV for short. It lets you watch TV Shows, movies, and play video games on it. It's like watching a play anytime you want. That black box on the bottom shelf is called an Xbox. It also lets you watch stuff, but is made mostly for playing digital games through the TV." He went and sat back down between them, starting it up again.

"This show is called Family Guy. It's an animated adult comedy. Watch, you'll see." Throughout the episode, they all laughed at one point or another. Jeanne especially liked the part where they were figuring out what to name Jesus, and God was running through the list and denying each one. Nero loved the line where Jesus asked Mary why he was born so quickly and easily if she's a virgin. And Altera liked the part where Jesus disintegrated King Herod's army with his spaceship. Of course.

"That was funny! What else is there to see?" Nero asked.

"There's lots of shows. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Something else like that!"

"Let's see...The Simpsons, American Dad, Rick and Morty, Bojack Horseman, and Big Mouth are the most similar to that, I guess."

"What are they about?" Jeanne asked.

"The Simpsons and American Dad are pretty similar to the one we just watched. It's just dumb family humor, though the latter is a bit more political. Rick and Morty is about a boy and his Grandpa going on crazy science fiction adventures through multiple worlds, Bojack Horseman is about a depressed horse movie star, and Big Mouth is about teenagers going through puberty for the first time. It's probably the dirtiest out of all of them."

"Then not that one." Jeanne said, blushing slightly.

"That science one intrigues me, as a matter of fact. I never had a chance to study magic and the arcane in my lifetime, and so I find concepts like that interesting."

"Nero?"

"I'd like that too."

"Alright then. This show's better if you start from the beginning, since some of the later episodes reference the previous ones." He started up the pilot, and they went through it. Once it was over, there was a moment of silence between the four of them as Hayashi looked back and forth, curious as to what they thought of this one.

"...Well?"

"Vulgar." Jeanne said with a bit of disgust.

"Hilarious!" Nero disagreed.

"Highly entertaining." Altera also praised it.

"Alright, one by one. What was wrong with it, Jeanne?"

"I guess parts of it were funny, but it was extremely undignified that he had to put those seeds up his rear, and the principal's name was Vagina, and the fight with those insect guards was gruesome, and most importantly, why must Rick belch so often?" A light pink tainted her cheeks again, as she gritted her teeth a bit.

"Because he's constantly drunk, that's why. What, you haven't done the same?"

"I most certainly have not!" Her blush intensified as she crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

"You most certainly have! I know for a fact that back in medieval times and before, even children drank a weak beer because it was cleaner than water. Considering that you were in France, which even today has one of the lowest legal drinking ages in the world, you must have drank wine or something with your meals, right?"

"I...used to drink wine…" she muttered.

"Well there you go." Hayashi smiled and nodded triumphantly, silencing the embarrassed french beauty.

"It is nothing to be ashamed of Jeanne! I belched all the time back in my day! It was considered a charismatic display!" Nero exclaimed.

"Yeah, for men, maybe!" She shot back. "That type of behavior is not appropriate for women!" Realizing that they weren't getting anywhere in their argument, they went for a tiebreaker.

"What about you?!" They asked Altera at the same time. She slowly looked at them.

"I had no time for such trivialities. I was too busy slaughtering my opponents and conquering land."

'She's such a buzzkill…' They both thought at the same time, frowning and pulling back.

"So then...what did you like about it?" Hayashi asked her.

"I enjoyed the part where Morty shot the insect's legs off, even if by accident."

"Uh...huh. Anything else?"

"I suppose I enjoyed the concept in general. While the father, Jerry, was trying to sabotage Rick and Morty's adventure, they found a way to trick him and continue on. I look forward to seeing more."

"Nero?"

"Same as her. Except unlike little Ms. Prim and Proper over there, I thought that his excessive burping was funny and a nice touch." she giggled, just making Jeanne shrink down into the couch even more."

Hayashi's phone rang, prompting him to answer it.

"Hello? Hey, did you find something? Alright, great. Thanks." He hung up and stood up, preparing to go out.

"Master?" Jeanne asked.

"We have a few hits. Seven servants in London. We need to go take care of them."

"Understood!" They stood up and materialized their original clothing.

"She said that they were by Big Ben, so they're staying within the city after all. Let's get going."

X

"This is...London, is it not?" a man asked.

"Indeed. Our home." Another answered.

"Although it appears to be somewhat far into the future." A large contraption that towered over the others spoke with a robotic voice, directing their attention to an electronic sign that stated the year.

"2007? It has indeed been a long time. About 400 years since my end, in any case."

"400? You are old, then. It has only been around 100 years for me." A woman explained.

"Me as well." The others agreed.

"Then we must have been alive around the same Victorian Era, save for him. Do you know what we are to do while active here?" She asked again.

"We are not to do a thing. Our very presence will achieve our goal." A lighter voice, who was the leader of the group, reaffirmed.

X

"Jeanne, you're a Ruler class. Can't you sense servants' presence?"

"Yes, I can. We're close. But there is something different about me this time. Normally, Rulers are summoned by the Grail itself to mediate over Grail Wars. But this time, there is no war, and I was summoned by a Master. As such, I was not given my own set of command seals this time. Our actions are controlled by you."

"Of course. I wouldn't worry about that."

"Master. On that roof." Altera notified, as everyone looked up and discovered a person sitting on the roof of a nearby building, smiling down at them.

"My, so there are others here as well. I thought we'd be the only ones."

"You are one of them. One of the Heroic Spirits of London summoned by the Holy Grail." Hayashi addressed her. It was unfortunate that it was already dark. It would be somewhat harder to fight without much light, but thanks to moonlight and some street lights, they had a pretty good view as long as they were out in the open.

The servant they met was a beautiful woman, perhaps in her late 20s. She had long flowing silver hair and a mature body, as well as curious light red eyes that spoke of a terrifying past, given her expression. She wore tall white boots and white leggings, a black skirt with red trim, a red button down military uniform, white gloves, and had two green packs hanging against her hips by a white strap over her shoulder. There was also a white belt around her waist, where a pistol was attached. She wore a long black coat over everything to complete her outfit.

"I am indeed. Berserker Class Florence Nightingale, at your service."

"Why the hell are you a Berserker?"

"The horrors of treating the wounded...in a time when medicine was not particularly prominent...what injuries I treated and what illnesses they had...it almost drove me mad. Perhaps that's why."

"I see. Where are your friends?"

"Friends? I don't really know any of them that well. But I suppose I could introduce you to them…" Something about her composure seemed off...she was so calm, despite being outnumbered three to one. She was either really strong, or…

"Watch out!" He yelled, as the others gasped, dodging a magic projectile that flew by them and hit a building.

"Damn!" Hayashi countered by firing his own yellow beams of magic energy in that direction.

"Nice try." They were deflected by other projectiles, Hayashi looking up and finding another servant, probably an archer class, over on top of another building.

'Descend…' They heard a command, and obeyed it, coming down and facing the three. Apart from Nightingale, there were two other men.

One of them had medium length light brown hair and a beard and small mustache. He wore an old fashioned elaborate red and black cloak with gold trim on it, along with what looked like an Elizabethan hat, and had a black feather sticking out at the front. He held a large black and gold book in his hand.

The other one was a bit older, perhaps in his forties, and wore a very intricate outfit: brown striped suit pants and a matching brown striped dress coat, which could be assumed he wore a shirt and vest underneath, complete with a red cravat, golden chains, and a golden shoulderguard with pink tassels, along with a black, gold,white, and blue cape, and a golden cane sword in his hand, with a chameleon head as the top ornament. He also carried a very large white, gold, and blue contraption with stood perhaps a foot taller than himself. It looked like it acted as a shield as well as a gun and rocket launcher of some sort.

"Caster, William Shakespeare! Pleased to make your acquaintance." The first one bowed.

"I'd prefer to keep my true name a secret for now. You may call me Archer of Shinjuku."

"Master...that one, the Archer, seems incredibly more powerful than the others." Jeanne whispered into his ear.

"Yeah...I'm going to have to leave him to you. The other two are Sabers, they have a big disadvantage."

"No. With respect Master, I will handle him." Altera told them.

"Are you really sure? An Archer class isn't your best match up."

"It's alright."

'Fight her.' Archer heard his leader's voice again and started jumping across rooftops, Altera going after him.

"In that case, which one do you two want?" Jeanne looked over at Berserker.

"You can leave her to me."

"Oh, I'm not fighting yet." She smiled. She then put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.

"Charles, dear, help me out?" She called. The three's eyes widened as they heard a large stomping that got closer and closer.

"Um...what is that?" Hayashi asked nervously, spotting a sinister red light in the distance. As it continued towards them, it was revealed to be an enormous gray and gold contraption, almost in the form of a nutcracker soldier.

"Which one, Florence?" A deep voice answered from within the suit, with a robotic voice.

"That's entirely up to you, dear." she responded.

"Very well."

"Praetor, leave him to me. I have a method to defeat him." Nero said.

"Alright. Be careful."

"Yes!" She jumped off further into the city, while the machine activated thrusters and hovered after her.

"In that case Master, I will deal with Caster." Jeanne volunteered, going off with Shakespeare.

"Then you're mine." Hayashi turned to Florence, who grinned and jumped down.

"I suppose. But what makes you think a simple Mage can defeat a Servant?"

"I'm not just a simple mage. And I meant to ask...where are the other three?"

"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I was informed that there were seven servants total that materialized. There's been four of you: yourself, that machine guy, Shakespeare, and that other guy, Archer. So where's the last three?"

"I see. You are smart. But what army reveals all of their strategies right away? As for you, you only have those three servants, correct? Therefore, we have no other surprises to prepare for. Do you see my logic?"

"Yes. You're smart as well, since you're absolutely right. But you're forgetting that my three servants might have a few surprises of their own. But enough about them. You're dealing with me right now."

"Well alright then. Let's see how you do."

X

"May I ask your true name, milady? It's only fair since I disclosed mine." Shakespeare smiled at her.

"Jeanne d'Arc."

"Well well! To think that I'd be in the presence of a legendary hero! Well then Holy Maiden let's see how you fight!" Shakespeare quickly opened his book, flipping through pages and casting spells, firing bursts of white light off of his free hand. Jeanne manifested her flag, twirling it around before slicing through his efforts.

"Oh? How amusing. It is true, you rallied your allies with a flag more often than fighting yourself." He continued casting larger and faster bursts, which were getting a bit harder for Jeanne to counter. They kept getting faster, and finally Jeanne was hit and knocked back onto the ground.

"Hmm...this is extraordinary! Being a Caster class servant, I am not normally suited for combat. But my master is extraordinarily powerful, and so I have become stronger as well! I was even revived in my original state!" He exclaimed, flourishing his robes.

"Haha…" Jeanne giggled, standing up and dusting herself off. "You are still weaker than my master. I can feel it. His magic power surpasses yours!"

"What?! Impossible! He is human, and I am an immortalized Heroic Spirit! There is no possible way his magic surpasses mine!"

"You are arrogant. You underestimate humans. Some of their mages are incredibly powerful! And he is my master! Here's the work of the Lord! My flag, defend our brethrens! Luminosité Eternelle!" She twirled her flag around again, and it started to glow golden, creating a magic shield that protected her from all damage. Shakespeare continued to fire white bursts at her, but she shrugged them off this time, rushing up to him and slicing across his torso with the spike of her flag, damaging him and causing him to fall back onto the ground.

"You and I have similar fighting styles. I am Ruler class, therefore I also do not fight primarily. However, should the need arise, I will not hesitate to unsheath my weapons."

"A Ruler? Ha, then you are just like him." He stood back up again, dusting himself off, and flipping his book back open.

"You know Holy Maiden, with a past as tragic as yours, I believe I know what could fell you in battle."

"Oh? I am curious, but I can't let that get the better of me. I will finish you here." Her golden glow disappeared, and she readied her flag.

"You've dropped your Noble Phantasm. That was a poor choice. Now, it is time to raise the curtains! The title of my Noble Phantasm is, First Folio! Start the play!" He snapped his fingers, and Jeanne's eyes widened as her perception of reality changed.

"Jeanne, my beloved…"

Her eyes widened, recognizing the voice.

"Gilles…" She looked around, finding him slowly walking through the catacombs, slowly walking into a dark and big room. Lighting a candle, it was revealed to have multiple corpses...CHILDREN'S corpses...piled on the floor, along with some that were restrained against the wall, seemingly beaten and exhausted.

"What...is this?!" She cried.

"Everyone has regrets in their lifetime, my dear." She heard Shakespeare's voice this time. "And you are absolutely no exception. Given your circumstances, you do not know what happened to your dear comrade following your execution, do you?"

"Monsieur...I beg of you...please let us go…" One of them choked out.

"Quiet, you heathen!" He unsheathed his sword and swiftly decapitated the four children that were strung up.

"No! Gilles!" Jeanne screamed.

Gasping, he fell to his knees, gazing upon the blood that he had just spilt.

"Do you see, children? God has forsaken us. Because if he truly cared, shouldn't I be struck down for these acts I have committed? Yet I am not. I continue to perform these deeds. God forsook my dear Jeanne when she was convicted, and now he has forsaken the world itself. There is no supreme authority anymore, there is only people! Filthy, disgusting people!" He yelled, losing his sanity.

"Gilles...stop this…" She held her face, tears streaming down.

"Do you see now, Holy Maiden? Following your death, your people abandoned all hope. A simple countryside girl, but they believed in you more than their own monarch. Your comrade Gilles de Rais would rape and slaughter hundreds of innocent children and perform unholy rituals, and in the end, was only detained and executed for the crime of political treason, which he had never confessed to." The illusion broke, and Jeanne was now on the ground, shaken.

"What was...the point of this?"

"The point? There was none. My Noble Phantasm, First Folio, is for breaking others' spirits. No matter who I face, I can reenact their innermost fears and regrets as a show, and go on to destroy their mental stability. You are just one exemplary instance where your death affected many in such drastic ways. I'm afraid we've come to the closing act of the performance. Farewell, Holy Maiden." He charged up a powerful magic burst and fired it point blank, sending her reeling backwards. He scoffed and began to walk past her, but stopped when he heard her stand back up again.

"Hm...so you are not broken after all."

"What you showed me is distressing, I'm not denying that. But given what year it is, these actions were carried out almost 600 years ago, and Gilles and I are long since alive. So the children of these times are safe."

"Are they?"

"Yes, they are!" She detached her cape, as it was torn apart from Shakespeare's last attack. She rushed towards him and this time slashed him twice across the front, as he finally fell over, coughing up blood and laughing. Jeanne stood over him, panting.

"It looks like this is once again my final performance. How extraordinary...that I could die twice...my fame truly precedes me…Holy Maiden...you are mistaken…" he laughed, smiling at her.

"Mistaken about what?"

"The children of these times are not safe. Gilles de Rais was immortalized as a Heroic Spirit as well, meaning that it is possible he can be summoned multiple times. And who is to say that he will not continue his actions then? And will you be there to stop him?"

She looked down sadly.

"Perhaps that's true...but I have faith; not in God this time, but in humanity; that someone will stop him if he continues them."

"He...hehe...you are truly amazing, Jeanne d'Arc. It was a privilege to both fight and converse with you."

"Thank you, Caster." Shakespeare closed his eyes and smiled as his body dispersed into golden magic particles.

"Now then...I have to get back to Master." She headed back towards Hayashi.

X

"Haaah!" Nero dodged the machine's attacks, which wasn't that hard considering that he was really slow, even with his thrusters.

'His speed clearly isn't a problem...it's his attack and defense that are overwhelming.'

"You are quite the nimble one, female Saber." the robot complimented.

"Being short comes with its advantages. Now why don't you tell me who you really are?"

"Only if you tell me."

"Very well. Nero. Nero Claudius Caesar."

"Hoh...a feisty one. I like that. I myself am the Caster Class Charles Babbage. The King of Steam."

"I've never heard of you."

"I wouldn't expect you to. I only died a little over 100 years ago. Your time was long before my own. Although I didn't complete it during my lifetime, I focused on creating and powering the first computers with a steam engine. And you are the tyrannical fifth emperor of the Ancient Roman Empire."

"Tyrannical no longer means anything to me. My very being right now is before my downfall happened. You are facing one of the glorious rulers of Rome. Aestus Estus: The Embryonic Flame." Nero held her hand out and her large jagged red and black sword materialized into her hand.

"You believe you can defeat me with that sword?"

"Umu. You will fall here, as my Master has commanded it." She jumped and slashed across his armor diagonally, but it didn't leave a scratch.

"Your sword is not strong enough to break through." He grabbed her by the dress and flung her back against another building.

"Ugh...you brute...I guess that I can't hurt you without my special ability…" She stood back up and slid her hand along the length of the blade, flames beginning to form around it.

"Fire…?" He asked hesitantly.

"Indeed. I am not called Red Saber just for my outfit. I offered to fight you because heat melts metal. Even I know that." She smirked, running up to him and slashing across his front twice, this time leaving flaming red marks.

"Grgh!"

"You are a Caster Class, and you are powerful, but you are slow. I can deal with you easily."

"Can you? You may regret saying that. Dimension Steam!" His robot began emitting emitting steam, and before long, nothing was left of the real world.

"This is a reality marble…" Nero mumbled.

"Yes, it is. My Noble Phantasm, Dimension Steam." Nero looked around as he disappeared into the vapor, being unable to see him anymore.

She cried out as he suddenly came crashing down, his humongous scepter plowing into her and smashing her into the ground. His Noble Phantasm disappeared and he slowly got up off of her, her body seemingly crushed.

"It seems that you were not the combat type. You are the type of leader who hides their physical strength behind their political power. What a disgrace." His machine began to walk away, but she got back up.

"What?!" Their surroundings began to change again, and before long, they were in a golden coliseum-like theater.

"Welcome to the Aestus Domus Aurea...my personal theater." She grinned.

"What…? A reality marble?"

"No, not quite. This is just the location reproduced by me through mana."

"But you shouldn't have this much left after that strike I performed!"

"Do you really think I couldn't see you in that dimension? You're a giant robot, with red glowing eyes, and I can hear you as very easily as well. I used a skill of mine, Imperial Privilege, to increase my defenses. I figured I'd catch you off guard if I took a hit and made it seem like I was beaten. And now…Imperial Privilege!" She used it again, her flames starting up and her wounds healing.

"I'm better than even my top form. There's no doubt that your suit is sturdier than I initially thought, but let's see it survive an Anti-Team Noble Phantasm! Laus Saint Claudius!" She flew past him, slicing with her improved blade, practically cutting the robot in half, and defeating it. A giant pillar of flames consumed him as well, as Nero's theater disappeared and they were sent back to the city.

"I...lost…" he mumbled.

"Those flames represent my passion. Despite everything I did to harm my people, I loved the city of Rome. And Rome is something that you never had. You were never a match for me." The servant disappeared, and Nero headed back to where the others began.

X

"You're a Saber, are you not?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, why is a Saber fighting an Archer? You're either incredibly stupid, or incredibly strong."

"It's the latter, I assure you."

"Or so you claim. Perhaps you are strong enough to fight other archers, but I am not in the same league as them!" He grabbed his contraption, holding it like a rocket launcher, and beginning to actually fire rockets. Altera dodged them effortlessly, blowing holes in buildings, but not affecting either of them.

"Are you really okay with the city getting destroyed like this?!" he laughed maniacally.

"Yes. This is what I'm used to after all."

"Oh? You must be a servant with quite a warrior's past."

"Indeed. And you? It doesn't appear to be the case, yet you are clearly a violent person."

"I am a criminal mastermind!" He switched the weapon to bullets instead, utilizing it as a submachine gun.

"Hmph. Sword of Mars." Altera summoned her weapon, a futuristic looking longsword formed by three bands of light, red, green, and blue, and having a red guard near the bottom. She gripped it and swung it upwards effortlessly, releasing a shockwave strong enough to blast all of the bullets away.

"What?!" Archer stood back, clearly distressed by the weapon.

"Ah...I haven't been able to swing this sword in 1600 years...to be away from destruction for so long...it was unbearable…" Her eyes looked up to him, still lifeless.

"That weapon...who are you? Tell me your true name!"

"I am known by many names: Altera, Etzel, the King of Combat, the Scourge of God, and some even referred to me as Divine Punishment itself. But I suppose my most well-known name is Attila."

"Grrghh...no wonder you took me on...for me to face the King of Combat in a one on one fight…"

"Precisely...there is no possible way for you to win. You asked me before if I cared how much destruction we caused to this city. This is my element. I do not think, and I do not feel. Since I was a child, I could do nothing but conquer and massacre. And you are but another of my victims."

"But do you not understand?! Someone as powerful as you...why would you need a Master! You could kill him so easily!" Just from that remark, she swung her sword again, delivering a massive wound across his torso, staggering him backwards.

"To even suggest such a thing is idiotic beyond belief. Since becoming a Servant, no Master has been strong enough to summon me, not even once, until now. And to be able to summon me as well as two other high class servants...it intrigues me, how someone came to be that powerful. I have not experienced having a Master before, and this one seems to be similar to me. We have a similar emptiness in us. I feel as if we have a genuine connection."

"You...feel as if you are connected to someone? What utter nonsense! You said it yourself, you do not think or feel, you are a monster of carnage! You contradict yourself!"

"Do not think that you know who I am or who I can be, fool. You have not lived my life, do not try to warp it."

"Fool…? How dare you...I am Professor James Moriarty! The Napoleon of Crime! I cannot be defeated by a faulted servant such as yourself! Noble Phantasm, liberated! My final formula, the ultimate crime, I shall prove it here...The Dynamics of an Asteroid!"

"What an utterly ridiculous name."

"Silence, wench!" He jumped high into the air and fired a barrage of both missiles and rockets at her. She raised her sword up again and lashed it out, the blades morphing into a whip that knocked them out of the sky or made them explode on impact.

'I have you now!' He grinned, landing in front of her and firing a powerful blue laser from it.

However, once the onslaught was finished, she remained completely untouched, and retracted her blade, impaling him with it since he was still up close.

"B-But...how…?"

"My Star Emblem skill. These marks on my body are from an ancient ritual that was performed on me. By expending mana through any part of my body, I can improve its performance drastically. And my mana is practically limitless thanks to Master. James Moriarty was your name? Forgive me, but I have no earthly idea who you are or who you were supposed to be. Since I laid eyes on you, you were naught but another sacrifice." His body disappeared as well as he lost consciousness and Altera released her sword, it disappearing until she needed it again. She looked down and examined herself.

"Blood...my clothes are stained with it...damn it…" She walked off towards Hayashi.

X

"They have fallen."

"Yes, I can sense it. Even Moriarty, huh...I don't think Nightingale will last very long against all four of them. It is time for us to reveal ourselves. But not in the way that they think…"

X

"Guh…" Berserker jumped back, avoiding more beams of energy that Hayashi fired at her.

"I've backed you into a corner. Well well, and I thought you claimed mages were no match for servants."

"It is true that I underestimated your abilities. You are clearly a powerful mage...although I am not that amazing as far as servants go, either."

"What are you talking about? You have quite an intimidating aura, as far as Berserkers go."

"I'm flattered, but I've told you my true identity already. I'm a nurse, in life and in rebirth. I was not a warrior like your servants are. And so there are plenty of other Berserkers stronger than me. Against them, you wouldn't win."

"Perhaps not. But right now, I'm not up against them, am I?" He stomped his foot onto the ground, cracking it towards her. She jumped up and dodged it, rushing down towards him again, taking out her pistol and firing it. He created a magic barrier that blocked the shots, then cast a gust of wind that sent her flying back into a building.

"Ow...Nursing of Steel…" She stood up, her wounds healing quickly.

"Ah...of course you have a healing skill."

"Indeed. That's not the only thing I have though." She held her arms out to their full span, and a magic circle appeared under her, gathering her power into her hands.

"Treatment start. I will abstain from everything that is harmful and everything that is poisonous. I will stop them with all my strength and guide everybody to happiness! Nightingale Pledge!" Behind her, the giant upper body of a woman in a nurse's uniform manifested, holding a blade up. She raised it above her head and swung downwards, Hayashi gritting his teeth and jumping away.

"You cannot avoid this. Because it is not a physical attack. People called me the Angel of Crimea. A white being of purity in a place of hell. Patients begged me to kill them because of the conditions...do you know what it's like? To see nothing but death, disease and destruction everywhere you look?"

"..."

"I decided that I would do everything in my power to stop seeing these things. My Noble Phantasm is one that does not harm, rather, it seals away the True Names and Noble Phantasms of Servants for a time. Weapons are dropped, and magecraft no longer works. And on allies, it heals their wounds and cures all disease." Hayashi listened before a small smile formed on his lips.

"I see...a nice ability, but I'm afraid there's no fixing me." He smiled sadly at her, using magic to boost his speed and thrusting his palm into her stomach, firing a burst of magic through her body, causing her to get knocked back into a wall again, coughing up blood.

"H-How…?"

"I have a special condition. My magic cannot be taken away no matter what, and my personality cannot be cleared of any negative thoughts."

"B-But why…?" She healed herself, but didn't stand up again.

"It's...a long story that I don't really want to bring up. You and I are pretty similar, you know. We've both seen hell. But the difference between us is that I wasn't able to heal the victims and make things better." He bent down so that he was eye level with her.

"Sorry, love. Maybe next time." he smiled at her, making her blush a bit and look down.

"You are impressive indeed, Mage." The light voice complimented. Hayashi meant to turn around, but was stabbed in the back by a knife.

"Gurgh…!" He fell backwards, startling Florence.

"Nice work." Their leader complimented again.

"I'll heal you…" Florence got onto her knees and prepared to heal his wound, but was stopped, and started shaking, frozen in place. She looked up slowly, seeing one of her master's command seals gone.

"By order of my command seal, you are not to help that man in any way, shape, or form." He smiled at her.

"The blood…" She mumbled, looking down slowly.

"Soon enough, the blood will no longer be an issue, my dear. He will bleed out, and then there will be nothing you can do anyhow."

"You bastard...leave the poor girl alone…" Hayashi growled, rolling over onto his back, glancing at who was standing over him.

The first one was a young man with blonde hair, wearing black boots, dark blue pants, a white dress shirt, black cravat, and a gray vest with yellow trim that was buttoned closed. He also had a dark blue coat over his shoulders, black gloves on his hands, and glasses. He was about 5'7".

The second one was noticeably younger and shorter than any of the other servants he had encountered so far, looking to be a preteen, and only standing at about 4'3". She wore tight black boots and had a black cloak wrapped around her, shielding whatever clothing she was wearing underneath. She wielded two curved silver knives with light purple trim, meaning that she was the one who stabbed him. She also had striking light green eyes, and short white hair that only went down to the top of her neck.

The third one was the leader of the seven himself. He was a handsome young man, in his late 20s, and was also dressed up nicely. He wore black suit pants, a white dress shirt, and a brown vest. He had slicked back blue hair, with a single strand hanging down over his face. He had a special contraption attached to his body, over his stomach. It was seemingly made of either copper or bronze, and had four large buttons on the left side. Attached to it were six mechanical arms; three on each side; with magnifying glasses on the ends. He held a cane sword in his right hand, and wore a long black trench coat over everything.

"Master!" Hayashi looked above him to see Jeanne jump down and bend down to tend to his wounds. Nero and Altera followed soon afterwards from the other directions.

"Jeanne…" Hayashi leaned onto her and whispered something into her ear. She nodded subtly, as the others prepared to fight against the next two servants, Altera taking the cloaked one, and Nero the other.

"You are Emperor Nero, and you are Attila." Their leader smiled at them, then turning to Hayashi's final servant. "And you are Jeanne d'Arc. A pleasure. It's always nice to meet another Ruler."

"You...are a Ruler?" Jeanne asked hesitantly.

"Indeed. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sherlock Holmes, the Greatest Detective to ever live." Hayashi's eyes widened.

"Don't be rude, you two. Introduce yourselves." He commanded the other two.

"Jack the Ripper." The young girl said.

"Henry Jekyll." The blonde man added.

"So...two fictional servants, and one real. Who would have thought that Jack the Ripper was just a little girl? You must have been pretty messed up in the head." Hayashi told her.

"You might think that, but I do not know if I am truly Jack the Ripper. His true identity was never revealed ever, and so it's possible for multiple people to become the Assassin Class Servant known as Jack the Ripper. There were numerous accounts and stories of suspects that could have been him. I am just one of those fabrications come to life." She twirled one of her knives around her finger.

"Henry, release your Noble Phantasm." Sherlock commanded.

"B-But I…!"

"Now." He used another command seal that forced Jekyll to take out a bottle of medicine and ingest it.

"It's here. It's here! It's here, it's here, it's here!" He yelled maniacally, his tone shifting wildly. He took his glasses off, and his eyes turned red from their normal green. He also took his gloves off and pulled out two knives, licking them.

"Praetor, who is this man?!" Nero yelled, holding her sword out in front of her to block any strikes that he was getting ready to inflict.

"His name is Henry Jekyll, better known as Dr. Jekyll. He's a character from a popular book that was published about 130 years ago. He developed a serum that was supposed to flush out all evil personality traits inside of him, but instead only succeeded in amplifying those traits and separating it as a completely different personality, called Edward Hyde. That's who this guy is: someone who enjoys carnage for the sake of carnage."

"I see…Once again, I will have to demonstrate my passion for Rome!" She lit her sword on fire again and rushed towards him as he jumped back, laughing.

"Nero Claudius, you were a far more twisted and sadistic individual than I ever was!" He chuckled, pointing at her.

"That is not who I am."

"Deny it all you want, but you cannot change what has already happened!" he roared, tossing a knife towards her. She deflected it, and he jumped down, running up to her and slashing twice with a new knife, succeeding in cutting her face and splashing a bit of blood on his clothes.

"Well now look at what you did." He unbuttoned his vest, displaying the dark red liquid that had already stained his white shirt.

"I wouldn't worry too much. After all, you'll be going back to the Throne soon enough!" She yelled, launching a wave of flames towards him. He jumped to the side, avoiding them, but looking a bit distressed.

"Master, will you be alright?" Altera asked, glancing behind her.

"Yes. Take care of that Assassin."

"Of course. I need no more than a few minutes." She materialized her sword again and swiped towards her, but didn't connect, due to "Jack" being extremely fast. Assassin dashed across the area, coming up behind Altera and attempting to stab her. She lifted her sword into the air and unleashed a shockwave that blew Jack backwards, injuring her a bit. She turned towards her and unleashed her sword as a whip again, lashing Jack and ripping her cloak apart.

Underneath, she wore a small black vest that was fastened together by small belts around her torso and her neck, and nothing more than a skimpy pair of underwear. Tied around her waist were multiple blade sheathes.

"Alright then...I guess it's time for you to go away." She giggled, looking up at the dark sky.

"Yeah, let's murder it. Hell is starting. We are flames, rain, power...Let there be a slaughter...Maria the Ripper!" She smiled at Altera, tossing her knives into the air and catching them backhanded.

"No...Jeanne, stop her!" Hayashi told his third servant. She quickly prepared to intercept her.

'Damn it, the way her Noble Phantasm feels, I can't let either of them get hit!' Altera's eyes widened as the next thing she saw was Hayashi standing in the way, taking Jack's slashes head on.

"MASTER!" Jeanne screeched.

"Altera, now! HRRRK!" Hayashi felt himself get run through by the Sword of Mars. However, the blade also went into Jack as well. She took it out, and both victims fell backwards, Jeanne catching Hayashi, and Jack hitting the ground.

"Berserker, heal him!" Jeanne yelled to the seemingly traumatized Florence.

"I...can't…" she muttered, still held by her Master's command seal.

"How unfortunate." Sherlock looked down at Jack as her body faded away and went back to the Throne of Heroes.

"What? Jack is down?" Hyde looked over at the others, caught off guard long enough for Nero to appear from behind and impale him as well."

"Gah! No….." His body also disappeared.

"And so we are all that's left…" Holmes looked over at Florence. "Unfortunately, it seems as though you were willing to betray me, and so I'll have to wipe you out myself once I finish off the others."

"I...I cannot stand to see anyone wounded, be them friend or foe! It's just who I am!"

"I see. I suppose I should have expected this. You're not worthy of being a Berserker. I don't think you're worthy of being any class, frankly. But, as your leader, I feel as if it is my responsibility to demonstrate how to deal with your adversaries properly." His magic power started to spike up, and the stitching that was keeping his coat together came apart, making each end flow around him.

"Do you really think I'm going to wait for you to do something?!" Nero rushed up to him, but his mirrors rotated and reflected the moonlight, becoming bright enough to blind her so he could get some distance.

"Let us begin. It's elementary, my friend. Elementary, My Dear." He activated his Noble Phantasm, summoning a bronze sphere, sitting on top of it. It soon opened, releasing a line of enormous magnifying glasses that channeled light onto the forms of the three servants. He interlocked his hands and placed them under his chin, his eyes lighting up as he examined the three Heroic Spirits one by one.

'Hm...I see...Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus...Jeanne d'Arc...and Attila the Hun…Formidable opponents indeed. They weren't fooling about their Master. A mage strong enough to summon those three? That's impressive indeed. Now for weaknesses...those two have certain mental instabilities, but Attila...the only way she'd lose is to fight someone who's stronger than herself...and servants of that caliber are few and far between. I'll have to force Berserker to fight her alongside me…'

He rotated the magnifying glasses on his body and positioned them so that more light reflected, creating a beam that went towards Altera. She held her sword out and absorbed it.

"Absorbing light?"

"The blades have light properties in them, so an attack like that can be stopped easily." She explained, before using it as a whip again, Sherlock dodging it. He fired light beams again while in the air, but this time Jeanne ran forward and deflected them with her flag. Sherlock went down onto the ground again and began to battle Jeanne one on one with his cane sword, seemingly overpowering her.

"You led your people into battle, but you did not fight the battles yourself!" He called her out.

"You're wrong! I fought beside the people!"

"But how often? I trained in both hand to hand combat and swordsmanship, and it seems that I, a lowly detective, is stronger than you, the heroine of the Hundred Years' War."

"Stronger than me? You wish!" she grinned, pushing him back and slashing him with the spike of her flag. She ran up to him and kicked him backwards, making him fall onto the ground. She ran up and stomped on all of his magnifying glasses, shattering them and making them useless. As she was about to finish him off, he jumped up and attacked again with his sword, as the two began fighting again. Berserker looked down at Hayashi again, noticing that he was unconscious and still losing blood.

"You two! Help! He's going to bleed out!" She screamed, prompting Nero and Altera to rush over.

"Imperial Privilege!" Nero tried to use one of her skills to heal him, but it didn't have any effect.

"His body rejected it?! How is that possible?!" she yelled.

"Natural Body!" Altera also tried to use her own healing skill, but it was also ineffective.

"Nothing seems to be working for some reason."

"Grrr...defeat Sherlock! Quickly! Once he's gone, I can heal your master with Nursing of Steel! It will work!"

"Come now, Heroine, why don't you use the sword that's strapped to your side?!" Sherlock asked, continuing to hack away at her flag.

"I will not! That is only as a final resort!" She yelled back, countering him and slicing his leg. His eyes widened as Altera sped behind him and cut apart his invention, both his coat and the golden brace falling to the ground, leaving him with nothing but his sword.

"Aestus Domus Aurea!" Nero used her Noble Phantasm, trapping Ruler inside of it. She swung her sword in a circle, gathering flames onto it.

"Sunlight of spring. Dancing of flowers. The fragrant winds of June brush against your cheeks, Blessing beyond the stars. Open, Nupitae Domus Aurea! Sing, Fax Caelestis!" She sliced past him, then placing her sword tip on the ground, as a giant pillar of fire engulfed Sherlock, defeating him and sending his body back to the Throne of Heroes.

Florence felt herself released from bondage and scrambled onto her knees, preparing to treat Hayashi.

X

The last thing he heard was Fax Caelestis. The next thing he heard was a choir singing Ode to Joy.

"Nngh...Nero?" He opened his eyes slowly, finding the Red Saber sitting to his right, scrolling through his phone.

"Ah, Praetor! I'm so glad you're awake!" She leaned over and hugged him tightly.

"Ow...Nero, you're squeezing too hard…"

"Oh! Forgive me!" She backed away, blushing and grinning.

"What...happened?"

"You blacked out from your wounds...we didn't know if you would make it, but thanks to Berserker, you were healed."

"Berserker? Florence is still here?"

"Yes. She formed a contract with you right after her previous master was sent back to the Throne."

"I see. I'm surprised her treatment worked. She really is incredible…"

"Yes, we wanted to discuss that with you later…"

"Yes, it would be smart to...were you listening to Beethoven's 9th?"

"Indeed! Florence is well versed in music, and walked me through all of the centuries of it that I missed. I've been listening to this kind for a few hours now. It's called Classical, right? These composers are so incredible! This Ludwig von Beethoven...he must have been from Rome, right?"

"Nero...listen to his name. It's German. He was from Germany."

"What?! But surely the others-! Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?!"

"Austrian."

"Franz Joseph Haydn?!"

"Also Austrian."

"George Frideric Handel?!"

"German, then British. Trust me, Nero, most famous Classical composers were either based in Vienna or London."

"Master! You're awake!" Jeanne cried happily, running in and also hugging him, followed by Altera and Florence.

"So you are not dead after all." Altera said, smiling a bit.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Hayashi rolled his eyes. He looked over at Florence, who smiled at him.

"Thank you, Florence."

"I was just doing my job. I despise warfare. I hope you don't mind that I formed a contract with you of my own accord. I had to in order to stay in this world and heal you."

"No, I don't mind. Not at all. I think I'm going to keep you here, too. It would be smart, considering you're probably the only person other than myself that can successfully heal me."

"Yes, about that...we wanted to discuss that, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, it would be good for you to know, too, I guess. Well, it would have been 3 years ago now. At the end of the last Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, was absorbed into the Holy Grail and became its new core. Not too long after that, I summoned a servant for a mission that the Association had me on. But the servant I summoned was Avenger, Angra Mainyu, the darkness of the Grail. For a short time, we seemed to work well together, but in the end, he just used me, and took over my body, changing me into an Avenger class servant temporarily. I lost control of my mind and my reason, and all I could do was rampage. I killed my teammates and almost 300 people, including other Clock Tower Mages, and my own family. Finally, the Vice-Director was able to separate me from him, and banished him back to the Throne, but I haven't summoned a servant since then. I've been on a leave of absence until now."

"That's awful…" Jeanne muttered sadly.

Altera looked down, remembering that she used to do the same thing, in a sense.

"Not everything is back to normal, though. A bit of his powers stayed within me, so the darkness will reject any outside magic done to me unless it's a type that ignores other already active effects, like your Nursing skill. That's why those other two didn't work."

"I see…" She rubbed her head.

"So I think keeping you here with us is the best thing to do, Florence. We could use a healer, and you're the only one that would work if something like this happened to me again."

"Yes...very well then. Master." She smiled at him.

"Alright, until we get another update from my boss, I'll just have to recover here."

"Yes, that would be wise. Actually, Jeanne, do you mind going out to the store and getting some more soap? We're out."

"No, of course not. I'll go now." She stood up and changed back into her casual clothes. Hayashi gave her some money and she went on her way.

X

"You keep watching her. It's creepy."

"I am allowed to do what I want."

"You're into her, aren't you?!" a female voice giggled.

"You cannot deny that she is beautiful. And she intrigues me. She is a Ruler class, and a great hero of war, is she not? She dislikes battle, yet when fighting the good detective, she seemed excited. I would like to spend time with her and learn more about her."

"Well how are you gonna do that? You can't just waltz up and knock on her door and ask her out."

"I have a plan. We just have to wait until later tonight."

"I thought you didn't like nighttime because Ra isn't watching over you."

"Ra is always watching over me. I am the King of Kings, and the most powerful servant in existence since Gilgamesh disappeared that time ago. Come, Okita. We shouldn't linger around here any longer."

End.

So, originally, I was going to do romance between Hayashi and the servants, but now, I think I'm going to do it between servants instead. The main pairing of this story will be Jeanne and the man above, who I'm sure you'll be able to figure out his identity if you are familiar with the franchise. What did you think so far?