Across the worlds, through the eras, the Holy Grail War may take myriads of ways. It may be a desperate contest between stray children from a prior ritual, it may be an advanced simulation staged on a lunar colony in the far flung future. It may be a final stand against the demons that would erase human history from the seat of the King of Magic, or a bloody succession war in Ancient Rome. It may even be a televised games program or a demented car race. Sometimes in swimsuits.

But all of them feature the new against the old, the female principle against the male, the scrappy underdog against the grizzled and confident old dog of war with thundering jaws to match its bite.

The Fourth Fuyuki Heaven's Feel was no exception, as Tohsaka Rin faced Gilgamesh, peerless King of Uruk, in the former's palatial home.

The golden monarch began his strike with a bout of hearty laughter able to shatter any normal child's faith and self-esteem. "Bwa ha ha ha ha! You, my Master?! It is to laugh! From any grown man, I'd consider that claim a capital crime," at this point Tokiomi discreetly rubbed his own throat with a subtle flinch, "but from a child it is such a sweet jest! How laughable pitiful innocence can be at times!"

Rin pouted, pointing at the Command Seals on the back of her hand. "I'm not joking! See this? It's the proof I summoned you!"

He wiped the tears of laughter from his serpentine red eyes with a finger. "Poor youngling! It was my own willpower that brought me here where I'm sorely needed. You were at best just a conduit." Looking around the room, his gaze fell on Tokiomi, who had fallen to a knee before him, his head low. "From your appearance and the fear in your eyes, I deduce you are the insolent girl's father, aren't you?" he coldly asked him.

"Insolent…?" Rin-chan murmured, a small vein bulging on her forehead.

"Indeed, Sire," Tokiomi humbly said. "Please forgive her. She is used to dominance, as we are of a higher status than our contemporaries. A lower family would have never achieved the miracle of contacting someone of your magnificence."

Gilgamesh wasn't impressed. "If you are the best these times have to offer, then I truly fear to see the rest." He looked at the Kotomines next, pausing before Grail induced knowledge settled in, and he recognized their attire for what it was. "At least you had the good sense of bringing representatives of your faith for the occasion. High priests at the very lowest, I would expect…"

"Well, well, well!" an even taller figure said, appearing behind an uncomfortable Kirei and smoking a large cigar. "So 'tis the front guy, huh? Nice style, Goldilocks. Who's your hairdresser? Ma'am Fifi?"

Gilgamesh sneered, visibly disgusted at first sight. "Ugh! And who is this ill-smelling mongrel brought to offend my senses? Am I supposed to exterminate him?"

"This is my Servant, Assassin, Your Majesty," Kirei quickly said, while Tokiomi discreet but hastily pulled Rin towards himself protectively. "He is here to deal with all threats below your royal notice."

"I see," Gilgamesh grouched. "A lowly enforcer… Couldn't you have gotten someone better for me?"

"Hey, mister!" Assassin growled. "Lowly nuthin'! I'm th' best money can buy! I've razed thousands o' planets down ta th' ground! I'm Lobo! Motherfraggin' Main Man! Killer f'r hire extraordinarie, or however dat's spelt!"

Gilgamesh smiled venomously. "I hope you won't pretend I should pay this mercenary's salary from my pristine wealth, meant only for the noblest endeavors. Or will you?" he added dangerously.

"Never would dream of imposing that upon you, Sire," Tokiomi said, hands firm on Rin's shoulders to keep her quiet. "Assassin's fee and all related affairs are Kirei's responsibility. You will see, he is my disciple, of sorts, and we have thought of a plan that we think will make your victory even more—"

"You would believe I wouldn't be able to easily win this War on my own, no matter who would face me?!" Gilgamesh bristled, on the edge already.

"Not at all, of course we have the utmost faith on your legendary abilities," Tohsaka quickly replied, "but we also have thought we shouldn't bother you with anything below your importance…"

"Man!" Assassin grumbled. "What a buncha pants-wettin' pussies ya high fallotin' wizards turned out ta be! Guy just walks into yer own house an' you start whimperin' f'r mercy, right 'fore yer own kiddo, as soon as he looks your way!"

Gilgamesh smiled again, and Kirei already was taking notice of how mercurial he could be. "Cowardly indeed, don't you think? But there's wisdom on fearing the King's wraith, at all."

"Mebbe. Me, I've never been keen on wisdom an' stuff like dat!"

"I can tell."

"Yup, dat's me awright! An' proud of it too! I don't care at all f'r all dat stuff!"

"I'm glad you're aware you're a festering, fetid, rancid and revolting ignorant, offensive to the eyes, ears and smell of all that is good and refined," Gilgamesh said.

Assassin grinned from one ear to the other. It was a terrible thing to behold. "Goldie! Mebbe I wuz wrong 'bout ya! Ya flatterer, y'have just painted The Main Man down to a tee!"

Gilgamesh laughed again, shaking his head. "I like that you know your place, mongrel!"

"That, I do! And yer right, I'm the most sordid son o' a fraggin' bitch ever!"

"That's rich! You're so conscious of how much of a thoughtless brute you come across as!"

"Why thank ya, Clyde! I do my best effort on keepin' my public image, after all! Wouldn't wanta make folks ever think I've gone legit or sumthin'!"

Rin's eyes darted back and forth between the Servants, who stood their ground against each other forcing wide clenched murderous grins, then she asked her father, "Is this what they call the start of an odd friendship?"

Somewhere in Finland, for some reason, a very young Luviagelita Edelfelt sneezed.

"Okay, mebbe we can get along after all, Goldie! Just 'member!" Lobo pointed at Rin and told the King, "I saw 'er first, so in ten years, first dibs on dat ass are mine! Got that?!"

Archer shrugged. "You can have her. I have a feeling she will grow up to resemble someone I'd rather forget, after all!"

Rin made a small but very pronounced frown. "I'm not sure what are they talking about… but I'm sure I don't like it at all!"

Her father had simply gone too pale and blood drained to speak at all, eyes hopelessly wide open and sweat blanketing his whole face.

Nasu Kinoko and Type-Moon created and own Fate/Stay Night, Fate Prototype, Fate Zero, Fate EXTRA, Fate Extella, Fate Apocrypha, Fate/Strange Fake, Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya, and Fate Grand Order.

All other characters and franchises are the intellectual properties of their respective copyright holders.

Fields of Fate.

Chapter Two: Zero Hesitation.

"Well, I leave it in your hands then, Shielder," Maris Billy Animusphere said, relaxed and contented, as he marched for the front gates of the Einzbern grounds, held open by two butler homunculi. He was wearing tall boots, a long and thick gray coat, and a large fur hat at obscured most of his face. "It shouldn't be difficult, right? You have followed the King for a long time now, and you've forgotten more about battle tactics than I've ever learned in the first place."

"But, still… are you sure this is wise, Master?" asked the girl standing in the snow, under a cloudy but momentarily calm sky. "Now I owe obedience to you as well. Don't you want to exert your authority more directly?"

He took a moment to smile at her. "I'm okay with anything Kiritsugu and Irisviel decide, really. If I'm needed, they'll know where to find me, and if I need you, you'll know from me right then and there."

The short haired girl nodded slowly, eyes well open, although only one was visible through her pale bangs. "If you say so…"

"I'm glad we're on the same wavelength, then!" Animusphere laughed jovially, already crossing the gates. "Well, gotta go, I can't allow myself to miss this flight. Don't worry, we'll meet again before the War is over, and afterwards, I'm sure we can take some time to celebrate with the Emiyas and the King…"

"Farewell until then, Master," she said softly, waving at him as he got into the limousine waiting for him. The man waved back before the chauffeur closed his door, and soon the vehicle had disappeared down the narrow and curved mountain road, while the gates of the estate closed once more.

Shielder sighed and turned around, walking back to Saber, who waited standing between the trees. "He doesn't fully trust them," the blonde said dryly, "or else he would have handed his Command Seals. I am not sure I can fault him, however."

"I'd rather fight at your side than against you at his command, all the same," Shielder made a small docile smile. "And Lady Irisviel seems to be a good person. I'm sure we'll be fine under her care."

"It is not she who concerns me," the dominant Servant said, looking blandly towards the towers of the stone castle behind them.

Shielder hummed to herself. "You mean Mister Kiritsugu, don't you? What about him?"

"Your Master may have left you behind," the woman in the blue dress explained, "but he at least took the time to talk to us first. Mine has refused to see or speak to us at all from the start; he is a coward, has something to hide, or both. I dislike the idea of fighting for someone whose true motives are unknown to me."

Shielder looked down. "Lady Irisviel said he only wishes for mankind's greater good…"

"And I wish to believe her," Saber replied. Her gaze was fixed on a tall window, from which a tiny girl waved down at them, held in her mother's arms. Shielder smiled widely and waved in return, but Saber did nothing, still sunk into a contemplative silence.

Had Shielder been another kind of knight, maybe she would have pointed out that the problem with Kiritsugu and Saber might be the two of them could be too alike after all.

Waver Velvet woke up slowly, hoping the events of the night before had been just a dream. They'd been so ridiculous and absurd they just had to be, which was a good thing to put his troubled mind to brief ease.

Because there was no way he'd missed on summoning Alexander the Great, after all the effort and risks put into it. No way he'd summoned, of all things, a talking winged unicorn instead. He decided, while getting up from his borrowed bed and then taking a shower, he'd simply forget that awful nightmare and just concentrate on tonight's ritual, which would not fail at all.

But he knew all too well, as he headed over to have breakfast with the old couple currently housing him, that he was only deluding himself. Struggling to hold the tears back, his only hope of sorts was the failed ritual meant the horse had disappeared on its own by now. Sure, it would mean returning home empty handed and in disgrace, right back where he had started or worse, but that was still better than to fight a Holy Grail War with a—

"I'm sure that's him," Mrs. Mackenzie's voice came to his ears right as he was opening the door to the modest dining room. And then Waver froze in place, going horribly pale. "Oh, good morning, Waver dear!" she warmly greeted him, just like she would have greeted the actual grandson they hadn't seen for over a decade. "Headmaster Celestia, this is our Waver. Waver, why hadn't you told us about the Headmaster? Were you saving it as a surprise to us?"

"S-S-Suh-Surprise?!" Waver gasped, looking at the saintly smiling tall and gorgeous woman sitting at the table with the marriage he'd hypnotized into providing him with free lodging one week ago. At first he couldn't recognize her at all, but past his initial shock, there was no mistaking her large eyes and wavy, oddly colored long hair, or the combination of her milky skin with her pristine white business suit. The pastel colored nightmare had struck again!

Glenn Mackenzie nodded, sipping from his cup of coffee. "Don't you remember? She said you called her over to help with your studies, isn't that right, Headmaster?"

The woman, who otherwise didn't look like a horse at all now, nodded, but when she spoke, her musical voice was exactly just like that of the horned unicorn. "Indeed. To be honest, I haven't taught in a while, but I'll do my best, as I already told young Waver. Not to blow my own horn, if you'll excuse the expression, but I've had a fair rate of success with promising students like him…"

"C-Could we talk in private for a minute, please?!" Waver begged in a strangled voice.

"W-What did you think you were doing there?!" Waver demanded, teetering at the edge of a full breakdown, after he had all but dragged his Servant behind the house of the Canadian immigrants.

Rider blinked. "Oh my! You never mentioned I couldn't make myself comfortable, and I love making new friends, so I thought there would be no damage from—"

"No, no, it doesn't work that way, even if you don't look like a horse anymore!" he despaired. "We aren't supposed to involved mundanes into Holy Grail War affairs! H-How did you change anyway?! Is this your real form? Why didn't you have it from the start?!"

She frowned slightly. "Please get a hold of yourself, Waver. First of all, if you really wish to keep these affairs a secret from those you'd call 'mundanes', you should lower your voice immediately. Second, this is an alternate form of mine, achieved through one of one of my Noble Phantasms, the Crystal Mirror. It grants me the appearance of another aspect of my legend, to better fit in with your society, but it is not the primary figure I had in life. And third… I'm disappointed you resorted to hypnotizing people you were supposed to keep away from the dangers of a war. Not only did you do that to those poor chickens, but must you be a liar as well?"

His face twitched several times. "H-How did you know—What else was I supposed to do?! I, I'm not rich like Lord El Melloi! I couldn't pay the rent of a Japanese house, the prices for that here are insane! A-And why did you call me a liar?! You lied to them as well!"

"I did not," she soberly shook her head, with great dignity. "The aspect of my legend whose shape I took was indeed a school headmaster. And I'm here to help you with your studies, as well."

"N-No, you aren't! You're here to help me with the Grail War! You agreed to it and everything!"

She folded her arms. "I did, but that doesn't deny what I told them either. Through this War, I'm hopefully going to teach you a few things you need to learn about life and friendship."

"Friendship, she says!" Waver took his head back, looking all the way up to the sky. "What, what does friendship have to do with a war? Wars are all about demolishing others!"

"For starters, we cannot win this War if we aren't friends," Rider said.

He blinked. "Uh? Hey, hey, n-now, listen, all the books say, a Master is a Master and a Servant is his tool. It's, it's not like I have anything against you, but that's just the way it is, Masters and Servants aren't supposed to be friends, it's only a relationship of mutual interest and nothing else!"

Rider stared at him with the full air of a sorely disappointed teacher.

"It's… It's better that way, honestly…?" Waver flinched, feeling the pressure under those beautiful eyes.

Rider sighed. "That's okay. Twilight Sparkle once used to think just like that, too. There's still time. I'm sure you'll have learned the most important lessons by the time we are done here."

"Who is Twilight Sparkle?" Waver asked curiously, although, unlike most of us, he hadn't found that name to be ridiculous sounding for a girl or woman. He was from the Clock Tower after all, where an abomination like 'Scandinavia Peperocino' would have sounded sensible to most magi.

And his own name was 'Waver Velvet', for Pete's sake.

"I've brought breakfast," Berserker announced, in a set of street clothes borrowed from Kariya, while entering the small, seedy motel room. He set the bread, lettuce and ham on the table and began making two sandwiches. "I hope you won't mind if I take one," he said. "It's been a while since I allowed myself one of these simple pleasures."

"Eat it all if you want," muttered his Master from the single old bed, clutching his stomach with both hands. "I… I don't think I can eat any."

Berserker sat down on a chair to eat slowly. "I'm sorry I'm not that kind of Doctor," he honestly said.

Kariya chuckled darkly. "This illness of mine… it's nothing any physician could treat successfully. It's magical in nature."

"That's what I meant, a magical doctor," Berserker said. "I used to know one, the best at what he did…" For a moment, he smiled vaguely. "And then, of course, there was this other guy always saying he was the best at what he did, too, but that one was no doctor. Unless you count disemboweling people with metal claws as a surgical procedure. Are you sure you don't want a bite? You aren't going to last long like that."

"I'm not going to last long, anyway," Kariya rolled around to face the wall, starting to wish Berserker had been an incoherent brute after all. "Don't worry, I can at least make it to the end of the War."

Berserker paused in his measured breakfast. "That girl you wish to save… aren't you just going to make her miserable if you simply quit and let yourself die after rescuing her?"

"I'm a dead man, and she's got living parents to return to," Kariya groaned. "She'll forget me before long, and that's okay. As long as they're fine, nothing else matters."

"Maybe if we pulp this food down to a mass, you could swallow it then?" Berserker was pondering. "Have you tried that?"

Kariya punched the wall. "I'm a dead man!" he repeated. "The dead don't belong along the living!"

"That's a funny thing to say for a man who has just revived someone who should have stayed dead," Berserker replied, without sounding amused at all. "I see, your problem is the opposite of mine then. You have reasons to live, but want to give up and die. I should have died for everyone's sake, but… a side of me would never let me die until it was too late."

Kariya glanced back at him over his shoulder. "How did you finally die, then?"

"Messily. There could be no other way."

"That doesn't tell me anything. Are you supposed to be invulnerable? Was it a curse placed on you?"

Berserker gave a somber nod. "Curses take many forms. Not all of them come from magic."

Kariya grouched, pulling the holey bedsheets up to his neck. "Whatever, as long as it's a curse that can be used in the battlefield."

"It is," Berserker confirmed, sounding extremely distant in between bites. "It's all it ever was good for."

Kariya's silence after that took a long while, with Berserker finishing his breakfast, leaving enough bread and fillings in the event his Master changed his mind. At last, said Master said, "Thank you for taking those odd jobs, so you could pay this room, and that food. A Servant shouldn't have to do that for his Master. I… I'm sorry if I offended you."

"I understand. Pressure and grief often made me into an imbecile," Berserker shrugged it off. "I know how it feels, to have your world crumbling around you. Don't worry about making me mad. Insults aimed at me… they don't upset him. If anything, he hates me more than anyone else."

Kariya was puzzled over that strange answer. "What was that supposed to mean? You have a dual personality, right? Are you…" then understanding finally hit him, and he sat up on the bed despite the pain and effort it taxed from him, "Doctor Jekyll!"

"I wish," Berserker said, gloomy and depressed once again. "Hyde at least could be restrained, he could be put out of his misery through a bullet or a glass of poison. My personal hell is much harsher than Henry Jekyll's. Do you think death is bad, Mr. Matou? For me, death was only the beginning. My actual nightmare began when I revived, right at the middle of that massive gamma blast…"

Germany:

A normally taciturn man and his young daughter played together in the pure snow, sharing laughter and joy. It was a sight Artoria Pendragon, King of the Bretons, was not used to. She never met her true father, and her foster father, while loving in his own way, had been a cold and distant man. As for her own son, well…

Standing by the window of Irisviel's study room along Shielder, the blonde looked down at the frolicking duo, carefully studying her Master's expression. It was the first time she had seen the man smiling, as he dodged the snowballs tossed by an energetic Illyasviel, and his happiness seemed genuine even if tainted by a pang of melancholy; contagious to Shielder, who laughed softly to herself with a hand on her mouth. Saber, however, was more perplexed than anything else.

"Wow!" Shielder commented as one of the balls finally hit its target, sending the father spinning back through the air until landing, in a way that almost looked carefully practiced, headfirst down into a small bank of snow by a pine tree. "Lady Illyasviel has a good throwing arm, doesn't she?"

"I don't understand it, Lady Irisviel," Saber said, ignoring the remark from her subordinate. "I don't expect for your husband to address me with the same familiarity he reserves for you, but why has he avoided any and all contact with the two of us? Is it that the revelation of our true forms has disappointed him to that degree?"

The silver haired woman looked up from the journal entries she had been revising and correcting at her desk. It was a collection of annotations she had been taking during the process of adapting as a vessel for the Holy Grail, to better aid in Professor Animusphere's research. "You mean… disappointed about you being girls? Hardly. Father, perhaps, but not him. It's true we were very shocked at first, but Kiritsugu's not the type to underestimate anyone because of their gender. Why, the person who taught him all he knows about fighting was a woman."

"Then what is his reason to act so?" Saber inquired. "Is he simply unwilling to work with others at all?"

"No, that isn't it either," Irisviel said. "He does work with others, but… well, I'm afraid your approach to fighting and his wouldn't mesh at all. You are, after all, two paragons of knightly honor, and from what I have managed to gather, his own style of combat is… how could we put it…"

"Is he a specialist on poisons, secret operations, assassinations and undercover incursions?" Shielder asked, looking away from the window at last. "Because we had someone just like that in the court. Sir Palamedes."

Irisviel paused at the unexpected answer. "W-Well… and did you work at these operations directly with him, or did you just let him go and operate on his own, then?"

Saber nodded. "That is a very good point, Madame. Just a minor correction. Sir Palamedes was, as a matter of fact, a woman."

Irisviel recoiled slightly, startled, and after another moment asked, "Please forgive my curiosity, but exactly how many of you were women after all?"

Shielder and Saber looked at each other before the former took a deep breath in. "Actually, My Lady, listing the men instead might just be somewhat faster. There was my father, Sir Lancelot, of course…"

Saber nodded. "A great knight without equal."

"… and then there was Sir Gawain…" Shielder continued.

Saber nodded again. "A man of the utmost integrity and loyalty."

"… and we never could forget Sir Agravain…" Shielder went on.

"So sadly misunderstood was he," Artoria stoically said, "but his heart was full of nobility and good intentions."

"… and the King's own brother, the remarkable Sir Kay…"

Artoria placed a fist on her own heart. "The first of my companions, he was a steady rock of support to the end."

"… and I could not fail to mention Sir Jason…" Shielder added in a lower voice, almost reluctantly.

Saber's youthful face took on a deep and fierce scowl. "The true snake in our midst. Damned be his name, and may demons plague him forevermore."

Irisviel blinked. "Oh… Excuse me? I don't believe I've read on any Sir Jason in any of the books Kiritsugu got for me…"

Saber smiled harshly. "So the traitor has been forgotten by history? I am glad. Could not have happened to a more deserving knave. I do not even blame Mordred, but I do blame him from the bottom of my heart." A pause. "Of course, I apologize for that sort of grudge being unfit the honor of a knight, but it cannot be helped. He was just that much of a despicable—"

Shielder nodded and said quickly, before her King could go on a further tirade against the vile betrayer, "And lastly, there was Sir Perceval…"

Saber regained the smile that was pure and noble. "Another of my best men! Not excessively intelligent, but a fine warrior all the same!"

"… and last but no least, the brave Sir Robin!" Shielder finished happily.

"O courageous Sir Robin!" Artoria sniffled grandly. "Nerves of steel, acting worth of a god of a stage, always drawing the enemy to him and away from us!"

Irisviel blinked again. "… Sir Robin? I'm afraid I haven't heard of him either…"

Saber and Shielder were immediately shocked and appalled, much unlike what had happened on the topic of Sir Jason. "Sir Robin… forgotten?!" the latter all but screamed.

"It cannot be!" Saber was similarly horrified. "His legend… lost to time? No one remembers anymore, how brilliantly would he fool the adversary? How he would selflessly risk his life, luring whole armies after him with his fleeting feet and quick intellect? All the traps and ambushes he would set for our benefit?"

"… I beg your pardon?" Irisviel asked.

"Without fail, at the worst of battle, although sometimes earlier," Shielder narrated, "Sir Robin would escape, fabulously feigning shrieking and manic terror, and while the enemy rushed after him, attracted by his high pitched laments so wonderfully forged, we would take advantage and strike at them from behind! No matter what, the strategy always worked. Well, except for that last time. I wonder what became of him then…?"

"No one knows," Saber somberly said, "but I hope he has gone to his proper reward. Sir Robin! Bravest man of the Round Table!" she shouted, rising a fist, which then heartily collided against Shielder's own.

Wasn't that… just cowardice? And is that honorable striking from behind anyway? Irisviel thought, with a sweatdrop attached to her head while witnessing this heartfelt exchange. Then she rasped and tried to laugh it off. "Ah ha ha, well, I'm sure other Artorian sources may be more complete than mine! And the rest of you were… girls, right?"

"Basically, yes," Shielder nodded.

Irisviel paused once more, then asked, "… and Merlin…?"

Shielder closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose with two fingers, up and down and back up. "Sorry, My Lady, we assumed you only were asking about us knights. Merlin was a man, indeed…"

"Wise and powerful, none could compare," Artoria said enthusiastically. "A mage above all mages, truly worth of his legend and assorted merchandise. The best guide and teacher a King could ever ask for…"

"Dirty old crazy man," Shielder confided in a whisper, leaning over to speak into Irisviel's ear while Saber ranted on the mystical sage's many great qualities, oblivious to anything else for now.

Iri just nodded slowly.

Fuyuki City:

Fujimaru Shirou had been having a perfectly normal day fitting a perfectly normal little boy. He'd woken up early in the morning, taken a bath and breakfast with his parents, gone to elementary school, returned home, and then went out to play Capsaba with friend and neighbor Sajyou Ayaka in his front yard. See? Perfectly average day, no worries.

"… Onee-sama's reacting well to the medication, thanks for asking," the tiny and frail looking brown haired girl with oversized glasses said while her small Capsaba knight in shining armor pummeled on Shirou's lion wielding a large slab of meat as a cub, with his toy sword. Both children looked up as a young man approached the house next door, whistling whimsically to himself. "Is that him?" she asked.

"Yeah, he is!" the redhaired boy waved at the young man as the guy stuck his keys into the front door. "Good morning, Uryuu-san!"

"Hmm?" the man looked at them and smiled, Ayaka shyly giving a step back. "Ah, hello, Shirou-kun, what's up! Look, sorry I can't play any Capsaba today, but I'm in kind of a hurry, see? I found myself a new part-time job, so…"

Ayaka only breathed easier when Mr. Uryuu had closed the door behind myself. "I don't like him," she said. "There's something weird about that man…"

Ryyunosuke actually overheard her, but paid it no mind as he marched into his parents' house. "Hey, dad!" he called over to the man reading the newspaper on his favorite couch. "You're in luck, I'm moving out today!"

The older man barely lowered his newspaper enough to glare sternly at his son from above it. "Well, it was about time! So? You got yourself a decent job at last?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be working for a foreigner and seeing how it turns out," Ryuunosuke calmly said, heading to his bedroom. "It should go okay, we've got a lot of common interests…"

The older man replied with a grunt as Ryuunosuke locked himself in his room, starting to pack up his things. It was then that Caster materialized herself beside him. "I could feel decent magical potential in that young woman," she aloofly said, a hand stroking her chin. "Are you going to kill them?"

"Noo-ope, not yet, they're neighbors," Ryuunosuke shrugged without looking back at her. "If they disappear, the police will start by asking here. Then they'll find out about Onee-chan's own disappearance five years ago, and in no time I'll become the prime suspect. Can't risk that until we're kings of the world or whatever that Grail thing makes us into."

Caster smiled. "So you are not that stupid after all! Good, good."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all this time, lady." He zipped his now full bags up, then tossed one over each shoulder. "So, where to now?"

"Diablo is scouting for a proper base of operations as we speak," Caster said. "Oh, and speaking of him." She moved towards the window where her crow familiar had just landed, perched on its frame. She petted its head lovingly. "What is it, my dear?" To its crawings, she chuckled darkly. "Most excellent, my friend. Let us go there, in that case."

Ryuunosuke blinked, scratching himself on a cheek. "Hell of a royal estate agent,right…? You look very pleased!"

Coldly, she laughed. "As I should be, indeed, Ryuunosuke! Diablo has just located the perfect dark castle to start my new empire from. Once I have secured that site, spreading my darkness through this city will be as easy as breathing. Before they know it, the other Servants will be hopelessly surrounded from all sides!"

"Cool, I guess," Uryuu shrugged with an easy smile. "Dad's always saying I should be more ambitious already, so let's get moving! It should be entertaining if nothing else…"

Next door, Ayaka and Shirou looked up again from their latest duel of Capsaba at the sound of loud joint laughter coming from the neighbors' residence. "I told you he was creepy…" Ayaka said with a little shudder.

"Okay, I'll give you he's a little bit strange," Shirou replied. "But he's harmless! Dad always says he's too stupid to be a danger to anyone…"

Germany:

Illyasviel and her father now sat on one of the stone benches in the luxurious hunting grounds of the Einzberns, looking up at the quiet sky after an extended session of frolicking in the snow.

"How long will you take, Kiritsugu?" she innocently asked, her hands both on her small lap.

He smiled faintly, letting one of his hands rest tenderly on her scalp. "Only a couple of weeks, maybe three," he promised. "After that, I'll come back to you as quick as I can. That's not that long a wait, is it, Illya?"

She paused, counted with her fingers over a few moments, and then lowered her hands back, shaking her head. "Noo-oo! It's okay, I have Sella and Leysritt to keep me company until then. And Mother, of course."

"… mother?"

She nodded firmly. "Mother told me that, even if she won't make it back in a way I can see her again with my eyes, she'll still be at my side always. So you don't have to worry, Kiritsugu. It won't be the same, but I promised her I'd be strong. As long as I'm with you and the girls, I know I can do it."

"I… I'm sure you will, Illya," the man managed to say, with a hard dry knot in his throat, hugging his child against himself. "You always have been strong. Always will be."

The single plane ticket safely stuffed deep into his breast pocket felt like it weighed a full ton now. Tonight, he would leave his daughter and the shared, warm life of nearly a decade behind forever; even if he won—and at that this point not winning was not an option anymore, if it ever had been—he would return home without Irisviel, having robbed Illya of her mother forever. And then what?

Of that, he could not be certain. In the new world he would forge, a child would still need her mother. No matter how many other children he benefitted, he was stealing the most important part of his own daughter's life. His only bitter consolation, for a lack of a better word, was the Einzberns would have sacrificed Irisviel regardless of his presence or absence. At the very least, he tried to tell himself now and in the long sleepless nocturnal hours staring at his ceiling, he had allowed Illya to exist in the first place, and Irisviel a chance to experiment something beyond the icy walls of her father's fortress, even if only by proxy. Surely that had to be worth something, he would have professed to God had he felt any faith on Him.

And yet, the sensation of being a hypocrite only trying to justify his own selfish desires would always return to him as soon as those thoughts were expressed in his tormented mind. It is easy feeling good about oneself when one argues his own actions are for the greater good, but is the willingness to sacrifice others for those goals ultimately tools for said common good, or for the sense of self accomplishment that would follow?

And most importantly, would Illya ever understand that, after everything was said and done? Should she in the first place?

He tightly held this child who would never have a normal life. In a perfect world he could just massacre the Einzberns and flee with his loved ones to Japan, start all over in a quiet house, maybe have another child, perhaps a boy, a younger brother for her… Irisviel would love that, too…

A normal life with Illyasviel going to a school and having friends her own age. A life unmarred by the bane of magic and the spectre of the Heaven's Feel. But Emiya Kiritsugu did not dare to dream that much.

"Please forgive me," he whispered against his child's scalp, placing a desperate soft kiss on it. She reached over and quietly rubbed his shoulder, without understanding but thinking she did.

"It's only a couple weeks, Kiritsugu… Fourteen days, see? Fourteen days…"

It had started snowing again, softly for the time being.

But it wouldn't take long for it to develop into another wild blizzard.

Night fell over Fuyuki City, and we turn our eyes towards another residence of a founding family for the Heaven's Feel ritual. Several familiars were on guard around the grounds of the Tohsaka palatial estate, just out of range enough to keep an efficient watch without disrupting enough as to be wiped out in retaliation. While the wards around the walls of the manor kept mundanes from seeing or hearing anything extraordinary happening within, familiars were enchanted with the means to bypass such measures more or less easily.

Matou's insects in the trees. Animusphere's bats, equipped with miniature cameras that had been Emiya's idea. Lord El Melloi's mice, scurrying along the sidewalks in nervous patrols. Many are the espionage tools of the magi, a society used to distrust and mutual backstabbing, especially in the eve of a momentous occasion such as a Grail War. And all those watchful eyes bore witness to this particular War's opening salvo, signaled at first by an apparently innocent but decidedly unusual tiny new star suddenly streaking through the clear skies.

"NAAAA-TURAL BORN KIIIIILLERRRR!-!" howled a madly joyous voice as a large flying vehicle zoomed from above towards the manor. Elongated to a disturbingly phallic degree and ornated with macabre skull motifs, it was unlike anything the Masters had seen before, and so was its driver, now visible as he came close enough, scratching his stomach while singing hideously, "BORN IN A WOOOORLD GOOO-OOOONE MAAAAA-AAAAAD!"

With bated breath, each scrying Master waited. Their familiars stuck to their spots of surveillance, watching this monstrous man clad in black leather hover above the luscious gardens, past thick brick and stone walls protecting the secrets inside from the eyes and ears alike of those not initiated in the mysteries of magicraft. Then this hulking being hopped down to land boots first on the carefully manicured lawn, gleefully brandishing a large, rusty hook and chain around.

"Yo!" he called out with a roar that would have alarmed the whole neighborhood, if not for the standard magus privacy measures. "Tohsaka Tokiomi, time ta pay th' piper, ya bastitch! Come out an' play if yer mommy will let ya, ya bearded big chicken! An' bring yer Servant too, assumin' he's man 'nuff ta go a few rounds wit' th' Main Man!"

It was not unheard of for Servants to display boisterous or eccentric, even often unpleasant, behavior. Madness was a frequent part of the genius that would elevate a soul to the Throne of Heroes, and magi who entered this most dangerous of games were advised to keep this in mind. Even so, this Servant startled even the hardened Zouken and Kayneth as he marched towards the front doors of the mansion, scratching his crotch with a hand while the other shot around a massive handgun, not the kind of weaponry expected from Legendary Spirits.

"I'm comin' fer ya then, big baby!" the brute yelled, blasting the heads of several statues of illustrious ancestors of the family. "Ya better prepared two elegant an' fancy graves, one fer ya an' one f'r whatever scrawny punk ya managed ta summon! Not that I'll leave 'nuff of either ta fill a—"

And then another voice, confidant, manly and haughty, filled the air. Much more refined but no less harsh and callous in each pompous word full of arrogance and pride. "Who is this noisy worm who would crawl from the gutter to try and disturb the King's rest? Nobody, that's who!"

"Who the frag…?" the intruder grunted, looking up. Standing on the rooftop of Tohsaka's house with his arms folded, a golden figure of flashy and virile posture presided over the scene, a picture perfect image of what magi thought when told the words 'Heroic Spirit'. Of this, there was no doubt whatsoever.

The golden man laughed. "Only a simple vagrant! A mad mendicant who soiled himself and now knocks on my door, begging for attention! Very well. I am generous with the unfortunate who lost their minds, so I shall let you partake on a few of my treasures before your demise!"

"Partake on this, nancy-boy!" the other Servant barked, taking aim and shooting at the golden man's chest plate, the shots each bouncing harmlessly off the armor. At the same time, the blonde gestured, darkly amused, and the air above him rippled open and opened itself, two large holes in the fabric of time and reality suddenly vomiting a myriad of sharp instruments of doom down on Tokiomi's lawn.

The familiars twitched and shook, and their masters could only gape at the fabulous display. Furiously, the twin sources of blades bombarded the unfortunate Servant with a primal symphony of war sounds that shattered the night, as hundreds of swords, daggers, scimitars, sabers, knives, and assorted cutlery descended on their common target, quickly reducing it to a fine red mist…

The Masters, from their safe vantage posts, gasped. Nothing human, or that had been once human, could have survived that. And yet, now the brutal barrage had finally paused, the feral invader still stood defiantly, with a grin even. His clothes were reduced to shreds and his body bled copiously all over, but he remained firm on his feet even now, while dislodging a screwdriver from one of his temples, ignoring the shower of blood bursting from the wound.

"Really, Clyde? Really?!" With a disgusted snort, he tossed the screwdriver and the now useless hand cannon away, and instead pulled out a pair of really big machetes, one for each lacerated hand. "'Kay! That wuz a neat trick, I'll admit it. Care ta see if yer just as good up close 'n personal?"

The demigold of gold raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Interesting… Looks like being kicked so often has made this mongrel as tough of skin as he is on mine sublime eyes. Hah hah!" he laughed, pulling two longswords out of his vortexes and leaping down to strike at the wounded Servant with them. "Far from my honor to deny a dying man his last wish! If you are even a man, that is!"

"Ask any girl an' she'll tell ya I am, Blondie!" his adversary growled, blocking his first downward slash with a machete. Despite being pierced all over and through with all manners of sharp weapons, looking like a walking pin cushion of swords more than anything else, he still moved fast enough to match his agile enemy as the two fought along the ruined lawn, blades continuously clanging against each other. "How 'bout ya?! I've seen girl scouts rougher-lookin' than ya, bastitch!"

It was the first battle between Servants in the Fuyuki Fourth Heaven's Feel.

And it was hell on Earth already.

To be Continued.

Statistics:

Class: Shielder.

Identity: Sir Galahad of Corbenic.

Titles and Aliases: The Knight of the Shield, Mash Kyrielight (when traveling with Saber and Irisviel von Einzbern).

Basic Stats:

Alignment: Lawful Good.

Noble Phantasm: A.

Strength: C.

Mana: B.

Endurance: A.

Agility: D.

Luck: C.

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: A.

Galahad, the illegitimate child of Sir Lancelot du Lac, has been blessed with resistance to diverse type of magic continued possession and prolonged contact and mastery of Lord Camelot, the invincible shield forged from the foundation of the Round Table itself, meant to repel the vile and powerful arts of the King's half-sister Morgan Le Fay. The shield's properties have been passed onto her to some degree, once allowing her to rescue her father from the enticing spells of Castle Anthrax. However, as Galahad never drank liquor in life, she didn't have the chance to develop immunity to magics consumed through liquids. Otherwise, she could even withstand the touch of Hassan of Serenity with no ill effects.

Riding: C.

Like other Knights of the Round, Galahad engaged into regular long spans of horse riding through the King's military campaigns and assorted crusades. She will be similarly apt at driving modern land vehicles, although Legendary Beasts, aerial and water means of transportation are beyond her control.

Personal Skills:

Transient Wall of Snowflakes: C.

A power born from Galahad's selfless devotion to her comrades and their cause, and her willingness to protect them. When protecting allies or an allied territory, she will convert her mental fortitude into a buff of global defense, boosting her overall protection range.

Obscurant Wall of Chalk: D.

Another defensive skill, this one has a more concentrated rank, centering onto a single target. This person or object will be protected to such a degree all attempts to strike at them will be futile unless backed up by skills or Noble Phantasms ranked A+ or above. However, getting this skill to work correctly in the first place may be difficult; Galahad's strong instincts to protect everyone make it hard for her to concentrate on a single individual overlooking everybody else.

Shield of Rousing Resolution: A.

A skill that temporarily raises Galahad's self defense and draws in an opponent's attack. Used along Galahad's Noble Phantasm, it can increase its rank to A+, A++ or even EX, depending on Galahad's own resolution and drive at the moment.

Noble Phantasm:

Lord Camelot: The Now Far Off Ideal Castle: A.

The ultimate measure of protection provided by the Round Table. In accordance with Galahad's faith and courage, her shield will work as a barrier extending far beyond its own physical limits, covering a much wider area even if logically it shouldn't be blocking it from damage.

As long as Galahad holds the shield, this Noble Phantasm will remain in effect until the threat has passed. In extreme cases, even if the attack should surpass the shield, the damage will be transferred to Galahad's body exclusively, and the shield itself will keep on functioning to protect others even for several moments after the destruction of Shielder's own physical form—the ultimate sacrifice of a knight for her kingdom.

Summoning: "I am Servant Shielder, at your service, Master. What are your orders?"

Liked things: "The blue sky, the green earth, camping with friends and listening to songs… those are the things I like…"

Disliked things: "I definitely don't like it when Father is acting foolishly. Honestly, he can be so embarrassing…"

Birthday: "Happy birthday! We should be telling all our friends about this, shouldn't we? I'm sure we can throw you the party this occasion merits!"

Event: "I have just received intelligence a special phenomenon is occurring, Master. We should be getting there at once! It's a unique chance to get rare items, you know!"

Holy Grail: "Hadn't I sent it to the Heavens once? Why, after that, would they bother creating more of them? A copy never could surpass the original!"

Extra Dialogue:

"Assassin, uh… Ugh, sorry, I've never felt comfortable when that person's around…" (When you have Assassin Lobo).

Author's Notes:

This version of Shielder takes from the original, unused concept for the character from way back into the preliminary design stages for Fate/Stay Night, where she would be the 'Stray Servant' originally summoned for the Fourth War with her own route. I'm also taking some inspiration from the Fate Harem Antics fanfic, in that there Galahad was always a female in life. All in all, it seems the Einzberns in this continuity will always try to cheat around the system somehow by having two Servants serving their interests at once, but then again, it's not like Tokiomi and the Kotomines have any authority to criticize them on this subject either.

Did anyone notice the parallel between this Caster and Gilles De Rais? Disney's Sleeping Beauty was mostly based on Charles Perrault's version of the fairy tale… who also wrote Bluebeard inspired on the stories about De Rais. There was some thought put into this, people. Not too much, since it's me, but give me a break, it's not like I'll ever make it to the Throne of Heroes because of my brilliance.

According to Fate Grand Order, the Holy Grail War Maris Billy fought in took place around the same time period the Fifth War took place in the regular, main Fate continuity. That would mean the Maris Billy portrayed here would be ten years younger than he was when he and Caster Solomon won their canonical War; at this point Olga Marie shouldn't even have been born yet. I'm assuming, however, Olga Marie took in looks after her mother, which is why, when Maris Billy saw Iri, he thought on his wife (they should be a very young couple at this point) having silver white hair as well.

Saber and Shielder's remembrances about Camelot show basically the same backstory I had for the Camelot of Unequally Rational and Emotional. Kay and Merlin were basically the versions from Walt Disney's The Sword in the Stone, although Artoria's nostalgia must be coloring her view of Kay; while after her being crowned Kay indeed became much more loyal and protective of her, he never stopped being a big idiot, not that much better than Percival (see below). Taking a page from T.H. White's The Once and Future King, Merlin ages backwards, so while he would have been an old man indeed around the times of Camelot, by present day he should have his much more youthful and hormonal self from Grand Order.

Sir Jason is Jason Blood of the DC Universe, later punished by Merlin, who bonded him to Etrigan the Demon. Sir Perceval is based on the version from, all things, Capcom's arcade game Knights of the Round, where he was the big strong and slow guy to go along with Arthur's Jack of All Stats and Lancelot's Fragile Speedster. To reflect this, I think of him as a huge, stupid hulking brute of a dude, good hearted but with all the intellectual and vocal range you'd expect from a big lug from a fighting game of the nineties. If you don't know Sir Robin, I'll have to sic Shadow Crystal Mage on you. Palamedes, Tristan, Ywain (not to be confused with Gawain), Bors, Balin and Beldivere are all from the videogame Eiyuu Senki, a.k.a. 'You Thought Fate was Bad with the Gender Swaps? Here,Hold my Beer While I Show You'. Agravain, Lancelot, Mordred, Gareth and Gawain are all from proper Fate Lore. I especially like the Type-Moon version of Agravain and I hope the Camelot stage of Cosmos in the Lostbelt makes him playable at best.

Well, those are all the comments for this chapter. Hope to see you guys and gals again soon enough.