So, I heard you liek chapterz~

Well, I wanted to get this out before inspiration dried up. So don't go expecting another chapter so soon again. I thank Hymn for beta'ing this. I have a problem with my tenses apparently, so he helped me fix some of that~

The Three T's of Victory

I was dreaming. I was dreaming a dream of days long past, of opportunities lost, and people dead.

I dreamt of a young boy, lying with his head in a woman's lap, watching fireworks from a riverbank. I dreamt of a beautiful woman, sitting on a riverbank, watching a young boy rest his head in her lap. The woman's hand was stroking the white hair of the young boy affectionately, her own similarly colored hair waving in the summer breeze. The pair, parent and child, were surrounded by flashing fireflies, lighting up their pale faces with each short-lived burst.

"Shirou, mama's not going to be around forever you know. There is something that I want you to always remember, even if you forget me."

Sitting up from the woman's lap, the young boy seemed confused. Why was his mother talking like this? He could never forget her! She was the one that saved him that day; he could never forget someone who saved his life!

The woman's hand gently pushed him back down into her lap, calming the boy down with its gentle ministrations.

"Hehe, thanks. That's sweet of you. But all memories fade with time, there might be a day where you realize that you don't even remember my face. This is something natural, so you don't have to feel bad about it. While we experience new things, the old things just fade away. This is the way of the world."

Sitting up from the woman's lap once again, the boy, clad in a yukata blue as the ocean spray, looked up towards the woman with confusion in his eyes. Stroking the child's hair once again, the woman, clad in a dress black as a starless night, looked up towards the moonless sky with unshed tears in her eyes. She smiled a sad smile, as if reliving bittersweet memories.

"This is the one thing I want you to keep close to your heart Shirou: All creatures have a right to life. No matter how large or small, the greatest wish of a living creature is to be born. You, me, the insects beneath out feet, we're all the same. All life is precious."

The boy nodded. Of course, that is common sense. Life is a gift, one that should be protected.

"Good, I am glad you understand. Mama is so proud of her kind boy.

So proud…"

This…this dream is strange. What am I seeing, these aren't my memories. Where are the fireflies? Where are the fireworks? Something is wrong with the boy. Something is wrong with the woman. Something is wrong with the world. Something is wrong with the world.

Wait…why is the woman looking at me, I-

"Good evening."

The Three T's of Victory

The streets were surprisingly empty, even for this time of night. The streetlamps, usually an ever-present sign of civilization, were all out, smothering the town in a blanket of impenetrable darkness. Even Rider, following behind me, seemed to sense something was strange and actually succeeded in keeping quiet. The only sounds that broke the silence were that of our own footsteps on the lifeless streets and the distant wail of the ceaseless city traffic. I suppose that it was a blessing that we didn't encounter anyone, given Rider's rather conspicuous outfit, but it still put me on edge.

Adding on to my unsettled feeling was the fact that I didn't want to go to the church in the first place. I really held out hope that the priest had been replaced sometime since Iri's funeral. It had been years since I last saw Father Kotomine, but I felt that seeing him again now was far too soon to be good for my health. I had to admit, seeing that man again ever was far too soon to be good for my health.

Picking up on my sour mood, Rider decided to break the silence. Stopping in the middle of the suburb we were walking through, she tapped my shoulder hesitantly to inquire about my worries. Of course, given that Rider is Rider; she completely missed the reason for my concern. "Master, are you still worried about people seeing me? I…I can turn invisible if you want, all Servants have that ability after all. It might be a little more difficult than usual given the botched summoning, but there shouldn't be any problems with my astralization."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this I stopped in my tracks. Turning to face Rider, I felt the need to inquire about this new fact. What an interesting little tidbit that this Servant has just told me. Why, it just brought a smile to my face. "Oh my my my. What do you mean by this? And why did you feel the need to wait until now to tell me? This would have come in handy when I was tearing my hair out about your clothing problems."

"Awawawawawawa…Master, your smile is scaring me." Waving her hands in front of her face, Rider stepped back with her left foot. Due to the fact that we were currently walking up a hill, it gave me even more of a height advantage over the petite Servant.

"I have no clue what you mean." Really, why was she backing away? I didn't understand. I mean, how could something like a smile be scary? "What were you thinking? These kinds of things are what I need to know the most if we want to survive this. Do I have to use one of these command seals to get you to start saying things that are actually useful?"

"Nononono, that is not necessary!" Cue more waving hands and backtracking. Her braid was whipping back and forth with the sheer speed that she shook her head. "It's just that you and that brat were taking too long discussing boring stuff that I…kinda fell asleep? When you came out the door I had just woken up due to that brat's tantrum so I was still groggy and not thinking straight. And then there was that strange dream-"

"…Are you really a hero?" Was this little girl, who blabbed out whatever was on her mind and fell asleep the moment I took my eyes off her, really the greatest humanity had to offer? Someone who set an example for us, the modern people, to follow? Besides, could an incarnated spirit like her really even fall asleep?

Humankind as a species was doomed.

"O-of course I am a hero! I even once subdued a giant! A. Giant. He was all hairy and greasy and smelly and stuff, like all good giants should be! And he was subdued. By me." Rider was no longer retreating, but only because she was busy stamping her feet in frustration instead. Her puffed cheeks and cute tantrum made it impossible to stay angry at her…though it definitely didn't do anything to help back up her claim. "Heroes do things like that!"

"Alright, alright already. I get it, you're a hero." Patting her on the top of the head I sighed. Turning on my heel, I started walking towards the direction to the church once again. "We are wasting time senselessly arguing here. It's already past one in the morning and we might wake someone up with the noise that we're making. Let's just get going to the church. Oh. And don't bother turning invisible now, we're practically there anyway."

"Why do I get the feeling that you don't believe me? Master…? Hey, wait up! Don't just leave me here in this creepy place after saying your piece! That's not fair!" Following after me, Rider continued to whine about my supposed disbelief.

As we left it behind, the unnatural silence of the night consumed the dark suburb once again.

The Three T's of Victory

The plateau that the church sat on was just as I remembered it, dark and gloomy. Though that probably had more to do with the time of day it was than the scenery. The building itself was rather impressive, with its trio of arches and stained glass windows making all feel welcomed. The lights on high up in the steeple gave the impression that a higher power was watching over you.

"Master, this place feels wrong. This is a place for the dead, not the living. There is no god here." Rider said this while trembling slightly. I understood why she was like that. For as long as I've known about this place, the church has always had a slight feeling of decay wafting around it. Normal people would probably not notice it, but anyone who could actually sense something beyond their own noses could feel the stench of death that permeated this supposed holy ground.

For those who were feeling it for the first time, coming from a church of all things, it might have been a little disquieting.

"I know Rider, I know. For now, just ignore it. That's just the way this place is." Striding forward, I pushed open the double doors that separated us from the church interior. The chapel within was devoid of any worshippers, which was not surprising given the time of day (or rather, night) it was. However, due to the lack of people one could see just how large this place was and how many people it could sit. Four rows of wooden pews divided the floor into three pathways leading to the altar. Beginning to walk down the center one, I turned to Rider. "You coming?"

"Ah, o-of course Master." Closing the doors behind her Rider followed me to the altar. I know that it was bad manners to approach the altar when the priest wasn't here, but if the priest was still Kotomine then he wouldn't care. Besides, the altar wasn't really my destination; it was the private room in the back.

"Greetings. I apologize for not being able to receive you properly." A footstep. A tall man in robes befitting a priest appeared at the side of the altar, slowly exiting the doorway to the private room. Turning his head towards me, I saw, to my grief, that it was indeed Father Kotomine. His heavy presence permeating the chapel caused my Servant to twitch slightly, as if stopping herself from reaching for a weapon. "So you are the seventh one. I am Kirei Kotomine, the one entrusted with this church. On behalf of…"

He hesitated. Recognition filled his previously dull expression. A disgusting grin slowly split his face, as if my coming here was a pleasant surprise. Knowing him, it probably was.

"Ah, Einzbern, I almost didn't recognize you. You've dyed your hair. Hmm…I have to say, red doesn't suit you." This man, he hadn't changed one bit. His voice, his attitude, his presence…his mullet, it was all the same. This man that I never wished to see again smirked at my apparent dislike for him. After he had basked in my overt distaste, he looked down at my hand and spotted the marks branded upon it. At this, his smirk grew into an outright grin. "So, it seems like you got yourself caught up in something interesting since I saw you last. A participant in the Holy Grail War; considering who raised you, I cannot say I am surprised."

"W-what do you mean? Did Irisviel have something to do with this insane ritual?" What was this guy saying? Someone like her was involved in this mess as well?

"The Holy Grail War is the farthest thing from insane, I assure you. The Holy Grail is an omnipotent artifact that can grant you any wish, anything one desires! Why, it could even help you fulfill that promise of yours." H-how did he know about that? I never told anyone about the promise. "And as for your dearly departed mother, she, alongside her husband, was the Master of Saber in the previous war. Due to a mistake made during the final battle, her husband died and she nearly fell along with him."

"How do you know all this?" I had to ask. I knew that he knew my mother even before these revelations, but still…this was too much. It seemed like my mother was once in a similar position as I was in now.

"My father was the mediator of the previous war ten years ago. After his unfortunate death, a casualty of the same war he was supervising, I have inherited his position and his knowledge." The priest sat down in an adjacent pew, folding his hands in his lap. He motioned for me to sit beside him. I acquiesced, but Rider remained standing. It seems she trusted Father Kotomine about as much as I did. "But we are getting off topic. Ah, before we go too deep in the details, may I ask who sent you here? Given that you had almost no knowledge about the War, someone must have pointed you in my direction."

"Ah, I encountered a magus named Rin Tohsaka. After our Servants fought a bit we ended up forming a tentative alliance." Or rather, she forced me into one. That stubborn girl just wouldn't let me go. Something about taking responsibility for her sudden – and likely temporary – lack of a Servant.

"…Tohsaka? I suppose I should thank her for sending you here, it's because of her that we have been reunited after all. Then again, she never answers my calls these days." Despite his dejected words, the priest did not sound put out at all.

"Wait, you know Tohsaka? Are you going to tell me that you are somehow related to every Master in this war?" Is knowing the priest some special condition to becoming a Master or something? With how crazy everything is turning out to be, I wouldn't be surprised.

"I studied under Rin Tohsaka's father, and after his death become her guardian. As for me knowing every Master in this war personally…there is only you, Rin, and the Master of Lancer. Before you ask, I cannot disclose his or her identity. Such things are kept in strict confidence, after all. Besides, we are here for you, not to discuss the other Masters." The priest smirked and glanced at Rider, causing my Servant to jump at the sudden attention. "Since it was the only Servant left to be summoned, this must be Rider."

"Ah! Y-y-y-yes sir! S-servant Rider a-at your, umm, service!" Rider gave a nervous salute, surprised that the priest actually turned his focus off me long enough to register her presence.

"This one's quite a bit smaller than the last war's Rider. Let us hope for your sake that big things come in small packages." After saying his part, Kotomine turned back to me. It was as if my Servant was of no interest to him.

"Ah, huh?" At this sign of rejection, Rider went back into tantrum-mode. With all the puffed cheeks and stamping feet that it required. "W-what are you saying you fool? This Rider will be the one to win the war! I'll show you, I'll show you all! Hey, stupid priest! Stop ignoring me!"

"Father Kotomine, could you please not try to rile up my Servant?" I had to intervene before things got out of hand. Great, now she'd be complaining to me about this all the way home. The walk was long enough without someone nagging me all the way there.

"…Of course. I am assuming that Rin told you the basics of the war if she was the one to send you here. So, as you probably know, this is a war between seven Servants and seven Masters. It's a battle royal where the participants are putting their lives and honor on the line for the greatest of holy artifacts; the Holy Grail." Saying this, he stood up. He started walking around the edge of the pew, as if to circle around me, but was forced to stop due to the placement of the other pews. Surprisingly enough, he actually looked visibly annoyed at this. Like he was looking forward to something and was unable to do it.

How strange.

"Yes, Rin told me this. Those chosen by the Grail are marked with the command seals and thus have the right to summon a Servant. The Masters use their Servants to kill the other Servants…or the other Masters. The winner of this war gets the Holy Grail, and any wish it grants. But how do we know that this Grail is the real thing?" I mean, if the war is still going on, then nobody has even won it yet. How did we know that it was legit? The blessed cup that held the blood of Christ, was it really here in Japan?

"It is only natural for you to be skeptical, but the Holy Grail that appears in this town is real. The fact that the Servants, great heroes of the past, have been summoned is proof. Such a thing is a miracle close to raising the dead. No, not just a miracle, it's nearly a sorcery. Whether this Grail is the cup of Christ or not is irrelevant in front of its power." For the first time tonight, I heard actual emotion in the priest's voice. He honestly seemed excited about the possibilities the Grail held.

So…even if the Grail was a fake, it didn't matter because it had powers equal or greater to the original? If that was true, you could even use this 'Holy Grail' to get the real thing. With such power, when the time comes for me to keep my promise with Iri…it would be a piece of cake. As if reading my mind, the priest smiled hollowly.

"So, Shirou von Einzbern, Master of Rider, do you have any more questions?"

The Three T's of Victory

The trip back to my home was rather uneventful. Upon exiting the church, I got the strange feeling that something was supposed to happen. But whatever that feeling was, nothing came of it. Rider complained the whole way home, repeatedly saying something about stupid, blind priests. I was too consumed by what I had learned to pay her any heed. Something she thankfully was too occupied in her own issues to take notice of.

Despite what Kotomine had said, this ritual was definitely insane.

A bunch of magi summoning great heroes for their own petty battles, such a thing was ridiculous. Only a magus would think of enslaving legends to use for his own personal gain. Although, I had to admit that I was not much better. I had a need for the Grail myself after all. Damn that Kotomine, he knew exactly how to push my buttons. Telling me that my parents were participants in the last war, alongside the stupid priest himself no less, made it impossible to ignore what he said. It was all too much to take in at once. Now I just wanted to get home and sleep.

Approaching the door to my house, I sighed with relief. I was finally back, although the knowledge that I was not completely safe as long as I was a Master diluted the pleasure a bit. After I chastised myself for forgetting to lock before I went out, I opened the door and entered the building with Rider following at my heels. Upon entering the dining room I was greeted by an unexpected scene.

For sitting at the table was a very strange pair. First there was a bronze-skinned giant dressed in a butler outfit hunched over a cup of tea, his bulging muscles causing the seams on his suit rip. Next to him sat a small girl with white hair. She held her tea in a refined manner, giving off the impression of a high-class lady. Adding to my shock, the girl even looked like a bite-sized version of Irisviel. Behind me, Rider donned her armor in a flash while unsheathing her sword, preparing herself for combat.

Turning to me, the little girl smiled brightly while the giant man inclined his head.

"Welcome home, Onii-chan!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you don't mind us helping ourselves to the tea."

"A giant! Kill it! Kill it!"

…Buwah?

The Three T's of Victory

"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill! Repeat five times! But destroy each when filled. I hereby propose: Thou shalt come under my command, and my fate shall be thy sword. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me! I hereby swear, I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world. Thou, the seven days clad in the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of restraint. Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

Within an ostentatious hotel room, electric lights ensconced along the walls began to flicker as a great vacuum came into being above an ornate pentagram embroidered onto a fancy carpet. A dark-skinned man, whose crimson outfit was wet with seawater, was deposited on the ground, his rear end sinking into the plush carpet. The seated man, a Servant, began mumbling to himself, running a hand through his white hair.

"Man, my head hurts. Wait," the man paused to take a look around at his surroundings, "was I just summoned? Again?" It was impossible for a Servant to be summoned when it already had been manifested, wasn't it? Well, he had to admit it got him away from those overly-friendly fishermen, so he couldn't complain too much. As long as he could get back to Rin and resume their partnership, everything should be…wait. Who was the one that summoned him this time?

Looking up from his seated position, the Servant saw the person who had summoned him. An elegant young woman, clad in a blue dress with hair of curly blond, stood outside the circle. Her hand, marked with an intricate red tattoo, was held underneath her chin while she let out an arrogant laugh.

"Ohohohohoho! Even with the horrid mess in that castle belaying me, it appears I have managed to summon my Servant in time for the war. That priest's insistence that I should hurry before the last spot was taken was just a bunch of hot air after all. I can't wait to see Tohsaka's expression when I show her that my Servant is better than anything that she could have scrounged up!" Putting her hands on her hips, the lady addressed the sitting man. "I am Luviagelita Edelfelt, your Master. Now, Servant, tell me what class you are so we can begin planning how we will win the Grail."

…Luvia? Gift horse or not, Archer couldn't help but feel that Rin was going to kill him when she found out.

[Break]

Enter grimderp.

So, there we go. The requisite visit to the church is finished, and Ilya comes in contact with her brother. We don't need to hear all the technical explanations on how the war works, so I skipped that~ Plus, there are some things that I don't want to reveal right at this moment that were discussed there.

While I said that Shirou won't have any harem antics...I never said anything about Archer. If you want the technical explanation for how Archer was summoned and now has two masters...just assume it was because of the Edelfelt crest. The whole splitting aspect of it. After all, the Tohsakas did get half of it during the third war. The rest of it is just made of asspullium. Comedy before logic. And yes, Archer still must obey the commands of Rin. He is bound to both of them, and thus receives prana from both as well. It may be inconvenient, but he is now quite the powerhouse. I will later post a servant sheet that reflects these changes.

Of course, his luck remains the same.

As for the summoning circle carpet...Luvia brought it with her to Fuyuki. It was not originally part of the hotel's decor. Just seems like the kind of superfluous thing someone like her would bring along.