Yay! First time I got two reviews for one chapter XD One of them even guessed a Fate/Stay Night character(Whether or not they got it right though isn't for non-reviewers to know yet XP)

And since I have no way to reply to Devil Sword, I will do so here:
I don't even know enough about Roa to realize that I was doing something different XP and I felt like Ea needed something to make it tie in rather than just be handed over by gods. I didn't take it as an attempt to stifle me, I was just explaining why it wouldn't work in my opinion. Thanks again, I don't see Harpe as a sword either, that's why I used it as a guillotine and restraints ;) Thank you for your continued reviewing

I will say now that I know nothing about the first topic on here. I have never been to one myself, let alone a Japanese one so I had to look it up. If anything is wrong, blame wikipedia for explaining it in a way I couldn't understand

I had a hard time with this chapter though, it's more of a transition then anything and it's also almost as far as I have planned out so I need to figure out my end-game...

Torment of Rebirth

Chapter 6

Tears from Brighter Days

Archer's Torment

Sakura's Perspective

It should be raining.

Sakura stared at the woman in white. Her black hair was down, straight. It looked beautiful with the pure white kimono. But the image was wrong. Those eyes should be open. Her hair should be up in the standard pigtails. She should be wearing a red shirt and a black miniskirt.

Sakura should not be attending her sister's wake.

Despite the fact that they were family, Sakura could not take that position. Not when she was a Matou. So Rin had no one to sit as family, no one to arrange her funeral, no one to pick her bones out of her ashes. It was all handled by the estate. People who were going to get rich off of her having never thought to make a will. People who didn't care about Rin at all.

None of this was right.

Sakura should be able to offer incense to her sister directly. Sakura should be able to give her sister the funeral she deserved. Sakura should be able to hug her sister. Sakura should be able to see her sister smile. Sakura should be able to earn her sister's approval. Sakura should be able to be an actual sister to her sister.

Sakura's sister should not be dead.

Rin should be alive.

The Grail War was at fault. That cursed war that offered no peace to those inside it, no real chance to mourn those they cared about. Her brother was also dead because of that thing and despite everything he did to her, he was still her brother. She would be able to help at his funeral so why couldn't she help at her sisters?

Nothing was right; she wasn't supposed to be alone.

A hand squeezing hers reminded Sakura that she wasn't.

Archer had decided to materialize and support Sakura. It wasn't like she could hug anyone, the grail within her would drain anyone she touched, she was just lucky that Archer was the way he was. While the Servant created an odd image by her side, no one judged them. He wore the proper suit and he appeared to mourn as well even though Sakura could tell that when he started to the emotion was drained away from him. Support was needed for all and they wouldn't judge any who were distraught from receiving support from another mourner.

The two walked along as Shirou observed her sister. He obviously blamed himself.

Maybe he should.

Sakura had been shown by Archer the life they could have had. If only Rin hadn't shown up and ordered her Servant to protect Shirou. Archer obviously felt guilty as well since he had been the one who hadn't protected her but he had been ordered. A command seal is impossible to ignore. Sakura knew that Shirou would have been fine on his own. Archer had shown her that Saber would have arrived in time to protect him.

Then they all could've been together happily.

Now her sister was gone. Before she could accept Sakura back. Before she could free the tormented girl from the family she had been forced into. Before she could die alongside her sister, never having to grieve.

Now Rin was dead and Sakura had to survive.

And it was all Shirou's fault.

Assassin's Rebirth

Archer's Perspective

"Not Ilya…." Assassin kept misunderstanding Archer; she had already said that was why… "Sakura. Ilya would have only lasted for another year then those damn rituals would have been useless." She had taken Sakura right when he could have had her back, right when he had figured out that the Servant the girl had been so attached to had actually been an alternate version of himself, "What could you have possibly had against her? Who are you to hate me so much that you had to do that to her?" He had to know who hated him so much they tore away his only chance of redeeming himself to the girl, Archer had wanted so bad to explain to the girl what was going on and never got the chance, all because of….

Archer pulled off the mask. He had long since figured out that it had a spell on it, probably to keep anyone from recognizing her.

And recognize her he did.

With the mask off her face shifted to its original form and her eyes stopped shifting colors. Despite everything, he recognized that face.

"Not who you expected, am I?" Assassin mocked despite her current state of being attached to a tree. Dumbly Archer reached up to the ribbon holding up her hair, as it was pulled off her hair fell, the magic attaching the red needles removed causing them to fall and her hair returned to its natural state. She looked exactly as she had that bright and depressing day, "Oh come now, Shirou. Enough foreplay." He didn't notice as Assassin shifted how she was standing.

"But you're….." Archer trailed off. Assassin smirked and pulled her right arm. The blades along it sliced three chunks off of her arm but she didn't even notice while Archer's eyes widened at seeing Her being sliced apart.

"Dead?" Assassin asked, skin seemed to peel off of the rest of her body, gathering around her right shoulder and moving around her clothes and the blades. The three chunks of her arm raised off the ground and placed themselves in the right position, "It didn't stick." The shed skin wrapped around the severed arm and reattached it. Assassin reached up and pulled out the blade around her throat with her newly reattached arm, "It rarely does." She pulled out the blades around her other arm with a wide smirk. It didn't look right on that face, "Now, if you don't mind." Assassin grabbed both the mask and the ribbon, "I have a glove to remake." She gestured lightly to the black glove on her right arm that was cut in the same places her arm had been only minutes prior. The fabric was covered in blood though one glance at her arm through the cuts showed she wasn't.

Assassin placed her mask on her face once again and left as Archer still stared at where her face had been.

Of everyone, he had never once suspected Her. Why did it have to be Her?

Archer's Torment

Shirou's Perspective

She still hasn't let go of him. Shirou watched as Sakura clung to Archer. He knew a wake wasn't the place to get jealous but he couldn't help it. Who was this Archer? Some famous myth that she had been fangirling over her whole life? Was it hero-worship because he had helped her with whatever it was she was suffering from?

"They do make a cute couple, don't they, Onii-san?" Shirou jumped as Ilya appeared beside him, her white hair and black kimono creating an odd appearance that was opposite the girl in the coffin.

"He's too old for her." Shirou muttered after getting over the shock of the white girl.

"He does seem about twice her age, but people care for who they care for." Shirou glanced down at the Einzbern with an odd expression, "Isn't that right, Onii-san?" She smiled at him sweetly.

With Saber staying home, Archer focused on Sakura, and Rider being trapped and confronted by an angry Zouken, no one noticed as Shirou's body went stiff and was moved away.

When his absence was noticed, everyone assumed he just went home. When he wasn't home everyone assumed he had gone for a walk. When he wasn't back by the next day, then the panicking began.

For Shirou, his world was almost entirely black. He could feel a circle being drawn on and around him, and based on the pain in his wrist and the weakening he felt, some of it was drawn with blood. Words he couldn't understand were said and there was a flash visible through his blindfold before he felt more marks being painted on him.

This continued for two days.

Assassin's Rebirth

Saber's Perspective

"Angra Mainyu…" Saber muttered to herself as she walked back with her Master. She knew about the Persian devil who was the source of all the evil in the world but what did the greatest devil of Zoroastrianism have to do with Assassin and Gilgamesh?

"What was that, Saber?" Shirou asked, turning to her.

"Something Assassin said hurt her." Saber explained, "Angra Mainyu."

"Didn't Assassin mention something about absorbing 'him'?" Shirou remembered from the earlier conversation.

"And eating until the whole world was absorbed and that wouldn't be enough." Saber confirmed with a nod.

"Maybe that's what she meant, but a devil does seem a stretch…." Shirou puzzled. After a few minutes he shrugged it off, "We'll figure it out when we get to it." Saber smiled.

"Don't worry, Master. No matter who we're up against, I will win the grail for you." Shirou smiled back at the Servant. When they arrived back at Shirou's home, Saber frowned.

"What's wrong?" Shirou noticed his Servant's hesitation.

"I cannot tell, Master. Something feels off." Shirou took another look at the gate before a chill went up his spine.

The alarm announcing if someone wanted to cause him harm was untouched. The aura around the house, however, was distorted. Saber could not tell what was wrong but she did know that she didn't want her Master anywhere near it. She was about to tell Shirou that they should leave when he apparently decided it was worth testing. The moment he touched the gate his eyes went red and he fell. Before Saber could even catch him, a woman in black appeared and caught him. Long purple hair hung in the air for a second as crystalline eyes with rectangular pupils turned to meet Saber's.

The king froze, unable to move as the purple and black Servant left with her Master.

Archer's Torment

Sakura's Perspective

She had barely slept, the only reason she had even tried was because Archer had insisted. At least Rider had promised to look for him all night. Sakura wouldn't be able to handle another loss. As soon as an appropriate hour was reached, Sakura got dressed and started to head out the still ruined gate.

Only to stop as she saw the red haired magus lying just outside.

"Emiya-senpai!" Sakura rushed over to the sleeping magus, shaking him.

"Ilya." He muttered in his sleep and Sakura froze, not even realizing that her hands were touching bare skin.

She didn't notice until she heard an odd choking sound and looked down to see Shirou looking oddly drained. Archer pulled Sakura back and placed a hand on the Master, allowing some mana to seep into the magus.

"Ilya." Sakura muttered, still staring at him. Archer glanced up, "Why would he mention her? She's supposed to die before he has a chance to really know her." Archer sighed.

"Sakura, every reality is different. Remember, Rin lived past the war for me." He reminded his Master.

"Then is this your fault?" Sakura demanded, "Did you create some change to make this happen?" Archer sighed again, wondering if showing Sakura his past was the right move. It was the easiest way to get her to trust him but it seemed she had been counting on things turning out similar despite the fact that Rin had already died.

"Things were changed before I even noticed." Archer replied, picking Shirou up, "And by then there was nothing I could do to change it." He brought the boy into the house as Sakura trailed along behind him, "Tell Rider she can stop looking, I'll go find Saber once we make sure he's okay." Sakura nodded, passing the message onto her first Servant, "After that, I believe we need to start training you to hold it back, you nearly killed him yourself."

Assassin's Rebirth

Rin's Perspective

Rin opened her eyes before he even entered the room. Her Servant knew right away that she was conscious but he made no move to talk.

"And?" Rin demanded. She had known what Archer was planning; their connection had been open during the fight with Gilgamesh so she could figure it out easily.

"She can still come out unharmed. Only thing damaged was her glove." As Archer spoke, the words didn't have the hate she'd come to expect when he talked about Assassin. He was also looking at Rin with a different expression than she was used to.

"Why did you cut me off when you went there?" Rin sat up, not even attempting to hide the fact she had been watching.

"I had to confront her personally, it was my own business." Archer glanced away, obviously troubled.

"What did you find out?" She had been able to find out some of his past but Archer always avoided telling her what he knew unless asked directly.

"She has to store mana in order to be able to regenerate. She claims to have promised her Master that she wouldn't harm humans but I wouldn't trust that." Archer glanced at Rin once again, his expression a mix of worry and regret, "Hopefully she will move on a Servant to get that energy, but I have no way of knowing."

"Archer, who is she?" Rin knew he was avoiding it. She knew he had been determined to find out when he cut her off.

"Someone from my past who I apparently hurt without realizing it." Rin growled at his indirect answer.

"What is her name? Tell me!" She knew that the command seal she had used to make him obedient would be weighing on him.

"She's…." Archer started. He was interrupted as a figure crashed in through the window. As the woman straightened, Archer's eyes widened, "Rider." He froze as Cybele focused on him. He hadn't expected Medusa to be summoned since Sakura hadn't summoned her.

Apparently he was wrong.

Rin didn't even have time to react as the Servant moved for her, still staring at Archer. While he knew of the eyes and the surprise of them shouldn't allow them to be that effective, he hadn't been expecting her to be here at all, that nearly made up for it.

Nearly.

Fortunately, he had been told by Medusa herself how to avoid it. He couldn't look at her nor could he see her with his mind's eye. For most people focusing on anything else in this situation would be impossible, but for Emiya Shirou who had an Origin of "Sword" and an Elemental Affinity of "Sword" and always had swords on the brain…..

Blades shot down from his eyebrows to cover his eyes as Archer imagined blades to create. He kept the image of those blades in mind as he felt the changes in the room around him and struck at the tall form before him. The sword-figure dropped its bundle of swords and moved towards the broken wall of swords. Archer threw a sword at the sword-figure and it jumped out. He waited, stretching his senses to find the sword-figure and found no trace.

Only then did he allow himself to relax. The blades retracted from his eyebrows and he held his holy shroud against the bleeding. He glanced at the broken wall of swords-the window and saw that there was no one in the yard. Apparently the sword-figure-Rider had been able to jump through a hole created in the barrier around the house. Seems Caster had once again summoned herself a Servant. Behind him the bundle of swords squeaked. Archer shook his head, getting the last of the sword-focused thoughts out of his head before turning back to Rin.

"What was that?!" She demanded, looking out the window.

"A Servant trying to abduct a Master. That doesn't bode well." Archer muttered.

Hehe, you don't find out XD

I feel like I gave enough hints to push it one of three ways for who Assassin is. If you can put it together is entirely up to you. I'm still deciding whether or not I'll be saying it next chapter, but I know one thing that I want to happen in there and that's it so motivation would definitley helpful

Once again, if I butchered the japanese funeral/wake thing then I'm sorry...I tried to focus more on Sakura actually realizing that the future Archer showed her wasn't going to happen because in my head she was still focusing on it too much and relying on everything to turn out that way despite the fact that she knew Rin had died for her to get Archer in the first place. As for emotional scenes...they aren't my forte so be sure to let me know if you think I covered it well, I have a mix of feeling it fit perfectly and feeling that no one will understand how it's supposed to come across cause my mind has always worked differently from everyone else's and I've never been able to pick up on what people consider common sense as far as emotional reactions...it makes me seem rude when I just don't understand how it would come across that way.

But that's besides the point. I'm kinda just pulling things outta my ass as far as storylines go and I have a bad habit of getting bored with a story when I get no feedback(Or my computer just decides it doesn't want me working on a story anymore if I've actually completed it and deletes everything. I've had that happen a few times and it sucks cause I try and re-write it and end up with half a page when I had four before) So reviews are definitely appreciated XD

Hopefully next chapter will be much smoother writing...which I doubt cause that bit with Rider was just me fishing for something to happen...

And yes, Rider is the same one we all know and love just summoned by Medea this time XD She obviously doesn't mind about using her eyes either. Do you like how I handled Archer being able to fight her? I had originally thought Saber should crash through the window talking about Shirou but I could come up with no reason for her to not just knock...

Well, I'm off to get dressed in something that shows more skin than Rider does(Thigh high boots are awesome, I love mine) to go sing Inside the Fire and Be Prepared for a karaoke contest. I would love to have a response by the time I get back but any and all reviews are appreciated XD