How I do these chapters now is I start typing the scenes in the chapter in the order that they happen. Over time, I type what happens between them and I start building up the chapter.
After going seperate from Akiko and Lancer, Shirou, Rin, Sakura, Saber, and Archer continued towards the school.
"What do you plan to do about Shinji?" Archer asked.
"We'll have him stop whatever he's doing," Rin replied. She turned her head to Sakura. "Know what he's planning?"
Sakura shook her head. "Sorry, I don't. My brother didn't mention it at all last night."
"It's not your fault, Sakura," Shirou told the purple-haired girl. "Even if we don't know what Shinji's planning, we'll get him to spill it."
Rin made a fist with her right hand and punched it into her left palm. "It shouldn't be to hard to...persuade him."
"Please don't hurt my brother!" Sakura begged.
Archer sighed. "This should be interesting."
One the school came into sight, the two Servants broke away and hid in the trees while the other three followed the other students to the school grounds. Shirou, Rin, and Sakura groaned as the three were hit with a sudden wave of foreboding feeling like sickness.
Sakura had one hand over her chest. "What was that?"
Shirou looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed it. "Maybe we're just tired."
"Yeah, maybe."
Rin had one hand on her chin, thinking.
In school, Shirou, Sakura, and Rin went to the third floor. Shirou went straight to his classroom while Rin and Sakura went to each of theirs. As soon as he was in it, Shirou immediately began looking for Shinji among the crowd of students talking amongst themselves. However, the brother of Sakura wasn't anywhere to be seen. Shirou spotted Issei and motioned for the student counsel president to come over.
"What is it, Emiya?" Issei asked. He was a boy slightly taller than Akiko with dark blue eyes and hair. He wore a pair of glasses over his eyes. The teen also wore a male Homurahara Academy uniform. He and Shirou were friends and usually ate lunch together in the student counsel office.
"Issei, have you seen Shinji today?"
"Matou? Come to think of it, he hasn't showed up this morning for archery practice. Why? Do you need him for something?"
"No. I was just wondering. Thanks for the info, Issei. Let me know if he does show up."
"Ryuudou."
Shirou and Issei looked towards the doors near the front of the classroom. Mr. Kuzuki was in the doorway, looking at Issei. He was a man with short black hair and glasses over his black eyes. The suit he was wearing was dark green. Under the jacket was a white shirt. It had a black tie on it.
"What is it, Mr. Kuzuki?" Issei asked.
"I need to talk to you for a moment. Come out here in the hall with me."
"Very well, sir." Issei looked back at Shirou. "We can talk again later."
The bell rung and everyone sat down in their desks. Taiga came in a moment later, looking like she had sprinted up the stairs to avoid being late. Once she caught her breath, she took attendance. The entire time, Shirou was staring at the one empty desk, Shinji's. Where was he?
In the next room, Mr. Kuzuki was in there to take attendance. This was the room Rin and Akiko were in. However, Mr. Kuzuki only had to count one person absent, Akiko. Though she knew where Akiko was, unlike Shirou, who didn't know where Shinji was.
Later in the day, it was time for lunch. Rin grabbed hers and walked out of the classroom, going to the roof. Along the way, she encountered Shirou. But not Sakura as well, like she wanted. She was either still eating in her classroom, the next one, or went to the cafeteria to eat. Oh well.
"Let's go up to the roof to eat," Rin said to Shirou.
"Really?" he replied. "I was going to the student counsel office to eat lunch with Issei."
Rin grabbed his wrist, pulling him to the stairs going up to the fourth floor, the roof. "You can eat with him some other day. We have to talk." She said that last sentence rather loudly. Everyone stopped in the hall to stare at the two. No doubt, rumors about them would have spread through the school like wildfire by the next day. Rin squeezed her eyes shut, face going red. Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she drew her lips into a thin line. "Don't make a scene! Just shut up and come with me!"
"I'm making a scene?!" Shirou exclaimed. "What about you?!"
"Just drop it and come to the roof with me!"
"Okay, okay! Stop yanking on me!"
On the roof, Rin had calmed down. She stood next to Shirou, who was sitting near the building to the stairs going inside. He rubbed his right arm where Rin had grabbed him. It was sore around the socket. He was genuinely afraid Rin would actually pull his arm off!
Shirou quit rubbing at it and looked at Rin. "I take it you want to talk to me about Shinji? I already asked and Issei said he wasn't here. Sakura actually may know something about why he isn't here. Why didn't you get her as well?"
"She doesn't have a Servant, so we shouldn't get her any more involved in the War than she already is. Besides, I doubt she would know any more about Shinji than we already do."
"Yeah. Even though Shinji's her brother, she doesn't get much contact with him," Shirou said. Rin was silent for a moment. Then she spoke again.
"I think I know what that strange feeling as we entered school was."
"You do?!"
Rin nodded and crossed her arms. "It seems that a bounded field was set up here."
"By Shinji?" Shirou asked.
Rin uncrossed her arms and faced him. "Most likely."
"But he isn't here today! He shouldn't be able to do anything with it!"
Rin put a hand to her chin. "I wonder..."
The Servant Rider was in the chemistry room inside the school on the first floor. No one was using it today, so Shinji had her hide in there. She was a tall woman with long, light purple and a magenta visor over her eyes. On her forehead is a red symbol looking like the number 2. She wore a black strapless dress with matching boots that covered most of her thighs and gloves that went up to her upper arms. All had purple edges. She was sitting on one of the large tables. She had two identical daggers that were like claws. At the end of each handle was a loop with a long chain connecting both. Around each ring of metal were little spikes. She was holding the chain near the handle of one in her left hand, the weapon swinging back and forth like a pendulum.
The door opened and Shinji came in. He had been hiding in the next room over. Rider only acknowledged him with a slight turn of her head in his direction.
"Let's get this show on the road," Shinji said while grinning evilly. Rider didn't say anything, just hopped off the table. She raised the dagger to her right hand and sliced the appendage, making a cut that was shallow, but still drew blood. She went down on one knee and placed the palm of the hand with the cut on the floor. A large red magic circle expanded from under the palm. It started glowing and a reflection of it floated up to the ceiling, expanding. This caused the various sigils to activate.
Shirou and Rin looked around wildly as the ground beneath the school shook. Energy from various points all over the campus streamed up to a single point in the sky and the entire school grounds was covered by a red dome.
This was one of Rider's Noble Phantasms, Blood Fort Andromeda. Various sigils placed around the school created a bounded field where no one could get in or out. And anyone who was within would have their souls drained. For mages, it would drain their mana.
In the chemistry lab, Shinji was facing the window while laughing like a maniac. "This is wonderful! This is how Servants should be!" Rider didn't reply, only faced the laughing teen.
Rin and Shirou dashed down the stairs to the third floor. A red glow coming from the windows filled the hall. Shirou was panting, doubled over and holding his chest.
"What's going on? I'm feeling weak all of a sudden."
"This field is draining those inside," Rin said. She looked just fine. "Keep generating mana in your body."
Shirou did that and then gasped. "Sakura!"
He dashed toward her classroom. Rin was trying to keep up with him. "Hey! Wait!"
Shirou slammed the door open. Everyone in Sakura's classroom were on the ground, some of them groaning. Desk were tipped over and people's lunches were scattered all over the floor.
Rin gasped and had one hand to her mouth. "Oh God..!"
Shirou stepped over the people on the ground, going to the back of the room near the window. Sakura was on the ground, mouth slightly open as if she was gasping for air and looking like she fell straight down on the floor, just like everyone else. Shirou cradled her close and check her breathing.
Rin was too much in shock to do anything but gaze at all the bodies before her. Shirou looked up and turned his head to Rin behind him. "She's still breathing! It's not too late to save everyone!"
Rin blinked as if she had just been slapped back into reality. "Y-Yeah...I'll help get everyone out..."
A small cloud of purple dust skimmed the ground behind the mage. She sharply turned around. A skeleton familiar rose up. "What the hell?!"
Shirou quickly set Sakura back down and got up, facing the doorway. Rin held her left hand out sideways, fingers together tightly and tips all pointing to the golem. It raised its sword and started to run at her, but a ball of black, a Gandr, shot out at the enemy and blew it up into little pieces.
Shirou ran out of room and stood next to Rin. The teen put her arm down. "What was that?!"
"Golems. A type of familiar," Rin replied. More clouds of dust showed up behind the girl. She turned her head to it just as the familiars rose up from them. She snarled. "We don't have time for this!" She held up her right hand. Her remaining two Command Seals glowed. "Archer!" The red line forming a U faded and soon the red cloaked man appeared in a circle of blue mana.
The man instantly shot forward, his swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, tore through the many familiars easily. One showed up behind Shirou and Rin. Archer threw Bakuya back and destroyed it. The sword vanished and Archer faced Rin, Kanshou vanishing in blue mana.
"What is going on?"
"We're in a bounded field. While in it, I tried to contact you. Nothing seemed to get through except for my Command Seal," Rin explained. "The Servant who cast this seems to be on the first floor. Emiya and I will go down and shut the field down."
Archer crossed his arms. "Just you two against a Servant? Even you should know that's suicide, Rin."
"I know it sounds stupid, but we'll have Saber's help."
"We will?" Shirou asked.
Rin angrily faced him. "When we're almost there, use a Command Seal, doofus!"
Archer sighed. "And what will I be doing?"
Rin looked at him. "You take care of any familiars pursuing us."
In the lab, Shinji giggled to himself. "I wonder how Emiya's holding up. Tohsaka and Hashomoto should be fine though."
"What about Sakura?" Rider asked, breaking her usual silence.
"Oh yeah. I forgot about her. I guess it doesn't matter if she got caught in the bounded field."
Rider internally seethed. How could he not care this much about his own sister?!
Shinji sighed. "Well, if she withered up like I hope Emiya did, I guess I'll just have to get a new toy."
Rider just about had it. He called Sakura a toy?! Did he not feel anything for her?! Rider was broken from her thoughts as the door opened. She and Shinji turned to it.
"W-What are you doing here..?!" Shinji demanded. "No! Stay away! Rider!"
Rider instantly moved herself in between Shinji and the intruder. She had both daggers at the ready to strike.
Another golem hit the ground as Shirou smacked it with a strengthened piece of metal. He and Rin were on the second floor now. Rin threw a gem at a group of familiars in front of the two. It blew them up and the two ran for the stairs on the other side of the hall. Right as they were about to go down the stairs, another golem appeared behind them. Rin's eyes widened. It was too close for her to destroy it with magic.
Just as its sword came down, something hit blew up its head and the rest of its body crumbled to the ground. Archer was at the other end of the hall at the bottom of the stairs, a black bow in his left hand.
"Thanks, Archer!" Rin shouted as she and Shirou ran down the last flight of stairs to the first floor. On the floor were several familiars, far too many for Shirou and Rin to handle by themselves. Rin looked at Shirou and he knew what she was telling him to do. He held up his left hand.
"Come, Saber!"
The middle section of the red sword faded and Saber appeared. Some golems leaped at the two, but Saber easily cut them down.
"What are your orders?" she asked Shirou. Rin pointed to the chemistry lab, all the way on the other side of the mass of skeletons.
"Shirou! The point of origin is over there!"
"Got it. Saber! Clear the way to the chemistry lab! There should be a Servant within! Help us take it down and that should eliminate the bounded field!"
"No problem!" Saber replied as she went at the other familiars to cut them down.
In the lab, a woman grabbed the right arm of Rider that went at her with the dagger. The woman was covered by a black-green hooded cloak. On it was dark purple cloth. Her eyes were covered, only some light blue hair framing her face. Her skin was pale and she had purple lipstick on just her bottom lip.
She chuckled. She spoke to the Servant. "It seems you are on reduced mana and thus are not at your best."
Rider growled. "So what? I can still take you down even like this!"
The woman grinned. "Oh my, how arrogant you are. Even so, it is such a shame that you cannot be used to your fullest potential. Perhaps I can help with that." She reached into her cloak with her other hand and pulled out a dagger with the blade zig-zagged. The blade was silver-grey, but it had a tinge of rainbow colors on it. The handle was golden.
"That lack of armor and that cloak must mean you're Caster! And what is that dagger?!"
Caster cackled. "Are you sure you want to find out? Very well, I'll show you." She plunged the dagger into Rider's chest. The snake screamed as red light shone up from where the blade had gone in. The light faded and Rider's arm was released. Rider stood before Caster, as if frozen.
"What are you doing, Rider? I order you to attack!" Shinji shouted. The top Command Seal on Shinji's book faded. Caster giggled.
"Those are useless now." the Seals on the book vanished and Caster held up her left hand and showed the back of it. The Command Seals on the book were on it.
"What did you do?!" Shinji demanded. Caster cackled and held the dagger up, as if showing it off to the whole world.
"Behold my Noble Phantasm! This is Rule Breaker! It nullified the pact with your Servant and made her mine!" She looked at Rider, smiling. "Now I order you to kill this boy that was once your Master!"
"I will obey you without question only on one condition," Rider said.
Caster frowned. "What is the condition?"
"That you do not harm Sakura."
"Who is Sakura?"
"She is not a Master anymore, so she won't be a threat to you. She is a girl with purple hair and eyes. She had a reddish ribbon on the left side of her head."
"Very well. I promise not to target her."
"Thank you."
"Now perform my order."
Rider turned to Shinji, who was shivering and cowering behind a table. Rider walked slowly over to him, raising the dagger in her right hand.
"W-Wait, Rider! What do you think you're doing?! No, stop! Stay away!" Shinji screamed, afraid for his life. Rider stood right over him, dagger over her head.
"This is for Sakura!" she growled and brought the dagger down. It plunged easily into Shinji's skull, blood flying as she ripped it out, some of the red liquid hitting her.
Caster was grinning the entire time. "Very good work. Now, take down this bounded field so we can escape."
Rider faced Caster and nodded. The energy flowing to the sky vanished along with the dome. Caster was just about to go out the door before sensing another Servant just outside. Change of plans, then.
She looked at Rider. "Let us make our escape through the window."
"Very well," Rider replied. The two went through the window and sped away from the school, Caster flying. She led Rider to Ryuudou Temple. The snake was still angry at Shinji. He had promised her that he would do everything he could to keep Sakura from going to school today! She should have known better than to trust him!
Moments later, Shirou, Rin, and Saber came into the chemistry room. It was strange how the bounded field suddenly vanished. The familiars melted back into a purple dust cloud on the floor again. The light coming through the windows was orange from the sun setting, meaning that on a normal day, school would be almost over.
At the other side of the room, the glass over one of the windows was shattered. Blood was spreading over the floor from something behind one of the tables. Archer showed up behind Saber, also confused on why the golems suddenly vanished.
"What's going on here?"
Shirou and Rin went to the table where the blood was coming from, looking behind it.
Shirou's eyes widened. "Shinji?! What happened to him?!"
Rin didn't say anything, just covered her mouth with both hands. How would Sakura take this?!
"His Servant was Rider, was it not?" Saber asked, walking forward. "If Shinji is dead, then Rider should be as well no?"
True. Without a Master, the Servant was done for. But...
"Then we have a new problem, and that's figuring out who the killer was," Shirou said.
"Whoever it was must have been in the field the whole time," Rin said.
"Then it was probably either a mage or a Servant since this field didn't knock them out," Archer murmured, putting a hand to his chin. Rin faced Shirou.
"Let's let Kirei know about this. He'll see to the other students. After, we need to see Hashomoto and Lancer and talk to them about our next plan of attack!"