Welcome everybody, to the next installment of Fate: OSG! If anyone's surprised that I'm updating early, let it be known I'm gonna start posting these faster since I've actually written all the chapters now, though I will still be making edits if I feel the story needs them.

Disclaimer: Please refer to Chapter 1.

Let's go!

Now, before I describe what I did next, I just want to get something clear: I just got shot in the face. I hadn't exactly been having the best day right up 'till then, but still, I was shot in the face. So what if Lilynette's Cero wasn't fatal, that still hurt like hell.

Up 'till that point, I was perfectly content to pull my punches and just dodge and block, maybe throw an attack or two. But right then, I acted more on instinct than anything else.

What did I do?

Simple. I dropped Lilynette's sword, grabbed her by the neck, and started squeezing.

Again, I'm a knight. I've seen plenty of death in my time and caused quite a bit of it. My body was hardwired for certain events, and sometimes it would act faster than my mind could follow. And while it had saved my life in several cases, it could occasionally leave me in a very tough spot, like right now.

By the time I consciously realized I was choking her, her face was already turning an unnatural shade of blue and her struggles were getting weaker and weaker.

Luckily for both of us, Starrk came to the rescue... by kicking me in the gut.

Even though my armor, I felt that one. Even so, it was more surprise than anything that I let go of her, upon which Starrk immediately took her away from the battle.

"...Damn it Starrk," she gagged out as she held a hand to her neck. "What... took you so long?"

"You started it, not me," Starrk replied as he stared at me warily. Couldn't blame him honestly. "Besides, you're still alive, aren't you?"

"That not... the point!"

I sighed. "Look, sorry about that," I told her sheepishly (c'mon, how's one supposed to casually broach that you almost killed the other person by accident?). "Just reflexes and instinct."

...Damn, that sounds weak even now as I write it down.

"Besides," I continued. "Are you satisfied? Did I convince you I'm not a Shinigami yet?"

Lilynette gave me an annoyed glance. "Well-"

"I'm talking to the one who was actually paying attention and not losing his shit."

"Hey!"

Starrk looked at me again, this time his wariness replaced mostly by contemplation. "...When you absorbed the Cero with your blade, it did remind me of a particular Shinigami's ability. However, your garb is not that of a Shinigami, and you never once released your blade. Plus, you showed surprise at Lilynette's ability to airwalk, and never once performed it yourself."

"I take it you can do that too?"

In answer, he quite casually floated up and stayed about five feet off the ground. "I'm willing to admit you are indeed not a Shinigami. Besides," he continued as he floated back to the ground, "I've yet to meet a Shinigami who would heal, much less watch over an Arrancar, their sworn enemy."

"Thank you," I replied. "I'm glad I have your approval. Now that that's cleared up, I'm gonna go after Zeltrech. Are you gonna come with me or not?"

Starrk looked thoughtful for a moment, then just shrugged. "Alright."

Lilynette looked at him like he was crazy. "What!? He nearly killed me, and now you want to travel with him!?"

"You started it," he reminded her. "Besides, it would boring to travel alone all over again, right?"

That question stopped Lilynette in her tracks. She just stared at the two of us, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, then she just threw her hands up in exasperation. "You know what? Fuck it, whatever you say. Let's just go."

I couldn't believe my luck. It had been harder than I thought, but I had convinced them both to come with me. Now, I was one step closer to finding Zeltrech and making him...

"But before we do, there's something I want to see for myself," Starrk interrupted my thoughts, forcing me back to Earth. "If you don't mind."

"...And that would be?"

Casually, Starrk drew the katana at his side. "I don't usually start fights, but I find myself interested in you. You're not a Shinigami or Hollow, yet you're not just a human. Call me crazy, but I want to see just what you can do."

"...You want to fight me now? After all that crap you gave Lilynette?"

He nodded, and I resisted the urge to sigh. I lifted my sword.

"One round, then we go. Promise?"

"Of course," he responded. "Again, I just want to see what you can do."

'Well, I might as well get it over with,' I thought to myself, then charged.

He disappeared before I had even fully swung my sword.

'What the-?' I thought, before the faint rush of wind behind me was my only warning to turn around, catching Starrk's blade from taking me right across the back.

"Not bad," he told me casually, "There are only a few people I think off the top of my head fast enough to counter my Sonido. But just for the record, I'm a hell of a lot stronger than Lilynette. You can't afford to use anything less than your A-game with me."

He swung again, to which I countered and followed up with an overhead slash, which was blocked as well. This continued for maybe the next four or five exchanges: Any and all strikes were either dodged outright or blocked with our swords, and even any efforts to maneuver into more advantageous positions were stopped by our opponent, either by seeing the tell-tale signs they were trying to box them in (me) or sensing the faint displacement of wind or sound by high-speed movement (Starrk).

Still, I could tell that Starrk wasn't even fighting seriously right now. His moves lacked the intent to kill, and some of his strikes seemed half-hearted at best. Then again, considering that those moves were still enough to make me actually have to start trying to block, which is more than what I could say for Lilynette, it made me wonder just how strong he was if he decided to cut loose.

Suddenly, my eyes widened as Starrk started using his Sonido again, but this time it was different. Instead of just moving behind me for a quick strike, the moment he appeared he just disappeared again. Heck, sometimes he just reappeared in the spot he had just vacated! It was more like teleportation than high-speed movement.

The constant appearing and disappearing was also preventing me from accurately figuring out where he was next, as the bursts of sound and wind just starting blending into each.

"That's not very fair," I quipped as I watched his rapidly moving form, the wind whipping my hair across my face.

"If it's the only way you'll show me what you've really got, then I'll do it," he replied, his voice not at all affected by the fast movement. "Let's see how well you do when you can't predict where I'm gonna stop."

The moment he finished saying that, he finally struck, his blow glancing off my armor. I instinctively lashed out, but he just reappeared behind me and struck again, my armor defending me once more. It quickly became a game of cat and mouse, him striking me and I fruitlessly retaliating.

However, it was also a process of learning. He was testing my defenses and vulnerable areas in it, as I was likely more armored than the average opponent he usually fought, and I was testing just how fast he could strike and disappear, as well as the window of opportunity between materialization and disappearance.

As such, when he suddenly reappeared in front of me, I didn't hesitate a second before cutting through him, feeling resistance as my blade cleaved through his chest.

Then it disappeared, and I felt cold steel slice me over my left eye.

'Shit!' Looking upwards, I saw Starrk overhead, sword still with some blood on it being pulled away.

"Not bad," he admitted, "but that was just an afterimage."

I figured it was time to step up my game. Aiming my sword at him, I accessed the magical power stored in my blade. "Phozon Burst!"

An explosion of crimson light filled the space between us, forcing him to get back or risk damage. I drew upon even more of my blade's power. "Overload!"

I felt a burst of power erupt within me. My Overload spell doubles both my attack power and speed for a limited time, so I decided to show off a little. I closed the distance between Starrk and myself quickly, surprising him with my speed, and even managed to strike my first injury of the fight, right along his left shoulder.

Starrk's eyes narrowed. Holding out his left hand, I watched as a familiar, now blue, light formed in it as straight lines gathering together, and a hell of a lot faster. "Cero!"

Even with my newfound speed, I barely dodged the beam that was fired. It made Lilynette's look like a handgun while it was a missile launcher, and while I figured I could probably have absorbed it like I did with her first one, I really didn't want to risk it.

Suddenly, he was back in front of me, swinging his sword straight at my neck. I blocked it and retaliated in kind. For a moment we stood there deadlocked, then disengaged, moving about seven feet away from each other. Not that it mattered really, since either of us could cover that distance faster than it took to blink.

"Let's get serious, shall we?" he asked me simply. "I can tell you're still holding back on me."

"Aren't you?" I returned, feeling the effects of my spell wear off. "I can tell you're holding back, even up 'till firing that Cero."

He narrowed his eyes. "If I was to get completely serious," he replied, "not only would the simple act of unleashing my full power destroy what's left of this place, but you would likely fall to your knees and start having breathing problems from the sheer pressure of it."

Suddenly, a blue light exploded around his body, causing his hair to start to float upwards and creating a huge gust of wind. My eyes widened at the power behind it, putting my senses on edge. Looking down, I actually saw the stone beneath his feet start to crumble apart.

"This is as far as I dare take it," he told me. "And this is without activating my Resurreccion, my full power." He assumed a ready stance with his katana. "Now, show me what you're really capable of."

What could I say? This guy had just showed me power the likes of which I hadn't felt in ages. Not even the Inferno King nor my grandfather could compare to this magnitude of energy, and even among the other six legendary heroes I had faced, perhaps only one or two could lay claim to comparable power. And he was saying this was all he dared to unleashed?

I should have felt fear, but instead, I felt something entirely different. Something that surprised even myself.

"Heh," I muttered, surprising Starrk, who stared at me as if he had misheard. "Heheheheh... hahahahaha... HAHAHAHA!"

I have no doubt the sheer suddenness of my laughter just left my companions staring at me like I was crazy. Starrk's next words just confirmed it.

"I'm sorry, but did I say something funny?"

"Oh no no no," I told him as I got my laughter under control, "It's just that... It's been so long since I've faced an opponent that would force me to go this far... It's actually kind of refreshing, in a way."

Seeing his interested expression, I continued. "You're strong," I stated. "Plain and simple. Probably stronger than anyone I've ever fought before, if your words about holding back even now are true. I would never thought, given how powerful I've become myself, that I would have use this power again to hope to win a fight."

I looked him dead in the eyes. "You desire to see my power?" I asked him as I held Belderiver up to my face. "Then let me show you... the power of the Netherworld!"

With a savage swing, I brought the sword back down. "Behold!"

I suddenly felt my body grow cold as ice, then a sense of freedom overcame me as shadows crept into my peripheral vision. Looking down at my hands, I watched as darkness seeped out of my armor and absorbed it, until all I could see was shadowy, clawed limbs. Belderiver was gone, though the clawed hands would make a suitable replacement.

I looked back at Starrk, whose eyes were wide in shock, his mind no doubt attempting to come to terms with what he was looking at, though I noticed he was at least still holding his original stance in preparation. Lilynette, on the other hand, looked like she had just seen a ghost (which was weird, considering she was apparently one...) and it was about to eat her.

"What the hell!?" she... squeaked(?). "What on Earth are you!?"

I chuckled despite myself, my voice distorted by transformation. "Someone who has made many a mistake in his life." I turned back to Starrk. "Shall we begin?"

By this point, he had regained his composure. Throwing up one of his hands, lines were drawn in and blue light formed once more. "Cero!"

I grinned beneath the shadows. Drawing upon the dark power within me, I moved.

The Cero, large enough to destroy the top of an office building with ease, completely missed me as I raced around it and towards Starrk. However, it would appear that he was anticipating my attack. My claws met steel as he brought his sword up to meet my charge, his expression unreadable as he faced what no doubt appeared as some demon from Hell.

No words were given, none were needed.

Sparks flared as we clashed, occasionally striking each other when we saw sufficient openings. Blood fell from Starrk's shoulder, arms, chest and right cheek as my shadows, sharp as blades, cut into him, and what appeared to be blood flowed from my chest, left arm, side and face, only to dissolve like shadows when they left my physical form.

We were evenly matched. While I was the superior in strength, Starrk had the advantage in reach. Whereas I could take more damage, as the amount of injuries I had accumulated was perhaps twice as many as his own and yet still fighting as strongly as before could attest to, Starrk was still faster, both in terms of striking and normal speed, though I could match him in the later if I tried hard enough.

Finally, he attempted the same trick as earlier, creating multiple afterimages of himself all around to confuse me.

"Not this time," I growled out. Holding my hand out, I drew upon the power of the Belderiver, now merged with my very being. "Phozon Burst!"

A burst of crimson power exploded around my body, blowing away all of the images. I quickly searched for the real him, then looked up on instinct. Sure enough, there he was perhaps fifteen or so feet up in the air, hand outstretched to charge a Cero.

"Did you know," he began when he saw that I had noticed him, "that I can..."

"Not this time!" I roared as I jumped up to meet him. As long as he didn't form the lines of light, I could stop him and would be fine...

Then I noticed that the blue light just appeared in his hand like magic... without the line-gathering from before.

"...insta-fire Ceros?" he finished simply, then fired at me.

Remember how I said Lilynette's Cero to the face hurt? Well, that was like getting punched in the face. Starrk's Cero?

That was 'hurt' like getting shot in the nads.

Not even hitting the stone ground hurt as much. Actually, the pain of feeling the ground actually helped me get to my feet. Realizing I only had a few seconds before Starrk checked to see if I was down or not, I used my increased strength to rocket off the ground towards him as even as he put his hand down. There was no way he could charge it again...

Another ball of blue light formed in front of his chest as I emerged from the smoke.

"I can also use them without taking a firing position," he stated matter-of-factly. "So yeah."

I didn't even bother to comment how unfair that was, instead just drawing upon the power of the Belderiver again. "Phozon Burst!"

"Cero!"

Red and blue light collided and exploded. I briefly wondered if anyone was watching this from far away and wondering just who the hell was slinging around what was apparently Magecraft without a care in the world.

Still, I realized, as I landed back on the ground, I had to end this now. I could feel the familiar sensation of fatigue, a side-effect of using the Belderiver too long, creeping in. If I didn't hurry, this could get ugly.

Apparently, Starrk had a similar mindset as well, because he suddenly appeared right in front of me in the smoke, katana at the ready. He didn't say anything, but I could tell in his eyes he intended to end it.

So I obliged him.

Then I did something incredibly stupid: I allowed him to stab me in the side.

...Yes, I just let him put that sword in my side like it belonged there, felt it slide against my armor and pierce my flesh.

Starrk was probably wondering what the hell happened. In fact, from the look on his face, he obviously was thinking about what the hell was standing still supposed to do for me.

And I couldn't help but grin, because honestly, while like this, my flesh isn't normal flesh. It's really nothing more than semi-solid shadows bound together. I can't really be injured in this form by normal physical attacks like slashing or stabbing, unless it's some sort of holy weapon. Something like a Cero or magical attack can, but nothing else really. That's why I wasn't affected by Starrk's stab wounds from earlier.

So, I responded in kind. Using one of my hands to grab his sword, I lifted my other one and sliced Starrk across the chest, not deeply, just a light cut, then closed the distance when he tried to escape and grabbed him by the neck.

"Yield?" I asked him quietly.

He stared at me for a moment, no fear evident in his eyes despite my hand being capable tearing out his throat right then and there. He understood this was never meant to be a fight to the death. "Very well," he finally said. "You win."

And with that, I let go of his throat, then pulled his sword out of my side, handing it back to him. I then returned to normal, suppressing a shudder as the demonic power left me, Belderiver reappearing in my hand. For a moment I stumbled, only to stop when Starrk held out a hand and grabbed my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked, voice tinged with concern. "You took that Cero pretty hard and just had a sword lodged in you."

"I'll be fine," I muttered quietly. "Just need to sit for a second."

I turned my head to where Lilynette was, only to see her staring at the both of us a shell-shocked expression.

"You... and Starrk... the shadows... Cero..." she mumbled, hands pointing to either of us for a second, then raising them up balled before opening them slightly above her head in exasperation. "Poof!... now you're just the best of buds?" she asked tiredly.

Starrk and I just looked at each other and shrugged. Girls could be weird like that, I guess.

OSG Medical Room

"...I'... s..ry."

'...Wh-What?' Shirou thought to himself as he began to become aware of his surroundings, 'Who said that- Ah!'

And with awareness came pain. Pain that made him feel like he had just tried to turn one of his nerves into Magic Circuits again, only now multiplied to include his entire body.

It was comforting, in a way. Pain made it clear he was still alive and with a body, even if he couldn't move right now...

'Wait... why can't I move?' he thought as panic began to seep in. 'And why can't I see? Are my eyes broken? Am I going blind!? Oh God, what if I-'

"...I'm sorry..."

'Wait... there's that voice again,' he thought, previous panic forgotten as curiosity won out. 'Is that... Lambda?'

"It's alright," a male's voice rang out. "He's gonna be fine."

'Edgar?'

"He better be, Edgar," another voice rang out, confirming his thoughts. "Because I'm gonna hit you with a book if he isn't."

'That's Maka,' Shirou thought without hesitation. Only she could make the threat of being hit with books threatening.

"And I'm gonna help her."

'Definitely Soul,' he continued.

"Hey hey hey," came Edgar's voice, "I'm not the only one responsible, you know..."

"Hey, at least Lambda is sorry about it," came Soul's voice. "Besides, she new to all of this. That gets her a pass."

'You know, I should probably try and get up now,' Shirou finally decided. 'Can't keep them waiting.'

He tried moving an arm, almost gasping as he felt the pain explode in him again, forcing him to stop. Apparently someone noticed though, as the conversation from earlier had grown strangely silent.

'Okay, let's try something simpler.'

This time, he concentrated on his eyelids, forcing them open. This time the pain was much less noticeable, like a dull ache in his brain that gave him a headache.

'C'mon,' he thought, 'what was that old saying? Pain is weakness leaving the body or something like that?'

Finally, he got a good view of his surroundings, of which his thought was that it was white and blurry, though the later might just be him. Using his eyes to scan over the room, as he didn't quite trust moving his head to not unleash more pain, he caught sight of four other blurs which slowly solidified as his sight adjusted.

"Shirou!" One of those blurs said as it raced towards him, stopping near his right side. "Are you alright?"

"Maka?" he asked, surprising even himself by how dry and scratchy his voice was. He coughed for a moment, his vision clearing enough to see her concerned face. "Hey, nice to see you. I guess Soul's here too, huh?"

"Right here man," Soul's voice came from nearby as he walked up near Maka, a familiar grin on his face. "How do you feel?"

"Like hell," Shirou muttered as he looked around, finally realizing where he was. "Is this the infirmary?"

"Yeah, you were banged up pretty badly," Soul told him. "You had at least two broken ribs, not to mention slashes on your arm, side and head, and you had quite a bit of internal damage, mostly muscle damage, though there was some damaged blood vessels and internal bleeding."

Shirou winced and then looked down at him himself, noticing the bandages around his arms and chest, as well as feeling one around his head.

'Wait a minute, how long was I out?'

"Hey guys, how long was I..." he trailed off, when he noticed who the other two occupants in the room were. Edgar was leaning on the wall, arms crossed and his eyes closed, while Lambda was standing in the corner, out of her armor and head down, though he could feel her red eyes on him. "Uh... how long have you guys been here?"

"Since you were brought here, about three hours ago," Maka told him. She then noticed where he was looking, her expression changing slightly to one of pity at seeing Lambda. "Though of all of us, Lambda's the only one that's been here the whole time."

"She feels kinda guilty about this," Soul added.

Shirou briefly felt shame for himself at Lambda's expression. Part of the reason he wanted to help people and become a hero of justice was because he wanted to see people smile. Seeing that melancholy expression on her face just didn't sit right with him.

"Hey Lambda," he called out, watching as the blonde girl's head snapped up at the sound of her name. "Could you come over here please?"

Lambda seemed to hesitate for a second, then slowly started to walk over, her head still held down. She finally stop on Shirou's opposite side, still looking down, though if it was in guilt or sadness he couldn't tell.

"Lambda, look at me please."

Again, she hesitated, then lifted her head up, her expression now unreadable. Again, there was something about her that he couldn't quite place yet still made him want to know her better.

"Is there anything you want to say to me?" he asked her.

Lambda stared at him for a long moment, though whether it was intentional or if she was just trying to find a way to articulate a response was beyond him. Finally, she opened her mouth.

"I... apologize for my conduct in our spar," she finally stated. "And I apologize for putting your life in jeopardy near the end."

Shirou blinked, then smiled. "Hey, it's alright. It could have been worse."

Lambda just stared at him. "Had you not turned to intercept the blades in time, I would recommend a 92% chance they would have pierced your armor and your skin to inflict major damage, and from first-hand knowledge of how they managed to pierce your body, I would suggest a 78% chance of fatality from said injuries."

"How did that happen anyways?" Maka asked her suddenly, her tone growing just a tad stronger and guarded. "I thought Edgar said you were fighting with non-lethal intent?"

Dimly, Shirou was aware of Edgar slowly inching towards the door and out of it, shutting the door behind him quietly. However, it would appear that only he noticed this action, as everyone else's attention was on Lambda.

"Previously calculated force necessary to pierce both body armor and human skin to incapacitate target proved inadequate," Lambda replied simply. "While my blades succeeded in piercing his armor, they failed to do the same to his skin for some reason. I later increased the necessary force to compensate, but for some reason target's skin had returned to the hardness of normal human parameters, causing what should have been an incapacitating blow to become potentially fatal."

Suddenly, Shirou felt a cold chill creep down his spine.

"In addition, around this point was when Shirou's attacks grew in strength and speed, as if he had received some form of upgrade to his abilities. I was incapable of piercing his skin with my blades, and he himself was much faster and stronger. Again, those enhancements disappeared near the end, along with his increased endurance."

He was suddenly aware of Maka's gaze on him. 'Please don't make the connection...'

"Perhaps this has some connection to his internal injuries, particularly the muscle damage?" Lambda finished.

"...Shirou," came Maka's deceptively kind voice. "...Did you use self-Reinforcement?"

Shirou noticed Soul shaking his head sadly, while Lambda just stared with a confused expression.

'Here comes the storm...' he thought quietly.

Outside

Edgar walked down the halls, wincing to himself as he heard Maka's explosive tirade on how stupid Shirou had been even three two doors down.

'Can't say he doesn't deserve it, what with everything that could have gone wrong with that sort of self-Magecraft,' he thought to himself. 'I must admit though, the kid's recovery is amazing. Most people with injuries like that, especially caused by partially botched Magecraft, would take a few days, occasionally weeks, to recover.'

He chuckled. 'Who would have thought Avalon would have such an effect on a person, even without King Arthur to provide Prana? No doubt it's also how he survived turning his nerves into makeshift Magic Circuits in his youth, as well as how he never seemed to be down with from injuries very long. Such is the power of a Conceptual Weapon... even when supposedly it shouldn't be able to function anymore without Arthur's existence, yet the proof is right there in front of me.'

Shirou had apparently required a few more weeks of returning to the hospital for check-ups before he had fully recovered from the fire, yet here he was recovering from some serious damage to his body like nothing.

'Has Avalon's bonding with the boy reached the point where it's speeding up his recovery time, even after being rendered inert?'

The humor then left his thoughts. 'However, even if that's true, that alone won't be enough to help him make his dream a reality...'

Despite that, a small smirk crossed his face. 'But then again,' he added as he thought back to watching Shirou and Lambda's battle, the sheer determination on his face as he successfully Traced his cutlass perfectly and held her at sword-point. 'Maybe it doesn't need to be.'

He then noticed Lyn coming towards him, holding a file he asked her to put together. "Is that it?"

"Yeah," she told him as she placed it in his hands. "All there. Entirely new identity for our newest recruit."

He grinned, opening it up to see Lambda's face on some very official-looking papers. "How is it you can do in less than a day what takes months, even years for people in the normal world?" he asked as he flipped through it.

Lyn shrugged, though there was a smirk of pride on her face. "Plenty of favors and time to prepare for this sort of thing."

Edgar stopped when he saw the name on the papers though. "Why this name?"

"...Would you accept, 'It just felt right'?" she asked simply.

He was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess it does fit."

"Remember, you're the one who's gonna drop this bombshell on Shirou, Maka, and Soul, not me," she reminded him. "This wasn't my idea."

"I wouldn't have it any other way Lyn," Edgar reassured her. "Besides, it's only right for someone like Lambda to have something resembling a normal life."

Lyn looked at him. "Still, rooming her with Shirou? I know he's a nice guy and all, maybe a little too nice for his own good, but she apparently did almost kill him by accident. And while Maka and Soul are willing to let grudges like that go, what the heck will that Taiga and Maiya say about it?"

Edgar waved her off. "Oh don't worry. They're both understanding and bright ladies, from what I understand. They'll see this a great idea."

"...You have no intentions of telling them until Shirou and company are back in Japan in three days time, do you?"

"Yup!"

Another chapter down for the count! Wonder how this little development will blow over?

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