Man, it feels like forever since I wrote another chapter. Sorry about taking so long. Lots of interesting stories to write. Like most authors, once I get an idea in my head I just have to write it down. But hey, now we're going to have some fun. And we're finally going after Kotomine.

What, you forgot about that? I'm pretty sure I said it half a dozen times already. Ah well. Easy to forget.

Oh, and I looked back at my chapters (because it's been so long) and I realised that technically, Shinji and Kotomine were already in an alliance. Let's just say that they broke apart when Shinji lost Rider, and Kotomine was more a 'mysterious benefactor'.

Now, on with the show.

Chapter 11: Bloodstained Church Windows

(10:00pm, Fuyuki Church)

Kirei Kotomine hummed to himself as he walked through the church grounds, breathing in the fragrances of the garden as he went. In his hands were newspaper reports about the various damages caused by the Grail War, the buildings destroyed and the lives lost. A dozen officers were killed by Assassin's creations last night. People were frightened, turning on the city officials that couldn't explain what was happening. Several families committed suicide, most by the will of the parent. Shoplifting and looting was on the rise, and strange creatures were attacking people in alleyways before vanishing with their prize. The whole city was a few days away from complete anarchy.

It was glorious.

He felt so alive now, no longer adrift in life and trying to find his place. No longer moving from career and hobby to another. He had finally found his happiness, his calling. A twinge of sorrow echoed within him, a remnant of his old self. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, that it was evil. But it was the only thing he truly enjoyed. Even his marriage was nothing compared to this feeling. And was personal wellbeing not more important than anything else? His legs carried him over the graveyard now, a mallet in hand. He didn't recall grabbing it on the way. Perhaps he was updating a headstone somewhere. His path ended before a dismally ordinary stone. 'Joseph McDaniel. 1978 – 1993. A caring brother. Greatest joy: Captain of the SS Post.' He leaned down and got to work, the clang of his mallet against the nail echoing through the air. When he finished, the inscription had changed.

'Greatest joy: Captain of the ASS PostERIOR.'

He laughed. It was juvenile, but he couldn't wait to see the faces of the family when they saw this defacement. They would come to him, sobbing and angry, and then he would offer them condolences and promise to catch the vandals. He smiled as he imagined their tears. He stopped again, this time before the stones marking the Tohsakas. Tokiomi and Aoi. His former master and his wife. He went to work again, clenched hands on her grave, and a dagger for his. A little message for little Rin. Tears flowed freely now, and he wiped them away in disgust. Stupid. It was their fault anyway that they died. Tokiomi was so certain of his plans that he never realised he would be betrayed. He would never have made it to the final battle. And Aoi, perhaps she would learn to choose the right man over the wrong one.

He entered the church itself to find Caster busy at work, dipping the cross in blood and smearing rude words all over the walls.

"More donations from Berserker's work?" He asked the mad jester as he approached. He dipped down as a dagger sailed overhead, before jumping back as Caster followed up with a low kick. The Servant giggled as hopped about. "Just remember not to damage the room in any way. Blood can be washed off eventually. Dents cannot."

Caster giggled some more, waving his wet fingers around. "Oh, you're a feisty one, aren't you? But I still don't think we should bother anymore. After all, anyone who's going to see them won't be leaving here ever again. And it'll go with Berserker's skin." He waved his hand at the writing he was doing. "Do you like it? I got the idea from the box. A yellow-skinned boy was writing this out over and over. Well, not this, but something close. I like that yellow boy. His blood will look like mustard, I think. Or bananas. Maybe he bleeds bananas instead." His smile turned into an exaggerated frown. "Aw, you've been crying? Has our fun brought a tear of joy to your eye? Because if not, I can always cure you of those tears." He reached out to rip his eyes out, but Kotomine jumped back again.

"It is nothing. Just my old self getting stuck over what is good and evil."

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean. Listen closely to that voice. Feel it deep within. Find its source… and take a dagger to it. What does it know anyway? It's just a stupid voice in your head. It's probably crazy. And besides, if it was needed it wouldn't be just a voice now, would it?" He started humming as he grabbed a dagger from his belt and started stabbing the Bible with it. Kotomine left him to his work, now heading downwards into the lower levels. A high-pitched, near inaudible scream came from behind the first door. He opened it to find a corpse dangling from the entranceway, chains biting deep into its flesh. He pushed it aside to see Berserker devouring a man's insides. From his twitching and jittering, the man was still alive. Other people were hanging from stocks and spikes of dark chitin, the screams coming from them as something ravaged their minds. Berserker looked up as he approached, meat and entrails dangling from his maw.

"Are these people providing you with enough prana?" He asked Berserker. The demon slurped up his meal, smirking at him.

"Indeed." His deep voice filled the room. "Their fear is exquisite. These wretches have never truly experienced fear before. Such things happen to other, less fortunate victims. But they are learning as we speak."

"And the panic in the city?"

"Just as great, though not as filling alone. We will need more fear if we are to unleash Mainyu upon the world." Angry muffled yelling assaulted them, chains rattling against stone. They looked over to the far wall to see Illya Einzbern glaring back. Her white nightgown was tattered and ripped, blood staining several areas across her chest and legs. The manacles rubbed away at her wrists and ankles, leaving red skin and blood in their wake. Her lips had been sewn shut, a patchwork job that left her skin puckered and ruined.

"I see that your Master is still acting defiant." Kotomine noted. Berserker growled angrily, his skin growing redder.

"She is… a stubborn one. Her hatred of me is greater than the fear I can put her through." He admitted. "But once I have enough power, I will be able to finally break her. And then I will tear the prana from her until she is nothing but a withered husk."

"Good. Once Lancer's served her purpose I will enjoy working alongside you." As he turned, he missed the glow of Berserker's eyes. So, that was two members of their alliance seen to. Now he needed to check on Mr Matou, and lancer.

Fortunately, they're both in the same room.

"Hold one moment." Assassin said, smiling as he bowed like a hotel doorman. "I'm afraid the master is a bit occupied at the moment. If you could just wait a bit longer." A grunting sound came through the door, followed by a deep sigh. "Splendid. He's ready to see you now." He opened the door with a flourish, Kotomine stumbling as he sneakily tripped him up. Inside, the room was a den of debauchery. There were girls piled everywhere, naked, bound and gagged. Most were silent, tears streaming down their cheeks. Shinji Matou was lying on the bed, panting heavily and with Lancer lying on top of him. At least three other girls were laid around them, showing signs of having been his earlier prizes. Lancer sat up a bit and glared at him.

"If you're wishing to speak to him, I'm afraid he's not going to say much. The fool's been gorging himself on women all night. He's practically tuckered out." She said, materialising her clothes. Her featureless mask couldn't hide the fury she was feeling. "But if you're wondering about his thoughts on our alliance, he's thrilled to be a part of it. That we finally gift him with the recognition he deserves. That with our help, he will be able to crush those who dared looked down upon his family."

"It sounds as though he's spoken quite a bit about it." Kirei noted.

"It's all he ever talks about. I'd find it annoying beyond belief if it wasn't so pathetic. I'm surprised you haven't taken Assassin's allegiance and just dumped him like bantha poodoo."

"Unfortunately, a Master can only command one Servant at a time. That's why we had to have Berserker become Caster's new Master instead of me. But you are correct that Assassin's the one I wanted. And as long as Matou listens to me, he can have his heart's desire." A wailing scream filled the air, fading in and out like a siren. Shinji jolted awake, flailing out of bed and crashing to the floor. Caster came bounding into the room.

"My alarm system works." He cried out happily. "I was always worried I wouldn't get the tempo and pitch right. Such a bother, such a pity if it didn't. Oh, and it also means a Servant in approaching." He said that last part like it didn't even matter, as though it was an afterthought to him.

Kirei frowned. "Can you determine how many Servants there are?" Though he had an inkling as to who it was. There weren't that many other Servants out there. At least, none likely to want to attack the church.

Caster cocked his head, listening closely to the wailing. "Let's see… Three… No, four… No, sorry. Five. Five Servants approaching. Quite close together too."

"Then I was right. It's Saber's team." The effects were immediate.

"SABER?!" Caster howled, his eyes glowing. "Oh, this is perfect! I was afraid I'd have to go and find them myself, killing house after house until I got them or their squishy Masters. Oh, I can't wait to hear them scream. I can't wait to wear their skin."

"Of course, of course. You can have your revenge. Just let the rest of us prepare first. It's dangerous to go alone, after all." He turned to Lancer. "I know you can tap into the power of ghosts. Go to the Graveyard and empower yourself. Then cut them off until the rest of us are ready."

"You expect me to keep them all occupied until the rest of you get off your asses?" She asked him in annoyance. "I'm good, but I'm not that good, remember."

"Then take Caster with you. Heaven knows he's willing." Caster was in fact mumbling all the ways he was going to make the enemy suffer. "Get a move on. Or do I need to Command you to obey?" He pulled up his sleeve threateningly, revealing the multitude of Command Seals. Lancer glared at him in anger.

"…Very well then, Master." She stomped off, Caster hooping along after her. Kirei turned to Shinji, who was covered by half of his bedsheet. The boy was rubbing his sore muscles.

"Young Mr Matou." He said courteously. "Saber's team has a habit of bringing their Masters into battle with them. Perhaps you could have Assassin sneak into battle to eliminate them. I am of the understanding that Rin Tohsaka is one of them. And I'm almost certain that your sister is on their side too." Shinji grinned evilly.

"This is just what I've been waiting for. They think they're both so much better than me. Assassin, bring them back to me alive. You can kill the rest."

"Of course, Master. And I'll even make sure they're suitably undressed as well." He vanished, becoming one with the shadows. Satisfied with his involvement, Kirei headed back towards Berserker's quarters. The demon was currently removing a woman's organs, one by one and slowly.

"Gather as much prana as you can. Our enemy is here." He said firmly.

(Fuyuki Graveyard)

"Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger. Mushroom, mushroom, mushroom. Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger…" Caster chanted over and over as he jumped around the graveyard.

"Caster, would you please shut up already?" Lancer growled at him. "I need quiet for this Phantasm of mine."

"…Badger, badger, badger, badger…" Lancer thrusted one hand out towards him, the Force throwing him through several gravestones before he ended up upside down in a flower bed. "Well that was rude. A simple please would've sufficed."

"Yet sadly, it didn't." She reached out to find the suitable spirits. There were certainly a lot of them here. And several were very recent. Bystanders in this War? Or Victims of Kotomine? She certainly wouldn't put it past him. Either way, she didn't have long to gain proper consent. Through the Force, she grabbed hold of the ties binding them to the physical world, and pulled sharply on them. The ghosts tried to hold onto their graves, but it was futile. One by one, then scores by scores, they became a part of her. The voices tried to overwhelm her, but she silenced them through sheer will. Her body thrummed with power. Her eyes glowed brightly, and an ethereal force misted from her body.

"Ooh. That looks scrum-didili-umcious. I wish the ghosts I ate were that yummy. They just cried and moaned and 'Oh you killed my family'." Caster said, still upside down. The clown jumped to his feet and dusted himself off. "Well, now that you're empowered, how about we maim and kill some monsters?"

"Funny. I'd imagine they're saying the same thing about you." Lancer retorted as they headed towards the front doors. And not a moment too soon. The other Servants were marching right up to them. A wave of force blasted them away, but they managed to regain a foothold. It seemed that Caster's alarms couldn't recognise non-Servants. A cat-like alien, similar to a short Cathar, was with them. Along with the Matou girl.

"Oh, you're all here. This is so wonderful. Now I can kill you all without having to go looking for anyone. I'm so happy I could just crush a heart. Care to donate, anyone?" Caster was saying cheerfully. Though she wasn't fooled. She could practically feel his sheer rage and bloodlust. He wasn't likely to leave without someone dying at his hands.

Well for the time being, she'd just have to make sure it wasn't her.

"I'm afraid we cannot let you pass." She said calmly. "And it seems that my friend here has prior grievances with you. But if you surrender, I could ensure that you have merciful deaths."

"You are bold, Lancer." The armoured knight said, pointing his frosted blade at her. "Considering you ran against smaller numbers last we met."

"Yes well, it's a good thing I have back up of my own this time." The doors broke open and were sent flying, Berserker charging out of them covered in flames. He roared loudly as Archer moved to engage. While she strength was considerable, her specialty lied in keeping far away from her opponents. So why was she…?

As they were about to clash, a glowing orb formed between them. A Reality Marble. When it vanished, they were both gone. Caster flew into the air, raining spells down upon them all. As Lancer dodged his barrage, she saw Rider summoning some form of hover tank. The first blast impacted against his barrier, blowing him out of the sky. The tank followed his trajectory, continuing to fire as it went. Leaving her alone with both Sabers and their allies.

"…Sith's Blood." She cursed, running as the not-Cathar opened fire with an underslung machine gun. The Saber charged in with their blades ready, but she blasted them back with another wave of force. And such an act also separated them for her. Knight Saber was the closest now, having slammed his blade into the ground to hold him in place when the wave struck. He threw a hand out at her, wisps screaming through the air to snatch her. She danced around them as she generated a Force Whirlwind, forcing him to cast another spell. A barrier of ice formed around him as the winds struck, the ice cracking and creaking under the assault. That should keep him out of the way, for now at least. Not-Cathar had pulled out another weapon, a disc weapon of some kind. When the disc was launched, it formed its own whirlwind that he directed after her, lightning arcing out to strike her. Her shield weathered the blows, and she used the Force to crush the disc into a tiny ball. With that threat neutralised, she unleashed a powerful blast of Force Lightning, the alien screaming in pain as he jittered. The Matou girl charged in and engaged in hand-to-hand, too close for her double-bladed lightsaber to hit. So Lancer deactivated one of the emitters, her single blade now much easier to handle. The girl screamed in pain as she sliced her hand off, before jumping away from the follow-up strike. The wound healed over, but she didn't seem interested in charging in again.

"Sakura. Get Ratchet to safety and then go find the others. This Servant is too dangerous for you." Saber shouted at her. The girl nodded, before carrying the wounded alien away. Now it was just her and the mutated woman. "I remember when we first fought. On the very first night I was summoned. You cut off my wing. But this time you'll find me a much tougher target."

"As will you." Lancer replied, vanishing behind a cloaking field. She quickly checked on the whirlwind, still going strong. Good. No surprises from there. She snuck around to behind Saber, her lightsaber ready to ignite into her back. She thrusted forward, blade about to form…

Her shield was practically destroyed under the assault from Saber's wings. As she was sent reeling, her mind was ablaze. How did she sense her? Few could detect the approach of a Sith Assassin now. Was it some instinctive ability of the Saber Class? She dodged the next blows, reengaging her shields as she moved. Fine then. She'll go for a feint to the sternum, before twisting below her feet and then following with an uppercut to the…

Saber dodged her initial feint, but jumped over her follow-up strike before blocking the uppercut with her wing tips. Lancer stared at her agog. How? How did she see that coming? Now angry, she moved to the left, planning on moving back to the right and striking from that side…

Saber lashed out with a wing on her left, before striking out on the right. If it wasn't for her instincts, she would've been skewered. As it were, she barely blocked it in time. This doesn't make any sense. She keeps responding to everything I throw at her before I even fully make them. It's almost as if…

She found it. A faint presence at the edge of her consciousness. Foreign, alien, yet undeniably human.

A mind reader. She was a fucking mind reader.

"Indeed." Saber smirked at her. "Thank you for the excellent plans you came up with for me. And just so you know, you're not the only one with cloaking." Her body turned back into a human form, now clothed in a skin-tight white suit before she vanished. Lancer quickly strengthened her mental defences. She wasn't going to get caught out like that again. Certain that he thoughts were no longer under threat, she reached out through the Force. You're not the only one who with tricks, Saber. I will find an crush you for that. There, a figure hidden in the bush. Well, well. So little Ms Saber is also capable of being the Archer Class. Still too easy. But to her left…

She jumped away, Knight Saber's blade slamming into the ground where she stood. A powerful chill threatened to overwhelm her. Stupid. She should've been paying attention to him. Rage threatened to overwhelm her. But she wouldn't let it. She was not a Sith Warrior, drawing strength from their hatred and anger. She was an Inquisitor. Her intelligence was her greatest weapon.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't channel her anger into an attack.

As Knight Saber charged for her, she struck back with a powerful blast of Force Lightning, blasting him away and leaving him in pain. As she did so, she dodged the shot Saber took at her, using the Force to guide her lightsaber towards her and back. Saber yelled in pain as she sliced through her limb, but by the time she rushed back into the fray it had grown back. She was charging some form of energy attack. A purple beam of psionic power erupted from her hands. There was nowhere to run to. Lancer came to halt and fired back her own massive beam of Force Lightning. The two attacks clashed in the middle, both fighting for dominance before their energy exploded from the sheer force. This was getting very annoying. How was she going to win? Or was that even the plan in the first place?

"Tralalala!" Caster shouted as he came flying back. "Sorry I'm late. Rider was really giving me a hard time. Thankfully, I killed her two helpers and left her with my pets. Now, who's going to get attacked first?"

His question was answered by a magenta-haired woman in a suit kicking him in the face. He was sent flying into the ground hard enough to make a sizable crater. The woman jumped back out and landed near them. It was her. Her former Master. But how was she still alive? How did she get so much stronger?

"Lancer!" Bazett shouted, pointing a Command-baring hand at her. "By the power of my Command Seal and as your true Master, I order you: Destroy this church!" Lancer gasped as her body felt like it was being torn in two, the Commands placed on her by both Kotomine and Bazett struggling to be obeyed. But she knew who her real Master was. While Kotomine may have dominated her will, Bazett was the one who summoned her. The Command placed by him shattered, and she twisted to blast the church walls with rubble from the fight. Windows shattered and stone crumbled under her attack.

It felt truly wonderful.

"Perhaps we can call for a truce, at least until we have removed our common enemies?" She asked Saber, as the woman stood beside her and watched her work. The Servant stared at her for several seconds before smiling.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Very well then. I suppose we shall allow you to live for tonight."

"My. How generous of you." She turned to continue her assault, when a wave of energy erupted from before them. Archer went flying away from it as Berserker came roaring out after her. His body was damaged, no doubt by whatever she keeps in there. She twisted in mid-air and fired a… shark at Berserker, who merely grabbed it and cooked it alive. Undeterred, Archer pulled out a different gun and fired a dark orb at him. It sailed past him, but when it hit the ground a possibly pseudo black hole formed, pulling anything within range towards it. Berserker stabbed his claws into the ground to slow his passage, allowing him to hang on until the black hole consumed itself. He was about to charge forward again when a frost orb slammed into him, freezing his body slowly. Knight Saber marched up to them, a small army of skeletons at his side, and his blade pointing towards her. And then as Berserker broke free of the ice, a large six-wheeled tank came flying at him, smashing him into the ground with its frame. Rider and two companions hopped out before he could start tearing at them, reduced to throwing aside the tank and roaring. By now, Caster had gotten to his feet too. Knight Saber looked at the two sides before standing beside Lancer. The two sides glared at each other, spells and attacks prepared for combat.

Stillness. Then they charged at each other.

(10:10pm, Fuyuki Church)

"I hope this goes better than the last time." Rin muttered as they watched the church from the trees. The idea was for them to make sure that no one snuck out of the church while they were attacking it. She felt uneasy staying away from the fight. It made her feel weak. And she didn't like it that Sakura was going too. She may be an enhanced human now, but she was still her little sister.

"It will. Everyone's back at full strength." Shirou replied. She blushed deeply as she remembered how most of their Servants were 'recharged'. "And we've got more allies this time round. Plus, Arthas said that Caster wouldn't be able to summon an army again after wasting so much prana last time. It'll be easy."

"Funny. I thought that's what we thought the last time too." She jolted a bit as explosions and tornados erupted from the church. Well, it looks like they're clashing alright. "Just stop talking and keep an eye on the back entrance of the church. We don't want Kotomine sneaking out while we're busy."

"Right. Sorry." They kept careful watch on the old church, neither making a sound, though every now and then Rin glanced at the battle. It seemed to be going on far too long. Neither Rider or Archer truly believed that they could keep Berserker and Caster busy forever.

"Hold on. I think I spotted something." Shirou startled her. They had been so quiet for so long. She scrambled over to his side, climbing over him and looking around quickly with her binoculars.

"What? What did you see? What is it?" She gasped when she spotted a black priest robe, before realising who it was. "Oh, it's just Shinji. Idiot, let me know about something important." She bopped Shirou on the head.

"It is important. Why is he here? And what's with the robe? He looks like he's in a pretty big hurry down there." She stopped hitting him long enough to look at Shinji again. Now that he mentioned it, why was he here? He should've been back at the Matou Manor, enjoying the company of the girls hanging around him and that Servant by his side…

"He's a part of Kotomine's alliance." She realised. "Remember how Arthas sent Saber to sense for Servants, and she found three of them?"

"Yeah. Lancer, Berserker, and Caster." He gasped as he understood. "So Kotomine must've gotten Shinji and his Servant to join too."

"Which means that there are likely innocents down inside the church. We have to go and rescue them." Yep, this was exactly like their last fight. Still hopefully the smaller halls will make it harder for an enemy to dodge them both. She jumped down out of the tree, Shirou climbing nervously behind her.

"Uh, Rin?" He asked nervously. "Quick question. If Shinji's here with his Servant, then where is the green-haired guy?" As he said that, he lost his grip on the branch. He fell to the ground, practically landing on top of her as he did so. But Rin was more interested in the green chain now attached to the tree trunk. Imbedded in the wood was a fanged snake maw. Right where Shirou was hanging. If he hadn't fallen, it would've gone right through his heart.

"Wow. That was some pretty hardcore luck kid." The chain retracted, spiralling back towards the green-haired man and flying back into a glowing green summoning circle. The man grinned at them from under his fedora. "Another second or two and you would've been shish-ka-bobbed. But hey, at least you make a nice couple. Don't grab anything I wouldn't grab, kiddo." They glanced at each other, shrieking as they scrambled away from each other. "Aw, would ya look at the two lovebirds here? It's so cute." He gasped. "But that's right. Word on the grapevine is that Ms Sakura is in love with Mr Emiya here. Tsk, tsk. How could you Tohsaka? Stealing your sister's boyfriend from her? That's just low."

"I'm not." Rin shouted, flustered now. "There is nothing going on between us."

"Of course not, of course not. I understand. You don't actually care about him as a person. You just want him because your sister wants him. After all, if you're not happy then why should she? It's far easier and more rewarding to make sure you both wallow in suffering and misery." He giggled at Rin's horrified face.

"That's… That's not true." She whimpered. She stopped when she felt Shirou's hand on her shoulder. He held his blade in the other.

"Don't listen to him, Rin. This sicko's just like Caster. Saying creepy shit because it amuses him."

"Not always. Sometimes it's because it trips my enemies up." As he said that, another portal opened and the chain came flying out at them. They dodged to the side, but this time the chain circled round for a repeat attack. Shirou blocked its mouth with his blade while Rin unleashed a barrage of spells at the Servant. It was a direct hit, the power creating a cloud of dust. She kept firing, since you never know with Servants just how tough they were. After several seconds of this, the green chain blasted from the smoke and encircled her, wrapping her up tightly and hurting her. She screamed in pain as she was lifted into the air, the Servant completely unharmed.

"Tut, tut." He said, waving a finger at her. "I'm afraid your spells aren't going to work right now. I'm used to fighting mages." He frowned before smacking his forehead. "Ah, but where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself yet." Shirou cried out as he lost his balance, the snake head flying back towards the Servant. He took his fedora off and bowed deeply. "I am the Servant Assassin, here to replace the one you killed last night. Funny, isn't it? Must've felt like months since you killed him."

"What… do you… want?" Rin gritted out, her limbs held tightly by the chain.

"Me? Hmm. What a tricky question. Are we talking about the Grail, or just right now? Because right now, my Master wants you handed over to him, unmarked and alive. I think he's still upset that you turned him down. Why did you do that? He's a handsome boy, good grades. Most girls would've killed for a chance with him."

"None of those qualities make up for his rotten attitude."

"…True." Assassin nodded. "He is a bit of an ass. But then again, I'm a mass murderer. So I can't exactly criticise him." He smiled again, and a chill went up her spine. "So yeah. But I'm afraid he's not interested in your friend. And neither am I." The snake head charged for Shirou, who barely managed to block it with his blade. As the head was deflected, it bit down on the air, and a red line formed from its jaws. Assassin appeared right in front of Shirou, pulling out a flip knife of some kind from his pocket. Despite the difference in size between their blades, he twisted it with such speed and skill that Shirou couldn't fight back. A final strike knocked his blade aside, and Assassin drove his knee in Shirou's stomach. The boy gasped in pain as he was sent flying, the snake head about to bit down on his leg. Rin struggled, but she couldn't get free.

So luckily it was then that Sakura appeared. She slammed her foot into the snake head, driving it into the ground. She glared at Assassin, making sure to stand between him and Shirou.

"Sakura." Shirou said, sounding relieved. "Thank… Oh my God! Your hand!" Rin gasped as she saw it too. Her right hand was missing above the wrist, smooth skin covering the wound. This was exactly what she was worried about. That hand would never grow back. It was only a sheer miracle that it wasn't the hand with the Command Seals. If Kotomine got his hands on those, they'd lose Rider again.

"I can deal with it later Shirou. Right now we need to deal with this sadist." She glared even more at Assassin, her voice and demeanour unrecognisable now. This wasn't the quiet shy sister she saw in class. This was the hardened warrior she hid underneath it.

Assassin laughed, clapping his hands together as he did so. "Oh thank you so much Ms Sakura. You saved me the trouble of searching for you later. Your brother isn't very happy about how you stole Rider from him, especially after you promised he could have Rider for himself."

"I gave him Rider because I thought being a Master would help him calm down and grow up. I realise now that he's never going to change, and having a Servant just made him worse."

"Oh, I'm sure that's what you tell yourself. But let's be honest here. You wanted to hurt him. You've always wanted to hurt him. I mean, you got brought into the Matous because he just wasn't very magical, while you're up to your tits in magic. You were lording it over him with all your special lessons and Old Man Zouken favouring you. Speaking about all your great accomplishments and what you'll do to bring back the family name."

"No… Those lessons were horrible. He'd never want them if he knew what really happened." Sakura said shakily. But Assassin wasn't finished.

"And then you got all that cool strength and speed, and used it to hurt his father. Because you could. Because then you could bully them into doing anything you didn't want to do, for fear of becoming your punching bag."

"No… I… I never…"

"Plus you're always walking around, flaunting that womanly figure you've got and making all the boys your slaves. How many of them did you seduce by shaking your ass and bouncing your tits at them? I bet you enjoyed stealing boys from other girls."

"It wasn't like that!" She was shaking now, whether from rage or tears it was hard to say.

"Admit it. You're nothing more than a little heart-breaking sadist, taking pleasure from hurting others. In fact, I bet you're only interested in Shirou here because Rin likes him."

"That's… Not… True!" Sakura screamed, charging straight for him. The chain formed a circle in front of him, her punches crashing harmlessly into it. They separated long enough for him to slash at her with his knife, before he jumped back and blocked her next strikes. This time though, when he dropped the barrier he simply danced around her attacks, lashing out with his fists and his knife.

"You see, all that strength you have there isn't that useful if you can't hit me with it. You might as well just sit there, bawling your eyes out like a little girl." He leaned in closer, and Rin could've sworn his grin got even bigger. More feral. "Surrounded by nasty little bugs." Sakura gasped in shock, definitely shaking in fear. What was he talking about? What happened with the Matous. It couldn't have been that bad. She refused to believe that Father would've given her to the Matous if it was horrible there.

"That's enough!" Shirou shouted as he charged in now. Assassin didn't even turn before ducking his strike, elbowing Shirou in the face in the process before kicking him into the air. Then the snake head bit the air again and launched Assassin up allowing him to kick Shirou about before slamming him into the ground. Shirou struggled to his feet before Assassin landed on his knees first. He yelled in pain as Assassin got back up.

"You're pathetic, kid. Pretending to be a great hero like your old man and his Servant. Waving around a sword like it'll make the world a better place." He wasn't grinning anymore. He was frowning, as though he hated what Shirou wanted. "But it won't. At least, not like you want it to. The age of knights in shining armour has long passed. Your mentor, that Arthas guy? Kotomine knows all about him. He was so determined to destroy undead that he slaughtered his own subjects and burned a city to the ground. He lied to his men, had them kill hired mercenaries to trick them into staying, left his best friend to die. All to get the power to destroy his enemies. And then he got worse. He became the king of the undead, and destroyed his former kingdom. He's probably got more kills back home than anyone else. He's nothing more than a twisted evil monster. And your daddy? Kiritsugu Emiya? He was a hitman. A contract killer. To him, the ends justified the means. He would kill millions to save billions. It didn't matter if they were guilty or innocent; man, woman or child. If their deaths served a greater purpose, they died. I bet that deep down, you're just like them. A broken kid swinging a sword because it's the only way you can think of to 'save' the world." He was grinning now, his eyes open to reveal golden irises. "Admit it. You don't want to save anyone. You just want to lash out at the world for taking your family from you." Shirou tried to get back up again, but Assassin elbowed him back down. His smile returned to normal. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm going to take away all the pain. It's just going to sting a little." He twisted his knife downwards, right for his head.

"NOOOOO!" Rin screamed. Assassin was about to strike when a black spike stabbed his arm. He dropped his knife and backed away, hissing in pain as he pulled the spike out.

"You know, you talk too much." A familiar voice said from the trees as a man stepped out from under their shadow. "And believe me, I know what I'm talking about." It was a tall man with thinning blond hair, dressed in a white lab coat and thin spectacles on his face.

"Dr Ragland!" Rin said, completely surprised. What the hell was he doing here? "Run while you can. This man's dangerous."

"I know." Dr Ragland smirked. "From the way you fight, I'd say that you're of the Assassin Class. Good against one on one, but not so much against groups." Rin was floored. How… How did he know about Servants? "How about you fight against someone other than children?"

Assassin smirked back. "And am I to assume that would be you? You're not even a Heroic Spirit."

Dr Ragland chuckled. "Oh, but you see, I was." He moved almost instantaneously, his left hand now a massive blade. Assassin dodged to the side before forming a barrier against Ragland's giant fist. The rest of his skin and clothes flowed like water until he was covered in…

In black spiked armour.

"And I was strong enough to be the Berserker of the previous War." Alex Mercer growled as he turned his blade into a heavily muscled arm and started pounding the barrier. Assassin frowned, before throwing Rin aside with great force and turning his full attention to Mercer. She slammed into a tree hard enough to dent it, and something cracked loudly. She screamed in pain as she fell, her scream silenced by pain as she hit the ground. Everything blurred and faded, and the sounds became muffled. She was only aware of the intense pain she felt in her side. Her vision turned red as two shapes approached her. Something slimy wrapped around her left arm, and everything went numb. The blurs reformed back into Shirou and Sakura, both looking at her with worry.

"Come on." Shirou said gently as he tried to lift her to her feet. "According to Mercer, there's a bunch of people still trapped inside. We have to get them out before the others start bombarding the place." Rin bit her lip to stop herself from screaming as hot pain ran down her side. "Easy. Easy there. We've got you."

"What… about… Assassin?" She croaked. The pain was too much. She was having trouble concentrating.

"I think he's a little busy with Mercer right now." She looked past Shirou's shoulder to see Mercer and Assassin dancing around each other. A dozen broken knives littered the ground at their feet, while Mercer's armour had large dents in it. They were both fast, but Assassin was definitely faster. They were in a stalemate, for the moment.

But who knows how long it might take for that to change?

(10:37pm, Inside the Fuyuki Church)

Kotomine gritted his teeth as his Command Seals throbbed. Mercer. That traitor must've salvaged Bazett's corpse after they killed her just for something like this. He knew it was only because of Berserker and Caster that he's still alive right now, keeping the enemy from his door. But he still nearly died when all that rubble rained down around him. He rushed through the underground halls, his footsteps echoing everywhere. He passed the doorway leading to Shinji's quarters, the girls inside squealing in alarm. The fool boy must've left at the very beginning. What a spineless coward. He had to make a new plan. A brand new plan. At this rate he was going to end up bereft of allies. But what to do, what to do?

Well first off, if he judged Shirou Emiya right the idiot was likely to try and sneak in here to rescue everyone. If that boy got his hands on the Einzbern brat he was screwed.

He slammed the door open, revealing the tortured fear batteries Berserker had set up. He ignored them all, looking only at Illyasviel Einzbern. She glared back at him in return. The closer he got to her, the more his mind whirled with plans and thoughts. But none of them allowed him to continue. He certainly didn't have enough prana to support both Berserker and Caster, even with the supplements they were taking. He looked around the room. Perhaps Berserker had been working on something. He highly doubted the demon was interested in working alongside anyone replaceable. And that likely meant everyone that wasn't him. But he was acutely aware of how little time he had. Luckily, he spotted something.

"Berserker, you brilliant demon who lives in my church." He breathed, getting closer to the abomination he found. A limbless man, inscribed with Command Seals made from blood and cuts. His eyes had been removed, and his tongue ripped out. Hanging helpfully from his neck was a flowery sign saying 'Berserker's pseudo-Master. Do not steal.' "And thank you Caster, for leaving such a helpful sign. And a list of steps to complete." It was hanging next to the sign, words crossed out with blood. Most of the necessary steps had been completed. All that was left was to transfer the Command Seals from Einzbern to the pseudo-Master. He picked up the knife on the table bench. Ilya glared at him, refusing to cry in his presence. "I admire your bravery in the face of death. Your mother was very much the same when I snapped her neck. It was such a sweet sound." She screamed at him anger, still muffled by the gag. He ignored her as he grabbed her arm, holding it steady as he raised his blade.

The hot blood sprayed everywhere as he cut off her hand. Amazing that such a small girl could hold so much blood. He then grabbed the demonic device next to her he knew was meant to rip her Command Spells from her body. He knew that removing the hand and thus the marks on it was pointless, but he enjoyed it anyway. When the device was full, a pool of blood was forming below her dangling feet. He slotted the device into a hole in the pseudo-Master's chest, before turning back to the girl. Aware of the pressing time, he refused to indulge his sadism, and simply slit her throat. Her gown turned completely red as her blood stained it. With her dealt with, he grabbed the pseudo-Master and ran for it.

Now, there was one other matter to take care of.

Berserker felt a massive flow of prana coming from his creation. No doubt Kotomine decided to grab it and run while he could. Good. He saved him the trouble of doing it himself. But it still meant that there was little to be gained from here. A powerful demon fights to the bitter end. The Lord of All Hell knows when to cut and run.

"Caster." He called out. "I refuse to lose my chance at the Grail for a mere mortal. We're leaving."

"But I haven't killed them yet!" Caster shouted back, throwing fireball after fireball at them. The two of them were barely holding them at bay after Lancer's defection, but Caster was too insane to see that. It was pure luck that he was still standing. That, and powerful healing spells.

"Do not misunderstand me. We shall have our vengeance on them. But we shall do it from a more defended location. For now, we fight another day." Caster looked at him, then at the enemy, then at him again before growling in anger and rushing towards him. Their combined magic allowed them to portal away with ease, watching the enemy readied their onslaught against the church. It would be enjoyable to watch their expressions as they butchered the innocent inside, but alas. They reappeared back at the ruins of the Temple, still covered in police tape.

"Oh, poopy-pants." Caster cursed as he threw a tantrum. "I didn't even get to kill one of them. Just a couple of mooks summoned by that whore Rider. It's not fair. It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair. And all because Priest man couldn't keep a hold on his Servant. Why is he still in charge?"

"Oh, what makes you think he's in charge at all?" Berserker chuckled. "Do you really believe that the fact he gathered us together gave him any power?" Caster thought long and hard about it before shaking his head. "In truth, Kotomine's only been a tool. A stepping stone to our victory. All he can think of is bringing Angra Mainyu back from the Grail, without any thought of what will come after. Imagine, Caster. All the power of the Grail at our claws, to be used to conquer and destroy this wretched world."

Caster nodded, a smile growing on his face. "So, when do we kill the old man anywho?"

"Patience. While he may have a part of Angra Mainyu in his heart, I understand it far better than he ever could. Mainyu needs a vessel to be summoned into. Normally, that would be the Lesser Grail itself. And therefore the Einzbern Homunculus used to create it."

"Yes. A bit tough, seeing as she was your master and all."

"But it doesn't have to be the Homunculus." He summoned broken shards to his hands. "These are the remnants of the Lesser Grail from the previous War. They are still just as usable as the newer Grail, as long as we give them a vessel."

"The old man. He's going to be our conduit."

"I knew there was a brilliant mind somewhere under that insanity of yours." Berserker returned to human form, smirking all the while. "Come. We'll need to find another base to ensure the ritual. Most likely somewhere along the leylines. And we need them to be crossing too."

"I can find one easily. But I have just one question."

"Speak."

"What are we going to do about Assassin and his lustful fool of a Master? When do we kill him?"

"Oh Caster. What makes you think we have to do anything? When Assassin is already a like-minded soul?"

(10:45pm, Fuyuki Central Park)

Shinji shivered as he ran through the trees around the park, clad only in his borrowed priest robe. That fool Kotomine. He promised him safety. He promised him power. Instead, here he was cowering and running when they should've stayed and fought. And he had to abandon all those girls too. Ah well. They were all used up anyway. Sure, he'll miss their sensuous bodies, but it wasn't as though they were irreplaceable. He just hoped that Assassin grabbed Rin and Sakura. He swore that if the Servant didn't return to Matou Manor with them, he was going to suffer.

"You're going to catch a cold at this rate, Mr Matou." He heard Kotomine say behind him. He twisted to see him standing near the trees, a wrapped figure sitting next to him. "You might even catch your death out here."

"You." He hissed. "You certainly have the gall to approach me after that dismal performance at the Church. Some protection that was. The whole place was coming down."

"I'm amazed you even noticed, considering the fact that you ran as soon as the fight began. You'd look positively ridiculous, coming back to find us victorious."

"It was five against three. We couldn't win against such odds."

"And yet you had Rider attack both Saber and Archer before. How was that any different from this fight?" He laughed at Shinji's expression. "Ah, but to business. You see, I'm in a bit of a predicament here. I've recently lost my Servant, and you seem to have one to spare. And I'd imagine that Assassin would benefit more under my control than yours."

"You… You… You dare?! You think you can just come up and take my Servant? Cast me aside like trash? Well, then you're wrong. If you so much as take another step, Assassin will come out from cover and kill you where you…" The 'schwing' of metal through air filled the trees, and he felt a sharp pain in his arm. As he screamed and grabbed the offending limb, he found himself gripping a stump. In too much pain and shock to scream again, he could only turn fearfully to see Assassin – His Assassin – walking past, his arm and the Command Seals in the mouth of his snake weapon.

"Father, I have a confession to make." Assassin said as he stood before Kotomine. "You see, I've realised that my Master is nothing more than a fool. I'll admit, it was fun torturing those families and breaking the girls. But it's gone all stale now. It's just him having sex, over and over again. But you… You have ambition. You have a dream. And what a grand dream it is." Shinji started crawling away, but he fell as a dagger imbedded itself in his leg. "So I've decided to have you giving me orders. This whole Angra Mainyu thing sounds very interesting."

"Of course, Assassin. But first, we need to take out the trash." He looked at Shinji, his face serene and calm. Terror, pure terror, overwhelmed him. He started crying, squeaking in fear as he tried to crawl away. To the edge of the forest. To find help. He'll go to jail. He'll accept the rape charges, if any girls survived. He'll take anything, just as long as he still…

He stopped moving as hissing filled the air. His body was suspended by a dozen chains impaling it, snakes slithering all over him and biting him over and over. Kotomine and Assassin smirked as he died.

Then Assassin removed his head with a single strike.

Woo! That. Was. Fucking. Awesome! I finally got to have Lancer do more than run from a fight and make allies. I know that people will say that she couldn't handle Saber's attacks, but like I said before: Power Creep. Besides, she handled a Force Lightning Wave Cannon attack like it was nothing before beating the ever-loving crap out the Sith Lord dumb enough to fight her. It does make some sense from a story perspective.

And yeah, Berserker's made a pseudo-Master. A Command Seal battery. A tortured soul. Whatever you want to call it, it means that he doesn't need Ilya anymore. As to what happened to her guardians, Sella and Leysritt, what do you think happened? They got butchered. Flaw of summoning the Prime Evil as your Servant. He kinda stabs you in the back. Repeatedly. With giant claws. And fire.

Anyway, I've made True Assassin's stat sheet. Sorry if I'm missing anything. Again, using the Type Moon wiki for this. They don't include a Servant who's seen time over and over again until he knows everything.

Oh, and finally: I kinda based Hazama's personality on Mao from Code Geass, since I haven't actually played BlazBlue. I read that he likes to taunt his opponents, so I think I got it pretty close. I hope I did.

Enjoy

(And yes, I know that Hazuma is definitely Chaotic Evil. But I also listed him as Chaotic Neutral because TV Tropes lists that as the kind of person who does what he wants and damns the consequences. Sounds a lot like Hazama to me.)

True Assassin

Name: Hazama (Yuki Terumi)

Series: BlazBlue

Master: Shinji Matou/Kirei Kotomine

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral/Evil

Parameters

Strength: D

Endurance: C

Agility: A

Magical Power: B

Good Luck: A++

Noble Phantasm: A+

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment (A+)

Presence Concealment is the capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. It is a common skill to the Assassin class. At this rank it is possible to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.

Personal Skills:

Battle Continuation (A)

Battle Continuation is the strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated. This rank makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

Clairvoyance

Clairvoyance connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons. At higher ranks, it is possible that the bearers of this skill have acquired such abilities as precognition ("future vision") and other forms of perception beyond standard eyesight (X-ray vision and so forth).

C: Capable of keeping track of fast-moving object within a range of 4kms.

Crossing Arcadia

Crossing Arcadia

B: Can move while jumping over all kinds of obstacles on the field, including enemies

Disengage

Disengage is the ability to break away from combat.

C: Bonus effect of returning battle conditions to what they were at the beginning of the match.

Mental Pollution (A-)

Mental Pollution makes it highly possible to shut out any mental interference Thaumaturgy, due to possessing a distorted mentality. However, at the same time it becomes impossible to come to an understanding with individuals that do not possess an equivalent rank of mental pollution. At this rank, Assassin has trouble emphasizing with other non-evil people, but he knows how they work. Only someone as evil as him can possibly understand his motives.

Noble Phantasms:

Time Distortion (Anti-Unit) (Self)

As Yuuki Terumi, True Assassin has observed and interacted with all possible timelines, giving him unprecedented knowledge of all actions. Though weakened as a Servant, while using it he can reverse time for himself and learn from his mistakes.

Nox Nyctores Geminus Anguium: Ouroboros (Anti-Unit)

A hook weapon, Ouroboros allows True Assassin to pull enemies towards him. Causes him to have an E rank in Mad Enhancement.

Jörmungandr Twists and Turns (Anti-Unit)

Causes him to enter distortion drive, increasing his damage and gives him a life-steal effect.

Hungry Darkness of 1,000 Souls (Anti- Unit)

His Astral Finish and therefore ultimate attack. He creates a cage of chains around himself, ensnaring anyone within range. Having done so, he creates snake constructs that overwhelm the targets, finishing off with a giant snake construct with highly lethal venom.