A little later,,,

SMACK!

Skid…skidskidskidskidskid… tumble… CRASH!

Balance looked up. He was on his back, resting spread eagle against the ruins of a tree in the midst of the jungle. Peeling himself off the ground he glanced back into the trail of dust and debris he'd left. Gathering himself he leapt up and ran back down into the massive crystal depression. No arachnid the size of a strip mall was going to get the better of him.

ORT hardly even turned. One giant appendage, wreathed with smoking green flame, whipped out.

SMACK!

Skid…skidskidskidskidskid…

Away from ORT's body another long straight trail of dust and debris formed, joining the half dozen others still filtering down through the thick humid jungle air.

tumble… CRASH!

As the trail of debris made its way out of the crystal valley it hit the more solid forms of mighty jungle trees with a deafening smash. Balance looked up from his newly formed devastation. Blue glowing fluid leaked from his eyes and small rents in his body. With a motion of his hand those wounds closed and he stood again.

Ok… it was time to go over this.

Breaking into a run Balance leapt again into the valley.

He just had to hit it. One solid hit on the body with his sword. That was all he had to do.

He crossed the depression like a bolt of lightning. Holding his sword up higher this time.

ORT wasn't an Earth creature so it wouldn't cross over naturally. That could be handled though. If he could hit it hard enough in the body with his sword, a conceptual weapon, that ORT was forced, even slightly to reset it's own concept…

ORT swung at him with an arm that seemed a mile long. Balance ducked it and continued inward.

…and if he could do that to ORT on both sides of the universal divide…

The giant beast set two arms after him this time, coming in at different directions and angles, strange directions impossible for any terrestrial creature to imagine, no less pull off.

…then ORT would fold into itself and stop holding the universes apart. He was certain of it, the effect would work. He just had to be able to DO it.

Leaping up Balance dodged over one arm and planted his feet into the ground before the other got to him. Bringing up his sword he barely managed to interpose it's edge between him and the oncoming, tree trunk sized appendage. With a mighty clang the two edges met. Balance was pushed back, his feet furrowing the ground. ORT applied a huge amount of pressure onto it's opponent. There was a squeal of strange materials under stress, ORT's arm actually beginning to deform around the edge of the blade for a moment. Then Balance's sword began to cut through.

With a wrenching maneuver that would have broken the back of a normal person Balance actually managed to dodge two of the three massive arms that suddenly swung in on him in retaliation. The third though…

SMACK!

Skid…skidskidskidskidskid… tumble… CRASH!

Balance pulled himself out of a pile of tree trunks and debris. Spinning his sword around in his hand he grinned.

Far in the center of the valley ORT pulled it's one foreshortened arm up to head height and observed it closely. The flesh at the edges was cracked and broken, but the cut itself was clean and sharp. Type-Mercury turned towards the far edge of it's valley, towards the foe it had sent flying away. Something in it's mind clicked. It's expression almost looked like a scowl. Warped lightning began to flicker around it's web.

Balance was speeding into ORT's area when he was caught up short. His sword growled at him, the jewel in the center of it's cross guard turning changing from blood red to an ugly green. The entire crystal valley began to shake.

Looking at his sword Balance nodded. The normally invisible bounded field around him, a sphere slightly taller than he was, began to spark and shiver. He could feel ORT's power spread around it. The sky began to shift and distort, some of it running like liquid, other parts of it hardening into cracked crystal. The ground outside his sphere seemed to stretch and compress randomly. His Absolute Matrix would hold it out, but he was going to be the only thing around him unaffected.

"She's corroding the reality around her." Balance grumbled, "Damn overgrown nexus spider."

This had just gotten tougher.

Hours later in Japan,

Shiki Tohno was noticing something. He was having severe trouble opening his eyes. The light from the morning sun was streaming in the windows. The early morning air was filling his lungs.

And he felt like total shit.

With a groan Shiki got the flesh coverings over his recalcitrant orbs to finally give way. The light streamed in, pulling another moan from his lips. For the life of him he couldn't figure out why he did things that made him feel like such shit. That thought he set aside quickly though.

Arcueid was so worth it.

"Master Shiki."

"Ugh." Shiki put an arm over his head to keep out the annoying light as he responded to the familiar voice, "Good morning Hisui."

"Good morning Master Shiki." Hisui said with a bow, "I have placed out a change of clothes. Lady Akiha will be expecting you at breakfast."

"Thanks Hisui." Shiki said as the maid padded out. Sitting up Shiki looked around his bed. It was quite a mess and he could have sworn he didn't toss and turn that much, He slowly pulled himself out of bed and dressed quietly, then headed downstairs. Hisui surprised him as she passed by him back into his bedroom, but he decided to think nothing of it. She was a busy girl afterall.

"Master Shiki has left for breakfast Lady Arcueid." Hisui announced with a bow. Sprawled all over the bed, her blankets in a horrible mess, the True Ancestor looked over at Hisui with a smile.

"Then I'd better get going to." she chirped merrily. With a quick hupp she hopped out of bed and started getting dressed.

Hisui, blushing at the unabashed immodesty turned and scooted out of the room.

Slowly sauntering down the stairs Skiki glanced around. He had to wonder where Akiha was eating breakfast today. Maybe the main room? Maybe under the balcony by the flowers? He headed to the former and found her in her usual spot at the head of the table.

"Welcome brother." Akiha spoke formally as Shiki took his seat, "I hope the rest has given you time to clear your head and think about last nights… unusual interaction."

Shiki nodded, he'd known this was coming, "Oh that." he muttered, hoping Akiha wouldn't have brought it up so soon, "It's pretty complicated Akiha, I was hoping for more time to deal with it."

Akiha looked up at him from her breakfast with the slightest hint of an annoyed tick in her forehead. "Then when will you be ready to tell me brother, just in time to get yourself killed?"

Shiki blanched at that suggestion. He ran his hand through his hair and looked down, all but ashamed he couldn't really get out what he wanted to tell her. Akiha simply stared at him waiting for an answer.

"I don't think there's going to be any more fighting." Shiki said sullenly, "At least there wasn't any more mentioned."

"So there are more people involved in this?" Akiha said pulling inference out of his words, "The blue haired girl from your school maybe?"

"Huh?" Shiki looked up, "Blue haired?"

"I believe her name was Ciel, we met at the amusement part." Akiha pointed out, "She arrived looking for you yesterday, just before you got home."

"I didn't even know she was around." Shiki said almost in a gasp, "News must travel fast."

"Until it reaches my doorstep apparently." Akiha accused, "Then it slows to a crawl."

"I'm really sorry Akiha, if I understood it all I would tell you." Shiki pleaded his case, "I have to check out some things at school today. The whole thing is confusing and I really don't want to jump the gun and get you worried without need."

Akiha crossed her arms, "Hmph, you put it on me then." she said, then picked up her utensils and returned her gaze to her food, "You presume much on my trust of you Shiki."

"Thank you Akiha." Shiki said with a polite bow knowing what she was going to say.

"But you remain at least somewhat trustworthy brother." Akiha finished, "So I'll give you till you get home before a proper questioning."

Shiki smiled and bowed slighty in his chair again. Kohaku, now that the conversation was over, pulled up a tray at Shiki's side.

"Isn't it a nice day though?" she said with her usual smile, "Would you like an English or Japanese breakfast this morning?"

"English please Kohaku."

The maid stopped short, holding onto her tray of foods as Arcueid answered her unasked question before she had even gotten there. It was odd though, she could have sworn she heard her own voice asking the question a second earlier.

Shaking her head the maid began laying out Arcueid's preferred dishes.

"Is everything alright Miss Arcueid?" Kohaku asked, "You were out late last night, and I could have sworn I smelled the scent of blood on the air this morning."

"Oh no, it's fine Kohaku." Arcueid replied into her folded hands, then continued to muse, "Yeah, she'd have to be too… wouldn't she?"

Kohaku looked at the blonde foreigner a bit oddly as she headed away. Maybe the additives to her meals were actually effecting her now? She just didn't see it as likely.

"And the sister too…" Arcueid continued, "Wow, how are we going to get the sister out of her hole?"

The main gates of the Tohno Mansion slowly swung open. Behind them a pair of figures stood, waiting for the metal bars to pass out of the way. Shiki smiled at Hisui and she offered him his school bag. Taking it up Shiki nodded and headed on his way.

"Have a good day at school today Master Shiki." Hisui prompted as the teen walked down the lane.

"I'll do my best thanx." he said with a nod. Shiki quickly glanced around while the gates closed behind him. His senses were sharper then they'd been since he'd lost control the night before. He picked up a few strange figures at the edges of his perception. It wasn't hard to figure out he was being watched, but were they his tails, or his guard?

He'd been spotted. The boy was pretty good. The youth's eyes shouldn't have been able to pick up an object at the selected distance, but his supernatural senses were keener then expected.

The man flexed his neck and ran a hand through his grey hair. He guessed it just couldn't be helped. Any further away and he couldn't be assured of the ability to intercept any threats that headed in the youth's direction. His job to keep an eye on the boy and protect him from harm came first, before any thoughts of regular stealth.

He still would have preferred to be helping the boss in South America, there were plenty of people that could do general guard duty. Still though, this was the assignment he was given, this was the task he would do.

Steel colored eyes twitched slightly as a form, gliding over the tops of telephone poles, shifted it's direction and began to come at him from behind. This meeting was inevitable, and thoroughly expected, but still he didn't look forward to it. Dealing with these people was always a general pain. Of course his sour relationship with the first of their ilk he had the misfortune of meeting never did help his impression of them. At least he'd met this one before.

There was someone else out here. She just knew it. Tohno was being watched. A vague feeling of power was crackling through the air. Strong forces, a number of them, were in Misaki. She didn't like that, it added extra problems on top of her assignment.

With a series of quick hops Ciel made her way at treetop level. The blue shrouded burrier's dress flapped in the wind as her combat boots took purchase atop pole and roof, allowing her to skirt her way above the normal line of sight of people on the ground.

Her senses picked one up, at a long distance to Tohno, but almost assuredly spying on him. The range was pretty great but she had enough time to wheel around behind him and approach from his blind side. Within moments she'd gotten above and behind her target.

A glance up and down the strange man revealed a young spry looking fellow just a bit older than she was, wearing a red mantle and black body suit. He was very dark skinned for an asian with a rather outlandish spiked mop of grey hair. Nothing about this fellow looked normal, and her senses were screaming at her in agreement. This was some sort of spirit she hadn't encountered before.

Reaching under her robe she pulled out an array of knives and with a flick of her wrist she flung them to the ground behind the man. As the blades pierced the ground they began moving of their own volition, cutting into the pavement and circling the offender at a distance.

The man reacted casually. He raised a hand and a sword appeared from nowhere above him to spear out and strike the prime blade of her attempted seal. With a crack the broken knife flipped back up into her hand. The other sealing blades followed their useless route around and stopped below her.

"An ad hoc seal won't work eh?" she grumbled, staring at the broken knife.

The man shifted his shoulders and turned to look back at Ciel with a nonchalant aire about him. One of his grey eyebrows cocked over a steel irised eye as he looked back at her.

"Hello burier." he called out in a quiet but deep voice.

Ciel tossed aside the broken blade and rose to her full height. That and her higher perch allowed her to look down on the outlandishly tall man. Crossing her arms she put on her best scowl.

"And who might you be?" the woman asked.

The man simply turned away from her, going back to watching Shiki before answering in no great hurry, "My name is Emiya, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I've never heard of you." Ciel admitted, "You're a spirit, do you work for the Troublemaker?"

"Probably." Shirou replied in a noncommittal fashion. Ciel shifted her weight and took on a more annoyed posture at this rather recalcitrant talker.

"I thought only Counter Guardians worked for the Troublemaker." Ciel said through gritted teeth.

"That is my usual job." the man replied with a nod. The burier gasped and lowered herself to a fighting position. An array of black keys appeared between her outstretched fingers.

"Then what are you doing here?!" Ciel growled, "If you try to hurt Tohno…"

"Calm down." the man replied, glancing over his shoulder, "If I was one right now we wouldn't be having this conversation, and it would take far more than just you to stop me anyway."

"You never know." Ciel returned through clenched teeth. Her black keys twitched in her hand.

"You're going to be a bother aren't you?" Shirou said with a sigh, "Fine, I'll take my vigil elsewhere."

And with that Emiya vanished from sight. Ciel's eyes went wide as she looked to and fro trying to find him. Standing up she grimaced and dismissed her black keys.

"Damn, he can dematerialize." she noted sullenly. Noticing a bit of commotion on the street below her she went down to pick up her sealing instruments.

With a happy hop in her step Arcueid leapt up to the top of the wall surrounding the Tohno estate. She smiled, holding a hand over her eyes and gazing intently into the distance towards Shiki's school.

"You could just leave through the gate like most people Lady Arcueid." a young woman's voice monotoned below her, showing no hint of reprimand in it's blasé delivery.

"Oh why make such a fuss Hisui." Arcueid said without looking down, "I'll be leaving for a while."

"I shall await your return." Hisui said, turning and heading back to the mansion.

Arcueid smiled as she watched the little maid head back into her home. Today was going to be a good day.

A few hours earlier,

Today was quite officially and as put down in the record books, the total suck.

Balance screamed through the air at enormous speeds. He was finally getting back into range to attack ORT, it had only taken him an hour to get across the valley. Normally in an hour he could have crossed the entire continental United States with some distance to spare, but no not today and not right here.

Type Mercury's powers were completely and horribly screwing up the space around her. Whatever reality the beast was channeling had a rather… loose… interpretation of spacial relationships. He'd noticed it before ORT had turned up her power, and now it was pretty much an inconsistent constant.

Drawing an arm back Balance let loose with one bolt of energy after another. Some fizzled right outside his shield, some slowed down so quickly he had to make sharp turns to dodge them, others flew straight and true until almost reaching ORT where they turned in random directions and flew off into the ground, trees, sky or whatever happened to end up in their path.

"This is just not happening." Balance groaned. Just outside the shield his words echoed back so scrambled they could have been a recipe for do it yourself lime jello. Clenching his fists around his sword's grip Balance dove straight at the monster before him, only to end up flying sideways. Catching himself he tried again, and ended up plowing straight into the ground.

Chewing grass and spitting leaves the warrior stared daggers up at the towering creature above him. With a great leap he took off again and got halfway to ORT before finding to his dismay that the planet was now apparently moving with him, or at least some similar effect. Whatever it was he couldn't fly anymore.

Again he plowed straight down into the ground.

ORT twitched a leg.

SMACK!

Skid…skidskidskidskidskid… tumble… CRASH!

Peeling himself painfully off the ground Balance sighed and started back into the valley. He was fraxxoring WALKING this time.