Fate/Stay, Death!
Chapter 2: Strategy and Salvation
Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and Fate is a proud part of the Nasuverse! I own nothing!
Author's Note: Everything moved quite fast last chapter didn't it? Ah well, it was the introduction so it'll be fine! This is going to have a weird update schedule because I am getting ready for testing at school so don't expect weekly updates! Also is it Artoria or Arturia? Depending on the source it seems to differ…
Anyway, let the Fifth Heaven's Feel begin in earnest! Entertainment befitting a King, and soon cannon will be thrown to the wind like EMIYA's sanity!
As someone who has only watched Apocrypha, Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, and Fate: Zero my knowledge on magecraft and TYPE-MOON lore is a bit lacking. So I spent two hours just reading on the TYPE-MOON wiki, more than I had to cause the stuff is so god damn interesting! Seriously, I could get lost just reading that stuff for hours (and I did). Anyway, finding a way to fit Shinigami into that ridiculously well-built and lore-based system was difficult, but I've got a rough idea of what to do! And it's only possible because Central Forty-Six and the Gotei Thirteen have an ego that is only surpassed by the Golden Douche Bag himself!
To give a heads up to my dearest readers, Ichigo will be having a reflection of the same problem he faced during Bleach, he has boatloads of power but almost no control over it as the problem is his own body can't handle the output. A direct opposite of the twenty-seven shit circuits Emiya had.
Note: Inserting Bleach Lore (Not even going to acknowledge the Quincy Arc except for certain details!) is into the Nasuverse is a real pain, but it is doable and even gives Aizen a better reason for his whole rebellion than killing the Soul King (I could be wrong, but did we ever learn WHY he hated the Soul King so much?).
Also, reviews are appreciated (criticism without any reasoning on how to improve my is NOT welcome
Rin Tohsaka tightened her grip, the strain of which caused her veins to bulge slightly. The boy she had wasted her TEN YEARS of conserved mana on managed to last less than two hours before getting himself killed by Lancer…again!
She fell back into the chair of her living room dejectedly, Archer standing next to her arms crossed.
By the sounds of it, her Heroic Spirit didn't even seem too perturbed by the thought, even seeming to be quite satisfied by it. So now all she had to account for with this shit day is the loss of her largest mana storage and the information that her Servant is a sadist who thrives on the death of high schoolers. The Tohsaka heiress calmed herself, losing control in front of her Servant would only make her seem…more immature than she had already made herself out to be.
"Anything else to report Archer?"
The Counter Guardian shrugged, before eventually deciding to give her a small nugget of information.
"Based on my surveillance, the Einzbern's Master has summoned Berserker, he seems to be…quite powerful."
Rin groaned, this day just got worse and worse.
"Any news on the Saber Servant?"
Her Archer's face twitched for a moment, as he struggled to resist the compelling nature of the Command Seal Tohsaka had used on him.
"None whatsoever."
'Filthy liar'
For some reason or another, Archer was keeping information about Saber away from her. Calling him out on it would be more trouble than it was worth, her Servant was too damn stubborn for that. Still, it infuriated her that she didn't even know who had summoned the strongest of the classes, though it may have been some straggler.
"And we nothing of Caster, Assassin, or Rider?" Archer shook his head in response.
"No, we know for a fact that one of the three has a Bounded Field set up around the school." Rin's eyes furrowed.
"How do we know it wasn't Lancer's Master?" The sarcastic servant shot her a look.
"Then why would he send Lancer to scout out an area he already has a Bounded Field over?"
The first tier magus turned bright red.
"It could be to mislead us!" Archer shot her a look, under which she withered. Rin cleared her throat before deciding on the best course of action.
"Anyway, the biggest problem we have is Saber and their Master, followed closely by the Einzbern's and then Lancer, the Makiri's should be no problem since their mages don't have Circuits"
Archer stared firmly at her.
"I agree that Saber and the Einzbern's Master are the biggest threats, but the Makiri's along with the remaining Masters are not people we should take lightly Master, underestimating anyone in the Holy Grail War is a tactical error of the highest order."
The last Tohsaka reluctantly sighed
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I intended for you to accompany me to school today, but with the Grail War officially kicking off, I want you to go and survey the city, find Saber. If you can't then find the Einzbern Master and do some reconnaissance."
The Counter Guardian brought his hand to his chin
"Information is key in any battle, the one that knows the most has the undoubted advantage over their enemies, taking that tactical advantage from Saber and her Master will be key for our victory"
Rin Tohsaka was called a prodigy for a reason, her head turned sharply to stare at her Servant.
"Her?"
EMIYA realized his mistake far too late, opening his mouth and then closing it, opting to stay silent then dig his grave even further.
"Archer, our relationship is about trust and the sharing of information, imagine how I feel when my Servant not only deigned not to mention that he already knows of Saber, but that he has the gall to lie to my face about it!"
"It was a brief encounter, I didn't want to mention it because I barely had any information" Years as a Counter Guardian had taught him to stay calm under fire and lie like the Devil. Step one in a successful lie was, to tell the truth, a distorted image of it of course.
He barely had information on whatever the hell was going on with Saber and this Ichigo Kurosaki and he did not like that one bit.
"I shall accept your apology but remember to tell me everything from now on. And if you do something like this again and I'll…"The school idol stopped talking as she struggled to come up with a viable threat.
"You'll what?" The man once known as Shirou Emiya had a massive smirk on his face, "Is there nothing that your dastardly first-tier magus mind can think of to hurt her big tough Servant?"
Something inside her snapped at that moment.
"Archer, if you withhold information accidentally or on purpose from me, I will make you wear a maid's costume and fight in it for the rest of the War"
With a slight smirk towards the flabbergasted EMIYA, Rin got up and walked through the door.
'Tohsaka has a very dark mind, doesn't she?'
Shaking his head, Archer sighed deeply
'That Kurosaki owes me big for this"
Shaking his head, Archer entered his astral form and began his search for the X factor in this Grail War, Ichigo Kurosaki.
000
Ichigo found himself floating over hilly terrain, dark clouds blocking out the sun itself. The rolling hills were covered in dust and ash.
'Is this a dream?'
Looking down, the Savior of Soul Society felt mildly disgusted at the mounds of corpses and the ocean of blood that swamped the land. Several knights skewered into the ground, others chopped into pieces. Even at the height of the Winter War, it had never been this bad.
'Is this what a war between humans is like?'
Suddenly his disembodied view forced itself to watch as a fully armored Knight of some kind or another screamed for someone as they cut down soldiers, the name being shouted was distorted just enough that he couldn't hear it, quite similar to Zangestu's when they had first met.
His surprise increased when he recognized the figure that approached the Knight in red and silver.
It was Saber, his Servant.
'Is this…her memory? Why am I seeing this all in Third Person then?'
He watched as she burst forward and rammed a massive lance through the first Knight's gut, the force of the blow causing their horned mask to break apart and reveal a girl that was the mirror image of Saber.
And just as the copy was opening her mouth Ichigo heard a voice in his ear.
"Wake the hell up King! Don't make me kick your ass and take over!"
Almost leaping off the floor Ichigo sat up in a cold sweat. Looking over at Saber who was sleeping quite peacefully, if a bit intensely, in his bed. It had taken him about half an hour to convince her to use his bed as he was sure that she would need it more in the coming days if they couldn't find an alternative mana source.
While she had protested, the minute she had lain down, she entered a deep slumber which both confused and amused the One Protector.
That voice had been suspiciously like his Inner Hollow, which despite all the ramifications brought a fluttering feeling of hope to Ichigo, perhaps through Thaumaturgy (Magecraft? Whatever!), he could regain his Soul Reaper powers and more importantly Zangetsu.
Falling back on the blanket he had lain on the floor, Ichigo felt himself drift back into slumber preparing for the long day that was coming.
000
"So Saber, do you have any idea of who can teach my magecraft?"
Ichigo plopped down in his breakfast table, watching in horrified fascination as she seeming absorbed the cup ramen supply that Ichigo had bought the day before. Having gotten a good night's sleep, sans the nightmare, the full weight of the day before had dropped on him. Killing a bunch of people for a wish was insane! But if he backed out, then Saber would disappear and despite only knowing her for such a short period she was starting to grow on him.
Finishing her fifth cup that morning, Saber regally cleaned her mouth with a napkin before deciding to reply
"My knowledge on this day and age are quite lacking Master, but all the people I am aware of are either participants of the Grail War or happen to be backing other Masters" The seventeen-year-old scrunched his face in thought before Saber continued.
"Due to this, we are limited to a few options, the most viable option is to seek an alliance with another Master, preferably Caster since they are the most magecraft oriented. However, Casters are thought to be one of the weakest Servants, throwing in with them will be seen as weakness, it would be even worse if Caster rejected us do to our…disadvantageous. Currently, the only thing keeping us from our untimely demise is the fact that no one knows who or what you are Master"
Ichigo looked out the window for several moments before turning to look at Saber.
"I think I may know a guy who can help me out with the whole magecraft thing, I'll call him a bit later. Right now let's talk about your whole 'mana deficiency' problem."
"As you wish Master, due to a multitude of factors our link as Master and Servant is as tenuous as a rusted, mostly broken chain" The teenager winced at the bluntness of her statement, but if she is as such then he had no doubt that was the case, "You summoned me without making your summoning circle, used a mixture of your blood and the boy Lancer killed as the medium, and you did not say the chant"
"The only thing sustaining me is my own rather massive mana reserves and the raw output of mana you are constantly exuding."
That brought back memories of his massive, uncontrollable reiatsu reserves from when he still had his powers.
'Somethings never change I guess'
"What's the big problem if my reserves make up for it?"
Saber pointedly glared at him
"While you are putting a rather enormous amount of mana constantly, only about 20% of that mana is reaching me, at best, the rest of your energy is acting to reinforce our link like…" The British woman, her accent was quite obvious even to Ichigo, gestured vaguely as if the word was escaping her.
"Duct tape?"
"Yes, like duct tape, while this is fine in a noncombat situation, it becomes quite the hassle when I take much damage and require healing from you, meaning in a serious situation we will be in a disadvantageous matchup, even more so then we are now."
Well damn, then this whole mana thing was quite the problem, wasn't it?
"Aren't there other ways to get mana, can't you absorb it from the air?" Saber once again glared at him, her eyes like her sword, powerful and fierce.
"I am not a plant Master, I am not capable of magical photosynthesis. Regardless there are indeed two methods for me to gain the mana necessary for combat, the first option is to devour the mana and souls of-"
"No" Ichigo cut her off, "You are not going to devour anyone's soul"
Saber shot him a look that mixed in both annoyance and something else he could not identify.
"I was about to say I would refuse to do such a thing Master, it is good to see I have an honorable Master this time around," The English Servant's eyes proceeded to bulge as she noticed her slip up, Ichigo on the other hand skillfully avoided mentioning the topic, if only for the moment.
"And option number two?"
"For us to become one" Ichigo scratched his head in confusion
"You mean like Voltron?" Saber merely tilted her head, "I am not sure what this 'Voltron' is, but unless the modern meaning of sexual intercourse has changed so much since my time, then no."
"Yeah, I guess that- wait a minute- did you say that option two was sexual intercourse!"
"Yes Master," The blonde scrunched her face and scrutinized the face of her new Master, who was slowly brightening up to a shade that lived up to his namesake, "Are you perchance sick Master? Going into battle while hampered by a disease is most ill-advised"
"NO!" Ichigo shot up, "It's just that you talked about sex like it was just something that is done and-"
"Ah I see, you are a virgin then"
If it were possible, Ichigo turned redder than before, "W-WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS"
Saber quirked an eyebrow as the once Substitute Shinigami turned his own words in his head and noted his screw up.
"Since this appears to make you uncomfortable Master, then perhaps I should teach you how to hide your signature, at your current rate of mana expenditure I would give you mere hours before another Heroic Servant found our location."
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously," Saber grew troubled, "In fact the very lack of an Assassin Servant not going after us this far is…concerning to me. This means that either Assassin has already been eliminated, unlikely, or they benefit from our continued survival in some manner"
"Alright, so how do I 'restrain' my mana?"
"Take off your shirt Master, we shall see how many Circuits you have and hopefully their quality at the same time" Ichigo complied, with only the slightest of blushes while Saber remained barely phased if a little shuddery when around her shirtless Master.
"Ok, one thing, just call me Ichigo," Seeing Saber was about to argue, "You are a living person or ghost, and so there isn't any need to call me Master unless we are in the middle of battle. That and if my Dad ever stops by for a surprise investigation/dropkick and hears you calling me Master" Ichigo shivered.
Saber grinned, slightly. She was even prettier when she smiled, especially for someone who was so grim and proper all the time, Ichigo noted dumbly.
"As you wish, Ichigo" Shaken out of a stupor, Ichigo looked back into Saber's green eyes.
"So how do I do this Saber?"
"Your magic circuits were opened once you summoned me, the Grail acted as a catalyst for the first time you've done magic, unusual but not unheard of either," She turned to make sure her Master was paying attention, once assured of his focus she continued, "From then on you can access your Circuits at will with a certain trigger, some sudden event like the stab of a sword or the shot of an arrow to cause your Circuits to activate
Taking a deep breath, the once Substitute Shinigami closed his eyes and tried to remember a sudden event or attack that he could use as a trigger to reactivate his Magic Circuits. He had been in so many that they were the best possible choice for a trigger.
'Byakuya's Senbonzakura and its sudden swarm of attacks? When Aizen cut me in half almost instantaneously?' Unbidden, a memory that still haunted him appeared. He was hanging from the dome of Las Noches, suspended by a thick cord-like tail as the winged Arrancar known as Ulquiorra had fired his Cero Oscuras through his chest.
Ichigo couldn't breathe, he fell back and all he could hear was the sound of a Cero tear through his chest, the feeling of death and the raw emptiness of Ulquiorra. The fear that had gripped at that moment was beyond that of which Kenpachi or even Aizen at their worst could bring out in him, the fact he hadn't truly defeated Ulquiorra was just salt on his open wounds.
"Come on King? You gonna give up cause things got a little tougher? You're not even dying' by an enemy, you're getting killed by your stupid brain! That makes me regret sacrificing myself for your sorry ass!"
Feeling invigorated from the stinging familiar taunts, Ichigo forced his memory to go back to his final clash with Aizen, the total surety he had when he had fought the megalomaniac blow for blow, the strike for a strike until he had dealt a blow so powerful that Urahara's trap was able to activate. The all-powerful feeling that had made being Mugetsu so perfect filled him once again.
Upon realizing something had happened Ichigo opened his eyes and looked down at his body where Magic circuits overlaid his entire form, wrapping around his chest and arms like a pseudo-nervous system. The familiar feeling of an ocean of energy that was just him and himself was available to Ichigo once more, and it was intoxicating.
The raw mana manifesting itself as an energy that was surrounded him like lightning itself rather than the wind like reiatsu he was so accustomed to.
Saber was appraising his circuits while he was simply overwhelmed by the feeling of his soul once more.
"Surprisingly high amount of magic circuits for someone who is a first-generation magus, twenty-eight circuits is not something to scoff at Ichigo" Saber mused, "Their quality is simply ridiculous, were you perhaps enhanced by some form of Phantasmal Beast during birth?"
Seeing the stupefied look on her summoner's face she decided to assume the answer was a no.
Ichigo was having trouble explaining why the process of using mana, od, whatever it was called was so familiar, the feeling of his magic circuits just felt right.
"Never mind, the first step to restraining your presence is to try and tune your mana output to the same level as the ambiance of nature" Ichigo frowned as he attempted to use his newly awakened circuits to sense the ambient energy his Servant was talking about.
"But its constantly shifting, how am I supposed to match it to that?" Saber nodded, a slight hint of pride evident on her face.
"That is the reason why detecting presences is a valuable skill to all mages, despite a mages best effort the ambiance of nature is too volatile and prone to change to be perfectly matched, the only reason some of the Assassin class are capable of such things is the True Magic of the Grail enhancing their capabilities coupled with the fact that we Heroic Spirits are constantly under the process of being erased by Gaia."
Ichigo was a little bit in awe of what exactly a Heroic Spirit could do, the average Heroic Spirit appeared to be Captain Class even Saber in her weakened form could easily match the likes of Mayuri or Toshiro, perhaps at full power, she could even go toe to toe with the older Captains like Juushiro and the drunk guy.
(Except Kenpachi, that guy was just beyond anyone's capabilities, his victory had been almost dumb luck rather than true skill or power.)
"Please attempt to tune yourself to nature somewhat" Nodding his head, Ichigo tried stretching his senses out, decreasing the raw concentration of mana but despite his best efforts, his circuits were creating so much at this point that they were surpassing the rate at which he could spread his energy out.
"I don't think I can Saber" His Servant looked away
"Even if it doesn't work now, please keep trying when you have the chance, our greatest advantage in this War is the element of surprise which cannot be capitalized on with the power output you are letting out."
"Alright, fine I'll do it Saber" Ichigo finally, he felt energized like he never had before and he could feel that fire that had defined him throughout his life becoming rekindled. All the while, his Core hummed with power as his Inner World slowly began to use his newfound power source to repair itself much to the glee of a certain Inner Hollow.
000
Caster was confused, something she could not say happened very often. The summoning of the last Servant had been especially obvious to her, a Caster from the Age of the Gods.
While the summoning in of itself had been an expected occurrence, what followed had not been.
Briefly, there had been a flash of energy powerful enough to warrant attention. The only reasonable hypothesis was that some straggler had ended up stumbling into the Grail War, once again it was nothing out of the ordinary. The power outage itself was simply ridiculous, however, rivaling some of the great Mages of history in raw power (though that was as much of a curse as it was a blessing, control was something this new Magus most certainly lacked).
Back in her times, such an event would have warranted some curiosity and perhaps a healthy amount of wariness, but in this day and age it was simply a tantalizing fruit hanging just within Medea's range and she knew she wanted to snatch up this new specimen and see what made them tick.
Now, when that energy had reawakened, albeit far weaker than before, she made sure to keep track of the relative area where the object of her interest resided.
"Oh so much to do and so little time" Medea groaned, "Ah well, whoever they are, they'll need to come to visit my temple at some point to win this war, I can snatch them up then!"
With a sight, the Witch of Betrayal began to rearrange her plots to fit in the new unknown.
000
Lancer sat, bent at the knee as his 'Master' gazed at him with cold calculation.
"I find it rather interesting that you failed to kill a mere boy, one who was completely unaware of mages and magic in the first place Lancer," Kirei smirked slightly, "Perhaps Ireland's Child of Light isn't all that the people say he is"
The Servant in question remained on the floor, though his grip on his legendary weapon tightened tenfold.
"Luckily for you, this turned out to be one of Gilgamesh's machinations so you are absolved of your pitiful failure this time Lancer" Cu sighed, torture by command seal was a bitch after all.
"What information did you gather on Caster?"
Lancer snorted before answering
"She killed her Master and found a new one, and then somehow managed to summon Assassin," The priest was momentarily stunned, "Though I did not manage to find her identity, I do believe she was a mage from Greece, in the Age of the Gods"
"How interesting, but nothing less than one should expect of a Caster I suppose," The sadistic priest murmured, "For now keep an eye on this 'Kurosaki Ichigo', when the time is right you will arrange a little accident, Gilgamesh's flights of fancy may entertain him, but the only joy I will find is the despair of a city as it is consumed by the flames of the Grail"
"You sure that's a good idea Master?"
As the priest turned, his eye widened as he brought his hands to his chest and began cough completely blindsiding Lancer. He had always figured someone would have to kill the bastard, preferably him, but here he was just choking to death.
"H-how cruel of y-you Grail, to give me life and then take it from me so" A glowing light encompassed Kirei, originating from his beatless heart, warping his figure slightly. Lancer was merely confused by the sudden turn of events as a figure stepped out of the pillar of light.
"My thanks Kotomine Kirei, I would say it a shame you had to die but…I would be lying, you most certainly will not be missed," The figure spoke, his voice barely audible to Lancer, "But rest assured, your death shall help humanity reach salvation"
The new being finally acknowledged the stupefied Hound of Ulster
"Hello Lancer, I am the Ruler of this war" Lancer could make out the man's white hair and golden eyes, his eyes then close and a pleasant smile appeared on his face, "Would you like to assist me in bringing humanity salvation?"
Cu Chulainn could do naught but stare before the Ruler chuckled.
"Give it some thought, Hound of Ulster, but patience is not one of my virtues" With that, the newly reincarnated Ruler walked away and whatever hint of an ordinary war was thrown out the window. A new age was coming, the Ruler thought, and nothing would stop him this time.
Author's Note: It is rather obvious who the Ruler is, isn't it? Arguably one of the more interesting characters in Fate and now here he is watching over the Fifth Grail War.
But was he reincarnated by Angra Mainyu or rather the remnants of the True Grail?
There haven't been any fight scenes mainly because, despite the rather low tier state in comparison to the Fourth War, strategy and planning have always been key points in any Grail War. On the other hand, some action will be prominent in the next chapter and onwards.
Ichigo's sucky energy control skills return with full force! Arturia doesn't know what to do with her Master.
As for Kirei…well, he thought he was going to be top dog for a SOLID two chapters and was promptly killed by the very heart given to him by the Grail! Or was he?
Anywho, people said not to follow cannon and my biggest fear was that I would end up accidentally doing so due to the similarities that remained! Solution? Taking out my proverbial plot gun and blasting several holes through UBW, Fate, Heaven's Feel, and Apocrypha and using super glue to hold the shards together!
A final bit I wanted to point out was Ichigo's slight OOCness and…there are many reasons for this. First off, it's been about a year or two since I've seen Bleach (fanfics don't count!) so getting his personality right is a bit difficult without some more super intense research. Not to mention, this Ichigo has been ousted by his friends (they had good intentions, even if they were being stupid) and is also quite depressed from having a part of his SOUL destroyed!
As for Shinigami powers and all that crap, well yes and no, some powers will be gained but don't expect to see Hollow/Shinigami/Quincy/Fullbringer Super Ichigo anytime soon.
Enough with the ranting, enjoy a nice little Omake!
May the Reishi be with Uryuu
"Master, we have another problem"
Ichigo sighed.
"Didn't I say for you not to call me Master, it's just Ichigo!"
"Alright Just Ichigo"
"…"
"…"
"Is it bad that I can't tell if you're messing with me or not?" he muttered mostly to himself,
"What is it?"
"I need a few sets of clothes, my armor and dress is not suited for constant wear, especially if I must accompany you to school."
"We'll get some stuff from the store later, once I've talked to a certain jackass"
000
In Karakura Town, Ishida Uryuu pushed his glasses up his nose, causing them to glint mysteriously.
"I sense a disturbance in the reishi" After a moment's thought it came to him, "KUROSAKI!"
000
Ichigo opened the door to see…Uryuu?
"Where did you even find where I lived?"
"There is no time!" The Quincy screeched, before promptly yeeting several outfits into Ichigo's face and running off leaving a rather confounded Saber and an equally disturbed Ichigo.
{The End}