I don't own Kamen Rider Blade and Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya/Fate series, those belong to their creators. This is for fun, not profit.

Chapter 6: The Wounded Friend

After his battle against the Riders and their allies, Junichi had contacted his master to give his report on what happened today. He was speaking to him on a handheld device as the master was on a holographic screen.

He was wearing a hood like him and was seated on a desk.

"I see. So the Einzbern girl had awakened." The Master said.

"Yes, but it seems to be a temporary phenomena. Most likely triggered by her survival instincts." Junichi told him.

"I guess that's no surprise. The seal that was placed on her can't be broken so easily, given what was born to do. But I suppose it doesn't matter now given what happened. Continue to keep an eye on her, Glaive. Her, and the Sakatsuki girl." The Master instructed him.

"Of course, Lord Dark Decade." Junichi nodded as Dark Decade ended the transmission. Junichi puts away his device as he stands up. "Now, how will things play out from here?"

(Round ZERO~BLADE BRAVE by Nanase Aikawa)

The song starts with colored lights shining in a dark room, revealing Kamen Rider Blade, Garren, and Chalice who were kneeling before they stood up.

The setting soon moves into a similar place and all the main characters of the story so far are standing on separate platforms with black suits.

(Tatta hitorikiri kimi no sonzai ga) (The camera zooms in on a few of the characters before zooming in on Kouji Kenzaki, who took a bite out of an apple he was holding and smiled. Then it moves to Shinichi Tachibana who was kicking a soccer ball around.)

(Itsuka sekai no subete kaeru darou) (Then it moved to Illya who was spinning around with Ruby flying around her. Then we see Miyu waving her hand as Sapphire flies onto her shoulder. We then see Luvia doing her laugh which annoys Rin as she growls at her, which made Jeanne sigh seeing those two bicker. Then moves to Shirou doing a spin kick as he lands on his knee and foot before he raises his head up.)

(Koko ni aru mo no wa kibou? Zetsubou?) (We soon see Blade, Garren, and Chalice driving their bikes through a beach. We soon see Illya and Miyu wearing their magical girl outfits flying in the sky.)

(Round Zero hajimatteru) (We soon moved back to the Riders room where Blade, Garren, and Chalice were not far from each other and were next to their bikes, before they started practicing their weapons.)

(Shiranai to iu tsumi to shirisugiru wana) (The three continue practicing their weapons while we move to Illya and Miya doing the same using their Include weapons.)

(Ugokenaku naru mae ni ugokidasou) (We then move back towards Blade, Garren, and Chalice riding through the beach. Then it moves back to Chalice in the room practicing his weapon.)

(Kaze ni mekurareta Card) (The three Riders practice their weapons while posing. Blade was swinging his Blay Rouzer, Garren aiming his Garren Rouzer, and Chalice was swinging and spinning with his Chalice Arrow.)

(Uranau you ni warau. Mayowanai hazu mo nai sore demo ashita wo sagase) (We move to Albino Joker swinging in a separate room swinging his scythe around before he changes into the Kamen Rider Glaive practicing with his Glaive Rouzer as he swings it around.)

(Mekurumeku unmei. Koware sou na jidai ni.) (We then move back to Blade swinging his Rouzer upward. Then it changes to Blade, Garren, and Chalice riding down the beach.)

(Kirifuda wa kimi no naka togisumasareta yuuki ni shite BLADE BRAVE!) (Blade stops swinging his sword for a brief moment as he lowers his Rouzer and stands up, before the logo appears as Garren and Chalice walk next to him.)

It was now morning in Fuyuki City, Kouji and Shinichi were walking towards school as Kouji yawned.

"You're that tired, Kouji?" Shinichi asked before he yawned as well.

"I could say the same about you." Kouji said as he gave Shinichi a narrow look.

"Good point there. We didn't get much sleep last night thanks to that guy." Shinichi said.

"Yeah, I know…" Kouji said as he remembers Junichi/Glaive and their battle against him, and Illya's transformation using the Archer Card. "Not to mention there's also that thing with Illya-chan."

"I know. I still can't believe it myself. And even stranger, she doesn't remember all that." Shinichi said.

Shortly after Glaive had retreated, they brought Illya and the others to the Tachibana house so she could rest.

After she woke up, Illya said she doesn't remember anything about her transformation with the Archer Card and her battle against Glaive. After that, they were able to sneak Illya back to her home without waking her family.

They soon arrived at their school as they walked towards the gates as some of the other students walked beside the Riders as they talked to each other.

"Hey did you hear what happened at the bridge?"

"Yeah. I even saw a picture of it. Hard to believe it was a gas explosion."

Both Kouji and Shinichi couldn't help but smile nervously to hear that.

The devastation of the waterfront from yesterday's battle was all over the news, but thankfully BOARD was able to control the situation saying it was the result of a gas explosion and send a donation for the repairs.

"Guess we should be grateful there weren't any people around there last night." Kouji mutters.

"Agreed." Shinichi nodded as they both walked through the gate to enter their school's ground.

After a few hours of classes it was now lunch time, both Kouji and Shinichi were eating lunch with Shirou in their classroom as they brought their desks together.

As they were eating, Kouji had asked Shirou why he was late coming to school today.

"What? Illya-chan is sick?" Kouji asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah." Shirou nodded. "Sella said that it wasn't so bad. But Illya kept insisting that she wasn't feeling well."

"I see…" Kouji said and Shinichi whispered to him.

"You think it has something to do with what happened last night?" Shinichi asked and Kouji nodded.

"Yeah. The timing fits." Kouji whispers back. "Probably best that we talk with Jeanne and the others about it."

"Agreed." Shinichi said in agreement.

"Is something wrong guys?" Shirou asked his friends and both Riders flinched before they soon answered.

"No! Nothing at all." Kouji and Shinichi said at the same time before they continued eating.

Shirou blinked in confusion before he shrugged and went back to eating himself.

Shortly after they had lunch, Kouji and Shinichi had met up with their Magus allies on the school roof to begin their meeting about yesterday's battle.

"Good you're here. Now, let's begin where we left off." Jeanne said.

"First off, let's talk about that other Rider, Shimura Junichi." Rin said before she set her eyes on Shinichi. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about him, do you?"

"Look, like I told you last night, I didn't even know him or how he was able to get that Buckle. Trust me, I designed the Kamen Rider system for me and Kouji." Shinichi told them.

"And we believe you. But that still doesn't explain who he is and how he was able to get that belt. Not to mention I highly doubt he's a normal human." Jeanne said as she remembers seeing Junichi's green blood and wounds.

"That's true. But let's save that for another time, let's talk about the Cards he used." Kouji said and Shinichi nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. That was something I noticed as well." Shinichi said.

"What do you mean?" Luvia asked.

"Well, see for yourselves." Shinichi said as he and Kouji brought out their Change Cards as they showed them to the girls. "Notice something similar but yet different about these Cards."

Jeanne, Rin, and Luvia look at the Cards and that's when they notice the slight difference and similarity that they have.

"They're ace of spades and diamonds." Rin said.

"That's right." Kouji nodded before he brought out his Kick Card. "And notice how this Card is in the same category as the Ace Card, but has a number under the symbol."

"Indeed. They're almost like poker cards." Luvia said.

"Exactly." Shinichi nodded as they put their Cards away. "We theorized that an Undead's strength is similar to the ranking of that of poker cards. With categories 2 and 10 being the lowest, while ace, jack, queen, and king are the strongest."

"I see. That's very interesting. But still, what does this have to do with the Cards that Junichi used himself?" Jeanne asked.

"Well, the one thing I notice is how the Cards he used didn't have a category symbol on them." Shinichi said as he remembers Junichi's Change and Mighty Cards.

"Yeah, that was definitely weird." Kouji nodded in agreement.

"But what I truly find that's more surprising is how he was able to use the Class Cards using that sword." Luvia said as she remembers Glaive using the power of the Saber Card and attacked both her and Rin with it.

"Yeah, and I didn't know that it was possible before now." Shinichi said as he brought and looked at his Buckle.

"But, this still doesn't give us any answers to who or what he is. Or why he's after the Class Cards." Rin said and the others silently agreed with her.

This only gave them more questions than answers about Junichi and why he's collecting the Class Cards.

"In that case, let's put the Shimura Junichi question on hold for now." Jeanne said, getting everyone's attention. "Right now, collecting the Class Cards is even more dire now that this man is after them and can somehow harness their power."

"Yeah. He made it perfectly clear that this is a race between us and him. And this is one race we can't afford to lose." Kouji said and the others nodded in agreement.

"Then let's talk about Illya now." Rin said, getting their attention. "You said that she was able to defeat this Junichi by using the power of the Archer Card, right?"

"That's right." Jeanne nodded as she and the Riders remembered Illya using the Archer Card by becoming a Heroic Spirit and using its power. "And she was able to do it by becoming the Heroic Spirit that was sealed within it."

"But still, even after seeing for ourselves, is that even possible?" Kouji asked as he still couldn't believe it.

"Well normally it wouldn't. Even with Ruby and Sapphire, Tohsaka and myself are only able to use the Noble Phantasms each Card possesses, so the thought of us actually becoming Heroic Spirits ourselves would be impossible." Luvia told them.

"But then again, there are some things about the Cards we have yet to fully understand ourselves." Jeanne told them. "But what really concerns me is the fact that Illya-chan used the Archer Card without Ruby."

"Yeah." Rin nodded in agreement. "I may have not seen it myself, but given the damage we saw I didn't have a choice but to believe."

"Indeed. But how is that even possible?" Shinichi asked.

"Well...This is only just a theory, but it must have something to do with that power she unleashed." Jeanne said as she and the Riders remembered those wings of light that were on Illya's back. "There was no doubt that it was pure magic energy but on a massive scale. In fact it might rival sir Zeltretch's own power or perhaps it's even greater."

Both Rin and Luvia had a narrowed look on their faces as they knew Jeanne wouldn't make such a claim so casually.

"But still, the question is how? When I first met her, she was completely clueless about those things." Rin said.

Jeanne thought about and remembers Illya's pure white hair and red eyes, and they were indeed natural even for a foriegn immigrant.

"Jeanne, is something wrong?" Kouji asked before Jeanne turned to Rin.

"Rin," Jeanne calls out and Rin turns to her. "I need to know, do you happen to know Illya-chan's full name?"

Rin blinks before she nodded.

"Yeah. I think she said her full name was Illyasviel von Einzbern." Rin said.

Hearing Illya's family name really got Jeanne's attention as she placed a hand on her chin.

"Einzbern...It couldn't be could it?" Jeanne mutters as the others look at her.

"Jeanne, is something wrong?" Kouji asked before Jeanne turned to him and Shinichi.

"Kouji, Shinichi, I need you two to tell me something." Jeanne told the two Riders.

"Sure. What is it?" Kouji asked.

"You said that both of you are close friends of Illya-chan's family, correct?" Jeanne asked, and Kouji and Shinichi nodded. "Then tell me, did they move here from a foreign country?"

"No." Shinichi shook his head. "Despite her appearance, Illya-chan is actually half-Japanese on her father's side."

"And what about her mother?" Jeanne asked.

"Well...I think she said she's from Germany." Kouji said.

"And what was her full name?" Jeanne asked.

Both Kouji and Shinichi thought about it and Kouji spoke first as he remembered.

"I only heard it once. But I think it was Irisviel von Einzbern. Man, it's such a complicated name, but it still stuck in my head." Kouji said.

Jeanne once again hums in thought to hear the name 'Einzbern' again.

"Einzbern, and she's from Germany." Jeanne said, and her friends blink before Shinichi spoke to her.

"What? Do you know anything about Illya-chan's situation?" He asked.

"Well I wouldn't say that. But it might have something to do with her family's background." Jeanne told them.

"What do you mean?" Kouji asked.

"Well, this is only just a theory, but I think Illya-chan must be a descendant of an ancient magus family." Jeanne answered and that really surprised the people around her.

"What?!" Kouji gasped.

"What? Jeanne, you can't be serious? When I first met her, she was completely clueless when it comes to magic or magus. There's no way." Rin told her.

"Like I said it's only a theory right now, but there's one fact I couldn't ignore. The name Einzbern." Jeanne said and Rin and Luvia understood what she meant by that.

"The Einzberns." Luvia said.

"Oh damn it...why didn't I realize that until now?!" Rin growled as she smacked her head.

Kouji and Shinichi were a little confused on what they were talking about. Shinichi soon raises his hand and calls out to them.

"Um...In case you three had forgotten, there are two none magus here who have no idea what you're talking about." Shinichi told them.

"Oh right, I'm sorry." Jeanne said.

"It's alright. But anyway, what does Illya-chan's family have to do with it?" Kouji asked.

"It's rather complicated, so keep it short and simple for you two." Luvia said before she explained. "The Einzberns are a family of magus whose lineage lasted for over 1,000 years."

"Really?" Kouji asked and Luvia nodded.

"But despite how well known they are, they were a rather secretive and elusive family. In other words they're the type of people who don't make friends with anyone and keep things to themselves." Rin said.

"Wait...If what you say is true, and if Illya-chan's family are indeed related to these Einzberns, then it doesn't sound like them at all." Shinichi said.

"Yeah. We met her parents more than once. Her father...Well okay, he may fit the bill on that. But her mother is definitely the opposite of what you just told us." Kouji said.

"Then what is she like?" Jeanne asked.

Kouji hummed in thought as he tried to come up with the right words for Illya's mother.

"Well...She can be a bit of an airhead and a klutz, but don't get me started about her driving skills." Kouji said and the three Magus blink in confusion before Shinichi whispers to them.

"Trust me, you're better off not knowing about that."

Kouji coughs in his hand.

"Anyway, despite that she's a very cheerful and kind hearted woman. She cares very deeply about her family and has a loving relationship with Illya-chan and her son. In fact, she even treated me and Shinichi like we were her own sons as well." Kouji said with a smile.

"Yeah, I vouch for that." Shinichi said in agreement.

"I see. Well I guess I can't deny the fact that she sounds different from what we heard about the Einzberns, but it still doesn't change the fact that Illya-chan, herself, has powerful magic energy." Jeanne said as they remember seeing those giant wings of energy on Illya's back. "I heard that the Einzberns are powerful in the ways of magic, so Illya and her mother must be related to them somehow. But then again, I could be overthinking it."

"Then maybe we should try to contact these Einzberns and know for sure." Kouji suggested, which got his friends' attention. "I mean, they may be in Germany and elusive like you said, but there has to be a way to contact them. And once we do, we can ask them about Illya-chan's situation and see if they know something."

"I'm afraid that's impossible." Jeanne said.

"What do you mean?" Kouji asked and Jeanne sighed as she folded her arms.

"We're still not sure why or how, but the Einzbern family had completely cut themselves off from the outside world. No one had seen or heard from them in over 10 years." Jeanne told him and Shinichi.

"Really?" Shinichi asked and Jeanne nodded.

"So much for that idea." Kouji said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Then maybe we should confront Illyasviel's mother ourselves and see if she knows something." Luvia suggested. "You two are close friends of their family, right? Then it shouldn't be any trouble for you to contact this Irisviel and see if she could meet with us."

"Well, we would but that's kind of difficult right now." Kouji said.

"What do you mean?" Luvia asked.

"We don't know the exact details, but both of Illya-chan's parents are currently working overseas. We rarely see them once a month or two." Kouji answered.

"Seriously?" Jeanne asked and Shinichi nodded.

"Yes. They always seem to work overseas, often leaving Sella-san and Leysritt-san, their maids, to take care of the house and watch over their kids for them. It may seem a little odd, but it apparently works for them." Shinichi told them.

"I see…" Jeanne mutters. 'What sort of people are Illya-chan's parents?'

Jeanne coughed in her hand.

"Anyway, since contacting her mother isn't an option, then it's probably best that we keep this to ourselves for now. And even if we do learn something about Illya-chan, it just doesn't change our current mission." Jeanne said and the others nodded in agreement. "Oh, but I do have one more question."

"What is it?" Kouji asked.

"You said that the Undeads' ranking is similar to that of poker cards, right?" Jeanne asked and the Riders nodded. "Then wouldn't that also suggest that there's a Joker Undead?"

Kouji and Shinichi turned at each other before Shinichi answered.

"Well...Normally it would. But we've yet to confirm Joker's existence, not even which species he represents."

"I see. Never mind then." Jeanne said.

"Don't worry about it. We're all on edge after that guy attacks us." Kouji told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. You're right." Jeanne nodded before they noticed that their friends were giving them a sly look which caused them to blush as Kouji and Jeanne back away from each other.

"Well, anyway, we should probably head back to class now!" Kouji stated as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yes! That's right!" Jeanne said in agreement as they head to the door together before she calls out to the others. "You guys coming?!"

"Hai." They said as they followed Kouji and Jeanne as they headed back inside.

(Later)

After school had ended for today, Shirou invited Kouji and Shinichi to do some shopping. Shirou needed some new equipment for the archery club, Kouji accepted his invitation as he needed some new gear for kendo.

Shinichi declined as he has some work for the student council.

Both Kouji and Shirou had arrived at their favorite shopping center to get the gear they wanted. First they were in the archery store as Shirou went through their inventory while Kouji just admired the bows.

"Sorry I made my stop first, Kouji." Shirou told his friend.

"It's alright. This shop was the closest to the entrance and the kendo shop is in the next area from here, so it's no problem." Kouji said.

"I'm glad to hear that." Shirou said as he continued to go through the inventory and pick out a few things he needed.

Kouji then picks up one of the bows as he looks at it.

"But still, I may be into kendo, but even I can't but admire a bow." Kouji said as he aimed and pulled on the string.

"If you want, I can give you a lesson or two on how to use it." Shirou offered, and Kouji put the bow back on the shelf.

"Thanks, but I'm alright. Kendo's more my thing." Kouji said as he secretly thought. 'Not to mention my weapon is a sword, so archery won't do me any good.'

"I see. But my offer still stands. Okay, this should be the last of it." Shirou said as he picked out the final items he needed.

Kouji's phone soon started to ring, he soon brought it and saw it was the Undead alert as it showed Kouji an Undead's location and it was close to the shopping center.

"Seriously? Now of all time?" Kouji mutters as Shirou calls out to him.

"Hey, Kouji," Kouji flinches as he puts away his phone and turns to Shirou as he has a bag in his hand as it contains all of the items he needed. "I just bought the stuff."

"That's great...Also Shirou, I know this is sudden but I need to go back home. Something just happened." Kouji said as Shirou blinked to hear that.

"Something what?" Shirou asked.

"Ummm...Well...I forgot!" Kouji said as he ran out of the shop as Shirou watched him leave.

"Okay…?" He mutters.

As Kouji runs to where the Undead was located, he couldn't help but feel like an idiot right now after his lame excuse for Shirou.

"Dammit! I really need to work on my excuses better!" Kouji said as he brought out his Buckle and Ace Card as he inserted the Card into it and put the Buckle on. "Henshin!"

Kouji flicks the Buckle.

[TURN UP]

Kouji transforms into Blade as he keeps on running to where the Undead was.

As people were running away from the Undead, it was holding a man on the neck as he struggled to break free and breathe.

The Undead was wearing black armor on its legs, chest, and right arm while having golden fur around its left arm and has golden long hair that looks similar to a lion's mane and is wearing a black lion mask on its face and has a pair of claws on its right hand.

This is the Lion Undead.

The Lion Undead growls closely at the man's face before it throws him to the ground and slowly walks to them as he slowly crawls away from the Undead.

"No! Stay away! Stay away!" He shouted.

But his pleas were ignored as the Lion Undead aimed its claws at him to attack him….

"Aaahhh!" Blade shouted as he jumps at the Lion Undead and punches on it forcing the Undead to stumble away from the man as Blade lands next to him. "Get to safety!"

The man nodded as he ran away.

The Lion Undead glares at Blade as he assumes his stance as the Undead spoke to the Rider in an unknown language.

"Not sure what you said, but I guess it's an insult." Blade said.

The Lion Undead charges at Blade and he does the same as the two engage in a close quarters combat as the Lion Undead slashes at Blade with his claws while the Rider dodges them and attacks by punching and attacking as the Lion Undead dodges and parries his attacks.

Unknown to both enemies is that someone was watching their battle in hiding and his eyes were mostly set on Blade as he fought against the Lion Undead before he heard crying and saw a little girl crying in hiding while holding a doll in her hand as she cried out.

"Mommy...Mommy where are you?"

"Mommy…?" He said in wonder.

As Shirou left the shopping center he was about to head back home before a running man bumps into as he falls to the ground. Shirou turned to him and saw the fearful look on his face.

"Hey! Are you alright, what's wrong?" Shirou asked.

"A-A monster!" He said as he quickly stood up and continued to run away.

"A monster?" Shirou said in confusion before he turned to the direction that man was running away from.

He wasn't sure what he said was true, but it was clear that this monster was close and he remembers something.

"Wait...Didn't Kouji head in that direction?" Shirou said in worry as he brought out his phone to call Kouji's but then…

"Someone help!" Shirou looked and saw a woman crying out to someone. "Can someone please help me?!"

While he was worried for his friend, Shirou couldn't ignore that woman crying out for help as he headed towards her as he put away his phone.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Shirou asked as the woman turned to him.

"I-It's my daughter! Mayu! I can't find my daughter!" She told him.

"Nani? What happened?" Shirou asked.

"W-We were out shopping in a shop close to here. But then that monster showed up out of nowhere and started attacking everyone. My daughter and I started to run away, but then someone knocked my hand out of hers and we got separated. And I can't find her anywhere!"

Shirou was stunned to hear that as he looked in the direction where the monster had said to appear, and while he was a little scared he couldn't just ignore this woman or her daughter who was in doubt in danger.

Shirou then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll go and look for her. You call the police, alright?" Shirou told her and she nodded a few times. "Okay."

Shirou soon runs to where this monster is as that girl might be there.

Blade dodges another slash from the Lion Undead and lands a few punches on its chest followed by a kick which forces the Undead to stumble back. As the Lion Undead stops stumbling he glares at Blade as the Rider assumes his stance.

But then they heard crying nearby and saw the girl who was crying out for her mother.

"A girl?!" Blade gasped in shock and worry.

The Lion Undead notice that as he charges at the crying girl to attack.

"No, you don't!" Blade said as he runs to the Undead and grabs hold of it to prevent it from reaching the girl. Blade soon turns to the girl. "You need to run now!"

But the girl continued to cry and was too scared to even move.

"Dammit! At this rate…" Blade mutters as he turns back to the Lion Undead.

"Mayu-chan! Mayu-chan!" Blade's eyes widened as he recognized that voice.

Both Blade and the Lion Undead turned and saw it was Shirou as he soon arrived as he called the girl's name.

Shirou then saw both Blade and the Lion Undead as his eyes widened in shock.

"What the...Who are…" Shirou mutters.

"Shirou? What are you doing here?! You need to run now!" Blade told him as the Lion Undead managed to break free for a moment and was about to move to Mayu but Blade managed to grab hold of him again.

"H-How do you know my name?" Shirou asked before he noticed that his voice sounded familiar. "And your voice…"

Blade flinches to hear that as he coughs and makes his voice sound deeper.

"T-That's not important right now! Just run, I'll protect the girl!" Blade told him as he pulled the Lion Undead away from Shirou and the girl as he pulled out his sword and slashes on the Undead's chest, sending it rolling on the ground.

The Lion Undead soon stood back up and charged at Blade and he did the same as the two clash blades as they run past each other, as they spun at each other to attack and Blade lands the first hit as he slashes on the Undead's chest and grabs holds his sword with both lands as he lands a downward slash on the Undead followed by horizontal slash while holding his sword with a single hand.

As Blade assumes his stance with his sword, Shirou recognizes his sword skills as it reminded him of Kouji's kendo matches and practice.

"That movement...Kouji is that you?" Shirou asked and Blade flinched to hear that.

"W-What? Who is that? I don't know anyone named Kenzaki Kouji!" Blade told him with his deep voice.

"Oh come on, you even said your family name!" Shirou said and Blade flinched once again.

"Dammit...I did it again…" Blade said as he lowered his head.

Blade then notices the Lion Undead charging at him to attack him with his claws as he blocks it with his sword as the two enter a bladed lock.

"Guess there's no point in hiding in it anymore...Shirou, just take the girl and run! I'll explain later!" Blade told him.

"R-Right!" Shirou nodded as he was about to do that...

The Lion Undead pushes Blade away and slashes him on the chest, sending the Rider to the ground.

The Lion Undead turns his attention to the crying girl as it runs to her, and seeing the girl in danger Shirou rushes in front of the Undead as he stands in its way...

The sound of a stabbing sound was heard as Blade's eyes widened underneath his helmet and Shirou felt a sharp pain in his chest as blood was dripping in front of his feet.

Shirou slowly looked down and saw the Lion Undead's claws had stabbed into his chest as his eyes slowly widened in shock.

The Lion Undead spoke to Shirou in its language in what appears to be a mocking tone.

[MACH]

[SLASH]

The Lion Undead turns back to Blade as he charges at him in super speed as he slashes on the Undead as it pulled its claws out of Shirou's chest, and Blade slashes on the Undead several times around its body using both his speed and enhance slashes dealing major as Blade slashes on its chest sending the Lion Undead rolling on the ground.

Blade then turns back to Shirou as he falls on the ground while having his hands on his chest.

"Shirou!" Blade shouted in worry as he ran to his wounded friend and knelt down beside him.

Shirou barely manages to open his eyes as he looks at Blade.

"Kouji...Please...It hurts so much…" Shirou weakly mutters to his friend as Blade saw that his wound was bleeding out as it covered his shirt.

Blade then notices that the Lion Undead was leaving to head to another area to attack more humans. Blade looks back at Shirou as he groans as his wound was bleeding some more.

"Dammit...What should I do?" Blade wonders out loud.

"What the...hey, what happened here?"

Blade looks up and sees a man heading towards him and the wounded Shirou as he looks down at them.

He appeared to be in his 20s with hair and black eyes. He was wearing a light brown suit with a white shirt.

The man in the brown suit knelt down to Shirou as he looked at his wound.

"This wound looks serious. How did he get it?" He asked Blade.

"Ah…" Blade said as he wasn't sure how to explain this.

That is when they heard screaming nearby as they turned and saw people running away from most likely the attacking Undead.

"Go." The man told him as Blade turned back to him. "I'll watch over your friend."

"But I…" Blade said.

"Go, Kouji…" Shirou weakly tells him as Blade looks down at him. "I-I'm not sure what's going on...but those people need you…"

"Shirou…" Blade mutters as he grabs hold of his friend's hand as it was covered in blood. "Don't worry, I'll come back for you as soon as I can, so just hang on until then."

Blade soon stood up and chased after the Lion Undead.

Shirou then turns to the man who stayed behind to watch over him.

"Thank you…Mister…" Shirou mutters.

"Hajime. My name is Aikawa Hajime." Hajime told him.

"Aikawa-san...I-I want to ask you something…" Shirou said.

"What is it?" Hajime asked.

"If...If I die...can you watch over my family for me…" Shirou answered and Hajime was surprised to hear that. "I know you don't know me, but it would mean a lot to me if you were there for them. Especially my sister, she can be a bit of a crybaby...So please, can you protect her in my place?"

Hajime thought about it before he nodded and grabbed hold of his hand.

"Of course. You have my word." Hajime told him.

"T-Thank you…" Shirou said as he closed his eyes, and Hajime was worried before he nodded as he knew what to do as he brought something out and placed it on Shirou's chest…

Despite his weakened and damaged state, the Lion Undead continues to chase after humans as they run away from the Undead before one of them falls to the ground and the Lion Undead runs to him to attack but Blade stops him as he jumps and slashes on its back.

As Blade lands on his feet, the Lion Undead turns to the Rider as its intended target uses this chance to run away.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Shirou!" Blade said as he glared at the Undead and readied his sword.

The Lion Undead roar as he charges at Blade and the Rider does the same as the two clash their blades several times before Blade dodges its next attack and lands a kick on its head.

The Lion Undead attacks with its other arm and Blade dodges it but the Lion Undead uses his claws to slash on Blade's chest two times and finishes with an upward slash which sends Blade to the ground.

The Lion Undead jumps at Blade to stab his claws to him, Blade was able to dodge it in time by rolling on the ground as its claws stabbed into the ground.

As Blade stood back up the Lion Undead pulled its claws out of the ground as the Undead slashed at Blade, and he parried it with his sword and slashes on the Lion Undead's chest two times followed with an upward slash which sent it rolling on the ground.

As the Lion Undead slowly stood back up, Blade opened his Rouzer's Open Tray and pulled out his Kick, Thunder, and Mach Cards and scanned them on his Rouzer.

[KICK]

[THUNDER]

[MACH]

Blade soon assumes his stance as the said Cards appeared behind as they went into his body as Blade soon stabs his sword on the ground.

[LIGHTNING SONIC]

Blade soon charges at the Lion Undead using his enhanced speed, the Lion Undead attacks at Blade but the Rider lands the first hit as he tackles the Lion Undead as he runs past it as the Undead falls to the ground.

Blade soon stops for a moment and turns back to the Lion Undead as it stands back up as Blade jumps into the air and lands a lightning enhanced kick on its chest which sends the Lion Undead rolling on the ground as Blade lands beside his sword before the Undead explodes.

After the explosion had died down, the Lion Undead was groaning on the ground before its buckle opened up. Blade soon brings out a blank Rouse Card and throws it at the Lion Undead as the Card absorbs it and flies back to Blade as he catches it.

Blade looks at his new Card as it has a picture of a lion with mechanical arms with the number 3 underneath the spade with the words 'Beat' and 'Beat Lion' on it.

This is the Category Three of Spades Lion Beat.

Blade sighed as it was over.

"Kouji!"

Blade looks and sees that Garren riding his bike has arrived as he stops and soon gets off the bike and walks to his friend.

"Shinichi." Blade said.

"Sorry that I'm late. All that paperwork really took my time. But I guess you didn't need my help this time." Garren said.

"Yeah...Oh wait, Shirou!" Blade said.

"What? What about him?" Garren asked.

"He got hurt during the battle!" Blade told him and Garren was surprised to hear that.

"Wait...What?!" Garren gasped.

"I'll explain on the way! Come on!" Blade said as he runs to where he left Shirou and Garren follows them.

(Meanwhile)

Unknown to both Blade and Garren is that two people were watching them on top of a building.

One appears to be in his mid-to-late 20s with brown hair and eyes, he was wearing a black suit with glasses over his eyes.

The other was a man in his early-30s, he had black hair and was wearing black clothes with a matching trench along with sunglasses over his eyes.

"It would appear that the Lion has fallen. And after all the trouble we went through to convince him to join our side." The man with glasses said.

"It doesn't matter now. He served his purpose, just seeing these so-called Kamen Riders was enough for me." The man in black clothing said.

"True. But let's be honest here. You actually used your hypnosis ability to bring him under control didn't you?" The man with glasses said as he eyed his companion.

"Hmph...Well I guess I can't deny that. But there's no point in asking that now. We should report this to the others." He said as he left and the man with glasses followed.

"Hai."

Blade and Garren had arrived in the area where Blade had left Shirou with the mysterious man, but only to find that both of them were now gone.

"What the...Where did they go?" Blade asked as he and Garren looked around.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Garren asked.

"Yeah, of course. This is exactly where I left Shirou with that man." Blade told him.

"Well...Given how hurt you told me he was, maybe he took Shirou to a hospital after you left." Garren theorized.

"Yeah...Maybe you're right." Blade mutters.

"Regardless, we may have to inform his family on what happened." Garren said.

"You're right. Hopefully with your dad's help we'll find him in no time." Blade said as he and Garren left for Shirou's home in order to speak with his family.

Unknown to them both Riders is that someone, wearing their school's uniform was watching them in hiding. He then looks at his hand as he flicks his fingers.

"His family…"

After they had left, both Kouji and Shinichi, now in their civilian forms, were walking to the house of Shirou and Illya. As they were walking towards the Emiya house, both Kouji and Shinichi's anxiety were a little high right now as they both wonder how to break this news to Shirou's sister and the people who are watching over them.

But then they noticed something had changed in the neighborhood as they saw a large mansion across the street and right in front of the Emiya house.

As both Riders wondered how long that mansion had been there, they soon arrived as they stopped in front of the house.

"Alright, we're here. Are you ready to do this?" Shinichi asked.

"No...But I guess we don't have a choice right now." Kouji answered.

"You know, if you want, I can tell them instead." Shinichi offered but Kouji declined as he shook his head.

"No. This is my responsibility to bear. I was the one who left Shirou there with that man, so I should do this." Kouji said.

"I...I understand." Shinichi said.

"Hmmm...Oh, hey there, Kouji, Shinichi."

Both Kouji and Shinichi looked up and saw a woman standing and leaning on the balcony of the house as she waved at them.

The woman appears to be in her mid to late-20s, she had red eyes and white hair that reached above her shoulder. She was wearing a loose T-shirt with short jeans. This is Leysritt, or Liz for short. She's one of the caretakers who watch over both Illya and Shirou while their parents are away.

"Oh, Liz-san, it's been a while." Kouji said as he and Shinichi waved back at her.

"Did you two came to check on Illya too?" Liz asked and they shook their heads.

"No. But there's something we need to tell you. Is Sella-san still home?" Shinichi asked and Liz nodded

"Yeah, she is. Sella, Kouji and Shinichi are here." Liz calls out to her.

"I got it!" Sella says as she opens the door as both Kouji and Shinichi turn to her.

Sella was a woman in her early-30s but still looks young for her age. Like Liz, she had white hair and red eyes, her hair was longer than Liz's and was tied in a ponytail that was placed on her shoulder. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt with a long skirt with an apron.

This is Sella, Liz's older sister and the second caretaker of the Emiya household.

"Hello, Kouji-san, Shinichi-san. It's been a while." Sella greeted them as she bowed her head.

"Hello, Sella-san." Kouji said as he and Shinichi bowed back to her.

"If you're here to see, Shirou, he's…" Sella said.

"Actually, about that…" Kouji said as Sella stopped as she blinked. Kouji lowered his head as he gulped. "It's about Shirou...He...He…"

"What's wrong? Did Shirou do something wrong?" Sella asked and Kouji's blinks to hear that. "He's working on his bow right now. But I'll let him know that you're here."

"Wait, what…?" Kouji said in shock and Shinichi was surprised to hear that before Sella turned back to the house.

"Shirou! Your friends are!" Sella calls out.

"Oh really? I'm coming?"

Both Kouji and Shinichi were in shock to hear that Shirou soon arrived outside to greet his friends. Kouji was even more surprised by this as he saw that the wound on his chest and the blood on his clothes were both gone, like they were never there to begin with.

"Hey there you two. What are you doing here?" Shirou asked.

"S-Shirou...How are you…?" Kouji mutters in shock and Sella narrows her eyes before she turns to Shirou.

"Okay Shirou, tell me, what did you just do?" Sella asked as Shirou waved his hands in front of her.

"Nothing! I'm just as confused as you are." Shirou told her.

Then both Kouji and Shinichi grab hold of Shirou's arms.

"Sorry, Sella-san, but we just need to borrow him real quick!" Shinichi told her as they began to drag Shirou away from his house as Sella watched them before she sighed and placed a hand on her temple.

"I swear, men." Sella mutters.

Both Kouji and Shinichi had dragged Shirou a few blocks away from his house and found a spot where they could talk privately.

"Okay, Shirou what happened? And where did your wound go?" Kouji asked.

"I'm curious about that as well. From what Kouji had told me, you were hurt pretty bad."

"Wait, Shinichi, you're involved in this too?" Shirou asked, a little surprised.

"That's not important right now." Shinichi said.

"Right, right, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you guys by disappearing like that." Shirou told them.

"It's alright. Just tell us what happened? And what happened to that guy I left with you?" Kouji asked.

"Oh him? He's name is Hajime. Turns out he was a doctor." Shirou told them.

"Wait...He was?" Kouji asked and Shirou nodded as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah. When you left he treated my wound, thankfully it wasn't so bad." Shirou told them.

"Not so...Shirou, that's impossible. You said it hurts so much and you were bleeding like crazy." Kouji said.

"I know...But he said it was nothing for him. And I'm not going to question his skills, he did save my life." Shirou told his friends.

"I guess so. But Shirou, seriously are you really alright?" Kouji asked.

"I am, don't worry. But, can you please keep this a secret from Illya and the others. I don't want them to worry." Shirou requested.

"Yeah, of course we will." Shinichi said.

"Thanks. Well, if we're done here, I'm going head back. See you guys tomorrow." Shirou said as he left and headed back to his home.

"I-I'm not even sure what to say about this. Are you sure his wounds were that serious?" Shinichi asked Kouji.

"Yeah...Shirou was stabbed deep in the chest and he was losing a lot of blood. No way he was able to get back on his feet even being treated." Kouji told him.

"And I believe you. But I think it's best that we keep this to ourselves for now, even from Illya-chan. We've already had a lot on our plate right now. The last thing we need is to give her unnecessary unease, especially after what she did last night." Shinichi suggested and Kouji nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. You might be right." Kouji said as he looked at the Emiya house. "Just what happened to you, Shirou?"

(Later)

It was now night time in Fuyuki City. In the Emiya house, Shirou was taking a hot bath as Sella was preparing dinner.

After soaking for long enough Shirou had gotten out of the bathtub and entered the changing room as he picked up and used the towel.

"Shirou! Dinner is almost done!" Sella calls out to him.

"Right! I'll be right there!" Shirou responds as he turns to the mirror and looks at his reflection.

Shirou then placed a hand on it and placed his other hand on his face before he looked down at his waist as he was wearing the same belt buckle that the Undeads wear.

To Be Continued…

There you have it, hope you like it. Review to tell me what you think of the story.