AN: And here's CH18 folks :) Please leave a review :D

Update (1/18/2017): Edited the part with Amakusa reminiscing how he got a human body. Felt that the original was too cheesy, and it wasn't really in line with how I imagined the Beast to be. In fact, the way Fate/Prototype goes with its presentation, as revealed in the Fragments final volume, is actually somewhat in sync with my view of it and as such decided to edit the part to be more in line with it now. Don't worry though, it's a minor edit at best that doesn't really change anything for FMB since the Beast hasn't really made an impact on it as a whole yet.


Chapter 18:

Sajyou Ayaka


"So then King of Knights, what can you tell us about the Servants you've faced in the past?"

Halfway into their flight, most of the others in the group had fallen asleep with the exception of Arthur, Waver, Gilgamesh, and Iskander. The latter two of which were currently passing the time drinking wine brought out by the Golden King.

"Very well then. Aside from Assassin and Caster, I know all their identities and how powerful each of them are."

"Considering that one of them is Heracles, that isn't all that surprising." Waver commented.

"Hmm... the idea of facing the son of Zeus is a rather delightful thought."

Gilgamesh smirked, happy at the prospect of having yet another worthy foe to face in combat, and one that he believed would be a very entertaining. Truly, he was in a joyful position to have been summoned in order to partake in the Holy Grail War.

"Say, what about the other one? About that Brynhild woman you mentioned last night?" Iskander inquired.

Unpleasant memories surfaced throughout Arthur's mind as he remembered his last battle with Brynhild all those years ago.

Back then, she had suddenly gone on a rampage throughout the city trying to find the white knight. As the two fought, she began to call him Sigurd, the name of the King of Warriors and Hero of the Volsunga Saga. Whatever madness it was that drove her to act as she did, calling him by the name of her former lover, he didn't know. Was it because the two of them had a resemblance to each other?

Still, whatever the case was, it wasn't important now. As the battle drew to a close, he had driven his blade deep into her heart which snapped the Valkyrie out of her insanity fueled assault. Now that he remembered it, once that happened she had spoken something to him that day...

"You, mustn't…let…..the…..Greater Grail…..give birth…..to the…..thing…..lurking…within it….."

Had she discovered the truth about the grail back then? If so, he felt himself more of a fool for not realizing it sooner.

Just how long was it? How long was Manaka deceiving him?

"Hey, King of Knights."

Blinking in surprise, Arthur snapped out of his thoughts and quickly remembered that he was having a conversation with the other three.

"My apologies, I was caught up in old memories."

"Yeah, the look on your face kinda said that." The red-haired Servant stated. "So then, what about the other one we were talking about?"

"She's a formidable fighter, one of the stronger ones I've dealt with in the past." Arthur began. "If anything, I believe that among ourselves, the only ones capable of standing against her in a fair fight would be myself, Cu Chulainn, Siegfried, Achilles, and the King of Heroes."

"Hmm... so she's that tough eh?" The King of Conquerors placed a hand under his chin. A warrior equal to the likes of his idol Achilles. If the King of Knights said so, then it was no doubt the truth. He wondered how such a person would be able to stand against his army.

"Perhaps it's to be expected of the daughter of Odin." Gilgamesh added with a smile. "It makes me wonder of the others you fought against as well."

While the three kings talked amongst themselves, Saber of Black quietly listened in on their conversation as a certain name caught his interest.

'Brynhild...'

Although he had heard of the name before as two who come from the same lands, Siegfried had never actually met the Valkyrie himself as she had existed long before he did. For some reason, he felt a sense of dread whenever he heard her name. He didn't know what to make of it, and so decided to bury said feelings until he met said person.

While he thought that, another person entered the conversation with a tone akin to a snarl.

"Why is it that you fail to include me in that list?"

Having overheard the entire conversation, Mordred opened her eyes and glared at her father, who himself merely sighed in response to her reaction.

"Because taking into consideration your strengths and weaknesses, I do not believe you'll last long in a conflict against her." He simply stated.

"What's that...!?" Mordred demanded, turning her full attention towards her father.

"It's true that you posses great strength, and are more than capable of using that strength to your advantage."

Arthur began, gazing at Mordred with such seriousness that she was taken aback by it.

"However, you are brash and think too highly of yourself. It leads you to overestimate your abilities and to underestimate your foes. To have confidence is one thing, but to have arrogance is another. If you allow it to guide you and control your actions, then it will eventually lead to your ruin."

...! Who was he to lecture her...!?

"Shut up! What do you know about me?!" The red knight exclaimed in anger, a statement that hit a little too close to home for Arthur. "If that's the case, then let me prove my mettle against this woman! I'll show you that I can take her or anybody on!"

"You are free to try, but you'll only end up wasting your strength. Unless you learn to temper your rage, Lancer will defeat you."

"...!"

Mordred continued to glare hard at her father. How dare he look down on her so much...!

True, he did praise her by saying she had great strength, but he still-!

"Hahaha!"

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard laughter erupting from a certain someone. Turning her head, she allowed her gaze to fall upon Archer of Red, the Golden King having a highly amused expression on his face.

"A parent and child fighting, and what's more both are Servants... what an entertaining spectacle you two clowns make!"

"What was that?!" Mordred stood up and went towards the red-eyed blonde.

"Hey now, calm down you two. Some people are sleeping you know." Iskander began as got in between both. "Saber, or rather, Mordred, if you want to kill your old man then at least do it when we're all on the ground. Fighting here isn't exactly ideal considering that we're all up in the sky."

"..."

Mordred frowned as she glared at the King of Conquerors, knowing that he had a point.

Settling back down onto her seat, she crossed her arms and merely huffed in annoyance. At this, Arthur sighed to himself. Once again, memories of his meeting with Guinevere filled his mind, her words to him about the red knight in particular.

'As I thought, it's not going to be an easy road...'

Unless he was ordering or lecturing her, the young man found talking to Mordred to be rather awkward. He had meant to word what he said earlier in a way that didn't anger the red knight but it appears he wasn't able to. And her volatile nature wasn't exactly helping matters either.

Still, the fact that they weren't trying to kill each other right now was a start he supposed. Though it wasn't exactly much all things considered, but it was still a start.

"Ugh..."

Blinking her eyes repeatedly, Jeanne slowly woke up and allowed herself to stretch somewhat and yawn. The young saint had decided to sleep for the rest of the flight so that Laeticia's body could rest but the noise had put an end to that.

After a few moments, she gathered her bearings and saw the current scene taking place much to her surprise.

"Did something happen...?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I see that you've taken to joining us Ruler." Iskander smiled at the young saint. "Now that you're awake, perhaps you might be able to enlighten us more about that female Lancer that you encountered the other night. We were just having a discussion about Saber's past opponents."

"Ah, I see." Jeanne nodded, allowing her gaze to fall upon her friend sitting next to her. "Is that alright with you?"

"I don't see why not." The young man shrugged in response. "After all, with the appearance of both Lancer and Berserker, I believe it's only a matter of time before we encounter Rider, Archer, Assassin, and Caster. If anything, I believe sharing what I know of them would benefit us in the long run."

"You have a point." The young saint agreed. "So then, what have you discussed up until now?"

"Lancer and Berserker." Arthur replied as he turned his attention to the others. "Now that we're back on topic, perhaps I should tell you all both about the Rider-Class Servant of the war I fought in."

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't something I'm going to like hearing?" Waver commented.

"Considering that it took the combined effort of myself, Lancer, Archer, Caster, and Assassin to take him down, I believe your thoughts are justified."

At this, the group's eyes widened in surprise. It took five Servants teaming up to take down a single one? Just who in the world would demand such a feat?!

"Does the name Ozymandias sound familiar to you?"

"Ozymandias? That's the Greek name for Ramesses II. You mean the Egyptian Pharaoh from the time of Moses himself?" Waver asked.

"Yes. He even proclaimed himself as the King of Kings." Arthur replied with a nod. "He was by far the strongest opponent I've ever come across. If I had to face in battle again, then I believe I would lose unless I had proper support from all of you. It took us five Servants empowered by Ruler to take him down, and that was after his Master had already been killed."

"Bloody hell you're kidding me..."

Waver muttered in amazement. He wondered to himself who in the world could have summoned him back then and still somehow managed to lose. In the rules of magecraft and mystery, older was better for the most part. Considering the time period when Ramesses and the Book of Exodus supposedly took place, then he most likely was as powerful as Saber had described him as. What a troublesome war he had gotten himself into this time.

Mordred herself was wondering the same. Just how strong was this person her father was talking about?

While they thought about this, a certain duo had varying thoughts on the matter.

"Hoho? Now that's a rather interesting title! Makes me want to find him and see what kind of person a King of Kings is like!"

Iskander stated with a large grin. First it was him, then Archer, then Saber, and then Lancer of Black. Now there was possibly a fifth sovereign out there, waiting to be faced by their group. The thought just somehow excited him.

"What kind of joke is this? Someone would dare proclaim themselves King of Kings?"

The Golden King muttered as his hand began to slowly crush the goblet in his hand. There could only be one true King, and that was him. He was lenient in regards to the other pretenders that had show themselves so far, but if what Saber was saying true, then there was someone who dared to assume a greater title than his own.

"Very well then, should this so called King of Kings appear before us, then I will be the one to take his head. There can only be so much arrogance in this world for one to claim himself superior to me."

"Arrogance? That's rich coming from you." Mordred sneered with a smirk.

"Be quiet little girl, I'm in no mood to entertain your jests." The red-eyed blonde growled.

If not for the fact that she had already been told off once and was enjoying the angered look on Archer's face, Mordred would have taken insult at the Golden King's reference to her. It was rather priceless to see the look on his face actually.

"Hmm, what about the identities of Archer, Caster, and Assassin?" The King of Conquerors then asked of the young blonde. "Did you ever find out about them as well?"

"Aside from Archer, then no." Arthur replied. "Speaking of which, Archer's true name is Arash, and he's quite capable in his own right. That said, when he used his Noble Phantasm back then, it ended up killing him as well. So I suppose that's something to our advantage."

"A suicide type..." Jeanne muttered, noting that her other Noble Phantasm was of a similar nature as well.

"Also, I believe that the Assassin from back then came from the same lands as Assassin of Black, as she had an appearance similar to them. As for Caster... I believe she came from Japan itself thanks to the clothes that she wore. Strangely enough, she also had animal ears and a tail. But I'm not familiar enough with eastern legends to make a guess about who she was."

"Neither am I for that matter." The red-haired Servant frowned.

"If it's Assassin, then she's probably one of the nineteen people who took on the identity of Hassan-I-Sabbah." Jeanne added. "If so, then it narrows our search down. What of their abilities then? Including Rider for that matter?"

"Assassin had a strange ability to utilize poison with her body. Just coming near her would be toxic even to Servant." Arthur began. "As for Caster, I'm not much for magecraft so I cannot be sure of how powerful she was. Rider on the other hand has three Noble Phantasms that I know of, but one that worries me is his third one. It was something similar to a Reality Marble, and one of the main reasons it took five of us to stop him."

"A reality marble?" Jeanne muttered in amazement. Such an ability was a rare thing to manifest in a person.

"Worse of all was that it had the ability to seal off one's Noble Phantasm unless you have strong ties to Divine Spirits." Arthur added as he turned his gaze towards the Golden King. "We had a work around back then thanks to Caster, but I don't know if our current Caster can pull off the same thing. Knowing that, it'd be in our best interests to send individuals such as Achilles or the King of Heroes to face him."

"This guy sounds like real threat, befitting of someone who calls himself King of Kings." Iskander grinned. "You hear that Goldie? We'll be counting on you!"

"Ridiculous." Gilgamesh scoffed as he continued to drink.

"Speaking of which King of Knights, I'm curious." The red-haired Servant began.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Just how did you destroy the grail in the first place?" He asked. "You told us before that Kotomine boy is actually a Servant who somehow acquired a physical body. But considering his class, he had Command Spells that held control over you as well, didn't he?"

At this, Jeanne allowed her gaze to fall upon her friend, a curious look in her eyes as she herself had been wondering about that herself ever since last night.

"That's not a topic I'm willing to discuss..." Arthur replied before smiling a little. "Let's just say I got lucky because he got careless."

With that said, memories of that day quickly began flashing throughout his mind.


"Hah...!"

"Tch...!"

Standing across from one another were Saber and Ruler. After several consecutive clashes against each other, the latter came to realize that Saber was a superior swordsman compared to him even in his current condition, there was no doubting that fact now.

"Heh, even with your mana running out, you can still put up a rather impressive fight." Ruler smirked. "You are truly someone befitting the title of hero."

"And you mock the title with your existence..." Saber replied, panting heavily as he felt himself drain away more and more. He needed to settle the matter now, otherwise he would be disappear from the world soon. Leaving the grail in the hands of the person in front of him. That was not something he could allow!

"Aren't you supposed to be an impartial judge...!? Why is that you seek the grail, even in its corrupted form!?"

"So that I may save the world from itself." He simply stated "With that said,"

Ruler began, raising his right arm as he called out.

"Saber, by my authority as Ruler, I order you to kill yourself."

...!

Before the White Knight knew it, his body had suddenly moved on its own and he soon found himself being impaled with Excalibur through the torso.

"Gargh...!"

"My apologies. As much as I would like to personally settle matters with you, I have other priorities to accomplish. And I don't plan on wasting my time with someone who's already disappearing as it is."

With that, Ruler walked past the kneeling blonde, making his way towards the greater grail. Once there, he carefully extended his hand. When began feeling a burning sensation, he pulled it back, smirking to himself as he gazed upon it.

"A rather foul creature has infested it. Perhaps it really will take some time to-"

...!

The young hero felt his eyes go wide when he felt a surge of mana gathering behind him.

Turning around, Ruler saw Saber slowly standing up as he turned to face the former with a sharp glare in his eyes. His blade, the legendary Sword of Promised Victory, began glowing erratically with a golden light. He had seen glow like that once before, but never like this.

It was then that something came to mind...

"Wait, you're not thinking...!"

"You ordered me to kill myself didn't you...? Then I'm simply fulfilling that command...!"

An excruciating pain erupted from his body, and not from the wound he was suffering either. It was the price he had to pay, for forcing some of the seals on Excalibur to release themselves despite the conditions for the constraints not having been met yet. Some conditions were met, but right now he needed as much power as possible...!

"You fool! There are still children here, would sacrifice their lives just so you could destroy the grail...!?"

...!

That was enough to bring pause to the white knight. Briefly turning his gaze towards the various children laying asleep, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as Excalibur began glowing brightly once more.

It seemed he was destined to bring about the deaths of young children...

"Then let my soul be condemned...! EX-!"

"No!"

"-CALIBUR!"

A bright light enveloped both of their visions, blinding them both as they heard a faint cry in the background.

"Fou!"


"...!"

Waking up with a startled cry, Shirou allowed himself to relax once he realized he had just experienced a dream.

'That same dream, again...'

Ever since that day, he had been plagued with dreams going back to that single moment. Shirou believed that it was a miracle he was still alive, as the destruction left in the wake of Saber's suicide attack created a canyon big enough for a dig sight. Thankfully, the cavern was located actually located north of Tokyo within the mountainous regions of the Saitama Prefecture. And miraculously enough, the children that die all survived.

Though he was a self-admitted scoundrel, even he had standards he wouldn't want to cross if possible. The killing of children being one of them. He still wondered to this day what could have possibly allow them to live. Either way, he counted it as a rare blessing from a God.

As for Shirou himself, he had somehow gained possession of a human body.

-Hate everything-

"Mo...er? wh...ou?"

-Kill everything-

"You!...wer...he...one!"

-Destroy everything-

"Why did...her...om me!?"

DEVOUR ALL!

"Tch!"

He held his head slightly. Such thoughts filled his mind that day... it was rather chilling to say the least. He couldn't tell when and how long it occurred, but it was there. As for his new body, Shirou believed that he must have made contact with the grail somehow which resulted in his current condition. Not that he was complaining much, but the process of getting it wasn't exactly one he would endorse to other Servants with intentions of getting one of their own.

As much as he hated admit it, he knew that Saber was right about the grail. That it was indeed corrupted thanks to the machinations of Sajyou Manaka.

However...

In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Grant me strength O lord, for your child needs your aid now more than ever. Let me face the temptations of sin, and purge the darkness that now stains my existence.

As ironic as it was for him to ask that, if not for that prayer, Shirou believed he would've succumbed to the darkness. Perhaps the Lord was still watching over him to this day?Regardless of that, it did prove something to the young man...

That whatever the beast was, no matter how much it corrupted the grail, it could be contained. That his plans could still bear fruit in the future. That was all he really needed but alas it never went anywhere thanks to the destruction of the Greater Grail back then. Well, "supposed destruction" considering recent events...

There was also one other thing that piqued his interest that day.

'What was that? It felt as though I heard a child's cry back then...'

Within the sea of maliciousness that filled his mind that day, he was certain that he could hear the voice of what felt like a child calling out to someone. He couldn't make out what was being said however, and all he could remember were bits and pieces. Perhaps it was a result of the children being sacrificed that day? That was the only reason that Shirou could think of, and it wouldn't be surprising considering that residual thoughts of deceased individuals would linger at times.

Though his mind wanted to ponder more on the subject, he had other things to deal with right now. Such as...

"Enjoying yourself are you~?"

As he became more aware of his surroundings, Shirou had to wonder just why his head was currently laid upon Assassin's lap, the raven-haired beauty eyeing him with a watchful gaze. The young man couldn't tell if she was planning to do something to him or not, and that actually troubled him a little.

"What are you doing?" He decided to ask, sitting up. "Do you need something?"

"Oh? Is there a problem for a Servant to tend to her Master?"

"The fact that it's YOU of all people that's doing it is what troubles me."

"Oh my, now that's a rather hurtful thing to say Master~" The Assyrian Queen smiled in response. "At any rate, I believe you may wish to know that we have arrived. Currently, we are floating above the city of Tokyo."

"Is that right? Then I suppose we should set up a ground base then." Shirou said as he went over put on his red cape. "Have Assassin and our two Archer friends take to the streets for now. I want all three of them to get their bearings so that when the fighting starts, they would know where to take point and lay ambushes if need be."

"And what of Lancer, Rider, and Berserker?"

"They're to remain on standby in the event someone should find us here." The white-haired youth replied before a thought came to mind.

"Before I forget, have our new friend join the scouting party. I believe he might enjoy being able to walk freely in the light for the time being."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Semiramis asked.

Considering the fact that they had just summoned him, she wasn't really sure about that.

"Perhaps it's not, but I believe that it would help smooth over our relations with him." Shirou stated in response. "He's been curious as to what has become of today's world. So we might as well help give him the answer to that curiosity."

"I see then. Speaking of which, what do you wish to do about the Allied Factions? Their flight will soon arrive in this city."

"Keep an eye on them for now, it would do us good to know where they'll be making camp. Though I believe I already know where exactly that would be."

"Very well, if that's what you desire." The Assyrian Queen nodded. "What will you be doing in that time?"

"Visiting familiar places..." Shirou replied.


-A few hours later, that early morning-

"Hoho? Now this city is quite different compared to Trifas!"

Having touched down at Haneda Airport, the group were now standing outside the hangar were their plane was now parked. While they did so, Astolfo and Elizabeth took in the site of the modern architecture with delight.

"Say, you think we can just explore for now? I mean, it's not like we're going to be having battles anytime soon right? The sun has barely risen yet." Astolfo asked.

"Yeah yeah! Come on pig! I'll give you the honor of taking a lady out in town!"

"Why is it always me!?" Caules complained.

"That's enough you two, we're not here on vacation."

Waver called out like the stern adult that he was, causing both pink-haired Servants to freeze up in silence at his authoritative tone.

"Lord El-Melloi II is right, this really isn't the time for such things." Fiore added as she came up beside her former professor. "Right now, we first must establish a base. To do that, we must head towards Miss Tohsaka's household in the city. You said it's near here correct?"

"R-Right!" Ayaka nodded as she held up her phone. "I've already called my grandmother, so she should be expecting us by now. Though she still doesn't know what's going on. Ugh... I think I'm probably going to get yelled at later."

The young blonde shivered somewhat at the thought. Though normally kind, once her grandmother was angered, she could be quite strict to the point that even her uncle was afraid of facing her wrath.

In fact, now that she thought about it was the sole reason why he didn't decide to give away Sakura to another magus family like he originally planned. Instead, he simply opted to have her live with them from now on instead. Though in recent years, her cousin alternated between living with them and with her family once more.

"You two."

The group turned their attention towards Archer of Red, the red-eyed blonde looking rather displeased as he gazed at Arthur and Kairi specifically. He then raised his hand, with two large portals of light appeared beside him as a result.

...!

A motorcycle and red convertible appeared and landed neatly on the pavement below them, the latter of which only really applied to the motorcycle as the car was dropped with much more force for some reason.

"Oh for the love of...!" Kairi muttered in annoyance as he went over to check for any possible damages to his car.

"Now that we've landed, I'm giving you back your vehicles. Be thankful that I even allowed such things to remain inside my treasury." Gilgamesh stated. "Be honored, for you have received an act of kindness from the King."

Reines giggled slightly at this as she found his reaction just now to be somewhat humorous. And it was her who managed to convince him to help bring along their vehicles.

"You know that thing of yours sure is useful." Astolfo commented. "Just how much can you store in it anyway~?"

"Who knows? The boundaries of my treasury has already exceeded even my knowledge." The Golden King replied as he allowed his gaze to fall upon their surroundings, smiling somewhat as he continued. "Now then, I believe it's time for a little exploring as they say."

"You didn't even listen to anything we said earlier did you?" Waver commented with a frown.

"Fool, you would think that I would listen to anything you just said?" The Golden King smirked. "Come now Hero of Troy, King of Conquerors, surely you both desire to see more of this city for yourselves do you not?"

"I'll admit, Goldie's got me figured out." Achilles stated with a hand scratching the back of his head as he turned his attention towards Gray. "Say Master, I'm going to go with him for now alright?"

"Lancer..." The white-haired girl began with small frown.

"Come on, it's not like we're going to be partying all day or anything like that." The green-haired warrior began. "After all, we don't really know anything about this city in the first place. Wouldn't it make sense to have a few of us do a little scouting to get familiar with this city?"

"Point taken." Waver sighed as he placed a hand over his forehead. Perhaps the stress of their current situation was getting to him to the point that it made him forget about the necessity of such things himself. He would need to find a way to relax himself later.

"Hahaha! Now then, who else is with me!?"

"Count us in!" Both Astolfo and Elizabeth cheered in delight. Soon enough, Gilgamesh, Achilles, Astolfo, and Elizabeth began walking off, with the latter two dragging Sieg and Caules along with them much to the former's curiosity and latter boy's annoyance.

"I suppose I should join them as well to keep an eye on Archer."

Reines sighed to herself. That said, she would be lying if she said that she wasn't interested in doing a little exploring for now. With that in mind, she then turned her gaze towards the gray-haired teen beside her.

"Coming along as well Gray?"

Gazing at her ancestor for a few seconds, the young teen shook her head and then replied.

"Yes. I need to keep an eye on Lancer as well."

With that, the two followed after the group, leaving the others to themselves as a certain mercenary walked up to Waver.

"Want me to keep an eye on them?" Kairi offered.

"Please do." The former replied before handing the mercenary a piece of paper. "Just meet us at this location later."

"Alright." He nodded, before turning his gaze towards Mordred. "Stick with El-Melloi for now will you? I can handle this myself."

"Is that even wise?" The female blonde asked.

"Daytime in a city like Tokyo, I really doubt that those bastards have the balls to make a move." Kairi replied as he gestured to the others. "Even then, already got the protection of four Servants already, so I think we're good. Besides, you want to stick with your old man don't you?"

"Wha-!? What does he have to do with this...?" She muttered quietly and turned her head away, causing the necromancer to smirk. "A-At any rate, I'm coming with you. I'd be a failure as a Servant if I lost track of where my Master is."

"Suit yourself."

"What about you Lancer?" Ayaka telepathically asked her Servant, who was current in spirit form himself. "Don't you want to go along with them?"

"Maybe some other time, first order of business it to you get you home isn't it?" The Hound of Chulainn replied. "If that's the case, the sooner we get that done, the better."

"Home huh..."

Ayaka muttered to herself. She's going to have a lot of explaining to do later.


"Really now, that girl..."

Inside a living room, an elderly woman sat by herself on a couch as she held a picture in her hands and looked at it.

There, was the image of her a couple of years younger as a young child with blonde hair sat in her lap. The child was her granddaughter, someone she had shared her first name with after her second son decided that it was a fine name to have and to be named after her as well.

While it was a heartwarming gesture, the elderly woman found the idea of having a grandchild with same name as her rather silly all things considered, especially when she wasn't even that much of a magus when compared to her other grandchildren. But her son had insisted upon it, and so it was that her second grandchild was named after her.

As she settled down the picture onto the coffee table in front of her, Sajyou Ayaka began recounting her thoughts from the following weeks since her granddaughter had decided to go on a trip to Romania with the Kotomine boy.

From the very beginning, she never liked Kotomine Shirou. She merely tolerated him as her family had gotten along well with the boy's father, Kotomine Risei, for years since the Holy Grail War ended sixty years ago. However, unlike his father, Kotomine Shirou had this dangerous feeling to him. It was unlike anything she had felt before in her life, but at the same time it felt rather familiar as well.

Perhaps she was merely feeling paranoid, she didn't know. But, when she heard that her aiding Kotomine Shirou involved the Holy Grail War, she nearly fainted. Last time she had a relative take part in the Holy Grail War, it didn't end well.

"Onee-chan...! Please... stop this...!"

"It's alright Ayaka, onee-chan loves you."

...!

Ayaka felt herself hunching as she held her head, unpleasant memories surfacing in her mind once more.

'Even now, after all this time...'

She sighed to herself. It's been over sixty years since that day, and while she could only faintly remember what happened then and during the grail war, that memory was something that was etched into the back of her mind, one that she would never forget.

For years, Ayaka kept asking herself just when did it all go wrong. Her sister was always so caring to her, so why did she do that then?

The elderly woman sighed once more. This wasn't the time for her to question such things, right now she should be preparing.

Earlier that morning, she had received a call from her granddaughter that she was coming home in a few hours. After that, she suddenly hanged up. And as much as the elderly woman wanted to know what she's been up to for the past few weeks, she could only sigh in relief that she was safe and coming home.

If that was the case, then what happened with the Holy Grail War?

Before she could think more on the matter, the doorbell rang. Ayaka quickly made her way towards the door.

Opening the door, there stood a young teen with blonde hair.

"G-Grandmother, I've come home...!"

Tohsaka Ayaka greeted her grandmother nervously.

Before anything else could be said, the elderly woman quickly closed the gap between the two of them as she caught her granddaughter in an embrace, one that the young blonde quickly returned once she realized what was happening.

"Stupid girl, do you know how worried I was until now?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you feel that way." She said, her voice muffled from burying her head into her grandmother's neck.

"I heard that you went along with that Kotomine boy, and that whatever business he was doing involved the Holy Grail War." The gray-haired woman stated. "What have I told you about the that cursed event? There's a reason why your uncle and cousins don't participate in them anymore."

"I know... I just thought I was helping a friend out." The blonde replied. "I'm really sorry, I know that what I did was wrong, but-"

"Enough of that, you're back here with me aren't you?" The elder Ayaka smiled gently in response. "That's all that matters. While I'm still wondering on whether or not I should punish you, I'm going to forget about it for now since you've finally come home. Away from all that Holy Grail nonsense."

"About that..." The younger Ayaka smiled uneasily, one her grandmother had immediately took note of.

"What is it?"

"The thing is-"

"It's been years, hasn't it Ayaka?"

...!

Hearing a familiar voice call over from behind her granddaughter, the elderly woman looked to see a young man with blonde hair and green eyes standing at the entrance. A gentle smile was on his face, a smile that she was all too familiar with.

Fond memories suddenly began coming back to her, about a white knight who so gently and dutifully served her sister all those years ago. Looking at the person standing in the door frame, she could only come to one conclusion.

"Saber...?"

The young man smiled in response at this, speaking out once more.

"You've grown up. How have you been?"

Before anyone knew it, the elderly woman collapsed to the ground. Her consciousness fading as she heard people call out to her.

"A-Ayaka...!?"

"Uwah! Grandmother...!"

"Arthur, what did you do...!?" A third feminine voice inquired.

"I don't know...!"

With that, the elder Ayaka passed out.


"So she's not here after all..."

Standing alone within a crater was Shirou, a perplexed look on the young priest's face as he looked around.

It was a long shot, but he should've known that Sajyou Manaka wouldn't have been here. It was too obvious a place to base herself at, not too mention that the giant hole that was caused by Saber's suicide attack half a century ago made it impractical as a hiding spot too. And the leylines themselves were also partially ruined in the area, so it really wouldn't have been an ideal location to place the grail at.

'If she's not here, where is she then...?'

"Are you looking for me~?"

Shirou nearly jumped as he turned around brought out six black keys, each held in between the fingers on both his hands, as he came face to face a certain blonde haired little girl with an angelic smile on her face.

"Ahaha~! Well aren't you jumpy!"

"You'll forgive if I am considering that I'm dealing with a witch." The white-haired priest stated, not letting down his guard. "What do you want?"

"What do I want...? Weren't you looking for me?" The girl tilted her head to the side curiously.

"I see..." Shirou sighed to himself before gazing at the girl once more. "I'll get straight to the point then. Where have you taken the grail?"

"Where...? Well, it's right with me of course~!"

Manaka reached into her dress, pulling out a small sphere which floated slightly above her hand. Shirou could only marvel at the sight, at the fact that the Greater Grail was now in a miniaturized form. Upon closer inspection, it didn't look like it was corrupted by anything yet.

"Why did you decide to take it?"

"Why? Well because there's something curious about it is all." She said with a smile, causing Shirou to become curious himself as to why that was. His thoughts were quickly brushed aside when the former continued to speak. "But don't worry, I won't do anything to it. I did give my word after all~"

"So then... it seems you truly don't have any plans for to use it for yourself."

"Of course, I already have one to work with. So having another is just a waste of space really~" Manaka replied as she pocketed the grail once more.

'Another one to work with...'

The girl had basically said such words the other night as well. If that was the case, then did that mean original grail was still intact? Could that have been the reason as to why she was still alive today? If so, then what did that mean for the original grail?

"Tell me something Sajyou Manaka, what has become of the original?"

"Why do you want to know~?" The girl asked with a sly smile on her face.

"Because you would summon the beast with it, that's why. It's something I cannot allow."

"Oh you worry too much~!" Manaka replied as she suddenly began twirling about like a ballerina. "The grail is safe, it's still asleep right now. Since it's going to help Saber grant his wish, I suppose I can allow it to rest for a while before it does that~"

"Asleep?" Just what in the world did that mean?

"Hm! It's asleep, so you don't have to worry about it for now."

The young blonde stated as she stopped, looking the white-haired priest directly in the eye as her smile grew wide.

"After all, the thing you'll have to worry about is Saber. We both know you can't beat him~"

"There's such a thing as trying after all." Shirou said in reply as he frowned. While he admitted that the King of Knights was a superior warrior to him, he still had such a thing as pride. To be looked down upon, by the girl in front of him no less, was insulting to say the least.

"Ehehe~! Well, like I said before. On the off chance that you do beat him, then I'll give the grail as a reward." Manaka stated, taking out the grail from her dress once more and held it in front of Shirou. "And don't worry, I'll keep my word."

"Somehow I highly doubt that." Shirou replied as he raised his weapons. "And as much as I want to kill you here, take the grail, and be done with it..."

He then threw one blade into an empty space.

...!

The black key was quickly deflected, by a woman with short purple hair wearing a skull mask and somewhat revealing black clothing. At this, Shirou smirked. He knew that someone was there, being a Ruler-Class Servant had its benefits after all.

Said someone was a person familiar to him as well. Knowing that, he spoke.

"It's been years Assassin, you're as lovely as ever." He greeted.

"Ruler...!"

Assassin gripped her dagger tightly, gritting her teeth as she allowed her gaze to fall upon the young hero. She remembered his face clear as day, and after what happened back then, she was half-tempted to just strike him down where he stood.

If anything, she would make him pay for that day...!

"Now, now, Assassin. We're not here to fight~" Manaka scolded.

"But he's-!"

"You'll stop it now."

Spoken in such a cold and emotionless tone, it was enough for the Servant of the Shadows to lower her weapon out of obedience. Seeing this, Shirou merely smirked as he turned his gaze back towards Manaka.

"It seems you got her a on a leash."

"Unlike Saber, she and the others a lot more troublesome~" Manaka sighed.

"Well I suppose I should be taking my leave then, I am unwanted here after all." He smiled at Assassin, who merely glared under her mask in return. "Sajyou Manaka, do make sure that you uphold your end of the bargain, or else we will find you and make you return the grail."

"Yes, yes, how about we pinky swear on it~?" She extended her hand and raised said finger.

"No." Shirou replied. With that, the white-haired youth left the area.

"Meanie~!" Manaka stuck her tongue out.


"Now I feel so embarrassed..."

A few hours later, the elderly Ayaka woke up. Soon afterwards, she had a brief freak out at seeing Saber once again, but calmed down after her granddaughter had explained everything that happened so far. After that, it lead to their current situation.

"It was my fault to begin with." Arthur said in a somewhat guilty tone. "I shouldn't have approached you so casually like that."

At the moment, the group all sat together inside the house's living room. Old memories showed the young man that aside from a few changes, the room and the complex as a whole remained unchanged for the most part. It was as though sixty years never occurred.

"No, no, it's alright." The elderly woman replied. "It's just that old memories came back to me right then. Both good and bad ones that is..."

"Well I can understand that..." The young man nodded.

"Excuse me, Miss Sajyou?" Jeanne interrupted as said person turned her gaze towards the young saint. "I believe it's too late to already ask this, but we were hoping to use your home as our new base. We've already had Caster setting up a workshop in the greenhouse.

"I can see that." The older Ayaka said as she looked to see a bunch of white-haired individuals carrying items into the house via the front door.

Thanks to her years of experience, she was able to tell that said people were homunculi. Once she heard that they belonged to the family of Yggdmillennia, then her thoughts were basically confirmed. As always, they had such an artificial beauty to each of them.

"Well, considering the situation, I suppose I should lend a hand." She added as she gazed at the blonde sitting next to her. "And since my little Aya-chan and Saber are helping you all out, all the more reason for me to help as well isn't there? If you're all truly going to prevent the grail from falling into the wrong hands, then I'll do what I can to aid you, even if it's just lending you my home."

"Thank you for your kindness."

Jeanne smiled in gratitude and bowed her head slightly. At this, Ayaka couldn't help gaze at the young blonde who now served as Saber's current Master. To think that she was the Heroic Spirit Jeanne d'Arc, a real life saint.

"Speaking of which, I think you should all just refer to me as Aya from now on." The younger Ayaka spoke up as she gestured to both herself and her grandmother. "You know, just to make sure there isn't too much confusion since we share the same name. Aya is my nickname after all."

"Hmm, now I believe that would be suitable." Arthur nodded.

"Sajyou Ayaka was it?" Waver suddenly called out. "Just to confirm something. You're the mother of Tohsaka Tokiomi aren't you?"

"I am. Is something the matter?"

"I'm curious, you were adopted by, and then later married into the Tohsaka family weren't you?" The long-haired man asked as the older Ayaka nodded. "If that's the case, why is it that you choose to go by the Sajyou name then?"

"Ah, so that's the reason." The elderly woman nodded in understanding. "If I had a reason, then I suppose it was so that I wouldn't forget about what happened here all those years ago. While there are somethings people will need to forget and move on from, there are things they would need to remember, so that the bad memories wouldn't repeat themselves in the present day."

"I see..." Waver nodded, satisfied by the answer.

"Now that I think about it, you're Lord El-Melloi II aren't you?"

"Yes I am, I take it your granddaughter told you about me?"

"Rin has always been happy about going to the Clock Tower, especially now that she has herself a sponsor." Ayaka said with a light giggle. "In any event, I'll trust you with her care when the time comes for her leave for London."

"Speaking of which, what about Uncle, Rin, and Sakura?" Aya asked. "I know that they live in Fuyuki, but should we tell them about what's happening?"

"There wouldn't be any point, your Uncle and his family left for Finland about the same time you went to Romania for a business trip." Ayaka revealed. "I don't even know where they're staying, and considering that none of them even have a cellphone, trying to reach them would take too long."

"Ahaha..." The young blonde gave out a dry laugh at that. Unlike the two of them, the rest of the family were rather... behind the times in utilizing technology.

"Ah, now that I remember it, you're all guests." Ayaka suddenly said as she stood up. "Perhaps you all would want something to drink. I take it that tea would be fine then?"

Arthur and Jeanne nodded at this, as for Waver...

"So long as it isn't milk, then anything is fine." He replied as the elderly woman nodded.

Ayaka then turned her her attention towards to another, a certain wheel-chair bound brunette, the current head of the Yggdmillennia family. She noted that the girl was about the same age her own granddaughters, perhaps slightly older.

"How about you young lady? Aside from telling me earlier about what happened together with the others, you've been really quiet so far."

Saying that, the elderly woman allowed her gaze to fall upon Fiore, the young brunette being taken by surprise by her words.

"No, no, it's nothing." She replied, waving her hands in front of her. "You don't have to worry about me, I was just wondering about something."

Said something being the vial of blue liquid given to her by Archer of Red. She wondered to herself if she should take it later. If Archer's words were true, then it would cure her paralysis without the need for the surgery that would cost her ability to use magecraft. With it, she would be able to do much more with herself afterwards.

Fiore really wanted to try it now, but there were too many unknowns. But as Archer said, if he wanted to kill her, then he would do it with his own two hands rather through some contemptible means. She decided to push away said thoughts for now as she spoke with Ayaka.

"I see. In any case, do you want some tea?"

"If it's not too much of a bother, then I'll have some." Fiore smiled.

"Good, now then, where did I put those tea bags?"

"I'll help you out!" Aya quickly went over to aid her grandmother.


"There are so many pigeons here!"

Roche complained as he waved his hand to shoo away any that were too close to him. Right now, he and Caster, along with the homunculi they had brought along as extra hands, including the ones that served as the power sources of the Servants, were currently setting up shop as fast they could.

"Come now Roche, it's not all that bad."

Medea said as she floated into the greenhouse through an open space.

"Teacher! You're already finished with setting up the field?"

"I have. Since this estate already had one to begin with, I merely had to make a few changes in order for it to suit our needs." The Servant of Magic replied as a few of the pigeons flew beside her. Stretching out her arm, one of them landed on it. To which, the hooded Servant began gently petting the small creature.

"Say teacher, what do you make of everything that's happened so far?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm curious." Roche began as fidgeted somewhat nervously. "I mean, back then. When Assassin offered you to join them, I honestly thought that you would. I mean, you were called the Witch of Betrayal after all. So, I thought..."

"Hehe~" The woman giggled and smiled at her young Master. "You believed that I would betray you? Come here Roche, allow me to tell you something."

The ginger-haired boy did so, walking towards his Servant as she knelt down to meet his eyes on an even level. As she lowered her hood, Roche could only marvel at what a beautiful person his Servant was. Pointy ears included.

"When I was young, I was robbed of my life by forces out of my control, at the whims of a goddess playing with fates of man. I ended up becoming a witch, one feared by many people. Near the end of my life, I wanted to change it, to live a life free from the troubles of my old one. With the grail, I believe that would be possible."

At that moment, a thought came to Medea's mind as she continued speaking.

"Tell me, how old are you now Roche?"

"I'm twelve years old."

"Twelve? I was around fourteen when I became an instrument to be used by others." The hooded Servant smiled crookedly as she laid a hand upon his head. "When I look at you, I'm somewhat reminded of myself from back then. If turned on you, a child no less, then I would be no better than the ones who used me in the first place. At least, that's what I've come to believe. A hypocrite such as myself can only go so far I suppose."

The young boy could only nod at this, understanding his Servant a little more.

"So do not worry, I am here to protect you Roche." The blue-haired woman said. "That should be something that even I can do as a Servant can't I?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for doubting you." The ginger-haired boy replied in a somewhat shameful tone.

"You asked me what I make of everything so far?" She added. "Truthfully, the idea of there being a third faction out there troubles me the most. Thankfully, we have allies to work with. And should the opportunity arise, I may be able to add more to our ranks."

"Wait, you don't mean using that do you?"

"If it comes down to it, I don't see why not." Medea replied. "Ruler might become opposed to it, but I believe I can convince her otherwise for me to utilize it. With that girl who's planning on summoning the creature known as the Beast, we would need all resources we can use against it if its as dangerous as the others believe it to be."

"The Beast..."

...!

The sound of glass breaking caught both their attentions as the Master and Servant duo turned their gazes towards the source. There, a homunculus had accidentally dropped one of the beakers they had brought along from the castle.

"Ah! Will you be careful...!?"


"Sixty years..."

Seated across from each other at a table in the dining room were Arthur and the older Ayaka, both of whom were currently drinking cups of tea. From her place at living room sofa, Jeanne quietly observed the duo with interest as they began speaking with one another.

"Right now, it hardly seems like that doesn't it?"

"Before the war officially began, I still remember the times when you would ask me to carry you on my shoulders." Arthur said, causing the elder woman to pinch her brow as an embarrassed smile appeared on her face. "You were a rather adorable child back then, to think you're now an old woman."

At this, Ayaka merely smiled.

"Saber, you do realize that it's rude to call a woman by her age don't you?"

"Wait, what?" The young man blinked. "Aah, wait I wasn't-"

"Hehe, you haven't changed. Perhaps it isn't surprising considering that you're a Servant."

With that, Ayaka then turned her gaze towards the young saint currently serving as the white knight's Master. Once she noticed her looking, Jeanne froze up slightly as she was caught staring at the two much to her embarrassment.

"And just like back then, you're fighting under a blonde-haired Master too." The elderly woman muttered as she began smiling. "Somethings don't change do they?"

"Perhaps they don't, but I'm not complaining."

Arthur said, smiling as he too gazed at Jeanne. Blushing slightly under the attention of both, Jeanne quietly allowed herself to sink behind the sofa with a light smile as she waved at the two.

"She seems like a good person." Ayaka commented, turning her attention back towards Arthur. "Are you alright with her as your Master? Another Servant?"

"Of course. Right now, there's no one else I'd rather serve."

"Hehe, now that's a good sentiment to have." Th elderly woman said before her smile turned into a frown. "Tell me Saber, is it true then? About what you people said earlier about this girl who took the Greater Grail?"

Knowing where the topic was headed, Arthur remained silent as he Ayaka continued.

"That girl... it's my sister isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is..." Arthur nodded solemnly. "You've become perceptive, how did you know?"

"Manaka was always a talented person, even I could tell that back then." Ayaka replied with a shrug as placed both hands together. "Even if I didn't want to believe it, I wouldn't be surprised if she was still alive even today, doing who knows what with her abilities. The story you told me just know felt like something she would do."

"Would do you make of your sister?" He asked. "I used to think I knew her, but I'm no longer sure of that..."

"Then that applies to the both of us." She replied once more. "Since we were siblings, I always thought I knew my sister better than anybody else in the world, but then she tries to sacrifice me to the Holy Grail together with a bunch of other children. Luckily, you saved us."

Ayaka stated as she smiled at Arthur, who in turn merely scratched his cheek in turn. The fact was that he didn't actually save them, not with what he planned that day. Now that he thought about it, he really should ask about that.

"Speaking of which, how did you all escape from the cavern?" He decided to ask, the question being something that had been bothering him for some time. "From my last memories of that day, you all were inside a cave when it collapsed. I was... unable to do anything for you back then."

"Wait, weren't you the one who rescued us?" Ayaka muttered in surprise. At this, Arthur realized that she didn't know the answer either. He then began wondering who could've done it. The only possible person he could think of at the moment was Shirou.

'Could it have been him...?'

With some shame, he admitted that. If it really was the white-haired youth who was responsible, then he would remember to thank him for it, even if Arthur wasn't worthy of saying it considering he would've sacrificed those children if meant destroying the grail.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, it's nothing."

Despite saying that, the look on Arthur's face wasn't lost on Jeanne. With that...


-A little while later-

"There's something that bothered you earlier, isn't there?"

With Waver having gone out to meet with some people, Fiore, Ayaka, and Aya deciding to help out Caster and Roche in setting up the workshop, and Saber of Black and Rider of Red both serving as lookouts for now, only Jeanne and Arthur were the only ones left in the living room. Seeing a chance, the young saint decided to pursue the earlier matter.

"I see that there's no hiding it from you."

"There isn't, and what have I already told you before?"

"My apologies, it's just that... there are things that do not add up."

"And what would those be?"

"Sixty years ago, I killed Manaka and destroyed the grail." He began, staring into space as he did so. "There were... complications when I decided on the latter. That man, Shirou, he planned on using the grail himself and appeared before me. He and I fought for a little while, but he eventually used a Command Spell on me. And, well, I suppose you can guess what happened next..."

"Oh, I see..."

Jeanne could only frown at this. The idea of forcing someone to kill themselves... it just sounded so wrong to her. Even if she had the ability to do so through the Command Spells on her back, she believed she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it. Even if it was the pragmatic choice.

The idea that Arthur was ordered to do so...

"Wait, if he forced you to kill yourself, then how did you-"

"I wouldn't be much of a hero if I died from a simple command such as that. After all, I faced worst actually." Arthur smiled somewhat. "At any rate, thanks to a loophole in his command, I was able to make use of Excalibur as a suicide attack. With it, I was able to destroy the grail."

"I see." The young saint nodded in understanding. "But that's not what's troubling you is it?"

"Well, I wouldn't call troubled so much as I am curious..." He replied. "You see, back then... when I decided to destroy the grail. The children that I saved from Manaka, including Ayaka, they were all still there."

"You don't mean-"

"I won't make any excuses." Arthur smiled crookedly, his guilt showing on his face. "If there's anything I had to say, it's that I'm glad that Ayaka and the children survived. If they didn't, well... it would've been another burden on my conscience."

"I see..." She supposed she could understand, even if she didn't necessarily agree with it.

"Does it change you opinion of me?"

"No, I still think you're a good person." Jeanne shook her head, smiling at her friend. "No matter what, I believe that to be true."

The young man merely chuckled slightly at this, knowing that she would say as such. The young saint noted there was something different about the way he did it, but at the moment she didn't really focus on it much as she continued onto their next topic.

"In any event Arthur, when do you think Shirou's next move will be?" Jeanne asked. "I know that we've just arrived in the city, but I cannot shake the feeling that they'll make it soon. Perhaps I'm merely being paranoid."

"Maybe, but what do your abilities tell you?" He asked.

"Aside from knowing where the remaining Red and Black Servants are, I cannot detect the presence of any others. Either they aren't in the city or they're just outside my range of detection. Speaking of which, I have lost my connection to Assassin of Black." She revealed, frowning. "I think we can agree on what that means."

"Given the nature of the class-cards, I believe we do." Arthur nodded in understanding. "What about Caster and Assassin of Red? Has your connection to the both of them have been separated as well?"

"Strangely enough, no." Jeanne replied. "And while I can still feel both their presence, I do not know where exactly they could be. I believe that fortress of theirs may have an ability that can help shield them even from my own detection capabilities. Either that, or their in a location that exceeds my range."

"Considering that we failed to notice that fortress coming close, there's a chance that it really does have stealth capabilities." Arthur suggested.

"Perhaps..." She nodded in agreement.

A thought then came to Jeanne's mind. Now that they were here in Japan, perhaps she should go that place herself. As unlikely as it was, it may provide some insight in regards to their other foes. That, and she was curious.

"Arthur, I need to ask something of you." She began.

"What is it?"

"Can you take me the site of where the original grail was last located at?"


"And there they go..."

In the far distance, two individuals stood together atop a building as they both watched Ruler and Saber heading out on a motorcycle. One of them was none other than Robin Hood himself, a cigarette in his mouth as he observed the duo leave their new base.

"Hoh? So that's the legendary King of Knights?"

His companion beside him stated as the orange-haired rogue looked at him.

Much like the King of Knights himself, he wore plate armor as well. Though the latter's was far more ornate and intricately design in comparison, and his had a red cape that hanged itself off his left shoulder. A sheathed sword dangled off his waist, both of which designed intricately as well. And much like the former, he also had blonde hair. Though his was longer and tied into short braids along with having red streaks in them.

Whenever Robin gazed at him, he always had this aristocratic feel to him. While he was never one to get along with such people, the person beside him was different.

"What, you want to fight him?"

"And you do not? That would perhaps be the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon me as a Hero of England." He stated.

"Yeah well I'm not really one for a fair fight. Too much of a coward to be a proper hero."

"Nonsense! The fact that you are right now proves that you are a hero. You're simply not fit for the front lines is all." The blonde replied reassuringly to his companion. "At any rate, I believe it would only be proper for us to greet him as fellow British natives."

"Hey, hey, our job today is just too observe."

"I never said we were going to fight." While saying that, the blonde knight turned his head away.

"Yeah but the look in your eyes told me otherwise." Robin deadpanned before sighing.

Considering his identity, he shouldn't have been surprised. He was renowned for being something of a battle maniac. And as Servant, perhaps it was only natural that he would want to cross blades with powerful heroes, most especially ones that came from their homeland as well. The King of Knights would have been one of those at the top of his list if that was the case. Knowing that, he asked.

"You're still going either way aren't you?"

"Will you try to stop me?"

After giving a few minutes to think regarding the matter, the rogue archer merely sighed in defeat as he spoke.

"Oh what the hell. We'll do what you want. But we ain't doing anything too stupid you got me?"

"Hahaha! Now that's the spirit!" The blonde knight laughed as he patted his companion on the back, a little too hard actually as the orange-haired Servant nearly tripped as a result. "Now then, I ask you this as the friend of the person whose name you've taken on for your own."

He unsheathed his blade, pointing it at the rogue archer.

"Can you prove your mettle Sir Robin Hood?"

"Whatever you say Richie, let's just get this over with." He replied, wondering what was with the sword point all of a sudden.

"Very good, let us be off then!" The blonde knight smiled.

With that, two then leaped off the building, turning into spirit form and giving chase to the duo of Saber and Ruler.


END


Author's Note:

And that's CH18 folks, hope you all enjoyed it :)

You know what, the name Aya was something that never came to me until recently. I should've just named Blonde-Ayaka that while maintaining her Sajyou name, but I wanted her to be related to the Tohsaka for reasons and because I thought Tohsaka Ayaka sounded nice. Speaking of which, yes, Proto-Ayaka is Tokiomi's mother in this fic. And yes, he had a brother, who is now dead along with his wife due to reasons. So you won't be seeing him nor who he was XP

As for the scene with Medea and Roche, that was something that should've been included last chapter, but I forgot. So better late than never I suppose XP While some will say she's out of character, I still stand by the idea of Medea being a good person so long as she isn't summoned by an dick or very desperate, the latter of which came about once she fell in love with Kuzuki. But here, that never happened. So yeah XP

Also, in regards to you know who's appearance in the finale scene. I'll be honest, I originally wasn't going to include a Rogue Saber because of Lu Bu. But after I axed him off, I decided to anyway, and the candidates for said role were Gawain or Richard. I chose the latter because I can have more fun with him than with the former, mostly because of how I read that Richard kinda acts like a mixture between Arthur and Iskander. While I might not be able to do that, I'll at least try to do right by him and make him fun.

Lastly, a shout out to ForteOfTheBallad98. Guy's helped me out a lot with the past few chapters, so thanks man! XD

I also got recommended on TvTropes. No page yet, but sure is something :D


As for those who had questions:

Orphee: As someone who exists outside the time stream, EMIYA can exist in timelines where the Fuyuki fire never happened. That said, I don't plan on including him because I don't want to add any more people from FSN except for those I already have. And as for the thing with Cu, I'm not even answering that because I can't take it seriously. Just read the fic to know whether or not he did it or if he didn't.

No need be weak: Read the story and you'll find out. And try to limit your questions to one review per chapter. It's something I try to do for the most part, mostly because it's easier to sort out stuff that way.

Guest: Does this chapter answer your question? Ayaka doesn't really ask it, mostly because it would take too long to answer why exactly that is, but the point is still there. And yes, I know that True-Archer is Heracles' human side. And to anyone who asks, no, I won't be using him in FMB. I already got Gilgamesh, Karna, and Ramesses in this fic, along with several other badasses, so including him would be overkill already. Perhaps in a future fic I would.

ordinary bystand: Does this chapter answer your question? :)

Black 13: It's a secret XP

Code Zero: Why are you even asking me that? I see no point to answering it even if it has something to do with FMB. And I actually have a reason for shipping the two together, which is also part of the reason as to why I made SF-Ayaka part of the Tohsaka family.

Cain: With the way Chiron died, any form of respect was thrown out the window.


That's it for now, please review :D