Chapter 6: Winter Trees in the Distant View

Illyaseviel von Einsern stood before us. With a lady-like grace she never showed before, and without a trace of irony, she bowed. She took the edges of her dress and curtsied, speaking in a very refined tone.

"Thank you very much, Shirou," She said, "For granting your protection to me, who was your enemy. I sincerely appreciate it."

Rin, Saber, and I stared at Illya, trying to match up this polite young lady to the tiny psychopath we were fighting before. It was only yesterday that the white-haired child was chortling over our inevitable and entirely messy deaths.

I knew that Rin didn't really like it. And that Saber, while she had said nothing and appeared neutral, was of a similar mind. But I knew that nothing they would say would make me change my mind.

"Yeah, no problem. Since Illya is not a Master anymore," I said, "Kiritsugu would have wanted it this way." I found myself thinking of the man who once saved me. And I think I can imagine his happiness at having rescued me. As Illya relaxed, I continued, this time to Rin and Saber. "Besides, Illya is not a bad person. And…I can't just abandon a child."

Illya's eyes brightened. She began to laugh. And then, she threw herself at me. I was unprepared for this sudden assault, and couldn't stop her from wrapping her arms around my body.

"Shirou is truly my Onii-chan!" She squealed, burying her head into my chest.

And then Rin woke up. She rubbed her forehead in thought. That dream had been too realistic. But why did she have it? Was it a warning her subconscious was trying to send her way? A glimpse of the future, perhaps. It certainly seemed that way. Even though none of the Tohsakas had shown any degree of precognitive ability, stranger things were happening now, ever since Sonic and his friends came to town. Or perhaps more likely, that little brat Illya was trying to weaken Rin with a psychic assault. She would have to redo the Boundary Field surrounding the mansion, if that was the case.

After all, even a careless pushover like Emiya wouldn't be dumb enough to invite Illya into his house.

She lurched downstairs and into the kitchen, where Archer was already making breakfast. At least there was one thing she could depend on in this screwy War. After drinking some milk directly from the carton, Rin noticed that Tails was seated at the table, fiddling with that damned Miles Electric.

"Good morning, Rin." Tails greeted, a bit hesitantly. While Archer had assured him that it was a normal thing, the sight of Rin's imitation of the walking dead still left him a bit uncertain. He hoped he would get used to it.

Sighing, Rin composed herself and replied, "Good morning, Tails." Even though she hated what their presence has turned the Holy War into, Rin still had a duty to present herself as a proper Mage. Besides, if she let on how much they annoyed her, Sonic and Tails would probably cause even more shenanigans. Well, Sonic would. Tails, she had to admit, was a fluffy little gentleman.

Archer placed a dish before her. "For the lady, breakfast."

Archer, on the other hand, was not. Dependable he was, chivalrous he wasn't. If he was acting like a French waiter, something was up. Before she could interrogate her Servant properly, Tails spoke up again.

"You're up a little early, aren't you, Rin?" the fox asked, "I mean, school's closed, isn't it? I'd thought you'd sleep in a little."

"I can't," Rin said, "I need to see that Fake Priest and have him call the ceasefire so we can focus on Eggman. And I have a few other errands to run. If I'm going to win this War, I need to make every minute count."

"Oh. That makes sense," Tails conceded, then blinked thoughtfully. "Um, don't you mean, 'if we're going to win'?"

"Of course, how foolish of me." Rin sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was tempted to explain the fact that only one Master could claim the Holy Grail, and that her alliance with Shirou was just a matter of convenience, but thought better of it. She didn't want to get into a lecture now. She would need all of her strength just talking to Kotomine.

Tails seemed to accept this answer, for he changed subjects. "Well, I've got some good news; The Tornado is all fixed! I did a systems check earlier and it all clears."

"Everything's done?" Archer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup! I hooked it up to some solar panels this morning." Tails answered.

"Solar panels?" It was Rin's turn to ask questions. Although still a bit resentful of how cooler his machines were compared to her Magecraft, Rin was starting to develop a curiosity about them. Helping Shirou improve his own lackluster abilities helped take the edge off.

"The Tornado's got a hybrid engine," Tails explained, "Whenever we're not flying it, we just hook them up to some panels for a few hours. It's both cheap and pro-Earth. Gotta go green!"

Rin was actually impressed. She was a bit afraid Tails would turn out to be a miniature mad scientist in his own right, mindlessly unleashing crazy machines without a care for what kind of damage they would do to the environment. The little fox was more caring than she had figured.

"I've been charging them every day since I landed here, and it should be finished by the time you get back." Tails finished.

"So, what do you plan on doing until we get back?" Rin asked, finishing her meal.

Tails scratched the back of his head. "I think I'm going to take it easy for today. The last two days have been pretty nuts, and I need some down time. You won't mind if I just laze around here, right?"

"Just don't leave the house," Rin told him, getting up. "I'm not expecting company, but be on the alert. The less anyone sees of you, the better."

"Okay, got it," Tails said, waving. "Have fun!"

Fun, yeah, Rin thought as Archer did the dishes. I have to talk the Fake Priest into doing the smart thing while preparing myself for a war against a maniac with an army of robots.

Soon, both Master and Servant were gone, leaving Tails alone. Tails decided he wanted to relax outside, and so went to the mansion library for some reading material. The shelves of books were meticulously ordered, with books on Magecraft kept separate from the regular fiction. Tails had already been forewarned by Archer to stay away, so he began to look over the mundane tales in hopes of finding one to his liking. At the bottom shelf, he noticed that at the far end of a case was an unmarked smaller book, covered in a decent amount of dust. Taking it and cleaning it off, he read the one word on the cover.

Sakura

Sonic woke up in the late morning. Annoyingly, the image of that…starfish latching onto Lancer's face didn't leave his thoughts as he slept. Probably because he had no idea what the thing was. A fragment of another Master of Servant's power, maybe? In any case, Sonic needed to get his mind off of the creature, and quick.

Maybe Shirou or Saber could help with that. Sonic thought, and headed towards the dining area.

The room was empty, and Sonic's first thought was that Shirou had gone to school, with Saber following. This was disregarded when he recalled how the high school had been closed due to the damage caused by Eggman's robots. Sonic briefly checked the kitchen for a note, but his search was distracted the muffled sound of a body falling. Sonic zipped outside and towards the training hall. There, he found Shirou, sprawled out on the ground with Saber standing over him. She held a kendo stick in her hands.

"When in battle, the question you need to ask yourself is, 'Is the opening real? Or is it a bluff?'" She was saying to her Master.

Shirou groaned, pulling himself up. "R-right," He saw Sonic standing at the entrance and waved shakily. "Good morning, Sonic."

"Yo." Sonic waved back, somewhat confused. Still, it didn't look like either of them were in danger or having a falling out.

Shirou resumed a fighting stance, and he and Saber began to fight again. Three seconds later he was down, minus one kendo sword and plus one bruise. In a second Shirou got up…which lasted another four seconds. At this point, Sonic became both bored and confused.

"Okay, time out!" Sonic yelled, making a T-shape with his hands. The action stopped just as Saber was about to move her sword upside Shirou's noggin. "Sorry to interrupt, but I gotta ask… Aren't Servants supposed to make sure their Masters don't get hurt?"

Saber's expression was neutral. "This activity was my Master's command."

"Huh?"

Rubbing his sore spots, Shirou said, "When Eggman's robots attacked the school, I…I was completely worthless. I could barely do anything to help out. You and Saber fought with your lives, and I was stuck on the sidelines. I couldn't even beat a single robot, and Tails had to save me and my underclassman."

"Hey, don't feel bad," Sonic said, going over to pat Shirou's leg. "Tails has been fighting robots way longer than you have. You'll get better. Just gotta keep trying."

Shirou found himself smiling a bit. "I know. Last night, Rin gave me some pointers on Magecraft," He bent down and picked something up. It was the newspaper Sonic brought in on his first night in Fuyuki. He closed his eyes.

"Trace On." The heat returned, but it was far less painful that time. As he felt the energy flow, words appeared in his mind.

I _ am _ _ o_ my sword

Shirou held the paper out to Sonic. "Here, try bending it now."

Sonic pinched the paper's end, but to his surprise the object wouldn't budge. "Whoa, that's solid."

"Last night, Rin gave me a…let's call it medicine," Shirou tried not to think about the pain swallowing that gem Rin gave him caused. "It allowed me to form some proper Mage Circuits- that's what a Mage uses to flow their energy into spells- so now my ability to do Magecraft has gone up."

Sonic nodded with some understanding. "Okay, that's kinda nice…still doesn't explain why you're letting Saber kick you around the curb."

"It is battle training," Saber explained, "Shirou asked of me to help him improve his swordsmanship. We do not have the luxury of time for formal instruction, so I am trying to instill proper experience into him."

"Learn by doing… I get that," Sonic considered, "But, what if you hurt so much that he can't fight at all? From where I stand, you were really whaling on him."

"That may be true," Saber considered, "And we have not had our morning meal. Perhaps we should stop…"

"Actually, I'm feeling better now," Shirou put in, "Let's go a few more rounds before having breakfast."

Saber's eyes narrowed. "So, you will not cook until you are satisfied?"

Shirou felt a twinge of fear. "Y-yeah. Is that a problem?"

FIVE MINUTES LATER

Shirou went down via Saber's wooden sword. Off to the side, Sonic traced an imaginary line into the wall.

"Annnd that's another win for the Blond Knight," The Hedgehog announced, "What's that make, a hundred in a row?"

"One hundred and four," Saber corrected, "Shirou, I believe we have trained enough. Let us eat."

Shirou could not make a valid response. His eyes and head were too busy spinning. "…"

Sonic walked over to Shirou bent down, and poked his cheek. Looking up at Saber, he said, "I think the head chef's brain is out to lunch."

Saber began to sweat, and had the decency to look awkward. "Oh, dear."

"Eh, we should let the guy rest. I bet he works too hard as it is," Sonic shrugged, and walked towards the door. "I'll make breakfast today, how about it?"

"What?" Before Saber could ask properly if Sonic could truly cook, the Hedgehog was gone in a blue blur. She heard sounds of high-speed movement coming from outside the training hall, but was reluctant to go out and watch. She looked down at Shirou's prone form.

The smell of food cooking pulled Shirou from the darkness that was unconsciousness. Actually, it wasn't that dark. He recalled a dream about a youth approaching a sword impaling a large rock…

That was when Shirou realized where he was. Saber had take a seat on her knees, and had place his head on her lap.

"Are you feeling better, Shirou?" Saber asked, looking concerned. "I did not mean to hurt you badly."

"No, it's okay," Shirou replied, his cheeks heating up from their close proximity. He sat up so Saber wouldn't notice. "What's that smell?"

"Sonic insisted on cooking a meal for us," Saber explained, "I…don't know what he's doing exactly."

Leaving the training hall, Master and Servant saw that Sonic had assembled a fire in the middle of the yard, and was cooking a large pot of stew over the flames. Sonic was stirring the concoction with a ladle when he saw the pair.

"Hey, Shirou, how ya doing?" Sonic greeted, "Grub'll almost be done in a minute, if you don't mind waiting."

"That's not something I want to hear from the guy who rushes into everything," Shirou replied, walking over to the set-up. He looked into the pot and saw among the broth was a bunch of hastily cut up veggies and meat. "Erm, what exactly did you put in this?"

"Relax, it'll taste great," Sonic assured, purposely dodging the question. "Go grab some bowls and spoons- I left them in the kitchen."

While fetching the requested items, Shirou took stock of the Emiya household's food supplies; The result was miniscule. With not just Saber but Sonic having dinner, the fridge and cupboard was going bare at a much faster rate. All that was left were an apple, and some rice balls that he made yesterday. Shirou decided that his day off from school would be spent at the grocery store.

Still, at the very least the stew was decent enough that the normally stoic Saber smiled a bit as she ate- though not as much as she did when eating Shirou's cooking, the mage noted with some satisfaction.

"Yeah, when you're on the road a lot, you can't always count on a diner being everywhere," Sonic semi-bragged, sitting on a rock. "Gotta learn how to make do with what you've got."

"Well, you certainly did that." Shirou admitted.

"I actually prefer campfire food more than the stuff you make in kitchens, actually," Sonic remarked, "Just feels more natural."

The discussion shifted away from Sonic's culinary skills and preferences and towards something that had been creating an itch in Shirou's mind; Sonic's world. From the way Sonic described it, it sounded like a paradise. A world with futuristic cities, flying cars included. Exotic jungles and landscapes, where people with special powers didn't have to hide. A world that permitted heroes to fight for what they believed in.

Of course, it's also a world where a total maniac can go on a rampage unhindered, The more cynical part of Shirou's soul commented, before admitting, Then again, that's not much different than the way things are here…

"…Anyway, we get to where the secret treasure of Babylon is hidden, but Eggman pops out of nowhere with a gun," Sonic was saying, "He keeps us away from the big chest long enough to get a look inside, and what was there? A dusty old rug! Dude fainted right there!"

Sonic burst out laughing at the memory, and Shirou and Saber chuckled along with him.

Wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, Sonic said, "Well, that's enough about me. You two crazy kids have any adventures planned for today?"

"Besides grocery shopping?" Shirou asked, and took a moment to refill Saber's bowl. "I was thinking of going to see Shinji today. I want to talk about possibly working with him and Rider to fight against Eggman."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, man, isn't Rider the dark chick who can't keep her hands to herself?"

"I am more than a match for Rider," Saber asserted, "If she attempts to harm my Master, I will show no mercy."

Sonic pointed a 'finger-gun' at Saber. "You're scary girl, Sab', and I'm glad you're one of the good guys."

"Me too," Shirou agreed, earning a laugh from Sonic. He then asked, "I don't suppose it's too much to hope for that you'll stay indoors again?"

Sonic scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I'm planning to take a run in the countryside. I need to get out of the city for a bit to clear my head. Y'know, shoot the breeze, and outrun the bullet. Don't worry, I'll make sure no one sees me."

"The whole country's probably seen you already, remember?" Shirou reminded, "But, it's okay. You saved the school from Eggman and those people from Lancer and Rider. You've earned a little freedom."

Shirou looked down at the pot and saw that it was already half-empty. He also saw Saber pouring another serving of stew into her bowl. She looked at him with unflinching eyes, and then added a ladle's worth to Shirou's bowl.

"Please eat up, Shirou," She said, "You need to recover your strength."

Shirou ate some more. His eyes drifted towards Sonic. Shirou noticed that Sonic hadn't touched his empty bowl for a bit, and was starting to fidget.

Shirou said, "You can leave right now, if you want, Sonic. I'll clean everything up once Saber and I are done."

"You sure?" Sonic asked, "You do a lotta cleaning as it is."

"Go," Shirou insisted, "I said it before; You've earned a day off."

"'Kay" Sonic was gone in flash, leaving his dried bowl spinning in the air. Before it could fall and break, he was back, catching it. "Also, you're out of toiler paper. Later!"

And off Sonic went. Shirou couldn't even follow his movements. Only by following Saber's gaze was he able to track Sonic's path, over the far wall of the property. There was a small pang of jealously in his heart as he was once again reminded of how far he had to go before he could be just like them- a hero.

Lancer, invisible to all and stationed several houses away, watched as Sonic darted between shadows on his way out from the neighborhood.

He's leaving. He reported to his Master, and began run after the Hedgehog.

Wait until he's in a secluded location, Kotomine ordered, Someplace that won't have a witness you'll forget to kill.

Lancer purposely ignored that remark. Kotomine hadn't been too happy that Lancer's scheme to bring Sonic out of hiding had not only backfired, but in his zeal to kill his animalistic nemesis he had neglected to silence the women that had seen them. Though Lancer didn't see what was the point anymore. Thanks to Sonic's and Saber's showboating on television (And he had to admit, that mask Saber had worn was pretty cool-looking), the entire country was becoming aware that something terribly unusual was happening in Fuyuki. Kotomine had spent the better part of the previous night trying to cover everything up. The priest was irritable from lack of sleep.

But Lancer didn't really care, honestly. In fact, knowing that the current situation was causing his current Master so much pain cheered Lancer up somewhat. And as infuriating Sonic could be, he was still the only opponent in the Holy War that Kotomine was allowing him to fight, which sated the Heroic Spirit's desire for battle. And deep down, he admired Sonic for fighting to defend the people of the city. It was only to enforce the rule of secrecy that Lancer had to seek the Blue Blur out…and maybe if he was lucky, he might be able to fight a giant robot of his own.

All told, this War was heading in a good direction.

Sakura was miserable. Sakura was scared. Sakura was also tired. She was sitting on a bench in the Central Park, a place that had been built in honor of the people who had died in the Fire. Sakura shivered. Even in the sunlight, she felt cold. With her innate senses, she could tell that this area was full of grudges and other negative feelings. Not the best place to relax for a potential mage, but it distracted Sakura from her current problem. While she had managed to get some sleep thanks to Avenger's absence, that was proving to be another form of torture.

She knew that when a Master slept, instead of dreams they would see visions of their Servant's life. She had briefly seen a few pieces of Rider's before handing control over to Shinji. That life apparently had sisters who teased her. So when Avenger appeared, she began to see into his life too

And it was full of pain. Suffering. Being forced to experience hundreds of different types of tortures. It was like watching her own life, except with more fire. And every time Sakura woke up, she could swore that she had developed a few burn marks of her own. Some part of her body had been set on fire, she knew that for sure. She also knew that this new torment in her life had been orchestrated by her grandfather. It had to have been. Everything that had gone wrong for her was all due to Zouken's machinations.

No doubt he was enjoying every minute of it.

Matou Zouken was not happy.

Of course, Zouken had never been truly happy in several hundred years. The closest he ever got was sadistic pleasure, which got old really fast. Centuries of disappointment in both his descendants and the world as a whole had withered away at his soul until it had become as malformed as his body. But now that the Holy Grail War had begun, Zouken had a specific reason for his bitterness. And, surprisingly, it wasn't just Shinji's typical blundering that made him grind his remaining teeth.

It was the Shadow.

Zouken knew everything there was to know about the Heaven's Feel. Back when he was young, living under the name Zolgen Makiri, he journeyed from his homeland in Asia to develop the rituals that would become the Holy Grail War alongside the Einzbern and the Tohsaka clans. Back then, he had been young and idealistically foolish. He thought their methods would work the first time. That they would achieve the Holy Grail.

But time after time, failure was all their efforts resulted in. After the Fourth War, Zouken decided that a new method was needed. Normally, in each Holy War, the deaths of each Servant would empower the Grail, with the Master of the last Servant allowed to control the completed Grail's power. But it never came to pass. In each War, no Master had been able to achieve a wish. After the Fourth War, Zouken decided that a change in tactics was in order. Gathering up the essence of the Incomplete Fourth Grail, he transmuted into one of his familiars and placed it in Sakura. When active, it would become a living Shadow that would seek out the Mana of other creatures until it amassed enough energy to create the Holy Grail. He was pleased as he could be when such a creature did appear…and when it started talking, that pleasure transformed into exasperation. The Shadow was not what it should have been. It was supposed to mindlessly seek out the other Servants to absorb, as well as any other person ill-fated enough to stumble upon it. But not Avenger. Avenger was, to a degree, intelligent. Cautious. Cunning, as it turned out. This went far beyond Zouken's calculations. He had lost track of the thing just before that idiot Eggman attacked the school. Zouken hated not being in control of his resources. It had never happened. Even when a clan member thought they were rebelling against him, their actions were actually to his benefit…or amusement. But Avenger seemed to possess a Presence Concealment similar to the Asassin class, which should have been impossible!

It was those outsider' fault, Zouken thought bitterly within the confines of his Manor's inner recesses. In glass jars around him, his worm-familiars squirmed at his dark thoughts. The unusual power they brought with them, these…Chaos Emeralds…that's why the Shadow has become this way.

Zouken's musings were cut off at the sound of his doorbell chiming. It was odd. He rarely received visitors. The only people who bothered to come to the Matou Manor were clan members, who knew they didn't need to announce themselves. Thanks to his worms spread everywhere, Zouken knew if anyone would be at the door.

At first, Zouken considered just ignoring his visitors. But after some consideration, decided that it would be better to greet them. After all, the Master of Saber was apparently friends with that so-called Sonic the Hedgehog…perhaps he could glean some in-depth information from the foolish boy…

Shirou considered ringing the doorbell one last time. But he didn't. He and Saber were standing out on the front door of the Matou Manor, waiting for someone, anyone, to answer their summons. Besides him, Saber looked more tense and edgy than she normally was, and Shirou didn't blame her. The Matou Manor was anything but welcoming. It was a large and foreboding place, and no one visited it unless they had to. From what he had heard, Shinji himself rarely stayed at the estate himself, preferring to spend his dinners eating out and picking up girls. And it was here, at this time, that Shirou understood why Sakura always preferred to have dinner at the Emiya Estate. This place…no matter how Shirou looked at it, didn't feel like it could be a home to anyone. The entire building and surrounding property seemed more like a hole that existed suck other people in…

The door creaked open, breaking Shirou from his increasingly depressing thought patterns. Now looking at them was a small, bald man, whose entire body seemed to be wreaked with wrinkles. His eyes were squinted so tightly that Shirou couldn't make out their color. However, this shriveled creature had a presence that Master and Servant could instantly tell who it was.

Matou Zouken looked from both Shirou and Saber. "May I help you?"

Remembering his manners, Shirou bowed slightly, and Saber followed.

"Hello, my name is Emiya Shirou," Shirou greeted, and nodded at Saber. "This is Saber."

Zouken rubbed his chin thoughtfully, leaning on his cane. "Shirou…I have heard that name before, haven't I…?" He let out a sharp laugh. "Ah, now I remember! You are a friend of Shinji's aren't you?"

"Erm, yes, kind of," In truth, Shirou and Shinji hadn't exactly been on the easiest terms for several months, but there was no need to include that detail. "Anyway, is Shinji home? I need to talk to him about something."

Zouken hummed. "Unfortunately, Shinji has not been home for some time. In fact, he left yesterday."

"What? Why? And to where?" Shirou asked, blinking.

"I do not know," Zouken admitted. The night before, as Shinji was pacing the hallways, the minute he saw Zouken- Zouken's human body- his eyes widened and he bolted. The coward. "All I can say for certain is that yesterday's events have had an effect on him."

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty insane." And suddenly, Shinji's absence meant sense. If Shinji believed the theory that Eggman had Magecraft detecting technology, then of course he would want to get away from a site of immense power. Of course, that Shinji apparently fled his home without warning his family was more than a little upsetting.

Should I tell him? Shirou thought. After all, if Eggman did attack the Matou Manor at one point, that would mean Sakura would be in danger. Perhaps if Zouken knew what Eggman was after, he would send his grandaughter to a safer place.

The real question was, how much did Zouken know about Shinji's involvement in the War? Shinji claimed to have obtained Rider by chance. If she was a normal Servant, like Archer, then Rider could hide herself by entering her astral state. He had to be careful with his words. Despite what Rin thought of him, he wasn't completely careless. He couldn't just take for granted of how much Zouken knew. He needed to avoid revealing any information that could endanger himself or Saber…or Sonic.

"I am more concerned with the well-being of my granddaughter, Sakura," Zouken went on, "Are you familiar with her?"

Shirou nodded, "Yes, she's a member of the archery club. Is she doing all right? She looked a bit tired yesterday."

Zouken shook his head slowly. "No, she is not. I fear that the stress of the recent events may be more than she can handle. The murders, these strange creature events…"

"It appears that something else is bothering Sakura," Saber spoke up, looking intently at Zouken. "Everyone is aware of the attacks. But for some reason Sakura has been more affected than others."

Zouken did not answer at first. Then he said, "Sakura has always been more vulnerable than others. However, I suspect that these events are reminding her of a traumatic event from her early childhood."

"What happened?" Shirou asked without thinking.

Now it was Zouken's turn to look intently, this time at Shirou. "A member of the clan died right in front of her."

Shirou felt himself go cold. That story sounded so familiar…

"And now, these odd events- the school attack, the creature sightings…very disturbing," Zouken sighed, "Especially that blue thing…machines can be built, but why would something like that appear? A very unnatural anomaly."

"Sonic saved everyones lives at the school," Shirou said firmly, "If he hadn't been there, Dr. Eggman would have destroyed the school and everyone in it."

"Perhaps."

There was something in Zouken's tone that Shirou didn't like. And he knew just what it was. Kiritsugu had mentioned how dedicated heretical mages were to maintaining the secrecy they hid behind. The Mages Association would allow and more likely cause the deaths of hundreds if it would mean keeping the rest of the world from learning the existence of Magecraft. And apparently the Mage before him was the same.

Shirou made a decision. "Listen, would it be all right if Sakura stayed at my house for a few days?"

Zouken's eyebrow, or the piece of his face that once had an eyebrow, shot up. "What are you talking about? If you are trying to court her, then you are doing it wrong, and too early at that."

If Rin had said it, Shirou would have been embarrassed. But Zouken's passive disapproval of Sonic had awoken something inside of him. And so Shirou decided to bare all.

"Dr. Eggman can find Magecraft." The young Master said.

"…What?" Zouken's expression had not changed, but the tone of his voice had.

"I think Eggman's robots attacked the school because of the presence of Magecraft there," Shirou went on, "I know that the Matous are a clan of Mages. It's only a matter of time until he decides to come here. Please tell Sakura that she can rest at the Emiya home until Eggman is captured," He bowed his head. "Thank you for your time, sir. Let's go, Saber."

Shirou turned and began to walk away. After looking at Zouken for a moment longer, Saber followed after him. As they left, the head of the Matou pondered Shirou's words. While he didn't believe Shirou's claims, they would explain why Shinji left and took Rider with him. The gutless weasel was clearly trying to avoid being at the site of another potential attack.

And as for letting Sakura stay with Emiya… Zouken felt his features twist into a terrifying smile.

"…So, you see, Kotomine, we can't continue the War until Eggman is taken care of." Rin finished.

Getting to the church had taken less time than Rin had thought. Of course, the Fake Priest had actually been doing a sermon when she arrived, and had been forced to wait until he had finished. It was odd. Not once since he had taken over the church did Rin ever come by when Kotomine was doing actual priest duties. From what she had heard, people who listened to Kotomine tended to leave in a worse state than when they came. Hearing her guardian talk, Rin could understand why; Kotomine could make even a grocery list sound like a condemnation of someone's life. And yet, even those who felt "I'm sorry I had been born" would thank "Father Kotomine" for his time. It was uncanny. The minute the scant crowd left, Rin approached Kotomine and laid down the line.

Rather than being his usual upsetting self, the Holy War overseer just nodded. "Yes, I understand. But I wonder if Eggman is the true threat," he said, spreading out his arms. "His machines were frightening, I am sure, but they were just that- machines. Wouldn't an animal spirit running amok be more concerning to Mages?"

It was the same line that Rin had used on Shirou, which only made the Master of Archer even more annoyed. She hated having her own words thrown in her face, if only by accident. However, unlike Shirou she had a logical comeback.

"It's not that simple, and you know it," Rin said, "Eggman made it clear he's looking for something that's in the city. And he said it in public, which means the rest of Fuyuki, maybe all of Japan, knows that. The city being threatened will lead to a heightened military presence, 'for our own protection'. Even with Boundary Fields, someone's bound to notice something- and we might not be able to hypnotize them fast enough. As for that tanuki, from what I've seen-" (Rin decided that Kotomine didn't need to know how close she was to Sonic) "-he seems to have some sort of hero complex. The first sighting was when he saved one of Lancer's victims, and then he showed up at the attack. If we go after Eggman, we might find the tanuki."

After a moment, Kotomine exhaled. "Very well. I will make the announcement tonight.

"…Although I honestly doubt it will accomplish anything."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked.

"During the Fourth Holy War, the Caster team refused to follow the rules, and the officiator at the time- my father- declared that they were to be destroyed. But instead of doing so, the Masters continued to fight each other," Kotomine explained, "It was only until Caster summoned his greatest monster that a few Servants banded together to vanquish the beast. I see no reason that the current Masters, except for Emiya Shirou and yourself, will act any different."

"They will if you tell them that Eggman's machines can track Magecraft." Rin said, and was quite pleased to see how shocked Kotomine appeared at her words.

"…And how did you come to that conclusion?" Kotomine asked slowly.

"Both times Eggman sent his robots to Homurahara Academy, there were Servants present," Rin explained, "Considering how the school has no value strategically speaking, that's the only explanation as to why he went there."

"Hmm," Kotomine hummed, "Your father would have trouble accepting that."

"My father would have liked to some explanation as to why this maniac is attacking places that have Servants." Rin said coldly, and walked out of the church.

After leaving the Matou Manor, Shirou and Saber headed straight into the shopping district. All over, they could hear people talking about what happened yesterday. At street corner cafes, tables were filled with discussions as to what Sonic was. Some were talking about how awwwwesome those robots looked, even if they wrecked the school and endangered countless lives. There were mutterings on the street over whether or not the high school had some secret treasure. Those who talked about the 'Bug Queen' (A monicker that irritated Saber) concluded that she must have been an overeager sentai cosplayed.

Along the way, Shirou saw a police car parked in front of a pet store. The area had been cordoned off, and two officers were investigating the scene.

"…The animals are gone, but none of the products or money was taken," One policeman reported, "What do you think?"

The older-looking cop just rubbed the back of his head. "I'm starting to think this town is cursed, or something. First it was those weird squid-things ten years ago…"

That intrigued Shirou. Ten years ago was when the Fourth Holy Grail War happened. While he now knew that the Great Fire was caused by the War, the policeman's words made him wonder whatever else happened. And just how close the rest of the world was to discovering Magecraft…

"Shirou." Saber spoke up. She sounded tense.

Shirou was pulled out of his thoughts. He and Saber were at a crosswalk. Just as the signal changed to DON'T WALK, he saw a small figure with white hair on the other side of the street. He couldn't get a good look, however, as the passing cars blocked his view. In a minute, the signal became WALK, but once the crosswalk was clear, the mysterious being across the road was gone.

"Hello, Onii-chan!" A happy voice chirped from his other side.

Shirou and Saber looked down and saw none other than Illya looking up at them, beaming happily. In flash, Saber was in between the two Masters. The Servant glared down at the shorter, as if daring her to make a move.

Illya cocked her head. "Why so angry, Saber? I'm not here to start a fight."

"You're not?" Shirou asked, looking over Saber's shoulder. It was easy, given how much shorter Saber was compared to him.

"Mm-mm!" Illya giggled, shaking her head. "We're not supposed to fight the War in public. After all, acting in front of everyone would be…" She held up a newspaper clipping. It was a picture of Sonic and the masked Saber, jumping around Eggman and Frankly. "…stupid."

Subtle. Shirou thought. He didn't have to see Saber's face to know that it was becoming flushed. The real question was, was Saber upset at having been called out for appearing in public, and on television at that? Or did she regret wearing such a silly mask while doing it?

Still, it was a good thing that they had met Illya at the moment. Maybe now they could get another ally to fight Eggman.

"Illya, can we talk?" Shirou asked, stepping around Saber to better face his pint-sized enemy.

Illya blinked. "About what?"

Shirou looked around. Illya may have been teasing Saber, but she had a point; a public area wasn't the best place to conduct business about the War. They needed a more secluded location. Across the street he saw a parking garage.

"Let's go over there, first." He said, pointing.

Illya and Saber exchanged looks. A few minutes later, the three of them were in the garage. There were only a few cars. Shirou took Illya to an area with no cars.

"Ooh, Onii-chan, you naughty boy," Illya giggled, "Bringing a sweet young thing to a dark place…what are you thinking?"

Saber grimaced, clearly annoyed at Illya. Shirou just sighed. He was so glad no one was around to hear that.

"Illya, do you know why Dr. Eggman attacked my school, yesterday?" Shirou asked.

Looking more serious, Illya replied, "He was looking for some kind of jewel, right?"

"And he was willing to destroy the entire place for it," Shirou said. He decided not to elaborate exactly why Eggman wanted the jewel so badly. "Saber and Sonic beat him that time, but he got away. And we couldn't find anything in the school, so it's only a matter of time before he attacks again. We need to stop him before he wrecks the city."

Illya shrugged. "And why should I care? After all, that has nothing to do with the Holy Grail."

"Not yet," Saber interjected. She now understood why Shirou wanted to talk with Illya privately. "However, if he continues to invade Fuyuki, the authorities will be forced to take closer investigation of suspicious events. The whole of Magecraft may be exposed."

"So, why are you talking about this with me?" Illya asked, "You're in an alliance with Rin, aren't you?"

"We are," Shirou affirmed, "And, I was wondering if you'd like to join it."

Illya's eyes widened, then narrowed. She turned away.

"I know we're supposed to be enemies in the Grail War," Shirou continued, "But the only reason I'm taking part is to help protect my home from Masters and Servants who are hurting other people. They are my enemies," He got down on one knee so as to better face the back of Illya's head. "I don't want to be yours, though. And right now, Eggman is a worse threat than anyone in the War. We need all the help we can get. We need you."

Illya didn't say anything. She shook slightly. After a moment, she wiped her face on the sleeve of her coat. The white-haired Master turned back to look at Shirou.

"Prove it."

Shirou blinked. "Prove it?"

"If you want me as an ally, then do something to prove it," Illya declared, sticking her nose up. "If you treat me well, I may take your request under serious consideration."

Shirou stood up and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. While happy to not be rejected outright, his recruitment had hit a roadblock- What could he do for someone like Illya? From what he had discussed with Rin, the Einzberns were immensely well off; Even the most expensive thing Shirou could buy would probably be nothing more than poor men's substitutes for things Illya probably already had.

This led Shirou to realize that he didn't know anything about Illya beyond her being a Master. The most he had was that she had some strange fascination with him. He found himself visualizing what kind of life Illya had growing up; Judging from her total lack of concern for human lives, it must have been a very isolated existence; no contact with real people, or maybe any people- just learning Magecraft, and nothing else. Shirou thought about Rin, growing up alone in her giant mansion, and suddenly his heart went out to Illya. More than gaining an ally for the fight against Eggman, Shirou realized what he wanted was to give Illya a chance to be a normal girl. With that in mind, what he had to do was obvious.

FIVE MINUTES LATER

"I'd like three tickets to the Kamen Rider movie," Shirou told the woman running the box office, "One child, one high school student, and one adult."

"That'll be 34000 yen, please!"

Shirou grimaced as he went for his wallet. He hoped neither girl wanted snacks. Behind him, he could hear Illya looking back and forth between the movie poster and his Servant.

Sonic the hedgehog looked out at the landscape from atop of a hill. Before him, forest and mountain stretched out as far as the eye can see.

And not a single loop-de-loop in sight.

In spite of that, Sonic loved it. The clean, fresh air breezing through his quills. The sound of the tree branches rustling in the wind. The approaching guy with the red spear...

Sonic let out an annoyed groan as Lancer reached the foot of the hill. "Not you again! What, are FOLLOWING me around?"

"Had to, spiny," Lancer replied, "My Master's not to happy with the way you've been acting."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Way I've been acting? What have I- Wait," Sonic closed his eyes and began to trace circles on his forehead. "I'm getting a psychic vision. My latent telepathic powers are telling me...that...this...haaaas something to do with my epic television debut?"

Lancer rolled his eyes. "What, you can read minds now?"

"It's called 'pattern recognition'," Sonic replied, "It's funny how the guy who saved a school is getting all kinds of grief. Where's the respect? I mean, Saber was fighting Eggman, too, and nobody's mad at her!"

"Yeah, she did look pretty cute in that helmet," Lancer admitted, "But she didn't do anything really outrageous. Not like you, though. Just going out in public is a sure sign of Magecraft existing, and that's something my Master can't allow."

"And what about you?" Sonic asked, with one eyebrow raised.

Lancer shrugged. "I dunno. I know what the rules should be, but I'm impressed with what happened; taking down a giant robot with your bare hands isn't something any normal guy can do. But as a Servant, I've got an obligation to follow my Master's orders- And he wants you to stop. Sorry to say, but in the long run, you're a bigger threat to the world order than some nut job with fancy toys."

"That right?" Sonic sighed, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Man, out of all the worlds I've been to, this is definitely the most messed up."

"All the worlds?" Lancer repeated, blinking. "What, you're from another dimension, or something?" In the back of his mind, he could feel his Master inhaling. It was a bold claim, but if it was true…

Sonic shrugged. "I'll tell you all about it…if you can keep up."

And with those words, Sonic fell back. Curling up into a ball, he began to roll down the hill, going faster and faster. It was something that all hedgehogs could do, and a pastime Sonic hoped he would never outgrow. In three seconds he reached the foot of the hill, and easily bounced onto his feet and zipping off.

"Hey! Get back here!" Lancer yelled, running after Sonic.

As Sonic tore into the woods, he weighed his options. While it irked him that he was getting the business for his actions- his undeniably heroic actions- from his enemies as well as allies, Lancer coming after him was secretly a blessing. If the blue-clad Servant was chasing after him, then he wasn't hunting and hurting innocent people. That said, if Lancer had the chops to keep coming after him, it meant he had to have killed who-knew-how-many people in order to build up his strength. That didn't sit well. This had to stop.

Maybe I should call for back-up, Sonic thought as he darted into a forest. While he figured he could take Lancer on his own, it wouldn't have hurt to have a little extra help. Plus, Saber continually insisted that he not fight other Servants, leaving that to her and Archer.

On the other hand, it was plainly clear that Lancer's Master wasn't letting him fight other Servants. If he called in one of his Servant friends, that Master would just pull Lancer out with a Command Seal. In any case, at the speed they were going they would be in another country by nightfall. The two of them were so far from the city that Sonic was already considering just checking into a hotel when he heard Lancer yelling from behind. He wasn't sure, but it sounded like, "Come back and fight, you coward!"

It was hard to hear things when you were running at 200 miles an hour.

Sonic then saw something flash by that made him grin. Leaping up, he ricocheted off of a tree and grabbed the object before heaving it at Lancer. It didn't hit- among the powers granted to him as a Servant in the Heaven's Feel was Protection From Arrows; No matter what was thrown at Lancer, the spear-weilder would instinctively avoid or block it. Because he saw it coming, Lancer instantly spun his spear to deflect it.

He only learned that it was a hornet's nest until after the fact. Amid the buzzing and stinging, he distinctly heard the tell-tale sound of a camera going "click".

"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"

Not too far from the main city of Fuyuki, a castle sat. It was owned and maintained by the Einzberns so their Master could have a base of operations for the Holy Grail War. Currently, it's only occupants were two maids, Sella and Leysritt.

Leysritt was folding the laundry when she suddenly looked up.

Sella glanced away from her mopping. "What is it?"

"Do you hear something?"

"I'm home!" Rin announced as she entered her mansion. Her mode was distinctly neutral; while talking to kotomine had sent her attitude into the negative zone, on her way back had managed to get a few decent gems at a reasonable price. Money was tight for the one-member Tohsakah clan; while her father used to own numerous properties, after his death they all fell into the Fake Priest's hands. In the years that followed, Kotomine sold most of those properties off, claiming that excessive wealth would be a bad influence. For many years, Rin really wanted to punch his lights out.

Maybe Tails could build an gadget you could a make a fortune marketing. Archer had suggested half-jokingly, which Rin had pointedly ignored. While her pride as Mage had been wounded, there was no denying that Sonic and Tails had already provided invaluable help for the Holy Grail War. She couldn't pester the little fox with requests after all of that.

The mansion was quiet. A bit too quiet for Rin's liking. Strange how quickly she had gotten used to the sound of Tails' tinkering.

The mystery was solved when she entered the living room. Lying on the couch, with his namesake appendages wrapped around himself like a blanket, Tails dozed. He looked so vulnerable that Rin then realized that for all intents and purposes Tails was a child, far away from. As aggravating as their presence had been, the situation must be even harder on the outsiders. Rin was so transfixed on the fox's sleeping form that she didn't notice the strange thing on the coffee table until it beeped.

It was a toy of some sort, Rin could tell that much. It was blue, both light and dark, with big yellow eyes. It's body was a sphere, it's arms and feet were like stubs, and atop its tear-shaped head was a yellow propeller.

The propeller began to spin as an electronic but childlike voice emitted from the toy.

"Rin has entered the room! Please wake up!" The toy announced, hovering into the air.

Rin shrieked and punched the thing across the room with a Reinforced fist. It hit the wall with a 'thunk', falling down to the floor afterwards.

"Ow! What was that for?" The object complained.

Tails opened his eyes and unwrapped himself. Sitting up, he yawned and waved to Rin.

"Oh, hey, Rin!" Tails greeted, "What's up? When'd you get back?" When he realized that Rin was in a fighting stance, his ears twitched. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Archer materialized. "I think you need to introduce us to your new alarm clock." he said, pointing to where the thing was.

"Oh, that? That's an Omochao," Tails explained, getting up. He took a moment to stretch. "Omochaos are basically combination toy-slash-PDAs; You can use them to store information to be played back, act as alarm clocks, and other minor digital tools."

"So, that's not some new weapon from Eggman that snuck into the house," Archer stated, "Just another advanced device from your world."

Tails shrugged. "Actually, Omochaos are kinda obsolete nowadays. I only keep one around because they bug Sonic."

Rin took the time to calm down. She couldn't keep allowing herself to get worked up by all of these new surprises. She had to resume her place as a dignified Mage and elegant lady, like her father wanted her to be. Exhaling, Rin pointedly ignored the sound of the Omochao approaching to face Tails.

"Tails, do you have any other fancy machines I should know about?" She asked, unable to keep herself from watching as Omochao hovered up to Archer's eyes.

Tails shook his head. "Nope, just my tools, the Extreme Gear, Omochao, and my Miles Electric. So, how'd it go at the church? Did that Koto-guy agree to call a ceasefire?"

"He did, but I don't think we can count on any of the other Masters helping out. Also, I think he's going to declare open season on you and Sonic as well."

"What?! What did we do?" Tails paused, "Wait, is this about us being seen?"

Rin nodded, and joined him on the couch. "Look, I understand that you and Sonic mean well, but well-meaning people don't make the rules. Typically, Mages care more about keeping their secrets than innocent lives," She reached down and gave Tails a friendly scratch behind the ears. "You're just going to have to be more careful, from now on."

Tails sighed, and squirmed a little. Rin wasn't sure he was enjoying the scratching or not. She then realized that maybe she was being a little insensitive, and stopped. The minute she did, Archer came in served some tea. It was quite good.

"We should be thankful that the Mage's Association hasn't stepped in as it is," Archer said, "It's possible that all of this robot craziness is throwing off their watchers, but we can't rely on that forever."

"Well, I've got some good news, at least," Tails said, checking his watch. "The Tornado's done refueling. We can take her out for a spin and do an air search!"

"'We'?" Rin repeated, not liking where the conversation was going. "What do you mean, 'We'?"

"You, me, and Archer!" Tails hopped off of the couch. "It'll be great. Even if we don't find anything, it'll be a great way to pass time. The fresh air, the wild blue yonder- whaddya say?"

Rin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, you've been a lot of help, and I am grateful for what you've done, but if you think I'm going to get in that heap, you've got another thing coming."

FIVE MINUTES LATER

"I hate you," Rin muttered in the secondary seat behind Tails. "I hate you both." Foxes should not have puppy-dog eyes!

Tails cheerfully ignored her as he did a pre-flight check. "Okay, fuel, check. Flaps, check. Tail, check. Landing gear, check…Hey, where's Archer?" He looked around. "I haven't seen him since he helped you buckle your seatbelt.

"Archer's going to follow us in spirit form," Rin replied, curled up as tight a ball. "He's afraid that if he doesn't his weight might overwork the engine."

"Oh, that's kind of him," Tails remarked, and went back to his checks. "Okay, that's about everything that counts. We're good to launch! Prepare for takeoff!"

The bi-plane's propeller began to spin. The Tornado began to move forward. Rin just then realized that the yard wasn't nearly half the size of an appropriate runway. Before she could voice these concerns, the bi-plane shot forward, sending the teenaged Mage into the back of her seat.

"Annnnd we have liftoff!" Tails cheered, and looked back. "How're ya holding up, Rin?"

"I…I thought we were going to hit the hedges!" Rin squeaked, overcome with both shock and excitement. Her very being was a flurry of emotions and adrenaline.

"The Tornado's built to for easy takeoffs," Tails explained, "The faster you get airborne, the better, right?"

As they flew higher and higher up, Rin's soul became the center for a cacophony of feelings. While her "inner Mage" kept telling her not to be impressed, it was only an airplane, people fly in airplanes all the time, she just couldn't keep the thrill buried. This was far different from being in a commercial airline. She could feel the wind rushing past her face, blowing her pigtails this way and that. Her heart was beating so hard and fast that there was no comparison to the sensation of summoning Archer.

As the Tornado continued, the initial thrill was replaced by a certain awe. They were so high up, higher than any building in Fuyuki. And soon they were outside of the city entirely. The beauty of Japan lay out before- beneath them. It was breathtaking.

Then an obnoxious beeping could be heard.

"Hmm, I'm picking up an energy signature," Tails reported, "It's a pretty big one. Since we're out of the city, it might be a Chaos Emerald!"

Rin's eyes widened, then narrowed. Casting out her senses as far as she could, she tried to sense anything that Tails' gadget had detected. While she could pick up on something, it felt distant, but familiar.

Archer, can you sense anything? She asked her Servant through their mind link.

Yes, but I don't think it's an Emerald, Archer replied, Look down.

Rin did so, just as Tails cried out, "Wow, check that place out!"

It was a castle, built in the middle of the woods. Even from their altitude, the sheer elegance and mystery of it all could be felt. Aged, but pristine, the structure looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"The Einzbern Castle…" Rin muttered, frowning. Of course it is, why shouldn't anything go our way now?

Tails took another look at the Mile Electric, plugged into his control panel. "The energy is coming from that castle. Wanna land someplace to investigate?"

"No, don't bother," Rin said, "That castle belongs to another Master- Illya. Your radar is getting confused by the Boundary Field around it."

"Illya? You, you mean that little psycho girl with the pet monster on steroids?" Tails gulped. He tried to sound hopeful. "Uh, maybe she's not home?"

"Maybe, or maybe she's sleeping in," Rin said, "Archer's pretty good, but how confident in your ability to confront something like Berserker again?" She heard about Sonic and Tails' encounter with the behemoth from Archer, who was told by Tails. She watched Tails shiver and felt a small sense of satisfaction.

"Y-y'know what? We can put it off until tomorrow," Tails said at last, "Or maybe next week, even. Let's just get a good scope of the terrain."

As the Tornado circled away from the castle, Rin made a few calculations. It was common knowledge that the Einzberns would surround their base for the Grail Wars with a powerful boundary field. Considering that flying over the place hadn't triggered anything, the height of the field was on the low side, or at least not as high as a plane could soar. Judging about how soon Tails' radar picked up on it, the size of the Boundary Field must have been…

Information was power. Even small details could change the direction of the battle.

"Still, I can't believe that little maniac has a castle." Tails commented.

"The Einzberns are a very old and well-established Mage family," Rin explained, "Their history goes back even further than the Tohsakas. And in that time they've been able to form an immense fortune to finance their Magecraft."

"You seem to know a lot about Illya's family." Tails noted.

"My family and the Einzberns have been rivals in the Grail Wars for 500 years, we've had a lot of time to gather information," Rin told him, "The more intel you have on your enemies, the better a chance you'll have of defeating them," A thought occurred to her. "What are the Mages like in your world, Tails?"

"Well, I had a run-in with a witch that was turning the people on an island into crystals once a few years ago," Tails admitted, "But beyond that, I dunno. My world has all sorts of crazy stuff. Besides Eggman, we've had to deal with aliens, ghosts, and lots more. 'Course, it's usually Sonic who ends up in the thick of it…"

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Rin deadpanned, "He seems to enjoy being the center of attention."

"Yeah, he loves to show off," Tails chuckled, "But, you know? I couldn't think of a better friend if I tried."

Rin wasn't sure how to respond to that. From her perspective, Sonic was a cocky, borderline arrogant blowhard who did what he did because he wanted the applause that much, and never cared for the consequences. But she hadn't had a lot of time to get to know Sonic personally. Of the Masters and Servants, only Shirou and Saber were able to have a little 'down-time' with the Blue Blur. She wondered what exactly they did; It wouldn't surprise her at all if Shirou decided to ask Sonic for 'Hero lessons'.

Another beeping filled the air. "What is it now?" Rin asked.

"Looks like we've got another power signal, at about 4 o'clock!" Tails reported, "I don't think it's another Mage's home, though- this one's moving!"

What do you think, Archer? Rin asked her Servant, Is it an Emerald, or a Servant?

We'll know if we check it out, Archer replied, But the question is, why would a Servant leave Fuyuki?

Rin nodded, and said, aloud, "Take us in for a closer look, Tails!"

"Aye aye, Cap'n Rin!" Tails mocked saluted, and steered the Tornado towards the energy signal's direction.

It was odd things worked out sometimes.

Once the movie ended, Shirou expected that Illya would leave to ponder his invitation to join the alliance against Eggman. In fact, he had been counting on it. There was still grocery shopping to be done, and he couldn't do it if he had to entertain Illya all day.

What he didn't expect was for Illya to invite herself along. All told, it made for a louder shopping experience than what he was used to, as Illya kept trying sneak candy and other gourmet items into his basket. Luckily, Saber was there to try and keep Illya in line.

We probably look like parents taking their daughter on an outing, Shirou thought wryly as Saber and Illya's passive-aggressive bickering attracted stares. I should be thankful that Illya hasn't brought out Berserker to support her argument.

It WAS odd. Ever since they entered and left the theater, Illya had acted less like a Master and more like, well, a child. It was quite a contrast, but not necessarily a bad one.

As they left the marketplace, with arms full of bags, Shirou wondered about his next move. While he was glad that Illya hadn't acted out too much during the shopping, it was only a matter of time before she got impatient and possibly did something…intense. It was plain to see that she was waiting for Shirou to treat her a bit more.

Then he felt it. The warmth in his Mage Circuits building up…even though he wasn't performing Magecraft. It wasn't a powerful if he was, but he still felt the heat. He also felt that energy pulling at him, down an alley.

"Shirou, where are you going?" Saber asked.

Shirou didn't answer. He just kept walking. Saber and Illya exchanged confused looks and followed after him.

"Onii- Whoa! What's that?" Illya exclaimed.

It was a large golden ring, spinning silently in the air. Within it's hole was a void. And both Shirou and Saber exactly where that space led to. Sonic had told them all about it on his first night;

"Do you have any idea where these Chaos Emeralds are?" Saber asked.

Sonic shrugged. "Not a clue. But a good way to find them is to keep an eye out for giant rings."

"Rings?" Shirou asked, looking up from where he was putting down Sonic's futon.

"Ones big enough to fit a person," Sonic explained, "If you go into one, I guarantee you'll be in a special place where a Chaos Emerald is hiding- and if you make it to the end, you just might find it."

Shirou put his bags down. Without another word, he ran at the ring. He did not acknowledge the cries from either Saber or Illya. In that moment, nothing else matter. Something within him was telling that, above all else…he had to get inside!

"Shirou, stop!" Saber yelled, cursing herself for her hesitation. But before she could get to her Master, he dove into the ring's hole- and the both them, ring and Mage, vanished without a trace.

"H-hey, what's going on? Where did he go?!" Illya cried out, shaking with her eyes wide as Saber punched the ground in frustration. "Onii-chan!"

It was everything Sonic described and more.

Shirou found himself falling down a tunnel made of endless swirling colors. When his feet touched the floor, he was almost knocked off balance- the tunnel was moving backwards! It was a like a conveyor belt, and Shirou had to run to avoid being swept away. As he moved, words appeared in his mind. They were like the knowledge of Servants that were granted to him as a Master in the Holy Grail War. But instead of statistics and rankings, only one simple message came.

Collect 20 Rings

And there were rings, identical to the ones Sonic and Tails had. They were floating in the air, just waiting to be taken. And take them Shirou did, though it was tricky. Because of the Special Zone's properties, Shirou was unable to just stop and grab the Rings at his leisure. Instead, he had to snatch them as he ran by. Thankfully, his archery training gave him the eyesight he needed to properly time his hands. The ones that were higher up were a bit tricky, but by reinforcing his legs, Shirou was able to make the jumps necessary.

From what Sonic told me, I need to keep gathering Rings, or I'll be forced out, Shirou thought as he ran, Luckily, this seems to be a lot easier than what he described. Maybe Tohsaka's lessons just made me so good it just feels easy!

Shirou quickly found himself eating his words a minute later. Just as he received the message to Collect 40 Rings, something else appeared to go with the Rings.

Floating bombs. Lots of them. They were scattered all over the tunnel, gathered in either bunches or chains, forcing Shirou to swerve around awkwardly. He wasn't as coordinated as he hoped, and ended up brushing against one.

Boom!

The explosion wasn't as big as he thought it would be, but it still hurt. As Shirou fell over from the pain, tumbling as the tunnel's momentum carried him, and saw that he had dropped several Rings. Panicking, Shirou tried to reclaim the Rings and gather more, but kept running into more bombs. The Rings' power protected his body from damage, but Shirou couldn't recover them when they fell. Soon, a new message appeared in his mind.

You Failed

A bright light filled Shirou's vision…

"We're practically on top of the site!" Tails announced. "I'm gonna look for a place to land! Keep an eye out for a clearing!"

"Wait, let's stay in the air for now!" Rin yelled, "I want to make sure there aren't any Servants around!" Archer, can you see anything?

I do, Archer reported, I don't think the radar was picking up an Emerald. Look down.

Rin did so, and saw a blue blur zipping between the trees. Her first instinct was to think it was Sonic, playing a game of some sort- until she saw a second blur close behind.

"Well? What is it?" Tails asked.

"It's Sonic, and he's being attacked by Lancer!" Rin said, trying very hard to keep track of the action.

"Really?" Tails asked, and began to look down with wide eyes. "Man, he's fast!"

Archer, get down there and support Sonic! Rin ordered.

Wait, I have an idea. Archer replied, and took physical form while standing on top of the bi-plane's wings. The Tornado wobbled a bit from the sudden addition of extra weight.

"Whoa! Warn a guy before you do that!" Tails yelled as he wrestled with the yoke to stabilize the plane.

"Sorry, I won't take long," Archer apologized. I am the Bone of my Sword. Projecting his bow and a sword to fire, he said, "Call Sonic and tell him what I'm going to tell you- I've got a plan."

Lancer was hot on Sonic's trail, but trying to keep up with the Hedgehog was proving to be difficult. The closeness of the trees limited the room he had to wield his spear, and Sonic was clearly used to fighting in a forest. Sonic would zip out of sight into the shadows and launch attacks at Lancer whenever it seemed as if the spearman's guard was down. Luckily, Lancer was slowly getting the layout of the woods, and soon he would be able launch his own counterattack.

Let's see… Lancer thought, He suddenly darted off in this direction…but for what?

Lancer stopped next to a large tree. He had to treat this carefully. He didn't want to rush into a trap or ambush.

At that moment multiple bolts of energy shot down from the sky. Ordinarily, Lancer's Protection From Arrows ability would have defended him, but there was no need; None of the shots were going towards him!

It's gotta be Archer! Lancer thought, looking around in confusion. Dammit, Kotomine's gonna order me away from here any minute…but why isn't he aiming at me? That's never stopped him before…

Because of the multitude of shots raining down, Lancer didn't hear the ominous creak coming the large tree next to him, nor did her notice that the barrage was whittling away at the base of its trunk. He did hear Sonic yell "Timber!" over the noise, but when he turned his head, all he saw was a lot of lumber falling in his direction!

"Argh!" Lancer cried as the tree fell on top of him. Sonic was directly on top of the tree trunk, grinning as he crouched down.

"I'm not one for logging, but I can't say I don't like the results," The Hedgehog smirked, which fell as he felt the wood shake. "Uh-oh."

Sonic leapt off of the tree, just as it became a bunch of splinters. Lancer stood up, livid and with a few leafs in his hair. He shook some wood shards off of his spear's tip and lunged at Sonic, but immediately a something red came between the two of them.

"I'm tagging in," Archer said as he blocked Lancer's spear with his two swords.

"Butt out, Archer! This fight's between me and him!" Lancer yelled, and tried to go around the bowman. When Archer intersected his path again, Lancer said, "How'd you even get out here, anyway!?"

At that moment a faint buzz entered Lancer's ears. He glanced up and saw the red plane flying overhead. He looked back at Archer and saw a grin under that white hair.

"You're kidding me," Lancer said, "Since when did you have a plane!?"

"Since we needed to get out to the countryside and beat you," Archer said. He put on a smug smile to infuriate Lancer, but inwardly knew he couldn't play around. It would only be a matter of time until Kotomine forced Lancer to retreat. He would have to finish this up quickly before that happened.

"Sonic!" Archer yelled, "Keep an eye on Lancer and make sure he can't get away!"

Sonic nodded, and got into his 'about to run' stance. "You got it!"

"Woo-hoo!" Tails cheered, "Looks like they've got Lancer cornered! We're about to be down one magic ghost!"

"I hope so," Rin said, looking down. "Lancer's tricky. He pulled out during my first encounter with him, and did the same with Shirou and Saber."

Tails looked back at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Lancer's Master is cautious," Rin said, "He- or she- uses Lancer to get a feel for the opposing Servant's power before calling him back. Their strategy is probably to wait until most of the other Servants are killed before revealing-" Rin's words were cut off when the Tornado shook with a bang. "What the hell was that!?"

"Something hit us!" Tails yelled, and looked around.

Rin's eyes widened and she too began to search the skies. The idea that they might have attracted the attention of the Japan Air Defense Force hit her, and she began to sweat at the idea of a pilot reporting both her and Tails. But instead of the traditional planes she expected, something very foreign but very familiar could be seen in the distance. They weren't any aircraft Rin recognized. They looked more like…birds of some kind, an avian jet-plane hybrid of sorts. And they were coming their way!

"Tails! Something weird is heading our way at 4 o'clock!" Rin yelled, pointing.

Tails looked and blanched. "Those are Eggman's robots!"

Tails pulled at the yoke, and the Tornado veered away to avoid the robots. As the bi-plane righted itself, Tails spotted another squad of Balkiries flying in their direction. Growling, his thumb began to press down a red button on his console- only for an obnoxious beep to come out.

"What was that?" Rin asked.

"Uh, we've got a problem," Tails said nervously, "Remember how I said that the Tornado was all fixed?"

"Yes…" Rin said suspiciously.

"While I managed to get the wings back on and repair the engine…" Tails gulped, "I completely forgot about the weapons! We're flying without teeth!"

"What!?"

The Balkiries buzzed the Tornado again, shaking the plane with their gunfire. Rin shrieked, ducking down for as much cover as her seat could provide. Once the robots passed, she looked up and gave them the stink eye, trying to stave off her fear with righteous anger.

"I've had it!" She yelled, and reached into her bag of gems. "I'm sick and tired of all these…machines!"

Pointing, she waited until the Balkiries got closer and fired a Gandre. The spell struck one on the leftmost side of the squad, causing it to explode spectacularly. Unfortunately, Eggman had programmed his robots to take the possibility of one inexplicably blowing up into account and stayed in formation, adjusting their flight path enough to avoid the shrapnel. Nonetheless, Rin felt a small amount of satisfaction at the victory of Magecraft over machinery.

"Nice shot, Rin!" Tails cheered, "Get another one ready! I'll try to line us up!"

Rin grinned, and nodded. "Okay!" But as Tails began to spin and turn the Tornado into position, she felt her stomach lurch. Ugh…I hope included a barf bag...

However hard they were fighting, however fierce their battle was, Sonic and the Servants could still hear the explosion from above, and only had to look once to see the ensuing dogfights.

"Huh, more robots," Lancer muttered, "What are they doing out here?"

Archer groaned. "Considering that Eggman has Prana-detection technology, the real question is, what kept them?" And I thought this would be a slow day. Silly me.

"Oh man! Tails!" Sonic cried, and looked back at Archer. I gotta help them! That cool?"

Archer nodded. "Do your thing. I can handle Lancer on my own."

"Hey! Don't treat me like an afterthought!" Lancer shouted, annoyed. He then looked thoughtful. "What was that about a detector?"

Sonic ran over to a tree that had been partially uprooted and spoke into his communicator. "Tails, get down by my position, I'm taking the express and will be up there in a minute!"

Going into a Spin Dash, Sonic waited until the Tornado was flying 2towards him. Once the plane was close enough (Archer later asked how Sonic could tell while spinning, and got "Instinct" for an answer), released himself. With his amplified speed, Sonic shot up the tree like it was a makeshift ramp and flew into the air. Seeing him coming, Tails steered the Tornado so that Sonic could grab onto the landing gear. Once he had, Tails did a barrel roll, flipping the plane around so Sonic could hop onto the wings.

(Rin, meanwhile, held onto her seat and her tummy.)

"Welcome aboard, Sonic!" Tails greeted his friend, "Have a nice run?"

"I was, until Lancer showed up," Sonic said, and turned to look at the incoming Balkiries. "But I think some good 'ol fashioned 'bot-whuppin' might take the edge off!"

Sonic jumped at the Badniks and did a few Homing Shots. Once they were wiped out, he fell, landing on the Tornado's wings as Tails flew it underneath. As the dynamic duo exchanged a thumbs-up, Sonic noticed a green face in the back seat.

"Hey, Rin," Sonic said, giving the Mage a friendly wave. "First time in the air?"

Only her intense desire remain dignified by forcing the vomit down kept Rin from answering. Instead, she pointed over Sonic's shoulder and shot an incoming Balkiry with a Gandre.

"Nice shot." Sonic commented.

Working together, the three of them managed to clear the skies of robots remarkably fast. Down on the ground, Lancer and Archer continued to fight. Of the two, Lancer looked the most aggrivated.

"What's the matter, Lancer?" Archer asked tauntingly, "Running out of gas?"

Lancer snorted, "Ha! You wish. My cowardly Master is telling me to retreat. Again. Meanwhile, you guys get to fight other Servants and killer robots! The only person I get to fight is Sonic, and he always make a joke out of it!"

"Maybe you should consider changing your loyalties." Archer half-joked. He dimly recalled that in his own timeline, Lancer eventually turned at Kotomine, saving his and Saber from Gilgamesh at the cost of his own life.

Lancer rolled his eyes, though it was hard for Archer to tell as they exchanged blows. "Nice try, but I can't just swap sides because I feel like it- Not how I do things," Lancer said, and broke away from the duel. "You just tell Sonic to quit running away and face me for once!"

Lancer darted off into the part of forest untouched by Archer's barrage. Archer ran after him, disappating his swords and Projecting a bow. He fired a sword at Lancer, but the Servant had seen it coming and deflected it with his spear. Before long, Lancer was out of sight.

Archer sighed. Some things never changed. He heard a few more explosions and looked up at the air battle. And some things change too much. I wonder else is going to change?

Saber smiled triumphantly. "Victory is mine."

"Nooo!" Illya wailed, "How could I lose?" She pointed at the Servant with an accusing finger. "You must have cheated!"

"Being a sore loser is not becoming for a Master of the Einzbern family." Saber chided softly.

Illya puffed her cheeks out and sat down, her arms crossed and a cross expression on her face. On the TV set, the words, "GAME OVER: PLAYER 1 WINS" still flashed on and off. A request to "Try Again?" Watching all of this was Shirou, who just returned from cleaning the bathroom. Quite frankly, the whole scene looked like something out of a sitcom. Illya, whom mere days before had tried to kill them all, had invited herself for some tea. And then a bath (Illya had not-too-subtly requested Shirou's aid, but Saber preempted that by joining her). And before long Illya had become a dinner guest. While the white-haired child waited, her attention was drawn to the Sega Genesis Sonic hooked up, and the two girls began their contest. Shirou wondered if he should tell Saber to let Illya win once, to keep the tiny Master's Urge To Kill lowered.

"Then it's this stupid old console!" Illya said, throwing a tantrum. "The buttons on the controller stick, that's why I lost!" She stuck her nose in the air. "If we had been playing on my state-of-the-art Xbox, I would have whipped you!"

"You have an Xbox, Illya?" Shirou asked.

"Of course," Illya said, calming down. "As a member of the ancient and powerful Eiznbern family, all of the best things in life are mine to ask for," She looked around. "This is a nice place, Onii-chan, but compared to the family castle, it's rather…small."

Saber recalled the Einzbern's central castle, the main base for their Magecraft. Indeed, it was truly more impressive than the humble estate Kiritsugu purchased during the Fourth War. That place she had been summoned in, the castle's chapel, was certainly larger and more beautiful than the shed she appeared before Shirou in.

Larger…and colder.

"We even have a smaller castle just outside of Fuyuki, Onii-chan," Illya continued, smiling. "Hey! Maybe you can visit me sometime!"

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind," Shirou replied evasively, "But, thank you for your offer."

"But only you, Onii-chan!" Illya insisted pointedly. "You can't bring anyone else."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that, Illyaseviel," Saber said, "As a Servant, I must remain by my Master's side." I wonder if Irisviel's car is still there?

As the two girls began to passive-aggressively negotiate the terms of a potential visit to Castle Einzbern: Fuyuki branch, Shirou heard the doorbell ring. He quickly ducked out to answer the door; It was probably Sakura and/or Taiga. He briefly realized that he would have to figure out an excuse for Illya's presence within the minute-and-a-half it would take for to reach the door and return to the living room. Maybe he could claim that he was babysitting…

When Shirou opened the door, he found that it was neither his underclassman nor his teacher. In hindsight, neither of them would have used the doorbell. Instead, something far more terrifying stood on the doorstep.

It was Rin.

"Hello, Emiya-kun," She said, sounding a bit tired. "Sorry for dropping in without calling, but I thought we should have another meeting on what to do about Eggman."

"No, it's okay," Shirou lied. When Rin saw Illya, chaos would ensue. "But do you really think it's okay to do this by ourselves? Sonic went out earlier, and hasn't come back yet."

"He's with me," Rin said, taking off her shoes. "We bumped into each other while test-flying Tails' plane."

"What?" Shirou would have asked for more, but at that moment Sonic and Tails came in through the door.

"Welcome to Casa de Emiya," Sonic said, leading Tails around the two Mages. "'Sup, Shirou. Have a good day off? We didn't."

Before Shirou could do anything, the two outsiders zipped around a corner and were out of sight. He looked helplessly at Tohsakah, and was completely misunderstood.

"Sonic was attacked by Lancer and we had a run-in with some of Eggman's robots," She explained, walking down the hall. "Nothing as big as the ones he attacked the school with, but still annoying."

"Are you all right?" Shirou asked, trying to keep up. There was no delaying it, now. He could only hope to keep all sides from destroying themselves, and more importantly, the house…!

Rin shrugged, "We got through it. Lancer got away, though, and we almost had a run-in with the Air Force. Ugh, that Sonic was laughing all the way, too…I think he enjoys courting danger…"

That's when it happened. Rin walked right into the living room, and right in front of her was Illya, helping herself to a snack. The two enemies stared at each other for a solitary minute. No cacophony could be half as deafening as the silence the filled the minute. Once the sixty seconds were up, Rin turned to Shirou, her eyes full of hate and tears.

"She followed me home?" Shirou tried. If anything, his answer simply increased the fire in Rin's glare. The deceptive calm was broken by the sound of Illya biting into the apple with a loud crunch. Off to the side, Saber and Archer (Who materialized) stood still, but tense, ready to jump in if a fight broke out. All parties watched as Illya slowly chewed.

Before anything could happen, however, Sonic and Tails came in from the back yard.

"And this is where the living room, where I hooked up the…" Sonic trailed off when he saw Illya. She swallowed her food.

Tails gulped. "Uh, Shirou, Saber, did you guys defeat Illya and Berserker while we were out…or something?"

Illya looked at Tails in confusion before busting into laughter. "Teeheehee! Yeah, right! As if Onii-chan could beat me!"

"Yeah, good for you…" Sonic said, scratching his ear. "Yo, Shirou, can I have a minute?"

Sonic became a blur, and so did Shirou's vision. When everything returned to normal, Shirou found himself in Sonic's private room. The red-haired teen lurched, somewhat put off by the rapid motion.

"Look, I'm still kinda new to how things work around here," Sonic said, "Buuuut, where I come from, you don't invite your arch-nemesis to tea until after you've foiled their evil scheme."

"I'm trying to form an alliance with Illya," Shirou explained, "Remember what Tohsakah said last night, about the Masters of the Fourth War teaming up? I thought I could do the same thing now, to fight Eggman."

Two heroes, one actual and the other a wannabe, exited the room and began to walk back to the living room.

"Besides, I'm starting to wonder if Illya really is my enemy." Shirou went on.

"Isn't the same kid who had her pet muscleman cut you half?" Sonic asked.

"What I'm saying is, I think Illya doesn't really understand what good and evil is," Shirou replied, "She just…does whatever she wants."

"So this is one of those 'If I'm nice, maybe she'll become good' things?" Was Sonic's next question.

"…Do you think it would work?"

Sonic rubbed his chin. "Worth a shot, but the real question you need to ask is, 'What if it doesn't?'"

Just then, Saber came around a corner. When she saw the pair (More specifically, the part that held her Command Seals), her expression softened, though you had to look really hard to tell.

"There you are, Shirou," She said, sighing. "I have explained everything to Rin, Archer and Tails," Saber then fixed Sonic with a Look. "Sonic, please do not abduct my Master again."

Sonic pointed at the Servant and waggled his eyebrows. "I make no promises."

Saber rolled her eyes, though the edge of her lips twitched. Shirou suddenly felt a surge of jealously when he realized that Sonic had almost made Saber smile…outside of mealtime.

The three returned to the living room, and found that an uneasy calm had settled over its current inhabitants. Tails and Illya were playing a game on the Genesis (Tails was purposely losing), Rin was seated at the table with a cup of tea, and Archer was busying himself in the kitchen.

Shirou decided that it was best to get the worst over with. He sat next to Rin. "So…are you okay with…?"

Rin sighed, resigned. "No. I'm actually getting used to you doing suicidal things. And what do you plan to do when Illya decides she doesn't need to partner up with us?"

Shirou shrugged awkwardly. "We're back where we started, the two of us against her. Anyway, aren't you the one who keeps saying that our own alliance is only temporary? What this cooperation any different than the one between us?"

Rin grimaced and turned away, her cheeks with a trace of redness on them. Shirou found himself smiling. It wasn't often he got the last word in when talking to Rin.

Meanwhile, Sonic zipped over to where Archer was. After a moment, he retrieved a stool to better look the Servant in the face.

"Does Shirou know you're wearing his apron?" The Hedgehog asked.

"I'd thought I'd make dinner tonight," Archer explained, purposely ignoring the jab. "He's made some progress, but if Illya gets a bad meal because of Shirou's clumsiness, it'll all go to waste. I'm going to prevent that."

"I heard that," Shirou said, getting up. He sounded unusually cross. "And I'll be the one to make dinner. This is my house, after all."

"Please, with your sub-par skills, it'll be a miracle to get something edible," Archer replied. "This is too important to leave in your hands."

Shirou marched over, clearly intent on making Archer eat his words. The dramatic effect was ruined by his fourth step, whereupon Shirou slipped and almost fell over. "Almost" made possible by the quick reflexes of Saber. The blond Servant caught her Master, and helped him up.

"Girls, girls, please, you're both pretty!" Sonic said, waving his hands what must have been a peace-brokering gesture.

"Are you all right, Shirou?" Saber asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Shirou replied, and looked down to see what he slipped on. It was a book. Bending over, he picked it up and looked at the cover.

Kiritsugu

"Oh, that's my fault, sorry, man," Sonic said, "I was flipping through that album the other day and forgot to put it back."

Shirou didn't reply. Instead, he opened the book. Behind him, Saber looked around his shoulder to see what was so compelling about the small tome.

It was Kiritsugu. There were pictures of Emiya Kiritsugu covering the pages. They had little amusing captions, such as "Kiri and Shirou-chan at the festival" or Kiritsugu can't cook", but each one certainly featured Kiritsugu in one way or another.

But…it wasn't Kiritsugu. Not the one she remembered. That man had been a true Mage, coldhearted and completely focused on his goal. The man depicted in the photographs, however, wasn't. Carefree, relaxed, smiling…

"Wow, I haven't looked at this in ages…" Shirou said, flipping through the pages.

Rin, who had been interested in what Shirou was reading, came over to take a look. "Hmm? Who is that man, Emiya?"

"Huh?" Shirou glanced at his classmate. "Oh, this is Kiritsugu, my stepfather."

Off to the side, Illya let her controller fall to the floor. Slowly, she turned towards the gathered teenagers.

"Hey, uh, Illya, what's up?" Tails said awkwardly. He was ignored.

"So, this is the guy who raised you?" Rin asked, looking over Shirou's other shoulder.

"Yeah," Shirou said, "After he died, Fuji-nee put all of the photos we took together into a single album. I guess as a sorta memorial."

Shirou had been so transfixed on the pictures that he didn't notice Illya approaching him. She had walked around the three so she could be in front of Shirou. It was only when she reached out and tried to take the album did Shirou become aware of her presence.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, Illya. Did you want to look as well?" Shirou asked. Getting down on one knee, and held the album out so the diminutive Master could see. "This man here is the one who raised me. He saved my life during the Great Fire of Fuyuki, and after that adopted me,

"He…he was always kinda careless. He would just play around, and rarely took anything seriously. Sometimes he would leave the house for weeks on end, going to different countries…" Shirou trailed off when he heard a sniffle. Looking at Illya, he saw that tears were forming at her eyes.

(Saber, not for the first time, remembered that girl Kiritsugu played with in Germany)

"...Illya? What's wrong?" Shirou asked, worried. Illya was gripping the edge of the album

"Hey, Sonic!" Illya suddenly shouted. Everyone jumped slightly, and Sonic almost fell off of his stool. "Oni- Shirou told me that you and Tails are from another world!" She inhaled sharply. "What…what's it like? Is it better than our world?"

Sonic rocked back and forth on the stool. "Well, I'm probably biased, but I'd say there's no place like home. We've got a lot going for it. Hi-tech cities with flying cars, a floating island-" ("A floating island?" Rin whispered.) "-and my personal favorite, naturally-formed loop-de-loops everywhere.

"Now, I haven't seen much of this place, but I gotta say, I think it's got too many evil wizards running around. Also, I didn't see a single loop-de-loop while I was out."

That's something you could change with the Holy Grail, Rin. Archer suggested.

I'm not using the culmination of the Tohsaka Clan's efforts to fill the world with loop-de-loops. Was the immediate and flat reply.

I was talking about the evil wizards…

"But, all told," Sonic added, "The scenery's nice, and I do like the neighbors." And punctured this sentence by giving Saber and Shirou a 'finger-gun' point. Shirou smiled, which fell when he looked back at Illya. He eyes hadn't left one of the pictures of Shirou and Kiritsugu...the last one they took together before the latter's death. Concerned and a little confused, Shirou opened his mouth...

Rrrrrinnnng!

Only to have his voice drowned out by the ringing telephone. Getting up, Shirou picked up the reciever only to have the most grating noise invade his fragile eardrums.

"SHIROU!"

The red-haired Mage reeled back from the phone as the voice of Fujimura Taiga echoed in both his head and the rest of the house. The proceding incessant chatter certainly didn't help ease the pain.

"ShirouyougottagetoutandgettosafetyImeaniteveryonesindangerand-"

"F-Fuji-nee, please slow down, I can't understand a word you're saying!" Shirou cried into the phone, hoping that maybe his voice was heard. It must have, as Taiga's next statement, though still loud, was slightly more intelligible.

"There's robot on the loose! It's here, in the district!" She shrieked.

"What?!"

"I just got a call from Grandpa, the entire neighborhood is evacuating! You need to leave! And don't do anything stupid like trying to fight it!"

"All…all right, I understand. I won't," Shirou said, feeling a bit guilty for his dishonesty. "You be careful, too…" Shirou hung up. After a moment, he looked at everyone around him. He then noticed that Sonic was missing. "Hey, where's…?"

Tails' communicator beeped. The fox answered it. "Hello?"

"Yo, I'm up on the roof," Sonic said, "It's hard to tell in the dark, but I do see something big and unwieldy coming down the street."

Very faintly, the rest of the group could hear a slight crash in the distance.

"Annnnd it just knocked a street light onto someone's house."

"Are you kidding me?" Rin groaned, "Why do we have to deal with this now?"

"Why not?" Archer replied rhetorically, "With three Mages…well, two Mages and Shirou, along with Saber and myself, this house is like a huge beacon his detectors."

"We can discuss the robot's reasons for coming here at later convenience," Saber said, her armor materializing. "We must first deal with our attacker. Shirou, where's my helmet?"

"So, that's going to be a thing…" Shirou murmured. Saber had the decency to blush a little.

"W-well, I cannot risk my identity being exposed…" She said, looking away.

"Wait!"

Everyone looked down at Illya. She no longer looked like she was about to cry, but she still looked angry.

While it was technically a head shorter than Frankly, the robot marching down the street was still much larger than anything the neighborhood had seen, with the exception of that semi that unloaded "Perfectly Legal Merchandise" for the Fujimura Group. It had body structure that was similar to the Egg-Robos Badnik model Eggman had used to attack Angel Island's Sky Sanctuary, but had much thicker arms and legs. It's light green paint job was a large contrast to Frankly's for boding purple hue, and on each of its wrists was a fully armed blaster cannon.

E-4156 "Humpty"

Nobody noticed the pair of robots floating alongside its wake. Compared to Humpty's gait, they were like little dots, one red and one yellow.

"Now, we're almost near the site," Orbot told Cubot, "Let's try to keep things professional, all right? We go in, grab the Emerald, and then leave. No waiting for a news crew to show up."

"Then why did I bother putting on make-up?" Cubot asked, his eyes now adorned with false eyelashes.

"Please take those off."

As Cubot wiped his eyes, Orbot checked the device in his hands. It was circular in shape, had a computer screen showing a grid on top, and a drawing of Eggman's face on the bottom. A blinking dot appeared on the top of the screen.

"Hmm, according to this, a large energy source is approaching us," Orbot announced, "Someone must be carrying a Chaos Emerald."

"Hey, that's handy," Cubot commented, "If we get this done quickly, maybe we could have time to check out one of those karaoke bars without Eggman catching on."

"No, for the last time!" Orbot nearly shouted. This wasn't an new subject. "Those places charge an arm and a leg, the latter of which we weren't built to have. And you know I can't carry a tune…"

That was when Orbot bumped into Humpty's leg. The giant robot had stopped moving. Confused, the two robots poked their heads around its ankle. Up ahead, a small figure wearing a helmet stood in Humpty's way, a David to the robot's Goliath.

"Who is that?" Orbot asked.

Cubot gasped. "It's the Bug Queen!" His eyes narrowed as his vision did a zoom-in. "She looked taller on TV…"

That was a very accurate assessment. The person before them was about half the height of the lady who boldly challenged Eggman the previous day. Instead of the armored dress, this little girl had white dress with a purple shirt on, which looked even more incompatible with the Kamen Rider helmet she over her head. The long white hair blow gently in the wind.

The otherwise cool appearance was promptly ruined when the 'Mini Bug Queen' began to strike strange poses, like the model for a modern art class.

"You cannot come any further, evil ones!" The girl declared, her arms arched into a square as her legs bowed. "Or face my power!"

Humpy bent its head down at the tiny figure. Then, it looked up. As a machine built for war, conquest, and general mayhem, it didn't have the capacity to physical display emotions. And yet, somehow, there was definitely an air of "Why me?" being expressed in that one gesture. Looking back down, Humpty did a quick scan of Kid Bug Queen and came to this conclusion;

Subject's energy level: 439.52%_

Likelihood of having Chaos Emerald: 86.28%_

New object: Get 'er_

Humpy bent down and lunged at Kid Bug Queen. Rather than doing the rational thing and running away, the helmeted child made a sweeping gesture and pointed at the incoming robot.

"Berserker!"

On cue, a mass of grey, chiseled-from-rock muscles appeared and body slammed Humpty.

Several houses away, the group watched the face-off.

"You took her to the Kamen Rider movie, didn't you?" Archer said, giving Shirou a glance was equal parts amusement and exasperation. Shirou pointedly ignored him.

"So…we're just going to watch?" Sonic asked, "That's no fun."

"I'm more worried about what might happen if someone sees Illya," Tails commented, "I mean, wasn't keeping secrets a thing? That helmet's not much of a disguise."

"Illya already cast a Boundary Field the minute she stepped out into the street," Rin explained, "That'll make everyone in the neighborhood leave, and keep anyone else from coming back. Besides, this might be a good chance to observe her and Berserker some more."

"What could we learn about them besides 'Crazy strongman and girl from The Village of the Damned'?" Sonic asked, giving Rin the Raised Eyebrow of Incredulity.

Saber remained silent, as well as conflicted. Besides the slight irritation of having to give up her helmet to Illya (She wasn't done with it), there was also…something else. A slight, nagging uneasiness that continued to nip at her soul. One that started up every time Saber saw the Master of Berserker.

She's just a homunculus. Saber would tell herself.

She's the enemy. Saber would tell herself.

That child should be Shirou's age by now. Saber would tell herself.

But no matter what she did, how much she tried, Saber could not stop thinking about that young girl Kiritsugu played with. And those thoughts continued to create the fear.

Fear that the person Irisviel loved the most was all but certain to die.

Berserker continued to hammer at Humpty, never letting up for a second. The robot tried to use it's larger size to it's advantage, but the sheer onslaught of blows did not allow for it to happen. Berserker's attack had no elegance, like Saber, or was calculated like Archer, and it certainly lacked the playful energy of Sonic the Hedgehog. It was sheer rage, fueling an endless barrage of messy hacks.

Realizing that a change of tactics was in order, Humpty activated its rocket pack and launched into the air. This caused Berserker to stumble forward. Catching himself, the mad Servant glare up at the dark sky. Humpty landed further away, and aimed both of his arm-cannons at Berserker. It fired two missiles at the monstrous Servant, which struck him directly in the head.

Boom! Boom!

And out from the smoke came Berserker, who looked more-or-less unharmed, save for a few pieces of shrapnel stuck in his hair. The mad Servant bore down on Humpty, who wisely rocketed up and out of Berserker's path again. This time, Berserker wasn't quite so willing to patiently wait for the robot to come down. Turning on his heel, Berserker heaved his mighty stone sword at the rising machine, missing it entirely. (You try aiming when you're consumed by magically-imbued rag) Humpty landed on the other end of the street and fired more missiles. And Berserker again shrugged off the salvo, making another lunge at Humpty, who flew into the air again…

And while this went on, nobody noticed Orbot and Cubot, hiding behind a mailbox. Orbot was examining his computer, and Cubot was reading a volume of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

"You know, maybe we should have gone to the karaoke," Orbot considered, pushing buttons. He glanced out at the brute fighting Humpty, then at Kid Bug Queen. "I could be wrong, but there seems to be a link between that…thing and the little girl."

"You mean it's a Stand?" Cubot asked.

"I don't know, maybe we're in a dimension where those exist." Orbot admitted.

Cubot got a far away look in his eye. "…That is so cool."

Meanwhile, Berserker was getting angry at the repetitive nature of the battle. Granted, he was always angry, but Humpty's continued insistence on keeping its distance and firing (Useless but annoying) missiles drove that angry the deeper and hotter. The after taking another missile to the face, Berserker didn't just watch as Humpty inevitably rocket away. Instead, he leapt up, and grabbed one of Humpty's legs. The sheer weight of Berserker's muscles caused him to pull the leg right off, leaving Humpty with only it's right leg remaining. It landed awkwardly a fair distance, and tried to fire another more missiles. But it was that moment that Berserker's sword came falling out of the sky and clunked the robot directly on the head. Humpty's was knocked off-balance and the second missile went astray.

"Incoming!" Tails hollered as the projectile tumbled their way.

Saber whipped out her sword, but Archer was already in action. Jumping up, he held up his hands and began to invoke a spell.

"Trace On. Rio Atlas."

A giant, magnificent shield with a pattern like a multi-leafed clover suddenly materialized in front of Archer's body. The missile struck it dead on, exploding spectacularly.

"Neat." Sonic commented.

"I'll be signing autographs later." Archer said, landing.

"I meant the missile."

The battle between magic ghost and machine was going in a different direction at that point- down. Berserker managed to tackle Humpty and was currently, and repeatedly, pounding away at it. Over and over, the Heroic Spirit of Herakles slammed his stone sword into the robot, never letting up. Humpty tried to blast him away with a point-blank missile, but the minute the machine raised his arm, Berserker just ripped it off and threw it into an abandoned house.

After that, the battle was over. What followed was nothing more than a brutal, ridiculously over the top demolition as Berserker proceeded to rip, smash, and pound Humpty's metal body into unrecognizable scrap.

Orbot and Cubot watched in horror at the sight of this brutality.

"…Y'know what? I think we've investigated this area to our satisfaction." Orbot decided, shaking.

"Yeah, let's ditch this and hit the karaoke bar!" Cubot gulped, and the two of them hovered away, unseen by all.

Berserker's merciless carnage continued for several minutes after that. Then, a little voice cried out.

"Berserker, stop!"

Panting, Berserker stood up. He looked down at Illya, standing next to him, still wearing the helmet. With inexplicably synchronized movements, Master and Servant struck a pose straight out of Kamen Rider. A cell phone floated out of Illya's pocket and took a picture. It was immediately snatched out of the air by a Blue Blur.

"Cute," Sonic commented, "Something for the scrap book?"

Illya grinned cutely and took off the helmet as the rest of the group ran up.

"Not bad, huh, Onii-chan?" Illya asked, shaking her hair out. "That's how a Master and Servant destroy a robot! Fast, complete, and absolutely no witnesses."

Saber grimaced. That last part had clearly been directed at her. Besides her, Archer just crossed his arms.

"I wonder about that," The white-haired Servant said, "Your Boundary Field keeps people from seeing what happened inside of it, but some people did see the robot enter the Boundary Field."

Illya's smug smile dropped. "Uh…"

"Someone's eventually going to ask where the robot went, and what created the pile of scrap over there," Archer continued, "Not to mention the question of what messed up the street will go unanswered."

Everyone looked back and forth at the huge craters Berserker made in his fight. It looked like someone had taken a very large corkscrew to the pavement. They looked to Berserker, who narrowed his eyes in a way that was very unsettling. Therefore, the group looked to Illya, whose eyes were less unsettling by comparison.

Illya looked comfortable. "Wait, so…you mean…"

Archer nodded. "That's right. You're going to have to clean this up."

"…Nuts."

TO BE CONTINUED

Tiger Dojo

Taiga: All your base belongs to us! Tiger Dojo has taken over! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga!

Illya: And the Number One Student is the True Route's Heroine, Illya! Welcome to the show!

Taiga: You're feeling pretty smug right now, aren't you?

Illya: You bet I am. Not only did I get to go on a date with Onii-chan, but I finally got to fight one of Eggman's robots. It felt great! But, you know…

Taiga: Hmm? What is it?

Illya: Humpty, Frankly, Arms…the author given Eggman's robots some weird names.

Taiga: Eh, actually, the author didn't make those up. According to this official statement, he's trying to be as close to source material as he can, so…

Illya: Wait, so Eggman really did give his robots those names? Yeesh!

Taiga: No more delays! We must now answer questions. Our first one comes from Thunder Dragon; "How did Avenger sneak up on Amy and Bazzet and snatch The Chaos emerald practically from their finger tips?"

Illya: Oh, that's a bit of a spoiler, but Avenger being able to sneak up on people has to do with the fact that he's part of the Shadow bound to Sakura. And Matou Zouken created that Shadow by using mud from the incomplete Fourth Grail. Before papa had Saber destroy it, that Grail had absorbed all of the then-Servants except for Saber and Archer. As Avenger showed afterward, he apparently has the power of those Servants buried within them.

Taiga: Like Asassin's Presence Concealment?

Illya: Yes. However, I wonder what else he'll be able to do once he absorbs that Emerald's power…

Taiga: So very foreboding. Now, read us the next question!

Illya:Our next question comes from Alena-san. She writes, "Dear Tiger-Dojo, what kind of Servant would Sonic be if he was summoned as a Heroic Spirit?"

Taiga: Ooh, that sounds interesting! A Servant's class depends on what kind of abilities and personality they have. Let's see, he drove a car during the racing games, which means he could be a Rider, or a Saber, since he got to be a knight once…

Illya: Personally, I think Sonic would be better suited as a Lancer, with his Hit-and-Run tactics.

Taiga: Don't tell Lancer that. He might take offense. In any case, our time has come to an end! Until next time, keep practicing, my students!