Chapter 13: Worth a Chance

As he clutched the book, Shinji's mouth twisted into a horrible smile. After countless hours of searching, he finally found what his needed. Not even the weight of Orbot and Cubot hanging over his shoulders could ruin the moment.

"'Homunculus'," Orbot read, and asked, "Are you suggesting that the Holy Grails is connected to one of these constructs?"

Shinji nodded, unwilling to vocalize his affirmation. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, all that would come out would be a laugh better suited for supervillains of children's anime.

"Lessee…" Cubot murmured, and began to read the passage. "'….and with the destruction of the homunculous, this Holy War has ended before it even began. I begin to question the Einzberns' insistence on making the Grail's Container a living creature…' Does that mean the Holy Grail is hidden in a person?"

"I….think it's more probable that the homunculous becomes the Grail, if what we've read earlier is accurate," Orbot considered, "We'll need to inform Dr. Eggman…" He patted Shinji on the head. "Good work, Shinji."

"Yeh, good Shinji." Cubot said, doing as Orbot.

And as slightly irritating their actions were, Shinji felt a small glow of pride. This was probably the first time anyone had seriously applauded his actions and accomplishments. Before, the most he had gotten for his forays into the family library were be admonishments for wasting his time, mostly from Zouken.

But it was still annoying. "Cut that out," Shinji said testily, knocking both robots from his shoulders. They landed on the floor with simultaneous clunks, retracting into their compact modes to reduce impact. While Orbot was able to right himself with a smooth roll, Cubot wasn't as quick. Having landed on his face, his attempts to flip his blocky form were less than graceful. As he moved, he noticed something lurking in the dark corner of the library, virtually unseen unless your eyes happened to be on the floor.

"Hey, What's that?" Cubot pointed at the large eye staring back at him.

…Five minutes later, while Orbot and Cubot pretended to be bookends, Shinji was explaining to his grandfather what exactly had put a hole in the library ceiling. The floor was littered with books, pages, and and books that very recently lost their pages.

"…And then it just ripped its way into ceiling!" Shinji finished, sounding a bit hysterical.

"But what did it look like?" Zouken asked, deeply agitated. Inside, he was torn. Part of him was disgusted at Shinji's wailing, especially after his actions outside. There was also a great deal of fury boiling within, rage that his home's defenses had been penetrated so deeply. It was a blow to whatever pride he held as a Mage.

"Like… I dunno, like some kind of star-shaped leech-thing, with a giant eye in the center." Shinji glanced up at the hole in the ceiling, clearly worried that the creature would come back for Round Two.

Zouken ignored Shinji's nervous twitching to focus on his own musings. If what Shinji said was remotely accurate, then the creature that escaped from the library was a familiar similar to the nightmarish creatures the Caster from the Fourth War summoned. And the only who could bring one of those freaks back into the world was Avenger.

I can't let this go on, Zouken thought angrily, I must regain control over the Shadow…by any means necessary.

Zouken's gnarled features twisted into a wicked smirk. An idea came to him. The only reason Avenger was acting out was due to the weak will of his Master.

Perhaps it is time I gave Sakura a remedial lesson in what it means to be a Master… the ancient Mage thought sinisterly.

"Okay, I'm gonna put the last board down," Shirou instructed, "Ready with the hammer and nails?"

Sonic nodded. "Yo!"

As Sonic hammered nails into the shed's new floor, Shirou found himself reviewing everything that had happened.

After Taiga had been sent to the hospital, Illya took her own leave.

"When you are ready to take the fight to Caster, please do not hesitate to invite me," She had said, "I will be waiting in my castle for you, Onii-Chan!"

It was possible that the threat Caster posed while possessing a Chaos Emerald had motivated the tiny Master into taking a more direct role in the upcoming battle. And it was good that she left when she did, Shirou did not want to share the contents of the shed's secret chamber. While retrieving the yellow Chaos Emerald, Shirou found other items as well, hidden there by Kiritsugu. There were objects used for Magecraft, and other things as well, such as papers on seismic predictions.

The most alarming were the guns. And the special bullets designed to destroy a target's ability to use Magecraft. Shirou really didn't want anyone else to find these weapons, and conspired to repair the floor to hide them.

That was when Sonic, Tails, and Rin showed up. They too, were alarmed to hear what had transpired, and what Shirou had found. While Tails and Rin went over the files, Sonic helped Shirou fix the shed and brought him up to speed (Ha ha) on Archer's defection. Shirou was both angered and disappointed to hear how easily the bowman had abandoned Rin. It brought back bad memories from the Fire, of how Shirou was forced to ignore the dying people to save himself…

But everyone was elated to hear how Shirou saved Taiga. Rin was stunned to learn that Shirou could duplicate Caster's Noble Phantasm with his Projection spell. However, her emotions did a complete turnaround after she had read the files.

"Emiya, what the Hell was going on in your father's head?" She demanded, marching up to him.

"What are you talking about?" Shirou asked.

Rin shook one of the papers. "If I understand this," She said, her voice hard. "Your step-dad was trying to disrupt the leylines of Fuyuki!"

"How's that again?" Sonic asked, done hammering. He sat next to Shirou and rested against the wall.

Tails hovered by Rin's shoulders. "The files are a bunch of calculations and seismic reports on the area," he explained, "From what we can gather, the late Mr. Emiya might have been trying to artificially instigate an earthquake with some applied explosives."

"Wait, a quake?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, his tone worried. "How big of a quake?"

Tails shrugged. "Well, I'm no seismologist, but it doesn't seem like it would have adversely affected the city structure. And not for another few decades, at least."

Shirou felt a sense of relief. For a moment, he thought that his savior was a closet terrorist. But then he saw the look in Rin's eye and became worried.

Rin sighed. "You don't get it, do you, Emiya-kun?" She asked, "There's a reason why the Holy Grail War has always taken place here in Fuyuki; The leylines in the landscape. The flow of power allows the Grail to recharge so it can summon Servants into the real world. But if your dad's crazy scheme works, that flow will be altered, and possibly destroyed forever.

"Emiya Kiritsugu was trying to destroy the Holy Grail War!"

And just like that, it all made sense. Ever since the beginning of his involvement in the War, Shirou had wondered why his foster father, a Mage, had not told him of the annual contest that shook the city. If Kiritsugu had invoked a plan to end the Grail Wars, and if it seemed probable that the plan would succeed, such warnings would be unnecessary. And judging from Rin's reaction, if word got around that Kiritsugu was working on such a project, other Mages would have taken…unpleasant action.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Sonic noted, rocking slightly. "I don't think this city can handle another Magic Ghost War."

Rin groaned, palming her face. She was sorely tempted to lecture all of them about the importance attaining the Holy Grail held for Mages. But she knew that when it came to proper Mage ideology, she was the odd man out.

"Look, we can't mention this when we go to Illya's tomorrow," She said at last, "The Einzberns have been seeking the Holy Grail even before there's been a War. There's no telling how they'll react if they find these files."

"I'll put them someplace safe, Rin," Shirou offered, "Leave it to me."

Rin sighed, and handed the papers over. Shirou decided that the best place for these files was a special compartment in his bedroom, which held other…reading material.

"What about the guns?" Sonic asked, glancing at the repaired shed-floor. "You okay just leaving 'em in there?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, it's not like I can take them with me for now. And if I turn them into the police, I wouldn't be able to explain where I got them. Do you not like guns, Sonic?"

Sonic shrugged dismissively. "Eh, never been a fan," he smirked. "Bullets aren't fast enough."

Shirou rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Sonic's casual arrogance was, in a way, uplifting.

Sonic then frowned. "Seriously, though, guns are dangerous. Unless you've been secretly practicing to be a quick-draw expert, I wouldn't mess around with them."

"Besides, it's not like guns are going to be much help against the kind of people we're fighting," Rin pointed out, "Emiya, you're too much of a softy to consider using lethal force of Masters, and both Servants and Eggman's robots will be immune to normal bullets."

Eggman's robots, perhaps. But Shirou hadn't told Rin about the Origin Bullets. And he was curious to wonder what would happen if a bullet designed to destroy Magecraft struck a being whose existence was entirely due to Magecraft.

Sonic stood up and stretched his arms. "Let's call it a night. Between fighting evil priests and conspiracies, I've hit my limit. We can go to Illya's tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like a plan." Tails agreed while Shirou and Rin exchanged looks. Sonic had told them his suspicions that Kotomine had more influence over Lancer's actions. While Rin had her doubts, Shirou decided that after they saved Saber (And the rest) from Caster, they should better investigate the priest's activities.

Provided Dr. Eggman didn't launch another attack in the meantime…

"What the heck are these things?" Dr. Eggman demanded to no one in particular. Before him lay the contents of the latest Egg Pod shipment. Thankfully, Eggman was on the other side of a thick forcefield, and thus protected from the squishy maws of evil mutant starfish.

"Computer!" Dr. Eggman ordered, pointing at the starfish. "Do a full scan of these creatures and provide me with the data, post-haste!"

The next few minutes were filled with beeping as a blue light shined over the containment room. Finally, a bell rang, and a nearby monitor lit up. Eggman turned to examine the data readout.

"Hmmm, mostly comprised of negatively charged energy…sounds a bit too much like Dark Gaia for my tastes," Eggman murmured thoughtfully, stroking his mustache. "But, unless someone forgot to report the planet shattering on the news, I'm sure it's just an unnerving coincidence."

"Sir, who are you talking to?"

Eggman whirled around. On another terminal was an image of Orbot. In the background was Cubot and Shinji. The three of them were apparently in some dusty old library. Shinji was painting Cubot for some reason.

"Never mind that," Eggman grumbled, "Do you have anything to report?"

"Well, according to Shinji, the power of the Holy Grail requires a living being to manifest," Orbot explained, "It's apparently an artificial human created by another family of wizards. Judging from the description in the book, there may be a chance that the Master of Berserker may be this conduit."

Eggman stroked his mustache again. "Not a bad way to rig the game. But if this Master is killed, the Grail will be lost, won't it?"

"Yes, that was mentioned quite a bit," Orbot commented, "According to one book, in its 500-year history, not once has anyone achieved a wish from the Grail. I think a more durable form of container may be required."

"Durable, eh?" Eggman crossed his arms and drummed his fingers in thought, "I think I can manage that. You three work on finding that little… Grail-Girl Master. Radio me once you have her location and I'll send a sub-boss to retrieve her. Eggman out!"

"But-"

Eggman cut off the communicator. The screen was replaced with a radar map. It showed the high school. There was a large circle helpfully labeled "ENERGY SURGE LOCATION". A dot, labeled "E-3872", was on route towards the source.

"-We already know where she lives." Orbot finished as the connection went dead. He sighed.

"Well? What did he say?" Shinji asked, applying one last brushstroke to Cubot.

"He's very pleased with our efforts, and gave us the rest of the day off," Orbot lied, "What are doing to Cubot?"

"Life is pain…" Cubot moaned, having embrace his new gothic paint job.

"Oh, shut up, this stuff washes right off," Shinji berated, then to Orbot said, "Tonight's the night Grandpa trains Sakura in Magecraft. They always do it in one of the estate's underground chambers and lock the doors, so I'm going to have Cubot…"

"Wait, I thought your family couldn't do magic." Cubot interrupted.

"She's adopted," Shinji growled, "Anyway, I want you to go down there and watch what happens. I'll need to know how to practice Magecraft when I get it myself. As long as you don't move or make a sound, no one will notice you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Cubot asked, "What if I see things my electronic eyes won't comprehend?"

"Wouldn't be the first time…" Orbot remarked as he put some books back on a shelf.

Shinji forced his eye not to twitch. "Just tell me what happened, all right? Let me worry about comprehension."

Cubot shrugged. "Well, when you put it like that, okay. What's the harm?"

Shinji grinned malevolently, and this time did not stop his eye from twitching.

"Okay, what the heck happened here?" Amy asked, looking over at all of the bones.

Amy Rose and Bazett McRemitz had just arrived at Homurahara Academy to investigate the huge spike of Prana Bazett had sensed. But when they arrived at the school, the fighting was over. As usual.

Bazett held up a bone and inspected it. From what she could gather, the bones had been animated as an offensive familiar- Dragon Tooth Warriors -but from what she could gather, they hadn't been infused with the surge of power. Apparently, they had been conjured before the Mage had received their upgrade.

"There was definitely a battle between Servants." Bazett commented, throwing the bone down.

"Who do you think won?" Amy asked.

"It's impossible to say," Bazett remarked, "When a Servant dies, their body dissolves into nothing. If their Master managed to escape, they could seek protection from the Overseer…"

"But that guy's evil, right?" Amy finished, "I still think we should see if we can take another crack at him."

Bazett secretly agreed. However, the blond man who interfered the first attempt was still there. From what Bazett could gather from her familiars, he had either lived with Kotomine in the church, or was such a good friend that he visited everyday. Either way, Bazett didn't like their chances without a Servant. But the only way to get her Servant back was to kill Kotomine!

Amy's ears then twitched. "I think I hear a car. Quick, hide!"

The two girls ran into the abandoned school building. They were just inside when an unmarked van drove up. The doors opened up and out came figures wearing what looked like fission suits, carrying odd equipment.

"Who are those guys?" Amy asked at a whisper, "They don't look like robots. Are they aliens?"

"No, I think they're human." Bazett replied, praying she was right. This situation was confusing enough. The last thing she wanted to accept was an alien invasion on top of rampaging demons, killer robots and corrupt priests.

Meanwhile, the uniformed newcomers mulled about, occasionally picking up bones for inspection. Those that weren't were waving their instruments around at everything within range.

"Weird…according to these new instruments R&D made from the robots, there was a huge energy emission. These…bones all have traces of it. But our Geiger counters can't pick up anything at all." One agent said, "Whatever this energy is, it's not radioactive."

"Just load the bones into the truck," Another agent said, "The guys at the lab can do a full examination. Our job is to search the area."

As bones were packed up and sealed in containers by some agents, other agents continued to scan the area. One scanner began to beep wth more volume than before. Everyone looked at the agent carrying it.

"I'm getting a new signal," They reported, and pointed. "According to this, it's coming from over there."

Even with Reinforced ears, Bazett had trouble hearing what the agents were saying. However, with Reinforced eyes, she could see that one of them were pointing towards her and Amy's hiding spot. She swallowed and prepared her Magecraft. She was about to warn Amy, but saw that the pink Hedgehog had already taken out her Hammer.

"Look! Up in the sky!" Amy hissed pointing.

Bazett turned her gaze towards the heavens. She saw the huge object falling just before it hit. The robot landed on the ground, causing a shockwave that nearly knocked the van over, but definitely knocked everyone else off of their feet.

It looked like the freakish hybrid of a totem pool and an artillery stand. It was divided in three sections, with a pair of giant cannons on top and bottom. The cannons swiveled about, clearly looking for a target.

E-3872: Dynamight

Both ends of the top barrels stopped moving once they were fixed on the government van.

"Maybe it's friendly?" One of the agents asked hopelessly.

A second later, the van exploded as two mortar shells fired from the top-cannons impacted into it. Agents and soldiers dove for cover as shards of burnt metal and bones flew over their heads.

"Never mind it's not friendly!" That same agent shrieked as he kissed the dirt.

"Let's go, Bazett!" Amy yelled, charging out from her hiding place.

"Amy, wait!"

But it was too late for Bazett. Hammer in hand, Amy threw herself at the battle. Dynamight fired another pair of mortars at the government crew. Just when it seemed like one might obliterate a man, Amy rushed up and delivered a swat that would make Wimbledon proud, smacking the mortar away. The wayward shell collided with its sibling, creating a loud explosion that lit up the sky.

"Hey! You guys okay?" Amy asked.

"Oh my God…" The agent breathed, "A female version of Sonic the Hedgehog! Are you his little sister?"

Amy gave the man an annoyed look. "Sister? Heck, no!" She slung her hammer over her shoulders and winked. "I'm his girlfriend!"

Bazett groaned, palming her forehead. She really wished Amy would settle down for once. While it would have been tragic on some level if the agents had been killed, it would have been worse overall if any of them took those scraps leftover from the War battle. Bazett had a suspicious feeling that the gap between Magecraft and mundane technology was closing with every wave of robots Dr. Eggman sent into the city.

I'd better get to work hypnotizing those people, the Enforcer thought as she began to move, This would be a huge pain if one of them reported back…

Meanwhile, the battle of Amy Rose vs Dynamight was in full swing. The pink hedgehog was no stranger to hit-and-run tactics, and right now that was the proper course of action. Dynamight would fly in the air for periods of time, firing mortars from its barrels in order to blast Amy into oblivion. Amy would naturally dodge the shells, and once when it seemed like a good time to, try and knock a mortar back at the robot. Sometimes the redirected mortars would collide with other mortars (BOOM!), but occasionally one lucky shell would hit Dynamight. Amy did her best to aim whatever mortars she could hit back at the robot, but it wasn't easy while Dynamight was in motion. Luckily, Dynamight would land to cool its jets now and then. Whenever it did, Amy would throw herself at the robot and begin whaling on it with her hammer. She typically targeted the midsection, but would occasionally hit the lower cannons if she got the chance.

"Take that! And that! And that!" Amy would yell with each hit.

Glad she's enjoying herself. Bazett thought as she performed hypnosis. While casting the spell had been child's play (She made the government workers think that there was nothing at the high school, and they had to flee when the robot showed up), actually making sure they couldn't leave before she could do so was a different matter. The agents were scattered all over, and Bazett had to run with Reinforced legs in order to catch them all. This wouldn't have been so bad, except the government crew was completely scattered all over the place. And after one saw her cast her spell, the others would keep themselves away from Bazett as well they could. While her Magecraft helped close the gaps in easy time, it grated on Bazett's nerves how difficult her job had become.

Clock Tower should come up with a Boundary Field that keeps people in, Bazett thought bitterly as she sent another agent off. Would certainly make things easier now.

"Bazett! Look out!" Amy's yell pulled Bazett out of her thoughts- and just in time. A wayward mortar was flying in her direction!

Bazett dove out of way, an the force of the explosion as the shell erupted on the ground carried her further. The experience was more than a little harrowing. Like most (All) Mages, Bazett had a dim view of modern weapon. This experience had changed that opinion within a second. Now Bazett wanted to buy a bullet-proof vest.

After rolling to a stop, Bazett turned to see how Amy's personal fight against Dynamight was going. The robot's midsection had apparently been destroyed, but now, both the bottom and top halves were flying! They fired mortar shells at random, pocketing the school grounds with medium-sized craters.

"Doesn't this thing run out of ammo!?" Amy shouted as she dodged and darted around mortars and explosions.

Bazett charged at the robot. Leaping into the air, she delivered a Reinforced roundhouse kick and struck the metal hull as hard as she could. She landed back on the grass and winced, shaking the attacking leg. Unlike the various Badniks they had caught wandering around the city, this robot's body was made of a stronger alloy. Thankfully, her runes allowed herself a large measure of protection.

Bazett didn't have much time to rest, as one of Dynamight's halves swooped down and crush her with one of its cannons. She dodged it by means of a tumble, righting herself immediately. Once Bazett was up, she bore witness to a feat that would have been impossible for a non-Mage to pull off. Namely, the pink Hedgehog charged directly at an incoming mortar, but instead of swatting it away, she swung her hammer down, catapulting her up towards the Dynamight half. As she flew through the air, Amy swung her hammer around and struck Dynamight as hard as she could. Her blow connected with one of the cannons, knocking it in half. This apparently disrupted the airborne 'bot's balance, causing it to wobble about wildly.

As she landed on the ground, Amy yelled, "I think we've got this one on the ropes! Help me finish it off, then we can work on the other part!"

Bazett nodded, and abandoned her battle to assist Amy. Out of the corner of her eye she may have spotted something purple, but instantly filtered it out. They had more pressing matters to attend to.

Pumping as much of her Prana as her Runes could handle, Bazett charged at the wobbling Dynamight half. The robot fired a mortar at the two girls in retaliation, but the shot missed due to the aim being off balance. This wayward shell collided with another blast fired by the other Dynamight half, causing a fantastic explosion that sent shrapnel flying everywhere. As Amy deflected shards with her hammer, Bazett continued her assault on the off-balance machine. Leaping up, she delivered a powerful ax-kick on the top that briefly caused Dynamight half-B (As later dubbed by Amy) to buckle a bit. Before Bazett could deliver another blow, Dynamight-B shook her off, while Dynamight-A swooped at the two girls. One of the A-half's cannons struck Bazett, but the Irishwoman shook it off as she landed. Amy, meanwhile, continued to assault Dynamight-B, swinging her hammer as she charged. Leaping up, she slammed the hammer up onto the underside of B-half.

That did it. The machine began to spark and vibrate, before exploding wildly.

"One down!" Amy cheered, pointing a finger towards the sky. "And one to…"

"Get down!" Bazett dove at Amy and pushed her to the ground. Several mortars flew over their heads, exploding in the ground not to far away. The remaining Dynamight section was now flying around faster than before, firing its cannons repeatedly.

"It's going berserk!" Bazett yelled over the explosions.

It seemed like Dynamight wouldnt stop firing until ran out of ammunition, or until the school became mess of craters.

Before either could happen, a flash of purple streaked through the air. It colided with Dynamight, sending it spinning. The bright blur did a U-turn and struck at Dynamight again, and an ethreal figure suddenly appeared in the air. Tumbling gracefully downward, the being thrust a line of some kind into the barely-functioning machine. And then, while still in mid-air, they pulled the line down, sending Dynamight's remaining component crashing into the ground. As the robot let out an explosive death throes , the figure landed before it, becoming a silhouette amid the flashing light.

Amy and Bazett kept tense as the shapely figure strode towards them, never giving smoldering heap behind her a second glance. Not that she could have seen anything with that blindfold on. Her long, purple blew in the wind like a flag.

"Uh oh," Amy muttered, "She's looks kinda like that sex fiend they mentioned on the news- Y'know, the one assaulted the girls here?"

"She's a Servant," Bazett explained quietly, "She was probably feeding off of their Mana those times."

So why was she approaching them? Bazett wasn't a Master anymore. At the moment. Did this Servant's Master connect her to Lancer, and had not realized that connection had been stolen? Or was the Servant simply hungry for Mana?

"I am the Servant Rider," The woman introduced, "And I would like your help."

"Did your Master send you?" Bazett asked cautiously. She took a step, subtly putting herself between the Servant and Amy.

Rider shook her head. "No, I am acting of my own will."

"Look, thanks for helping us with the robot, but why should we help you?" Amy demanded, "You were hurting just as many people as the Badniks do."

Rider looked intently at Amy. As intently as eyes shielded by a cloth are able. "For all the Mana that I drained, I never killed anyone. But Unless something is done, the entire city may be destroyed…and Magecraft revealed."

"What are you talking about?" Bazett asked.

"There's this….creature…" Rider paused, as if searching for a better word. "It appeared the day before Dr. Eggman attacked the school here. It is feeding off of my Master. If something is not done, my Master will die."

"And how does that threaten the city?" Bazett asked, suspicious.

"With the Prana it's absorbing, I think it is creating the creatures that have been sighted recently," Rider explained, "If this continues, they'll overrun the city."

"Creatures…? Hey, do they- Umph!" Amy couldn't say more with Bazett covering her mouth.

"Why come see us?" Bazett asked. While she too had seen the connection between this thing of Rider's and Avenger's powers, she didn't want to give everything away just yet. "Why not form an alliance with one of the other Servants?"

"I…cannot trust the other fighters in the War," Rider said, "They may take actions that threaten the interests of my Master."

Amy pushed Bazett 's hand from her mouth. "So what makes you so sure you can trust us?" The pink Hedgehog asked, "What if we decide we don't want to help your boss?" To Bazett she whispered, "The Master let Grape-head here attack people! What if she's a bad guy too?"

Rider, with her honed senses, heard Amy's hushed concerns. But she wasn't bothered. She had a trump card. Smiling, she said, "You'll help me, because I have something you want.

"I know where Sonic the Hedgehog is."

Sonic moved like lightning, complete with the slight rumble as he breached the barrier of sound. And yet, he had just enough control over himself to expertly catch Rin when she had fainted.

Earlier, Rin decided that she reeaaally wanted to examine the Chaos Emerald Shirou found. The warning Shirou gave her about the potency of its power only heightened her curiosity, and his trepidation simply motivated her further. After numerous bruising to her ego (Rin and 99.99999% of Clock Tower would have called it a Mage's Pride), Rin leapt at the chance to prove herself superior to Shirou at something. Especially if that thing was Magecraft.

However, Rin's superior control of Prana nearly proved to be her downfall. Her senses were so honed that the minute she touched the jewel's surface, the energy spike nearly caused a cardiac arrest. Thankfully, this shock also caused Rin to drop the Emerald, sparing her from a total overload.

"Rin-!" By the time Shirou was even a step forward, Sonic was already lying his classmate on the floor.

"She's okay, now," Sonic assured, "But I think I know what caused your, uh, accident on my first night here."

Shirou nodded, a bit shaken. He had figured that out himself when he found the gem. Being in such close proximity, and underneath the magic circle he used to train himself, must have set up a connection that caused the power to flow and overwhelm him.

Rin stirred, then groaned, as she sat up. "That was...something else."

"How do you feel, Rin?" Tails asked, concerned.

Rin sighed. "I...I can't explain it. But now I know why Caster was so confident. With one of these in her hands...no wonder she thinks she can get the Grail without winning the War."

Shirou was about to ask what Rin meant by that, when he heard the door open. He realized that it was almost time for dinner. Which meant that the person coming in was...

"Senpai? Are you here?" Sakura's soft voice called out. There was a slight tremble to it.

Shirou heard a rush of air that told him Sonic had gone into hiding. And it looked like he had taken Tails with him. Good, one...two less things to worry about. Then Shirou realized that he still needed to account for Rin. But before he could think of something, in came Sakura, several bags of groceries in her hands. She looked slightly more healthy than she was the last time Shirou saw his underclassman. At the very least, she was no longer swaying when she walked. The bags under her eyes were still there.

"The...there was a sale at the market, so I thought we'd have..." Sakura trailed off when she saw Rin sitting on the floor.

Rin glanced at Sakura through half-closed lids. For someone who had only moments ago nearly suffered a cardiac arrest, she was doing a remarkable good job of appearing nonchalent and vaguely disinterested. Shirou swallowed.

"Hello, Matou-san," Rin greeted, "I didn't know you would be here."

"Um, Tohsaka-san..." Sakura stuttered, "Wha...what are you doing here?"

Rin shrugged, and stood up. As she stretched a bit, she said, "I heard Fujimura-sensei had an accident and came to offer Emiya-kun some company."

"What happened to sensei...?" Sakura asked, looking at Shirou.

"She fell on a knife." Shirou said a little too quickly. He instantly regreted it. While it was an okay story to give the paramedics with Illya's hypnosis to help, it was a longshot that Sakura would believe it.

"I...see," Sakura said, then straightened up. "W-well! I'll be sure to go visit her tomorrow! Now I need to get started on dinner..."

"There's no need for that," Rin said firmly, "I'll be making dinner tonight. You can just go home."

Shirou was stunned at Rin's calousness. And for a moment, Sakura appeared to be too. But, she soon hardened herself. The first-year student marched directly passed Rin and entered the kitchen.

"Please set the table, senpai," Sakura called back, "And make sure to add a place for Tohsaka-san."

"Okay, but don't strain yourself!" Shirou replied. He then gave Rin his best Look. "Why did you say that? It's bad enough pretending that you were going to cook, but what's the deal with trying to kick Sakura out?"

"I was trying to protect her, Emiya," Rin replied, nonplussed. In fact, she seemed to have gone completely stoic. "From what you've told me, Caster's been targeting people close to us- first Issei, and then sensei, right? Did you really think a witch with that much power wouldn't consider taking a hostage to get what she wants?" When Shirou didn't answer, she smirked. "Or what? Were you thinking you could fight the War and protect them at the same time? If you say that, I'll laugh." At Shirou's silence, she sighed. "Look, you can't have it both ways. When you're involved in something as fierce as a Grail War, sometimes the best you can do to keep your family safe is to distance yourself. That's what father did to us when..." She trailed off. For a moment, it looked like Rin would cry at thinking about her family.

That's right... Shirou realized in his head, Tohsaka lost her family during the Fourth Grail War.

Composing herself, Rin continued, "Look, if we're going to Illya's for an alliance, then we won't be able to go back and forth whenever we like. Tell Sakura that you'll be out of town...make something up...I'll suppose we'll need to explain why Saber's gone, too..."

Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails watched Sakura set up the kitchen. They spied on her from the outside window.

"Who's that girl?" Tails asked in a whisper.

"Her name's Sakura," Sonic explained, also in a whisper. "I think she's got a crush on Shirou. But the guy's either oblivious or in denial."

"Sakura...?" Tails murmured thoughtfully. A far off look appeared in his eye. "Sakura..."

"What's up?"

Tails frowned for a moment. "Do you think... Well... does she dye her hair?"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "When have you been interested in hair colors?"

"It's...I tell you later." Tails said evasively. The girl in that photo album had black hair...

Sakura knew about Sonic and Tails watching her. She had also noticed that Shirou no longer had his Command Seals. It was plainly obvious that he had lost Saber. So why was Rin so insistent on being with him?

It's so cruel of Rin, so greedy, Avenger whispered- or were those her own thoughts? She couldn't tell anymore. First she got to keep mom and dad, now she's gunning for Shirou...doesn't she realize you had dibs...?

Sakura tried to focus on her cooking. But she couldn't. Now, thanks to her renewed connection to Rider, the dreams had become more convoluted. Sometimes they would be of a far off island, being stalked by warriors…until they transformed into the visions of death and destruction that she was slowly becoming used to.

And Zouken wants me for…training… Sakura shuddered. Why did she put up with it all…? Why wasn't she fighting back…?

The image of the dying man on the stairs began to fade…

The Next Day

Ever since Shirou told him that Eggman's machine could find Magecraft, Shinji felt the best course of action was to distance himself from large sources of Prana. To that end, he had removed himself from the Matou Manor and took up residence in a hotel somewhere in town. Not a luxury hotel, even the Matou Clan ' s vaguely-defined financial reserves would survived an extended stay in someplace opulent. But even after forming his partnership with Eggman, Shinji had elected to continue his stay at the Yampson Inn. There could be more Starfish-monsters at the manor, and besides, it smelled better.

Shinji was finishing up breakfast when he heard a knocking on the door. Gesturing for Orbot to hide, Shinji went to the door. When he opened it, he saw Cubot hovering before him on the floor.

"Hey, Shinji." Cubot greeted.

Shinji blanched. "What are you doing?! Get in here before someone sees you!"

Shinji pulled Cubot inside and slammed the door quickly. Once they were inside, he locked the door, hooked up the chain, and went over to the windows to close the blinds. As Shinji went about these tasks, Orbot left his hiding place in the wastebasket to talk with Cubot.

"So, how did it go?" Orbot asked.

"How'd what go?" Cubot blinked.

Orbot adjusted his eyes so it looked like he was raising an eyebrow. "Your mission."

"What mission?" Cubot tilted his head, "Hey, how come you guys left me in that basement?"

Orbot scratched his head. "Oh, dear."

It was at this time that Shinji came over, rubbing his hands in greedy anticipation. "Okay, tell me, what happened?" He asked, "What did Grandpa and Sakura do together?"

"Er, I think we have a problem in that regard," Orbot answered while Cubot looked confused, "Cubot seems to have no memory of what transpired in the time you hid him in your family's dungeons."

Shinji felt his eyes twitch. "He forgot?" He shot Cubot a glare. "How could you forget?! Aren't robots supposed to have brains like computers?"

"Technically, our brains are computers…" Orbot murmured.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me," Cubot hovered over to Shinji and put something in his hand. "Here ya go."

Shinji looked at his gift. It was a jump drive.

"What is that, Cubot?" Orbot asked, intrigued.

"Dunno," Cubot said, "It was in my hand when I rebooted this morning, along with this note," He unfolded a piece of paper and began to read aloud. "'Dear Cubot, give to Shinji. Do NOT watch. Love, Cubot' Isn't that sweet of me?"

Orbot hummed, and examined the note. "I think I understand- partly- what's going on," He said, "Cubot must have erased his memory. And that data stick must contain a backup."

Shinji's expression brightened. I get it! Clever! He made himself forget so the family secrets wouldn't be known to outsiders! This little idiot is more considerate then I thought. He turned on his laptop and eagerly waited for it to boot up.

Orbot's eyes, however, narrowed their lights. Hmmm, this doesn't bode well. What did Cubot see that he wanted to delete from his databanks?

Shinji inserted the drive into a port on his laptop. As a video began to load, Orbot and Cubot floated up on either side. Shinji glanced at them in annoyance.

"Don't mind us," Cubot said, "Just pretend we're not here."

"It's starting." Orbot pointed at the screen before Shinji could chew either them out.

Shinji clicked to widen the video window so it filled the screen. And the three of of them watched.

And watched.

And watched.

Once the video was over, Shinji closed the laptop. His face was completely blank, and had turned a mix of white and green.

"Oh my," Orbot said, "That did not look comfortable."

Cubot slapped his hands over his eyes. "Aah! Why did I watch that!? I wanted to look away, but I couldn't!"

Shinji began to shake.

"Well, at least we can erase our memories of this," Orbot commented, pushing a button on his head. "That's a small comfort."

"Yeah, but I feel sorry for that girl," Cubot said as pushed his own button, "She probably has to do that once a week. Brr!"

Shinji couldn't take it anymore. He ran into the bathroom and began to vomit uncontrollably into the toilet. Their very recent memories deleted, Orbot and Cubot watched him go in confusion.

"What's got into him?" Cubot asked.

Sonic raced across the countryside, following his GPS to the coordinates that Tails programmed into him. He darted through the trees, pausing only to destroy the occasional odd Badnik he spotted here and there. Within a few minutes, he would be at his destination; Einzbern Castle, Japan Branch.

They had set out early in the morning. While the rest of the team had gone back to the Tohsaka Mansion to better secure the Ring Synthesizer and collect freshly-forged Power Rings, Sonic went ahead to scope the layout. Mostly to see if the castle's courtyard was wide enough to act as the Tornado's landing strip, as Tails and the no-longer-Masters would be flying to cut their travel time down.

A beep told Sonic that he was approaching the Boundary Field that surrounded the castle grounds. As he passed through it, he felt a strange buzz all across his body…like someone wrapped him in a blanket that held a static charge. While it wasn't painful, it was an odd sensation.

That's it? S'funny, you'd think a girl who brags so much would put something a little more in her forcefields, Sonic thought as he ran down the forest path. He turned on his communicator. "Tails! Be careful when you enter the Castle's airspace! It gave me a bit of a shock, but I'm not sure what it'll do to the Tornado's instruments!"

"Roger that!" Tails replied.

Sonic soon arrived at the entrance of the castle. It wasn't the biggest castle he had ever seen (And he had seen quite a lot of castles in his career), but it looked nice enough. However, there was a certain stillness that bother Sonic. It was almost as if the castle was just a hole, waiting for some foolish soul to drop into…

Maybe I got here before anyone woke up. Sonic thought. From that thought came the temptation to sneak in and pop a balloon.

Before Sonic could make good on this bad idea, the doors swept open. A pair of ladies stepped out. They were eerily similar in faces, and were dressed like a pair of nuns. Their white dresses had hole right around the chest area, showing a cloths of different colors. One had a blue cloth, and the other had a black cloth. Both outfits looked like they had been put on in a hurry. The cap on the black-lady was slight askew.

Sonic smirked, and rubbed his finger under his nose. "Can Illya come out to play?"

To be continued

Tiger Dojo

Illya: Welcome to the Tiger Dojo! Our sensei is still in the hospital, so I, the Number 1 Student Illya, am in charge!

Big: I'm a cat. M'name's Big.

Illya: You again? Couldn't I get someone else as a co-host? Like that black hedgehog, he's awesome…

Big: Shadow doesn't do talk shows. He posted that on his Twitter page.

Illya: Rats! Well, let's get this over with. Our first question comes from multiple readers! They want to know if Metal Sonic will appear. Well, We at the Tiger Dojo can't say for certain, buuuut…

Big: Yup.

Illya: Biiiig! You're not supposed to be so candid! Great, now you've spoiled a huge plot point!

Big: Sorry. You wanna answer the next one? Poe asks, "What do Gaia and Alaya think of Sonic and his friends?" Who're those two?

Illya: Gaia is the force and will of the Earth, whereas Alaya is the collective consciousness of humanity. Both forces are beyond mortal comprehension, so it would be hard to gauge their reactions to the appearance of the Sonic characters. I imagine that Gaia is more concerned with the effect the Chaos Emeralds are having on the leylines, and Alaya would be confused by Eggman's technology. Our next question comes from Perry: "The fact that Archer is no longer Rin's Servant, there is still a chance for him to try and kill Shirou like he did in Unlimited Blade Works right?"

Big: I dunno, Archer seems too nice for that.

Illya: That's right. Archer entered the Holy War for the chance to kill Shirou, but since he comes from an alternate timeline, he can no longer be sure that doing so would change his own fate. He might make a show of it, but there's no way to tell if he'll follow through.

Froggy: (Ribbits)

Big: Oh! You're right, Froggy!

Illya: What did he say?

Big: Visiting hours at the hospital are almost up. We gotta hurry or we won't be able to give Taiga this card.

Illya: Fine, fine. We'll close out the lesson with this one message from the author. "Please stop requesting stories through the review function. If you wish to ask for a certain story written, please send them via a private message. Also, I am not accepting requests as of now." Okay, we'll see you later!

Big: Buh-bye!