Chapter 21: All Hail Shadow

When Sonic got to the Tohsaka Mansion, his first thought was, What happened here?

Thankfully, the damage to the building was severe. It was just a missing wall. The good news was that was the only thing broken. Whatever happened didn't damage the Tornado, and the Ring-maker was untouched. The bad news was that neither Rin, Archer, or Sakura were anywhere to be found.

Or maybe that's the good news, Sonic thought, kicking a piece of debris. No trace means they might have just run for it…or got kidnapped.

What was more, there were traces of the same substance from Eggman's vehicle around the damaged area. Whatever happened with Sakura that time, happened again. Sonic did another zip around the grounds and mansion in hopes of finding a clue as to what happened. No such luck. As it was, Sonic's MOD for problem solving involved running towards the source and unleashing high-speed havoc on it.

Of course, if whatever happened happened at the same time the Matou place and Mt. Ryuudou, then maybe Archer and the girls are already at one of those places, Sonic considered, I better radio Tails and Shirou…

But just as Sonic was reaching for his communicator, he heard something move. Looking, he saw the Omochao desperately trying to push off a piece of wall that was pinning it to the floor. Running over, Sonic kicked the piece away and picked up Omochao.

"I forgot about you!" Sonic chuckled, dusting off the robot. "So, see what happened here?"

Omochao said, "To do a spin dash, hold the Z button and the B button at the same time!"

Sonic sighed, "Oh, right, I forgot."

Sonic turned Omochao over and looked at its back. After a minute of fiddling, he flipped up the lid showing a space in its body. It was a dial with two settings, "Redundant" and "Useful". Sonic twisted the point from the former setting to the latter. Once he was done, Sonic reset the lid and let Omochao hover in the air.

"Let's try that again," Sonic said, "What happened here?"

"There was a mass of negatively-charged energy emitting from Sakura's vicinity," Omochao reported, "Although they looked like tentacles, they were more like tendrils of half-solid water."

Like Chaos? Sonic thought, and asked, "So, is that what happened to the wall? And where are Rin and Archer?"

"Unknown," Omochao replied, "Archer leapt to combat the energy when a second being appeared to combat him. Archer then took Rin and ran."

"So he got Rin out? Good," Sonic pressed his communicator, "Maybe I can hail him… Yo, Archer? You and Rin all right? Where's Sakura?"

There was no answer at first. Sonic grimaced in worry, but before he could repeat himself, a voice responded.

"Sonic, Archer here. Sorry we couldn't reply sooner. Our communicator broke in a struggle. I've only fixed it now."

"Yeah, I can see the damage," Sonic replied, "But what happened to you?"

There was a pause. "It was that same creature I saw when Eggman attacked the school. He did all this."

"That's not what Omochao told me," Sonic said, "He said Sakura went berserk, and created that dark energy again."

"Omochao? That stupid toy can talk? Figures. All right, you caught me. It was Sakura. Rin thinks she's connected to the Shadow. It would explain why her health is going down. The Shadow works like a Servant, using Sakura's Mana to maintain its power. But some of its power is going back into Sakura, but it's beyond her control."

"You don't know the half of it," Sonic said, "According to Illya, the Shadow is a Servant from the Third Grail War, Avenger. She thinks he's cursed the Holy Grail, or something."

"Is that right..."

"Where's Sakura? And you guys?" Sonic asked.

"Rin and I are fine. I managed to pull her out before she could be seriously hurt. But, I lost track of Sakura."

"I think I know where she could be. Your house isn't the only place where a huge energy spike happened. There were two more spikes- at the Ryuudou mountain and the Matou place. There's a good chance that Sakura might be at one of those places."

"Worth checking out..."

"Shirou and Saber are going to the Matou's, and Tails took the rest of the group to Ryuudou," Sonic continued, "Me, I'm a little worried about Shirou and Saber. From what I hear, Sakura's grandfather is a pretty mean wizard himself."

"Yeah, he is."

"You two head towards Ryuudou, meet up with Tails and the gang," Sonic suggested, "Catch you on the flipside!"

"…I guess we will." Archer said, breaking the connection. He turned.

In truth, they had already been on their way to the Ryuudou Temple when Archer repaired the communicator. When the Shadow (Or rather, Avenger) had appeared at the Tohsaka Mansion, Archer attempted to destroy it by Projecting Caliburn in hopes that the energy of the holy sword would be enough to destroy the corrupt Servant. And it probably would have worked, had Avenger had not taken Sakura to use as his shield. Archer had hesitated, just long enough for Sakura and Avenger to make their escape. Luckily, Avenger's farewell had given them a clue as to their destination.

"I would love to see how this plays out…but the Holy Grail beckons…"

In order for the Holy Grail to appear, the container needed to be in an area where the leylines of Fuyuki intersect. One of those areas was at the Ryuudou mountain, which was why Caster had set up shop there. And judging from what Sonic had said, something powerful was going to emerge in that spot.

But why? Archer thought, The Holy Grail requires the energy of all seven Servants to form. There are still multiple Servants alive. What is going on there?

Besides Archer, Rin walked besides him. The Tohsaka Master had a grim look on her face. In her hand was the Azroth Dagger she brought with her to Caster's. She had managed to bring it with her when they retreated from the mansion.

"So, Rin," Archer began, "What are you going to do?"

Rin looked up. Although her expression hadn't changed, her eyes were now hard as steel. "What I should have done from the beginning."

Archer nodded, but inwardly sighed. No matter what she decided, there was no way this mess wasn't going to be resolved without tears.

Shirou wasn't sure what to expect when he and Saber had arrived at the Matou Manor. while there was definitely an energy in the air even a cut-rate Mage like him could feel, the property's overall appearance hadn't changed at all. It was, as far Shirou could see, still the same home Shirou and Saber had visited once at the beginning of the Holy War.

Of course, that wasn't to say there wasn't anything new. The samurai guarding the entrance hadn't been there the first time.

However, the heat on his Command Seals told him that this wasn't some new cosplay security guard.

"Shirou, that's a Servant," Saber whispered, confirming his suspicions. "Be on your guard."

Shirou nodded, and the two of them got off the bicycle. As they approached, Shirou then realized that he had seen this man before. It was the samurai from the Ryuudou Temple gate, whom Sonic had took a picture of. However, while the samurai in that photo had been playful and perhaps mocking, the Servant before them seemed almost solemn.

"Welcome, Master Emiya Shirou," Assassin greeted, nodding at them. "And to you, too, Servant Saber. It's a pleasure to meet you without that old bag's interference."

Saber stiffly nodded back, frowning at the memory of being Caster's slave. "Assassin…why are you here?"

Assassin sighed, "Unfortunately, my freedom from Caster was short-lived. While I hoped to spend a few days of freedom exploring this modern world, the master of this house forced me under his control. And he's of a lower-class than Caster…"

So Caster had him under control, just like she did with Saber…wait, Shirou thought, If his Master is the head of the Matou household…than that means it's Sakura's grandfather, Zouken…

"We need to speak with him," Shirou said, "Let us pass."

Assassin shrugged. "As it happens, I have been instructed to let you pass," his eyes drifted towards Saber. "But…only you. Saber will have to stay outside to keep me company."

Saber straightened, clearly unhappy with this condition. There was no doubt that she would start a fight with Assassin then and there. However, Shirou felt it was better right now to be civil. That said, there was a chance that things wouldn't remain civil for long…

"Saber, it'll be fine," Shirou said, and her frown deepened. He sent her a telepathic message. If things go wrong, I'll use a Command Seal to summon you.

Although Saber clearly didn't like it, she decided to let Shirou have his way. The look she sent Assassin's way made it clear that if he started a fight, she would finish it…decisively. Shirou then ventured into the house, and as he went further in, the feeling of dread go further. And then his communicator rang…

Back underneath Mt. Ryuudou, things weren't nearly as calm for the B-team. Rather than waiting for Tails and the others to quietly leave the mysterious "Desert Zone" (As Knuckles called it), the three dark warriors had moved onto the attack, and were doing a pretty good job of keeping the heroes on the defensive. The largest of the three, the man with the mantle, had summoned a chariot pulled by a pair of the most vicious-looking bulls ever born. The rumbles caused by their pulling the chariot sounded just as ominous as the worst of Dr. Eggman's combat machines on the rampage.

"Take this!" The charioteer bellowed, shooting a wave of pulsing energy from his sword. It left a small canyon of glass in the sand. Not very far away, Tails, running as fast as his feet and tails could carry him, gasped and leapt to the side to avoid it. He just barely avoided both the sword beam and the bulls. As the chariot passed him, Tails charged up a Spin Dash and cannoned directly into the rider's left shoulder. The rider grunted as Tails bounced off, but gave no other sign of discomfort.

Meanwhile, Amy, Bazett found themselves embroiled in battle with the man in the jumpsuit. He wielded two spears, one in each hand, and his speed was phenomenal. The girls spent most of their time trying to dodge his assaults, an any attempts to counter or strike an opening was easily blocked or dodged.

But without doubt, the most difficult and most dangerous of the three was the black knight. Illya set Berserker onto him, and it was all too clear that while Berserker probably had the strength advantage, the knight was too agile and coordinated, easily dodging and misdirecting the demigod's relentless assaults against him. Thankfully, Berserker's raw endurance and energy made up for the difference, but it was becoming obvious to anyone watching that the only reason the black knight hadn't killed Berserker again was because the demigod was now-immune to his weapon.

"Yah!" Amy cried as she jumped up from another of the spearman's strikes. However, the second spear soon followed, and she had to block it with her hammer. While the head of the hammer didn't break, the force sent Amy flying back a ways.

"Interesting," The black spearman said, "I wonder what that hammer is made from, to resist the Gae Buidhe and not break. Of course, it's obvious you lack the strength to make take advantage of that."

Bazett ran over and helped Amy out of the sand, while the pink Hedgehog glared at the spearman.

"Who is this jerk? And why am I getting this weird vibe that I should be dating him?" Amy demanded, "I'm only supposed to be getting that vibe for Sonic!"

Bazett knew what Amy was talking about. "He has a charm that makes himself more attractive. A weaker woman would be bowing at his feet." But he called his spear the Gae Buidhe…he couldn't be…

The spearman's eyes narrowed. "I can see you understand the beauty that has haunted my very existence. If only the women in my past were so strong-willed…"

The spearman charged at the pair, but before he could get within striking range, the sand in front of him exploded. Knuckles burst out from the desert and hammered the spearman with an uppercut. The spearman recovered quickly enough, flipping into his feet as he landed back down.

"You caught me off-guard," the spearman remarked, spitting a bit of blood. "But now that you have exposed yourself…" He glanced at his right hand. It was empty.

Knuckles waved the gold spear while smiling cheekily. "Missing something?"

Spearman's eyes widened, then narrowed. "You…! Give that back!"

But Knuckles' grin merely widened. "You want it? Come and get it," To the girls he said, "You two help Tails out, I'll join you as soon as I'm done with pretty-boy, here."

The spearman charged, and Knuckles tossed the stolen spear aside. Although his eye briefly followed the action and became enflamed because of it, he never changed direction. Once he was close enough, he jabbed his remaining spear at Knuckles-

-Who ducked under it and entered a Spin Dash and shot at his assailant. The spearman managed to twist around to avoid most of the attack, although he got nicked in the side. His free hand went to his abdomen.

While Knuckles and the spearman fought, the black knight suddenly broke away from Berserker. Illya allowed herself a confident smirk, especially when she saw that the black knight had dropped the stone-ax.

"He's retreating because his weapon is useless!" the tiny Master declared, "Berserker! Don't let him escape!"

With a roar, Berserker scooped up his discarded weapon and charged at the black knight. But the black knight wasn't retreating- instead, it had been running to where Knuckles had tossed the spear. When the black knight grabbed the spear, the weapon took the same color scheme as Berserker's sword had when the black knight had took it. With a new weapon, the black knight effortlessly parried Berserker's attacks

before finally stabbing the demigod right in the heart. Illya was stunned at the loss of yet another of Berserker's lives. Her Servant was supposed to have been the strongest of all, but this strange warrior was making the corrupted form of Herakles look like a rank amateur.

Could…could Berserker actually lose this? Illya thought, getting worried.

"Ah, welcome, young man," Zouken greeted Shirou, "I am so glad you have come to visit me. I've been a bit lonely, lately. Both of my grandchildren seem to have other things they would rather do than keep me warm in the twilight of my age."

Shirou didn't believe for one second that the old man before him was either welcoming or lonely. There was so much energy in the air it made his hairs stand on end, and at the center of it was this shriveled husk of a human being. Shirou was soon wondering if the man before him was even Sakura and Shinji's grandfather. For all he knew, Zouken could have been older.

"I'd like to know why there's so much raw Prana being generated from this house," Shirou said evenly, "And what exactly is happening to Sakura. I don't believe that it's a coincidence that her health is declining at the same time your house has become a spiritual bonfire."

Zouken smirked. "An excellent pair of questions. And the answer can be found a decade ago…no, perhaps even further back… did you know that the Holy Grail has not formed once, in the entire history of the Fuyuki Wars?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I began to grow tired of it," Zouken looked briefly wistful, "So much violence and treachery…and nothing to show for it. So, it was during the Fourth War that I decided that the method established by the Einzbern Family needed to be corrected."

"Corrected?" Shirou did not like the sound of that, especially with everything that had happened lately.

"Waiting for all seven Servants to be killed before the Heaven's Feel could end wasn't working. Either the deadline would pass, or, more likely, the Einzbern's container for the Holy Grail would be destroyed partway through," Zouken went on, "But I had a revelation; what about a container that would gather the Servants on its own?

"But crafting such a thing would be no easy feat. I would need a human base, with powerful Mage Circuits. And tragically, my own family line's Magecraft potential had begun to diminish. What a blessing it was that my one-time allies the Tohsakas had an abundance of potential successors!"

"What are you talking about?" Shirou asked, "What abundance?"

"The previous head of the Tohsaka Clan, Tokiomi, had given birth to not one, but two girls with remarkable Mage Circuits," Zouken explained, "Of course, that was a problem in of itself. Only one could inherit the Crest of the Mage's clan. Whole families had been destroyed due to in-fighting. It was fitting that our respective problems would solve each other. I had no worthy successors of my own, while Tokiomi only needed one. He kept his eldest, Rin, while bequeathing to me, the younger, Sakura."

Shirou stared, his eye hardening as he made the connection. "You used Sakura...as a human for your plans to take the Holy Grail."

"Yes...I can see that despite your half-assed teachings, you are not completely stupid," Zouken congratulated, "I took the essence of the Fourth War's Grail, the mud that spilled over, and used it to form a Crest Worm that I planted inside of Sakura. That Worm would be the seed that would grow into the Shadow being currently running amok in Fuyuki."

Shirou remembered hearing about Sakura's diminishing health, seeing how tired she looked. Sonic and Tails told him about what had happened when Eggman tried to kidnap her. He felt his rage grow at this caulous old man, the mummy who regarded an innocent child as nothing more than a stepping stone for his hunt for power. The only thing that kept Shirou from venting this fury through violence was that he needed more information. Information that could save Sakura.

"So, everything's been going according to your plan, is that it?" Shirou said, his voice laced with disgust. "The Shadow is out there, gathering power while destroying Sakura from within."

But at this, Zouken frowned. "Actually...there has been a complication.

"Yes, it is true that the Shadow is amassing the power needed to form the Grail, but how it manifested is not ideal. Originally, Sakura's mindset needed to be at the proper emotional depth in order to awaken the Shadow. But, before her heart and mind could reach that state, an outside power rippled through Fuyuki's leylines and prematurely instigated the Shadow's awakening. It has now grown beyond my expectations."

"What do you mean, 'Beyond'?" Shirou asked. He already knew that the 'outside power' was Sonic and the Chaos Emeralds entering the universe.

"It stole one of those blasted Chaos Emeralds, and has harnessed its power to feed upon the remnants of the Fourth Grail," Zouken explained, "And the creatures it summons, rather than attacking the people, feed off of Fuyuki's leylines directly. It will summon the Grail soon."

"And…what will happened to Sakura if that happens?" Shirou asked, "She…this isn't going to be good for her, is it?"

"She will die, of course," Zouken shrugged, "As the Worm the Shadow sprang from is inside of her body, the power of the Grail destroy her functions, just as it did for the vessels prepared by the Einzbern Family."

"Stop it!" Shirou demanded, unable to take it anymore. "Put a stop to this, right now!"

"I told you, the Shadow has grown beyond my abilities," Zouken said, a bit irritated. "I was supposed to be able to influence its movements, but the personality it developed has rebelled against me."

"Then we have nothing left to talk about." Shirou said, turning around. He already had a good idea of where Sakura was, and now that he knew what the problem was, there was no point to staying around.

"That's what you think."

Shirou stopped. A buzzing filled the air. Turning back around, he saw that there was several disgusting insects fluttering in the air. Shirou sensed the Prana inside of them and realized that they were familiars. Zouken's familiars.

"It is true that I cannot control the Shadow, that does not mean there's nothing we can do about the problem," Zouken said, "From what I've observed, Sakura has…some influence over the actions of the Shadow. She just lacks the wherewithal to invoke it properly."

Shirou warily watched the Familiars. "And…what do you plan to do about that?"

A wicked smile grew on Zouken's face. "As it happens, there is one thing she cares about. One person whom she thinks about constantly. By threatening that individual, Sakura can be made to tame the Shadow."

"And...that person is...?" Shirou asked, having a bad feeling about the direction the conversation was taking.

"You."

"Hold still!" The dark charioteer bellowed as he attempted to run down Tails. He sent out another bolt of energy from his sword, which Tails dodged with a Spin Dash. As the fox rolled out of the way of the bulls, Bazett charged and landed a powerful flyin kick right in the rider's chest, but he shrugged it off, letting the woman fall into the sand.

"Tails, gimme a boost!" Amy called out, jumping into the air. Tails took to the sky and caught her by the hand. Swinging around, Tails hurled the pink Hedgehog at the chariot like a lightish red Olympic hammer. And Amy used her hammer to bludgeon the rider right in the jaw, almost nearly knocking him out of his chariot. He caught himself almost immediately, but before he could retaliate, Amy had already hopped off.

Bazett was both a bit jealous and impressed. Nothing she did, even with Rune-augumented strength, seemed to have any serious effect on the Dark Rider. But he continually was stymied by the attacks cast by Amy and Tails. Out of the corner of her eye, she could Knuckles managing to fight even with the Dark version of Lancer.

Perhaps it's their natural resistance to Magecraft, She thought, Or maybe they've used those Chaos Emeralds enough that they've become imbuned with a bit of its energy...

Still, this was a stalemate that was not going to last. The three dark warriors were unrelenting foes with seemingly inexhaustible stamina. And the Dark Knight was still tossing Berserker around like a rag doll. They needed an edge. Something that would tilt the balance of the battle their way...

Just then, there was the sound of rushing wind as multiple projectiles filled the air. These bolts of energy flew towards the dark warriors, almost as fast as Sonic could run. "Holy cow!" Knuckles cried, diving into the sand as one bolt flew over his head.

With a sneer, the dark spearman moved to block the attack headed his way. Instead of slapping it aside, the projectile seemed to explode in his face. With his speed, the dark spearman was able to avoid the majority of the damage. As he did, Knuckles burst out from the sand and once again hammered the spearman with an uppercut. This time, the spearman was ready, and he rolled back from the punch as best he could, and as he flipped, kicked Knuckles in the chin, sending him sprawling into the sand. From his new position, Knuckles saw a red-clad figure leaping through the air, with a smaller person riding piggy-back.

"Hey, Archer! Rin!" Knuckles called out, "Did you do that?! Watch it! You almost hit me!"

The pair didn't respond to Knuckles at all, but even more troubling was that none of the dark warriors were particularly interested in stopping them. The dark knight glanced at Rin, but quickly jumped over a charge from Berserker.

"You're just letting them through?" Tails asked as he rolled out of the chariot's way.

"They have permission from our Master," the charioteer thundered, "She wishes for her sister's presence in our final hours."

"Sister?" Tails repeated, mulling it over. It then hit him. He shot into the air and shouted, "Sakura! Rin! Is Sakura back there?!"

Rin gave no sign that she heard Tails, save for burying her face against Archer's back.

Are you sure about this, Rin? Archer asked his Master through their telepathic bond.

I've made up my mind, Archer, Rin replied firmly. This is my responsibility.

Archer did not reply. He had already known what Rin had decided. That didn't make what they were about to do any easier.

Tails watched as Archer and Rin faded into the distance, practically vanishing. Before he could dwell on it, he heard a noise and realized that the chariot was making another charge at him. Rather than fly away, he stopped spinning his tails and fell down, just in time for the chariot to pass over him. Hitting the sand, Tails immediately went into a Spin Dash and tried to accelerate after Archer and Rin. Before he could make much distance, the dark spearman was in his path, kicking the fox back.

"That is where the Main Event is taking place. We did not say you have the right to go through," He said, giving Tails a look of scorn and consternation. "Wait out here with the rest of the sideshow."

Tails gritted his teeth, glaring up at the spearman. Sonic, where are you!?

Shirou felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. The swarm of Zouken's Familiars had him pinned to the floor. While they weren't burrowing into his skin, Shirou could still feel his Mana being slowly drained from his body.

"I won't kill you, boy," Zouken said, "I need you alive to motivate Sakura to control the Shadow. But you won't be going anywhere else until this situation is...rectified."

Shirou had a snappy retort loaded, but his words became scattered in the wind that suddenly rushed in, along with the swarm. There was a grinding noise that was already very dear to Shirou's ears. He got up, and saw Sonic standing in the center of squashed bugs.

"And then you'll kill him?" Sonic asked sarcastically.

"You...!" Zouken's eyes widened and then narrowed, "How did you get past Assassin?"

"Like all magic ghosts, he's got some unfinished business." Sonic replied with a smirk.

Angry, Zouken sent a telepathic command to the Fake Assassin. Faker! Why didn't you stop this pest from getting in?

Unfortunately, "Master", defeating Saber is proving to be more of a challenge than you believed, Fake Assassin retorted almost airily, And your new problem just stepped on my head.

"Trace On."

Shirou Projected Archer's swords, prepared for another round, but Sonic held up his hand.

"Shirou, I'll handle the evil wizard," Sonic said, "You find the Chaos Emerald."

Shirou nodded. If Sakura wasn't here, then the source of the energy in the Manor was clearly an Emerald. If Zouken was tapping into its power, then getting would be the key to winning this battle.

"You won't be going anywhere," Zouken said firmly, "If I have to subdue you both-"

Before he could finish, Sonic launched at him, spinning like a buzz-saw fired from a shotgun. Upon impact Zouken's decrepid form exploded.

"Whoa, gross!" Sonic gagged, wiping any residue from his fur.

Almost immediately, Zouken's body reconstituted, only now the ancient mage seemed rather amused.

"Do you really think your little tricks can defeat me, Sonic?" Zouken taunted, "I have long since given up my humanity."

Sonic shrugged. "Eh. I've faced worse."

Shirou raced down the halls, checking each door. But none of the rooms he looked into showed anything. They all looked like ordinary, unused rooms you would find in a typical house of this type. But Shirou could feel the tingle in his nerves, telling him that there was a Chaos Emerald somewhere.

There's no way a Mage would leave something as powerful and dangerous as a Chaos Emerald just lying around, Shirou thought as he ran, He'd most likely keep it in his workshop, hidden so no one else can get it. But where that workshop is…!

Shirou stopped. Holding out his hand, he Projected the Rulebreaker.

An ordinary miser would hide an ordinary gem with a hidden panel, He determined, But a Mage would use Magecraft to hide a supernatural jewel. If this dagger of Caster's can break a contract between a Master and Servant, or a Mage and their thrall…

Shirou plunged the tip of the Rulebreaker into the floor of the Manor. In ordinary circumstances, what he was hoping to do wouldn't work. But Zouken had been bolstering his power with the Chaos Emerald. That unstable power not only increased his strength, but also its vulnerability to counters.

Either way, it worked. The tingling that he was getting from the entire property vanished, but he could still pick up a faint sensation from deeper within.

That's right, it must be underneath the house, Shirou determined, moving. And now that I've shut down this Manor's Boundary Field, getting to it should be easy! As long as Sonic is keeping Zouken busy…

Another swarm of Familiars flew at Sonic, but he easily rolled out of the way and Homing Shot at Zouken. However, instead of reconstituting itself, the decriped body just disintergrated.

Sonic did not believe for a second that the old mummy was beaten. It felt too easy. He looked around, tapping his foot anxiously. "Where'd that old geezer go?" He replayed the scene in his mind.

And then he did it again in slow-motion.

And that's when he realized. Zouken didn't just vanish...the bugs consisting his body had flown away instead of reassembling.

"Darn it!" Sonic cried, bursting into a run.

Outside, a duel between western and easter swordsmen continued on.

"It seems you are less frenzied than you had been before, Saber," Assassin remarked, "Do you feel that all you need to do is keep me occupied before the little fellow and your Master return?"

"Don't be so insulting, Assassin," Saber retorted, "I was worried about my Master's life before. But now that he has Sonic to support him, I can focus on defeating you at my own pace."

Of course, from an outsider's perspective, neither Saber nor Assassin were fighting leisurely. Their blades clashed with such speed and ferocity that an audience would have only seen a series of blurs and heard a repeated screeching.

Saber was more thankful to Sonic than Assassin could have guessed. Constantly trying to keep up with his super-fast movements had increased her own reaction time, allowing Saber to better fight against Assassin. She could only wonder how dangerous an opponent the samurai would be without that informal training.

At Saber's words, Assassin's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so if you don't have to worry about your Master, I'm an easy opponent…?"

Assassin's time in the Fifth Holy War wasn't a good one, if he were to be honest. First, summoned as an false Servant for Caster, and bound to the Ryuudou Temple for the majority of the time in the physical world. And even after he was freed, he then found himself enslaved to an even more foul Master. All he had left for his honor was his skill with the sword. And now that was being disregarded as well.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!"

Saber was not fully aware of what had happened. It seemed as if Assassin had cut his sword in three different ways at the same time. It was if there were three swords coming at her. It would be impossible to defend against.

"Mana Burst!"

Calling upon her energy reserves to bolster he abilities, Saber shifted on her feet and rocketed away from Assassin's attack. Behind where she had been standing, several trees became perfectly cut lumber. Assassin turned to regard Saber.

"That was my special technique," Assassin explained, "In my life, I attempted to cut down a swallow. But swallows are almost impossible to catch for a single sword strike. I had nothing better to do, so I practiced until I could make three strikes in the same breath. I assure you, I am not someone you can leisurely take your time against."

In a single breath…no, that attack was a total refraction of the dimensions! Saber thought, and then said, "I was not making light of you, Sasaki Koujirou. And I will say it again; Now that I know my Master is safe, I can give you the full focus I need to defeat you."

Assassin smirked. "Very good."

It took a bit of searching, but Shirou finally found it. A secret door leading down to what could only be described as a dungeon. Blocky stairs inside of damp, dark pits. If the Einzbern Castle' inner sanctum's were sleek yet imposing, the recesses of Matou Manor were foreboding, perhaps more than Kotomine's church. It was like being in the stomach of a hungry beast.

But there it was. By following the sensations in his Mage Circuits, Shirou found the Chaos Emerald, incased in a glass box and surround by more Crest Worms. They were disgusting to watch as they squirmed, but Shirou focused on the gem's light.

That case doesn't look very strong, Shirou thought as he approached it, I can break it and then we can head to Ryuudou…

Shirou had been so focused on the Chaos Emerald's energy that he didn't notice a mass of Prana suddenly forming behind him. He did see the Crest Worms that had gathered around Emerald surge towards him. Shirou stumbled back in alarm, but before he could do anything he was once more pinned to the floor by Zouken's insects.

"I think that is close enough," The ancient Mage stated coolly, "It is time we ended this. I'll have Saber destroy herself by threatening to kill you, while False Assassin can destroy Sonic."

"Hey, gramps!"

Something blue streaked by Shirou. It rammed into Zouken, sending the ancient Mage tumbling backwards. As he did, Shirou felt the crest worms holding him down Disintegrate. Getting up, Shirou saw Sonic standing over Zouken, casually tossing a Chaos Emerald up into the air. As for the Matou patriarch, he seemed to be convulsing wildly, as if suffering the mother of all heart attacks. The big yellow gem sticking of his head, jammed roughly between his left eye and forehead, probably wasn't helping.

"Whhaaatt...haaave...yooouuu...donnne?" Zouken gasped out.

Shirou went over and looked down at Zouken. While he didn't fall any pity for the pain Shinji's grandfather was undoubtably in, he was a little confused about was happening.

"You hit him with a Chaos Emerald?" Shirou asked Sonic.

Sonic flashed Shirou of his trademark grins. "Nope. Remember that party favor we made for Caster?"

Zouken began to crackle and give off sparks like a live wire. Smoke began to fill the air. Shirou gasped as it all came together. Sonic had used the Anti Emerald! And the energy of a regular Chaos Emerald was damaging enough on its own...what would the added power of an oppositely-charged one do to Zouken?

"Last time I used one, it caused one of Eggman's weapons to blow up, big time," Sonic added, "So...we should probably go."

Shirou needed no more prompting. Turning on his heels, he Reenforced his legs and broke into a run, with Sonic jogging next to him. Not long after they started fleeing, they ran into Saber.

"Shirou! Are you all right?" She asked.

"I am. What happened with Assassin?" Shirou responded.

"He abandoned the duel," She answered, looking about warily. "What is happening here?"

"The old man is about to explode," Sonic told her, "Bunch together, because we are outta here!"

Saber took Shirou's hand, and Shirou took Sonic's. Sonic held up the Chaos Emerald and it's light began to shine...

"Chaos Control!"

...And they were gone.

Meanwhile, Zouken found himself in cycle of constant torment. Despite his best attempts to stop it, the Crest Worms consisting his body greedily consumed the power of the gem Sonic had stabbed him with. It was delicious, but painful, like a drug that gave a high and crashed at the same time. It destroyed his body while simultaneously rebuilding it. The sheer pain sent Zouken's mind afire as he tried to suppress it. But he could not. As he felt the inevitable come, the head of the Matou Clan tried to see his life flash before his eyes, but all he saw was the sneering face of Shinji, that powerless brat that had the nerve to defy him. Shinji's gutless expression soon morphed, becoming the cocky but confident smile of Sonic the Hedgehog.

As his body began to bulge, Matou Zouken moaned one last sentence.

"Iiiiiii...haaaaatte...thaaaat...hedgehoooooggg..."

The explosion could be heard for miles around. The blast shook the surrounding neighborhood. When authorities and people came to investigate, all they found was a sizable crater with burnt pieces of an ancient house scattered about. Many would theorize why the Matou Manor suddenly exploded. Some believed it was the same vandal to started the Great Fire of Fuyuki. Others would claim the culpritTiger was clearly that insane terrorist, Dr. Eggman. Only four people would know what happened that day, and only two would understand.

But for three of them, the battle against Zouken's schemes had just begun.

To Be Continued

Tiger Dojo

Taiga: HYYYYYAAAAA! Welcome, students, to the Tiger Dojo! I am your instructor, Fujimura Taiga! Gao!

Illya: And here is the Number One Student, Illya!

Taiga: We are winding down the "Heaven's Feel" arc! Next chapter will be the last one! I am sure you all have questions, but we will only be able to answer a few. Our first question comes from Dr. Pierceman, who asks, "Why did Zouken explode?" Don't you remember Sonic Adventure 2? When Sonic used that anti-Emerald on the Eclipse Cannon, that also caused it to blow up!

Illya: Although he tried to dilute as much of it as possible, Zouken still absorb quite a bit of his Chaos Emerald's power. And so, the reaction when he was struck by the Anti Emerald in this story was identical to the one used in the game. Kaboom!

Taiga: Next question! From Hirushoten; "How was Berserker hurt?" I guess you are referring to his battle with the Black Knight, aren't you... Hmm, how could any attack pierce his unbreakable skin...? Well, whenever that Knight grabs something, it seems to change color, could that be related?

Illya: Grrr...that sketchy Knight is so smug! I bet Avenger gave him an upgrade with the Chaos Emerald he stole! If they were both normal Servants, Berserker would crush him!

Taiga: Now, for our final question. Dean Campbell asks, "The events of Fate Genesis happens before or after the battle against Black Doom?" I think...after.

Illya: "Fate Genesis" takes place after the events of "Sonic Colors", which happened long after "Shadow the Hedgehog", so definately.

Taiga: And that's the end of the Q/A! I will see you at the next practice!

Illya: See you soon!