AN- I think its time to showcase what else is happening in the Grail War- lets have a peek into the other contestants…

Morning After Interlude

"- and the fires have finally been put out." The anchor-woman blared out through the small, archaic television. Ilya pouted at the screen- wishing it was larger. Then again, she had been lucky there was a television at all in the Einzbern Castle, as her maids had only found it by chance. She guessed that it was a relic from her parents' time in the Fourth War- though she tried to push that thought to one side.

She had her own War to worry about.

"In short, there has not been this much widespread devastation within a single night since the great Fuyuki Fire of ten years ago. In the Ryuudou Temple Fire alone, the body count is presently twenty-seven. Meanwhile, the final figure has yet to be released from the ruined Hyatt Hotel- destroyed before its time, for a second time. The last check was 43 deaths and 92 injuries. The destruction of the Fuyuki Bridge will likely have dire consequences for traffic and in rebuilding, but luckily resulted in no deaths. Either way, Fuyuki City recovered 10 years ago, and it will recover from this. I am Asama Miyu signing off. Up next, the weath-"

CLICK. Ilya turned off the television with a pointed jab at the old power button. With a sigh, she went to the sofa and flopped onto it.

It seemed that she had missed a lot, last night by fighting with the Grey Team, and gained little in return.

The fight had been an undeniable loss. At first it had looked like it was going to be easy. When Berserker swatted aside all their defences, she had felt just the teensiest bit of pity for them. Then she remembered how the Master ruined her lunch with her little brother and tried to steal her ketchup. Ilya's concerns evaporated, after that.

"Mou! That damned Dragon caused five deaths alone! Berserker's down to four lives now! That isn't fair, he's meant to be the strongest!"

"Ilya, are you complaining again?" Shirou yelled out from the next room.

"… maybe." In her defence, it really was unfair that James had pulled out that Noble Phantasm based Dragon out of literally nowhere. If that hadn't appeared so unexpectedly, she would have easily been able to kill them all!

"Well, don't worry too much about it now." He said. Ilya heard the sound of footsteps, before the redhead entered the room. He proceeded to shamelessly take advantage of his height to ruffle her hair while she pouted at him for doing so.

"'snot fair." The Einzbern murmured. "Shoulda killed them all."

"Ilya." Shirou began, not even needing to fully chastise her for his status as Little Brother to get the point across.

"Geez! I didn't mean all of them all of them!" Really, if Ilya tended to exaggerate a little about murdering her enemies, then who cares? Shirou should have been grateful that she was even limiting her killing rampage to merely the enemy Servants. "I would have only killed the Servants. Probably." Unless James pissed her off again.

"Good." Shirou nodded his head, albeit with a frown. For some odd reason, she felt that Shirou could see right through her misdirection. "I don't like it, but we need that wish. It's bad that we failed to kill even a single Servant, but at least we're alive. And we know now to remove that Berserker of Grey early on now, don't we? After that it doesn't matter how many lives Hercules has lost, because none of his other Servants could even so much as scratch him."

"Good point. Still doesn't make me any less annoyed. It's going to be a pain having to recover all those lives! It'll take days." Ilya, due to her ridiculous Magic Circuits, had the extra power necessary to allow Hercules to recover his lost lives, but it would still require massive effort on her part to bring him back to his peak lifecap.

Again, Shirou did nothing but continue to rub her head. She knew that Shirou was mucking up her hair, and that Sella was just going to have to redo it later, but it was a small price to enjoy a 'normal' sibling interaction. "Would it make you feel better if I cooked you pancakes?"

"… maybe. It is the duty of the younger sibling to cater to their elders needs, and I do own you."

He gave an exaggerated bow, as if he were as butler, and told her "Of course, milady. Pancakes it is."

Ilya smiled a little and decided to let the problems of the War be left alone for a little while more. For now, she would enjoy what little time she had left with Shirou. "That would be lovely."

XXXXXXXXXX

An air of failure had settled over the Tohsaka household. The previous night had been tough on them all, and it was very difficult to find any silver lining to what had happened.

The Red Team had assaulted Ryudou Temple. Caster, Lancer and Assassin- who had chosen to base themselves there, had tried to fight them off. But even with a two-pronged assault from Rin after having sent her Archer from her mansion to join the fray, the Reds had still won.

The Blue Team's stranglehold on the best defensive location in Fuyuki had been taken from them, forcing them all to relocate to the only stronghold they had left. The Tohsaka Mansion.

Rin was not happy with this fact.

"There was a reason I didn't want to join up with you at the Temple, you know?" She ground out, grimacing at the others sat around her table. Kirei was to her left, while Zouken and Caster sat to the right (With her Master largely sitting things out when it came to operation).

"Yes, yes, we know." Caster said tiredly. Rin could almost swear that she had rolled her eyes beneath that dark hood of hers. "You said 'Archers work best alone,' and 'there's no use putting all our eggs in one basket', but when half of the egg carton is empty, is there really a point?" It all came down to the two missing Masters, really. Without Einzbern or Emiya, the Blue Team lacked their strongest members.

And so it was down to a highschool Magus and her amnesiac Servant, a sadistic witch and her non-magical lover, a rotten lying priest and his spearman, and an old man with his killer to fight off the combined strength of seven Clock Tower Magi and their Servants.

If Rin every got the chance to fight that Einzbern girl without Servants of Magecraft getting in the way, she was going to wring the scrawny brat's neck.

"Do be nice, Caster." Kirei said with that smile she hated so much. "Rin has always been difficult. Please, have some patience, and some gratitude for her allowing us to lodge with her."

"It's not like I had much choice." Rin reminded them. "We tried to bother Ilya to join us once before, and her Berserker almost snapped Archer in two before we got the picture and left them alone, so the only place left was here."

The logical reasoning that this was the only safe place for everyone to gather wasn't the point- it didn't change how little she wanted them within her home. She had truly hoped to spend the entirety of the War in her home, because she hadn't much wanted to leave Sakura alone, especially since she was in bed and ill at the moment. Having all her fellow Masters and Servants around was the last thing she wanted to potentially have near her.

Zouken tried to smile in a grandfatherly way- he was really lacking. His attitude was so blatantly sweet that it had already gotten to the point of cavity inducing. "And we thank you, young lady, for allowing our weary bones to rest here."

"Don't even pull that attitude with me!" Rin warned. "You're an old Magus, and my father spoke highly of you. I know enough to recognise that your attempts are insulting at best. I'd much prefer to have you be straight with me, so maybe we can find our way out of the hole we're in."

"I suppose so." And then Zouken's demeanour changed. It was subtle, but his smile was slacker and showed less tooth, while the gleam in his eyes was all the more malicious. "We are in quite a lot of trouble, are we not? On the run, our base lost, and all our enemies outpowering us. From the Greys that hold a larger roster, to the Einzbern brat who has our strongest close combatants, to the Reds that have now stolen said base and proven themselves to be dangerous enemies."

A general round of nods from across the table- Zouken had summed it up rather nicely.

"Well at the very least, we've scouted the opposition." Caster of Blue noted. "Not to mention reduced their numbers by one. We've made some gains there."

In that regard, Caster had been invaluable. She had taken the enemies strength and made it her own. It balanced out the scales, just the tiniest of bits.

"Perhaps we should start playing to our strengths a little more." Zouken suggested. "Our enemies Servants are problematic, but the Masters slightly less so. The Reds can't stay in there forever, and eventually we will have our chance to strike. Likewise, the Einzbern and her pet Emiya can be brought into line."

At that last statement, Kirei laughed a little bit. "I must admit, I find it quite ironic that once again an Emiya fights for the Grail on behalf of an Einzbern homunculus. History has these strange little quirks, time and time again."

"I don't care for your amusement." Growled Rin. "The only reason I even listen to your forked tongue is because of your Lancer."

"He is a useful little tool, isn't he?"

"Perhaps we should get back to the present topic?" Suggested Caster with a sickly-sweet voice. "As much as I love to spend time with you all, I feel that we should decide upon a strategy."

"We should try to persuade the Einzbern faction to rejoin us." Rin suggested. To her, this seemed the best method. Based on the destruction of Fuyuki Bridge, a battle had likely happened between the Grey Team and Emiya's faction. They were collectively the Blue Team- so it made sense to work together as they had been tasked with doing.

Ilya's decision to go off alone was a dumb move, while Shirou's was likely well meaning in his own idiotic little way.

"And if they refuse?" Zouken pointedly asked. "What then? Would you finally be able to get your hands dirty as your father would have?"

Rin frowned. She refused to stoop to Zouken's level. The majority of his ideas involved elements she was uncomfortable with at best. "How exactly would we assassinate any Red Team members anyway? While they are in the Temple, they're largely immune to anything but a frontal assault- something we can't win."

"Who said anything about the Red Team." Caster pointed out. "An assault on the Greys, a quick thrust or two of my Noble Phantasm, and then we don't even need that Einzbern girl."

"Except that we're barely coping with the cost of one Servant each as it is." Rin reminder her. Servants were expensive Familiars to maintain, and Caster had only been getting away with it for so long due to having had the Temple to use and store up power within. Admittedly, she could harvest virtually nothing from the Ley Line due to the nature of the war, but Caster had still turned her Territory into a giant stronghold to harvest Mana from the air and Prana from the inhabitants of Fuyuki City in all directions.

And now that territory was lost. Without it, they could still technically support multiple Servants each, but would never be able to use them all at full strength.

Zouken smiled, just a little. It seemed he had an idea. "Well, if the greatest threat to us is the Red Team, then we should deal with them first. And if the only way is an all-out attack, then I am all for repaying them for the insult of evicting me from my second residency this War and reclaiming our initial advantage."

"But the numbers-" Caster injected with urgency. To her, numbers were everything. Standing alone, there was oh so little she could do amongst Heroic Spirits so much stronger than her.

"We'll make them up." Rin cut her off, seeing where Zouken was leading too. "Alliances are almost as common in Grail Wars as Master Assassinations are, aren't they?"

"Indeed. We use those Greys for everything they are worth. Let us bleed both our enemies dry." Zouken decided. It seemed the kind of plan he'd like- letting his enemies fight it out while he watched with amusement.

"But what about your 'grudge'?" Kirei reminded him. He'd been silent for a while, perfectly happy for everyone to argue it out while he overlooked the entire situation with a cheery expression. "Did you not enter this War directly by stealing Caster's illegal Servant purely out of a desire for revenge?"

And hadn't Caster been absolutely furious about working with the man that stole one of her most successful gambits and using it as nothing but a catalyst to summon his own Servant?

"Oh yes. But I am a patient man." Zouken looked so much older than his wrinkled face suggested. Patient indeed- Rin's father had once told her that Zouken had still been old when he himself was young, suggesting that he like many Magi looked much older than their appearance showed.

Zouken had proven himself a knowledgeable man concerning all facets of the Holy Grail War- Rin trusted the old man to have patience, after all this time. "I will be happy to see that bastard and his witch be eaten by the maggots and the worms, like they deserve. But… I can wait. Their time is not quite here yet."

Yes- this was a typical exchange from a Magus. Temporary allies over a mutual goal, with a happy willingness to murder them as soon as all their worth is spent.

"So, we plan to ally with the Greys?" Kirei asked, seeking confirmation.

"Yes, it seems like that is our present plan." Admitted Rin. She looked to Caster, and she in turn gave her own nod of approval. It wasn't a good plan, but it would do for now.

"Excellent." Kirei seemed pleased by the decision. "It will be interesting to see James again. For someone who has caused so much chaos through his very presence, I know so very little of him, after all…"

XXXXXXXXXX

The room was dark and warm, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to shut her eyes and sleep through the whole experience. She felt guilty- she knew that she needed to be up already in order to help cook breakfast with Shirou. On the other hand, she also knew that these weren't normal circumstances. She couldn't exactly just show up at his house since she refused to burden him by staying there permanently, nor did she wish to draw attention to the boy she had come to silently adore. No- it was safer for him if she kept her distance.

Her 'grandfather' was in the same house as her now, and she refused to let him turn his cold eyes to the redhead.

In addition, he was a Master in this damned Grail War as well, if Rin was to be believed.

It was quite unfair, really, that someone as kind-hearted as Shirou was being put through a conflict as bloody as the Holy Grail War. She wished with all her heart that Shirou had never been picked and that she could have continued to enjoy her little slice of heaven in the form of time spent at the Emiya household. Then again, she also wished that he hadn't killed Rider, so that she could always make sure he was protected.

"Sakura!" Rin called out, knocking on the door. "I'm coming in!"

"Good morning… Rin." Sakura smiled a little at her visitor. Rin had asked not to be referred to by 'sister' by Sakura, and she could comply with such a simple request.

"Are you feeling any better?" Rin asked, trying not to sound concerned and utterly failing at doing so.

"Yes, much better." She lied.

"You don't look it."

Sakura shook her head. "It will go away with time." Now that wasn't a lie. She knew what had caused her sudden bout of illness. She had felt her Rider die- her energy was now within her. The worms writhing within her didn't help matters either- they had been particularly needy recently.

"Here." Rin said, quickly planting a bowl of warm soup on her bedside table, along with a spoon. "Some soup. As my house guest, it's my responsibility to ensure that you are kept in good health. Just concentrate on getting better."

The violet haired girl allowed herself to giggle a little. Rin was absolutely adorable when she was trying to pretend to not care, and constantly making up excuses to justify it herself. A part of her felt bitter that it was only now that Rin bothered trying to care, and not when she had truly needed her big sister…

But Sakura squashed down that urge. Rin had only been a child when she was taken, and she couldn't possibly know what she had gone through. Instead, she would enjoy the little bit of attention she was getting now, much how she savoured the normality of the Emiya household.

"A-anyway, I'll leave you to get some rest." And with that, Rin practically power-walked out of the room. Again, same old Rin, desperately trying not to care, but clearly unable to fully embrace the hardness of heart needed to be an excellent Magus.

Sakura shut her eyes, then smiled a little bit. It had been a nice visit, but it didn't change the fact that she was ill and needed to build up her strength. It wasn't a conventional ailment, but she had grown used to treating her ruined bodies condition like a very odd terminal illness.

It was just when she was getting comfortable when a new voice broke the silence of the room, sending shivers of dread down her spine. "Sakura, I'm almost disappointed to see that you didn't ask for my presence upon my 'moving into' this lovely abode. Why, I'm almost offended…"

All her tiredness burned away, and Sakura opened her eyes wide to take in the form of her 'grandfather'. Idly, she noted that she hadn't heard the door open, and that he likely hadn't needed to use it to gain access to her room. "I'm sorry grandfather. I assumed you would go to me I you needed me."

"Oh no, I have no need for you. Is it that out of character for me to visit my ill granddaughter?" Sakura didn't even react to exactly how out of character such a thing would be for the decaying worm user- all defiance had long since been squeezed out of her.

"No, grandfather."

"Indeed." And with that, Zouken gave her a good once over. His gaze was dark and knowing, as if he could see right through her and uncover each and every tiny bit of resistance she had against him. "You seem to be doing nicely. I'm content to leave you be, for now."

Zouken turned away and slowly walked to the door, his cane tapping away with ever foot or so. He turned his head to look at Sakura from the corner of his eye. "Sakura. You are not to leave this room unless absolutely necessary for the duration of the time I am lodging here with my 'allies'. Do you understand?"

She blinked, then nodded. No more words were necessary. She could have asked why he would require such a thing, but it was best not to. Better to just go along with his words. She'd likely be incapacitated for another day or two anyway, and it wouldn't be too hard to fake symptoms for a few days after that, no matter how guilty it made her feel.

And then Matou Zouken left his most prized experiment behind, a look of satisfaction upon his ancient face.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been difficult for them to deal with their aftermath upon the assault on Ryuudou Temple. They had inflicted a lot more damage than they had anticipated they would need, especially after they had managed to confirm that half of the Blue Teams Servants weren't even there to resist their planned attack. Those left behind had fought bitterly and had even resorted to a 'scorching earth' tactic when they realised the fight was lost. Caster of Blue's Workshop was absolutely unsalvageable, while mundane authorities, paramedics and reporters plagued the remains of the Temple to no end.

There was only so much hypnotism one could get away with, and so for the sake of keeping the illusion of normality there had been no choice but to give almost absolute freedom to the visitors.

Cornelius Alba himself swore that it would have been foolish for an Assassin Class Servant to not take advantage of their forced openness to try and scout out what they could. Not that there was too much to see yet. His Caster was still setting up his own Territory, and it was taking time to do so.

Forte didn't mind too much, really. The complications they had to put up with to claim the land the Temple was based on was more than worth the gains provided by taking it. It had been a gamble to try and turn the Holy Grail War into a King of the Hill kind of situation, but the rewards were too good not to try and take it out from under the Blues. Strong natural defences, access to the crippled Leylines (Which gave little Prana but allowed wide spread spells and rituals to be cast easier), not to mention access to the physical body of the Greater Grail beneath the Temple. The cherry on the cake- the Temple itself was where the Grail itself was scheduled to manifest too.

If there was one thing that Forte had learned from her time hunting Sealing Designates, it was that it was much harder to take someone down that had the home field advantage.

It was that last point which was so vital, that Alba's whole plan had rested upon. Remove their enemies' sanctuary and burn their resources to the ground alongside it. A two-pronged assault upon both Teams, with Alba himself employing hit-and-run tactics upon the Greys (With the understanding that a single Command Seal would be all that was needed to escape from the Greys). The tactic worked, and put both factions off guard, while Alba's individual actions meant that the majority of the Red Team could be committed to the Ryuudou battle.

"What are you thinking about?" Her Servant asked her in a neutral tone, from his place besides her. The two of them were sitting by the lakeside, as there had been little to do and she preferred to leave the interaction with the masses to Alba and Bram who had better experience in cover ups. It was about time the latter started doing something useful.

After all, he was close to useless to their cause now that his Servant had been stolen. Without even a single Command Seal left upon him, it could be argued whether he even qualified as a Master anymore, and they were only keeping him around just in case the death of Caster of Blue returned his Command Seals and Servant to him.

"Not much." Forte said, idly. "Thinking about what I'll use the Grail for, really."

Assassin gave a little shrug- it was hard to see due to the heaviness of his long coat. "I thought the collective goal of this 'Red Team' was to go to Akasha together? Share the prize, as it were."

"Oh, it is on paper. And I'm sure we'd all be happy to go to the Root together. One would be a pretty poor Magus to not take the opportunity when offered…"

"But." Assassin interjected, saying the key word.

"Exactly. But… I'm not just a Magus, am I?" For such was Forte's nature. She walked the thin line between Enforcer and Magus, respected by both, and understanding of both sides. She could understand the thoughts of the Magus seeking the answers of everything due to her own upbringing, but she wasn't cold enough to detach her own wants or desires- for an Enforcer rarely failed to have a ulterior motives.

"And that wish?"

"Not sure yet." She admitted, more forthcoming than she normally would be. He was her Servant, so to her it made sense to foster as strong a relationship as possible. "I could just go with the standard Root wish, but there are other things I desire too. I may just need to break away and use the Grail myself when the opportunity arises. And yourself? What do you wish for, Charles-Henri Sanson, Executioner of Paris?"

The Assassin didn't look too troubled by the question. Then again, he hadn't seemed to be fazed by anything so far. "I always have been an executioner, and I don't much regret it. A wish… I suppose I regret having had to see my job through to the end when I had to watch my beloved king and queen's heads roll. Or perhaps I would make people respect my occupation a bit more. Either way, my wish is rather petty, all things considered."

"We are all petty people." Forte replied, simply. She paused for a moment, as she pondered where to take the conversation. "Assassin, answer me honestly. How highly do you rate this Teams 'odds' of success?"

"Fairly high, I'd say." The white-haired man said slowly. "We have a strong defensive position, our Servants are rather potent, and I'd say that our Masters are high calibre too. We won't march easily to the chopping block."

"I'm glad."

Assassin shook his head. "I don't see why you wanted my opinion though. I am merely the tool to kill those already condemned. I am no soldier. You, in this case, have more experience than me."

Forte laughed a little at that. "I too am little but a tool, sometimes. But in that case, as my tool, I tell you that our enemies are sentenced to die. I task you with fulfilling the sentence."

A small smile slipped its way onto the Heroic Spirits face. "I suppose I'll have to fulfil my duty then, won't I?"

The Red Team wasn't done. Not by a long shot. This was but the beginning of their campaign, and Forte was certain that victory would be theirs.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ruler knelt before the alter, eyes closed, and hands pressed together. She was deep in prayer, offering her hopes and thoughts and fears up to the lord. More often than not He would do nothing but listen to His flock's thoughts and do nothing but offer an unbiased ear and His silence, but that was fine. There were some things even He couldn't help with, while the gift of free will meant it was the responsibility of man to try and solve their own problems.

"Your ceaseless prayers irritate me, girl." The scathing voice shattered the silence of the closed church. With a benevolent smile, Jeanne rose from her vigil and turned to the Heroic Spirt she was sharing this church with.

"Hello, Gilgamesh." She greeted pleasantly. "I apologise for disturbing you. I shall endeavour to give the Lord my thanks elsewhere, so as not to bother you. The quality of the prayer is what interests Him, not where it is."

"See? It's that-" Gilgamesh told her, pointing at her clasped hands in irritation. "which annoys me. Your unending positivity and naivety. You look and sound like her, and yet you are far inferior. You lack her stubborn defiance, the edge to her. Her ideals were that of a child, and it would be beautiful to see her fall into despair… but you? You are boring and yet dare to speak above your station."

"Well, I am nothing but a simple peasant girl." Jeanne could only agree for the most part, though her thoughts differed on some subjects. "And I do not speak above my station, for the Lord is the highest station of all, and I merely speak his words."

Again, Gilgamesh shook his head in disgust. "Truly, this Ruler Class is an atrocity. If I could kill you, I would. No. When I can kill you, I will subject you to atrocities that will make a poor foolish virgin like yourself break. Because nobody may order the King of Heroes without consequence."

The Archer's words didn't prompt even a smidge of fear in the Ruler Class Servant. She had willingly walked to her death and accepted her most painful end for the sake of her people. So too would she accept Gilgamesh's rage. After all, while he was a sinner of the highest order, he was also a Tainted being. She would save him if she could, and if not, she would accept his curses instead. She hoped he would not make the Wish she feared he would if he won… for if he did, she would have little choice but to fight him in order to stop him.

"Not even going to give me an answer? Truly, you are a terrible insult to me with every breath."

"If I bother you this much, you are always free to leave." Jeanne told him levelly. It would certainly solve both their problems. As the one who had accepted to take over the role of moderator, it was her responsibility to reside within the Church and protect those fallen Masters that sought sanctuary. Gilgamesh didn't need to stay though. He had the option to leave.

The demigod shook his head in disgust. "No. That would mean letting you win. I shall not be evicted from my abode. Hmph. I'll reclaim it at the end of this War, once I have torn your limbs off one by one."

She frowned, just a little bit. "At the end of the War, I shall give you that chance."

"Hmmph. Why am I even wasting my time here? I believe that I shall go out for a walk. Mayhaps even a very enthusiastic one. This War has certainly proved more interesting than I had expected. There is far too much trash still, but I hope to find treasure amidst it, perhaps. At the very least, seeing the mongrels bleed each other dry will be amusing to watch. Last night was rather fun." At that, Gilgamesh turned away and left Ruler alone- walking out of the church and into the morning air of Fuyuki like he owned it.

Jeanne hated to have such selfish thoughts, but she was rather glad he was gone. Naturally she would need to pray in order to absolve herself of such imperfections. Without another word, she set herself to kneeling once more, and resumed praying for both herself and the lives of each and every innocent person that died during the previous night due to the Holy Grail War.

She was certain that many more would die before this War was resolved.