Shirou sank into a chair. "No, it can't be happening again."

Rin sat beside him, resting her hand on her shoulder. "I know, I can't believe it either. But the fact that it is happening again is worrisome."

Shirou looked at her. "Tell me everything."

Rin relayed everything Lord El-Melloi II had told her and when she had finished, Shirou stood. "We're mostly packed. Another hour and we should be able to go see Lord El-Melloi."

Rin nodded, already had knowing Shirou would join the fight. "Before we start, we need to know who we're going to summon."

Shirou looked surprised. "Isn't it obvious? We're summoning Saber."

Rin bit her lip. "We don't even know if Avalon is still within you Shirou."

He shook his head. "I'm sure it is. Over the past few days, I've felt a sort of humming sensation within me. Just like the last time the Holy Grail War started. I've just really haven't noticed."

Rin nodded. "Okay then. We can use Avalon as the catalyst for Saber. Though I'll need to either find a catalyst for myself or just wing it."

Shirou looked at his bedroom door down the hall. "We could always use the pendant to summon Archer."

Rin shook her head. "No. It's probably best we don't. At least not alongside you. Remember last time?"

Shirou sighed, remembering his dream. "Yeah, I do. Well, you'll still draw one of the highest cards, with or without a catalyst. You're one of the strongest Magis I know."

Rin blushed and looked away and mumbled, "I'm not one of the strongest."

"Nonsense," Shirou said. "Here, let's finish up our packing. I guess our first stop on our trip will be Fuyuki City."

...

Shirou and Rin met with Lord El-Melloi II inside his office.

He nodded at them. "Then you both have accepted. Good. "

He turned to one of the doors in the room. "Follow me."

He led them down a spiral staircase and into a dungeon like room. A summoning circle was in the middle, giving off a red hue.

Gray stood to the side and nodded at the Lord. "It's complete Lord El-Melloi."

"Then we can start right away," He said and turned to Shirou and Rin. "I was unable to procure a catalyst for you."

"That's fine," Shirou said. "We already have one."

The Lord raised an eyebrow. "Do you now? What is it."

Shirou placed his hand on his chest. "Avalon."

Then he stepped into the middle of the circle and drew the incantation from his memory.

...

Zachery Clark stood in the middle of the woods, the only light coming from a lamp and the summoning circle he had just finished.

He stepped back to admire his work. "I think that'll do it."

He set the open box at one end of the circle and then went to stand in the middle.

He took a deep breath and began.

...

Lord Baston set down the catalyst given to him by Rocco.

He smirked as he remembered what Rocco had said to him earlier. "Letting a mere boy, an American no less, have the chance to become a master is a poor decision. I believe if we had our own Master here from the Clock Tower participate, that it would serve us greatly."

So Lord Baston had obliged and now stood, ready to begin the summoning.

...

Four friends stood in their summoning circles, each one with their own wish.

Gabriel raised his head. "You guys ready?"

Jainil cracked his knuckles. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Kadali, Jainil's sister, smirked. "C'mon, let's hurry up and get this started."

Talia glanced over at Gabriel. "Yeah, we don't have all day."

"Technically," Gabriel said. "We do, but I get your point."

They held out their hands in and spoke in unison.

...

"For the elements silver and iron," Shirou spoke as he dripped drops of liquid onto the circle. "The foundation stone and the archduke of paths and for my great master Kiritsugu Emiya..."

"Close the four gates," Zachery said, more liquid spilling from his hands onto the summoning circle. "Come forth from the crown and follow the forked road leading to the kingdom."

"Fill," Lord Baston chanted. "Fill, fill, fill, fill."

"Repeat five times," the four friends recited together. "But when each is filled, destroy it."

"Set," Shirou said. "Heed my words. My will creates your body and your sword creates my fate."

"If you heed the Grail's call," Lord Baston continued. "And obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning!"

"I hereby swear," Zachery shouted. "That I shall be all the good in the world."

"That I shall defeat..." Shirou's eyes flashed. "All evil in the world!"

"Then let thine eyes be clouded with the fog of turmoil and chaos," Talia chanted, her's different from her friends' chants. "Thou, who are trapped in a cage of madness! And I, the summoner, who holds thy chains!"

"Seventh heaven clad!" Zachery shouted. "In the great words of power!"

"Come forth from the circle of bindings!" Shirou yelled, feeling a pull in his gut. "Guardian of Scales!"

Blinding light enveloped each Master's vision as dust flew into the air.

Zachery stumbled back against a tree, gasping for breath. A figure stood facing him, his cowboy hat tipped towards him, and a grin on his face.

"Wonderful!" He shouted, spinning his revolver on his finger, then settled it in his holster. "My Master, I follow you so we may reach the Holy Grail together."

Lord Baston gasped as his servant's helmet retracted onto his, no, her back.

"Rejoice Master," she said with a feral grin. "We shall win the war."

Four servants stood in front of their masters, who gaped at their newly summoned servants.

Shirou blinked as the dust settled and a figure could be seen through the smoke. Her battle dress swirled around her perfectly as her armor glinted in the light.

"I ask you," she said, her sea green eyes on Shirou. "Are you worthy to be, my Master?"

...

Asami left the building where she had her job interview, disappointed. This was the fifth time she failed to get a job. And she didn't even have the money to hail a taxi, but to be honest, that wasn't too bad. Fuyuki City at night was stunning.

She groaned to herself as she turned a corner on the street. "Jeez, I need to get my act together. I'm fricking 19. I don't want to live with Mom forever."

She went down an alleyway, the shortcut she always used when going this way back home.

She stopped as three guys in dark clothing stepped out from the shadows.

"Why hello missy," one said cheerfully. "Ain't this a fine night?"

Asami stepped back, fear creeping up her body. "I don't want any trouble."

"Oh don't worry none," another said, flipping out a knife. "We don't want trouble either."

"Yeah," the third says. "All we want to do is slice open your throat and steal your belongings. No biggie."

All three laugh as Asami turns to run. She bumps into someone who grabs her into a choke hold.

"No!" she thinks desperately. "I don't want to die! I can't die! I have so many things to do! Please! I don't want to die!"

Suddenly, her hand burned as the grip on her disappeared. Asami fell back against the brick wall of a building, gasping for air. The man who had grabbed her now lay on the ground feet away, blood seeping from his body. A woman stood over his body, strands of her blue greenish hair hanging at her side like snakes.

"How dare you attack a beautiful woman in the dark," she hissed at the three guys staring between her and their dead comrade. "Such a despicable crime is punishable by death."

A loud hissing noise filled the alleyway as a large King Cobra curled itself around the woman's body, its beady eyes fixed on the would be murderers.

"Kill," the woman ordered and the snake lunged at one of the men. It sunk its fangs into his body as its tail wrapped around one of the men who tried to flee and squeezed.

The last guy, obviously the idiot of the four, ran at the woman. She smirked as she twirled and kicked the guy in the chest several times, her leg a blur. She jumped and swung her other leg in an arc, spinning the guy's head around, effectively snapping his neck.

The snake slithered back into the shadows as the woman walked up to Asami, who backed up further against the wall in fear.

"Don't be afraid Master," the woman said, kneeling next to Asami. "They are dead now."

"Master!?" Asami asked loudly, shaking. "Who are you!?"

The strange woman stood. "I am servant Assassin, summoned here to follow your commands in the Holy Grail War."

"What?" Asami asked, thinking she had gone mad.

Assassin smiled genuinely. "If you need proof, look at your left hand. The command seals are proof of our contract."

She held up Asami's hand and she could now see that a red tattoo had been burned on her hand. Asami could only do one thing. She fainted.

...

"Saber!" Shirou said, hugging her.

Her eyes widened, but closed as she accepted the hug. "Hello again Shirou."

Rin joined the hug. "It's been too long."

Saber nodded and withdrew from them. "Indeed. You two have grown closer together since I've left."

Shirou coughed while Rin went red in the face.

Lord El-Melloi II walked forwards, hand outstretched. "Saber, or should I say King of Knights. It's been a while. Fourteen years to be exact."

Saber's eyes widened. "Master of Rider. Waver was it?"

"Waver?" Gray asked curiously, looking at the Lord.

Lord El-Melloi II nodded and smiled. "Yes, Saber. But I go by Lord El-Melloi II now."

Saber shook his hand. "That's wonderful."

She turned serious. "But back to the matter at hand."

She turned to Shirou and Rin. "The Sixth Holy Grail War has begun. That means we didn't manage to destroy it."

"We did," Rin said. "That's what's confusing."

Saber nodded, then glanced around the room warily. "There's another servant in here."

She raised her hands, undoubtedly gripping her invisible sword.

Lord El-Melloi simply nodded. "There is. You may show yourself Lancer."

A woman in a black skintight ninja outfit materialized from thin air, two red spears similar to the spear the last Grail War's Lancer wielded.

Rin gasped. "You're his master. Cu Chulainn's I mean. Scathach."

"Oh dear," Lancer sighed, swinging one of her spears on her shoulder. "The secret's out. And rather quickly too. What gave me away?"

"Cu Chulainn," Rin responded. "Or rather, his spear did."

Lancer smiled. "I guess that's what I get for letting that dog use one of my spears."

Saber glanced at Shirou who she had placed behind her so she could be between him and Lancer. "Are we partners with them Shirou?"

"I don't know," Shirou said, glancing at the Lord. "I didn't realize you had a servant. Conveniently forgot to mention it?"

Lord El-Melloi shook his head. "I only summoned her after Rin had left. Orders from the Mage Association. They want to make sure that someone wins, so since I survived one Grail War, there's a decent chance I'll win."

"But," he said, looking at Saber. "I know the Grail needs to be destroyed. So I hope we can all work together."

Shirou nodded. "Fine then, but don't expect me to trust you fully. We already experienced one Master with a Lancer who tried to kill us."

"As to be expected," the Lord said understandably, then turned to Rin. "You should probably summon your servant now."

Rin nodded and went to stand on the summoning circle while everyone else stepped back. She began reciting the ritual and Shirou felt another pull in his gut as she finished. More blinding light and flying dust. When it all settled, a figure in white robes kneeled in front of Rin, bits of his stark white hair sticking out from his hood, a hand on a his staff. He rose, his face hidden, as he stood elegantly. Truly, this man was a true mage.

"Caster?" Rin asked, feeling in awe at him and she didn't know why.

"Yes," he said and pulled back his hood and Saber gasped beside Shirou as his young face was revealed, despite his white hair. "I am Caster."

Saber stepped forwards, but not threateningly. This was more, hesitant. No, disbelief.

"Merlin?" Saber asked, standing in front of him.

Caster's eyes widened in surprise, then he grinned. "My king, it's been a while."

...

The man in black church robes leaned against the wall as his Master returned. "Well?"

She smiled. "Is that anyway to greet your daughter?"

He kept his face neutral. "You look like your mother, yet you act like me. I don't entirely know what to feel about this whole situation."

She laughed. "Just like you Kirei. Still haven't figured out what you feel even after death?"

He shrugged. "I have no wish, yet you were able to summon me as a servant?"

"Oh," his daughter's golden eyes gleamed. "But I do think I know what your wish is, even if you don't."

She held up a picture of a man with red hair. "Recognize him?"

Kirei's eyes narrowed slightly. "Shirou Emiya."

...

The young woman stared up at the moon from her window, her long blonde hair sweeping behind her as she turned. She stared into the mirror, her simple clothes not showing up in her reflection. Instead she saw herself in armor and bearing a standard as a weapon.

She touched her reflection's face gently and spoke in a whisper. "Holy Maiden Jeanne. I shall be of power to you."

I'll likely only write one or two more chapters of this before I head back to my Pokemon fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed and if you did, consider leaving a vote. Toodles.