AN: Okay, so first off.. I was wrong. There is, in fact, one incredibly amazing Disney movie that I forgot about. A criminally underappreciated one. It's easily one of my favorites, but I always forget it exists. Which is criminal! It might be one of the best Disney movies that isn't popular, from a bygone era of forgotten, amazing films. That's right: Treasure Planet. The fifth world – or, well, something like that.

Anyways, I know it's been a little while. I'm trying to make sure everyone sounds exactly how they're supposed to sound; it isn't always easy to keep it straight with everything that's coming down the pipeline. Regardless! I hope you all have fun reading this chapter.

To Gamelover41592: I'm excited to see where the story goes with you! And yeah, if I were in their place I'd rather have Salem catch up with me than an angry Sora!

Chapter 3: Live Fire Exercises

"Come on, just talk to me!" Dawn begged as they walked down the city's streets, the two holding on to some soft serve ice cream they'd picked up with some pocket Lien.

"No."

Dawn sighed. "Oscar, come on! I told you, it wasn't on purpose!" she begged again, sweeping around to get in front of him. "But, come on, we're here and there's obviously something going on here. Otherwise we wouldn't have ended up here, right?"

He turned down another street so he could ignore her. "I – Oscar!" She growled, then tossed the end of the empty cone in her mouth so she could run after him. "Stupid Oscar not listening or forgiving me... It was an accident!"

"So, where are we going?" she asked him when she caught up. She threw her cape back and walked with her hands on her hips, dancing slightly with every step. "Oscar, come on. Lets try and figure something out!"

"We go home!" Oscar hissed angrily. "That's our plan!"

"But we're already here," Dawn whined. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Look, I'm never going to get to leave the Academy again! My dad'll, I don't know, find a way to chip me or something! At least let me be a hero one time before he uses his Keyblade to lock me on Remnant somehow."

Oscar growled and tried to tell her to shut up, but soon found himself spiraling into a series of thoughts he didn't like. To be fair, she'll probably never see the sun again. Great, just what he needed. A guilt trip from himself. And you'll definitely never get to hang out again. Okay, that one was true. And that did suck.

"F-fine," he finally agreed with a heavy sigh. He turned on her. "But..."

She glanced at the ground, then up to him. "But then we get more ice cream?"

"But then we leave," he snapped at her.

"... I was hoping you'd forget," she mumbled back.

"Dawn..."

"Why don't you stutter around me and let me win this just once?" she muttered sadly. She held out her hand. "Fine. But then we leave..."

Oscar smiled. "Good." He reached out and grabbed hold of his friend's hand, shaking it.

After a moment, her head cocked to the side as she noticed something. "Wait..." Dawn yanked his hand back and leaned in, then yanked his glove off before he could protest. "Nice, when did you get a tattoo, Bad Boy?"

Oscar blinked. "I -" He looked down and yelped, tearing his hand back and trying to rub the three red marks off of his hand. "Come on come on come on! I – I didn't, Dawn! I swear!"

But there they were. Three red circles filled with gears were on the back of his right hand, put together in a familiar shape: the Keychain that dangled off of Uncle Jaune's Keyblade, and now Dawn's as well. There were a few small differences, of course. First, they were ever so slightly disconnected, with the ear near his index knuckle even further from the large circle near his wrist than the other ear. "Dawn, did you do this? I bet you had some temporary tattoos that -"

"Like I wouldn't give myself one, too?" she countered, raising her clean right hand. "You know me better than that."

Oscar frowned. "... Yeah, that's true," he finally admitted before looking at the marking on the back of his hand. "But then why? Is it something to do with the World's Order? Like only guys have them, or -"

"They're Command Seals."

Oscar's eyes flew up to Dawn. "Wait, what did you say?"

She blinked. "Command Seals... I, uh... Er... How did I know that?"

Oscar groaned and put his hands on his head, asking the question of himself instead. He was the one with training in Magical Theory, after all. "How do you know that? Also what is that?" Oscar continued. He gestured at her. "This is why we needed a Master around to explain all this!"

"I said I was sorry!" Dawn repeated in exasperation. "And... I just knew, okay?"

"Ugh... Maybe it's – er, maybe it's part of the World Order, too?" Oscar brought his hands down over his face and stretched his skin down, then exasperatedly groaned at the sky. He began hopelessly trying to find Remnant in the stars. "Whoa!" Instead he saw a guy in red, carrying something red in his arms, jumping between buildings. He threw his hand up towards the figure soaring between two buildings. "Dawn, up there!"

Dawn looked where he was pointing and her silvery eyes widened in excitement. "That guy isn't normal..." she said. She looked at her best friend and grinned. "Let's follow him!"

"What are you -" But she was already chasing after him, summoning her Keyblade to her hand and sliding to a stop at the base of the building he'd just landed on. Oscar sighed and charged after her. "Well?"

"... how, uh... How do we get up there?" Dawn wondered. She looked over at her friend. "I know, I know... I didn't think it through. How do you do that 'Flowmotion' thing?"

"Just concentrate your Aura to your feet. Between that, the Keyblade, and you refusing to listen to even the rules of physics, you can run up walls," he said after a moment of silence. "You have to think before -"

"Awesome!" Dawn shouted exuberantly. She grabbed his arm and sprinted up the wall... all of five feet before they hit the ground again, their breath gone from the sudden impact with the ground.

Oscar groaned in pain. "Why don't I -"

"Yeah, why don't you take the lead here," she groaned from her place spread eagled on the pavement.

A few moments later, they were on top of the building and Dawn had a better idea of how that worked from her sidecar ride along. "Okay, so which way did he go?" Oscar wondered, the two of them glancing around. "Hm... Let me try something here..." He held his hands up, beginning to channel magic. "From what Professor Urahara says, I should be able to trace him with magic by-"

"He's over there!" Dawn shouted, to one edge and pointing.

Oscar sighed in disappointment and let the energy lancing between his hands vanish, sad he didn't have a chance to work his magic. "Oh... okay..." He followed her to the edge of the building, squinting to see the fast man in red bolting away. "How did you see him so easy?"

"Special eyes?" she suggested. She looked around before grinning and settling on their path. "Let's go!" She backed up a few steps, then bolted forward and leaped from the edge to the next building,clearing the alley easily and continuing to sprint on after him.

Oscar shook his head, then took off after her. He didn't go quite as far, but he made it and chased after her. Dawn bounded easily up to the next building, leaping almost a dozen feet up and landing softly on the roof. Oscar grit his teeth and leaped after her, then summoned a pulse of magic to his feet and jumped again, landing a little further than Dawn had., but stumbling on the landing. "Dawn, w-wait up!" he shouted. She turned her head back and slowed.

"Hurry up, Slowpoke! I thought you were the senior apprentice here!" she shouted back. Still, she let him catch up, and the two began to run again. "We're catching up to him!"

She was right. The red figure wasn't getting further away anymore, going slower and slower as the buildings they jumped between grew shorter and shorter and they approached larger estate like manors. They jumped behind some fans when hHe stopped completely on the edge of one building and looked down, mumbling something to whatever was in his arms. A flash of dark hair and a much higher voice said something with a tone they could tell was condescending even from as far away as they were. After another moment, the man in red jumped from the building, plummeting to the ground.

"What are we doing now?" Oscar sighed, having realized he was in no way, shape, or form in charge despite Dawn deferring to him earlier. Best to just acknowledge it now and get it over with.

Dawn frowned and tapped her chin. "Follow him," she finally decided, then she jumped from the roof and fell to the ground far below.

Oscar watched her go, then sighed and jumped after her, creating the same magical pulse as before as he neared the ground, altering his momentum and letting him only fall a few feet to the ground. Dawn was already rushing down the street before he even landed, leaving him playing catch up again. "Wait – No... NO! Rin, wait, what if you're going to die!?"

The two stumbled upon hearing that, then poured on the speed.

"Dammit! Shit – Shit!" Sparks flew as a black falchion in the red guy's hand blocked an invisible weapon in the grasp of a young woman in blue. The man in red jumped back, just in time for Dawn to slide up next to him and summon her Keyblade.

"What the -"

"Hey, it's not nice to attack people," Dawn told the young woman resolutely. Oscar came up behind her and arcane energy began to spiral around his hands, ready to back Dawn up.

The guy in red growled but turned back to the woman in blue. "Rin... Rin, if you ever listen to one thing I say, let it be this. This Servant is -"

"Baeber." She looked between the woman in blue – Baeber, apparently – and Dawn. "And there are two!?"

Dawn flinched and turned to the girl in red she hadn't paid attention to earlier. She was crouched behind the guy in red, eyes flickering between the woman in blue and Dawn. "My name isn't Baeber!"

"Yeah, Rin, she's not a Saber."

"Have at you!" The woman in blue shouted, exploding forward in a blink of an eye. Dawn yelped and quickly raised her Keyblade, the blow colliding and shaking every bone in her body. But she held firm.

"Dammit," the guy in red remarked before dashing backwards to cover the girl better. "Try not to die until after I get away, Kid."

The woman in blue – Baeber, or Saber, Dawn wasn't sure – snarled and pushed harder against Dawn. "I would have your name, strangely dressed little girl!"

"Hey! Leave her alone! Fire!" Oscar shouted, and a Fira flew from his outstretched palms, blazing towards the woman. She jumped out of the way, separating from Dawn and using whatever invisible thing she was holding to destroy the attack. Dawn charged forward in that moment, but the woman easily turned her invisible weapon back to block Dawn's blow.

"I am the Saber class servant, give me your deets, girl!" Saber snapped while they struggled to push the other back; Dawn may not have been an overwhelming force in the way of skill, but between the Keyblade and her own physical prowess, she was strong.

"I'm Dawn... But I'm not supposed to give my name to people trying to hurt others. Dang it!" Dawn retorted. She slammed her head forward, catching Saber off guard with a headbutt to the nose. Saber reeled back, droplets of blood flying from her face. "And no one says 'deets' anymore!"

"Truly?" Saber asked. She reached up and wiped the blood off with the smooth metal of her right gauntlet. "But I was not asking your name. I was asking your Class, Servant..."

"But," she remarked as she stood up, "since you have given it freely, so too must -"

Dawn was on her before she could finish. "Don't know, don't care!" she snapped, slamming the Kingdom Key D into Saber's gut. The woman hissed in pain and stumbled backwards from the blow, but quickly recovered and backhanded Dawn into the ground. The Keyblade wielder growled at the concrete cracking beneath her face. "Anytime, Oscar!"

"Wind!"

Air exploded around Dawn and the woman in blue was blasted back ever so slightly, giving the Keyblade Wielder enough time to scramble to her feet. "You going to help us, Red?"

"And get between you and Saber? Ha! Not on your life." The man turned his attention back to the girl watching wide eyed. "Rin, I'm telling you, that girl isn't Saber, only the blonde one!"

"I want both Baebers!" Rin whined back.

Dawn tried her best to ignore all that, though. "Oscar, cast spells and back me up," she demanded, bringing her Keyblade across her body so it was above her right shoulder. She leaped at the woman in blue and slashed down, the attack crashing into the woman's weapon. Dawn disengaged and spun to the side, swinging at the woman from behind to keep her in place. The woman blocked the Keyblade and reached out with her other hand, grabbing hold of Dawn by the neck and spinning to toss her into the incoming Blizzara that Oscar had cast. Dawn hit the ground, struggling to move through the coating of frost that had covered her. "O-o-sca-ar!" she growled, shivering intensely. "R-run!"

The woman in blue rocketed past her and stabbed at Oscar, who yelped and wheeled off to one side. He was off balance now, about to die. The woman in blue was turning on him, the invisible weapon aimed at his throat. Dawn's eyes widened. No. No, not going to happen! She snapped internally. Her joints creaked and yelled at her as she pushed against the ice, moving fast to her feet and shooting between Saber and Oscar. Their weapons collided with a flash of Light, and Saber was sent flying backwards by a Reflect Hexagon that the Kingdom Key D had summoned to deflect her blow. "Back off, Blondie. That's my best friend you're trying to hurt," she growled. The last of the frost fell around Dawn and she clutched her Keyblade tighter and she charged, blade crashing into the woman's gauntlet the moment she had landed.

Dawn grinned and threw her Keyblade to the side, destroying Saber's guard. Dawn dove out of the way, and finally a spell managed to collide with the woman in blue. The energy washed over the woman, eliciting a snarl of pain. But the bolts of the Thundara didn't act as they should; they didn't stun her, forcing her to stop in her tracks. She shook it off all too quickly and slammed her invisible blade down into Dawn's shoulder. The Keyblade wielder yelped in pain and slammed down onto her hands and knees.

"What kind of swag do you have to not be cut by my blade!?" Saber shouted in surprise, but Dawn barely heard her. That blow alone had nearly taken out her mostly untrained but deep reserves of Aura. "Dawn... Ah! Perhaps you are Karna! A woman, not a man, as -"

"Who's Karna?" Dawn asked. She lashed out with her foot, catching the woman's ankle. Saber yelped and stumbled to her side, a loud cacophony of metal and cement. She quickly rolled to her feet and slammed a foot into Dawn's gut, ignoring another ineffectual spell cast by Oscar. Her eyes turned on him and she was in front of him, weapon raised and ready to impale him.

Oscar's eyes widened in terror and he seemed to curl up into himself. "Oh no..."

"OSCAR!"

"SABER, NO!" A very high pitched voice shouted from down the street, horrified by everything happening.

A red wave of energy passed over the world, and Saber froze. "Gah! Argh!" she growled, struggling against the weapon that wouldn't go forward. She looked over her shoulder, and everyone's gaze followed to see a bloody, beaten up red headed boy panting heavily as he stared back with wide, amber eyes. Dawn took the opportunity to rush over to Oscar, yanking him away from the woman and placing herself between them. "Okay, there's no way you could have known this, but right now I am NOT super cool with Command Seals! In the future, please run all Command Seal based requests past me or else!"

"... I told you they were called Command Seals!".Dawn supplied over her shoulder.

"Again, how did you know?"

Rin and the man in red seemed to finish whatever silent conversation they were having, if their gesticulations and complete silence were anything to go by. "Hello, Shirou Emiya," she began. "And... Boy."

"M-m-my name is, uh, it's, uh, –"

"Oscar," Dawn growled warningly.

"Well, to both of you apparently socially inept boys," she laughed and made eyes at Saber and Dawn that made Dawn's skin crawl. "I love your friends, Boys." The man in red's shoulders dipped with relief and he smiled at that.

Only for his shoulders to become tense and horrified a moment later. "I WANT YOUR SERVANTS, GIVE ME BAEBERS!"

The man dismissed the weapons he was holding and crossed his arms, letting out an annoyed growl. "Well, there's my expectations flying right out the window..."

Rin glared at Oscar and Shirou with a flame only the Darkest of Hearts could summon. "Don't make me end you two!"

"Stop giving her googly eyes!" Dawn snapped at Oscar. "What would Dove think!"

Oscar's jaw slammed shut. "D-Dove? So you... you think there is a chance?"

Dawn glared at him with as much disgust as she could muster. "... I hate you."

χ χ χ

"So, what exactly is going on here?" Dawn asked, knowing she couldn't trust her muttery friend to ask the questions with both Rin – the girl in red who Archer had been protecting – and Saber there. She thanked God that Dove wasn't there or he'd be a mess. They were inside of Shirou's home, kneeling at a low dining table with tea poured for everyone. Her best friend was to her left, next to Shirou, and was redder than the other boy's hair. Archer – the guy in red – had refused to come in, but had given Shirou a disgusted glare and then... an odd look at Dawn. Then he'd promptly jumped on top of the house.

"Shouldn't you know? You are a servant as well, Dawn," Saber pointed out quickly.

Crap. "I, uh... know a couple things," she said sheepishly. She scratched the back of her head and chuckled. "But it's mostly secondhand."

"Then perhaps you were summoned incorrectly," Rin piped up. She reached out her hand and grinned evilly. "You could join me instead and then -"

"Nah," Dawn replied. There was an almost audible shattering noise and the grin turned angry.

"But Rin, what is going on?"

Rin sighed and plopped her elbows down on the table. "Yeah, yeah..." She smirked, the motion vanishing fast enough that Dawn wasn't sure she'd even seen it. "Article One. Those red things on your hand – they're called Command Seals." She held up her own hand, with a clear vertical line beneath a circle that thinned at its apex. Above those, nearest her knuckles, was a faded red line. "They aren't candy, got it. Use too many and the Baebers disappear. You want the Baebers to disappear? I don't! I like Baebers! They're my Baebers! Frankly, you two bozos should give Baebers to me! Article Two: GIVE ME BAEBERS"

Dawn glanced over at Oscar, who seemed to have been snapped out of his stupor by the fact this girl was... insane. To put it mildly. "Oh... maybe we should run," Oscar whispered to Dawn.

"No. That'd put Shirou in danger. If we left, I bet she'd try to shoot him in the face," Dawn whispered back. "Besides, I want to talk to Saber about something."

"What tea art thou two spilling?" Saber asked while Rin screamed and threw a tantrum at her request being denied at best, ignored at worst. "Huh... spilling tea. That is..."

"Huh?" Dawn and Oscar grunted.

Shirou blinked and looked over at Saber. "I, uh... think she's asking what you two are gossiping about?"

"Yes, that is what I'm asking," Saber agreed quickly.

Oscar began to stammer again until a hand slammed over his mouth. Dawn stared at Saber."You called me Karna before. Why is that?" She removed her hand from Oscar's face and laced both hands behind her head. "I don't remember ever learning about this Karna guy either, but I know he's some Sun Demigod or something. And a guy."

"Famous people can be misgendered in historical texts, DAWN!" Saber snapped, her entire nature pivoting suddenly. "Don't pretend just because everyone says something is true that it is! You're a heroic spirit, aren't you? You know that not everyone you knew when you were alive is the same as how the story goes!"

"A-alive?" Oscar suddenly piped up.

Dawn opened her mouth, then shut it. "But... I'm not dead."

Rin leaned forward and her eyes widened. "No way!" she basically leaped over the table, getting way too close to Dawn, and grabbed her face. "I mean, theoretically it's possible, but... I mean..."

"Gonna, uh, fill us in here, Rin?" Shirou wondered meekly.

"A Pseudoservant!" Rin shouted. Dawn yelped when Rin started to squish her face even harder.

"Ah, that is what she meant," Saber remarked. She placed one hand on her chin. "A human individual possessed by a heroic spirit."

"To do that, you'd basically have to be a reincarnation of that spirit!"

Remembering that they weren't exactly supposed to advertise other worlds existed – especially to someone as insane as Rin who might use them to do horrible, unspeakable things – Oscar finally spoke up, "I guess that makes sense. After all, me and Dawn have been best friends since we were kids, so I know she isn't dead."

"Let me study you..."

"And now you have officially carried it too far, Buddy," Dawn remarked. She grabbed Rin's hands and casually tossed her back across the table. She shivered at Rin's face and slowly creeped behind Oscar. "You don't mind playing frontline for a bit, right?"

Oscar smirked over his shoulder. "Oh, now you want to leave, too?"

"Fine, it's crossing my mind," she growled back.

"So what is all this about?" Oscar asked Rin after sticking his tongue out at Dawn mockingly.

Saber piped up. "We are Heroes from history, summoned to fight in a bloody war over the Holy Grail."

Rin smiled and shut her eyes. "The finest of Beer Mugs."

"I can already tell that isn't what it is," Oscar remarked. He leaned down on his elbows. "And I have zero familiarity with the concept."

"For real? You guys are Heroes!?" Shirou shouted, surging up and slamming his palms against the table.

"You know it!" Dawn exclaimed with a gesture at herself.

"It's a tradition that has occurred in Fuyuki City five times fought between competent mages -" she gestured at herself the, begrudgingly, at Oscar. " – and people like you, Shirou."

"Harsh... Not untrue," Saber remarked, grimacing at her Master.

"I second that!" Archer screamed from outside.

"Is he not coming in here?" Dawn wondered.

"You know I'm not!"

"He's just intimidated by Shirou," Rin supplied, knowing it would piss him off.

"Oh, screw off!"

Rin seemed to delight in his anger for a moment like the maybe sociopath she was, then sighed and turned to everyone. "Look, all of you. The Mages in this thing. Are. Monsters. People who would murder innocent humans and decorate their workshops using their blood as paint." She gripped her teacup tighter. "We're all basically Merlin. On a warpath!"

"Scary thought," Saber remarked with glazed over eyes.

"Then we have to fight to keep them from doing that!" Dawn remarked. She turned to Saber and Shirou. "I mean, come on! Saber, you're obviously crazy strong! With Rin and Archer, I bet you and Shirou could handle almost anybody if you thought it through!"

"Wha – And who said I'd work with him!?" Rin spat, tossing a finger in Shirou's direction. "I don't need some... annoying high jump kid dragging me down!"

"High jump kid?" Shirou asked, confused.

"Gah! Fine!" Rin surged to her feet. "I didn't want to do this, but..." She turned away from them. "I'll be here early tomorrow. We can go see him."

Oscar grimaced. "Who is him and why do I get the feeling you've tried to kill him before?"

Rin waved her hand back and forth in front of her face."It was only one time, and that was almost an accident," she responded. "But I've never stopped dreaming about it. Stupid priest has it coming."

Saber palled. "Priest..?"

"Kirei Kotomine, I will watch you die one day," Rin growled under her breath.

"Oh, but he sucks!" Saber and Archer shouted at the same time. "Wait, you know Kotomine? How do you know Kotomine? I don't know Kotomine! He just sounds like he sucks! Fine! Fine!"

"What just happened?" Shirou asked Dawn and Oscar.

Instead of trying to figure it out, Dawn just chuckled. "Hey, do you have an extra couple beds we could stay in?"

Shirou groaned and let his head fall onto the table. It was going to be a long war, wasn't it.

χ χ χ

"Uh, Saber?"

The blonde, kneeling silently in the middle of Shirou's training area, snapped her gaze upward as Dawn made her way in. "Ah, Dawn. What's the dizzy?"

Dawn raised an eyebrow, then shook her questions off. "Look, I don't have a lot – er, any experience with all of this," she admitted. She walked slowly in and plopped down to sit across from Saber, the soles of her shoes meeting in front of her and her hands wrapped around her ankles. The woman's blue dress was crisp and free of wrinkles. Somehow, it didn't look like she'd even had a fight with Dawn and Oscar at all. "I was just wondering, um... would you show me how to do any of this? Sword fight, I mean."

Saber frowned. "I suppose your nature as a Pseudoservant means you don't have any access to the knowledge of the Heroic Spirit combined with you," she noted. Her head slowly turned to the side. "Why do you want my help? You have some level of basic skill with the blade. Surely whatever teacher you once had would be a better fit."

Dawn pulled up her left hand and stared at her palm. "My mom... is the greatest hero I've ever met. Even compared to my dad, and he's... amazing," she explained quietly. She grinned at her palm. "I think the two of them could even fight you off."

Saber chuckled. "A human fighting a Servant? That would be the day. Nonetheless, I would truly enjoy meeting another woman well versed in the warrior's arts, especially one of which you speak so highly."

"Me, too." She shut her hand tight. "She... was taken from our home almost five years ago." She looked back up at Saber and slammed her fists on the ground between her legs. "So yeah, I would love to learn more from her. But that since I can't, I'm coming to you. If I'm stronger, I can keep Oscar safe, and maybe we can get to her." If I can get him to agree to keep adventuring like this, that is.

"I... see," Saber remarked quietly. "I know the pain of losing family." She sood up in a slow, fluid motion, and moved over to the wooden practice blades on the wall. "Shirou told me I could use these. I believe this would fit within that allowance." She grabbed one, examining its weight, then threw it at Dawn without any warning.

The tip of the weapon slammed into Dawn's head, unprepared as she was, and she yelped in pain and surprise. The sword tumbled down next to her and she fell to her back. "Ow... A little warning?"

"Warnings do not come in battle." Saber stood at the other end of the training mat. She held her own training blade in her right hand, then slowly spun it around before grabbing it in both hands and holding it out in front of her. "Grab your weapon and prepare to fight."

Dawn pushed herself up and rubbed her forehead as she went for the blade. "Uh, what about stances or -"

"Live fire only!" She bolted at Dawn, slashing overhead with an impossibly quick strike. Dawn yelped and rolled to the side, grabbing the blade as she did and coming up to her feet. She raised the weapon in her left hand, parallel to the ground with the tip aimed at Saber. She twisted to the side and raised her empty right hand to hold out at Saber. "Ah, an unconventional stance. Though given the strength your blows held in our previous duel, I doubt you sacrifice much. Your legs should be further apart, however. And slide your back foot out to give you more total stability. Knees bent – lean a little on the balls of your feet. Okay. Now... smackdown!" Saber charged again, slashing horizontally at Dawn.

Dawn grit her teeth and ducked beneath the attack before swinging at Saber's legs. She simply hopped over the attack and turned in the air, landing and slashing vertically at Dawn. Dawn, still overextended from her own attack, could do nothing as the wooden weapon crashed into her chin and sent her tumbling back. "Never overextend. Ducking was a good idea, and so was the attack, but you put too much force into it. Remember, if you lose your defense you lose your life. Again."

"Ugh..." Dawn grumbled. She pushed herself up, already regretting that she'd asked Saber for this but knowing backing out wasn't really possible; Saber might do something worse if that happened. So Dawn readied herself again and took Saber's words to Heart.

"Remember, the journey of a Swordsman always begins with pain. Even for me," Saber stated comfortingly before launching at Dawn once more. A flurry of blows drove Dawn backwards one step at a time. She counted the steps in her head and grimaced, knowing she was getting pretty close to the wall, where she'd be cornered in and have a hard time to defend herself. She had to find a way to get around to the center of the room again where she had space to maneuver. Or, if she could find a way, shove Saber in a corner. She decided to go for what sounded more realistic.

Dawn waited for another attack and slapped it to the side, moving outside of Saber's reach as she did. Dawn attacked while maintaining distance, only for Saber to move like a bolt of lightning and bring her weapon over her back to block. Dawn hissed in surprise when Saber shoved back and she was sent sliding backwards, reeling on her back heel. "Be more aggressive when you counter, Dawn," Saber commanded. "A half measure is worse than none, often."

"But you said don't overextend!" Dawn pointed out in exasperation. "How can I be half in defense and half in attack if I'm not taking half measures?"

"A strong defense and offense aren't opposites. They are the same. A steadfast wall can lead to powerful counter attacks. A powerful offense can prevent any counter assault. But you must be capable of reacting, not overextending, either way. A forceful attack does not overextend, Dawn."

Dawn looked down at the wooden sword in her hand. "Don't overextend, but be forceful. So you're saying I should just commit, but don't be an idiot about it?" She chuckled. "You know, I don't know if you'd get along with my mom, now that I think about it. She overcommits in everything!"

"I know the type," Saber remarked. "I have admired many, but I believe you are right. I rarely see eye to eye with them. A King cannot act with their head in the clouds."

"Yeah. My dad acts like that, now," Dawn admitted. She took a deep breath, then raised her weapon and charged Saber. Dawn slashed quickly, keeping her blade in a position it could quickly move back to defend if need be. Wood clashed with wood, sending loud thuds throughout the room. Dawn pushed aggressively, knowing that her defense could only hold out against Saber for a short time. But if she could keep Saber from attacking, she could keep from being smacked hard against the ground again. So she rained down quick blows with precise movements that could not be easily forced from their path.

"That's the good shit," Saber remarked before immediately looking disgusted with her own words. She blocked each of Dawn's attacks one by one, an impenetrable wall formed from her weapon. But that was all it was; she could not attack back, yet. "Then perhaps you are ready for the next level!"

"Yeah, I – huh?"

Saber slammed the next attack to the side so hard the weapon flew from Dawn's hand. Dawn could do nothing but stare after it, eyes wide and terrified, until Saber's weapon slammed into her gut. Dawn coughed as all the air left her lungs and she doubled over. A boot looped around Dawn's leg and pulled, and she was suddenly on her back with a weapon's tip in her face. "Not bad." Dawn groaned and opened her eyes to glare up at Saber. Saber smirked, "You could easily have squired for a great knight, if you hid your gender!"

"Eh, thanks, I guess?" Dawn groaned, voice barely a whisper with the air forced from her lungs. "But it's not good enough... I have to do more. I can't rest until I'm as strong as my dad. Strong enough to save everyone!"

That statement seemed to annoy Saber, so she forcefully yanked the training blade away from Dawn."You have to rest. A human body cannot take this kind of punishment for long." Saber stepped back from Dawn. "And moving any further without sleep will keep you from retaining the knowledge. We will have a big day tomorrow, and your friend will need your help to survive."

Dawn frowned, but nodded anyways. Saber was right. Besides, she was getting pretty tired after the long day she'd had. "Fine. But, well, thanks. For the help you did give me."

"It was not a problem, Dawn. A mortal must be protected from the Holy Grail War; I am sorry you have been pulled into a conflict not your own."

"We had to come here for a reason, right? Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for here, too!"

χ χ χ

"So, how long have you and Dove known each other?"

Oscar glanced up at Shirou; the two of them had congregated in the main room again, having a late night tea to calm down. Rin had head home with Archer, who had asked if she'd let him blow the house up from long range, only to be told no. Not before she got the Baebers. Speaking of, Oscar had caught sight of Dawn training with Saber. He'd realized, watching her for a while, that she was a natural. And she was so happy and passionate learning how to fight. He felt sad she'd never had a chance to do it before, and that sadness turned into a little bit of self-loathing when he realized he'd be dragging her home as soon as they got done with... something, here.

"We met on her sixth birthday," Oscar finally said. He glanced down at the tea steaming between his hands. "Her family saved my life, when everyone I'd ever known died. My whole family." He shut his eyes and fought the tidal wave of sadness in his Heart. "I can still remember my aunt's face when she shoved me in the closet to hide me." And it was all my fault.

Shirou laughed, and Oscar turned and glared. "No, I – I'm not trying to be mean. It's just... that same thing happened to me, you know?" He smiled sadly. "But you're kind of lucky... I can't even remember who I was. Before Kiritsugu saved me... nothing."

"Do you wish you could remember?" Oscar asked after a moment of trying to take that in.

"... No." Shirou shook his head. "The way I see it, that person, whoever he was, died in that fire. Shirou Emiya is a completely different person. And if that person didn't want to be a Hero, then those aren't memories I'd want changing me. You see, when Kiritsugu saved me, I decided I'd fulfill both our dreams: I'd be a Hero and save everyone in front of me. I don't know if those memories would help me do that... Would you really give up all your memories to get rid of the memory of losing them?"

Oscar opened his mouth, then shut it. He'd never been asked that question before. He pictured his aunt again, smiling at him as they played at the farm. "... No. No, I wouldn't."

"But really, who brings an orphan to someone else's birthday, huh?"

Oscar laughed at the joke and shook his head. "She wouldn't even look at me for a week," he replied. "Dawn hated me! But then, one day I was being bullied and she came over, beat one of them up, and took the rest in a fight. A little six year old fighting a bunch of big kids." Oscar's mood brightened. "She's been my best friend ever since."

"Like a sister? Huh. I wonder what it would be like if I had a sister," Shirou muttered quietly. "She'd probably love me!"

"She's not my sister!" Oscar protested. "She's... my best friend."

Shirou blinked. "Okay. Whatever you say, Oscar," Shirou responded with a shrug. "So, where are you guys from? You don't exactly look Japanese, and that's coming from a guy with protagonist hair."

"Pro...tagonist hair?"

"Then I guess you're normal. Where are you from? America?"

Oscar nearly choked on his spit. Where on this world were they from? How the hell was he supposed to know!? So... he winged it, "Yep! America."

"Oh, cool. Never been."

Phew. Oscar thought. "So, what are you going to do? Are you giving up Saber?"

Shirou frowned. "I... don't know. I don't want to fight for no reason," he admitted. "There's so much more to do, so much... I can't be a hero if I'm putting people in danger fighting like this."

"But..?"

Shirou sighed. "But your friend was right. If Rin's right and the people in this thing are that evil, then it might be my duty to fight. Someone has to keep crazy people from fighting a random war for glory."

"And that someone has to be you?"

"I'm the one here. Even if I can't do much, I should do everything in my power to do what I can. What about you? Do you just want to head home with Dawn and leave it all to someone else?"

Oscar shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "..." He slowly stood up. "I'm... feeling tired. I'm, uh, I'm going to go to sleep." He barely heard Shirou's goodbye as he walked away, staring at his glove for a while. "Everything in our power, huh?" He felt the call of the Keyblade in his Heart and shoved it down, the old familiar fear and panic running up his spine. "... Yeah. Right."

χ χ χ

"I still can't believe that not only did you save an enemy master's life, but now you aren't even willing to kill him right here and now!"

"But if I let you do that, I won't get to take Baeber from that socially inept idiot's hands," Rin pointed out while the two walked back to her home. "And that's not even mentioning the Pseudoservant! Ooh... I'm so excited to have three servants!"

"You'd be lucky to get one more servant, Rin. The other two..." He shook his head. "Too much history. Besides, they're dangerous. It'd be best to get rid of them now before it becomes a problem."

"And why is that, Satan? What could scare the big bad devil?"

Gritting his teeth, he stopped on the edge of the building and just held her there. "Her Noble Phantasm, Rin. I don't exaggerate when I say she could be a dozen times more dangerous than any of the other Servants. But she draws in more enemies, creatures that shouldn't exist. Heartless..."

"Heartless..? Wait, I've read about those! I thought they were just a myth; evil True Magic from ages ago created from destroying someone and replacing them with their own Darkness!" Rin's eyes were wide... and more excited instead of scared. "Maybe I'll be able to find out how to control those, too!"

If anyone's enough of a sociopath to manage, it's you. "But besides that, it's obvious she has her own problems. Think about it – a Servant who can't use their Noble Phantasm and can't even remember their own class is useless."

"Didn't you try to tell me you don't remember you're Satan?"

"I'm not Satan!"

"So you do remember who you are." Then, she added, "Satan, the liar."

"I should just drop you," he grumbled before jumping to the next building. "But back to the big problem: why would you agree to leave Shirou alive. And don't tell me he's an investment! He's sunk cost, and anyone with any economics knowledge knows you don't take sunk cost into account unless you're an idiot. And you, Master, do not strike me as an idiot. Crazy and sociopathic, sure. Not evil."

"Oh, flattery!" Rin grinned at him, then it slowly melted away. "It's nothing like that. I just want Baeber."

"Hmph. Sure." Archer landed on the next building and bolted for the next ledge. "As long as that's true and you eliminate him the moment he refuses to hand her over. Or is the whole '100% maximum no chill' thing just a front?"

Rin didn't have an immediate response for that one. Eventually, her voice came out cold and harsh. "Believe me, I won't hesitate to kill all of them if it comes down to that. If I can't have them, no one can."

Archer held in a sigh of relief. He didn't want to spend any more time around any of those four than he had to. "What's so different about her Noble Phantasm?"

He glanced down. Rin wasn't looking at him, instead just staring out into the distance. "What?"

"Dawn's Noble Phantasm. You said it's the reason she's terrifying, but she could barely stand in front of Baeber without being annihilated." Rin looked up at him. "I can tell she has some skill, but being a Pseudoservant without the Servant's memories means she can't do much. But you're still scared of her."

Archer didn't reply. He just bounded in silence until Rin assumed he was ignoring the question. She wanted to press the issue, but she was honestly exhausted. She'd give him hell – ha, she thought. Giving Satan Hell- the next morning. Archer landed inside her house a few minutes later and softly set her down. She turned without a word to go to sleep, but she was stopped by a quiet voice. "Master, her Noble Phantasm might look like a cartoon toy. And given how she was fighting Saber, it might as well be," Archer explained. He turned to gaze out the window at the moon. "But it isn't. The people who use them – and the people who are close to those people – end up with a cartoon toy jammed into their Heart. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not risk getting skewered by something that looks like the plastic keys toddlers play with."

He stared up into the sky, catching sight of another shooting star. He sighed and shut his eyes tight. "And in legends, when one shows up... more are bound to follow."

χ χ χ

A silvery gray fighter jet shot through the empty Darkness between worlds, leaving a red glow burning behind it. Within her transformed Keyblade Glider, Dove was staring at the radar waiting for a tiny blip to appear and lead her to the escaped Gummi Ship. Hopefully Dawn and Oscar wouldn't have gotten into too much trouble yet and they could talk this out when she found them. She groaned and shut her eyes for a moment, wishing she could rub her eyes to quell her exhaustion. But the white, bird like armor had to stay on to protect her. "Why did she have to sneak off? She has to know I'd have brought her myself if she asked..." Dove grumbled. She pulled her hands off of the controls and stretched them anxiously before opening her eyes and piloting again.

Everything had been so exhausting in the past few years. Missions, saving people, exploring, and everything else she'd done since Ruby had disappeared? "Just like Father always says: no rest for the wicked," she muttered dryly. Dove flipped a switch on the radar, turning it into a compass. Longer range to try and find if a ship was in range, but it wouldn't give her an exact location. She drifted a bit, with no change, and moved to change it.

Then, all of a sudden, the compass beeped and began to point into the distance. Dove's eyes widened with excitement and she whirled the Glider around to shoot after it. It took a few minutes, and more than a few times where she had to whirl around worlds that were in the way, but she soon found herself where she needed to be. There, floating in orbit around a world the Glider identified as 'Fuyuki City Bridge,' was the brand new and experimental Gummi Ship.

Dove sighed in relief and drifted over to the ship, sliding to a stop in synchronous orbit right beside it. The Glider around her flashed and changed back into a Keyblade, letting her lazily drift over and land on the ship. A tap of her weapon on her boots and she was magnetized to the surface. With that, it didn't take much effort to make her way to the entry hatch and use the Keyblade to make her way in. When the air finally filled up the airlock around her, she let her armor drop and immediately rubbed her eyes. "So... tired..." She took a deep breath and moved through the ship. "Dawn? Oscar!? Guys, Master Sora sent me to come and get you guys. Dawn? Oscar? Guys!?"

She made it to the cockpit. Empty. Bedrooms. Empty. Kitchen. Empty. "Already gone, huh? Damn," she muttered. She crossed her arms and tapped on her arms for a little while, then groaned. "I'm going to have to explore the world now, aren't I?"

She moved back to the cockpit and up tot he main computer. "Okay, okay... Here we go." She tapped a few commands, and a green Light exploded into being around her, transporting her down to Fuyuki City Bridge. Interestingly enough, on top of a red bridge.

She snarled and spun around, summoning Ash Fall to her hand. The Heartless began to melt out of the ground, chittering hungrily. "Fine. I could blow off some steam," she growled. She threw her left arm back and her caplet fluttered back as she turned up to grab her Keyblade with both hands. Then, summoning a glyph beneath her feet, she shot at the growing crowd of NeoShadows. Ash Fall's tip stabbed forward, flashing like a rapier back and forth to surgically impale the Heartless that attacked her. Another glyph appeared beneath her when the Heartless began to get close. "Gravity!" She shot upward, the glyph sending her high into the sky while the spell crushed the Heartless into the ground. She flipped and another glyph stopped her movement and launched her back at the ground. The Keyblade in her hands began to glow with a bright white light. "It's over!" She hit the ground on her feet, and sent a wave of razor sharp snowflakes made from Light spiraling out form the point of contact. The crushed Heartless shrieked in pain as they were shredded down to nothing, vaporized by a wave of sharp pain. Eventually, there was nothing but glowing, crystalline Hearts floating away.

Dove shook her head and dismissed her Keyblade. That was barely enough time to have any fun! She moved towards the edge of the bridge and pulled her caplet back over her left arm. The Keyblade Armor pauldron over her caplet clanked with the movement. Her right hand came up to form a visor and she began to scan the city for any sign of her targets. "Dammit. Where did you two head from here?"

χ χ χ

"Late to your own party, Salem?" the man in red asked when she finally walked through a Corridor and into the meeting room where the captured Princesses waited. "Or are you going to tell me a Witch is never late, nor is she early?"

"I was preoccupied," she replied coolly. "There are quite a few things that I have to deal with, Archer."

Archer scoffed. "Ruin the fun, huh? Jeez," Archer grumbled as he came out of the shadows. "Still, at least you aren't the worst wicked witch I've ever met, so you can take comfort in that."

"Great. I'm so excited by your approval." Salem placed one hand on the table. "So, what do you make of your new visitors?"

Archer grumbled and crossed his arms. "I was hoping the Keyblade Wielders wouldn't show up for at least a little while longer," he admitted. He placed his index finger on his forehead, running along his nose. "We both know your kind has a way of... unsettling events."

"It was not my first choice, Archer. From everything that you've told me, and from what I have seen on your world, there are too many variables for my liking." She turned leaned against the table, then crossed her arms over her chest. "Too many dangers. And yet, those are the reason we needed to come now. We need to protect the Princess until we can claim her. You are sure of her identity?"

Archer shut his eyes, trying to ignore the face he saw when the topic was brought up again. He didn't like it, but... he had to do this. "Hey, I know things, Salem. All kinds of things," he replied with a chuckle. "It's why you agreed to let me in your little group when I asked."

"And yet I don't know what kinds of things you know," Salem responded. She cocked her head to the side. "What knowledge you have, if it is dangerous to me? Do you know my secrets? I am unsure. All I know is what you want."

"And I know you'll help me get it, when the time comes," Archer pointed out. "Way I see it, anything else I know doesn't matter."

"And that's very wrong. If you are what I think you are... Well, I understand it's best to keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Salem stated from behind her smirk.

"You'd know all about that, huh?" Archer snarled back

The two glared at each other, anger and tension rising in the air. And then it broke. "Ha! HA HA HA!" Salem laughed, bending over and clutching her gut. "You do know things," she supplied between guffaws. Salem slowly stopped laughing and stood up, still winding down. "Ha... Archer. You aren't my enemy, but I don't know what you are. I don't even know if you do."

"According to a fifteen year old girl, I'm Satan," he intoned dryly. Archer shook his head. "I'm not, by the way."

"Something worse, then?"

"Tch," Archer grumbled.

"Hm... Well, now I have to find out," Salem said, grinning with hunger for the knowledge. "What Hero could hate themselves more than they could hate someone who destroyed the universe? Someone who is allies with those who would do the same if they could? Monsters and villains and demons?"

Archer sneered and turned, holding his right hand aimed at her throat. A short, black falchion appeared in his fist and grazed her throat. "I could always kill you if you'd rather."

Salem didn't even bother looking at the weapon, instead locking her eyes on Archer's. "No, you couldn't."

Archer deflated and the weapon vanished. He dropped his fist to his side and clenched it even tighter. "No, I couldn't. I'd be 500% dead."

Salem summoned his own Corridor and turned towards it. Archer crossed his arms and wondered, "That everything you need from me?"

Salem shrugged. "Just make sure no harm comes to your guests."

"Doubt I can do anything to help or hurt them," he remarked. She moved up to the very edge of the Corridor and froze. Archer turned his head ever so slightly and glared at Salem out of the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth to say something, then scoffed. "Well then, I'll send a few monsters to keep things interesting. Should be a good opening test." She sighed and finally marched through the portal in silence.

Archer watched it close behind her, then turned towards the sleeping Princesses. He could still picture another one, stuck in another tube and doomed to have their Heart yanked from their body and forged into a weapon older than the universe. He shut his eyes and took in those old memories... All of which he would trade to never be Archer ever again. "Hmph. Baeber, huh?" he turned and summoned his own Corridor beneath his feet. "This is going to be a long war, isn't it."