AN: Hope you're all doing good! No extensive note here, just hope you're all okay during the quarantine.

Responses:

To Gamelover41592: I just chose UBW Abridged because... I like abridged series and that one has some genuinely funny moments and changes to the characters. On top of that, it's not the worst to watch frame by frame when I need to semi-recreate scenes.

To Chrenter: Yeah, the worlds I chose are all pretty big. I do think I learned my lesson about that in the last story with Bleach. I tried to use too many characters in the second part, so I'll be keeping the cast more limited, and focusing only on what I think are 'key' moments. Pun intended. And, yes, the old characters won't show up too often. They're pretty overpowered at the moment, so when they do I'll try to make it a real spectacle since Dawn and Oscar are running around casting -Ra magic or fighting with barely any swordsmanship training. No point in having Sora show up and not play the part of Keyblade Master, after all.

Chapter 4: Old Wounds, New Reasons

The church that Kotomine Kirei lived and worked in was situated far above Fuyuki city, resting atop hills and overlooking the entire city through a large graveyard. Dawn stood atop the church looking at that graveyard, a little awestruck. "Whose graves are all of those?" she murmured at the image of countless headstones stretching down the hill, lit by the dim glow of lights lining the paths between them.

"A Servant would have an idea of that already. Even a Demi-Servant tourist who did a little search before coming here," Archer noted from beside her. She glanced over at him leaning against the spire of the church, his steely gaze locked on the city in the distance. "But what in the world does that make you?"

Dawn's eyes widened and she laughed nervously. "Uh... Oh, uh... Well, we aren't tourists!"

"Well you aren't time travelers bumbling around and pulling off a Grandfather Paradox, either," Archer mocked. He finally turned to her, crossing his arms and smirking. "So, Little Purple Riding Hood, where do kids come from where they learn to dress like aliens?"

"Aliens..? Hey! This is style!" Dawn protested, jamming her finger in his unimpressed face. "I mean, you do have style yourself. I think I've seen people back on R – uh, back home dress like that..."

"Hey, just because my fashion is out of this world don't compare me to you!" Archer growled. "I'm wearing the shroud of a saint, fashioned into a mantle designed to -"

"... Oh, yeah! My Aunt Yang wore a waist cape like that once!"

Archer deflated. After a moment he groaned and slammed a hand on his face. "Why are there no people in my life that aren't completely infuriating?" he grumbled. He slowly dragged his hand up and through his hair. Dawn cocked her head to the side and frowned at him. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"There's something really familiar about you," Dawn explained. She tapped her chin and scrunched up her silver eyes. "Hm... Why, though?"

"... I'm a hero. Maybe it's your Demi-Servant nature," he said, voice low and warning her to drop it.

But Dawn took after her parents. Listening to warnings, no matter how intelligent it would be to do so, wasn't really something she was capable of doing. "No, that's not it. I just feel like I've seen you before somewhere. Like recently."

Seizing his opportunity, Archer grinned at her and chuckled. "Hopefully not in your dreams. Just so you know, I'm into older women," Archer remarked glibly.

Dawn turned a bright red. "And I'd never date an older guy! Especially not one as creepy and weird as you!" she protested hotly. She turned away and crossed her arms. "And especially since you seem to hate Shirou. What's that about, grumpy?"

"Other than the fact he's an idiot with a hero complex whose now an enemy in the war? One my Master should have exterminated the moment she learned he was a possible threat?" Archer wondered. He snarled. "Maybe I just hate parasitic little shits bound to get everyone around them killed."

"Remind me, what's a Servant again?" Dawn asked dryly. "Don't you drain someone's energy to put them in a dangerous war so they can get killed? So I guess you're just like him."

Archer stiffened and the air around him seemed sharp, like a thousand knives swirled from him and threatened to carve through the girl beside him. Then, as suddenly as it came on, the feeling vanished. "Except I kill everyone around me. He just gets everyone killed."

"That's a fun distinction..." Dawn mumbled. She looked up at him again and bit her cheek. "Hey, Archer? What does it take to become a hero?"

He looked over at her, obviously flabbergasted at her sudden question. "Why?"

"Dad didn't want me to try to be one, so he wouldn't tell me."

Archer shook his head. "And you started all this anyways," he noted dryly. "Dawn, trust me on this... you don't want to be a hero."

"And who are you to say I don't want to!"

Archer ignored her and cast his gaze up at the sky. "You should head down, Dawn. Your friends and my Master are about to get out of there." Then he vanished in a cloud of ethereal, blue smoke.

Dawn looked around angrily. "What the hell is wrong with that guy? Saying that I don't want to be a hero! Never mind, I don't know what I was thinking asking him. That grumpy jerk is probably only a hero because he stumbled into it. Maybe he's even a villain..." She frowned. "Or is he actually Satan?"

Deciding to worry about that later, Dawn hopped from the roof and made her way over to where Saber was keeping watch, a yellow rain coat hiding her ancient armor from view, even though there weren't many people out when sunrise was still a good hour or so away.

χ χ χ

Oscar wasn't sure how this Kotomine guy had ended up a priest. The guy was bland in appearance alone, but those traits were arrayed in a way that made sure he would stay hidden in the background as a deeply unsettling background character. He had these creepy dead eyes just a little too far apart and a mullet that looked like it was made out of brown knives. He clasped his hands behind him and closed books with one hand while monologuing in a cold monotone. He made no sound when he walked, even though it was clear even in what was supposed to be a semi-loos cassock that he had as much muscle as a usual Huntsman back home. But more than that, Oscar could... feel something. Like the man's Heart was a pit of predatory instincts with some kind of... something on top of it. Something he'd been feeling ever since he'd gotten to this world.

Kotomine was also very bored. He said that Shirou was boring and unimportant for not being a serial killer. He was slightly more interested by Oscar's presence as an elemental mage with a Demiservant without a Class they knew of. But it wasn't anything so big that he'd wanted to engage too much. He'd been happier making fun of Shirou for wanting to quit before the War even began and ignoring Rin's deep begging to take ownership of both Saber and Dawn.

And then Shirou had said his full name, and a hidden slouch vanished. Kotomine was casting a shadow across the entire church. "Could you... repeat your name?"

"Shirou... Emiiiyaaa-uh?" he replied,unsettled already by the off-kilter clergyman.

"Now spell it," Kotomine said. He began to descend the steps, walking down the central aisle.

"E-M-I-Y-A," he recited worriedly.

"I'm th-thinking we should l-leav-ve," Oscar whispered to Rin and Shirou as the feeling from Kotomine intensified.

"So, about your wish, Shirou Emiya."

"Kirei!" Rin snapped.

"Wish!?" Shirou shouted excitedly. "What wish!?"

And Oscar knew his suggestion was going to be ignored. Then the gravity of what had been said hit him, and he realized what that meant. "A wish? Any wish?"

"Any wish."

"... Even to bring people back to life?" Oscar wondered quietly, though the empty church made it echo to everyone's ears.

Shirou piped up, "Or, say, to have superpowers and save everyone?"

Kotomine scoffed at the suggestions. "Only for a Master of the Holy Grail War. But yes, even stupid ones."

"What wouldn't be a stupid wish, then?" Oscar snapped. Then, almost surprised by his own anger, he withered under Kotomine's gaze.

"Hm... Yes... What could be worthy? After the events of ten years ago, what wish could be worthy? What would the Holy Grail grant rather than burning away the world?" Kotomine grinned at the sick look on Shirou's face. "Or was that wish worthy as well?"

"Honestly, the Murder Death Kill is reward enough. Though wishing for infinite Baebers might be worth it..." Rrin muttered quietly. "Yessssss."

Oscar grit his teeth and glared at the ground. A wish that he could never make. He'd let him hope, for half a second, that he could recover his family. He shook his head. It probably wouldn't even work, anyways. Why did he think about saving his family when that couldn't happen?

"It's dangerous to mess with time," Sora had once told the apprentices, not long after Salem had kidnapped his wife. "Trying to manipulate time is very hard, and almost always causes something way worse to happen. For Xehanort, it destroyed the universe he wanted to rule. Salem did the same, but she also lost her body. Even Genie with his wishes couldn't change history. It doesn't work."

Oscar mentally berated himself for forgetting Sora's words. Sora had said that even when he had looked like he wanted nothing more than to find a way to time travel and save the wife he'd lost, so obviously he knew what he was talking about. Still, Oscar felt that longing in his Heart that nearly over rode his common sense. He'd give almost anything to save his aunt, so of course Dawn was willing to run away and try to find her mom. He frowned at the thought; he understood, but he still should take her back as soon as possible. At least, that's what he knew he should do.

"Then will you fight, Shirou Em-I-Ya?" Kotomine asked as he prowled through the shadows of the church, over-pronouncing every syllable of Shirou's name just to add to the creep factor. He took way too much pleasure out of saying 'Emiya.' "Will you subject yourself to the Holy Grail War's many intolerable, unbearable horrors? Surely it is worth it to fulfill such a pure, just wish?"

χ χ χ

"Finally. What'd you learn in there?" Dawn jogged up to Oscar, letting Rin and Shirou pass her by to speak with their Servants. "Out here it's just been Archer acting like a jerk and Saber misusing slang."

Oscar turned back to the church."... That the guy in charge is insane." He swallowed nervously and turned to Dawn. "I think we're out of our depth here."

Dawn came up to his side so they could both see Archer and Saber. "You think? But that's good, right? Dad was out of his depth, and now he might be one of the strongest heroes in the World!" she exclaimed. She gripped his shoulder tighter. "Besides, we only have to survive here. I... I promised we could go back after this."

Oscar glanced over in surprise. "You were serious?"

"Hey, I promised my best friend," she explained. She punched his arm lightly. "And I guess it's okay if it means Dad doesn't kill me."

"And here I was, thinking you were selfless," Oscar muttered while rubbing his shoulder. She just flashed him the huge, bright grin of her family and took off. Oscar watched her, still rubbing his arm, and smiled. "Y-yeah." He shook his head and rushed after her.

"So, you're all finally done?" Saber inquired as the four walked out of the gate. She pulled the rain coat's hood from her head and set herself firmly in a position she could keep an eye on Rin, who she had – rightly, in Dawn and Oscar's opinion – labeled as potentially insane. "Have you reached a conclusion?"

"I didn't know there was a wish," Shirou began before turning and holding his hand out to Saber. "Now I have something to fight for."

"I'm glad to hear that, Master. Let us join together to defeat the other Masters. Without the use of guns or high explosives," Saber replied simply.

"Well, that basically means nobody from back home can help them out, huh?" Dawn joked, shoving her elbow into Oscar's ribs. "I mean, the ship even has a few Dust Bombs on it, right?"

"We do?!" he gasped.

Dawn shrugged. "You didn't know? Maybe it's only supposed to be used by Dove. Aw well, if we need it I know where it is!"

"We're not using explosives!"

"Right, Buddy," Dawn said back with a heavy wink.

"I'm right here!"

The two looked over to see Shirou shaking Saber's hand while Rin glared at both duos with abject jealousy in her eyes. "Why don't you all just kiss the Baebers and break my heart even more, you garbage nerds! GAH!" She turned and began to walk off, muttering angrily under her breath.

Kiss? Dawn glanced at Oscar and sighed. "What?" he asked upon hearing her.

"Nothing, Puppy," she muttered. She shoved him away so she could gesture at Saber and Shirou, following Rin away. "Let's follow them for now." She walked after them, pulling her hood up and letting the cloak close all around her.

Oscar cocked his head to the side and frowned. After a moment, he shook it off and hurried to catch up with her. "Wait up!"

The group walked on in relative silence for a while, trudging down the hill along the edge of the cemetery. Oscar thought it was kind of scary, staring out at the Darkness permeating the air between the headstones. "Let's h-hurry," he mumbled before picking up his pace.

"Okay, Gang. This is where we all split up," Rin sighed, stopping in the middle of the street. She turned around and cocked her head to the side at the others. "So... get going."

"You don't want to come home with us?" Shirou asked, voice veering between disappointment and surprise. "We can have a big ol' sleepover and plan how we're gonna fight this War!"

"Yeah, come on! We could paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Dawn exclaimed, throwing her hands up and waving them around. "Right, Saber?"

"Uhm..."

"Maybe pillow fights?" Rin asked quietly.

"No," Saber finished, backing away from Rin's hungry glare.

"Then that makes things difficult, since once I'm out of blast range, I'll be having Archer demolish you and everything within 500 feet of you tactical nuke style! All four of you!" Rin snapped, the crazy leaking into her eyes.

"Surely your Servant would not be fine with such underhanded tactics!" Saber exclaimed in horror.

"No, I'm 100% on board with this," he explained as he appeared out of thin air. His gaze passed over Oscar and Dawn before he glared at Shirou and Saber. "Well, fifty percent. The other two aren't part of the War, so they don't matter. But I think we should kill the boy first."

"That would free up Baeber," Rin murmured, already warming to the idea.

"I would never ally myself with the Master responsible for the murder of Shirou!" Saber protested, throwing an angry glare at Archer. "And I would never ally myself with a coward who enjoyed killing a child."

"Hm, 'child.' I feel vaguely condescended to, now," Shirou mumbled.

Archer's eyes widened slightly at Saber's words before he shut them and turned away. "Your funeral. Don't blame me when you get killed because you won't hurt the enemy Mas...ter..."

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

Oscar gasped in pained surprise and fell to one knee, clutching at his Heart. "That feeling..." he whispered. Dawn rushed over and grabbed his shoulder.

"Oh, shit! Away!" Archer vanished and began to run away.

Rin scoffed at her Servant. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I choose life!"

"Is it your Semblance?" Dawn asked Oscar.

"Heartless!" He shouted, and then surged up and turned around. Everyone followed suit and froze, eyes wide.

There were dozens of Heartless and – Dawn gasped – Grimm surrounding them. Mainly the small, buglike Shadow Heartless and the lupine Beowolf Grimm. But there also one Heartless that neither Dawn nor Oscar recognized. This Heartless was nearly the size of the Grimm, and was also clad in armor. But the similarities ended there. The armor this creatures wore was white plate that fit tight to its humanoid body. The plating only separated at every joint for ease of movement. A pair of large horns cured upward out of the knight like visage of the Heartless' face, and a glowing red blade was clutched in one hand. Yellow eyes burned from behind a visor, and a jagged smile of yellow formed on the helmet-like head. On the creature's chest was a burning yellow Heartless emblem.

And there, between the monsters and gazing at their group, was a sad man and a smirking little girl. The man was massive, easily over eight feet tall. His skin was incredibly dark, almost the same color as the lion's mane of black hair exploding from his head. His eyes seemed to glow red with a barely contained rage. His entire body was thick, coiling muscle brimming with strength. He held a slab of stone crudely shaped into a sword that was nearly his height in one hand. The little girl beside him looked like she couldn't be older than ten, with delicate, incredibly pale features. Long, silvery-blonde hair cascaded from beneath her purple hat as she picked up her purple skirt and curtsied lightly. "Ah, you've finally noticed us. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Illyasviel von Einzbern." Dawn noticed Saber's jaw clench tight at the name. "My family refers to me as 'Tiny Murder Machine.' And this is my Servant, Ber-Zerr-Car. Careful, he might drive you insane."

"Jeez, my Aunt Yang does better puns than that," Dawn exclaimed over the silence that inspired.

Illyasviel's gaze hardened and turned to her. "Hm... Kill them."

The Heartless, Grimm, and Berserker launched forward at Dawn first. "Oh, clever retort!" Dawn snapped before summoning her Keyblade. She shoved Oscar to the side and rolled after him, narrowly managing to avoid the cleaver that turned the ground where they had been standing into a crater filled with fine dust. "Oscar, you okay?"

Oscar pushed away from Dawn and looked around with wide eyes. "H-Heartless..." he gasped. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled backwards. "N-no..."

Dawn swallowed and stood up. "Oscar, you have to snap out of it. Please!" she muttered. She turned and saw the Heartless and Berserker edging closer and closer. Dawn raised her Keyblade in front of her and tightened her grip on it. "Back off, Small Fry!"

Berserker almost looked like he chuckled at that. And then he raised his weapon and brought it down at her. With Oscar unable to retreat, she couldn't just dodge. "Dammit!" She snapped, throwing her weapon up to block so she could die. Dammit, Oscar!

Thankfully, Saber got involved at that moment, weapon crashing into Berserker and sending him flying. "I will keep him busy. Deal with these creatures, then come to aid me," Saber told Dawn. She turned and nodded at Dawn, then sprinted after Berserker without another word.

Dawn swallowed and nodded, turning to place herself between all her friends and the Heartless. "Well, I'll leave you four to die here while my Berserker deals with Saber. Enjoy dying!" Illyasviel remarked before turning and walking away, more Heartless appearing behind her.

"Great," Dawn grunted.

"Uh, Rin, what are those things and why do they feel like Murder?" Shirou wondered. He grabbed Rin's arm and began pulling them behind Dawn.

Rin scoffed. "Nooblet. They're... uh... Hm..."

"N-No... Not this...," Oscar muttered, still backing up with the memories of his village streaming across his eyes once again.

"Stay back and try to help Oscar snap out of this!" Dawn shouted. She took a step towards the Heartless with a sword. "And if you can't... run!" Then she charged the Heartless, hoping this would work out.

The Keyblade crashed into the Heartless' defense, ringing out with a loud clang that shook her arms. She grimaced and bounced back, left wide open. The Shadows and Soldiers took that moment to launch an attack, and the first Shadow raked claws across her gut. Dawn fought down a cry of pain, but let it loose when a Beowolf swung around and hit her right side with its claws. She slammed into the ground and rolled, eventually struggling to her feet and hissing in pain. "Need to fight smarter. Come on, like Saber said... 'Don't overextend, but commit.'" She stood up straight and took a raggedy breath, wincing at the pain of her wounds her Aura was knitting shut. She got back into her ready position and waited.

The Heartless with the sword – a Clarent, she decided – rushed her before the others. Dawn deflected its wild blow. The force shook her shoulders and she took a step from where she had been standing to regain her balance. She continued to defend, blocking a Shadow so it bounced into the path of an incoming Beowolf. The creature collided with the Heartless and the Shadow died, its Heart spiraling to the sky.

"Any luck with Oscar?"

"No!" Shirou explained from above Oscar, who was still just muttering 'Heartless' and 'Grimm' on repeat. "And I can't find any pipes to help you with!"

"What? Why do you want pipes!?" Dawn asked, glancing over and letting her guard drop for a second. She turned and yelped; the Clarent's sword was coming in at her throat, too close to avoid.

"Because he's an untrained idiot!" A black and red beam of energy flew past Dawn like a bullet, crashing into the Heartless and sending it stumbling away. Rin rushed up, energy glowing on her left hand, and began to fire more. "Your Master's not much better, it looks like, so I'll back you up, Baeber-Two."

Dawn opened her mouth to snap at being called Baeber-Two, but knew it was pointless. "I – Shirou, keep Oscar safe!"

"So what's wrong with him?" Rin asked as she peppered the Heartless with bolts of energy, keeping most at bay. A shadow melted beneath her attacks and charged. "Seems like he's really bitching out."

Dawn slammed the Keyblade into the Heartless and it exploded from the force of the blow. "These things murdered his entire hometown when he was five," Dawn growled. She glared at Rin, who looked vaguely surprised by the response.

"Oh. Hm." And that was all Rin supplied in regards to Dawn's reply.

Dawn rolled her eyes and charged forward, knowing that Rin would have her back for now. She performed a quick stab into a Beowolf's neck then turned her Keyblade to deflect the Clarent's Heartless' attack dragged across the Keyblade, sliding to the side. Once the tip of the Heartless' weapon was nearly at the tip of the Keyblade, she shoved back and threw a huge opening into the Clarent's defense. Lashing out, her Keyblade slammed into the Clarent's gut and it bounced backwards with a large, dented crack in its chest armor.

The other Heartless bristled at this sudden attack, shaking and raging all around. The Shadows melted into the ground and were on top of Rin before she could respond, clawing at her. "Rin!" Shirou screamed, surging towards her with arm outstretched. The remaining Beowolves split off and slammed into him, yanking at his arms and legs while clawing and biting at him. He snarled and pushed hard against them. "No... heroes... don't... give up!"

Dawn turned and tried to help. If they died, if they died here – or, obviously in Rin's case, became Heartless– Dawn would lose friends. People she cared about. The first friends she'd made since her father had shut her in the Academy years earlier. The first friends she and Oscar had met out here. And she wasn't going to lose people again! She charged in and swung, catching a Beowolf unawares and giving Shirou just enough space to surge forward and tackle Rin free of the Shadows. "Nice!" Dawn shouted. She turned and barely had enough time to block the incoming Clarent's blade, the tip of the Heartless' blade sliding beneath her weapon and flicking upward, shattering her guard. The Heartless brought its weapon back and aimed it directly at Dawn's Heart, poised to strike.

And then: "Freeze!" A Blizzara flew from Dawn's left, slamming into the Heartless and freezing it solid. Oscar ran up, the Blizzard magic still trailing wisps of ice from his fingers. "Leave my friends alone! Gather!" He tossed his hands up and launched another spell at the Beowolves and Shadows swarming Shirou and Rin, and a swirling vortex appeared above them. The Grimm and Heartless struggled in vain to keep from being ripped into the air and crushed against one another.

Dawn grinned and raised the Keyblade over her left shoulder like a baseball bat. "Thanks for the save, Oscar!" she shouted before swinging and delivering a powerful blow that decapitated the Clarent, turning its head into shattering, glass-like ice crystals. A stream of a dozen arrows flew from the distance, impaling the last Heartless in the Magnera.

Oscar rushed forward the moment the air cleared and slid to a stop beside Rin and Shirou, green light exploding into being around them. Wounds knit shut even for Dawn, and fatigue left their bones. Rin grunted and shoved herself out of Shirou's arms. "Get your stupid, sexy hands off me!"

"My what?" Shirou asked in confusion.

Rin huffed and stood up straight. She took a moment to brush herself off. "Baeber-Two, where is Baeber-One?"

Dawn rolled her eyes and walked over to Oscar, grabbing his shoulder and lifting him up. "You okay?"

"I'll manage," he mumbled. He looked away, cheeks bright red. "I... I won't freeze again."

Dawn smiled softly. "I don't doubt it," she agreed. She turned towards the direction of Saber and Berserker's clashing. "Can you three back Saber and me up?"

"I've got your back," Oscar told her. He put a hand on her shoulder. "B-but could we hurry before I l-lose the adrenaline and chicken out?" Dawn laughed and pulled him into a hug.

Rin growled. "Don't touch my Baeber-Two! I mean, me too!"

Shirou pumped his fist. "You'd have to keep me from helping!"

"Then let's go help her." Dawn sprinted towards the battle, the others trailing behind her. With her speed, it didn't take long for her to rush through the cemetery and arrive at the fight. Berserker was leaping through the air, screaming out a primal roar as he soared towards Saber from above. More arrows spiraled out from the air, crashing into his side and exploding in a burst of blue flame. He came out of the cloud of smoke, no worse for the wear but hitting the ground far from his target. More arrows rocketed down, crashing into him and leaving no marks or even moving him now that his feet were firmly planted.

"What is going on!?" Shirou shouted as he caught up.

Oscar swallowed nervously. "It's like..."

"Watching Mom and Dad fight," Dawn muttered as a memory of the two sparring flashed through her mind.

"This is what happens when Servants fight," Rin explained, voice dripping with excitement. "The earth beneath their feet gives way to their rage and the skies tear open to let their bloodlust spill forth!"

"I want to be them!"

"Fanboy over the enemy later, Master!" Saber snapped, appearing before them in a flash to block Berserker's lightning fast advance towards their group. "Dawn, provide support and help me corner him."

"Right," Dawn said before raising her weapon. She rushed forward, Keyblade darting towards Berserker's side. The warrior's gaze followed her, as if he knew that whatever she was doing wouldn't hurt him.

Imagine the surprise on his face when the Keyblade overrode whatever made him invulnerable and carved a chunk of his flesh out from the side of his body. Everyone went silent for a moment; even Berserker's panting had stopped in surprise. Then, predictably, Shirou Emiya broke the silence. "I NEED THAT!"

Berserker sprung into action, bringing his off hand down to grab the Keyblade, then yanking it away from Dawn. She tried to keep hold, but it was like trying to resist a semi truck with her fingers and didn't do much other than leave her fingers tense and in pain. Berserker threw the Keyblade far away, the gold and silver glittering before it became too far away to see. He spun and flicked Saber away, forcing her to flip and spin to translate the momentum.

And now Dawn was alone, and his free hand came down at her in a fist. She dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. "Archer, support Baebers!" Rin snapped. She rushed forward. Then, responding to something none of the others could hear: "Oh, anything is possible if you believe!" She threw gems at the lumbering giant, and the violet energy exploded above him. A massive gravitational shield expanded around Berserker, and even the powerful beast in front of them was forced to his knees for a moment.

A dozen arrows pierced it a moment later, exploding into a massive pillar of flame. And it did nothing. Berserker lumbered out of the flames with little more than a quiet growl, eyes still fixed on Dawn. Saber charged in and engaged him from the front, slashing at his throat before settling into a defensive posture and deflecting a series of powerful blows to wait for an opening. The weapons sparked against one another, sending dying embers of power floating around them. Saber struggled to keep Dawn safe, forced to straight up block powerful blows that would otherwise have hit her.

"Dawn, summon it back!" Oscar shouted.

Dawn slapped her forehead. "Duh!" She threw her left hand out and the Keyblade flashed back into her grasp. She charged around Berserker's off hand side, staying wide so that Saber could keep him busy. Meanwhile, Oscar and Rin peppered the giant with ineffective spells that bounced from his hide but did manage to divert his attention slightly. Dawn finally made her way around and stabbed at his back, but his hand came around to grab the weapon. She snarled and pushed forward harder, spearing his hand. Berserker's eyes widened in surprise, which intensified as the tip of the weapon was aimed at his head. Meanwhile, the same happened on his other side as he was distracted. Swirling Light began to gather at the tip of the Keyblade, the power of Dawn's desire to protect Oscar bringing out her power. A glowing weapon appeared in Saber's hands, a blade of pure, golden light.

"Take this!" Dawn screamed, letting go of the power.

"Ex-Cali-Pwn!" Saber screamed from the other side of Berserker.

The two streams of energy collided inside of Berserker. One moment, his upper body was there.

The next it was gone.

The energy within him exploded from the collision, and the resulting wave sent everyone stumbling backwards. Saber and Dawn panted heavily as they jammed their weapons into the ground, slowing themselves down. They both looked up and froze. Berserker's upper body was knitting itself together, and his legs shivered before straightening as his head reappeared. He stood up straight and he walked slowly towards Dawn's exhausted body, knowing she would be unable to move. The creature growled, and its red eyes almost seemed... sorry. But then the weapon came down.

"NO! STOP!"

And Berserker did, frozen solid with a small clock above his head. Dawn's eyes widened and she turned to look at Oscar, who was struggling to hold up the clock-like magical energy around his body that was keeping Berserker in place. Dawn gasped and struggled to her feet, stumbling all the way over. "Oscar, I -"

"I may not be able to give you all Hellfire. But allow me to show you the power of a Hero who has seen Hell." He smirked and looked right at Shirou as he loosed the arrow. "Get rekt Shirou."

"What?" Dawn wondered. She glanced over and found Archer standing there with a glowing red arrow knocked in his bow.

"We need to move!" Shirou shouted suddenly. He grabbed Saber and Rin and yanked them away. Dawn grabbed hold of Oscar, shoving him after them. The spell shattered with his concentration, and the two barely had enough time to escape before Berserker shattered the fading spell. Oscar's body went limp in Dawn's arms, and she knew it was over, right up until Hellfire exploded behind them.

Dawn and Oscar screamed as they were thrown by the explosion. The world became bright white and ringing. And then they hit the ground and there was pain, too. The first thing to clear up was their ears, though maybe they could only hear Shirou screaming, "I WANT THAT!" on account of how loud he was being. After a moment of suffering in silence, the pair groaned and slowly struggled to awareness, turning to find...

Berserker, healing from nothingness once again. "Berserker, I'm done toying with them. Kill them so we can go home," Illya said as she walked down from her perch. She stopped beside her servant and sighed. "They really aren't being fun anymore."

Berserker looked over and grunted. "Yes, Berserker. Whichever you think is most dangerous can go first."

Berserker nodded at her again, then turned his gaze right. At. Dawn.

She barely had to blink to miss his movement; when her eyes opened, he was simply standing over them, weapon raised. She could see in his eyes that same apology. It was necessary, he seemed to say. Dawn jumped in front of Oscar and raised the Keyblade. "No..." she groaned, still too exhausted to fight anymore. She shut her eyes tight. "I won't let him die. I... I can't... Let him!"

"Oh, I'll be killing both of you, don't worry!" Dawn opened her eyes. There was a huge, swirling glyph floating in the air in front of her, and a frozen Berserker. He was struggling against the glowing circle, but to no avail. And then there was a streak of Light, magical chains appearing around his wrists and ankles, then joining and yanking back at the small of his back. Berserker screamed in surprise and tumbled forward, right into the changing glyph. The chains creaked and shattered, and he was soon free, but not soon enough. The image and color shifted radically, and his body was launched away from them, spiraling away with his scream through the sky.

"A launch glyph... Dove!"

And Dove indeed was there. She walked up from behind them and aimed her Keyblade at Illyasviel. "Unlike my Cousin and her friend, I can deal with your pet monster without trying to kill him. As you probably just saw. So I recommend you take him and get the hell out of here before I finish the job."

Illya raised her eyebrow, then shrugged, disappointed by the sudden change. "Fine. I suppose I can let Emiya and Rin stew in knowing they're useless against my Servant," Illyasviel agreed. She turned her gaze to glare at Dove. "Enjoy making sure these idiots don't kill themselves, Frosty." And then she turned and walked away.

"Ha! Jokes on you!" Rin shouted, rushing up to stand beside Dove. "We're only killing Shirou!" She stopped and looked over at Dove. "Ooh... Baeber-Three..."

Dove just ignored her and rushed over to Dawn and Oscar. "You two are in so much trouble!" She snapped. She grabbed hold of their arms and pulled them forcefully up. "We are going home right now, got it? Master Sora is not happy. You're in so much trouble!"

"It was all me! I – I, er, kidnapped Oscar! You have to tell Dad it's my fault!" Dawn begged, pushing in front of her best friend.

Oscar pushed right back in front of her. "N-no, it was an ac-accident! She didn't mean to take us out h-here! Besides, I uh – I agreed to stay here with h-her. It's... it's my f-fault!"

"Uh, guys?" Rin muttered from beside Shirou and Saber.

Dawn scoffed."Oscar, stop covering for me. It was still my mistake and I forced you into staying!"

"I'm not some P-Puppy, D-Dawn!" Oscar retorted.

"Guys!"

They turned. "Shirou is dying!" Saber snapped."And he's promised to never go near a gun, so I'm saying we help him!"

"Dibs on Baeber!" Rin shouted at the same time, right hand shooting straight up and quivering with manic excitement.

They turned back to Dove, eyes wide and pleading for her to save their friend. Dove groaned. "Dammit, fine. I'll help save the kid." She pushed past Dawn and Oscar towards Shirou, who was busy vomiting blood all over the ground while Archer chuckled at the sight. "But we're going to be talking more about this! Grr... So,where are we going?" She scooped up Shirou and glared at the frozen teenagers. "Well!?"

χ χ χ

Oscar and Dawn waited quietly with Saber at Shirou's kitchen table, quietly waiting for Rin and Dove to patch him up. And, Oscar and Dawn knew, end their journey. Dawn sighed and traced her finger across the table, drawing a spiraling Heart in her mind's eye. "Are you two worried?" Saber inquired from her place on the other side of the table.

"About Shirou? No, not really," Dawn explained bluntly. She froze and looked over at Saber. "I just mean, between Rin and Dove, I don't think he has too much to worry about. He'll be fine."

Saber smiled softly. "I agree. Your cousin, Dove, seems to be the shiznit. Hm... shiznit. Even I feel like that one is outdated." She focused her gaze on Dawn. "But you both seem to be worried about her appearance. I assume you were told not to come to Fuyuki City?"

"Actually, I was supposed t-to leave with... D-Dove," he explained quietly. He put his hands together on the table. "She's supposed to teach me."

"Does this have anything to do with how she can wield the same kind of Noble Phantasm as Dawn?" Saber wondered, one eyebrow raised.

Dawn and Oscar felt their Hearts skip a beat. Dawn chuckled anxiously, then, "That? No, the Keyblade she's was using is a... copy of mine. Legends say mine's one of three True Keyblades connected to the Heart of Worlds."

"The Heart of Worlds..." Saber whispered. "Then, you have the power to link directly to the place the Holy Grail is designed to connect to."

"The Keyhole," Oscar muttered, drawing a surprised look from Saber. "I, uh..."

"The Legends – the same ones about the Keyblade – say its supposed to seal off that power so it won't be abused or destroyed. So it's like a lock's Keyhole, you know?" Dawn supplied sheepishly.

Saber put her hand on her chin. "Supposedly there are other types of Servant with greater connections to the Heart of the world itself, even if they are not Servants that can be summoned for the War. Perhaps the Servant bound to you is of these classes," she supplied. Saber lowered her hand to the table and nodded at Dove, who walked in quietly. "At least, that's what... what a homie of mine described once."

"Certainly sounds like the Keyhole," Dove agreed. She sat down in a fluid motion, placing herself beside Saber. She reached out to the tea set at the center of the table and poured herself a cup. She sipped on it softly, then sighed. "Saber, Shirou will be fine. Once Miss Tohsaka is finished with her healing, he should wake up. In the meantime, we need a few moments."

"Since you saved Shirou, I will allow your bluntness in the presence of a King! So... Fo shizzle." She turned to the others. "Oscar, Dawn." Then she pushed herself up and moved silently out of the room.

Dove watched her go for a moment. When she was sure that Saber was gone, Dove returned her attention to Oscar and Dawn. "Now, what happened?"

Dawn and Oscar glanced at one another. "I took the Kingdom Key D so I could go find Mom," Dawn explained before Oscar could get involved. "I was trying to sneak in to head out with you guys, but... Oscar found me while I was taking a look around. So I pressed the button before he could rat me out!"

"Is this true?" Dove asked, only her eyes moving to capture Oscar's gaze.

"I... I, uh... N-no," Oscar stuttered out. Dawn smacked her forehead, exasperated. She'd tried to give him an out! "I-It was an accident, D-Dove! I – I mean, Master Schnee..."

Stop stuttering around her! Dawn begged internally. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter if it's an accident," Dove began. "Master Sora has... changed since Aunt Ruby disappeared. Without her, he is afraid. People who are afraid think only with their Hearts, and Master Sora..."

"Dad's always thought Heart first, good or bad," Dawn finished. She looked down at the shape she'd been tracing, still visible in her mind. "... I'll go back, if you... if you get Oscar out of trouble. This is all on me." Things got silent, as everyone realized she was essentially signing away any chance at freedom for her best friend.

Oscar surged suddenly to his feet. "No!" Dove and Dawn looked over, slightly stunned by his outburst. "Dawn, I... We can't go back. He'll never let you out of his sight ever again! You'll never even get to go to Vale on weekends! You... We did something here. Something good, I think. We made friends, and I won't let you never have this chance again." He turned to Dove. "... Let us go. Please, D-Dove."

Dawn's jaw dropped. "Oscar –?"

Dove stared at Oscar intently. Her gaze flickered over to Dawn for a moment, at which point she sighed and shut her eyes. "Master Sora would probably put me on lockdown for letting you go. And not only that, he is in charge. He told me to bring you home, which means it is what I'm supposed to do. What I have to do," she said quietly. Oscar groaned inwardly. Of course – Being Master Sora's best student meant the most to Dove, but he had to try... Right?

Dove eventually opened her eyes and met Dawn's gaze, a frown spreading across her face and into her red eyes. Dawn herself was quiet, just matching Dove's frown. "Let us go," Dawn echoed quietly.

Dove's frown pulled her gaze to the table. "I... hate disobeying orders. But..." She shook her head. "You both did... better than expected against that monster. As well as the Grimm and Heartless you fought before him. Oscar, I'm proud you even acted so quickly. And Dawn, you did well for someone with no training." She stood up slowly. "Fine. I know you can find Aunt Ruby. So despite every cell in my body telling me to listen to what Master Sora told me to do, I am going to let you leave together."

She pulled her cape over her arm and looked between them. "The fact Grimm are appearing on other worlds is odd... and worrisome. They lack the ability to create more of their number, but they tend to be... smarter than most Heartless. Maybe it's because of Salem, or someone who wants us to think it is... Either way, I should investigate this." She looked at Oscar. "I'm only agreeing to this because you both want to keep going. You two have been inseparable since you met, so I can see now that trying to separate you by having you leave without Dawn... Well, it was doomed from the start. My cousin is a trouble maker, and you get her out of it. She'd find a way to run off without you if you were gone, so I'm making the decision it's better you two are together. At least that way somebody can make sure she doesn't do something stupid." She stared at Dawn. "Please, don't make this a mistake."

"It's not a mistake!" Dawn exclaimed, leaping over the table to hug Dove. After a moment she pushed back and grinned at Oscar. "Told you she'd cave."

Dove smacked her over the back of her head. "Next time, wait until someone is gone before saying they cave easy," Oscar pointed out dryly.

Dove glared at Dawn's sheepish grin for a while, then sighed. Defeated, she supplied, "... Since there's no point in stopping you, you should at least go somewhere you can learn without getting destroyed. There is a world not far from here. Something is going on there, but it doesn't seem to be anything world ending. Maybe dip your toes there before diving in headfirst."

"W-where is it?" Oscar asked, eager to find out where they would be heading next.

"It's called Amestris. Aside from unique science and magic, it is just normal human beings. It really is not very dangerous unless you go to a war front." She paused and glared at Dawn again. "Do NOT go to a war front."

"Wha -? I'd never!" Dawn exclaimed. She turned to Oscar. "Back me up, here!"

"I'll make sure she doesn't," he said instead.

"O-Oscar!" Dawn put a hand over her mouth. "Betrayal!"

Dove smiled at them, wishing she could watch this more... then turned away. "Then I suppose this is time for us to part," she walked to the door without looking back. "Goodbye. And be careful."

"Y-you're leaving already?" Oscar's voice was ringed with disappointment.

Dove chuckled at the doorway. He needed to get over his hero crush, she noted. "Nothing left for me to do here. After all, I didn't find Dawn or Oscar here."

Dawn grinned at her cousin's remark. "See you soon, Dove!" she called at her cousin's back.

Dove nodded without turning back. And, after a moment's hesitation, left wordlessly. See you soon, she promised.

χ χ χ

Keyblade Wielders. Not many people on their world knew about Keyblade Wielders anymore. They were legends even back in the time of the first heroes like Gilgamesh, apparently having existed before the world itself had been fashioned. Archer wasn't sure if that was true, but he was sure that the presence of three Keyblade Wielders – well, two that Gilgamesh knew about – in the city was causing the snobby 'King of Heroes' no small amount of discomfort. It was almost enough to bring a smile to Archer's face, if it were not for the fact that his cruel streak could mean an attack on his Master just for engaging with them.

Not that it mattered. They were finally leaving, and taking all of their own problems with them. Thankfully before those problems interfered too much. It would be nice to have at least some time without the risk of Salem asking something of him before he had a chance to get what he wanted. But, still, he'd made his deal with her. If he was going to risk making deals with people who'd lost their marbles, he'd better be prepared for when some marbles got hurt, or to even hurt a few marbles himself. Stupid marbles.

Archer glared down at Rin, Shirou, and Saber saying goodbye to the Keyblade wielders pretending to be a Master and Servant. It was almost funny, their poor attempts at pretending to be from this world. Really it was more a testament to Rin's singleminded focus on losing 'Baeber-Two,' Shirou's idiotic inability to notice anything important, and Saber's belief in her own perfection that kept anyone from questioning the obvious holes in Oscar's and Dawn's knowledge.

You going to just creep on us, Satan? Rin asked over their bond.

Archer rolled his eyes. It's called haunting, isn't it? He remarked dryly. And again, Rin, I'm not Satan. You really think he'd be an Archer when almost every image of a fallen angel uses swords or spears?

So... you're saying you might be a second Saber class? Rin inquired. Archer immediately clamped down on the connection and looked at the kids. Absently he raised his hand and tried to create a Keyblade, already knowing it was impossible. He formed the shape in his mind, then tried to move on to forcing the idea into reality. And, like every time he'd tried before, the image of the Kingdom Key D in his mind just lacked the same heft as the weapons the kids used. He supposed it didn't matter, since Gilgamesh didn't have one, either. He also wouldn't need one to take out his target. He barely needed a dry piece of toast and a toddler's plastic butter knife for that since he was – graciously – a two on the 'is a threat' meter.

He watched Oscar and Dawn turn to leave and frowned. They were going to come back way too soon, weren't they? "Goddammit, Salem..."

χ χ χ

Oscar stared at himself in the mirror of the Gummi Ship's bathroom, hazel eyes focused intently on his face. He looked as tired as he felt, he noticed. Red, itchy eyes and dark circles under it. They had woken up early, and then fought what Rin called a 'Pay To Win Player's Gacha Draw.' And the Heartless and Grimm... He shivered despite himself, the terror still rooted deep in his Heart pulling at him. He'd nearly let Dawn die to those monsters because he was too afraid to fight them. He'd been a coward and it had almost cost him everything that mattered.

"Oscar, you almost done? I still need to get ready for bed!"

Oscar shook his head and pushed off of the sink counter. "Uh, yeah. I'm on my way out," he muttered. He turned and pulled open the red door with one gloved hand.

Dawn was standing there, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited in her pajamas. She didn't look tired at all, despite her multiple near death experiences on the front lines of their fights. Dawn cocked her head to the side. "What's wrong, Oscar?" she wondered. She leaned forward. "You aren't regretting this, are you?"

"Never!" he exclaimed. "I... I'm just... I almost got you killed."

Dawn leaned back. "... Huh?"

"Don't give me that!" he cried out. He moved forward and grabbed her shoulders. "Dawn, I froze and you almost died. I almost killed you..."

"That doesn't sound right," Dawn muttered. She brushed off Oscar's hands. "Come on, you fought in the end. You even stopped Berserker with a time spell! That was awesome! I wish I could do stuff like that, but I can't even cast a spell."

Oscar glared at her in disbelief. "You blew Berserker up, Dawn. You may have been fighting him with Saber, but you won. I was just watching. And I couldn't do anything long enough to matter! If Dove hadn't shown up we'd be dead!"

"You won't give up until I say you did something wrong, will you?" Dawn remarked dryly. "Fine, I will, but only if you do, too! You need to... actually summon your Keyblade! Yeah. Doesn't that make your spells stronger and stuff?"

Oscar glared at her. "I'm trying to be serious, Dawn."

She pushed past him and shoved him out of the bathroom. "A serious downer. Now you do the team building exercise so we can go to sleep. Come on, Oscar, let's do this. Come on."

"Stop. No. I – Gah! Fine!" he exclaimed. Oscar crossed his arms. "You need to talk with me, plan with me. If I'm not ready, run away with me so we can fight together instead."

Dawn nodded. "Was that so hard?" she asked. She took a step back and stopped. "Oscar... Thank you. I know that it wasn't easy for you to go against Dove. Even if it's puppy love, you look up to her a lot. It means a lot you'd help me stay, even knowing she and my dad won't like it." She smiled at the ground. "I don't deserve such a good friend."

Oscar's eyes widened. "That's my line, Dawn," he said quietly.

"... Yeah, it is," she remarked, joking again. "Now, get to sleep, okay? Got a big day of adventuring tomorrow, and you can't look like a raccoon when we meet new friends, got it?"

"Yeah, okay," he said. She shut the door. "You're welcome!"

"Go to sleep!"

χ χ χ

Dove crouched and ran her fingers over the Black Dust remains of the Grimm that had attacked Oscar and Dawn, frown deepening as it shifted under the glow of the magical Light she had summoned above herself to see at night. Sora was not the biggest proponent of the World Order, but he at least didn't believe in sending people, things, or monsters to different worlds en masse. It could cause a lot of problems, especially if a Grimm escaped and a Grimm pit showed up on a world that couldn't handle them. Zootopia was still one of the... softer worlds that new Keyblade wielders policed in their first solo missions. If a Grimm showed up in a world where the police barely used weapons of any kind? She wouldn't want to see the aftereffects of that tragedy.

Dove poked at the Black Dust again and sighed. It was inert, but she couldn't be sure that was the case everywhere. Just to make sure, she swirled her Keyblade around and channeled magic made to track more Black Dust on the world. Thankfully, the spell fizzled out after a moment of swirling through the pile of dead Grimm, proving her hopes right. Content with the results, she pushed herself up and brushed off her hands. "Better than what could have happened," she muttered with a glance at the full moon hanging above.

She felt very homesick, in that moment. It would be a while before she headed back to Remnant again. And she'd never head back to the same home she'd had before. Dawn leaving... Dove was sure it had already set off a chain of events that would change everything. And, she worried, not completely for the better. But she'd made her decision, and she wouldn't go back on it now. She couldn't go back on it now.

"I was wondering when you would show up." Dawn whirled on her heel at the sound of someone else's voice, Keyblade flashing into her hand as she settled into a combat stance.

Dawn froze when she saw the figure. A woman in long, dark red clothes fading darker and darker near the edges of the gown. The woman raised an incredibly pale hand out to Dove. "You're coming with me, Dove."

Dove swallowed nervously as the woman's other hand came up and pulled down her hood, revealing the pale white hair and blood red eyes of Salem herself. "... Now."