Responses to Comments:

DPSS – Don't worry, my omakes will not be joining my main story. It was just a story I had written when I was getting tired from the main story. I will continue it in other omakes, however. I will however, write side stories that will be part of the story, but not included in main chapters, and will be clearly denoted as such (As a sneak peak, I'm writing one that involves Rider and Yang). And more Ruby being able to trace read my response to Takei Daloui below.

Takei Daloui – I thought I was being clear that she was only going to be able to use it once. She hasn't gained the ability to trace/project nor is she in UBW, Alaya did all that. Where do you think Alaya keeps its Counter Guardians? It's just a realm created to fit the Counter Guardian EMIYA, and anymore is spoiling future omakes. I honestly think Ruby is broken in some way mentally now that I'm watching more of Volume 4, and even before that. Perhaps when her mother died, or maybe she was awake the entire time Qrow saved them from the Grimm? (i.e. similar manner on how Shirou was saved) Who knows. Ruby blames herself for pretty much everything that happened to Penny and Pyrrha.

Roxas902 – Thanks for enjoying my omake and my previous chapters. Also, thank you for continuing posting your thoughts in the reviews.

ZenithTempest – Sorry you feel that I'm dragging this on and being overly mysterious. Not really what I was aiming for. I would do longer chapters, but I just don't have that kind of time-dedication to work on overly long chapters, nor the patience to sit on a single chapter for so long. This chapter is an exception, but usually expect chapters from 3-5k words.

Dave – No, Velvet is not the reincarnation of anyone, I find reincarnation stories rather… tedious. They usually just shoehorn people they want to survive and dope them with stupidly strong traits. I just want to do something special with Velvet. :D

doraemax – No, it isn't a story about EMIYA. It's a possible explanation for the Grimm's appearance and for a world so obsessed with Heroes and legends and an allusion to Salem (we know so little about her), I wanted to make something to fill in the holes. Although, the parallels to the Heaven's Feel ending was on purpose.

.-.-..-.-.

Chapter 004 – Losing it All – Part 1

.-.-..-.-.

The warmth of the morning sun trickled through the small gap in the blinds, its tender rays softly caressing the visage of a young man as he sat asleep in a wooden chair next to an occupied bed. His right hand was gripping the hand of the bed's occupant, though his grip, while strong, was not crushing, and more to ensure that the appendage it held wouldn't escape its grasp. If anything, it was a tender, but firm, hold, the way someone would hold their loved ones close. The yellow glow of the sunlight shone over his coppery hair, a few white bands clashing violently with the opposing color, also warming a large piece of red cloth wrapped around the man's left arm. Strangely, the little visible skin on the wrapped arm was a dark tan, quite dissimilar to the peach complexion of the sleeping young man.

The room, while small, was quite cozy, with walls made of dark-brown timber planks, a desk with an incandescent lamp sitting against a single square window, a cabinet in the back of the room that would support a meager wardrobe next to a door that led to a shower room. And of course, a small twin-sized bed with a striped black and white sheet covering a slumbering person, the bumps from the cover showing a rather endowed female sleeper. The room proved to be well-kept, as it was almost perfectly immaculate, not a single speck of dust visible anywhere, truly a testament its upkeep. Overall, a nice room in the village's inn—also known as the Harvest Moon Inn—for any weary travelers to sleep, fill their empty stomachs, and recover from the tiring journey. Especially such travelers that had trekked through the depths of hell to emerge victorious, though anyone who would have such an ordeal would have been satisfied with even subpar bedding, even if the high quality was more than welcome. Alas for the resting occupants of the room, the day was beginning, and while they were undoubtedly exhausted, their biological clocks would see them awake as soon as they were rested enough to function properly, regardless of how much they needed more sleep.

Heavy eyelids slowly fluttered open as the glow of the light made silver eyes blink blearily, sleep still very much clouding the mind of the former sleeper. Steel eyes surveyed the area as the half-awake mind slowly stirred and a sincere smile slowly made its way across the auburn-haired man's face as he recognized whose hand he was holding.

Leaning forward in the chair, he brought his other hand to softly caress the feminine hand as if it was made of glass, trying to reassure himself that he wasn't dreaming and that the resting woman was indeed there. She was showing signs of recovery from her ordeal, the black veins had mostly faded from the hand, her fingernails had regained their original pink tint, but her skin was still deathly pale with black veins that coursed further past up the forearm. Reaching over, he shifted some white locks of hair behind her ear, her hair having covered her face at some point of her rest, revealing a delicate face. The rising of her chest, slow and steady, only highlighted that she was recovering from her ordeal, and her peaceful expression made possible by the man's presence in the room. She was still far from completely recovered, and might never make a full recovery, but even the state she was currently in was better than the one she had previously been in.

Before he could dwell on it more, a soft knock came from the door, providing an appropriate distraction from the dark thoughts that plagued the man's mind. Carefully extracting his hand from the young woman's, he made his way towards the door, opening it and coming face to face with a woman of exquisite beauty. Long purple hair fell in smooth waves down her back, only stopping a few inches from her feet, while surprisingly skimpy clothes clung to curves that would have damned any other man to sin. Yet for all her beauty, the woman now standing at the door had an air about her, a way of standing, a way of being, that screamed "predator". Yet more so than her figure, or the air that she projected, what stood out the most was the elaborate blindfold she wore.

"Shirou," the sultry voice of Rider began in a low hushed voice, "I see you've awakened. How is Sakura?"

"She was tossing and turning a bit last night, but now she's sleeping peacefully," whispered the newly named Shirou.

Although there were currently no other occupants in the top third floor they occupied-Tohsaka had made sure of that-it didn't hurt to be mindful of the others and the sleeping girl behind him. The alluring woman let out a quiet sigh of relief, as she had been beside herself with worry for the better part of the night.

While Sakura Matou wasn't related to her by blood, she considered the young woman as a younger sister, one that she had almost failed to protect, would have failed to protect if it hadn't been for the help of both Shirou and Rin Tohsaka. There were no words for how grateful she was to the pair, and the budding attraction she felt for the young man who had been nothing but a gentleman to her, while sacrificing everything to save his loved ones, made her keenly aware that now that the worst had passed, things were bound to become quite complicated.

"What about you? You hanging in there?" inquired Shirou, looking her over worriedly.

"I stayed in astral form to conserve prana," quickly answered the serpentine woman, in a low voice. She had kept a vigilant watch as they all slept, especially for any that would have noticed their presence. Fortunately, she had not encountered someone or something that wished to do them harm during her patrol. Yet her deflection was not missed by Shirou, the young man's eyes narrowing in concern.

"You know," the young man began, "You could always make a contract with Tohsaka or even Illya, that way you…."

"I realize that, but…" she interrupted, pausing for a moment to gather her wits. "Once Sakura awakens I'll remake my contract with her if she wishes. If not, I'll…."

"Don't finish that, Rider," scowled Shirou, knowing that behind the blindfold, the purple-haired beauty was likely glaring at him, "She'll definitely want you to stay with us. You're our friend, and we've gone through enough as it is."

They had lost Archer, Illya's rather terrifying servant, Berserker, and his own servant Saber. While he was a bit apprehensive about the things Rider did during the war while under Shinji's orders, Shirou just didn't want any more bloodshed or suffering to happen because of what had happened during the war. In the end, Rider had sided with them to protect Sakura, and that was more than enough for the third-rate magus to trust her.

"I see…."

Perfect lips quirked in a small smile, and Shirou realized for the first time just how beautiful Rider was when she smiled. During the war, she had never smiled, though one could argue she had little reason to, given hers and Sakura's circumstances. It was pleasant to see her finally crack the emotionless mask she had worn so far.

"Friends sound nice."

The young man's own smile joined hers as he remembered his other classmate.

"Speaking of friends, are Tohsaka and Illya up yet?"

Returning to her inexpressive façade, the Servant dutifully replied:

"I believe they still remain asleep as it's slightly past sunrise, although I have been hearing strange noises come from Illyasviel's quarters for quite some time."

Shirou frowned. While Illya was eccentric, it was still worrying to know that "strange noises' came from her room. Though now that he was a bit more aware of the opposite gender's quirks, he did prefer to make sure he wasn't worrying for nothing first. God knows what his sister would do if he barged in her room unannounced, even if he had good cause to be worried.

"Weird noises? Like how?"

"Like low guttural sounds a wounded beast would make."

"A wounded beast…? Ah," frowned the young man, before his face lit up in understanding, "Don't worry about it, she just ate too much ice cream last night."

It was quite a handful for Shirou to chastise his sister for returning late last night sporting a comically bloated belly when she was supposed to gather information with Rin about this new world they found themselves in. As Rin put it, Illya pretty much immediately went off on her own not even five minutes after leaving the trio behind in the inn. Illya claimed to have discovered something amazing, but was met with doubt from both Rider and Shirou as when she revealed the full course of ice cream she had eaten. While the ice cream could have been amazing, they had more pressing worries at the moment.

"I see," nodded Rider, knowing the matter was closed. If Shirou himself believed Illya was fine, there was little reason for her to worry. While not overprotective, the copper-haired teen was still very protective of Illya, especially since she looked and often acted like a ten, maybe eleven, years old child.

Shirou realized that while the Holy Grail may have imparted the knowledge of ice cream upon her summoning, she's never actually tasted the frozen goodness before. He would have to rectify that sometime in the future, perhaps with a homemade ice cream recipe he had been thinking of making before the war broke out. Although, the ingredients may be vastly different in this new world, he would have to make due. Surely since ice cream exists in this world -as made apparent with Ilya's current predicament—it was a possibility.

"It's funny her very first meal in an unknown world is something as comical as ice cream. You'd think we be scavenging off the land eating bugs over a campfire," he added, letting out a quiet chuckle with Rider just 'glaring' through the blindfold with her usual look of indifference. Though his chuckles quickly died down as his companion stayed silent, her solemn personality making it hard to find humor in their current situation.

Hoping to salvage the awkward stillness, he coughed, before changing the subject.

"Anyways, I'm going to head down the inn's kitchen to see if I can get something for Illya's stomach and make some breakfast for everyone."

"I will keep watch over Sakura in your stead," promptly offered Rider. Shirou pitied anyone who would disturb her vigil. He had seen just how protective she was of Sakura, and as a Servant, she was far beyond anything a normal human could handle. He just prayed that some poor soul wouldn't do anything to warrant her ire, as he had no intention of fighting the Gorgon. Archer's arm or not, he wasn't about to fight an overprotective, very powerful, older sibling looking only to protect their surrogate little sister.

"Thanks, I'll be up with some food in a bit", the soon-to-be-chef answered as he began walking down the wooden floor of the hall to communal lounge. The sound of a door closing behind him confirming that Rider had begun her watch over her former master—and hopefully future master once again.

.-.-..-.-.

The sounds of sizzling pans could be heard from within the inn's kitchen, the smell of food being prepared drifting around. The delicious aroma drew several of the patrons to the lounge who eagerly waited for breakfast to be served, and even the inn's owners, who were an elderly couple, were also seated at a table alongside their patrons. The sounds of back and forth banter were heard past the doors that led to the kitchen, one voice belonging to Shirou and the other, presumably, the actual chef of the kitchen. If one listened, words like 'now turn down the heat,' 'add these spices at this temperature,' and 'then add the ingredient here' could be heard.

The door swung open with the a rather pudgy, ecstatic-looking man who pushed a cart loaded with several trays of food, including golden fluffy omelets, juicy hams, crisp bacons, waffles, various fresh fruits and breakfast items, and of course a pot of steaming dark-brown coffee for those who needed that extra jolt of energy in the morning. The food looked delicious, in fact, several of the people present were reminded of cookbooks' pictures, showing that the plates had clearly been made by a professional.

While everyone was captivated with the food being laid out, Shirou slipped out of the kitchen as he carefully balanced several trays of food for the rest of his companions upstairs.

He was a bit apprehensive about Tohsaka using some mild hypnosis to convince the aged couple, who were the owners, that she was their grand-daughter and that he and the others were her traveling companions, but he couldn't really complain due to their current circumstances, being in a foreign world and all. So, to ease his modest guilt, Shirou decided to aid the chef with breakfast after he received permission from the owners to pay some form of reparation for their stay. Although, the coppery-haired man didn't forget about his sister's current suffering and brought up some stomach medicine—provided by the same elderly couple- before he started in the kitchen.

Archer's memories were also surprisingly useful in the level of skill his alternate-self had in terms of cooking, but then again, he himself has always had a fondness for the culinary arts. The servant, however, took it to an entirely new level, using Magecraft to enhance the properties of food. It was something he would have to investigate once things settled. Although, the rest of the memories were in complete disorder and would take much longer for his mind to process them.

Reaching the foot of the staircase, he paused, trays in hand, the steps appearing as if the angle of ascent had increased twofold.

'This might be a little difficult… makes me almost happy that my house didn't have multiple floors' he sighed in mild despair. Carefully taking the first step as he attempted to keep the trays level. One step down, two floors to go, and he started a rhythm to keep balance as he ascended.

Two men entered the lounge and sat at a table just as Shirou slipped out of sight. A green-camo rifle was slung across the back of one man, while the other had a silver longsword hanging from his left hip. The two let loose a sigh of relief as their tired feet finally got some rest, one retrieving a flask of liquor from his coat's pocket and taking a long drink before handing it to his companion for a swig, indulging in the burning sensation that trickled down their throats. Fire-brand whiskey, a Valean mix of a high percent alcohol mixed in with a few milligrams of red Dust that ignited a fire in the veins of any who drank it, perfect for huntsmen who just needed an extra punch compared to normal alcohol, their Aura making normal alcohol all but ineffective.

The rifle-wielding huntsman was the one to break the silence first, sighing happily as he lounged in his seat.

"Man, today was a close one. Almost lost Jackal back there from that beowolf pack."

His partner nodded, stretching the kinks out of his back.

"I hear you man, if Jackal wasn't lazing about like he usually does he wouldn't have been caught off guard. But, still…" his voice trailing off as he took another long drink before he spoke again, the whiskey kicking in, "Don't you think we came across too many beowolves this time? We only usually see two or three regulars when we escort caravans between here and Vale, and we even came across an Alpha!"

Noticing he was getting a bit too loud from the way the other patrons had turned to stare at the pair, he quieted down. Normal people had no clue just how bad things were, and it was one of the many jobs of Huntsmen to make sure that they didn't know. It wasn't out of malice, rather, the panic that would result should people realize just how easily the Grimm could wipe them out would attract the creatures like moths to a flame. Not to mention put them in a killing frenzy, something no sane Huntsman wanted to deal with. Regular Grimm were a nightmare, waves of frenzied monsters out for blood was not what anyone wanted to deal with.

"Sshhh, lower your voice," hushed the sniper before he continued, as the other patrons returned to their meals. " Come on man, this is one of the safest places you could be outside the Kingdom's walls and there are patrols of Huntsmen and militia forces like every few miles. I think you're just getting jitters from a close call. Growing too complacent I say, getting soft."

While he sounded condescending, the fact that he had reached his current age made it clear that he knew his strength, and had the experience to know when Grimm weren't acting normally. And honestly? So what if there had been more Beowolves than usual? Those beasts moved in packs, so for all they knew they had come across a pack moving to another area, nothing to worry about.

"But…"

"Look, if it bothers you that much, we can go investigate the area this afternoon and clean up. Got to harden you back up! Haha!" grinned the sniper, slapping his partner's back.

Rubbing his shoulder, the swordsman groaned.

"Right... Let's just eat right now, we'll worry about that when we go out."

"I hear ya, I'm starving!"

Both Huntsmen then stood, walking over to grab some food. The excellent food prepared by Shirou and the chef had them gobbling down several plates, replenishing their energy and lifting their spirit better than anything else could have.

Once they were done, they grabbed their weapons and left, ready to exterminate any Grimm they would come across.

.-.-..-.-.

Shirou eventually made his way to the top floor and let out a deep sigh of relief as he took the final step.

'Safe!' cheered the auburn-haired teen as he completed his vertical ascent.

Down the hall were three doors on the left, and two on the right with a small communal area set with a small table and chairs, and where a third room would be if there was one at the end of the hall. Natural light illuminated the area through two windows that were in the open space, each facing a different cardinal direction. All in all, a perfect spot for a secluded breakfast for a small group.

Shirou made his way down to the end of the hall, and placed the trays of food on the small table, one tray slightly hanging over the end, before he went to rouse the others for a nice little breakfast.

.-.-..-.-.

Empty dishes laid on trays as the raven-hair magus, snow-haired fairy, and silver-eyed man sat in peace, quietly sipping away on coffee —although he would have preferred tea—, enjoying the feeling of a full stomach after a good rest, though Rin still seemed fairly sleepy. Rider had elected to not eat any breakfast, the Servant having stated she'd rather watch other Sakura and that she did not technically need to eat anything, and so two trays filled with food remained in Sakura's room just in case. The calming atmosphere did wonders for the three of them, as they finally had an opportunity to relax. However, as relaxing as things were, some matters still had to be addressed, and Rin was the one to start the conversation, daintily sipping her morning coffee.

"Well let's get down to business, shall we?"

The twin-tailed Magus crossed her legs, a subtle, for a normal person, sign that she had now shifted into her more Magi-like persona, Shirou merely leaning forwards and linking his fingers together, listening intently.

"If we're going to be all super serious, I'm going to get comfortable!" grumbled Illya, sauntering over to her step-brother.

"Illya? What are you…" began Shirou, but he was silenced when Illya plopped herself into his lap, smiling smugly at Rin as she leant her head into her beloved Onii-chan's chest.

"Hey! What are you doing Illya! Get off Shirou! We're trying to have a serious conversation!" growled the now fuming Tohsaka, looking none too pleased at the deceptively younger-looking girl's choice of seat.

"But I'm sick! I had such a bad tummy ache and need my precious brother to take care of me!" plaintively fake-sobbed the silver-haired girl, knowing that appealing to Shirou's helpful nature would ensure Rin wouldn't be able to get her to move. As domineering as the girl was, she crumbled far too easily when her step-brother was the one to ask for concessions.

Just as Rin was about to open her mouth to retort, Shirou quickly interrupted what was very likely to devolve into yet another argument between the two females. For some reason he couldn't fathom, these kind of discussions always happened whenever Illya or Rin got close to another, as if the other was irritated and lashed out.

"Get along you two, we're going to be stuck together for the foreseeable future so play nice."

"'Kaayy," immediately agreed Illya, still not leaving her comfortable seat in the red-haired magus's lap.

Letting out a deep sigh, Rin just shook her head in exasperation. As much as she wanted to throttle the little brat, there were more pressing matters at hand, so she would relent. Didn't mean that she wouldn't seek her revenge at a later date, though.

"Let's just get this started. I will begin with my observations and findings," began the blue-eyed woman. "I read several books at the local library detailing the overall history, but couldn't bring any of the books with me since I didn't have any form of identification. Apparently, we need these devices called 'scrolls' that basically function as an electronic wallet, I.D., and communications device. Procuring one for each of us will likely be the first thing to do if we wish to establish even a semblance of a cover during our stay here."

"So, it's basically a smart-phone?" interjected Shirou.

"A smart what? Never mind, you'll tell me later" she answered, before continuing, "And from what I read and global maps, there are four main Kingdoms called Atlas, Vacuo, Mistral, and Vale. Technically at the moment, we're in Vale's territory, though apparently, we're in a settlement outside of the border of the kingdom. However, most of the planet is effectively uninhabited, as most of the planet's total population currently live in in the four major capitals with small villages here and there, like the one we are currently in."

"That doesn't seem right, they seem far too advanced," frowned Shirou.

"I was getting there, apparently, those black creatures with white plates we came across before we arrived are the reason for it. They call them the Creatures of Grimm and have been plaguing humanity since, well… forever."

"I thought they were just leftovers from when we fought against those 'things' to save Sakura," frowned the Magus, recalling the horrible creatures of Darkness that had manifested themselves from the black miasma of the Holy Grail after Sakura had been possessed. The entirety of Fuyuki had been overrun with the malevolent beasts when they set out to rescue Sakura from Angra Mainyu, and they had fought through scores of them to reach her. After they successfully defeated the corrupted servants and rescued Sakura, most of the events afterwards were a blur to all of them. The first thing Shirou recalled was waking up in the forest with these… Grimm… immediately beset upon them. Their resemblance was uncanny, bodies dissipating into dust after begin defeated, white-bony plates armored their bodies, and predatory crimson eyes that hungered for life. But if these Grimm had existed before they had arrived…

"Those things were super annoying and just kept coming and coming! Cut the limb off one, and they wouldn't stop," pouted Illya, annoyed, speaking for the first time and sending shivers down her companions' spines. It was rather mortifying to see someone who look twelve years old act in such a manner, casually mentioning dismemberment. Shirou mentally made a resolution to give his step-sister the childhood she never had as soon as possible, unaware of her inevitable demise.

Ignoring the awkward silence that ensued, the twin-tailed magus continued:

"Well per books and some questioning, mankind's survival is attributed to Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"Huntsmen?"

With an indulging nod, Rin explained:

"Basically, they're a collection of independent individuals who take contracts for various things like escorts, protection, extermination, and basically anything else you need skilled individuals for. Most of them graduate from Huntsmen institutions like Beacon Academy to obtain licenses to accept those jobs."

"They sound a lot like mercenaries," remarked Illya, though she was right. Given the description, these Huntsmen sounded more like sellswords than an actual cohesive force fighting against the Grimm.

"They are, but a lot of people view them as superheroes."

"Superheroes?" frowned Shirou, perplexed, "You make it sound like they have superpowers."

"They do," nodded the Magus, not a hint of humor present in her tone.

"Obviously…." Distractedly nodded the silver-eyed teen, before his and Illya's eyes widened in shock as their minds finally processed what they had been told.

"Wait, what!?" both siblings exclaimed in shock.

Keeping her composure, Rin allowed herself an inner smirk at the reactions. It was quite amusing to see the usually unflappable pair in such a state of disbelief. While she was forced to endure Illya, it didn't mean that she couldn't get her revenge on the girl for her childish behavior and taunts when it came to Shirou.

"You can imagine my surprise when I discovered it despite it being common knowledge. It's called Aura and as they put it, it is the 'manifestation of one's soul."

The way she made air quotes around "manifestation of one's soul" made it clear just how dismissive she was of the notion, although neither of the siblings were willing to disagree until they hear more.

"You're saying that each of these huntsmen have their own Reality Marble?" asked Shirou, aghast. He, as far as he was aware, was only the sixth human in the entirety of human history to have a Reality Marble in their original world. To think that an entire world's population could have their own…

"No, that's just what they call it. Most of these Aura's manifest themselves are personal shields and one-trick-ponies as a specific ability called Semblances like increased strength, perception, manipulating an aspect. It's just a quirk of personality and Aura and doesn't force one's inner self into the real world like Archer's Unlimited Blade Works."

" …" The amalgam of human and Counter Guardian sat in silence, his left arm aching as he places his other hand on the shoulder bearing the Shroud of Martin. The connection between his own body and Archer's arm tingled with static, and Shirou could swear that it was spreading across his own body, unaware that he had lost his focus on the conversation and eyes lost in a thought.

The little girl in his lap noticed his unease and tightened her grip on his knees.

"Regardless of the technicalities, this may let us use Magecraft a bit more freely and pass it off as Aura, but we should take care to keep it a secret. Especially your Tracing Emiya."

However, Shirou did not hear it due to being lost in thought.

"Emiya!" Rin said again, snapping her fingers to make him focus back on the conversation.

Although outwardly she appeared irritated, the truth was that she was terrified for the other teen. Having the limb of a Servant grafted to yourself had never been done before, and while she wanted to believe it would be fine, she knew that there would likely be consequences for Shirou, consequences that might be quite dangerous for him.

Noticing his loss of focus, he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Oh sorry. Continue."

"Onii-chan needs to pay more attention," giggled the fairy in his lap, trying to alleviate the somber mood her brother was in.

"Like I was saying, try to avoid using Projection as Semblances cannot manifest physical objects. Reinforcement should be okay, though."

"Alright," nodded the copper-haired Magus. He trusted his friend's analysis of the situation, and did not want to draw undue attention to their group by making a foolish mistake.

Not that he would willingly use any form of Tracing right now, it had nearly killed him when he used Archer's arm after it was grafted onto him. It felt as if the limb was slowly taking over his mind and body, and that terrified Shirou. Knowing that eventually, he would no longer be the person he was now, but then again, he already threw away his ideals when he saved Sakura, leaving Fuyuki and the rest of the world to die. Did that already make him a different person, a monster?

'No', he decided, it merely drew the line which he would not cross, in that regard he was nothing like the Counter Guardian.

"So, we should probably head to the main city of Vale and obtain identification and scrolls to begin to build a foundation until we can figure out a way to return," decided Rin, after all it was their only possible plan of action, not mentioning that the only person capable of inter-dimensional travel was the Wizard Marshal of the Clocktower. She was a genius! She'd figure it out…. eventually…. Maybe they were stuck on this planet, interdimensional travel was the realm of science fiction and True Magic after all.

Raising a finger to her chin in a thoughtful pose, Illya frowned thoughtfully.

"Won't that be suspicious, a couple of strangers with no papers showing up from nowhere asking for documents?"

"Not really, I was asking the proprietors of the inn and apparently keeping consistent records between the main cities and villages is rather difficult. No one will even bat an eyelash at us if we say our old home was destroyed, which isn't all that far from the truth," Reassured Rin.

"Hm, if you say so," grumbled the Einzbern, looking rather unconvinced and returning to amusing herself on her step-brother's lap.

Rin proceeded to talk about other things like the Faunus, the CCT system, which in Shirou's mechanic mind was beyond badly made—Who builds a communications system, where knocking one out takes all of them down? —showing just how gifted the young Magus was at obtaining information, although Illya had participated, if only a little, in the information gathering. Although, there was one topic that the Jewelcraft Magus seemed to rather ecstatic about.

"Dust, and I have a sample," grinned the excited teen, taking a small crystal out of her pocket.

"Should I be worried about a jewel heist making the news?" deadpanned the sole male, quirking an eyebrow.

"How rude!" she scowled, giving him a look of betrayal as she raised the crystal to show it off, "Also this isn't a jewel, it's more along the lines of a common mineral but that's not what makes it special. This thing has naturally occurring mana!"

"…. And?" he deadpanned. Obviously, he was missing something, but his Magecraft was entirely centered around weapons, not to mention he was hardly a decent Magus by any stretch of the word. Though it was hardly his fault he didn't know half of what a "proper" Magus was expected to know.

"I'm serious! Do you know what this means!" she exclaimed with stars in her eyes as she leaned over the table to point the white crystal, Dust, in Shirou's face.

"I won't have to load up jewels with my prana anymore! No more spending an obscene amount of money on jewels since these things are a fraction of the cost!" she continued to rant about the opportunities this Dust would offer, Shirou blankly staring at her. And was that drool coming from her mouth? Rin was literally rubbing her cheek against the white crystal, as if she had found the best toy in the world.

"I can already think of the possibilities!"

"Oii, earth to Rin," playfully called Illya, staring at the scene in amusement, and mentally filing the reaction away for future teasing material.

Realizing what she was doing, and in front who she was doing it, the Magus blushed beet red before forcefully composing herself, although a blush could still be seen on her cheeks.

The sound of a door opening drew the attention of the trio as they turned their heads to the room Sakura and Rider were in. The female servant stood in the doorway facing them, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Sakura is awake."

.-.-..-.-.

Shirou was the first one to be by Sakura's side, though before that Rider had at least given her a summary of their current situation. It would have done the recovering young woman little good, after all, to have her discover their situation by accident, especially so when they had little idea of what kind of aftereffects she might be suffering from her possession by Angra Mainyu. Illya stood out in the hallway since it had less to do with her, Rider had placed herself alongside the wall opposite of Sakura, and Rin stood in the doorway, looking at the sister she had worked so hard to save, but now the words caught in her throat, not knowing what to say. She had helped save Sakura, but it was partly her fault that her sister had been possessed in the first place, after all.

How would she even start? Sorry for abandoning you to the Matous as a child, where you were horribly treated, infested with worms, abused on an almost daily basis, raped, and just been viewed as nothing but a tool? Her pragmatic mind told her that her younger sister would never forgive her, and honestly, she wasn't sure she even deserved to be forgiven. Looking back, there were many small things over the years that could be interpreted as desperate pleas for help, but they were always ignored. Especially from a year or two before the war started, with Shinji's drastic attitude change towards Sakura, it was even more painfully obvious that something was wrong with the once-luscious-purple-haired girl, now a bone-white. Her once purple eyes, like amethysts, were now a deep and unnerving crimson. And it was all her fault that this had happened to her own flesh and blood, and she would be damned if she didn't do everything in her power now to make up for it, though her intentions would be meaningless if Sakura didn't want anything to do with her. And so, Rin stood there, unable to voice the words she wanted to say so badly.

But it wasn't her who spoke first, no, it was the bedridden girl, her little sister she had been forced to abandon, who broke the silence first.

"Tohsaka-sempai…"

Sakura's voice was soft, almost a whisper, and it nearly broke Rin to hear it. There was none of the hate or the anger she expected, and it hurt all the more to have her sister seemingly not holding a grudge at her. It would have been easier if Sakura had insulted her, accused her, for then at least, she would have been able to atone for her sins. But how was she expected to do so if her sister didn't resent her?

"Matou-san…" was her automatic answer, and she immediately wanted to kick herself. Excellent way to start things, Rin! Let's call her by the name of the people who nearly broke her, great start, really! "It's… good to see you."

Good to see you? Really? Deadpanned Rin's "inner voice", Wow, you really have a gift with words, haven't you, Rin?

"I see…" whispered Sakura, looking a bit saddened.

Letting out a deep sigh, she brought up her hands had loudly slapped both of her cheeks, both Shirou and Sakura looking at her with uncertainty. Let's hope this works better.

"Okay… Sakura... I'm not very good at this so I'm just going to say what I want to."

"Um, okay?"

"I'm sorry!" she very nearly yelled, only Sakura's recovery stopping her from doing so, as she bowed as low as her body would allow her to, surprising both of her underclassmen.

"Tohsaka?" blinked the sole male, unsure of what to do. Shirou, after all, had very little experience with women, and for all his good points, was also far from the most gifted talker when it came to comforting distraught females.

"Let me finish," she replied, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry for not coming to get you earlier! I'm sorry for not noticing everything that happened to you! I'm sorry for not doing anything! And I'm sorry for being a horrible sister!"

By the end of her apology, her eyes were stinging, a few tears escaping the usually unflappable girl's eyes, from both frustration and regret, making it clear that she meant every word she had spoken. It was extremely rare for her to apologize, but this was a special case, and she was quite sure that an apology was the very least she could offer.

The silence following her outburst wracked her nerves as she nervously waited for Sakura's answer. This was it. She would know if her sister forgave her, or if she no longer wanted anything to do with her. Honestly, she wouldn't fault her for not wanting to have anything to do with her anymore, not after everything she had been through.

Looking at the young man sitting beside her, in which he could only offer a soft smile to her, and back to her guardian, who gave a shrug as a response, Sakura returned her gaze to her estranged sister.

While Rin's gaze was fixed on the floor, Sakura glanced at Shirou, who offered her an encouraging nod, then to Rider, her guardian just shrugging, before returning her gaze to her sister.

"Nee-san…," the older girl perked up at being addressed as a sister. "It's… okay. Rider told me that you and Shirou almost died rescuing me. I think that's enough."

"Sakura…" smiled a beaming Rin, a few tears of happiness quickly wiped by her sleeves.

"Let's just take it slow, and start as friends," smiled back Sakura, a pained, yet beautiful smile, not at all tarnished by the state she was in.

"Sounds great," smiled the older sister, happy to know that she could finally mend her relationship with the younger girl. She rushed to Sakura's side to give her a long hug, no words being exchanged between the two as they embraced each other, the white-haired girl returning the embrace weakly, but as strong as she could. They broke he hug after a few moments, both sisters wiping away the tears that were forming in their eyes.

Setting her gaze on the man who rescued her sister, Rin returned to her usual serious persona.

"Let's talk more later, right now we got to focus on getting to Vale so I'll be working on that. I'll let you two catch up for now~," grinned the blue-eyed woman as she walked out the room, dragging an eavesdropping and protesting Illya with her, leaving behind the trio.

Silence settled over the group, none among them willing to break it at first, until Sakura finally gathered her courage.

"Rider told me what you did…" murmured the young woman as she reached for the cloth-wrapped arm, stopping a few inches away from contact, "I don't remember most of it, but I know I did horrible things," her voice was thick with self-loathing, and her remaining hand had clutched the sheets so hard Shirou was afraid that she'd tear them apart.

"I could feel them you know… It's like I can still sense them inside me, all those horrible feelings passing through… Everyone's emotions, I watch them as they die, as they were ripped apart by the Shadows."

Her face was downtrodden as she couldn't bear to keep eye contact with either Shirou or her servant, tears falling from her face and voice breaking into sobs.

"I saw Fujimura-sensei die…Mitsuzuri-sempai… I saw everyone at school die…Fuyuki… and it's all my fault!" she cried, finally letting go and sobbing in earnest, tears pooling over her clenched fists.

Shirou did nothing, showing no indication of approval or displeasure, his face impassive, all he did was listen intently as he kept his eyes on Sakura, the sole indication of his feelings being a tightly gripped fist.

"You lost your arm! Nee-san almost died! You almost died! You're a hero of justice right!? So why did you save me! You were supposed to save everyone else!" she demanded, tears falling from her soft cheeks.

"I'm dirty! Revolting! A monster! You should have saved everyone else! ... You were supposed to save everyone, but me…" she trailed off, continuing to weep over the blanket.

Shirou had long pondered on that train of thought ever since they landed on Remnant. Why did he choose to save Sakura over the thousands of lives in Fuyuki?

His dream of being a hero of justice told him he should try to save everyone regardless of the personal cost, but he couldn't do both in this case. Kill one to save ten, kill ten to save a hundred, kill a hundred to save a thousand, that was the hard truth he had been forced to face. The vague memories the Counter Guardian granted him through the grafted arm gave him the necessary knowledge to come up with his answer. His conclusion led him to believe that Archer fell into despair in trying to save everyone is because he forsook everyone. His alternate-self cast away personal relationships and threw himself, with no regard for himself, into saving as many people as possible from one location to another, never forging any bonds along the way, and any friends he did have left him because of his nature, unable to understand how he could so carelessly endanger himself for people he didn't even know. So, he died alone and betrayed by the very people he saved, people unable to comprehend the man who had saved them, unable to understand just what they did.

The young man knew he still had those aspects that caused Archer to become the man he was, but he was now aware that he had no regard for himself since Rin had pointed it out his broken persona during the war. She had also pointed out that Archer's Reality Marble was the best way to see how distorted he was, as being "weird" was practically a requirement to manifest such a thing. Perhaps, Archer's personality was already corrupting his own now that he could look upon his old dream with nothing but disdain for how it was currently formed. It was that selfish dream of his that caused Sakura to suffer, for him to be so blind, for what good is a dream that can't even save one girl. Numbers meant nothing, for all lives were not equal, how could saving ten people who lived in luxury equal saving a single girl who deserved happiness more than anyone else he knew?

"Sakura… You're not dirty, revolting, nor a monster," began the silver-eyed man, "You're the woman I love, and I won't let anyone, not even yourself, disparage you."

"Eh?" blinked Sakura, crimson orbs staring up at his own silver ones with nothing but incomprehension, their owner unable to understand what she had just heard.

Expanding on his words, he continued.

"You were just a victim, and it was my fault for not noticing, no… for not doing anything long before the war even started. I should have noticed and done something."

He let out a deep sigh before continuing.

"This damned dream of mine caused me to be so blind because I was so focused on saving everyone that I lost sight of the one person who was always by my side even as she suffered quietly, the one person who deserved to be saved. You took care of me after the incident in the Archery Club, and continued to do so long after I had recovered from it. You never left me, and I was blind to never notice why, or rather I couldn't understand why anyone would ever love a person like me."

Leaning forward so close that their foreheads touched, he kept going, kept pouring his heart out, knowing that nothing but the truth could help Sakura heal, to help her realize that just like he was her hero, she was his.

"If the world wants to take you from me, I'll just have to fight against the world to keep you because that's what a Hero does. I'm your Hero, no one else's."

Their lips met each other, Sakura freezing completely as her mind failed to process that her Senpai, the man she had loved since she was a child, was kissing her, showing her, of all people, affection, love.

"But… but don't you think I'm… dirty? I was infested with those… worms… Shinji raped me…" she choked, her mind flashing back to her nights in the pit, to those where she felt the disgusting weight of her adoptive brother over her body. How could Shirou love her, even knowing that?

"No," he firmly stated, meeting her gaze with is own, "And even if you were, I would still love you."

"Prove it…" she whispered, barely audible enough for Shirou to hear, averting her gaze away from the young man.

Prove it? he pondered, How would I… … oh… His own cheeks turned scarlet at the realization of what Sakura meant. Obviously, he couldn't do that with an audience, Rider was standing right there, with her eyebrow probably raised. Not to mention they were probably leaving in a few short moments, so he could only do one thing in this situation. He didn't want their first time together to be rushed, he wanted to show her his love, to show her how he worshipped her body, how nothing about her disgusted him.

Shirou once again leaned forward and gently cupped her chin, slowly drawing her in. Her eyes clamped shut as she waited in anticipation, her soft body quivering. He kissed her once more, but this time much deeper and longer as their lips met. Both lovers moaned into the kiss, enjoying the action of demonstrating their love to the person they loved, and only the need for air made them part, a small string of saliva linking their mouths together.

"Was that enough?" asked the silver-eyed man.

"For now~" she stated, with a dreamy look on her face, before looking towards Rider, the Servant having shifted her position.

"Rider?" she asked uncertainly, looking behind Shirou to see a kneeling Servant, her long purple hair bundling on the floor, and her face facing directly towards the wooden floor.

"Sakura, I cannot let this wait any longer as I will fade away shortly."

Sakura started, her face betraying her shock, before her eyes narrowed into a determined expression. She had lost far, far too much to lose someone she had come to see as a protective older sister.

"We are no longer bounded by the master-servant pact but I would ask of you, would you be my master once more?"

Straightening herself in the bed as much as she could, her voice was firm as she answered.

"Rider, I accept your vow and accept the pact."

A burning feeling ignited on the back of her hand, as the command sigils printed themselves on her pale skin, the pain fading away quickly as the link was completed. Closing her eyes, she could feel Rider's presence once again, the comfort of the servant's presence bringing a feeling of relief.

"Welcome back Rider," she smiled, reaching her arms towards the mature woman, beckoning her to come closer.

"It's good to be back," answered the Heroic Spirit, hugging her charge gently, though Shirou could tell that she too was happy to be Sakura's Servant once more.

'I have a family again,' whispered the white-haired girl, tears of joy falling from her eyes as her fingers traced the familiar patterns of the Command Seals on the back of her hand.

Knocking came from the door followed by Rin's voice, asking if she could enter the room. The two surrogate sisters broke the hug, with Rider returning to her previous spot by the wall as Shirou stood up and opened the door for his Senpai. Upon entering the room, the magus noticed her sister's puffy red eyes, snot running from her nostrils, and swollen cheeks. For someone who was very beautiful—well prior to being possessed-, she was a rather ugly crier.

Her head mechanically turning towards Shirou, artic blue eyes stared the silver-eyed teen down, her voice when she spoke, was downright freezing, and the occupants of the room were surprised to not see their breaths coming out in clouds.

"Shirou…? Why is my sister crying?"

Her tone plainly stated that he better prepare a very good answer, and that should said answer fail to satisfy the Magus, there would be repercussions.

"Umm… a heart-to-heart moment?" he offered, raising a hand in surrender.

"Hoh?" she hummed, glowing red energy beginning to condense around the magus's pointer-finger, making the teen gulp.

Still sniffling as she regained some composure to control her tears of joy, Sakura giggled.

"It's okay Nee-san, Shirou did nothing wrong."

"Shirou?" the elder sibling raised an eyebrow as she noticed the usage of his first name. When did she grow so bold? Well, bolder.

"Well if you say so," grumbled the older sibling, letting the Gandr she had been charging dissipate.

The copper-haired man let out a sigh of relief from being spared from the wrath of his new "sister", now he had to deal with two overprotective sisters, one of which who would undoubtedly shoot him full of Gandr once Sakura shared their newly started relationship. He threw a glance over at Rider, who had a faint smile like one from earlier that morning graced her lips.

Noticing his gaze on her, her smile increased, no doubt at the thought of Sakura finding happiness and her rekindled master-servant link. Perhaps the Servant could now focus on finding her own happiness.

"Anyways, I figured out how to get to Vale, and the earliest time we can leave is in about an hour," stated Rin, as she placed a folded cloak at the foot of the bed, "We should probably cover up Sakura since her appearance isn't exactly normal."

Everyone present agreeing with the notion, it wouldn't be good to cause panic because of someone looking like they were just possessed by a demon walking the streets. The fact that Sakura had been possessed would make any questions asked all the more difficult to answer. It wasn't exactly as if they could explain their situation easily, and they didn't exactly trust the people of this new world to not get ideas if they believed their story.

Helping the young woman put on the hooded cloak, the female servant led Sakura, who linked hands with Shirou, outside, following the older sister, arms linked together. They hoped to make it to Vale without incident, but they knew better than to expect the best.

.-.-.

"All right, you guys stay here while I acquire passage," the blue-eyed magus ordered as she walked into the depot office to book passage to Vale. Looking around, Shirou spotted a bench underneath the shade of a tall, leafy tree. Beckoning his companions-minus Tohsaka-the silver-eyed man led them to the other side of the street, and seated himself on the wooden bench. A hooded Sakura, holding onto the left arm of her Servant for stability, took up the rest of the space directly next to him, and Illya—finding no more real estate on the bench to sit on—plopped herself on Shirou's lap with a cheerful look, swinging her two feet back and forth and happily humming to herself. All in all, a rather unorthodox looking group of travelers if anyone stopped to pay attention.

The young man's half-hearted chuckle at his sister's whims turned far more nervous when a rather tight grip could be felt on his right, Sakura's hold tightening to degrees that were quite painful, even for him. Turning to face her, all he could see was an unnerving smile and a gaze that sent shivers down his spine.

Was that black veins coming up her neck?

"Um… Sakura, is something wrong?" he asked with a wince, the grip tightening even more around his forearm. A small part of his brain wondered where she found that much strength when she could barely stand, never mind almost crushing his arm with her hand!

"No, nothing is wrong Shirou-sempai," cheerfully replied the Grimm-like Sakura, her cold tone contrasting quite frighteningly with the eerie smile on her face, "Some people just need to be more aware of things around them."

Well something was obviously wrong, Sakura had never done anything like this before to him so what could be the cause of it? Was she trying to signal something? Was there something dangerous watching them and that was why she was smiling, so they wouldn't notice she had caught on? No what wasn't it, Rider would be acting on it since they shared a mental connection, so what could be it? The only thing around them was people walking around, no one was looking at them, Sakura looked fine—relatively speaking—, Rider was impassive as ever, watching folk go about their business, and Illya was even cheerfully humming to herself on his lap… Actually, the sight of the Eizbern in his lap had likely triggered some insecurity on her part, she was still unsure about his promise given everything that had happened, and needed some proof that he was serious about his words. Let it never be said that the he never noticed his own thick-headedness.

Reaching over Sakura's lap, her hand still firmly attached to his forearm, the young man took his love's other hand and interlocked his fingers with hers, with a gentle smile on his face. The white-haired girl's eyes widened in surprise, pale cheeks turning to a brilliant shade of scarlet, and black veins retreated back down as their foreheads met and silver eyes gazed into crimson

"I'm not going anywhere, Sakura," he promised, his tone serious.

The embarrassed young woman froze as her lover's voice repeated her name in her mind over and over again, each successive becoming more seductive than the last, her thoughts going in a direction that left a stuttering and blushing mess. As meek as she had been, her imagination was quite wild, and now that she knew the man she loved returned her affection, well her mind was quickly coming up with a fair few scenarios that were not for the weak of heart.

"That's not fair…" murmured the embarrassed girl as she quickly averted her gaze elsewhere, protecting what remains of her sanity and dignity. She didn't think that people would appreciate seeing her push down her Sempai and have her wicked way with him in the middle of town. Bad Sakura, keep that for the bedroom!

"What was that, Sakura?" asked Shirou, looking worried at the sudden stuttering of his lover.

"Oh god, this is just too much!" cried out the homunculus as she leapt off her brother's lap, and twirled in place as her feet hit the ground to face the trio on the bench, both Shirou and Rider focusing their gaze on little girl.

"Look here, I know you're with Onii-chan now but you need to learn about proper etiquette befitting a lady of the Emiya household."

"Lady!" squeaked the now mortified Sakura, her hand, once gripped on young man's forearm, coming to cup her reddening cheek, as she repeatedly shook her head, her mind obviously jumping to rampant delusions of the future, not that her partner seated next to her would understand.

Placing her hands on her hips and trying to put on an air of confidence—not that she would compare to likes of Saber—Illya continued:

"Indeed! Now being the proper and educated woman I am, I shall take it upon myself to teach you the ways of ladyship!"

"Aren't you technically more of an Einzbern than an Emiya?" pointed out Shirou, amusing himself at the sight of his step-sister trying to act far more mature than her appearance would suggest. Perhaps in the years to come she could pull it off.

"Quiet you!" she retorted, throwing a sharp glare in his direction, effectively silencing him. She would not allow him to deprive her of this opportunity!

"Now listen carefully, the first and upmost importance is to gain the acceptance and respect of potential in-laws. In this case, his sister." Ah, so that was her angle.

"In-laws!" yelped Sakura, steam billowing from her ears, as she picked out the sole phrase relevant to the fantasy in her mind that was spiraling out of control. Her sanity now in shambles, she retreated to the safety of her servant, burrowing her face into the Heroic Spirit's shoulder to hide from Illya's instigations.

"As riveting as this conversation is," began the magenta-haired beauty, gently patting her charge on the shoulder, "it appears Rin has accomplished her task."

Indeed, standing on the other side of the street, a smug-looking Magus was waving several tickets in her hands.

The group of Earthlings departed for Vale shortly after, though it took some time for Sakura to be able to properly focus on something other than the images her mind had conjured due to Illya's words.

.-.-..-.-.

Deep in the Forest, near the Village

Several gunshots rang out, and human shouting could be heard echoing through the forest, suddenly silenced by an inhumanly loud and shrill shriek. The silence was only broken by the sounds of thundering footsteps and trees snapping echoing through the forest, Grimm flocking to the moving source of malignant energy lumbering through the foliage.

A towering humanoid monstrosity, that reached the crests of the still-standing trees, paused for a moment as it turned his head in several directions, surveying the dead around it, as if it was looking for something, glowing eyes leaving trails of crimson as it swerved. A deep guttural grunt came from its snarling mouth, lined with numerous crooked razor-sharp teeth, almost sounding like rage, as it tore out the numerous weapons—including a silver longsword—impaled into its body with its four arms, and restarted its ill journey in the direction of the small town of Oakenhille.

Leaving bodies, shattered trees, and white feathers in its wake.

.-.-..-.-.

Authors Notes:

So, I kind of hurried this chapter a bit otherwise I would have gone more in depth with Sakura's emotions and feelings, but I figured most people just wanted me to get on with the story since I haven't had any ground-breaking developments happen. Don't worry though! Next chapter (Part 2) will be the end of the 'prologue' arc, and will link up with RWBY canon.

A few changes that were pretty apparent, the Grimm appeared from the Miasma of the Holy Grail. i.e. the Grimm are also on Remnant, this probably makes last chapter a bit more clearer with it's ending. I'm not trying to be a bit less 'mysterious' or 'edgy' like one of my reviewers suggested, not what I was aiming for, but I just don't like spelling everything out for readers.

Words before comments & responses :: 9,890 words.