Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Different Fates

Chapter 22

Normally Reines Archisorte El-Melloi's dreams were of magical fame and success, of marrying a handsome and powerful magus and having a wonderful family. Tonight's dream was different.

Tonight she dreamed of waves lapping against a foreign shore in the morning twilight, of a cool morning breeze whipping through her blonde hair as she stared out over the waves at the red disk of the Sun slowly breaking over the horizon. The water sparkled with the dawn light, as though it flowed over a bed of countless rubies, a sea of fire touched with white foam.

The sand beneath her feet stretched out endlessly to her left and right, even as the dark water broke and foamed on the shores before her. She blinked and looked up at the sky, at the pearl and rose of dawn. There was no other sound than that of the waves against the shore, not animal, not Human, not even of plants sighing in the morning breeze.

There were only the waves, breaking against the pristine shores at the edge of the world.

The thought brought tears to her eyes, and she looked back out over the sea, the distant waters reflecting the still and clear skies above. It was beautiful…immaculate…untouched…perfect even.

How could such a place exist in this day and age? This was an age of mediocrity, of mundane artificiality and progress for progress' sake and not of higher purpose and aspiration. A place like this could never exist in the known world.

And perhaps…perhaps that was the whole point. It didn't exist in the known world. To reach it…one had to go further than any other, without regrets, without encumbrances, without ever looking back…that was the only way to reach these desolate, pristine, and perfect shores on the ends of the Earth.

And after that, what then…?

This was the edge of the world. Surely there was absolutely nothing beyond those waters, stretching for eternity under the sky. It was a bittersweet thought, to see such beauty after so long and to know that nothing lay beyond.

She felt tears running down her cheeks, knowing that this was the end. There was nothing more. Perhaps…perhaps it would be best if she cast herself into the waves, to become as nothing, so as to leave the world with the memory of this perfect shore unsullied by the thought of it being the end.

What lies on the other side of the sky?

What lies beyond the mountain?

Reines Archisorte El-Melloi awoke abruptly. For a while she lay in bed, blinking at what light there was leaking through her curtains. As she shifted her head she could feel some dampness on her pillows, the memories of her dreams coming back. She blushed.

"If people find out that I've been crying in my sleep over a beach in the middle of nowhere…" she thought. "…I'll never hear the end of it."

Surprisingly the thought brought a hint of regret. Was there any reason to be ashamed of wanting to find and see such a place, a place that should no longer exist in the dull world of the Age of Man? Feeling ashamed, Reines' hoisted herself out of her bed, sitting on the edge and stretching out her arms. As the roaring of the waves faded back into memory, she remembered two questions she'd asked herself in the dream.

What lies on the other side of the sky?

What lies beyond the mountain?

And then she remembered someone else asking her those same questions. "WAVER!" she thundered.

"There's nothing wrong with being spirited little lady." Rider said with a concerned air. "But if you get angry too often, you'll get older faster."

Reines could feel a muscle in her cheek twitch with irritation, but she controlled herself. Instead she focused on the assortment of pastries and fruit adorning the table in her suite's living room. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's breakfast."

"I can see that! I mean…where'd it come from?"

Rider grinned and held up a piece of paper that Reines distinctly remembered was placed beside the phone. Reines gaped at it. "Room service…?" she said, and Rider nodded. "How on Earth do you know how to use a phone?"

"Trial-and-error…" Rider said with a shrug. "…but more importantly let's hurry before it gets cold. And breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Grumbling to herself, Reines took a seat opposite her Servant and nibbled on a peach pastry while Rider gobbled up pastries with just two or three bites at the most. "So…" he said at length. "…what's got you up in arms so early in the morning?"

"It's nothing."

"Is that right?" Rider said with a grin. "Well I won't pry if you don't want me to, but sometimes two heads are better than one, no?"

Reines sighed. "Just a pair of questions…" she finally said. "…my brother asked me to answer them after this war ended."

"Oh? And what might they be?"

"What lies on the other side of the sky? What lies beyond the mountain?" she said with another sigh. "Simple questions like all philosophical questions, and like all philosophical questions cannot be answered with simple answers."

"Ah but that's where your wrong girl." Rider corrected her with a surprising chiding tone. "The answer to those two is only four words long. Those two questions aren't philosophical either. You're overthinking them if that were the case."

"Oh really…?" Reines answered sarcastically. "Then oh great King of Conquerors, won't you share your wisdom with me, and enlighten me to my brother's sagely inquiries?"

"You only needed to ask you know." Rider cheerfully said, not affected – if he even registered it at all – by her sarcasm. "Go and find out."

"What?"

Rider looked at her with an expression of slight surprise. "Go and find out." He said. "If you want to find something out, if you want to see something you've never seen before, if you want to know if something exists, then go and find out. It's a simple as that. And isn't that what being a magus is all about, Reines? To go and find out what makes the world spin?"

"It's…not as simple as that."

"It is."

"It can't be." Reines whispered to herself, nibbling on a blueberry pastry, her face down as she thought it over. Rider looked seriously at her for a while, and then he smiled before reaching for another pastry of his own.

"Well think on it as long as you need to." He said. "There's nothing wrong with sound judgment."

"It can't be that simple." Reines thought. "It can't be…can it?"

"Are you alright?" Ayako Mitsuzuri asked Shirou as they walked down the street to school together. He'd this veiled air of unease around him since breakfast, and she couldn't help but feel worried and suspicious all at once. "You seem unusually tense."

"No, I'm alright." Shirou said with a weak smile. "I'm just…worried…that's right, worried about the math test later today."

He finished with a short laugh, and Ayako pursed her lips. Somehow she got the feeling that Shirou was hiding something from her (again), and she didn't like it. Did something happen?

Was he involved in those explosions the morning news reported? One in the docks, and another just outside the city…I wouldn't be surprised if he was, he's not the most subtle of people.

For a moment she wondered if she should just push, but decided against it. She wanted to give him a chance, stupid though it probably was, to tell her on his own about his double life. So she wouldn't push. Not yet…for now she'd buy his excuse, legit as it was, considering his struggles in math.

"That's true isn't it?" she said aloud. "You're not good at math. Well do your best I suppose, and sorry I wasn't able to help you study."

"How about you…?" Shirou asked. "You've been down with the cold until today. Can you handle it?"

Ayako grinned, flexing an arm and patting it as though physical prowess was a factor in a math exam. "I'll be fine." She said. "It's all stock knowledge anyway, and if not, well I'll just make up for it."

Shirou laughed with her. "Yeah, that sounds like you alright." He said. "Always so optimistic…"

Ayako punched him mockingly on an arm. "And you aren't?" she asked, and they shared another laugh. Shirou sighed, briefly looking up at the sky while thinking of what happened earlier that morning.

"I don't understand." The blonde girl – she called herself 'Saber' – said as she sat Japanese-style in one of Shirou's guest rooms. "Is there any particular reason why I need to sequester myself like this?"

"As I said…" Shirou began, looking worriedly in the direction of the kitchen and dining room. "…Ayako and Fuji-nee aren't involved in the world of magic. Well Fuji-nee knows about magic…but she doesn't know anything about this Holy Grail War business either. And like I said last night, I don't know anything about it either."

"The Holy Grail War is the Holy Grail War." Saber replied automatically. "It is a fight between seven Servants and seven Masters for the one and only Holy Grail."

"I understand that much." Shirou said testily. "What I don't understand is why I'm suddenly involved in it, or why I'm now your Master."

"And as you said last night…" Saber said. "…you would inquire with your mentor, one Rin Matou, for the details of this contest. And as I said last night, if such an inquiry is to be done face-to-face then…"

"…you'd like to be there." Shirou finished. "Yes, I heard you. But to be honest, I'm not sure if that's necessary. Matou-san…well…she doesn't seem like most magi. I don't think that…"

"Shirou…" Saber interrupted. "…this is war. Whether or not you wanted to get involved, whether or not you knew of the war beforehand, your fate is now bound to me. But I will not be so selfish as to say you have an obligation to me, only that people die in a war. As such I would say that you have an obligation to those who you care for to take care of your life."

Shirou was silent for a few moments, and then he sighed. "Alright, alright…" he said. "…I get it. Matou-san will probably want a face-to-face meeting, and yes, I'll take you along."

Saber gave a small bow of thanks. "Thank you for your consideration." She said. "And while I cannot be certain of this, and I may be overstepping my bounds, as a magus senior to you in this city I can say there is probably a good chance that your mentor is a Master herself."

"I wouldn't know about that." Shirou said. "And I hope you're wrong. Matou-san…I'd like to think that she knows better than to get involved in something so irresponsible."

"Irresponsible…?"

"I don't know about this war of yours…" Shirou said. "…but from what you say it's a war between supernatural Servants and their magi Masters. There are over a hundred thousand people in this city. And we're fighting in it. I don't know about you, but this all sounds very irresponsible to me."

"That may be so." Saber agreed after a moment's thought. "However neither of us chose the setting of the contest, nor can we change it. There is no point in being conflicted over it. Indeed, if we have time to be so, then we should instead use that time to focus on winning this war without involving any who should not be involved."

"No use crying over spilled milk…?"

"Just so…"

Shirou opened his mouth but was cut off by a shout in the dining room's direction. "Look I have to go, alright?" he said. "I'm sorry to say this, it's very rude, but please stay quietly in here."

"I understand." Saber said with a nod. "You have no wish to involve either your consort or your sister, and I can respect that."

"Consort…that's…we're not…anyway just don't draw attention, alright?"

"Very well…" Saber said with another nod. "…however there is one final concern. You will head out for the day after breakfast, will you not? I will be unable to accompany you it seems however…"

Saber paused and pointed at Shirou's command spells. "…in case it becomes necessary…" she said. "…I would like for you to be prepared to use a command spell to summon me to your side at once."

Shirou glanced at his command spells. He didn't feel uncomfortable about them, given their purpose of overriding a Servant's free will and forcing them to obey an absolute command, one for each command spell. No person should have that amount of power over another.

It wasn't right.

But then again…he'd since learned that the world wasn't black and white. In the eyes of the law after all, he was black, even if his actions' consequences were white.

And if any could be called grey, then it would be magi, a category which included him.

"I understand." He said. "I hope it won't come to that though."

Saber nodded. "I hope so too."

"Will she be alright?" Shirou thought as he walked to school. "I was kind of rude to her back there…and also…consort…"

Shirou glanced covertly at the girl walking beside him…and apparently not covertly enough. Ayako looked bemused at the appraising look Shirou was giving her, and gave him a mocking grin.

"What's this Shirou?" she said, drawing closer to a furiously-blushing Shirou. "Thinking of taking things to the next base, eh?"

"I wasn't…no…it's not like that at all!"

Caster stormed towards his Master's chambers instead of his usual gliding motion. Trying to keep up with him was his Master's most advanced doll model (albeit constructed with his help), Cassandra. "I don't understand." He said. "What do you mean it is her and it is not her?"

"Mistress Rin knows better than to stop sating her…familiars." Cassandra replied. "Almost immediately after she woke up, she did just that."

"Please tell me the worms haven't started eating her from the inside out."

"They have not."

"Really…?"

Glassy eyes flickered briefly as Cassandra went through her encoded memories, and then she continued. "Based on mistress Rin's given information about her family magic…" she said. "…the worms only consume the innards of men. Women however are driven into heat with the purpose of generating prana via orgasm to sustain the worms…"

"Yes, yes…" Caster cut her off. "…no need to tell me more than the basics. Worthless…greedy…uncivilized…base-born magi…I cannot argue with the results but the side-effects are clearly to be concerned about. Why that walking corpse never bothered to refine his technique and continues to rely on such…base methods is beyond me."

Cassandra stayed silent, following in the unhappy Servant's wake as he muttered invectives in Arabic against Zouken and the crude nature of Matou magecraft. As they approached Rin's room, the sound of frantic struggling, heavy breathing, and – telepathically – vain reassurances. The noises were borne out as the door opened with the sight of three dolls – two of them childlike in appearance – struggling to keep a heavily-sweating woman with a mindlessly-hungry expression on her face in her bed.

Caster didn't waste a moment. Having deduced that the Matou familiars – addicted so to speak to being glutted at all times with prana – were driving his Master to a heated frenzy in pursuit of prana, he lunged forward and stabbed a golden needle through her chest and directly injected prana into her heart.

The silver-haired woman's crimson eyes bulged from their sockets, her back arching and – to Caster's disgust – she gave a piercing cry of ecstatic delight as the super-concentrated, meta-liquid magical energy flooded her veins, her nerves, and her worms all at once. As she subsided, breathing heavily while collapsing back into the sheets, Caster withdrew the needle and cast a swift healing spell to seal both the chest and heart injury.

He then waited patiently.

For a few minutes he stood at the side of the bed, while the dolls went about gathering fresh clothes, drinking water, and something light to eat for their mistress. Finally, slowly, a semblance of comprehension returned to crimson eyes which had only displayed animalistic lust and hunger just minutes ago. The woman turned her head to look uncomprehendingly at him.

Caster looked back, his Master's face reflected in his golden mask. It took a few more minutes before his Master finally regained full comprehension. "W-who are you?" she asked, abruptly recoiling and pressing her body against the headboard. She winced and grabbed at her head and chest before looking around her with fear and perplexity on her face. "Where am I?"

Behind his mask Caster raised an eyebrow. Did his Master suffer amnesia? And her voice…it didn't sound like her at all. The voice was…lighter…melodious even. It was like she was a completely different person. In fact if not for their telepathic and energy link, he might even consider the possibility that she was an impostor.

Only she wasn't. No matter how Caster looked at it, she was still his Master.

"You do not know who you are? Or where you are?" he asked, and the woman glanced at him fearfully. She licked her lips.

"Who are you?" she asked again. "Where am I? Where's Kiri? Maiya…?"

"I know not of those whom you speak." Caster said before furling his mantle and giving an elegant bow. "I however, have the honour of being Solomon ibn Gabiron, the Caster Class Servant of the Fifth Holy Grail War. And I am your Servant, and you my Master. And this place is your bedchamber, located above my workshop."

"The Fifth Holy Grail War…?" the woman echoed in disbelief. "That's impossible! It should only the Fourth Holy Grail War!"

Again Caster raised his eyebrows. His Master had once mentioned that her grandfather had managed to acquire Einzbern mysteries and incorporated them into the family mysteries, but from the look of things…

…did those acquisitions happen to be memory imprints, and of a previous Master no less? If so it would explain why his Master was acting this way. Apparently she thought she was someone else?

Should I play along?

"I assure you Master that I speak the truth." He said before pointing to his Master's hand. "Please observe: you have command spells. As a magus, you should be more than capable of ascertaining their authenticity, and if you so wish you may even see for yourself our connection."

The woman glanced with mounting horror at her command spells, and then began to pat herself down. "T-this is impossible." She said, shaking her head in denial. "I…I can't be…this can't be happening…this can't be real!"

"I assure you this is quite real." Caster said, and then decided to 'push' a little. "This is no dream, Rin Matou."

"Rin…Matou…" the woman echoed in horror before clutching at her chest. For a moment she looked slightly-contemplative, and then the horror doubled. "…no…no…this can't be. This can't be happening! I…I…I…this isn't…"

The woman clutched at her head, sobbing and whispering. It was largely incomprehensible to Caster, but he caught enough that she was asking for someone named Kiri to help her. "I apologize if I alarmed you with my question…" he began. "…with that said, it seems there is a certain degree of confusion between us. To clear it up, shall I start anew by asking your name?"

"My name…" the woman echoed, looking at him as though she was seeing him for the first time. Hope flickered in those crimson eyes. "…I…I am…I am Irisviel von Einzbern!"

There's almost no doubting this as the result of a memory imprint now.

"…you're my Servant aren't you?" she asked, and Caster blinked behind his mask. Apparently he'd gotten too caught up in his thoughts that he'd missed his Master continuing.

"That is correct, my Master." He replied. Irisviel nodded, looking so desperate that Caster found himself uncomfortably reminded of her earlier appearance, driven into heat by the parasitic worms in her.

"Then…I want you…I want you to get rid of these things in me! Can you do it? You're a Caster aren't you? No, more than that you were among the most knowledgeable magi on the Human body thanks to your research into golem making!"

"I am flattered." Caster said. "Very well Master, if that is your command then I will…"

He broke off as Irisviel began to scream, crumpling and thrashing. Caster and the dolls rushed forward in alarm, the former briefly recoiling in horror at the sight of flesh bulging and contorting as something…unnatural moved inside of her. And then to his shock he heard a third voice intrude into their telepathic link.

Don't overstep yourselves, doll and Servant both.

Irisviel screamed, arching as she clutched at her heart…and then just as abruptly as it began, the torment ended. The bulging and contorting of her flesh ceased, and Irisviel collapsed, breathing heavily. "No…" she whispered, her eyelids falling as exhaustion and pain took their toll. "…it can't…I can't…Kiri…save me…please…"

As his Master fell back into unconsciousness, Caster narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

This…could be a problem.

"Your brother is an idiot."

"I know." Illya said, sitting on a bench in a park, her legs swinging back and forth while licking an ice cream cone. Berserker lounged beside her, the blonde girl wearing a sleeveless spaghetti-strap top which left her belly bare over high-cut denim shorts. Like her Master she nursed a sweet of her own, a lollipop which she sucked on while reclining on the bench. "He's really cute when you think about it."

"Cute…?"

"Yup…he's like a hamster, running happily without realizing his master could kill him so easily." Illya said.

"So you're going to kill him then." Berserker remarked, and Illya shook her head.

"If I have to…" she said reluctantly. "…but I'd rather not. No, I think I'll keep him if I can."

Berserker stared. Illya stared back. Berserker coughed. "He's not really a hamster you know." He said. "Or for that matter a disobedient dog you can just break into a house pet."

"I wasn't going to keep him as a pet." Illya huffed angrily. "What did you think, I was going to collar him and keep him in a kennel?"

Berserker looked away, and Illya scoffed again. "The nerve…" she said. "…I wouldn't sink so low. No, I'll keep him as a servant. He'll be useful in more ways than one, and I – we – will protect him until this war ends. And then we'll go home together!"

"Happy ever after…really…?"

"Why, don't you think it's possible?"

"Life's not a fairy tale." Berserker said matter-of-fact. "And besides, how are you going to convince him to become your servant?"

"Well you're going to kill his Servant aren't you?" Illya said with a knowing smile. "That Saber…the King of Knights…your father. Once she's gone, there's nothing between me and Shirou. You'll bring him to me then, won't you?"

"I'll catch him if he tries to run." Berserker replied. "Though I can't guarantee he won't be unhurt if he does."

Illya waved that off, before biting into her cone. "I can repair him." She said dismissively. "And then I'll discipline him. Bad boys have to be disciplined harshly you know! Otherwise they'll grow up to be ne'er-do-well delinquents who don't contribute anything to the community!"

The little girl said this all with gusto and a raised fist, and Berserker could only stare. At length she gave another cough. "So…" she began jokingly. "…what are you going to do? Put him on your knee and spank him hard?"

Illya thought of it and then snapped her fingers in realization. "That's a good idea!" she said to Berserker's consternation. "It's a bit old-fashioned, but it works, so people still use it! Thanks Berserker! You're so smart!"

What have I gotten myself into?

A/N

Yes, Rider knows how to use a phone. He managed to order by phone in Fate/Zero remember?

Irisviel is back. Should she be thankful for her 'resurrection' (quotation marks required) or not?

VergilChan: wait for further chapters for questions one and three. Question two – Time Alter isn't that prana-intensive, just endurance-taxing. Sakura's Hollowed Time is similar in terms of effect and prana-consumption, only without the post-use strain (look up Caster's explanation a couple or so chapters back for why there's no strain) and Sakura has a lot of prana (more or less like canon Rin since I'm not sure if her more comprehensive training would have an effect but far, far, far LESS than Dark Sakura obviously). Question four – Gil told him not to, to better test his doted 'rebellious child'. Question five – not sure. Question six – read the above chapter.

Suzululu4moe: technically Caster's maids are Rin's dolls (and therefore her and not his' maids). Archer…he's not a manservant this time round (or he may yet be) seeing as Sakura has her own maid Flora up and about.