An Opportunity of Fate

by PML7

Counter Guardian Emiya is given an offer he cannot refuse. He must somehow save Fuyuki City from the ravages of the Fifth Grail War without being allowed to participate himself! Can he influence his younger self and his friends from his youth enough to save the world before Emiya has to use a Counter Force against the Grail, destroying Fuyuki City and the surrounding area?

21. Chapter 21

An Opportunity of Fate part 21

A/N-

Also, all the darn magic spells. The visual novel has Rin casting her magic in German. Now I did take German in High School. but that was a long time ago and I am sure I have forgotten most of the little I have learned. If German speaker catches something, please PM me. Or if you folks think it will work better that I translate ALL of the spells to English let me know that too.

Take care, and I hope you folks enjoy.

-Story Start-

Rin Tohsaka-

Rin adjusted her glasses slightly. It was a mystic code she had made after she had nearly died in the park. There she had learned she had a weak ability to see standing magical waves. One that was induced by magical overuse and exhaustion, making it fairly useless.

Kiritsugu had prompted her to find a way to use it, and going through her family library she had managed to cobble together this Code.

It was very limited in range, and only saw standing waves of magic. It was useless against a dynamic spell, but boundary fields were the very definition in static. Rin watched the roaring pillar of magical energy that supported the developing Blood Fort. It was a warping of all of the micro ley lines that surrounded the school, the tiny eddies of local mana being arranged to form a giant digestion apparatus.

Rin knew several spells that would easily disrupt this pillar. It wasn't really difficult as it wasn't shielded in any way. And it would be totally useless. They had already disrupted several of the other foci for the spell, and they had reformed almost instantly nearby their point of destruction.

Maybe if they disrupted them all simultaneously? That would be safer than what they were going to try.

She kicked the ground and shook her head. They didn't have enough magi for that. There were four main pillars, several dozen secondary, and who knew how many tertiary? They were fighting a Noble Phantasm, power far beyond mortal ken.

A moment of despair washed through her. Who was she to think she could use magic to defeat Caster of all people?

She took a deep breath. She was RIn Tohsaka. She had a plan and she had back up. Anger filled the now vanquished despair. This was HER school. Caster was forcing her to risk revealing herself and her friends to the common world by attacking in the day in public. "I will destroy you."

Sakura asked softly, "Are you okay, Sister?"

Rin confidently waved a hand at Sakura, "I am more than fine. Is Shirou back yet?"

Sakura shook her head and pulled out her cellphone. "I will find out where he is."

Rin glared at the small device. How she wanted to hate them. Technology slowly encroaching on their lives, dictating its flow.

She reached into her vest and caressed the case of her own phone. She wanted to hate them, but they were simply too useful. Sakura had given Rin her current phone, and had made sure she had activated it. RIn cherished it both as a gift and a tool. She had had it less than a year and already the convenience had won her over.

Rin sighed softly. Her father was likely turning over in his grave. He had hated technology. Rin didn't see the point of most of it. But this tiny little device had let her remain here and direct Shirou to get the correct tools she would need from her house. And now Sakura's would let her find where her apprentice and his Servant were.

There were mystic codes that could do similar things. But the ones she had inherited were all larger and less efficient, if technically more secure.

Her own phone rang, She lifted it to her head, "Yes?"

It was Mr. Kuzuki. "Evacuations are complete. There are a few dozen students who need to remain here for various class related reasons and some maintenance personnel."

Rin looked at the slightly reddish sky, "Have them remain inside. We will have to hope that my team can disable the spell fast enough or that Ryudou's charms hold."

"I will remain as well. Contact me when you are finished."

Rin said quietly, "You do realize that if we fail, if those charms fail…."

"I am aware of the consequences. This is my school. I will remain." And he disconnected the line.

"Stubborn fool."

Sakura cleared her throat, "Sempai should be here any minute." She looked around at the clearing, "Shouldn't we be getting ready? I know you worked on your aria, but won't it need a circle or ceremony?"

"Not if Shirou brings the right equipment." She looked away, "Every magus family has a collection of family codes. Father never used this one, he was always a city person, but apparently our grandparents were different. They liked camping when they could." Rin's voice was dry, "And they still liked to be able to practice magic when they went. I can only imagine how much work it took to keep it all secret."

Shirou and Rider entered the field; both carrying what looked to be a large rolled carpet.

Rin called out to them, "Decided to take you time, huh? Needed a second breakfast or something? We are on a schedule here."

"Calm down. I got everything you needed. You will need to use your voodoo to check the gems viability, but everything should be charged."

Rin rushed over to grab the bag of gems he had on his arm.

Reinheit

Rin ran her hands over the gems, looking at each one. They looked fine. Two more checks.

Klarheit

Rin grimaced as a couple looked discolored under her spell. She plucked them out and tossed them aside. "Make sure you watch where they drop, Shirou. I will need them later."

Shirou sighed, "Then why can't you wait until…." He took a look at her face. "Right. Time table."

Rin took a deep breath. This last was critical to their success.

Macht

Rin laughed nervously. They had enough power for several hours of use. She had been so afraid she had forgotten to recharge them since she had used them last summer. She pulled out a compass. Precision was key.

Another deep breath. "Alright, aspect the north center point here." She pointed to a specific place.

Shirou and Arturia rolled out the carpet. On it were a series of inscribed circles. Rin grinned up at Sakura, "Now you will see a practical application of the family magic."

Sakura sighed, "No need to gloat, Sister. Trust me when I say I have power enough of my own. Although, I must admit I am intrigued."

Ten minutes later, after Rin and Shirou had placed the gems in the configuration Rin desired, Rin stood there looking down at the carpet. She raised her arms in benediction and said,

Unter Gottes Gnade

Eben und Stabil

The carpet suddenly lay perfectly flat, as if supported on a board.

Rin continued to keep her hands raised,

Ich appelliere an Heavenly Macht

Für mich in dieser Stunde zu schützen

Segne diese Kreis

Gib mir ein Teil des himmlischen Licht!

Each one of the gems Shirou and Rin had placed now blazed with color, forming lines between their points of placement.

Rin carefully checked her work. How she wished so very much that time magic was something she had as part of her Crest. This whole process would have been SO much simpler. She didn't notice any errors and so she took on last deep breath and finished the spell.

Ich danke Ihnen für Ihre aide

Ich bete für deine Weisheit

Ich lebe im Licht

Ich suche aber die Wahrheit

Halten Sie mich auf dem Weg, Oh, Lord

zum Heil und Herrlichkeit

So bete ich

Amen.

She felt the warmth of her Circuits as they continued to pour energy into the spell. Fortunately it wasn't too power intensive. The long aria allowed for more judicious prana use.

The religious aspects made her twitch a little. How religious had her parents been to make a spell like that? Or was it simply tradition? She wasn't sure. She did occasionally attend Church, and her family had good dealings with the same. But that wasn't normal.

And despite his odd popularity, the current 'Priest' wasn't very religious himself. He had a perfect opportunity to turn her to the faith, and yet he had adhered more to her Father's desires than those of his nominal employer.

Shirou handed her a bottle of water.

Sakura nodded to herself, "Impressive. How long before it affects the Blood Fort."

Shirou said quietly, "That was just the set up. She has to cast that aria next."

Sakura turned to Shirou, "Sempai?"

Shirou shook his head, "It is a Workshop grade Circle that can have its parameters adjusted."

Roland said, "I am taking a defensive position. Caster has to know we are here."

Arturia looked off at the forest, "Yes. The air feels still. Something is coming."

Shirou lifted the bow, "I hope this works."

Arturia waved him back, "We are Servants, it is our job to protect you."

Shirou sighed and said, "It hurts me to say this, but I am not your equal. That doesn't mean that I will stand aside." There was the sound of a wolf cry. "Besides, you might need every bit of aide we can spare."

Sakura asked, "Um, Sister? Does this spell of yours have any side effects?"

Rin wiped her head and took one last sip of the water bottle. Time to focus. "Not really. Why?"

Sakura's voice was tight, "Because I am literally watching Grass grow. My turn." A wave of shadow emanated from her to cover a five meter circle. Where it reached grass died and turned to dust. She looked at all of them, "I am going to be helpless here guys. Make sure you protect me."

Roland, "Well, Princess, I don't suppose we can switch and use her for defense?"

Hmph. If she didn't need to manage her odo she would lash out with Gandr at his presumption! Not that it would do any good, except make her feel a little better. "We each have our strengths." She straightened, and you shall see I am FAR from harmless."

Shirou only nodded and cast his Reinforcement spell. "RIn, before we are attacked. Every moment will count."

Sakura nodded.

Rin raised her hands up and said;

Time's Presence causes lofty Ether to churn,

Mixing with the Others to make them last,

Allow passionate Fire to burn,

And mighty Earth to stand fast,

It causes blustery Air to yearn,

Whilst solemn Water rushes past,

Time weaves them all together,

For they make up the world,

A world that dances eternal to its unstoppable tunes,

No mortal force can change or alter this eternal flow,

Save in this mystic Circle with its heavenly runes,

Where time does slow.

Sakura simply raised an eyebrow. "English?"

Rin shrugged, "Shirou helped me."

"We never really finished."

Rin glared at Shirou, "It does NOT have to rhyme, Shirou!"

"Still…."

"Sempai, Sister, look!"

The circle was beginning to glow and through her glasses she could see the column of supporting the Blood Fort begin to twist as part of it was no longer in temporal synch with the rest. "Your turn Sakura."

There was an audible snap as lightning began to flare around the circle. Sakura licked her lips and a wave of shadow surrounded the magic Circle. "Mine!"

Rin looked out at the forest that Caster dwelt in and noticed as the sky went Red. There were multiple howls now, and the grass outside of Sakura's little cleared area was now almost two feet high.

Shirou knocked an arrow.

Rin checked her pockets for her charged Gems. She would have to use them carefully, for when they were gone it would take forever to replace them. She activated the Crest and prepared some Gandr. That would be her first line of defense. "Remember, we just need to hold. We need to protect Sakura so she can kill this spell." She looked over at Sakura, "How long?"

Sakura's face was mottling with ribbons of red sliding up onto her cheeks and across her face. Her demeanor was one of extreme pleasure. Her body was coated with sweat and she was moaning softly. "Ten minutes," She stammered.

Shirou said fitfully, "I don't know if I will be able to get off a shot like this. Maybe I should switch…." He suddenly loosed his arrow. "Beware the skies!"

A mockery of life slammed into the ground beside them, a mix of bird and human woman. An arrow was nestled deeply in her chest. She twitched and moaned for a second before Roland lopped her head off.

No time to regroup. No time to rally. It was time to fight or die. And Rin had no plans to die today.

Rin picked a target and began to fire streams of her Gandr. She smiled and planned her first major attack

The battle for Homurabura Gakuen had begun.

Scene Break-

Ilya von Einzbern-

Ilya felt as the weight of the Blood Fort hit the school. And was deflected by the charms Issei had set. "Did you feel that Sella?"

"Yes Mistress. Do you need another cup of coffee?"

"No thank you. What about you, Mr. Kuzuki?"

"Do you think they can win?"

Ilya looked away for a moment and then nodded. "Two Servants to one. Plus Saber and Rider both have good magic resistance. They just have to hold out against the first onslaught of whatever Caster has and then they can track her down and kill her."

"You make it sound easy. Why haven't they already done so?"

Ilya pouted a little, "Easy? No. Simple. Yes. They are strong enough not to need a complex plan. But Caster…. It is a tricky class. So it can make something simple hard."

Kuzuki nodded curtly, "Magi are like that."

Ilya waved a hand, "How did you learn about all of this? We usually try to keep it secret."

Kuzuki looked at her closely, "I would prefer not to say. That life is behind me. I am a teacher now."

Ilya looked down into her coffee, "But if we do get attacked, you can help, right?"

Kuzuki grunted.

Ilya shyly looked up at him, "Will you accept assistance in that case?"

"If I must."

The lights flickered in the building and there was an ominous howl.

Ilya said;

Soporari

Behind her the students went to sleep. She glanced at Kuzuki, "All I can do is reinforce what you are. I hope you have a weapon stashed somewhere."

He merely nodded and took a deep breath. He made a few movements.

Alchemy is the study of the flow of matter and energy. Ilya was not perhaps the best at execution yet, still being young. But her senses, her feel for the flow of energy was equal to that of the fabled Lady of Winter herself.

Kuzuki was fully human, there were no Circuits or magic to him. But the pattern of his breathing, his very existence. Ilya smiled. She had felt deep down there was something to the stoic man. "Let us defend these children." She wove her Reinforcement lightly on him, careful to not over extend.

Kuzuki performed a quick kata and nodded to Ilya before moving toward the door.

She followed. She wasn't combat trained. Not truly. Her training for the Grail War had consisted on learning to support Heracles.

But she had her tricks.

-Scene Break—

Ayako Mitsuzuri-

Ayako blinked as the sky over the school turned red.

Issei asked, "Do you see something?"

Ayako pointed, "The attack, can't you see it? The sky…. I hope they stay safe."

Issei shook his head, "I would need to cast a spell. I can feel the build up of power though. IF the sky has turned, we need to go. You have your sword ready?"

Ayako reached to her belt and drew Heart of Courage.

He pulled out a pendant and a small box of ear plugs. "Caster's lair will not be completely defenseless, but these should help. If you need to hum a song. We have ten minutes."

Ayako put in her earplugs. Why exactly did she need them? She wasn't sure. Issei had told her to trust him. That as long as she trusted in him everything would be fine.

Issei began to wave his pendant.

Taiga rushed up, "What are you doing? Why haven't you gone home?"

Issei kept moving the pendant in a circular motion, "You cannot come with us Taiga. You know why."

Taiga flushed, "Who are you to dictate to me? You are just a student."

"I don't have time for this Taiga, I talked with Grandmother about this. You are not ready. You will never be ready. It is who you are. Skill is not enough." He turned to Ayako, "I have it. Let's go." He ignored the fuming Taiga and walked into the woods.

Ayako didn't know what to say. She avoided looking at Taiga so as to not embarrass her. Not that much embarrassed Taiga Fujimura. She followed Issei into the woods.

Taiga followed screaming and waving a sword, "I don't care what you say. I don't care what any of you says. I will be useful. I will do this. I will live my dream."

Issei said nothing, merely rushed into the forest. He kept spinning the pendant on the chain.

Keeping up with him was difficult. Not so much the speed, but the sudden changes of direction. Ayako rapidly lost all sense of direction. Worse the path they were taking was strange. The path ahead of them kept changing as did the path behind. It was almost like they were not actually walking the path that she saw, but a different path. One that only Issei could sense with his dowsing pendant.

He stopped and took a drink from a water bottle. He passed it to Ayako.

She took a sip and watched him. Whatever had happened to him last night had given him a fire that she had never seen him display. The tiny micro expressions that held his emotional range underneath his well-worn stoicism flitted from worry to nervousness to a flash of passion when their eyes met.

Ayako smiled. Everything was going to be fine.

There was a crash behind them. A bedraggled and sweaty Taiga stared at them wildly.

Issei said loudly, "This is your last chance Taiga. I can't protect you here. Go home."

Taiga said defiantly, "No. I have come this far. I have spent years for this. I have to do this. I have to prove them wrong!"

Issei crossed his arms, "I am sorry, Taiga. The Fujimura's are no longer the Region's defenders. That burden has passed. You are a good teacher despite yourself. Continue as you have started; pass your skills to those who need them. That is your fate. Not this."

Taiga screamed back, "You are both CHILDREN. Neither of you is ready. Not for something like this."

Issei nodded gravely, "That is true, but the test is now. And so now we must weather it. Fate and Fortune have pushed both Ayako and I to this point. Our path to this place was set years ago. We have answered the call, unseasoned and unready, but willing to take accept the challenge. You…. No I don't have time to argue this. Already you are causing us to risk failure." He turned and placed several strips of paper in the air, forming a door.

Icy Northern Gale meets warm Southern Sea,

Majestic Western Mountains greet the Fires of the Rising Sun,

In the name of the spirits of this place,

And those who dwell above,

An intruder seeks to mar all

Your humble Servant requests your aid

To return the world to Harmony,

I must first enter her hidden lair!

Ayako could feel a small tug on something inside of her as Issei chanted. The paper slips he set up began to smoke and then burn. When they were gone a hole in the air the shape of a door was left.

Issei smiled at her, "Come."

Taiga exploded, "Who the hell do you think you are, Ryudou! Just because you have found favor with Grandmother doesn't mean that you can treat me like this. Do you hear me!"

Issei walked through the door and Ayako followed. An irate Taiga followed shortly after.

Walking through the door was like waking from a deep sleep. Outside it had been a fairly dreary Tuesday in February. Here it was warm and the colors bright. The air was fresh and everything seemed clean.

Even through her earplugs she could hear Taiga easily. She could see every needle and leaf and flower in her sight so sharply her head hurt. The smell was heavenly and the sounds of the birds as they idled in the trees divine. It took her a moment for her mind to adjust to this.

This was what the world should be. What it had been. But something had happened that made the world, the outer world much less. She stretched and felt tiny aches and stiffness she hadn't even realized were there fading away.

Taiga blurted, "What is this place?"

Issei ignored Taiga and told Ayako, "I need you to protect those three girls. They are the missing Track Team members. I will deal with Shinji."

"What about Caster?"

Issei looked at his watch, "Three minutes. We have three minutes. I have to go. I, I love you Ayako. No matter what happens, remember that." He tightened his ear plugs and ran off to the left, where a large colorfully painted Greek style Temple stood.

There were three altars set there. On each was a naked girl covered in what had to be magical sigils, as they moved and writhed along the sleeping bodies.

The soft bird call shifted, changing to a much somber tune. It talked of life and its hardships. Of difficult tasks and hard won fights. Of the need to gather her strength, to prepare for the coming fight.

To rest. To sleep.

She could feel her eyelids flutter. Behind her Taiga collapsed to her knees already snoring. But inside of her a tiny tickling feeling, the first tiny rumbles. Someone was inside her head. Someone was trying to put her to sleep. To control her.

To contain her.

Ayako had never taken well to be constrained, to being force against her will to do anything. She was herself. She might not be fully comfortable with what she had found out about her past, about her lineage, but she was herself. One did not allow ones memories to be tampered with just so she could get a confession on tape from a technologically challenged friend without being a little stubborn. Or concerned with the truth.

Or the sanctity of her own mind.

A creature landed on a nearby branch. The bottom half of her body was that of a sea bird, the upper half of a woman. Another youkai. It opened its mouth and continued to sing, a slight smirk on its face.

No. She wasn't going to let this monster win. Issei couldn't have known that Ayako's hearing would become capable of overcoming the earplugs he had given her. Then again he had said something about singing to herself and he had been chanting as he left.

He had left and was trusting that she would cover his back. He had known she would need the earplugs. And that he loved her. What had it cost him to actually say it? For someone so stoic he had been very affectionate today.

Ayako had simply accepted it.

Issei was counting on her. Trusting her to fight this off.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That part of her, that new inhuman part of her swirled amidst her thoughts. Was it a bad sign that she could understand it better now? That she could recognize that those thoughts, while different were still part of her. That it wasn't a creature trying to control her or constrain her, but part of herself she had kept locked up. The part her mother had feared and had schooled her to ignore and forget about.

Had she not been attacked by a different Youkai the other day, had Ayako not needed that hidden part of herself, it had been content to sleep. Ayako, all of Ayako, had enjoyed her life. The sunlit world was a safer place for people. Merely knowing of the moonlit world invited danger, now she was part of it. Danger lurked around her and if she kept her friends knowing what she now knew, it would never leave her life.

So be it.

Ayako calmly reached up to the earplugs that her lover had given her.

And removed them.

She let the music of the bird-woman wash over her. Sink into her and try to overcome her. As she felt a near immortal and inhuman will push against her own. Strong. It was very strong. It would be easy to let it overwhelm her, to simply go with the flow.

But that winged Youkai wasn't the only one with an inhuman will. Ayako opened her eyes and glared at the bird woman.

The creature's self-assurance turned to fear. It took flight and flew to a higher branch, its tune changing to a less soothing, but still compelling chirping tune. It sought to sooth and dominate rather than placate. To control rather than contain.

Ayako drew Courage, "That will not work on me either! I am Ayako Mitsuzuri! I will NOT be controlled. I will NOT be compelled. I am myself and I am the Captain of my Fate!"

It Sang at her, eyes wide and bulging, forcing the weight of its mind against hers. And it was old and deep and mighty. It would slowly wear her down and she would die.

Only that wasn't what was going to happen. A familiar smirk appeared on her lips. The Mitsuzuri family loved to gamble, loved to take risks. Only by and large they were canny about it. Careful calculation and planning were necessary if you were to come out ahead in the end. And if the rules of a game guaranteed your defeat, it was time to change the nature of the game.

Ayako threw her sword. Under normal circumstances this would be a horrible choice. An act of desperation.

And if she were human, if she were normal, it would have been. But she wasn't. For one thing she was strong enough to hurl the blade hard enough to do damage if it hit. But even if it hit, the odds of it striking with the edge or point were infinitesimal.

But they weren't zero. There was a tiny, incredibly minute chance that if she threw it just right, it would sail point first through the air and land embedded in the monsters chest.

Ayako stood there, watching as the bird-woman fell dead from the tree. It had been like guiding an arrow to the target, only harder, much harder. She looked around at the Temple and the odd surroundings. Here it was spring, not winter. Here the air was full of life and possibilities.

She studied the world around her. It seemed both solid and normal and yet full of a constant haze. A leaf might fall one way or another, and she would see faint trails of the possibilities that had not occurred as they faded from probability.

She reached down to pick up Courage again. Her grandfather had described how it had always been there for him. But had it truly been this responsive. She drew the blade and noticed that even the blood it had shed was gone. It was clean.

She shook her head, "I really am not human, am I." As she had when she had been attacked before she flinched from the possibility of pain, this time not moving fully out of range.

But enough to keep from having her torso cut open by a katana.

Ayako had been able to resist, and Issei had escaped, but Taiga had not. The creature might be dead, but it still had a hold on Taiga's mind. "You wish to fight me? Here and now? In this place?" Normally she looked up to Taiga, who despite her immaturity quite skilled at both Archery and Swordmanship.

But that childlike nature left her open to magical manipulation. That was why Issei had not wanted her to follow. "Die Youkai!"

Ayako felt her grin widen. There were many other things she needed to focus on just now. But a part of her, a large part, simply wanted to play. Her nagging need to hurry and help Issei was a human thing. Issei was more than capable of dealing with his circumstances without her.

Hadn't he told her that none of them was going to die today? That today was simply full of important choices? He had trusted her so she should trust him.

Yes now was time to play with Taiga. She watched the woman shift her stance and ready another attack. It was truly a pity this could not be a simple sword fight. But then if it was, she Ayako would lose and likely die.

That would change Issei's vision, and her beloved human trusted her.

So she didn't draw her sword, merely moved to the side and kicked Taiga gently. No need to break her toy this early in the game. She loosened some of the gravel under Taiga's feet and watched the woman slide into a tree.

This was going to be fun.

-Scene Break—

Shirou Emiya-

Shirou tried to watch in all directions simultaneously. He watched the air because another one of those harpies remained. It was smarter than the other two, keeping out of sight as much as it could from Shirou's bow and Rin's magic.

Rather it would skim through the mists that Caster had summoned and pop up to drop rocks at point blank range.

Shirou also watched the mists around them, outside of the circle of dead grass Sakura had provided them. Somehow the mists were thinner there. Outside the circle the grass itself would cling to him, holding him for the other monsters for an easy kill.

And there were other things out there. The only two types to break through the incredible wall of steel that Arturia and Roland wove to protect there were one wounded giant around nine feet tall and a few red eyed dogs.

How many Gandr had that giant taken? Dozens? Hundreds? Rin's arm had fired them off like a chain gun.

'Thankfully she is on my side.' He glanced at Rin, who was also nervously scanning the area round them. In one hand she held an emerald, the other was swarmed by prepared Gandr, the dark light of the spell nearly dampening the glowing blue of her Crest.

The wolves had fallen to Kanshou and Bakuya. Summoning them had been instinctual, and the feel of them in his hands, the feel of flawless skill and knowledge. They were HIS blades. The knowledge and skill HIS. Shirou had felt, even as he was slaying the two dogs, HIS very nature and likeness flowing into him.

Shirou vowed to himself to never summon those blades again.

Sakura cried out again in pleasure.

Shirou couldn't help his gaze go to Sakura. She was a danger to him too. Whips and blades of shadow surrounded her flailing at seeming random. It had been a shadow that had snapped his bow in two. They had torn her clothes until Sakura was writhing on the ground naked crying out in continuous delight.

There was a flush that covered her creamy skin from her face to her sex. And there were moving mottled spots, lines of livid red swimming along her skin, along with shadows. Shadows moving around her and underneath her and through her.

Rin's voice was tight with worry, "Shirou, pay attention! We need to protect her, not, not…."

Shirou looked over at RIn, who was now staring at Sakura.

Rin stared up at the sky, "Old Man! What did you do to her! I swear I will destroy you!"

Shirou saw the dogs first. Rin reacted quickly, blasting the first dog, but not before being knocked off balance.

Easy prey for the second. It was on her almost instantly, ready to rip out her throat.

He summoned Taming Sari and found the soothing confidence flow into him. He flung himself at the target, trying to burn odo to speed his way. There was a scent of scorched honey lacing the air as he rocketed into the dog, flinging it off of Rin. He swung his blade, nearly severing the dog's head.

He turned to face Rin.

She cried, "Down, you fool."

Eins, Zwei, Drei!

There was a rush of sound as green tinged blades of wind gusting past his head and into another giant. Which was promptly cut into a million pieces and flung off into the mist.

Shirou rushed over to RIn, who was bleeding heavily. With a thought he let go of Taming Sari and summoned a med kit. It wouldn't last, but the effects should. He wrapped her arm carefully, using some of the special ointment RIn had devised.

"Shirou. Poisoned. The bite. Poisoned."

"Rin." He looked through the kit for something to help with venom.

Rin grasped his hands, her own hands cold and clammy, "Anit- Venom spell in Crest. Take a few. Minutes. Sorry." Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went slack. Her Crest continued to glow like a blue bar of fire along her arm.

The harpy flung a stone at him, stinging his upper arm. Shirou casually flung a weak version of the Vajra back at it. The Vajra was complicated and one of the few throwing weapons he had begun to assimilate. As he grew to know it better its strength would grow. Right now its strength was equivalent of getting hit by a Taser or three. He wasn't sure if he had killed the monster, but he had hurt it.

He needed something to finish this. And in the hidden kingdom that resided within him, a blade answered his call.

It was heavy, this sword of flame. Made for a taller and stronger wielder, but Shirou held it the same. The mist burnt off from around him. It was time to end this. A smile appeared on his lips.

This was a good land for it. He could feel the deep fires beneath his feet. Earthquakes and Volcanoes were well known here. For a moment he thought of summoning one. That would break his foes.

But the voice that directed him, that directed dreaded blade feared what could happen to his loves behind him. Shirou's sigh was disappointed. But it understood. Defeat those on this field, except possibly the two knights that had defended him.

Well, only if they didn't get in his way. The grass tried to grapple him, but withered as he grew close, such was the heat. Withered, blackened and burnt. Where he waved the sword, a wall of flame would follow. And the monsters died.

The red paled out of the sky and behind him there was a loud smack as the Blood Fort collapsed under Sakura's attack. Now to kill Caster. Now to finish things.

Not more than a hundred feet away, a woman dressed in a white dress stood. "If it isn't a powerful human warrior, ready to claim victory after others have done the main work. Do you have any clue the nature of that demonic blade you bear is?"

"For those I love I will endure anything. I will protect them no matter the cost!" He was actually feeling a little tired at the moment, although he wasn't sure why.

Caster said, "Ah, so touching. Did you honestly I wouldn't be prepared for this? That I wouldn't have one last present for you all?" She said an unrecognizable word and a being appeared between them. "Fairwell, my dear heroes. Do try to kill Chimera before it eats anyone important. It hasn't been fed in who knows how long."

And she disappeared.

Just as it began to rain.

Of course.

Shirou waved his sword at the monster and hit it with the burning fire. But just like the complicated Vajra, he still didn't fully understand Surtr's Sword. In Surtr's hand, it had indeed been capable of setting fire to the world, in Shirou's it was much less.

He had only made the Chimera mad at him. It lofted back its own blast of flames. He was flung to the side by a blur. Shirou stumbled back to his feet, and watched as Roland kept the Chimera busy.

His Servant rushed to his side, "Shirou, stop this. This weapon! It is killing you, burning you out. Can't you feel it?"

Shirou could feel a slight strain from his Circuits. This blade was powerful, but a bit of an energy hog. Maybe….

"Shirou, this is what we are for. We were summoned to be your blade. Let me defend you. I have failed at so much, grant me the honor of not failing here."

No. She was just concerned about not having the glory of killing Caster. "Out of my way, Rider! I know what I am doing." Why was the wind suddenly picking up?

There was a sudden pain rocking through his head, "Sorry, Shirou. But so do I."

And the world went black. But as he faded, as he slipped into unconsciousness, he could smell the scent of fresh honey.

'I. am. Sorry. Arturia.'

And Shirou was gone.

End Part-

A/N- There are a couple more bits I had planned on adding, but in retrospect this is a good place to leave it here. Hopefully, I can have the next bit up in a couple weeks. Wish me luck.