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?

24. Chapter 24

An Opportunity of Fate part 24

Luvia Edelfelt-

Luvia slowly opened her eyes. Her body ached including some very feminine spaces. She vaguely remembered a quick bout with Ajax, both high off adrenaline and glory from the brawl they had dominated in the previous bar.

She had known then she wouldn't be returning home that night.

After cleaning themselves a little they had marched to the next bar, the net bottle if liquor, the next fight. It had been going so well. And then the witch showed up.

Last thing she remembered is the building collapsing on her. And now she was here. Naked on the bed of some unknown benefactor. She could also feel the residue of several spells, a few ongoing.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. A healing circle. That was still active and it was centered on her. There was an unfamiliar drain on her prana, not massive, but a steady drain.

Lastly the remnants of a binding spell. She tried to lift her body, but she was too weak. Luvia settled down and let the circle do its work. She had been under one several times in her life, mostly from broken bones.

Never had she felt more drained.

The door opened. Luvia weakly turned to see who it was.

Cassandra Martel.

The two stared at each other. In school they were not rivals, Cassandra was nowhere near Luvia's level of power. But rather philosophical opponents. Like many of the new generation both of them realized that there needed to be changes at the Clock Tower. The older generations were increasingly out of touch with normal society.

That endangered their ability to manipulate society to the degree they were used to. While the Elders scoffed, it was a serious problem. Electronic surveillance alone was becoming troublesome..

Luvia belonged to the moderates, who accepted the need for change. Cassandra stood firmly with her 'mentor' Lord El Melloi the second and the radicals. In fact many of the weaker magi were radicals. Luvia knew she drew some ire from her own social circle for standing with the moderates.

Cassandra said, "Good. Looks like you are healing up. Given how badly you were injured, it is nearly a miracle you survived." She shook her head, "It really is true what they say about highborn level Crests. That they will keep their owners alive as long as the prana holds out."

Luvia coughed, very much aware of her nakedness, but unable to remedy the fact. Cassandra seemed not to care. Luvia sighed and asked, "How bad was it?"

"Like I said, you almost died. Several broken bones, major head trauma, severe internal bleeding. By the time Ajax managed to bring you here, you were likely beyond modern sciences grasp. He wasn't much better. He had been cut of from me with his reserves low." She snorted, "I the two of you hadn't had quickie before heading into that Bar, I doubt he would have had enough prana to make it here. And my reserves were so low that rebounded him would likely kill me."

Luvia stared at the girl, "if your reserves were so low, how did you power this Circle."

Cassandra closed her eyes. "I didn't. You did. And if you think what I did was wrong remember it saved your life." She opened her eyes, "I conducted a three way prana exchange ritual. My knowledge, your prana, and Ajax's essence. It took all three of us." Cassandra blushed, "And a lot of rituals I learned from Mom that I almost wish I didn't know. Sex wasn't the only way, but it was the easiest and most likely to work given the circumstances."

Luvia found her own cheeks heating, not at the thought of the sex, but at the memories of attempting such rituals herself in the past. "You must be kidding. Sex magic doesn't work."

Cassandra smirked, "Tried it, have you? Most of the manuals you can pick up are wrong. Plus the timing for the spell triggers is tight. Without training, you would have to be genius to properly pull it off." She shook her head, "The spells are derived from meditation techniques after all. And before you ask, my mother isn't a total sex fiend. There are a lot of everyday techniques, like a sharing spell fueled by a ritualized meal. It is just trying to bring enlightenment through common everyday physical activities. Everyone remembers the sex techniques, because well the sex."

Luvia stared at the ceiling. "So then, you and me…."

Cassandra added, "And Ajax. I am sorry." She sighed, "There is more. I never truly understood how much more power the older families had until last night. I mean I knew, but didn't have a level of personal comparison. Here I was on fumes and wisps of power from a series of Servant battles. You were dying, and you still had prana to spare. So I added you to the link. The first El Melloi used his fiancée to power his Servant in the last War. Waver dug up the trick, but we didn't use it because neither of us was strong enough to make it worth-while. But you…."

"Great. So I am also a battery."

"No. You are a participant. If I could give you these Command Spells, I would. But I like my arm. I suppose I am attached to it."

Luvia just glared.

"Sorry. No I want your help." Cassandra shivered, "I have done some research and have information that might influence the War."

"Like?"

Cassandra rubbed her arms and said quietly, "There are more than seven Servants involved."

Luvia nodded. She would need to warn her grandfather.

Cassandra closed her eyes. "And two are headquartered at the Supervisors Church." She paused a moment. "I think this War is rigged. And the Church is part of it."

Luvia asked, "But why?" Having the Church involved could be bad. Most of the Magic Association might think this a small backwater squabble. She certainly had. But there was serious power involved here.

Enough to change the world.

So she nodded. She would help Cassandra.

-End Part—

Ilya von Einzbern-

Ilya half-heartedly collected what she needed from the kitchens. The last time she had been her had been such a happy time. Even Sella had been happy, teaching Leysritt and Ilya how to properly bake cookies.

Ilya closed her eyes in memory of Leysritt. Had it only been yesterday?

It amazed her how fast everything could fall apart. She had lost one of her maids and her Servant, and good chunk of her self-esteem. But her brother had proven himself to her. It almost made her believe that her father truly had…..

Ilya couldn't stop the tears. Everything had turned upside down since she had come to Japan. All her certainties were gone. Even the certainty of her death.

Shirou would try to save her even if it meant his own death.

Ilya shivered. She had never seen that level of devotion before, let alone directed towards herself. Both Sella and Leysritt had come close, but it had only been here in Japan that they had truly shown how they had felt. A smile for some of the fun she had had with Leysritt in the few days she's had here in Japan. Introducing the naïve homunculus to Romance literature.

So much fun.

"Ilya, we have a problem."

"Sella?" Ilya nodded her head, she was using the internal communication system, "You have activated the defenses and boundry fields?"

"Yes, but we have several vehicles that have entered the property."

Ilya wrinkled her brow, "Well do what you can to stop them. And call Rider back. I might need her help."

"Ilya they have the boundary field codes. They must be Family. And if they know we are…."

Sella's voice cut off, but for a brief moment Ilya felt her maid's pain and confusion as something cut into the back of Sella's neck. Ilya poured herself into her maid, to see through her eyes.

And she was on the ground, eyes blinking wearily as she viewed the blood pour from her decapitated body. Anger at her killers and fear for Ilya were her last thoughts as her soul evanesced away and Ilya was stingingly catapulted back into her own body.

She needed to find Rider! Sella had been killed by Einzbern combat homunculi. If the Einzbern were moving this swiftly the approaching vehicles were here to grab Ilya. She could no longer win unless the family strong-armed another Master. Even if that ailed, she was the Lesser Grail. Without her acting as a conduit, no other Master could have their wish granted.

All they needed to do was keep her from an area with enough ambient mana for the conduit to the Greater Grail to form.

She had to escape!

Something hit her in the back and the world went dark.

-End Scene—

Ayako Mitsuzuri-

Ayako woke to a slight aching in her arms. This was due to fact she was hanging by her arms. She wasn't dangling far above the ground as the tips of her toes could reach it. Unfortunately her ankles were bound too.

Outside of her bindings she wore not a stitch. In some senses she was glad to be back in the strange place Caster had made. For here it was warm. It wasn't winter here like it was outside.

Judging by the foreign and lush vegetation, it was spring or summer. Probably spring based on all the blooming flowers.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the heady perfume of the flowers and basked in the warm sunlight. She knew she should be frightened. Heck, her arms should be killing her. They should be burning with the strain of supporting her body weight. But aside from a small aching feeling, she felt fine. Even the bruises she had received from fighting Caster did not hurt.

She had to figure out a way to escape. Without thinking she pulled her body high enough so she could examine the bindings on her hands. After a couple of minutes she slowly lowered herself and raised her legs high enough that she could view the bindings there. She stared at the bindings on her ankles and shook her head. Both sets of bindings were enhanced somehow, and were too tough for her to break by main strength.

First one tear and then another fell down her cheeks. Once again she had casually done what Ayako would have thought an impossible feat of strength or agility. Maybe not for someone who had spent years training their body for it. Maybe then. But while she was an athlete, she was interested in archery and running, not gymnastics.

It was just that her body felt so light, like fifty kilograms was nothing. And considering some of the things she had done, maybe it was to her.

Not human. She was not entirely human. That homunculus had called her an Elemental, hadn't believed she was human at all. And then Ayako had created that wind storm and….

She was tired of being frightened of herself. Of worrying what would come next. A large part of her wanted to forget all this, to go back and tell herself that she didn't want to be involved. To drop the mystery and just enjoy her life.

To be a normal teenage girl again.

She took a deep breath.

Except she never had been a normal girl. This secret had been hanging over her all her life. How much had she unconsciously ignored because it was abnormal? How often had she pulled back to just being better than her peers at sports?

She was a Mitsuzuri! She was supposed to PUSH the limits of what she could do. And she had often thought she had.

Apparently not. Not if she had always been able to do what she had the last few days. She had never truly pushed herself. Looking back on it, it had all come from her mother's rule that while it was fine to defeat an opponent, it was wrong to shame them.

Now she knew. What was the point in competing when she knew she would win? She also questioned her 'luck' that she had prided herself on. For it seemed she had a sense of probability. And that she could alter it slightly.

This is how she knew that she could escape if she tried. But it would require her to stretch herself physically and mentally. To accept that she could do the impossible.

And then do it.

She would have to completely accept both halves of herself. Integrate herself completely. Her Elemental side was strong and had powers Ayako had not even begun to discover, but it was frivolous and lacked focus. Her human side lacked power, but had cunning and audacity.

So she relaxed her body and thought furiously on how to escape. The bonds could be cut, even reinforced they were still vines. A sharp enough implement would cut them. She took a deep breath and surveyed the surroundings.

Heart of Courage lay sheathed at her feet.

But how?

A deep breath. Magic. It was magical.

So was she.

Possibilities roared through her head, insane plans each more improbable than the next. She couldn't stop laughing as she reached for the blade with her toes. With work she grabbed the handle with her feet and unsheathed it.

There were likely other safer plans she could have chosen. But this one appealed to her.

She began to rock her body until it began to sway. And then when her instincts told her she flung the sword into the air above her.

If this worked, she would be free.

If it failed, she would have wasted her best chance and risk serious injury.

But her instincts told her it would work. And she would trust them.

-Scene Break—

Interlude One-

Gilgamesh stared into the wine glass, "I still do not see why she always refuses me. I am the first and greatest hero. I am rich. I am powerful. I am handsome and charming. What more does a woman want?"

Kotomine Kirei looked up from his paperwork. Just because he was involved in an epic magical duel was not reason enough to slack off on the tiny necessary details of his job. "You are asking advice about women with me?"

Gilgamesh shrugged and took a sip of his wine. He then said, "I have watched you from some time, and while your advice is usually painful, but surprisingly helpful." He took another sip, "You would have made a fine advisor."

"Truly fine praise coming from you."

Gilgamesh's voice sharpened, "Do not arrogate yourself, I am the King of Heroes! I have no need for such a thing. My wisdom and sagacity are matched only by my riches."

Kirei hid a smile, "You are indeed formidable."

Gilgamesh evenly said, "Do not imagine that I will allow you to mock me, even if you truly are amusing to watch." He stared at the stoic priest for a few moments and sighed. He looked back at his half full wine goblet, "But in truth that woman confounds me."

"What do you see in her, anyway?"

Gilgamesh took another sip, "Yes a failed king of a minor land. A string of successes brought low by naiveté and civil war. It is a wonder that it is such a famous tale." He shook his head, "No it is not her dubious status as King of Knights that makes me desire her. Nor her beauty or skill."

Kirei was silent, just studying Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh stood and began pacing, at a temporary loss for words. After a moment he spoke. "It is her purity of spirit that draws me. Beauty can be attained by artifice, skill by experience, and glory be great deeds. But purity such as she has is rare and often spoilt. She is as much a treasure to me as anything I possess in my endless treasure room. I exist to preserve the best of all things. And of all the women I have known, she is the best. Not the prettiest, or the sexiest, or even the wisest." He stopped to glare at Kirei, "She is a treasure I must possess, something far too precious for this time."

Kirei reached over and filled a goblet of wine and drank, careful not to smile. "It seems to me that a great deal of your trouble stems from her not knowing you. You have after all met primarily on the field of battle. Perhaps if you met under other circumstances, she would be more pliable."

Gilgamesh stared at Kirei, "You think, I Gilgamesh of Uruk, King of Heroes should ask Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights, out on a date?"

Kirei nodded.

Gilgamesh looked thoughtful and finished his wine.

End Interude One

Arturia Pendragon-

Arturia was comparing the list she had to the items she had found so far. At this point she was wondering why they didn't just drag the whole castle back.

It was her Instincts that saved her from the sudden attack. She quickly moved away as a heavy blade bit into and ravaged the wall she had stood next to. Arturia rolled away and summoned her blade.

Her armor remained lost.

She saw two white haired women stalking her. One had a massive sword and was recovering from her strike. The other covered her ally by sending a torrent of fire at her.

Arturia felt only a trace of heat as the spell met her magic resistance.

The homunculus with the blade moved quickly at was able to strike at Arturia, a blow she deflected. She was surprised at both the strength and speed of her opponent. She had not expected a challenge outside of other Servants. And while the opponents blade was damaged slightly under Arturia's answering onslaught, it did not break.

Still, as strong and as fast as the combat homunculi was, Arturia was stronger and faster. And she had greater skill as well. This contest should have been over quickly.

But the mage of the duo had rapidly learned her spell could not directly affect her. The first magically thrown rock struck a glancing blow as Arturia turned a deathblow into a dodge.

It still wasn't enough.

Still it took a couple precious minutes to eliminate them. Minutes that Ilya might not have. She refrained from calling out to Ilya or Sella. While she did not like underhanded tactics, she needed to retain the initiative here.

They had started the fight after all.

Several Homunculi fell to her as she flew down the hallways. She heard the sound of cars pulling out of the castle. She was fairly sure they had Ilya when she came upon Sella's headless corpse.

She had to catch them.

She found a window and leapt out, hitting the ground running as she chased after the line of cars. Running as fast as she could, aided by judicious use of prana burst let her catch up to the last car.

There were four occupants in the car, two of whom attacked her as soon as the saw her approach. One fired a useless spell at her. Powerful but ineffective.

The other opened up with a high caliber submachine gun.

The truth is, such a weapon wasn't really much of a threat to Arturia. If she were a full Servant, she could have switched to a spirit form and avoided the bullets. Her normal armor would have deflected them.

She had neither. And dodging would slow her down, giving the car a chance to escape. So she got hit. Several times. And while it wouldn't kill her, it hurt quite a bit.

Still the gunman was quite surprised when Arturia leapt onto the back of the sedan and pulled him from the car to throw his battered body from the car.

This mage kept casting ineffective spells even as she too was broken and tossed out of the car. The driver weaved the car and accelerated trying to shake her off. The passenger pulled a large pistol and fired at Arturia.

Arturia was trying to get to the roof of the car she was on so she could leap to the next car. But the pistol the man in the passenger seat was using was not a normal gun. It was a mystic code designed to fire anti-spirit bullets.

Where the other bullets had been like bee stings, this was more of a snake bite. The ones she was unable to block caused some actual damage. One lucky shot smashed into her knee, temporarily shattering it.

Invisible Air cut through the roof and chair and person of the gunman who had temporarily wounded her. Her last antagonist killed she tested her healing knee and prepared her jump to the next car, happy the car was catching up to the next car in line.

Until the next curve when the driver accelerated into a tree. Saved again by her instincts she clung to a branch as she saw the car in front of the one she was riding stop and several armed homunculi get out.

But her eyes were on the ones that kept going.

Once more she had failed.

A homunculus turned to the vehicle she had just left and destroyed her own car. With a flick of the wrist it exploded. The others prepared a variety of oversized weapons.

Arturia readied herself. They were fast and strong, but she was better. But fighting them would take time. Time Ilya might not have.

They moved to flank her, but she was already moving. By the time she reached her target, she had already collapsed.

Arturia just stood there as the homunculi surrounding her twitched and died.

A voice called upon the wind, "Sorry about that. The others got away; their cars are shielded from outside interference. But I have an idea where they are going. Come back to the castle, I have a plan."

"Sella? But I saw your body…."

A rueful laugh, "Let's just say Einzbern Castle is now officially haunted."

Arturia began the trek back to the castle wondering how it was possible to win all her fights and yet still lose. She was getting so very tired. Not physically but emotionally and spiritually. Despite all her strengths she was beginning to feel fragile.

When would come the time others took up the fight and let her recover?

-End Scene—

Interlude Two-

Hammond Alexander wearily walked into his room. His Servant Arjuna had watched him carefully as they had walked back to the hotel he was staying in. The Servant had said nothing, but Hammond knew the man had wanted to carry him, but had left the old man with his pride.

Stubborn, stupid pride. But Hammond was grateful nonetheless. It was stupid, but he was too old to change. He sank into a chair and sigh. "Good work."

Arjuna, already in spirit form said, "The drain was too much for you. I should have thought of a better way."

"No using your Noble Phantasm was the only way to truly burn out a monster like Zouken. Certainly the only fast way."

"But…."

"No, we did the right thing. Your princess is safe." He grabbed a candle off the table nearby. By an act of will he lit it, feeling the burn of his overused circuit. He used a trickle more an gazed into the fire to see part of what would be.

Classical Divination was not popular back at the Clock Tower. The future was not fixed, and so it was highly inaccurate. But this had been a trick he had used since he had been a very green Lieutenant in Africa during the Great War.

He had grown much better at reading the possibilities as he had grown older. It was how he had known his cancer was inoperable. How he had figured out how to become a Master in this Grail War.

There were those who assumed he would wish for restored health. With the techniques available for extending his age, he could be alive and hale for decades. But he had only wanted one last adventure.

And he had had it.

It was time to face death and pursue the final question.

Under every acceptable circumstance, he was dead in 48 hours. Most often drifting peacefully in the night this very eve.

But there was another possibility. One that intrigued him. He achingly stood and fetched a cordial that had been prepared for him. It would give him a bit more strength and allow him to live a day or two longer.

But his circuits were strained; any major magic would likely kill him anyway. His time was up. No need to waste the cordial.

He handed it to Arjuna. "Give this to your little princess if she survived. She is young. It should restore a bit of what she has lost."

Arjuna looked at the bottle, "Without this you will die."

"I told you I did not plan to win. I expected to last longer, maybe help those kids stop this travesty. But fate has caught up to me. Thank you for your aid."

Arjuna smiled softly, said something in his native tongue and left.

Hammond watched him go and picked up the rooms phone, "Room Service, I would like to order tea for two…."

He wondered how long it would take her. She had to know he was the most vulnerable now. Both Caster and Assassin had been scrying on him for some time this afternoon, and he had been too weak to stop it.

He wondered which would show. Either way, he would meet one of the dark ladies of Greek antiquity. He did hope they would stop to have tea before killing him. He had things to say to either of them. Warn them of the Grail's taint.

And if they were willing, he would like to hear their version of events. One final bit of history before he died.

He rubbed his hands together and smiled. This was going to be fun.

-End Scene—

Issei Ryudou-

Issei was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming because the world he was seeing was different. The world looked and felt and tasted different.

It was beautiful and wild and lush in a way the modern world could not compare. With a measure of awe Issei realized he was seeing the world from near the dawn of time. The world from Medusa's youth.

Her sisters were down in the village assisting in whatever way they could. Medusa was up with the priestesses chatting about the affairs of the village. She was probing to see if there were any supernatural problems they needed solving. She would question the hunters when they returned.

It was her job after all. Stheno was an expert on growing things. She would help with the crops that were growing. Euryale was an splendid healer and midwife. She would tend to any injuries or pregnancies. Medusa was the protector. With speed and skill she would dispatch any who sought to harm her sisters or those who looked to her for protection.

With knife or bow she was deadly, but it was her gaze that was feared most. Her colorless crystalline eyes could induce fear so potent the enemy was rooted to the spot, petrified in fear. Her lips curled slightly, there were even rumors she could turn her enemies into stone!

Medusa asked, "So the Others aren't causing you any trouble are they?"

One of the priestess's shook her head, "Not at all. One Pallas Athena was here showing how to improve our cloth."

Another quietly said, "She didn't do much. Just watched and made a few suggestions. Not just in weaving either."

The eldest spoke, "The goddess is wise. Her suggestions were good and simple, getting rid of pointless complications. She will make a good addition to the area." She fixed her gaze on Medusa, "You do not mind us paying attention to these…. Janae, what did they call themselves?"

Janae quietly said, "Olympians. They called themselves Olympians."

Medusa shook her head, "My sisters aren't much help in battle, if we could get some help I might be able to clear out the giants causing all the trouble in the upper pastures. We would be able to use them for more than just hunting." She smiled, "It would give my sisters more to do."

How she regretted that blithe statement in the years to come. For Pallas Athena was indeed wise and subtle. And while it took a couple generations she poisoned the attitudes of locals against them, until they had to hide.

Her sisters took it in stride like they did everything else, even while Medusa raged against the unfairness of it all. They continued to help any of the settlements they stayed in, only now their help was from the shadows.

Medusa vowed to protect only her sisters. Mankind had turned its back on them, and so she would do the same. She seldom used her gaze anymore, but now its power had grown to the point it caused her beautiful hair to writhe like snakes as she balefully stared someone down.

Unlike her sisters, who were completely immortal, she had a touch of mortality and continued to grow and change. Her eyes became so strong they induced fear even when she looked at someone, to the point she began to wear a blindfold, using her innate senses and agility to compensate for her lack of sight.

So it was that they came to move from city to city, always staying at the outskirts until they found a place to stay. A bustling set of villages by the sea with a mighty fortress on a stony hill above. Once they would have been feasted and welcomed with open arms. Now they sold medicinal salves and poultices. And kept low for fear of being recognized, their beautiful purple hair bleached blonde.

Her sisters teased her mercilessly. Once she had seen herself as the most important, she now spent her time doing small chores for her older sisters. It was their talents that kept them fed and somewhat comfortable.

At night they would still sneak out and help the various villagers who needed it. Stheno would bless the crops and herd animals. Euryale would quietly use her magic to bolster the medicine that they sold. Medusa would do nothing but remove her blindfold and stare at the ceiling.

Until she found a reason to sneak out herself.

A lover.

He wasn't mortal, but an elemental like her. He had an air of divinity about him, and so she thought of him like herself. A god hiding from the newer upstarts that had pushed out many of the locals just like she was. A god of the sea, she was certain, as he headed out in his little boat to fish every day. In her mind she placed him just like her sisters, still aiding those who no longer believed in him.

How long did the good days last? She didn't know, nor did she care. For a time she was happy again. He told her the wonders of the deep and the horrors of the monsters who dwelt there. She told him tales of herself and her sisters.

She should have known that it couldn't last. Good things never do.

Her lover was visiting a neighboring town and so she was not with him that night. Still she had not been able to sleep and so she had wandered by the seaside until late at night and went home. Where a frantic Euryale was using her gifts to heal a very badly hurt Stheno.

Euryale said, "She needs to know!"

Stheno sobbed, "It hurts…. No. We can't tell her. You know what she is like. She will over react."

"They raped you, Stheno. If you were mortal you would be dead! These lacerations and the bruises, and what kind of monsters were they?"

"If she learns of this, or any of the other times, she will kill them." Another pained moan, "I love her. She is my sister, Euryale, but she isn't like us. She won't simply punish them. She will kill them."

Medusa could hold her voice no more. "What monsters will I be killing?"

They tried to stop her. To calm her down. But she was in a killing rage. Her blood pounded with the need for vengeance and she could feel her eyes BURN with need to send eternal FEAR into those who had hurt her sister. Her long hair writhed like a nest of snakes as she stalked her prey that lived in the farms nearby.

And found to her delight that her gaze did not just provoke fear that caused the target to freeze as if made of stone….. It turned them to stone. With inhuman speed she hunted the men who had harmed her sister. She wasn't entirely sure which worthless mortals it had been. So she killed them all.

Everyone that came across her fell either to her gaze or to her knife. She began to make her way up to the citadel on the hill, the thrill of battle upon her. When she came across a temple to Athena. It was not a grand affair, likely used by one of the part time priests that lived in the villages. She entered ready to desecrate the one who had started their whole downfall.

"Stop. Medusa, you must stop. I came as soon as I heard this town was under attack, the others will be arriving soon."

Medusa turned around and her hair began to settle. Her lover was here? "What are you doing here?"

He met her gaze, "That isn't important. You need to leave and take your sisters with you. There is an island, the Shapeless Island, it is unpleasant but you will be safe there."

"I am not leaving. I am going to raze this tiny town and then I will find another and repeat until mankind is DEAD!" She was shaking and trying to blink away the tears. But her eyelids wouldn't move.

"You need to. Or you and your sisters will be cast into Tartarus. Zeus will side with Athena in this. No matter the injustice done to you or your sisters, politically, well." He shrugged sadly.

"Who are you?"

"I am Poseidon."

Issei woke, his heart pounding. He shot up and almost fell over from dizziness. What had that been? He rubbed his forehead and reached around for his glasses.

Medusa handed them to him, "Welcome back to the land of the living. I hope your dreams were pleasant?"

Issei looked at her sideways, "They were strange."

Medusa shrugged and continued to watch a shifting nest of images over a bubbling cauldron. One was a bubbling bathtub with a naked Shirou and Sakura in it. In another a tired and battered Rider limped into a Castle. Two girls, one in a bathrobe, the other in pajamas were staring at a bunch of computer screens. Rin wandered through the woods, one hand glowing with what looked like an emulated compass. She was dressed in an odd green and brown dress that he had never seen her wear.

Medusa laughed at the last, "That girl does not give up easily. All she had to do was wait and her Servant would have been able to carry her home. Fast enough that no one would notice she didn't have stitch to wear!"

"What?"

"Oh, don't worry. I have no intention of hurting your friends. Embarrassing them, well that is a different story." She cocked her head aside, "Although persistence like that should be rewarded." She turned her blindfolded face to Issei, "What color does she favor?"

Issei thought back to all the times he had been forced to spend with her outside of school, if only to protect Emiya and Sakura from her devilish influence. "Red. Black too, but primarily red."

She turned away from him and began to speak in some ancient language that Issei couldn't quite grab a hold of. The air in front of her began to spin and a figure of air like unto Tohsaka appeared around which a second swirl of air formed.

Issei watched in awe as Medusa wove all the elements into red mist that reformed around the Tohsaka figure into a robe that fit her perfectly.

Medusa sighed, "I want to decorate it, but I think I will wait to discuss that with her." She reached out and pulled the robe off of the Tohsaka made of mist and it dispersed. "Hopefully this will soothe her temper."

The image above the cauldron changed. Issei almost looked away. It was Ayako. A very naked Ayako.

Medusa chuckled and the image enlarged itself enough that he could see the sweat pour off of her as she did a variety of acrobatic feats. He hadn't realized she was that flexible. She stopped for a moment studying the sword at her feet.

Medusa shook her head, "That damn sword. It is drawn to her courage and audacity. The crazier her plan is the more likely it is to help her."

Issei was too busy watching a drop sweat roll down her neck and between her sweet breasts. It continued down her belly, stopped momentarily by her navel. It rolled into the thicket of hair above her sex and there it might have ended. But Issei watched as it slid through and onto the upper hood of her folds, to slide down the left side of her sweet sex and down her thigh.

He wanted her badly.

He shook his head trying to shake the image loose, but it stuck. Memories of the night before last, of their making love came back to him. He wanted that again.

Right now preferably.

What was WRONG with him? What happened to the years of meditation and quiet sublimation that he had worked on. Telling himself he would not be like his brother, salivating over every pretty girl. That he would be strong.

Besides he was too shy to talk to any of them anyway. Why waste the time thinking he could? Just had to keep himself occupied and busy.

But he wasn't going to be a monk anymore.

Still the change bothered him.

And then Ayako moved.

It was hard to catch exactly what she was doing, she was so very fast. The sword cut one of her hands free as it moved up past her. She let go of the blade at some point and it spun for a moment above her before dropping.

Ayako was on her second vertical flip when the blade cut the rope between her legs and was jostled to cut the rope holding her other arm. She then continued her flip, landing perfectly with one hand forward, the other back.

The one in back caught the sword, the hilt resting firmly in her hand.

Ayako raised the blade above her and cried, "I am Mitsuzuri!" And then she was gone.

"Oh yeah. Definitely hero material. What is in the water in this city anyway? Or is it just your school?" She sighed, "Sorry Issei. I have to go catch your girlfriend again. Try to stay out of trouble."

And Medusa left.

Issei continued to watch the flickering images, And thought of many things.

-End Scene-

Shirou Emiya-

Shirou continued to live through the battles and times of Arturia Pendragon. He was never truly close to her, nor was he a knight. He was just a man at arms. Noted and respected, but not landed. Not nobility.

He would have liked to have seen more of her court, but he was content with learning what he was taught. In between battles the Counter Guardian would teach him a little more of her style of warfare. It didn't completely mesh with what worked best for him, but he tied it together.

He also learned which weapons worked best for him. And which threatened to overwhelm him.

The simplest and mundane were the best, but often lacked power. Plus all of his emulated weapons were weaker than the originals. Still there were some that suited him. He had taken to fighting with Tizona in one hand and Taming Sari in the other.

Shields just felt awkward, and Taming Sari could block pretty much anything he needed to block. Plus the sheer confidence he felt when he held that blade, it was similar to how he felt when he was shooting his bow. Calm. Serene.

An extension of his body. Of his mind. Of his very soul.

And he used Tizona because it was a fun blade. The wielder of it had been an excellent swordsman, who had enjoyed a good fight. But had not particularly cared for slaughtering the weak. It could and would do so if necessary, but it frightened the unworthy away. It chipped at the confidence of the enemy.

He had won a few skirmishes simply by brandishing the blade and letting the light play along it. In the right light it looked like it was on fire. That usually got the superstitious to run.

Month piled on month, and he continued to train and to fight. But one day there was something different. A new girl had joined the camp followers. She would stare at him, and he couldn't help but stare back.

She was familiar to him. And despite the constant jokes from his fellow soldiers, he did nothing. She shot everyone else down.

And one night she crept into his room, wearing only a cloak. She opened it and asked him, "Do I look ugly to you? Is there some reason you do not want me?"

He himself was clad only in a loincloth, "I can't. You aren't real. I, I…."

She pressed herself against him, "Touch me, Sempai. You know who I am. Here there will be no reproductions. Both of us here in this dream. Can we not spend it together?"

"Sakura…"

She kissed him and how could he not kiss her back? Or to slide his hands down her smooth skin and to take her as his own?

The next day was much the same, only Sakura was now part of his life. When he went on campaign she followed. When he stayed in the town, she remained with him.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years. And the battles continued until there was peace. The realms enemies were broken and defeated, at least for now.

The grumbling against the King, which had always been present, became stronger, less respectful. One by one Knights of the Round left the Table. And then the nightmare that was the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot.

Everything began to fall apart.

Shirou really didn't notice. He had lived in this dream world for years. His life revolved around Sakura and his training.

One day there was an incessant buzzing echoing through his head. It would not go away. He called out to Counter Guardian Pendragon and she came.

She looked at him seriously, "Shirou, you must promise you will return. That you will deal with your enemies in the real world. And that you will come back. There is one more battle you must take part in. One more lesson you must learn."

"What is wrong? What is this buzzing?"

"In the real world a gang of thugs hired by the Einzbern are attacking your house in the hopes of killing you. Only you and Sakura are home and Sakura is badly injured. It is why I let her rest in your dreams."

He looked over to where he and Sakura had made a home for themselves, "Sakura is…"

"She will be fine. It will look… bad, but Shirou she will heal from all of it. I promise you."

Shirou looked grim. "Very well. I will return. But I need to make sure she is comfortable first."

"You must return. I am counting on your honor."

And Shirou awoke to pain. There was the smell of cooking meat.

It was coming from himself and Sakura. They were both in his tub, and the water was scalding hot. His body was a mass of burns, as was hers. There were lines along her body were it look like she had caught on fire.

He tried to get up, but they were stuck together. He pushed her away and saw some of her skin slough off of her. All along his body, where her spine had rest against his body, there char marks along his belly and chest.

It was so very painful, but he lifted himself and her out of the water and onto the floor. He closed his eyes and added to the pain. "Trace on."

The trick was to transfer some of his normal power from his normal circuits into some of the supposedly dead circuits he had. CG Pendragon had twisted them into a form that would act like Arturia's prana, allowing him to mimic some of her style.

It also provided extra power to Avalon.

He lifted Sakura up again and looked at her carefully. Her lips were burnt, her eyebrows singed. But what saddened him the most were the way her eyelids lay flat against her face. One of them was slightly open, and inside there was only darkness, a hole reaching into her head.

And somehow despite all of this she was breathing.

That was when the guns began to fire and a bullet smashed into Sakura, causing a slight inhuman whine from her burnt throat.

Shirou calmly took out a large towel and set it down. Bullets were flying through the thin walls of his house. He simply didn't care. A sense of serenity took over.

He set Sakura down on the towel and then he turned to the door, looking one more time at his love.

The alarm told him there were ten hostiles inside of his property. The upgrade Rin had given it gave him a good idea where they were.

It has been said that it is the height of foolishness to bring a knife to a gun fight.

Taming Sari appeared in his right hand.

This is typically good wisdom, excepting of course for the quality of the knife and its wielder.

A flash-bang grenade appeared in his left.

If you are stuck with a knife in a gun fight, the ability to magically emulate explosives is also very useful. As is the ability to regenerate from wounds. Or have superhuman strength and speed.

That could alter things.

Okay, let's just say that unless these assailants have a tank or belt fed ordinance they are dead.

They didn't.

And so Shirou killed them.

-End Part—

A/N- Sorry about the wait on this. I will try to get the next part out in a reasonable time. Thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoy.