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?

28. Chapter 28

An Opportunity of Fate part 28

'Ayako'

Ayako reached into herself as she stared at the door. Her mother had done something like this, and she knew somehow that she could too. She focused.

Improbable

Unlikely

Possible

Probable

Certain

And she opened the unlocked door. Manipulating the powerful but defective boundary field to ignore both her and Rin was simple. She might not have the power to place a ward so strong, but hers would be more effective. It was just stupid carelessness.

She was surprised at the people coming down the corridor. One was tall and garbed as if a Christian Priest. Although she could sense the robes had been altered somehow. At his side was a homunculus in normal business attire. They were flanked by two uniformed homunculi.

One of whom had an oversized sword.

Combat models probably. She felt herself grin.

There went the stealth plan. Ayako looked at Rin, "Rin? What now?"

Rin didn't answer her, instead calling out to one of the people walking toward the exit. "What are you doing here, false priest?"

"Assuring the continuation of the Holy Grail War. A thankless task, but one I have been given." He smiled at the box he was carrying.

It was alive. There was something in the box and it was alive.

And it had been taken from its original owner. How she knew that she didn't know.

Nor did she care.

She reached down to her belt and felt the comforting hilt of Heart of Courage. "Say the word Rin, and I will strike him down."

Rin just looked at her and shook her head. She turned back to the priest. "Why are you here? We tracked down one of our companions to this location. She is being held by some rogue magi. I can't imagine your superiors would be happy to see you dealing so openly in an Association political matter."

"If you are referring to Einzbern representative, you are already too late." He smiled again at the box, "Had she come to the Church for protection, I would have saved her. Even though she was not human, such are the terms of the Holy Grail War. In her pride she did not enter the sheltering embrace of the Church." Kotomine shrugged, "A poor choice as her family came to reclaim her."

Ayako was shaking, "You bastard." The man had taken something from the girl. Ayako had very few memories remaining, but the last two weeks were crystal clear. She hadn't gotten to know the girl well, but to think of that bright and cheerful mind stilled….

And something had been taken from her. Some essential part of Ilya had been removed and placed into that box. Ayako recognized it.

Once this would have made her angry, but she would have been calm. Very little good comes from acting solely on emotion. Emotion made a good fuel, but a poor guide for action.

That was still true. But after her experience with having part of herself stolen; it was all she could do not to attack. As it was she could feel her control slip.

The truth was she wasn't human. Oh, she had a human body and traces of the old Ayako, but she wasn't really her.

Yet.

For now she was Youkai and she could feel her ability to hide her sense of presence fade. It was nothing compared to what she had seen the Servants produce, she wasn't that powerful. But she could feel the shocked looks from everyone save the priest as she let her anger and hate be felt.

Kotomine laughed and said proudly, "Very good Rin. To back up your Servant with an Elemental. I do wonder what you promised it." His eyes tightened, "If it is access to human society as a whole, I am not sure I can permit it. You do know how dangerous a being that thing is?"

Ayako had her own shock at Rin's reply.

Rin's voice shook with anger of her own, "Ayako is not a 'thing.' She is a person and one of my very best friends! I will not hear you slander her." She shook her head, her twin tails flying, "You are standing in my way. I won't say you have been good to me, false priest, but you have been my guardian and teacher. Stand aside." She blew a bit of hair out of face, "And I will let you live."

Kotomine laughed, "Do you honestly think you could take me, little girl? You have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years, but despite your precocious skill you are not even close to my level. I am an Executor of the Holy Church." He smiled, "Besides, you should be focusing on the War. Not dabbling in some unimportant side venture, just because your boy toy believed he needed to save a living doll."

Rin's eyes flashed, "We are not like that!"

Ayako couldn't help a smirk form. Shirou would never ask anything of Rin, but if he ever did Rin would likely do it. She would complain constantly or claim it was her idea, but her friend was madly in love with the boy. Too bad Sakura was as well. It was a pity they wouldn't be able to share him.

Kotomine continued, "No good has ever come with dealing with the Emiya. That they contain considerable potential, I will not deny, but dealing with them only leads to sorrow. Go home Rin. Take your creature with you. I will be by later to examine it and determine whether I will let it survive or if it must be purged."

"I am not leaving without both Shirou and Ilya." Rin raised her left arm and it lit as if on fire. Blue fire. Several black orbs began to circle her raised arm.

Ayako's smile widened. Rin was serious. She could sense the homunculi shift. From the distortions the one on the left was a mage and the one with the sword was not. "Rin, we need that box he is holding. If Ilya is alive she will need it."

Rin looked at her and nodded.

The homunculus in business attire sighed heavily, "Surely this can be solved peacefully."

Ayako smirked, "I don't see how. You have one of our friends. And we want her back."

"If you are referring to Ilyasviel then I am afraid she is already dead." She paused dramatically, "And has been close to six years. What you met was a homunculus created by Ilyasviel. I am sorry. She didn't know herself."

Ayako glanced at Rin who was biting her lip. "I don't see how that matters."

"My Lady, understand that my master has long desired to save her, both in memory of the real Ilya and because of Ilya's legacy." The homunculus met Ayako's eyes. Unlike all the other homunculi she had seen, they were old.

Ayako was moved because the homunculus met her gaze knowing that it let her mental defenses open. She really believed what she was saying. She knew that Ayako could read the truth in what she said.

Not that Ayako had known that until reading it in the homunculus's eyes. Gretchen. Her name was Gretchen. With a sudden chill she now knew why it had always been impossible to hide anything from her mother. (At least based on memories of memories.) Her mother could do this all the time.

Gretchen continued, "While she had Berserker this was impossible and Ilya's masterpiece would have been lost forever. Even the process of saving her required… sacrifices."

"Let me guess she was the one who had to make the sacrifice," Rin spat.

Ayako remained quiet, focused on Gretchen. "What did you remove from her? What is in that box, Gretchen?"

Rin and Kotomine exchanged glances. Both of them were ready to fight. Ayako could feel the potential for violence. Not just from the obvious cues, but also from the shifting possibilities. Just as she could feel the coming snow that would arrive.

The priest had a hidden card. One that she couldn't read. He was the primary threat here.

Gretchen looked down. Not to break the gaze, as Ayako could continue to read her. And Gretchen knew it. The woman knew more about Ayako than Ayako did. How she wished she could take her aside and question her.

But now was not the time.

Gretchen said, "To save what we can we needed to remove that which tied her to the grail. A large seven petal cluster of nerves. But most importantly, we removed her heart. Only with those removed is she safe. We can replace the organ, but her in Japan we don't have the facilities to make a permanent replacement. Once we get to London."

Rin quietly stated, "What makes you think I will let you leave? You are trespassers in my territory. You are not connected to the War or to any official business that I have been notified of. By my rights as Second Owner I…"

There was the sound of an explosion coming from inside the building.

Ayako said, "Somehow I don't think Emiya is going to take his sister having her heart removed well."

Gretchen looked her in the eye. Her face was placid, but Ayako could feel shock. "But she was just a homunculus."

"She was his sister. Nothing else matters."

The emotions that bubbled up inside of Gretchen were a mix of grief and shame. And hope. "I need to see to my master's wellbeing. This quarrel is not mine." She waved to the other homunculi, "Come, we have shown the priest the exit. We have better things to do."

Rin smiled, "So priest, what is your decision?"

Kotomine smiled and said, "Berserker. Kill them."

Ayako's eyes opened wide and she threw herself at Rin enough to keep her from being killed in that first second. After that Roland stole Berserker's attention.

Rin got up, her arm still a glowing blue,

Gandr

Globes of black force flew from her outstretched arm.

The priest dodged them and drew six swords from his jacket and charged, somehow continuing to evade Rin's attack.

No. He wasn't dodging; he was blocking the tiny blasts with his strange looking swords. Ayako drew Heart of Courage and charged, striking swiftly and hard. Hard enough to shatter a set of his blades. She was moving much too fast for any normal human to react, so she went to cut him.

One swift punch from him threw her at Rin, countless black bolts hitting her full on the back. It was like being riddled with bullets. Each one sapped vitality and life out of her, leaving her near death.

Rin managed to get out of the way, causing her to slam onto the hood of a car.

Ayako knew she was in trouble, she could feel as the priest threw something at her. She managed to avoid being impaled by the thrown swords, rolling slightly on the car. More than that was impossible.

Not that it mattered. For while she dodged it, her shadow from a nearby streetlight had not.

She couldn't move. Her instincts were screaming at her, that death was approaching.

And she could do nothing.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rin rushed by Berserker.

'We are all going to die.' She tried to use her power to save Rin but she was so weak.

The priest moved to her side and carefully rolled her onto her back, making sure her shadow remained pinned. "Now I remember you. You are one of Jin Mitsuzuri's children. If I had time I would determine if this was a case of possession or something more. It doesn't matter. Don't worry child, if they are heretics too, I shall happily purge them. Then again, maybe the Magic Association would prefer them to experiment on." He reached out and ruffled her hair, "They can do the most hideous things to a person and yet keep them alive. If they are like you they can extract the spirit and use it to power a device. A pity you have to die here." He stabbed her with another set of swords, pinning her to the car.

In that moment his eyes met hers, a smile on his face.

And she knew him. He was nearly empty, much like Shirou. He was a good man who enjoyed nothing but the suffering of others, whereas Shirou only enjoyed their happiness. A frustrated man who hated the world for allowing his twisted existence. He knew he was evil, that what he enjoyed was wrong.

In that moment, Ayako felt pity for the man even as her killed her. For him there would be only one release from his suffering. Death. And so she flared her remaining strength and willed the world to kill him.

She felt as the car beneath her started up and accelerated both her and the priest into the wall. Her eyes slid shut as she felt the impact.

'Sorry Issei. I was careless. I wish I could have held you one last time. Goodbye my love."

And she died.

Or rather she tried to.

Scene Break-

Rin Tohsaka-

Rin knew her friend was in trouble. But the so was she. She watched Berserker avoid Saber and rush her. She backed away knowing it would not be enough.

She was going to die.

And then she tripped. Would her luck ever change?

Apparently so as Berserker's foot went through a manhole cover, tripping as well. It ripped a sizable amount of the parking lot as he went, but he missed Rin.

Well, he mostly missed her. The wind caused by the force of his movement caught her and rolled her along the pavement. At some point her robe opened and she received numerous abrasions along her body.

Saber took the opportunity to hack into Berserkers head. Killing him. Again.

Rin slowly stood up and watched a car carrying Ayako and Kotomine into the building. She hoped Ayako was okay.

Saber quickly moved to her side, "Rin are you alright?" He then looked away. "You know you might want to cover up."

Rin looked down. Her robe was open and the belt was missing. It was a comment on the quality of its manufacture that it wasn't ripped to pieces. She herself had numerous cuts and bruises. The robe was torn in a few places, but not too badly. She sighed and wrapped it around her. She looked up at Saber, her face burning.

He was only a Servant. Him seeing her naked didn't count. Right? He had covered her when she had fallen asleep on the mountain. So really it was okay.

It didn't feel okay though.

'Focus, Rin, focus.' She took a deep breath and calmed herself. "I thought his armor wouldn't let you hurt him. Ilya said that he became immune to attacks he has fallen to."

"I don't think that priest has the same power as Ilya. I don't think he can support him as well."

Rin sighed, "Honestly I didn't think he could support a monster at all. He may be knowledgeable, but he is magically quite weak. A first generation magus." She stared at Berserker. "Do you think he is dead?"

Saber said, "Honestly, I don't know. He hasn't dissipated, so…"

"Right. Keep an eye on him. I need to check on Ayako."

Saber nodded, "Keep your eye for that priest, he handled Ayako pretty easily."

Rin sighed sadly, "He is an Executor of the Church, and he was specifically trained to defeat things like what Ayako is now. I don't know if I can win a fight against him, but it won't be as easy for him."

Rin wandered over to where the car had smashed into the wall. Kotomine was nowhere to be seen.

Ayako was however. Looking at her face, you would think she was sleeping. Her body was a different story. Three Black Keys pinned her to the car whose hood she was on, her peach colored shirt covered in blood.

RIn hesitantly placed a hand on her friend only to feel it cool to the touch.

Ayako was dead.

That priest was going to die.

Rin saw a small blood trail going into the building. She could hear the sounds of fighting inside the building. Gunshots and blasts. What was Shirou doing? She hoped he was okay. She didn't know if she could cope if another of her friends died.

How had she ever thought this War would be glorious? She had known that by walking the path of the Magus was to court death. But she had always assumed that she was courting her own death, not that of her friends.

She prayed to a God she didn't fully believe in to protect him. If she saw him again she would kiss him until she passed out. She would hold him and never let him go. She loved him and was not going to waste any more time denying it.

She was even willing to share him, as distasteful as that was. But she could with Sakura. She owed her sister so much, and sisters were supposed to share, right? She knew she was rationalizing it. She didn't care. She wanted her Shirou. She wanted him safe. She wanted him here.

RRRAAAUUUGGGHHH!

Berserker was alive again and he swatted Saber aside before regaining his ridiculous sword. And charged Rin.

This time Rin wasn't frightened. She should be, she knew that. She could feel the heavy weight of Berserker's presence weigh upon her. She didn't care. She wasn't scared.

Rin was MAD.

Rin reached into the pocket of the still slightly open robe and pulled out a few of her gems, each the spare power from a year of infusing them. One emerald from the desert, a ruby found near a burning coal mine, and a diamond of the highest quality.

EIns, Seiben, Neun!

"Die already!" A wall of razor sharp flaming wind swept from her hand, engulfing Berserker and halting him in his tracks. He slumped to the ground.

Rin had talked with Ilya on what it would take to take down Berserker. Rin didn't have the power to kill him twelve times. But she could take a few of his lives. For the rest of it she would have to rely on Saber. She muttered a healing charm through her bond to him and watched him slowly get up.

"Rin I swear to you, I will not let him past me again."

Rin just nodded, "Hold him here. I am going to fetch Shirou." She pulled out another gem. Anything that got in between her and Shirou was going to DIE.

She cautiously walked into the building, her Crest charged and ready to fire a stream of high powered Gandr, her right hand rubbing another ruby in her hand. She passed by one room, nothing. She kept walking forward; towards the fight she could hear not more than thirty feet ahead of her. Just beyond that door.

And she stopped. Not because she wanted to, but because she couldn't move.

A trap of some sort? But her Circuits were active, internal magecraft was nearly impossible on a mage with an active Circuit.

A hated voice called out to her. "Well my dear, you have proven quite resourceful. Unfortunately for you, I am more so. It is truly a pity. Your following me has given me an idea. I had planned on gifting it to another, but you will work as well. But let me remove your claws first."

She couldn't move! She couldn't call for help. She couldn't even activate her command spells to summon Saber. A tear of frustration rolled down her cheek.

Kotomine walked around into her view. He opened her robe and let it fall to the floor. "Well that is convenient; undressing you would have been tedious." H examined her critically, "You are a pretty girl. A little underdeveloped, but then your exercise regimen probably doesn't help." He touched her chest right above her heart. "Yes, this will work. It will be a strain on your Circuits, but I doubt it will cause too much havoc."

How she wanted to kill this man.

He walked around to her back. She could feel him caressing her back. What was he going to do to her?

"Don't worry dear; I am not going to do anything as crass as rape you. I will even let you live"

She felt a pressure from where he pressed against her skin at the base of her spine. It felt almost like he was reaching into her. She felt little shocks as his hand moved up to the base of her neck. His hand continued to move along her head until his hand was placed right above her eyes.

He had done something to her, but she couldn't tell what.

"You have known that my only real talent in magecraft lies in healing, in particular psychic surgery. But knowledge of human anatomy, particularly of the nervous system can yield some surprising results." He removed his hand and walked away.

Suddenly the force that had kept her immobile was gone. She could move! She tried to rush him, only to collapse.

Her body would not respond to her. She could feel everything but she couldn't move. Not even her eyes. But her breathing was regular and her eyes continued to blink.

Kotomine picked her up and placed her on a couch. "Don't strain yourself; this will be unpleasant enough as it is." He opened the box he had been carrying when she had first seen him. He then rolled up his sleeves showing a large number of Command Spells on his arm. "I doubt that someone of my skill could do this barring a miracle. Fortunately I have several." One of the Command spells flared and Kotomine pressed his hand against her chest.

And kept going. She could feel his hand inside of her, could feel it grasping her beating heart. And pull it from her chest. Rin felt a nearly unbearable pain. Her body was silent, only constant pained gasping as it struggled to survive. She couldn't even scream.

Kotomine held her still beating heart in his hands, her heart's blood dripping onto her naked chest. He regarded it for a moment. "Life is truly ironic in some ways. I am almost tempted to see how long you would last without this. They say a Crest is capable of keeping its bearer alive so long as their prana holds out." He smiled at her and crushed the heart in his hands. "I would love to watch you suffer a little more, but I am pressed for time."

He removed the heart from the box, and with another Command Spell placed it in her chest. His hands fiddled it for a few moments and it began to beat.

"Well my dear, it has been quite enjoyable for me. In a way you have achieved your family's dearest wish. You now possess the Grail. Good bye." And he left.

Rin lay there, unable to move, contemplating the ruined organ that lay discarded between her breasts. Listening to the beating heart that had once been Ilya's.

Scene Break-

CG Emiya-

Emiya stared at the many windows he had in front of him. He was shaking slightly. Ilya was dead. He had killed her himself. Pushed chance to the point where she died.

Ayako also lay dead on top of a car because he had pushed her to help Rin and Sakura. She could have lived a relatively safe life if he hadn't manipulated events. He imagined how Issei would react. His stoic friend having his world turned upside down, losing the detachment he had prided himself on only to experience total loss.

And Rin. His beloved Rin lay paralyzed. How would his alternate self react to this turn of events. The boy already had a temper and a wiliness to kill that Emiya found somewhat disturbing at such a young age. It had taken him years before he had killed as many people as this Shirou had in one day.

Worse, both of them had failed. Of those Shirou had promised to protect only Sakura remained, and she was badly injured. Sakura's freedom from Zouken was the only bright spot Emiya could see. But the cost had been much too high.

And the war wasn't even over. He glanced over at Alaya. Would she punish him for how badly his proxies were doing?

He had to ask. He knew it already, but he had to ask. "Is Ilya really dead?"

Alaya, in the form of Rin, smiled. "That depends on what you mean by dead."

"Did I kill her? Did I force her to perish like Victor said? Or is he lying. I should be able to tell right. We can't be fooled here. Right?"

"Emiya-kun, not even I am omniscient, any more than Gaia is. We can be fooled for a time. Trying to predict the actions of humans is risky. People tend to act in certain patterns, predictable patterns. But they are subject to change. And you have been playing with probability to improve your friends chances. This makes it even harder." Her smile grew broader and she placed one hand against her lips and smirked at him. "You have started to make this war a fulcrum point for the world itself. Normally only a few are concerned about it, mostly with keeping the secret of magic. Which is hard in this day and age. But now…. Your alterations of Ilya, her whole situation has caused the Einzbern to fracture. Some have gone to the Clock Tower for support. And in turn, Old Man Acht has called in old favors among the various sub-guilds that make up the Sea of Estray. Long held resentments are bubbling up."

Emiya frowned, "You still haven't answered me."

"You don't care that your actions may have caused a rupture in the Magic Association? That there are talks of an actual Mage War? Most of the Magi don't care a bit about the Holy Grail War, but trust me they care about this. Already some of your brethren are watching the situation to see if it gets out of hand. The Dead Apostle Ancestors also sense a shift and are maneuvering to take advantage of the situation. All while several agents of Atlas are heading towards Fuyuki to see if the Grail is truly cursed. You have made this world a cauldron and you are concerned if you caused a girl's premature death?"

Emiya was silent for a moment, "Yes. Yes I care. You forced me to live multiple iterations of this damned War. These are my friends." He looked down, troubled by the sudden swirl of emotion, "I love them. And if I fail you will force me to kill them." He paused for a moment and reluctantly admitted, "And I am failing."

Alaya held him, "I warned you were pushing too hard, that you might break one of your friends."

Emiya let himself be comforted. Rin had always been there for him, always trying to keep him from self-destructing. When he had been alive he had not truly opened up to her. While he had loved her, part of his heart had always belonged to Arturia.

It still did. Even now he still loved his lost King of Knights. In other worlds, other timelines he had felt different. It had been Rin or Sakura who he had fallen for. He had always cared for Sakura, but the level of devotion some of his other selves had for the girl….

Lives and memories which were now fresh in his mind. Alaya had torn back the sarcastic shell he had built to protect himself. All of this had been so much easier before she had made him truly remember how important these people were to him.

And he had eagerly twisted their lives into knots, leading some to their deaths.

Or worse.

Alaya whispered in his ear, "Things are not as dark as they seem."

Emiya pushed her back, his eyes still burning from unshed tears. "How can you say that?"

Alaya merely pointed at the windows.

Emiya looked. And blinked, "What the…"

Scene Break-

Ayako-

Ayako's eyes fluttered open. Her spirit was trapped in this body. Its soul would not release from its body. And Ayako would not abandon the scattered crumbs that she was determined to make hers. She had been willing to die to hold on to those glittering crumbs of self.

She could escape if she wanted to. She could cut her ties to this body and its near empty soul. Her spirit would be free.

And soulless. Not to mention not having a physical body.

Oh, she could probably manifest one in a few decades or centuries. And eventually she might develop enough of a personality for her own soul to emerge.

Maybe. Many spirit never developed one, remaining a part of Gaia. They weren't truly people. Just a wisp of Gaia's subconscious, a fragment of her soul.

No. She was Ayako. Ayako Mitsuzuri!

She was more than willing to die to remain so. Her spirit clung harder and harder to the soul and its body, waiting for its mind to evanesce and the soul to return to the Source.

Only something was missing. Even as her breathing stopped and her heart grew silent, nothing happened. She had felt Rin's touch; felt as that grouchy and brilliant soul mourned her.

Ayako had wanted to reach out to her, but she didn't want to risk the soul leaving without her. And so she waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

This was boring. Better to live with the pain rather than just lay here.

So she willed her heart to start, for her lungs to breath. She caused the nearby lights to fail and pulled out the Black Keys. Her body failed several times before she bandaged herself enough to not collapse.

She was so very thirsty. And hungry, although the very thought of eating with her guts torn up was horrible to contemplate. She sat up and watched as Berserker and Saber continued their fight.

Rin was nowhere to be seen. But there was a middle aged man standing at the door. He was too terrified to attempt to pass the two Servants but too frightened to reenter the building.

Ayako licked her lips. Prana. Right in front of her was a meal of animate prana that she desperately needed. She stumbled toward him. Bleary memories came to her. All she had to do was nip his neck and force a channel to the large artery in his throat.

She wouldn't need much blood. She wasn't a vampire. It was more symbolic. Her sisters used to mock her for this even though she didn't usually kill her victims. All she wanted was a little prana.

Drinking blood wasn't supposed to be something nature spirits did. But then she had always been special. Unlike most goddesses she had elements of mortality and….

No. She was Ayako. She wouldn't do that. It was forbidden. She would not drink blood.

So she kissed the startled man, careful to take nothing he could not recover. He collapsed to the ground and she stood a little straighter. It hadn't been very efficient. Not like sex would have been. But he wasn't Issei, so that wasn't an option.

She stumbled into the building in search of her friends.

Shirou Emiya-

The fight had lasted longer than he had thought it would. At the beginning his opponents hadn't been able resist him. He had them completely by surprise.

Truthfully they should have been more wary. A single magus walking into another's stronghold would have to either be insane or have a trick or two up his sleeve. Say the ability to manifest Noble Phantasms.

They must have assumed that because he was young, that even if he had some power their greater numbers and experience would easily counter it. And truthfully, under normal circumstances they would be right. He truly was comparatively unskilled and inexperienced.

Dainslief however was not. It was very experienced. And while most of its wielders had not been magi themselves, they certainly had fought enchanted creatures and sorcerers. The fact that they were homunculi and had much more magic, and could more easily cast it than any modern mage meant little to a blade that had fought against elves, draugr, and trolls.

No, in the end the magecraft only slowed him down. It was ironically the guns that held him back the most. Not because they could truly cause him lasting harm. But if they hurt badly enough, it would take too long for Avalon to recover him. And Ilya might be lost forever.

Despite himself, he had to be careful. He could do nothing if he fell unconscious. It was here that CG Pendragon's training paid off. Otherwise Shirou probably would have made a risky charge, aided by a prana burst that may or may not have carried the day.

Instead he took his time. He used all the tools he had. Grenades. Flash bangs, even his bow. (A well placed explosive arrow to the chest will kill you dead, even if you are wearing armor.) And of course, Dainslief itself. It cut through everything. Even walls.

Structural Analysis had quite a few uses. He had made certain the wall he had destroyed had not been weight bearing. Last thing he needed was to collapse the ceiling or damage Ilya's life support. No, he needed her to be kept as stable as possible so that he could ask Rin if she could think of a way to save her.

There had to be a way. He had promised to protect her.

As he cut down the last of the gunmen, he heard an argument behind him. From the observation room. Near Ilya.

He rushed over, sword raised and ready to kill.

And paused.

It was the homunculus who had let him in. With her were two other homunculi. One was dressed in business attire as well, the other in an effectively transparent shift. The later was trying to wake up the mage homunculus he had struck down. The former was trying to convince her to leave her 'Big Sister.'

None of them were armed although first homunculus barred his way. Looking into her eyes, Shirou could see she expected to die, but was willing to die if it shielded the other two. He lowered Dainslief.

She sighed, looked away from Shirou, "I warned him not to take you lightly. What is the point of having an advisor you never listen to?"

"Can you help Ilya?"

She looked back at him, searching his eyes. "You mean that, don't you?" She waved one hand, "All of this was for her, for your Ilya. I know Victor. He would have told you the truth. Your real sister is dead. She made your Ilya. We knew the Grail War was coming, and that she wouldn't live to see it, and…"

Shirou closed his eyes briefly, praying to the long disappeared gods to have mercy on Kiritsugu's daughter. "It doesn't matter." He opened his eyes and met hers, "Ilya is my sister."

There was a wistful tone to her next statement, "You truly are his son." She smiled at him, her eyes full of wonder and suppressed hope, "You don't see her as a thing. You see her as a person, even now. Even when you know the truth." She paused a second and wiped a tear, "He was the same. When Acht tossed Iri into the forest, he saved her. He…. He treated us like people."

Shirou rubbed his head. Wasn't it obvious? Maybe they had been designed and created, maybe they weren't human; that didn't change anything. They were people.

The homunculus fell to one knee," By the Conventions of the Einzbern, I, Gretchen von Einzbern do declare Shirou of the Emiya branch family to be my Master by both right of conquest, and as most senior Einzbern family member. I bid you accept my service."

Shirou blinked, "Um. Stand up, okay? All I want to know if there is a way to help Ilya."

Gretchen shook her head, "None of us has that power. Both Annalise and Linde are pleasure models and not even a year old. I am an information specialist." She paused for a moment, "Your friends should be here by now." She stood up, "Annalise, take care of Linde and get her into some real clothes!"

"Yes Gretchen."

Shirou was careful as he followed the homunculus towards the rear of the building, both ignoring the dissolving bodies of the dead homunculi. As they passed, Shirou glanced into each room.

He came across a break room with a bloody and battered Ayako softly singing to Rin while caressing one of her bare arms. Rin was lying on a table covered by what looked like a red blanket. "Ayako! What happened?"

Ayako turned to face him, only it wasn't the Ayako he remembered. It was her eyes. They were a whirling golden color. She sadly smirked at him, "A lot happened, Emiya. Rin…. That damn priest did something to her. She is paralyzed. Trapped inside her own body. I, I don't know what to do."

Shirou felt the blood drain from his face. Felt his knees buckle.

Rin was hurt. Ilya had her heart removed. Sakura was still recovering from her own grievous wounds.

How deep was his failure?

And Shirou wept.

-Interlude One—

Gilgamesh watched as the battered knight fought against the maddened beast. He had killed it several more times, but Gilgamesh could see the other Servant begin to slow. He was reaching his limits,

Kirei had been right to draw power from the survivors of the fire to power Berserker. Kirei would never have been able to keep this up. He had seen the priest limp to safety empty handed. Gilgamesh was mildly interested in how Kirei's plan had gone.

If Arturia didn't show, he would express his displeasure quite firmly. Still watching the doomed Saber fight against Berserker had been mildly entertaining. He watched as Saber barely deflected one of Berserker's blows, driving Saber to his knees.

Gilgamesh nodded. It had only been a matter of time. He watched disdainfully as Berserker went for the finishing blow….

And missed.

Gilgamesh's eyes tightened. That was impossible. Both the two combatants thought so.

Only there was now a third, this one dressed in a modern fashion and wielding a pair of daggers connected by a chain. She distracted Berserker, letting Saber recover.

Caster had arrived.

On the surface, this should be an easy win for Berserker. But he could not hit her. Her attacks were just distractions. And her movements were not only fast, but odd.

He nodded to himself. Dimensional magic. The poor beat couldn't hit her because she kept changing the nature of space around herself. Entertaining but futile. All it would take is one mistake and she would be dead.

There had to be a trick she was going to play, perhaps a Noble Phantasm. Or a trap.

Berserker disappeared. One moment he had been fighting, the next he had been gone.

Gilgamesh had to smile. Bounded Fields. She had trapped Berserker in a labrynth of interconnected Bounded Fields,

Fascinating. It wouldn't hold Berserker for long. What could she be planning?

He watched as she argued with Saber, pointing off to the west….

Gilgamesh looked. And smiled. He need wait only a few minutes for his bride to be to arrive.

This plan of Kirei's had better work. His life depended on it.

For Gilgamesh burned for Arturia. She was one of the few true treasures he did not yet possess.

But he would. Arturia would be his.

One way or another.

End Interlude

Ilya von Einzbern-

Ilya was scared. She was running out of time, and despite her calls for assistance she was still trapped.

Worse, she was afraid that her heroes would not be able to find her in time. Victor had not become one of the head designers for the Einzbern without a measure of intellect and subtlety. There had to be some reason why she hadn't been saved yet.

She lay tied and gagged in a box. It was so hard to remain awake now. But if she slept she would be gone, her mind overwritten.

She took a deep breath and began the sequence of exercises that would overload her massive magic circuit. With luck she could take Victor with her.

Ilya heard a scuffle and then a muted cry of pain.

The box was then opened and her savior removed the damn crown from her head. His voice was calm and stoic as he said, "I managed to get to you. But I may need your help getting us both out."

She dug into her deep memories, the memories she had inherited from her mother. And from Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern. "Don't worry, I think I can manage."

He helped her out of the box and she stretched her muscles. She examined his tall spare frame. And smiled. He might not know it but he was falling under her spell.

Ilya rummaged through her ancestors' memories. It was funny how all of them were so different in personality and yet some things remained the same. A certain attraction to former assassins.

Souichirou Kuzuki motioned to her, "Follow me."

Ilya smiled as some of the heavy duty spells her distant ancestor had owned that had earned her the title of Wizard Marshall. She was tired, yes. And sore.

But if anyone got in their way they would die. Ilya took it as a good omen as it began to snow.

And they made their escape.