Tales of a Faker Chapter 2, a fate/stay night fanfic

Title: Tales of a Faker

Pairing: Shirou/Rider as main pairing, Shirou/Rider/Rin/Ilya + maybe others later

Rating: M (For violence, language and adult situations)

Summary: AU from Heaven's Feel: What would have happened if, as Shirou decided to discard his ideals to save Sakura, Kotomine couldn't help her and she died, issuing a last order to her Servant to make a contract with Shirou?

Warnings: Descriptive violence, death, strong language, implied adult situations. No lemon expected for now, if ever. Spoilers for the V/N Fate/Stay Night. This story assumes you already have some basics in the scenario of the V/N in general and Heaven's Feel in particular.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero or any Type-moon or nasuverse reference. No money was earned (but if you want to donate me anything, feel free =D).

AN: Please be indulgent as it is my first story ^^ All constructive criticisms will be gladly and gratefully accepted!

Tales of a Faker

Chapter 2

Interlude

The church stood, isolated on the top of the hill. There were trees around it and a graveyard behind but no home or any building. On the ground, crawling from tree to tree, a shadow blended in the darkness and made his way to the graveyard. The shadow moved methodically and without precipitation, but with a speed and a precision that was unthinkable from a human. Suddenly, the moon, which had been hidden by the clouds until then pierced the night and, for a split second the white skull of the Servant Assassin shone, showing its smile to the world. Repressing a curse, the black-clad Servant crouched instantly behind a grave.

Assassin was worried. His Master had asked him to get something from the church. Normally such an order would be next to nothing for the experimented killer, but something about this location was chilling him out. The air seemed frozen around the church, but at the same time there seemed to be an unnatural livingness that wasn't making any sense. The contradicting feelings he got from the place were already bothering him, but if it wasn't enough, he was worried about the one living in the church. Assassin had only seen the priest once from afar, but it was enough to see that the man was more than a mere member of the clergy. The man had a natural oppressive aura and had the movements of a trained killer. Still, Assassin had a mission and he wouldn't fail. Using his innate ability to erase his presence, he suppressed his already low mana input to a near inexistent level and vanished from view. A heartbeat later, the backdoor of the church was opened and the Servant was inside.

The killer found himself in a stone room. Besides a wall there were a couch and a few armchairs with a low table, but it was the centre of the room that got his attention. There stood a stone bed, with a body lying under a white sheet. Taking the cover away, Sakura's body was revealed, in its preserved glory. It seemed the table got some stasis rune etched on it because, except for the absence of the tell-tale uprising of the chest and the lack of warmth, the corpse looked like it was still alive and just merely asleep.

"Hmmm, I wonder why the Magus wanted me to take his granddaughter's heart." Truly, the request from his master was odd, but it didn't matter to him: an order was an order and to reject a mission because he didn't understood the orders would be against everything he stood for. Putting his black coat aside, he was ready to use his use his arm to take the fallen girl's heart when suddenly he leapt back with all the strength he could muster and fixed himself on the ceiling. At the same time, three swords impaled themselves in the space he had just left.

"Oh, I thought a rat had infiltrated itself inside, but it seems I found a huge and ugly cockroach instead." An amused voice seemed to come from everywhere. Then a huge killing intent filled the room, sending the black Servant on the ground, kneeling. Footsteps could be heard coming, and a man appeared. He could be considered handsome with his gold blond hair and red eyes. His face was set in an arrogant expression of amused disdain. He was clothed in casual black jacket and jeans, with one hand in his pocket and the other still raised.

"W-wh-who are you? What are you doing here?" The normally cool and collected Assassin couldn't stop his stutter. Whoever this guy was, he was clearly dangerous. It was further proved when the killing intent permeating the room increased still, as the amused expression vanished from the blond man.

"An ugly cockroach like you dares to look at me and question me in such an insolent tone? You forget your place, mongrel. A lowly bug like you should creep on the ground while looking down. Only a true hero should be allowed to put his eyes on me." As he was talking, numerous weapons started to appear behind him coming from a ripple in the space-time.

"That's enough, Archer. Why don't we hear what was Matou Zouken's peon looking for in this place? After all, a holy place like a church shouldn't become a place of killing and bloodshed." The two Servants turned their head to the priest who had come unnoticed. As usual, Kotomine seemed to harbour a casual bored expression, with a hint of amusement but Assassin could tell immediately that the man in front of him didn't have the slightest opening for him to exploit. With a shake of his head, the red-eyed man made a gesture with his hand, making the weapons vanish.

"Well Servant of the dagger, Assassin, what do you seek in this place? What does your Master want so badly that he would break the rules and breaking in on the Supervisor's ground? Answer and your life may be spared." Even though neither the Servant nor the Priest were doing anything threatening, the black killer felt like a sword was poised on his throat, ready to slit it without the slightest hesitation. Without any choices, he could only answer truthfully.

"The magus who is my Master asked me to get a possession of his back: this girl's body to be specific." Assassin was slowly getting his composure back and was starting to plan how to escape. Oddly, his answer seemed to amuse the priest even more.

"Oh so this vampire wants his toy back? Well I can't really blame him. After all I examined it so I know what it can do. Very well Servant Assassin, you may take her back to your Master. But may this be a lesson for you: trespass on this holy ground again and your life shall be forfeited, Old man on the mountain." The black-clad Servant was taken aback for a few moments, but not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he quickly picked up the purple-haired girl's body and quickly made to the door. However, just before he could go to safety, a sharp pain flared on his right side, making him collapse on his knees. Looking at his side, he could see a straight black sabre, with an ornate hilt, which disappeared shortly after.

"So... you wanted ... to kill me... anyway?" Each word was accompanied by a fresh wave of pain.

"Don't flatter yourself, mongrel. You are not worthy of being slain by my blade. A cockroach like you should be crushed by a heel like the bug you are." Even though the golden-haired Servant had just pierced him with a sword, Assassin couldn't feel any enmity from him. However, the mere sound of his voice sent a shiver of fear in his spine. "No, this much won't kill a cockroach like you, but as you offended the King, it is only fair that you should be punished. From now on, when in my presence, you will feel fear as you should in front of your better. Now be gone, mongrel, your pitiful appearance doesn't amuse me anymore." With those last words, the blond man disappeared in a shower of gold motes.

Looking around, he could see that the priest had already left the room, leaving him alone with the corpse of Matou Sakura. As the injury on his side wasn't life threatening for now, he quickly picked up the body again and fled as fast as he could from the church.

"Are you sure it was wise to let the old vampire get the Black Grail back, Kotomine? This thing is just a disaster waiting to be unleashed." The blond Servant was casually sitting on the couch, drinking wine from the priest special reserve. Kotomine looked at the Servant with amused eyes.

"Oh, is that worry I hear in your tone, Gilgamesh? Worry for those poor humans you could kill without any care? I must say it is surprising."

"Of course I'm worried. Those humans are my toys. Only I, the King, should have the right to kill them or to let them live." The answer made the priest nod his head in understanding.

"Don't worry, King of Heroes, even though the old vampire shall get his puppet back, it won't be nearly as powerful as it would have been had Matou Sakura survived. The reason I let it go is because I want to see what will happen now. A normal Holy Grail War would be quite boring for us after all." At this, a smirk appeared on the King's face.

"As usual you do whatever you wish, Kotomine. Still you make things interesting so I'll humor you for now." The smirk then disappeared "But should this pawn break his chains, I'll destroy it" The Servant disappeared without a trace leaving a smiling priest behind.

While the black-clad Servant was on his way to get his puppet back, Matou Zouken was panting on the ground in the library of the Matou's mansion. Even after a few hours, the unholy pain he felt when the Worm Crest he had put in Sakura's heart was crushed was still as intense. Such pain would be equal to have your heart, lungs and liver pulled forcibly from your body. Any lesser men would have been rendered insane by now, but Zouken was different. After all, he had lived in a slowly rotting body for more than four hundred years now. Compared to the agony of feeling your body rot from the inside with every breath, the pain of having your organs crushed or torn apart wasn't so frightening. Still, it was painful and crippling, but in a few moments, the magus would be functional again.

After a few more minutes, the old magus took a deep breath and could stand up again. Now that the pain wasn't occluding his senses anymore, he could feel the link with his Servant again. It seemed Assassin had been injured while doing his mission but as it didn't seem to impede too much on his abilities, the worm user decided to let it be for now. After all, he had other things to do. Moving with a speed which belied his old appearance, Zouken went looking for the disappointment he called a grandson.

After knocking on the door a few times without getting an answer, Zouken's already thin patience totally disappeared and the door was blown away. Inside the room, sitting on the bed with an unfocused stare was Shinji. He looked surprised for a second at his grandfather's brutal entrance before his eyes gained a manic quality to them. The smirk on his face was no less insane

"So Grandfather, are you going to ridicule me as well? Are you going to tell me again what a failure I am and how Sakura is better than I will ever be? Sakura, Sakura, it's always Sakura. Well she'll see when she gets back-" A slap stopped him mid-rant as the old magus sent his grandson on the ground, clutching his face in pain. When the bug user talked, it was in a cold emotionless voice.

"Be silent, you imbecile. Your incompetence, I could have forgiven. After all, it isn't your fault you were born without magic circuits. But your arrogance is what almost caused my death and what made us lose a precious tool."

"What do you mean, 'losing a tool'? Sakura will be as obedient as-" A quick burst of killing intent silenced the blue haired boy.

"Because of your stunt at school, you provoked a powerful reaction in Sakura, which hastened her death. I can't believe that more than ten years of planning and cunning almost got wasted by the foolishness of a teenager." At this time, the black Servant Assassin dropped besides the old magus, a human figure in his arms. The sight made Shinji go green in the face, while Zouken got a smile on his face. This smile frightened the young man more than the corpse of his foster sister.

"Fortunately, it seems that not everything is lost. Even though you are a disappointment and a failure, I have decided to grant you your dearest wish, Shinji."

"W-what do you mean, Grandfather?"

"That's very simple Shinji. I'll make you a magus and the Matou heir. You see, even though you don't have the slightest magic circuit in your body, your genes are compatible with magical energy. Do you know how first generation magus made their magic circuits? It is said they take magical energy from their environment and use it through their nerves, actually transforming their nervous system into a makeshift magic circuit. This process is very painful but it is said that after enough time it is possible that a permanent circuit could be created. Normally the time needed would be too much for it to be useful but fortunately, I have a tool I can use to quicken the process." As he finished, a wet squelch could be heard as the black Servant plunged his arm into the girl's body and pulled back, tearing her heart away. He gave it to the old magus, who stared at it with undisguised glee and started to cackle manically.

"Ka kaka kakakaka, dear granddaughter, you thought you could escape my clutches but even in death you shall serve my goals." Suddenly, his laughter stopped short and he lowered his gaze to the child looking fearfully at him from the ground. He motioned to the killer standing beside him. "Assassin, take him to the training room." Before Shinji mutter a protest, he was picked up by the Servant and quickly taken to the underground room under Sakura's false bedroom.

It was a morbidly fascinating sight. The crypt-like basement had a very high ceiling and the walls were opened by numerous holes. Those holes were the last resting place of a lot of corpses, some from the ancestors of the Makiri's family but many more were random dead people. Those corpses were rotting which made the room an ideal nest for many kinds of bugs and worms. Even though the room should have been totally dark, a bit of light could make his way inside, colouring the whole crypt with a sickly dark green tint. However, the most fascinating, and disgusting, thing was the seemingly moving ground, which was actually a sea of bugs and worms. The room was filled by the numerous sounds the bugs were making. Shinji knew of this room. He had seen Sakura being trained numerous times after all and he didn't want to go through this torture. He tried to break free from the black clad killer, but his grip was too strong for him to do anything more than wiggle a bit. Stopping at the top of the last flight of stairs above the worm-covered ground, the old magus turned to Shinji with a horrible smile on his face. As he started to speak, all noise seemed to disappear as every bug turned eerily toward him.

"Here you are dear grandson. Your lifelong dream shall be accomplished: you'll become the newest heir of the Matou name. However, I have to warn you: the use of Sakura's heart to forcefully create magic circuit in your nervous system will be so painful that you won't keep your sanity or even yourself. But I think the loss of your mind and humanity for the ability to use magecraft sounds fair. Equivalent exchange is a basic law of magic after all Kekekekekeke." Cackling madly, the old magus raised the hand holding Matou Sakura's heart which got progressively covered in worms and in a violent move, thrust it inside the blue haired boy. As soon as the old man retracted his arm, Assassin threw Shinji on the ground below. The bugs and worms retracted for a moment to make space for him and then started to cover him wit an excited chatter. For a few seconds, Shinji could only feel detachment and a morbid fascination as he felt his body being covered by crawling worms, but then his whole self was assailed by pain. It was as if someone had taken all of his nerves and put melted iron in them. At the same time, he could feel the bugs worming their way inside of him, violating his body as the pain was violating his mind, tearing it apart. For a few seconds, who felt like an eternity to him, Shinji tried to endure the pain, but as his sight blackened, due to the worms covering his face, he could only feel despair as he started to scream. Even then his scream sounded like hysterical laughter. It was so funny: he had wanted to become a magus so bad, and now that he was granted his wish, he found that being normal wasn't so bad after all. So he could only laugh and scream in pain. His last thought was that at least, it was him that got Sakura's heart and not Emiya. With a last hysterical laughter, he knew no more.

Above, standing on the stairs, the old magus looked down with a pleased expression as the last part of his grandson's face got covered by the moving sea of bugs, and the laughter stopped.

"Kakaka, well done, Shinji. For the first time, you have made me proud." Cackling madly, the Matou patriarch went away, followed by his black Servant, leaving the room without looking back.

Back in the library, the old vampire focused his whole attention on the killer, who was clutching his side. The wound was dripping blood still. Even though a Servant couldn't die from blood loss, the wound was painful and would heal at a normal rate, as the Assassin class didn't have powerful healing abilities like the more noble Class.

"So, Assassin, what happened while you were looking for my puppet? I didn't think this priest could harm a Servant, even though he was an executor from the church. He shouldn't be able to wound you so much."

"He didn't. There was a Servant. The priest called him Archer. He was on a whole other level than any other Spirit I have ever seen. He was going to fire numerous weapons when the priest stopped him to interrogate me." The shrivelled old man kept silent for a few moments and then started to cackle insanely.

"Ka kaka kakakaka. So the golden king stayed in this world? Kotomine Kirei, you truly are an interesting man. You managed to keep a weapon so powerful for a decade without being noticed. What a fearsome individual." The old magus stopped his insane laughter and got a thoughtful face. "It means that Kirei knows what was inside of Sakura, but he still didn't stop it. As usual, it seems he will look for something entertaining in the sadness and sorrow of others."

"About that, what was the heart of this girl? It almost felt like ..."

"Like a Servant's one, didn't it? You see, Sakura was a bit of an experiment I started a decade ago. As you certainly know, during the fourth Holy Grail War, the prize was destroyed by the winner, which started the fire that destroyed a portion of Fuyuki. Still, nobody seemed to care about the fragments. I took one and morphed it into a piece of flesh I introduced into Sakura's heart, so she would become the physical embodiment of the Holy Grail. At this time, I only wanted to mimic the homunculus from the Einzbern family, but it seems my experiment was more successful than I thought."

"And what will happen, now that it has been sealed into this boy's body? Will he become ..."

"Yes, once the fusing process done, Shinji would have become the next vessel of the Holy Grail if he had been a magus. As he is, he will merely become a magical energy battery, with the ability to suck mana from the soul of others, like a Servant. As it has already absorbed the magical energy from Caster, Lancer and Saber, I will have a powerful weapon to win this war very soon." As the old man's insane cackle started once again, Assassin couldn't help but marvel at how twisted and broken humans could become.

It didn't matter either way. As long as Master and Servant shared the same goal, the magus would have his undying loyalty.

Interlude out

Interlude 2

The whole trip back from the church had been quiet. Feeling his Master rage, Archer had kept unusually quiet. Earlier he had taunted Emiya Shirou about his ideals but the brat hadn't reacted like he thought he would. The death of Matou Sakura had been unexpected and if he was honest with himself, a bit hurtful, even after all this time. However, in the end it meant that another Master was defeated and another Servant would disappear, unless Rider managed to make a new contract in the next few hours but the probability was very slim. Focusing back on the pigtail-haired magus, he crossed his arms as he leaned on the wall of her tea-room. Tohsaka Rin was sitting impassively, drinking tea but behind her stony mask, Archer could see that the girl was feeling rage and frustration.

"So Rin, what will happen now? Kotomine seemed to be sure you would still fight in this war, but I would like to hear from you what you intend to do." At his words, the little magus narrowed her eyes, which looked like blocks of azure ice.

"What are you insinuating Archer? Do you really think I am so weak that I would stop to fight? I am a magus and I fully intended to kill Sakura if it was necessary. Don't underestimate me: it is obvious we will still fight in the war." Her words only made the grin on Archer's face widen.

"I know you enough to see that under all of your magus composure, the death of Matou Sakura hit you hard. But it doesn't matter, I just hope it won't colour your judgement. If you are still willing to fight, I will obviously follow you, but it brings me back to my first question: what happens now? Who do you intend to fight?" Archer's tone was disinterested. It didn't really matter to him but he wanted to see how the girl in red would react to Sakura's death.

"There are only a few Servants left: Assassin, Berserker and you, if we assume Rider disappeared as well after Sakura's death. Normally, Assassin would be the obvious choice, but I'm afraid Zouken will have some trick up his sleeve. Besides the alliance between the Matou and the Tohsaka prevent me from attacking him first, unless we are the last Masters left. On the other hand, even if Berserker is insanely powerful, his Master seems to lack experience. It should be possible to infiltrate her domain and kill her before she can use her Servant." The servant in red stared at Rin with narrowed eyes.

"I see, but what of the kid? What will you do about Emiya Shirou? Even though he told you he would try to stop you, you never said anything about what was your plan concerning him. I find it strange, if you consider he would be the easiest target of them all."

"Are you serious Archer? Emiya-kun isn't a Master anymore so why would he be a threat to us? He told us himself: he doesn't have the power to stop this war by himself, that's why he came to us for an alliance. That much didn't change. He's still powerless. Don't you think we have more urgent things to do than plotting about someone who isn't even a factor anymore?" The white-haired Servant shook his head while sighing.

"It still amazes me how mature you can be for just about everything, but this kid can make you act childish to the point of foolishness. Make no mistake I never said he would be a threat. I just said that Emiya Shirou was an unknown factor which could be easily removed. Even if he can't harm us directly, he could do or say some things that could put us at a disadvantage. Why take the risk when we could resolve the problem quickly and efficiently?"

"That's enough Archer" Rin's sharp tone of voice admitted no objections. "I told you we would let Emiya-kun be for now. Should he oppose us on the battlefield, I will be the first to put him down, but for now and until he is determined to be a threat we won't actively pursue him. Is it clear, Servant?" Curiously, her answer made his cocky smirk appear again instead of making him mad. He gave her an exaggerate bow.

"Of course Master. I will do as you say. I'm glad to see that even with this weakness, you still have your priorities straight. So, what is the plan of action you intend to follow?"

"We will go to the Einzbern Castle tomorrow to talk with Ilyasviel and see if we can convince her to withdraw from the War. As Fuyuki supervisor, I don't want to terminate another magus if a peaceful solution can be found but if we can't convince her we will kill her before she can unleash Berserker. In the worst case scenario, I am confident we can retreat without too many complications. Even though Ilyasviel is magically powerful she doesn't know magic useful for fighting so she would be a burden on a battlefield. "

"Very well. This plan is reckless, but I agree that we don't have a lot of alternatives. Unfortunately, at this stage of the war, staying put is not really an option as the others will seek us anyway."

"That's what I thought as well. Anyway Archer, could you please look out for threats outside? I feel tired." The red Servant looked at her with an unreadable expression before sighing softly.

"Even though you are a magus, you are still a human. Sakura was your sister you are allowed to be sad for her passing away." His voice was unusually soft as he turned away and vanished in Spirit Form. As soon as Rin got to the safety of her bedroom, she collapsed on her bed, crying for the sister she would never get to know better, who would never call her 'onee-chan' ever again. As she cried, a crazy idea was born in her mind. She knew what the initial goal of the Holy Grail War was. If the Holy Grail was able to open a path to the Root, it should be possible to use it to call back Sakura's soul. Even though keeping the wish granting machine would grant a huge progress in thaumaturgy, calling back a soul was True Sorcery and as such she could explain her actions to the Clock Tower if it came to that. Now there were no more doubts in her mind: She would win this war and get the Grail at any cost. With her newfound resolve, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Interlude out.

I was lying on the ground. I could feel the soft grass under my back and the sunshine on my face. I could smell the salty odour of the sea from the wind, mixed with a sweet aroma, almost like honey. Opening my eyes, I was greeted by a blue sky, above a wild meadow. On my right, the sea was visible a few miles from my position but it was the sight just in front of me that got my attention. Three little girls were playing with flowers. They looked like two of them were eight or nine and the third was about four. Even though they were young they already had a fairy-like beauty that couldn't come from human lineage. From their similar looks, they were obviously siblings.

"Huh, how do you do it, Eury?"

"Now now Medusa, you don't have to put so much pressure on the flower or the stem will break and you won't be able to make your crown." It looked like the two eldest were teaching the youngest how to make flower crowns, and from the look of it, the pupil was quite clumsy. Focusing a bit more on the girl who was trying again to make her crown, I was surprised to look at a younger version of Rider. There was no trace of the emotionless face she had worn since I met her, just the innocent and expressive face of a little girl. What could have happened to her to kill her emotions like that?

"Yay, I did it! Look, look, isn't it pretty?" Flailing her arms with too much enthusiasm, the frail crown fell apart, making the little girl pout angrily. At this sight, her sisters couldn't help but burst in laughing. As Medusa clumsily started chasing after the older girls, I felt an odd sensation...

... And woke up in my futon.

"Hmmm, it was a weird dream. I wonder what it was about. The youngest girl was obviously Rider but who were the two others. She called one of them 'Eury'..." Suddenly, the proverbial bulb lightened up. Euryale and Stheno. Medusa's older sisters. The three of them were known as the Gorgons but only Medusa had the power of petrifaction, though she wasn't immortal as were the two eldest.

"Still, little Rider sure was clumsy, wasn't she?" I had some difficulty to link the picture of this innocent little girl, and the one of the beautiful but deadly woman she was now. I looked at the alarm near my bed and it indicated 5:45. It seemed I didn't oversleep like the day before. I still had a lot of time to make breakfast.

As I got up to get started on my day, pain raked my whole body as the bruises from the day before made themselves known again. With the pain came the sudden remembrance of the events from yesterday, banishing instantly every bit of my good mood. The room started to spin around me and I had to grit my teeth to stop the nausea.

Everything had happened: the fight against Rider, the truth about rider's true Master, which had been Sakura all along, Sakura going berserk and sucking magical energy from everybody, my conversation with Ilya and finally... learning about Sakura's death.

"Gurk..." I nearly lost the battle against my stomach and collapsed on my knees, my limbs shaking and cold sweat dripping along my spine. As I took a look at my left hand, I got the final proof I wasn't just living a very life-like nightmare. There laid the Command Spells, the holy mark of a Master in the Holy Grail War, the evidence of my recent contract with the Servant Rider. Speaking of which...

"Rider, come out please..." I took a deep breath. Being angry would accomplish nothing for now. I would have all the time to be sad and angry after the War but right now I had to focus on how to destroy this abomination they called 'Holy'. As I calmed myself a bit and could finally unclench my fists, I absently noticed the deep cut on my left hand had almost disappeared, even though it was still a bit stiff. I felt a shift beside me and a tall figure appeared from thin air.

"Good morning Rider." The gastric juice had mostly settled in my stomach and I finally felt calm enough to greet Rider as normally as I could. She stared at me with an unreadable expression for a few seconds before nodding briefly her head.

"It seems your body is doing fine. Your arms seem to move well enough and your hand doesn't bleed anymore." Huh, it seemed Rider wasn't someone for small talk and was more the type to go directly to the point. It was fine for now, but I hoped she would open a bit more in the future.

"Let's go to the dining room. I wanted to talk about some things and this way, we can eat at the same time." Rider only nodded and went instantly on my right side, about a step behind me. Rising an eyebrow at the display, I started thinking about the breakfast I would make and what kind of ingredients I still had.

"…"

"…Didn't you want to talk with me?" After a few minutes of tense silence, it was Rider who started the conversation.

We were sitting across from each other in the dining room. I had received a phone-call from Fuji-nee earlier where she told me that following Sakura's death, there were a lot of legal matters to take care of and that she wouldn't come to my house for a few days. To hear the normally unshakable hurricane that was Fuji-nee sound so broken and weak made me ever more determined to destroy this harbinger of death they called a Grail.

I made breakfast more out of habitude than anything else. Fortunately, there were still some leftovers from the day before and enough ingredients to make some miso soup but I mentally noted I would have to buy some groceries sooner or later. The food was on the table and we were eating. Well I was eating and staring intently at Rider, who did nothing more than sit there silently and stare back at me.

"Won't you eat anything?" I couldn't help myself. It seemed so wrong to sit at a table without eating, especially if there was food.

"I told you. I don't need food, so what is the point in eating?"

"You told me, but is it totally useless?"

"No. It can be used as a last resort if there isn't any magical energy transmitted from the Master to the Servant. I assume Saber needed to eat to replenish her magical energy? However in this case you provide me with magical energy. I think it's because this time, the summoning was correctly done. Does it really matter if I eat or not?"

"It does to me. I find it wrong and uncomfortable to eat while you are just sitting here looking at me. It looks as if I was starving you. I won't accept that a guest in my home won't eat my cooking." In the end, I was almost shouting when I stopped myself and bowed my head apologetically. "Sorry Rider, I didn't mean to get carried away like that but it would be easier for me if you were eating." The purple-haired Servant looked at me with a bemused expression before sighing.

"You truly are a very stubborn individual. Very well, for your peace of mind, I'll eat at the same time as you." She took her chopsticks and started eating in a fast but precise and neat way. It seemed Rider had the same mindset for eating that she had for anything else she did. I stared at her for a few more moments before shaking my head and focusing back on what needed to be said.

"Well, there were some things I wanted your opinion on, and some questions I wanted to ask you, if it's ok with you." At her curt nod, I elaborated. "First of all, I know I already told you, and you agreed with me, that our goal wasn't the Holy Grail. Not only do I not need it, but I want to destroy it with everything I have. What we need to talk about is our plan of action."

"More particularly which Servant or Master we should go after in priority." At my nod, she took a pondering position, which amazed me slightly as she was still destroying the breakfast with brutal efficiency. After a few moments, she looked back at me.

"I don't think it is a particularly difficult choice. We both know that we can't take on Assassin and Zouken together for now. You told yourself you wouldn't go against Berserker's Master for now so it only leaves Archer and his Master. Still, we have a small advantage for now."

Yes, the fact that Rider was still in this world was only known by the two of us. As long as I kept my head bowed, the other Masters wouldn't really have a reason to go after me and I could play that to my advantage. The only problem was that it would only work until my first battle against a Master. That and I didn't particularly want to fight Tohsaka if I could prevent it. Even though we had taken different paths, I still had a deep respect for her.

"For now, you think it would be better to keep low and do the maximum we can to increase our chances." It wasn't a question, so Rider didn't answer. She merely nodded once again. I noticed that she had put her chopsticks back on the table and was a bit awed when I saw that all the food had disappeared. Did every Servant eat this much? Shaking my head to chase away the distracting thought, I focused back on the conversation.

"I agree with you. As long as we don't find evidence of a Master killing innocent people, we'll avoid fighting as much as we can. Still, there is something I have to do before we make any other plan. I told you I owed Ilya, Berserker's Master. As every Master knows about the link between her and the Holy Grail, you can be sure there will be an attack on her sooner or later. I would like to go warn her about it, and asking her to formally ally with us."

"I won't deny I'm curious about your relation with Berserker's Master, but it doesn't matter. You are my Master, Shirou. If you want to go, I'll follow you, protect you, and if needed, I'll run away with you. This, I swore when I became a Servant." For a split second, I felt like a 'déjà-vu', as a similar conversation had occurred between a majestic blue-clad swordswoman and me. Even though they were two totally different people, their loyalty to their Master was exactly the same. I smiled at the impassive woman in front of me.

"Thank you Rider, it's good to know, but the same goes to you. If it is in my power to help you, I'll do it in a heartbeat." Even though I had only known her for a day, I was already quite fond of the quiet Servant. "But my question was more about how to get there. Knowing the way isn't an issue, as Ilya showed me the way in my mind, but I would like to know the time you would need to take me there. She's living in the great forest a bit out of town." Rider nodded her understanding and thought for a few seconds before turning back to look at me.

"It depends on several factors, but assuming I can get us a vehicle to ride towards the forest and then if I was to carry you within the forest, I should make it in about two hours." Wow, the tales about the Rider Class' speed weren't so far-fetched it seemed.

"That's good, I have a feeling events will come faster and faster as we reach this war's end. Still there is a last issue. As I am now, I'm barely a match for some Master, let alone a Servant. Even if you tell me that I have some potential as a magus, it won't do me any good if I'm dead before I can use magecraft. That's why Saber wanted to give me some sword training. It wouldn't do much against a Servant obviously, but it could keep me alive a bit longer. That's why I would like you to teach me how to fight." I bowed deeply to the purple-haired Servant who sat, arm crossed and her hand on her chin, pondering.

"Hmmm, I can't deny that you knowing how to fight wouldn't hurt. You seem to have a more than decent body and very good battle instinct so you just lack skills and experience. Unfortunately, our body types are way too different to teach you my style of fighting as you would lack the flexibility to perform it but I can give you battle experience by fighting against you. As for your magecraft, while I'm no magus, I hold some knowledge that could be of use." I was a bit surprised at her last words, but quickly berated myself. I had seen Rider create an entire bounded field, draw a summoning circle, and she could see magic circuits with her mystic eyes. It wasn't so outrageous that she would have knowledge of magecraft. I nodded excitedly at Rider while smiling brightly at her.

"Then, I guess I'll be in your care, Rider-Sensei!" Huh, was that a blush on her cheeks?

"Your guard is slow. You won't stop even one blow if you can't go faster!" Kicking my shinai from my grip, she thrust her nail to my face. Just before the blow would land, the weapon vanished, replaced by an opened palm which connected to my head, sending me flying a few feet away.

"Guh" Rider was certainly a slave driver. In some ways, she was even worse that Saber was, and Saber had been a harsh taskmaster.

It started a few hours ago. Taking in account Rider's speed, we agreed to leave at about ten o'clock so we could reach the Einzbern castle at around noon. Still it left us with three hours of nothing to do so Rider decided it would be a good time to assess my battle skills.

Flashback

"Err, Rider-san, are you sure you have to use your usual weapon just for a spar?" In front of me stood Rider, in her usual fighting stance, legs arched to give the most power, bending forwards so she could easily shift her mass centre and her chained nails poised to strike.

"There is no alternative. Unlike a swordsman, I can't easily replace those nails with a shinai or another practice weapon. But you don't have to worry. I am your Servant so it is impossible for me to harm you irremediably. The most you will get from this spars are some bruises." Oddly, even though I was glad I wouldn't die in such a stupid manner as by friendly strike, the matter-of-facts tone of voice she had taken while telling me I would get bruised sounded ominous. Still it was what I was looking for so I nodded hesitantly and took a ready stance with my shinai. Before I could even blink, I felt pain in my right arm as Rider pushed the shinai away, and my breath was lost as an opened palm stroke me in the guts.

"That was the first death. As soon as you take a stance, you are liable to get attacked so you have to be ready." She leaped back and landed in her fighting stance.

As I could breathe again and as I readied my weapon again, a small part of me couldn't help but ask itself how the purple-haired Servant could sound so seductive while saying she would beat me up.

Flashback end

Now here we were, about two hours later. It had gone basically the same as the first bout as I was mercilessly beaten each time. Still, I felt some improvement: the last few spars, I had been able to dodge her first strike, and even sometimes, the follow-up attack that would come instantly after. The fighting style she used was quite tricky, as not only did she use two weapons, but the chain itself could be used as a weapon, a shield or a restraint. If it wasn't enough, her physical abilities were truly amazing.

As I stood and went to pick up my shinai, I thought about the different battles I had seen Rider fight in. So far I had seen her fight three times: the fight against Assassin had been so one-sided on Rider's side that I didn't get anything that would help me against her. The battle with Saber had been interesting but I couldn't use the blue swordsman's style as I didn't have either her instincts or raw magical power. On the last battle however, the way Archer fought had been burned in his mind. It had already occurred the first night, when he had seen the battle between Lancer and Archer. Unlike the spear master or Saber, Archer's style didn't seem so inhuman. I got the feeling it was a style that even a normal human could master after years of training. The other reason why I couldn't remove Archer's style from my mind was the weapons he used. Chinese falchions in Yin and Yang colours. I didn't know why, but just thinking about those blades was striking a chord deep inside me.

Well it was not like I had anything to lose. After picking my first shinai, I went picking another from the rack on the side. Rider stayed silent, but I could feel her full attention on the second weapon I took. I closed my eyes for a second, and then nodded to the purple-haired Servant. She immediately rushed at me and threw one of her nails towards my neck. In a split-second, I remembered her using the same technique against Archer the day before. My body moved on instinct and the shinai in my left hand managed to come just in time to deflect the thrust, while I threw my right arm in a high backswing to block the slash from the second nail. The shinai shattered and my whole right arm went numb from the shock but I didn't pay it attention as I used all my strength to slash at the Servant with my left arm. Before it came midway to her neck, Rider's arm stroke like a snake, grasped my wrist and projected me on the ground.

"Urgh" Once again, I lost my breath as my back hit the wooden ground. Well it was to be expected. What would it says if I could beat a Heroic Spirit with some half-assed mimicry? As I got back up on my feet, I noticed Rider wasn't in a fighting stance, but had her arms crossed in a pondering fashion.

"Hmmm it seems you truly have good physical abilities. Your strength and resilience are very high, though you are a bit slow. You seem to know the very basics in swordsmanship, more likely Saber's work. However, during the last bout, you didn't use Saber's style, more like you were trying to copy..." Wow, as expected from a battle-hardened Servant. She could give an accurate assess of my skills in just a few bouts.

"Yeah, I tried to use Archer's style. I don't know but when I saw him fight, his moves seemed to be familiars for some reason and ..." I stopped abruptly as I noticed the impassive look Rider was sending my way. Somehow, it seemed blanker than usual. And then it hits me like a ton of bricks.

"Sorry Rider. I know he's an enemy and here I am, using his style. I'm very sorry." I bowed to her, clapping my hands in apology. After looking at me for a few seconds more, Rider sighed and shook her head in a bemused fashion.

"No, it's nothing. After all, I agree his style seems to suit you so if it can keep you alive, I won't complain. Anyway, even if you can follow me a bit while I'm moving at superhuman speed, you won't be anywhere near a match for a Servant. Still, you should be able to dodge the first strike and maybe have the time to call for me with a Command Spell. There is hope for you to make it through this war in relatively good shape it seems."

Oh, was Rider teasing me? From what I knew of the Servant I would have discarded the notion as foolish but when I looked at her face, I was sure there was a small upward curve on her lips. I pointed accusatory at her.

"Rider, did you just tell a joke and smile?" Damn, once again my mouth went off before thinking.

"I certainly did not." Truly, there was no trace of smile on her lips, and was it just me or did her voice sound more emotionless than usual? Comparing her expressionless self in front of me, and the little Rider from my dream, I couldn't help but think a smile would suit her better.

"Pity, I think you would be even prettier than you usually are if you were smiling mo...re o...ften." My voice trailed on as my mind processed what I was saying. "Err I think I'll shut up for now?" I half-said, half-asked to the frozen Servant standing in front of me.

"..."

"Err, Rider, are you ok?"

"... It doesn't matter. Shirou, weren't you the one who wanted to go to the Einzbern castle? It is nearly ten." As soon as she finished, she vanished in Spirit Form.

"As I thought, she's definitely pissed off ..."

Interlude

"Remind me once again why it is you that holds the map?" The tone was bored but the sarcasm could be felt, just below as the Servant Archer looked at his Master with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you implying, Archer?" The pigtailed girl stared back at her Servant with a beatific smile. Said Servant just smirked at her while crossing his arms.

"Nothing in particular. Just that if we were to follow this map, we should have reached the Einzbern castle about an hour ago. Are you sure we're on the right way, Rin?" The smile vanished on Rin's vanished instantly, replaced by a twitching eyebrow.

"Now, see here... Is it really my fault this map isn't accurate when it comes to distance? Anyway, I'm sure we're not far from the castle." The girl in red said, trying to project more confidence than she was really feeling. She paused as she noticed her Servant wasn't paying attention to her, looking a bit further away.

"Well, what do you know, we ARE close to the castle after all." Archer was talking with an amazed tone of voice as he shook his head. The black-haired Master harrumphed while turning her head away.

"Humph, that's what you get for doubting me."

"Well at first I didn't want my boundary field to grant you access to my home, but your old married couple routine is getting boring." A sweet giggling voice was coming from the trees surrounding the pair.

"Ilyasviel..."

"Hehehe, did you really you could sneak in my forest without me knowing, Rin? How cute. But what kind of host would I be if I didn't invite you for tea."

The red Servant and Master walked slowly towards the castle, only to be greeted by their host, sitting on a small table, sipping tea. Seeing them, the snow-fairy-like girl stood and did a curtsy.

"Greetings, Rin. I'm glad to see you here. Did you come to surrender? If so, I'll accept your apologies and let you live." She smiled an innocent smile and giggled sweetly.

"You misunderstand, Ilyasviel. I came here to formally ask you to withdraw from this war. If you refuse to surrender your Command Spells, I'll have to terminate you and your Servant." In contrast to Ilya's childish behaviour, Rin's face was stony and her voice didn't betray any emotion. It didn't seem to bother the snow daughter as she calmly sipped what was left of her tea and then pierced the older girl with her ruby eyes.

"What do you hope to do, should you get the Holy Grail, Rin? Do you really think you could use what almost destroyed Fuyuki with impunity? Do you even know what the Holy Grail is really?" Gone was the childishness. Only the Einzbern's Master was left, a homunculus whose whole purpose was to embody the Holy Grail.

"I know enough about it. Anything else is irrelevant. I'll ask you a last time, Ilyasviel von Einzbern: will you withdraw from the Holy Grail war, or will you accept your death as a Master?"

"You know, I pity you, Rin. At first I thought Onii-chan was the most distorted person I ever saw, but it seems your distortion goes pretty deep as well. Always making your gentle side and your magus side coexist, it is no wonder you act the way you are. Still, you came to my home and asked me to fight. It's unfortunate for Onii-chan because he likes you, but neither of you will walk away alive." Even though the albino girl had a sad smile on her face, it was belied by the huge magical energy swirling around her small frame and the glowing of a gigantic Command Spell engraved all over her body.

"Are you kidding me? How could you have such a command spell? Unless you are ..." The pigtailed Master could only stare in horror at the little girl.

"You are right, Rin. I am a homunculus created by the Einzbern family with only one goal: bring back the Holy Grail to the family. As such, surrender and defeat are not allowed for me. Kill them, Berserker."

A loud roar resonated in the clearing. From behind the albino Master, a giant with black skin and a sword as tall as some grown men rushed at the opposing Master and Servant pair.

"Archer, do what you must to stop Berserker while I'll take care of the Master." Rin took a jewel out of her pocket and darted to the side, away from the knight in red and the oncoming dark giant. As soon as she hit the ground, she threw her jewel at Ilya. The gem unleashed huge magical energy toward Ilya. The white-haired Master just looked at it disinterestedly and with a gesture, cancelled the spell.

"Fufufu, did you really think you could hit me with such a simple attack? You really are a naive girl, aren't you Rin?"

Meanwhile, Berserker had reached the red-clad Servant and brought down his stone sword to cleave him in half. Archer leaped back as twin swords of Yin and Yang appeared in his hands. Not a second after, the two falchions were spinning like a circle of death and arched to strike the giant in his blind spot on his neck.

...Only to be deflected by the mad warrior's hard skin, not leaving even a scratch.

"Tche, as expected from Heracles. I won't be able to harm him with such low ranked attacks." Even though he seemed to be as a disadvantage, the red knight's face was twisted in a cocky smirk. "Come on, big guy. I will show you the power of an archer." Gathering mana in his legs, Archer jumped on top of a tree.

"Trace, on –"A black bow as tall as he was appeared in his hand. This bow was too thick to be able to launch normal arrows but that was fine. It wasn't used for normal archery after all. In his right hand, a long golden spear could be seen. The spear glowed with a soft golden light, and a continuous stream of blood seemed to be coming from the tip of the spearhead to the end of the pole. In a blink, the spear was changed into a smaller and thicker version of itself that the bowman in red knocked into the bow. Red lightning started to crackle around the arrow as Archer overloaded its magical capacity, making it unstable, making it dangerous, making it broken.

Feeling a real threat, Berserker instantly stopped his mad charge and brought his sword in an intercepting way. However, it was too late as the red knight had already let his arrow loose. The wind hurled as the missile zeroed on the giant, piercing his side with a wet sound. The smirk on Archer's widened.

"Be gone." Those were his only words as he snapped his fingers. The arrow still deeply rooted in Berserker's side glowed brightly before engulfing the Servant in a huge explosion.

The snow daughter could only look in shock at the spot where her Servant was.

"How... How could a nameless archer kill Berserker? Just an arrow shouldn't have been able to pierce berserker's skin."

"Don't underestimate me, daughter of the snow. This spear was said to have pierced God Himself."

Shock was replaced by anger as the white haired magus glared at Archer

"I won't forgive you. I definitely won't forgive either of you."

Rin was also shocked at her Servant, but focused on her battle and took the opening left by the white-haired girl.

"I got you!" But as she was closing on Ilya, a sudden instinct made her dive sideways. A moment later, a gigantic halberd slashed at the space where her head just had been. The weapon was hold by a girl with a striking resemblance to Ilya, but looking older. Another girl with the same face, but set in a stern expression had made her appearance besides the little Master.

"I won't allow you to harm Ilya." The girl holding the halberd talked in a dreamy monotone.

"Leysritt, I have already told you not to call Ilyasviel-sama with such an informal name." The stern girl said in a scolding voice.

"Sella, Leysritt, you are late. What were you doing?"

"Our deepest apologies Ilyasviel-sama. But now that we are there, we will take care of the intruders." Sella took a ready stance, as did Leysritt.

"Humph, I didn't want to use this trump card now, but three on one are not good odds for me." Rin muttered angrily as she took out three glowing jewels. "Spirits of stone, Spirit of ice I ask of you; Gather around me and bind my foe." The incantation released the magical energy stored in the gems. The first was used to summon the power of ice, the second to summon the petrifying power of earth and the last was to create a synergic effect between the two that would reinforce the spell. Immediately, a gale of magical energy blew around the Master and her two maids. As it stopped, the two maids had been restrained in an ice coffin, reinforced with stone. However, the snow fairy hadn't been caught.

"That spell was very powerful, Rin. If I didn't have such a high ability to dispel magic around me, I would have been caught as well. Unfortunately, Leysritt and Sella don't have this ability."

"It doesn't matter anyway. Your Servant has been killed and your bodyguards are useless for now. You have lost, Ilyasviel."

However, instead of the defeated look Rin wanted to see on the Einzbern Master, the white-haired girl started to giggle.

"Fufufu. I'll admit your Servant's attack was amazing. It even managed to kill Berserker. However, are you familiar with the legend of Heracles? He had to accomplish twelve labours. Twelve tasks, rumoured impossible for anybody. But he managed to accomplish them and as a reward, was made immortal to sit among the gods." Dawning realization came to the pigtailed girl's face. "Yes Rin, here is the Noble Phantasm of my Berserker: God's Hand." At this words, an angry roar filled the clearing again as the smoke from the explosion dissipated, revealing the black giant, without a scratch on him.

"Are you serious? This monster has a stock of resurrection sorcery on him?" In comparison with his freaking Master, Archer kept his cool.

"It doesn't change anything. We just have to kill him until he stays dead." Instantly, the Lance of Longinus was again in his hand. With an expert move, the arrow was knocked and let loose in a blink of eyes. The aim was true and the arrow went to Berserker's side again, but shattered harmlessly as soon as it touched the skin.

"What?" Both Servant and Master were dumbfounded as the giant just shrugged the weapon which had killed him just a few moments ago.

"Fufufu, God's Hand isn't just a stock of resurrection sorcery. It also tremendously hardens Berserker's skin and makes him immune to what has already killed him. It is impossible to kill Berserker twice in the same way." The little Master concluded, giggling happily.

Meanwhile, the mad warrior had charged the tree Archer was on top of and destroyed it like a toothpick with his axe-sword. While in mid-air, using the skill granted to him by a lifetime of training and battle, Archer was able to keep calm and launch his counter attack.

"Trace on-." Magical energy gathered in the red knight's hands as a gigantic zambatou made its appearance. It was dark as night, with a fifty centimetres grip and a two metres blade. The kanji for loyalty was etched on the guard. "Yue-Fei!" Calling its true name, Archer used the momentum gained from falling and added it to the weight of the sword. Berserker managed to deflect the blow with his own sword, but couldn't avoid the loss of his left arm, which was cleaved cleanly from the shoulder down.

"Tche, I missed" The Archer leaped back to avoid a swing from the wounded giant but got a gash on his thigh because of the air pressure from the blow. "Damn, even wounded he can use this sword with so much strength. As expected from the one said to be the strongest Hero."

Meanwhile, the two Masters were gobsmacked from the display.

"Archer, you truly are..." Rin could only stare at her Servant, holding his ground against the juggernaut and winning so far.

"Are you serious? At first this spear, now this sword... It's like he's projecting Noble Phantasms. Just who is he?" Again, the huge Command Spell engraved on her body glowed as anger filled her. "Stop playing around and kill him, Berserker. You won't be defeated by a nameless archer." An ominous red fog gathered around the black giant as the mad enhancement was totally let loose. With the dramatic increase in strength and speed, Archer had just the time to project Kanshou and Bakuya and cross them to parry the blow. Even then, he was sent flying like a ragdoll, and was painfully stopped by a tree.

"Archer!"

"Fufufu, even if your Archer is quite interesting, he won't ever win if it is a contest of pure physical strength against my Berserker."

Indeed, the red knight was running for his life as the mad warrior was following him, destroying trees and boulders standing in his way as if they were nothing.

"If I take another blow like the last, my arms won't hold on. It seems I will have to get creative to win this fight." Having run almost a full circle after being sent flying, Archer had come back into the clearing where the castle stood. Even though he would have a height advantage if he could stay on top of a tree, Berserker would be able to destroy any heightened place he could find so a clear battlefield was better for him as it would allow him to dodge attacks more easily. As he was waiting for the giant to come out from the forest, his bow appeared again in his hand.

"I am the bone of my sword" A drill-like sword was created and quickly altered into a form more suited to an arrow. Once again, he filled the missile with magical energy to make it broken, and let it loose at the mad warrior. "Caladbolg" The sword flew true and exploded on contact, shredding Berserker's left side and destroying his heart, left lung and part of his stomach. Then, as if time was going backwards, the damages undid themselves and the left arm was fully regenerated. The glowing red eye lit again as the giant stood up with his battle roar.

"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood" A new weapon appeared in the red knight's hand. This time it was a superb sword, with an ebony grip and a blade which seemed to reflect the sunlight even in the darkest of places. A holy sword given by an angel and said to be able to grant three miracles. As the holy sword was lifted to block the upward slash from the heavy stone sword, it held its ground without faltering. As the black giant swung his weapon in a whirlwind of death, each strike was met by the seemingly indestructible blade.

"I have created over a thousand blades" After it met yet another strike from the mad warrior, the blade started to glow brightly as its innate power was about to be used.

"Kill it, Durandal" As its true name rang, the sword's ability activated, transcending reality as a miracle occurred and the blade cleanly cleaved Berserker's head off his shoulders.

A few yards away, the two Masters could only gape in amazement at the battle. Part of the forest had been shredded and the earth bore gouges and scars from the blows. Still each Servant was going stronger and stronger.

Rin couldn't make head or tails from the situation. Nothing made sense. How could a mere Archer use so many different Noble Phantasms? So far, she had counted at least two Noble Phantasms from totally different legend so it didn't make sense that a lone Hero could use them.

On the other side, Ilya was getting worried. Even though it shouldn't have been possible, the so-called nameless Archer had taken three lives from Berserker. If it went on, there was even a possibility that Berserker would lose and she couldn't let that happen.

"Berserker, come back to me and kill Archer's Master" The Command Spell glowed and space-time was distorted as reality rearranged itself to move the mad warrior besides the winter daughter, in striking range from Rin.

"Unknown to death, nor known to life. As if I would let you. Rho Aias!" The killing blow from Berserker's weapon got stopped as a flower-like shield appeared in front of Rin. A seven-petal shield which every petal was said to be as strong as a castle wall. Still, Heracles had been known and revered for his colossal strength so his blows started to destroy the great shield. Already did the first petal fall and the second was well on his way down.

"Have withstood pain to create many weapons. Divine skills, flawless and firm." The twin swords shone again in his hands and were immediately thrown towards the giant. Like the first time, they were deflected. "Our strength rips the mountain and our swords split the water." Only to be replaced by another pair which was promptly thrown again. The four swords danced in the air before coming down simultaneously on Berserker and engulfing in a great explosion. "Our names reach the imperial villa; the two of us cannot hold the heavens together." A third pair of twin swords appeared and were filled to the brim with magical energy, making them unstable. To compensate, they took a elongated form which made them look like wings in white and black. Archer fell like an angel of fury on the mad warrior and slashed him with the two over edged weapons. As soon as he stroke, he picked up Rin and leapt back as the weapons became broken, freeing their entire magical energy, killing Berserker for the fourth time.

"Berserker!" Ilya's voice was filled with fear for the first time since the start of the battle. She had thought the battle would be easy as Berserker would crush anyone standing in his way, yet this enemy not only could keep with the mad warrior, but was actually beating him.

"Berserker, we're retreating, else we'll die!" The panicked little Master was nearly hyperventilating. Once again, the dark giant regenerated himself and picked his little Master before kicking the ground towards the forest.

Meanwhile, Archer had taken his bow once again and made another weapon appear in his hand. It was a spear, thick and with a huge spearhead, like it was made to destroy huge creatures.

"Yet those hands will never hold anything. As if I would let you run away. Go, Ascalon." The arrow was let loose and its aim was true. Berserker had just the time to drop his charge on the ground, before she was caught in the powerful attack. The spear, specially created to hunt and kill Phantasmal Beasts and supernatural creatures once again found the giant's heart, ending his life for the fifth time. Ilya was whimpering besides his fallen but recovering form.

The red knight was walking slowly towards the opposing pair. His face was carefully blank. Behind him, Rin had finally managed to school her face into a neutral mask. She would have time later to grill her Servant on his abilities and why he didn't say anything about them earlier. For now, they needed to destroy the black giant once and for all.

"So, as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works." The aria was completed. A burst of fire circled around the four, and behind the fire, only hard red ground was left. Soon, the clearing and the castle had disappeared, replaced by a deserted landscape. The air was saturated with dust and the sky was filled with monolithic gears, slowly turning. In the background was the faint sound of thousands of hammers, striking iron. And swords. Thousands of swords, hundreds thousands of swords, maybe more.

"Welcome to my world." Archer's voice was a paradox. The words were both filled with pride, but equally filled with bitterness.

The snow daughter was too shocked to say anything, while the mad warrior couldn't care less. However, the pigtailed Master couldn't help herself.

"Reality Marble... the power to rewrite reality with the caster's own inner world. One of the greatest and forbidden arts, bordering on true Sorcery. Archer, you..."

"This world would be my symbol as a Heroic Spirit. It represents my ability to store and copy any weapon I have ever seen. As you can see, there is an infinity of swords here. Some of so bad quality not even the lowest scum would use them, and some so exquisite that kings would sell their kingdom to get them. Before I destroy your body, you will take some more of them, Berserker!" The red knight lifted his arm and made a sharp downward gesture. Immediately, a rain of steel poured on the white-haired Master and her black Servant.

In the end, it wasn't a fight but an execution. At first, Berserker tried to fend against the falling weapons with his stone sword, but with the sheer number of diverse weapons threatening not only him, but his shaking Master, soon he could only use his body to protect her from the deadly rain. If Berserker had been alone, maybe it would have turned different as the mad warrior could have charged through the rain to attack the red clad Servant but as it was, Berserker took several hundred swords before the rain stopped. Still, pierced as he was, and with more than a fourth of his body missing, the black giant still raised on his feet, in a last act of defiance against the one who had threatened his Master. His core had been hit so many times, his stock of resurrection sorcery was totally depleted and his body would disappear anytime now, but Berserker still found the strength to raise his sword and roar a last time to his enemy, before a last sword found his eye, sent by the bored-looking knight in red.

Berserker fell down and disappeared in a multitude of motes of light. As soon as the giant disappeared, Archer was in movement. Letting the Reality Marble vanish, he ran to Ilya with Kanshou and Bakuya ready to strike. The girl was still shaking and in shock so she didn't even acknowledge the coming Servant. But as the sword was descending on her slender neck,...

"Rider, save Ilya!"

... A rip in the fabric of reality was made, as a long purple-haired black clad Servant came, picked up the shivering girl and leapt back a hundred metres.

"Emiya-kun?"

Interlude out

"Urgh, I think next time we'll leave a bit earlier if it means you won't ride so fast."

I was a bit green in the face from the trip to the Einzbern forest. Truly, she had shown me how she got her Class. Indeed, her riding skills were praiseworthy, but I was still a bit sick while thinking about how we were going at more than two hundred and ten kilometres per hour with a car so old. Still I couldn't stay mad when the normally expressionless Servant was looking at me with such a sheepish expression. This was reinforced by the fact that Rider was in casual clothes. From what I understood, there had been clothes for her in Sak- her luggage. It seemed she had wanted to introduce Rider to us some time or another. It was a simple black jean and a black polo with a little Pegasus sewn on the left side of her chest but it still made her look cute. What was the killer blow for me was the lack of blindfold. It seemed Rider could use some sort of glasses in place of her blindfold with the same effect. For now, those grey eyes were looking at me with a slightly contrite expression, and I felt as if I had kicked a puppy.

"My apologies, Shirou. It's just that it was the first time I rode a vehicle that could go so fast without it being a phantasmal beast."

"Ah, no it's not really a problem. It's just that I feel a bad about the owners of the car." I answered her while rubbing the back of my head. I wasn't very proud of the fact we had effectively stolen an old taxi from the station but it was a case of ends justifying the means. The car had been old and not used for a long time anyway.

As we entered the Einzbern forest, I could feel the boundary field washing around our form, warning Ilya about our presence I guessed.

"Very well Shirou. You told me you knew the way to the castle so I'll carry you and follow your directions." In a burst of magical energy, Rider was dressed in her battle outfit. I couldn't help but becoming beet red as the implication of her carrying me. I was still a red blooded male and being so close to a gorgeous female was prone to bring a reaction out of me. Still since we got out the taxi, I had been focused on the task at hand so I shook the unnecessary thought out of my head. I nodded once to Rider and let her wrap her arm around my waist while I did the same.

For some time, we travelled in silence, just broken when I was giving her the directions to follow. For some reason though, a loud head ache was pounding in my head and I felt a nausea creeping down on me, increasing as we were approaching the castle. Rider looked at me in concern, but didn't say anything.

However, as we came closer to the castle, a huge roar broke the quiet of the forest and the ground was shaking badly.

"That was Berserker. There have to be another Servant near. Let's be careful, Shirou." Rider warned me as she let me down. We started running to the clearing where I knew the castle stood...

... And stopped frozen at the sight greeting us.

"Reality marble. Which Servant could have a so powerful ability?" Rider's voice sounded awed but I couldn't pay attention to her words.

It wasn't the first time I had seen this sight. Still it made me fall on my knees as I was fighting to keep my last meal in my stomach. My headache was splitting my head open at this point. Still I couldn't take my eyes away from the desolate landscape in front of us. Again, I could feel both the rightness and wrongness of this world and it was tearing me apart.

Meanwhile, after taking several hundred blades to protect his Master, Berserker made a last stand to defy the knight in red. Even though Archer seemed bored, I could see the faint smirk on his lips as he sent a last sword to pierce Berserker's brain through his eyes. As the black giant started to disappear, Archer closed on Ilya with the twin swords that had fascinated the last times I had seen him fight.

Magical energy burst briefly inside me as I looked at the blades and suddenly, informations about their history, abilities and origins filled my mind. Kanshou, the yang blade, black as night with red hexagonal patterns in respect for the blood sacrificed to forge them, and Bakuya, white as a cloud on the blue sky. Those weren't forged as a tool of war, but to test one's limits on craftsmanship. As such, those blades lacked pride, and the desire for greatness. However, they were one, swords which would eternally seek each other even if separated by a thousand kilometres.

I blinked and came back to my sense. Even with Rider's speed, she wouldn't be able to stop Archer from beheading the little girl crying on the ground. Still I had to try.

"Rider, Save Ilya". As the words left my mouth, I felt a sharp pain in my left hand. A Command Spell glowed red before vanishing. I could feel space and time distort as the world moved my Servant from my side to Ilya. The black clad Servant picked up the crying snow fairy and fell back one hundred metres away.

"Emiya-kun?" Tohsaka seemed to be really shocked to see me. Well I could understand her as here I was, fighting as a Master in the Holy Grail War again, with a Servant, no less. Still I didn't have time to ponder about her reaction as Archer threw his twin swords at me.

Oddly, instead of panicking, my mind was calm and I could clearly see the incoming weapons. Even though they were fast and deadly, their speed was nothing in comparison to Rider's. Moreover, I knew those blades. I had seen their history and the years of experience. I brought my reinforced wooden swords up and managed to deflect the circle of death, but my makeshift weapons shattered. It was to be expected. Reinforced wood would never stand against a Noble Phantasm, whatever rank it was. I braced myself for the following attack, but I saw Rider using her nails to prevent Archer from coming closer to me. Still I could see the deflected blades coming back, homing on me again.

Reacting on instincts, I felt magical energy flowing in my circuit, the one which had been awoken by my contract with Rider. As I took a look inside me, I could see the swords, waiting in my mind, a word away from appearing in the world.

"Trace on-"In a split second I followed the seven steps which would create the weapons.

Judging the concept of creation, hypothesizing the basic structure, duplicating the materials, imitating the skills of its making, sympathizing with the experience of its growth, reproducing the accumulated years and excelling every manufacturing process.

My hands were poised to grip the handle of swords which had yet to appear. And suddenly, I felt them. I didn't have to look at my hands to know that copies of the twin blades were there, ready to strike. As the twirling circles of death were closing on me to take my head, I felt the blades in my hand move by themselves, my body following the movement. In a dual slash, the four weapons clashed and destroyed each other. The backlash of the destroyed weapons was enough to make me step back, and the headache came stronger than ever.

I felt someone land beside me, and I saw the purple-haired Servant, still holding Ilya looking at me with a worried expression. Even in this situation, I couldn't help but be glad for the emotion on the usually machine-like Servant.

On the other side of the clearing Tohsaka had got over her shock and was now looking at me with calculating eyes. On her side was the red knight, glaring at me, but looking tired. Even though it didn't seem like he was harmed too badly during his battle against Berserker, it seemed he had used a lot of magical energy. In comparison, Rider was nearly at full capacity and even though she was a bit weaker than she could have been, she as still more than a match for the enemy, right now. Tohsaka seemed to come to the same conclusion, as she made face.

"Tche, we're at a disadvantage for now. No matter, we still destroyed Berserker. Come Archer, we're leaving." Just before she left the clearing, she looked at me a last time, and even from the distance, I could clearly see the conflicting emotion in her eyes. "Why, Emiya-kun? Why did you have to become a Master again?" Her voice was soft and there was a pleading quality in it, but before I could gather my thoughts to answer, she had already turned away and left. The knight in red glared a last time at me before vanishing in Spirit Form.

Putting Ilya down on the ground, Rider looked at me in question.

"Should I follow them?" The question was valid. Tohsaka was an enemy and it looked like her Servant wasn't in optimal fighting condition right now. Still...

"Don't. Even though Archer seems weakened, we don't know for sure how weak he really is. And Tohsaka is a powerful magus. Even though she won't be able to deal you damages directly with your magical resistance, she could still be enough of a distraction to allow Archer to kill you. Moreover... I don't think... I'll stay... awake... for a lot longer."

Surrendering to my headache and, now that the adrenaline rush had gone away, feeling numb areas in my body, I closed my eyes and fell in the darkness.

I stood again on this desolate landscape, surrounded by swords. However I now knew what it was supposed to be. On my side, I could make out the shape of the twin swords that almost killed me and saved my life. Kanshou and Bakuya. Further away, I could hear the sound of battle. As I looked at it, I saw the knight in red, fighting against numerous foes. It was strange though. I couldn't feel any enmity, or any other emotion from Archer. It was almost like looking at a machine, killing out of duty and nothing else. Even though I hated the red Servant with all my heart, I still couldn't help but feel wrong at seeing him so cold and distant, as if nothing else mattered. After avoiding a blow, our eyes locked on each other, even though I didn't think he could see me. Still I could hear his emotionless voice resonating in this world.

"This is the path of a Hero..."

With those words, darkness engulfed the world and I knew no more.

Weapons used.

Gilgamesh:

He used a nameless sword whose legend will inspire the Colada Sword, owned by El Cid Campeador. This sword was said to inspire terror to unworthy opponents, if it was wielded by a brave warrior. This weapon would only work on people lacking a moral code, and even then, if the opponent has a magical resistance or mental resistance high enough, he would only feel some pressure, which would decrease the higher the resistance was.

Archer: (in the order they appeared in the chapter with the exception of Kanshou and Bakuya).

Spear of Longinus: A holy weapon said to have pierced Jesus-Christ's side when he was on the cross. This spear was said to have been found by the knight of the round table Percival. From its legend, this spear's piercing power is decupled if the opponent is of divine descent, which is why it was so efficient against Heracles.

Zambatou of Yue-Fei: Yue-Fei was a general of the Chinese Empire during the Song Dynasty. Known for his undefectible loyalty, he was a tactical genius and was said to be one of the first to use the zambatou as a viable weapon against cavalry.

Caladbolg: A demonic sword owned by the Irish Hero Fergus mac Roich. This sword is said to have the power to raze three top hills. It could be considered the natural enemy of Cu Chulainn as he had a geass on him, which would oblige him to lose once against this sword if Fergus was the wielder. Archer altered this sword to make it more suited as an arrow and renamed it Caladbolg II.

Durandal: A holy sword given by the Angel Gabriel to Charlemagne in a dream. Charlemagne gave it to one of his best knight, Roland. With this sword, Roland was said to have stopped a hundred-thousand strong Moorish army by himself. Indestructible and blessed with three very powerful religious relics, the sword is said to be able to grant three miracles without penalty from the wielder.

Rho Aias: One of the few defensive Noble Phantasm present in Unlimited Blade Works. It was the shield of the Hero Ajax during the Trojan War. It was the only shield able to deflect the Trojan Hero Hector's spear. As such, it is said to be the ultimate shield against a throwing weapon. In its released form, Rho Aias takes the form of a seven-petal flower with each petal having the strength of a castle wall.

Ascalon: Saint-Michel's spear. It is a holy weapon, wielded by Saint-Michel when he slew the dragon. As it was used to destroy a powerful Phantasmal Beast, this weapon is particularly efficient against Beasts, Demons and supernatural creatures.

AN: That's it: here is the second chapter of Tales of a Faker. I would like to warmly thank all and every reviewers, and the people who added this story to favourites and alerts. You guys are the best and I hope this chapter won't disappoint you.

I know that there wasn't much of Shirou's POV in this chapter, but I feel that the other POV were needed to introduce the general situation. For all the Shirou/Rin lovers (who I shamelessly belong to as it is by far my favourite pairing in FSN) I'm sorry to have made her look like the villain, but I still tried to stay true to her characters, same with Archer. From how I plan this fic to turn, the interactions between our favourite Tsundere and the ever dense nice guy will be a bit twisted, but there will still be a deep respect between them. Hope you liked the chapter! As usual, I'll welcome all reviews, even flame (as long as they are constructive to help me improve my writing or the story). This chapter came a bit earlier than I thought but as I already had some parts of it written, I just had to finish it. I don't really know when the next chapter will be uploaded, as it depends on how my work and studies go, but I'll do my best to upload as soon as possible.

Until next time !