A/N: Ah, it's really a good day to finish a chapter.

But man, I really can't find a perfect set – up for the other fanfic that I have.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Credits go to Hiro Mashima for Fairy Tail, and Kinoko Nasu, and the TYPE MOON franchise for Fate/stay night.

Chapter 10: Darkness Begins

Day 2: Morning

A man in a green flowery polo now surveyed the entire area of the Ryuudou Temple, dropping stones engraved with Ansuz runes lazily along the way in specific locations to create a Bounded Field. Looking at the ground that is blasted thanks to Caster's Hecate Gaia, he now concluded that the Servant that they faced yesterday is one not meant to be underestimated. The Servant made it through unscathed and killed two Servants and one Master in one night. Just who is that beast that did such an accomplishment?

"What do you see there, Lancer?" the mysterious man asked in a monotonous tone. His form is obscured by the lighting of the room as he speaks.

"What you are seeing right now." Lancer quipped through his Shared Perception. He really hates it that he is only used as a lookout right now. But he has no other choice. If only his Master is alive…

There is no time for sentimentality as he picked up on some traces of threads enforced with Magecraft. He followed the threads' tracks, and right along the stairs, he saw thin threads glimmering without the sunlight lighting them. Scratch that, the threads are never supposed to light up like that in the first place.

"You might be interested in this." Lancer quipped once again as he lit up a cigarette that he found from the side pocket of his pants through drawing an Ansuz rune of fire on air. It's a good thing that vices like smoking can be made easy through the product that he buys from convenience stores as opposed to them gathering up tobacco leaves, finding a wrapper and lighting it up through runes. "There is another Magus in our midst. And from the looks of it, he or she carried away an almost dead Servant home."

Mirajane now woke up to a beautiful day. She arranged the futon and rolled her tatami mat before she placed the both of them in a safe place. She fixed her hair and took a towel to go to the bathroom, then opened her door, only to find out that the Tamamo is there waiting for her.

"Ah, this might be awkward…" Mirajane sheepishly looked away, seeing as she woke up late. But then, it can be a given since they didn't had a chance to even rest for two days. "How should I say this…"

But the fox lady now cut off her thoughts of excuses with a stern stare. With a stoic expression she now replied. "It doesn't matter anyway. I got you covered. Good thing my master allowed me to retain the mirror. Also, it's a good thing you didn't come out yesterday evening."

"Why is that?" Mirajane tilted her head in curiosity, to only the fox lady gave a short but meaningful reply.

"The mad beast has now killed Caster and Assassin."

After he hears the information about the Ryuudou Temple, he now promptly thanked Lancer and cut off his Shared Perception from him for a while. He lit up his room using a match and a candle, only to find out that a young man appeared from the midst and now has his chess set laid on the table, only that the chess set is now different as that of the last time that he saw it.

It is an intricate chess set, with gold and red squares alternately adorning the board. It can be said with precision that the main chess pieces are the Servants, and the lowly pawns are the Masters. The main piece that is shaped like a grail acts like a center piece of the board. The difference from that last time is that the extra piece opposite the roster of Masters and Servants is not a Caster, but an Assassin, with the pawn in shape of a man in front of it as its Master.

"It seems that you have another play on your hands, Kirei." The Servant remarked, his interest brimming from his slitted crimson eyes. He now held up the stray piece that dared to face against the Grail. "This time, we got another lowly mongrel that has embodied almost all of their Noble Phantasms. She can be a great source of entertainment for our pleasure, don't you think?"

"I recall that you said this yourself: You can be truly entertained only if you choose to be interested in it, am I wrong, Archer?" The man now named Kirei replied, opening up a bottle of red wine. As he poured it in the wineglass, he recalled a similar conversation with him, only that he is a student to Archer's lecture. The wine's ripples in the wineglass now steadied itself as the pouring of wine stopped.

"So it seems." The one now named Archer nonchalantly replied, seeing as his student Kirei is quick to catch up. "Your interest as of now is at the Faker that has summoned my bride Saber. Seems fair enough for me."

"Since when did you have an interest in a human, Archer?" Kirei asked, out of curiosity, as he drank the wine slowly. Archer closed his eyes, his eyebrows now furrowing, and an indication of his anger boiling over like hot lava.

"Let's just say that he has angered me to no end from the moment that I knew about his existence." Archer replied in a scoffing manner. "That boy will learn to forge every weapon that I have at a glance, provided that he has a very good mentor. Still, I will allow him to live for your entertainment. But if you let us meet, know that I will extinguish him before you have satisfied your own curiosity of him."

"A fair proposal, Archer." Kirei replied, his monotonous voice betraying his joy of having to let him suffer like his father did. He now bowed briefly. "I thank you for your unending patience."

"No need to thank me for now." Archer replied as he now slowly disappeared in a golden mist. "Thank me when you have satiated your own curiosity of the purpose of Angra Mainyu's existence."

The lifeless body now woke up, and it found out that it has been dragged away from the location of where he is supposed to guard. It crawled helplessly to the ground, and it was then that the ominous circle has now activated, along with the squirming little beasts that clung on to its form.

Where…am I? Its last thoughts went to him facing against the mad beast, almost winning the fight, but the beast finished him off with simultaneous slashes on a level that even he cannot comprehend.

"I am impressed by your valiant efforts, Assassin." A disembodied voice announced in a sinister glee. He then grasped his sword, Monohoshizao, by its blade, and did not mind of his blood now dripping to the ground. Even though he is fractured everywhere, this does not stop him from grasping the nodachi by its handle with one hand and using it as a crutch to let him stand up.

"Who…are you?" The man called Assassin now asked the voice. The voice now sighed before he came out. He then saw the form of an old man, with his eyes almost empty, as if only the sockets of his eyes were there.

"I am not supposed to appear before you, since you are still a Servant." The old man now quipped disappointingly. "But since you are dying anyway, I might as well introduce myself. I am Matou Zouken, one of the founders of Heaven's Feel ritual, more popularly known to most Magi as the Holy Grail War."

He then raised his right hand out, and with his right arm outstretched, he now spoke the cruel truth to Assassin.

"But there is nothing holy in this war." Zouken spoke as he is now beginning his chant. "Seven Servants are needed to fill up the Grail for it to be activated. No Servant will ever get their wish, especially the fact that you are only a mere wraith."

It is then that Assassin's bloodied face marred in anger as the Grail now flooded him with information. Each second that passed only fuelled his anger more for the one that called himself a founder.

Matou Zouken, one of the founders…

Are you prepared to die for the Grail?

If so, rejoice, for your wish shall be granted by the Grail's powers.

"You…foul…demon." Assassin coughed up more crimson liquid as he forced himself to move towards the old man. "You will…die…before you ever…finish the ritual."

"Haven't I told you this, Assassin?" Zouken smirked ominously as he now laid his right arm outstretched towards the face of Assassin. His palm is meters away from the wraith that called himself a Servant. "You are already dead the moment I brought you here. Think about it, who still makes you alive at this point?"

Assassin's eyes are now wide open at the realization of who really makes him alive. "You…monster!"

"This is not the first time that I've been threatened." Zouken just smirked on the fate of the wraith. "However, I feel honored at the fact that I am being threatened by a Servant. I shall now commence the summoning ritual!"

The ritual circle now has the four winds circulating around it as Zouken chants the first lines of the ritual. Meanwhile Assassin tries to raise his sword to kill, but his body is not cooperating due to the extent of damage that he sustained from the earlier fight.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate."

His words are now faster than his thoughts as his desired Servant forms inside Assassin's body. Assassin cannot gouge out the being that tries to invade his body due to his weakness from the earlier fight. So for him, there is only one sane thing to do.

"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill.

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.

In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer."

At the middle of the chant, as Assassin ran with all his strength and is about to swing his sword down hard on the old man, a hand shot up from inside his torso. It shredded his flesh like fresh meat, and tried to claw its way out as the man finishes his chant for the summoning of the true Hassan. The wraith then knelt ungracefully as he helplessly watches his body get devoured.

"Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"

The black smoky winds now gathered from every corner of the room and it now surrounded Assassin's body and the circle. It then slowly forms in a black cloak, and then a white mask now appears. The new figure knelt professionally, as if he is answering to the call of his master. But his speech says otherwise to his almost ancient professional form of a Hassan.

"I…mUst…EaT!" His breath now creates a vapor that fits in the winter months. But then, that breath is not out of exhaustion. It is out of hunger. Given that he is summoned out of Assassin's preserved and almost dead body, it will fit in the current situation that they are in right now.

"Patience, Assassin." Zouken tamed the seemingly foul beast that he called Assassin. He slowly approached him as he now laid out his plans. "Soon, we will have the Grail."

A pigeon is now looking in, seeing Zouken having a conversation with the one that he calls Assassin. The bird now flew away as it now served its purpose.

"This…is what I will consider as the worse Grail War yet." Illya had never stopped pacing left and right as she now ponders on what she will do next now that the elder Matou has seen it fit to meddle with the affairs of the Grail War. Sella fidgets as she also ponders on what to do now that her master is agitated about the situation.

Yesterday Illya has set up her avian familiars on the Matou household, the Tohsaka household, the Emiya Manor, and most recently the Ryuudou Temple after she ravaged the place with her Servant Berserker. It is true that Berserker has weakened slightly no thanks to Assassin's prowess in fighting skills. Since the day after she met them, there has been no movement on the Tohsaka household, except for a few workers who are renovating the house right now. The Emiya Manor is too quiet too. The only event that she saw is when they go out to investigate what has happened to the Ryuudou Temple. Only the Matou Manor has a significant event, and even that event is not good for her eyes.

But what had happened today is out of her comprehension. Supposedly there can only be one Assassin in the entire Grail War. Zouken can summon another one, provided that the False Assassin is dead, which he faithfully followed to the letter. The problem comes when someone that she deems as not of this world also managed to summon another Servant of the same class, and that fuelled her suspicions.

"Mirajane – san summoned an Assassin." The child of the snow pondered as she now sat, seeing as her walking around will get her nowhere. "I can understand how Matou – san summoned another Servant of the Assassin class, but how did she summon her Servant?"

Something dawned on her, and she did not like it one bit from the moment that she found out about it. But just to be sure, she has to research on it more. She will walk down that aisle as a Magus, and must do research as a Magus.

Yeah, that could be fun, especially if you forget about killing your brother in the process. She shook her head clear of those possibilities. If she can't forget about her revenge, then she can say "well done" to herself. If not, then their whole mission will be messed up thanks to her forgetting about exacting of life.

Emiya Manor:

"Good morning Shirou…" his guardian now greeted him in a cheerful voice. Shirou just waved at the Tiger. She is about to pout about it, when she saw another lady, and this time, she's in her red – hot blouse. She now waved, hoping to catch her attention.

"Good morning, Tohsaka - san…." She once again cheerfully replied to the person who she didn't even know yet in her whole life. Scratch that last note, maybe she did know her, but only in passing. Rin, now activating her "charms" as a perfect definition for sparkles, waved at Taiga in an elegant manner.

And now, for the reveal…

"Good morning, Fujimura – san…"

"Good morning, person I haven't even met before." She still happily replied as she strolled along the corridors of the Emiya Manor, never realizing what she said just now at the blonde lady that wore a white blouse and a navy blue skirt.

As the food is now served in front of them, courtesy of Shirou, the energetic teacher now heaved a relieved sigh at what has now transpired. There is no time for thinking, as she will savor once again the taste of his meals. Saber and Rin wore puzzled looks as they saw the human fully unaware of the gravity of the situation that Shirou is in now. Rin is now having second thoughts on whether she will alter her memories or not, as it seems to her that everything that has happened today is normal for her.

"Shiro…" For a knight, Saber is now fidgeting as she drops the big bomb on her Master. Given that this situation is too unnatural for her, it fits perfectly well. "Your…guardian…"

Shirou now looked at his guardian, then at his Servant. It took him some seconds before he remembered that he has a Servant, and that he took in Rin too to accommodate her to their rooms as renovations to her house are still underway. His mind went to full overdrive in panic, but fortunately he did not let it show.

"For a human, she is taking all of this surprisingly well." Saber whispered to Shirou as the tiger proceeds to devour her serving of food with gusto.

"Let's keep it that way, Saber." Shirou replied, as he now took a bite of the food in between. "We can talk about it after this, only if she will continue to be like this until the end of breakfast."

"I think I'll have fun with this." Rin's thoughts now echoed in Archer's mind through the link that they mutually established. Archer just sighed at the usage of such an important ability for trivial things.

"Trust me, Master,"Archer placed his dead tone emphasis on the word Master. "You will use the Grail to wish to the Root to never cross her path again." His memories may be jumbled, but if there is one thing that he will never forget, it will be that person. If ever he will return to the past as a normal person, he will try to be good to this person even if it means his own death at the hands of a raging tiger.

"She will now snap in five…"

"Rin…" Archer now almost has his voice imploring as if a world – devastating disaster will happen if she continued the countdown. "Please be reasonable."

"four…"

"I am telling you, this is a really bad idea."

"three…"

"You are really pushing it, Master."

"Just shut your mouth and let me have my fun, Archer. Two…"

"You asked for this…"

"One…" Her sly smirk now timed in with the untimely scream of the Tiger of Fuyuki that can tear down three house blocks downtown if ever that voice is used as a weapon. Only one name is heard throughout the entire neighborhood as she now screamed.

"SHIRRRRROOOOOOU!"

He may be a renowned Ally of Justice, but in the eyes of The Sensei, he is still what Taiga describes as "loveable and adorable kid."

"How could you, Shirou?" The Tiger now cried comically at what Shirou "had" done, as accusatively described by her. Even the reputed knight sheepishly looked away, trying to think of some creative excuse as of why they are here.

Meanwhile, if Rin had popcorn, she would have tons of it already as she is absolutely enjoying the entertainment with the poise and elegance of a Tohsaka. But still, deep in the depths of her mind, the "other" Tohsaka now laughs at the demise of the one who graciously offered them their abode. But that victory of hers will be short lived.

"Are you trying to build a harem before I even finish my lessons on you about adulthood? You already have Sakura - chan, for goodness' sake!" As Archer has accurately predicted even without even using the skills of an Archer, his Master is only wishing for a disaster, and the first effect is kicking in, letting Saber and Rin blush madly in the process.

But he will have a fun time playing around with his younger self as he witnesses Shirou blush like mad.

The play has now gone far enough and it's now high time for the heiress to put her noble communication skills to good use.

"Please trust us, Fujimura – sensei." Rin now bowed curtly in front of the Tiger, letting her refined speech do the hard work. "We will never do anything to Emiya – kun, considering our standing. Also, we know of Emiya Kiritsugu – san, as we are in his wake. But since we are preoccupied by our other meetings, we decided to leave against our will. Trust us when we say this, sensei, that event is weighing heavily on our conscience since we are heartless enough to not give even a single consolation to him."

"If that's true, then who is she?" She now accusingly pointed her finger at Saber, who quietly and peacefully eats at the table. Saber now introduced herself after she finished her food. Although this will be a lame excuse, and that the excuse will bring out a lot of bad memories, it will be the only way to let herself be associated with someone that she knows.

"I am from Britain…" She bit her lip at first, hesitating on what to say, but time is of the essence, and therefore, she should think of the complications later. "And I am formerly Kiritsugu's…acquaintance."

She now eyed warily at the one who introduced herself as Kiritsugu's acquaintance. Perhaps she is here for the money. But then again, the will is set to paper a long time ago, and it clearly states that only the Fujimuras and Shirou are the closest ones he had to a family. So why did this person appear out of nowhere? If she is indeed Kiritsugu's acquaintance, she should be in his wake a long time ago.

Only one thing is left to determine whether she is really Kiritsugu's acquaintance or not.

She now unsheathed the shinai from under the secret compartment of their table where they are eating right now. It will be more epic if the emphasis of the word shinai is on the kanji of "shi" as that shinai has brought about "death" for the ones who encountered it. Shirou and Rin may be Magi, but they now shudder at the sheer ominous aura that the shinai exuded.

In his years of making weapons, Archer still cannot comprehend how that wooden stick of a sword can produce such a malevolent appearance once the Tiger holds it. He succeeded in making it, but he can't replicate that same fearful bloodlust that the shinai has.

Only she can hold that one. It's just like the other weapons that I can't make. Archer made mental notes on his head while she hands Saber an ordinary shinai. Although that one requires almost no prana cost, the malevolence exceeds that of Noble Phantasms.

The way that The Shinai exudes power when held by her is such a marvel indeed. If she can be a Servant, she can now end the Grail War on her whim, and trying to kill his younger self will be invalidated fully, along with Saber's wish to not become a king.

Archer's thoughts now snapped off when their teacher declared this, to Shirou's flabbergasted expression:

"Let me test you first, Kiritsugu's acquaintance." She now took her stance in an offensive manner. "This will test you of your worthiness of being here in Shirou's manor. En guarde!"

With that phrase, she now charged with the rage of a tiger at Saber. But everyone in the room except Fujimura Taiga knew that this fight will end quickly.

And it will not be in her favor no matter how many times she asks for a rematch.

"Waaaaah!" She now comically cried as she is about to be taken to her room by Shirou, the pain of defeat still lingering in her memories. Her trusted Tora – Shinai has now let her down for the first time. "He has been whisked away by his two lovers!"

"Fuji – nee…" Shirou loves his guardian as much as a younger brother would love his older sister, but with this situation, he chooses to have a really strong physical smack on his face over every whine of his guardian any time, any day. "For the last time, I am not whisked away. I could have been in their homes right now if I am indeed being whisked away. And trust me when I say this: It will not be a pretty sight."

Tohsaka Rin only shakes her head as Shirou mentions this, while Saber's stare at Shirou is still distant. Her memories are not helping her in the least. She still has that conflict of ideals between her and her Master.

But that is not the issue as of now. Shirou must learn both swordplay and Magecraft within this day.

It will be hypocrisy on her part, but for all her hate for her father, she is nevertheless impressed by his documentation skills as opposed to the Einzberns who had their archives derived from Magecraft alone. He has set things in paper and cassette tapes what other Magi will do the same procedure using complex Magecraft skills. The only problem lies in the fact that what he has written and recorded there is in the English language, an international language of the world she never dared to learn since she will disappear in this world anyway. But then, if what he has written there is too important to be dismissed, she must learn of the language within the timeframe that she has in this world.

She is never mistaken, as the file that she found in a big box says it in big letters, sending Sella in a surprised state. Leysritt still remained stoic, although she too is impressed by her father's writings as Illya was. Kiritsugu must have been too prepared to do something of a scale like this. He knew that only those who are really fluent in the English language can read this.

These are the words that are written there, in the English Language:

The Fourth Grail War file, by Emiya Kiritsugu.

She is having second thoughts on whether to read the file or not, but if she reads this, it will be a turning back on the earlier promise that she made: to wipe out the last Emiya and exact revenge from her father. That file alone sent her in a conflicted state, which worried Sella and Leysritt. If only she has more mana, she can order Berserker to smash every book that they have in the library just to vent out her frustration. But she only closed her eyes as she put the file back where it belonged.

"Sella, Leysritt, let's go." Illya briskly walked away from the library, as Sella and Leysritt bowed and followed their master's wish. Meanwhile, Leysritt looked back one more time at the library, and it is then that she saw someone who looks just like…

"I now put my trust in you to help my daughter…" That "someone" is a woman who bowed to her, then smiled. Is it her illusion? Or is it real? Either way, she is confused and brought out her halberd, as she looked around for insiders. As she took a look at that spot once again, that "someone" disappeared.

She only shook her head as Sella now sternly announced her name from the corridors. "Leysritt!"

She put the halberd back to its place and went outside. She now locked the door of the library shut, but not before she slipped the key in her pocket. She then followed Sella.

A/N: Finally finished this one at last! (trumpet blares of level up tone from Ragnarok Online)

Yeah, I think I'll just leave it at that, just to have fun. :D

I'll edit this one if I have the time, since I felt that this chapter is still incomplete.

Please rate and review.