A/N: Man, I feel saddened at the fact that I can't buy Gran Turismo 5 here. All the stalls that I have searched said that they are all out of stock. Moreover, my mother advised me to never have a console unless I have a job that can provide for that console. I just wanted a Playstation 3 so that I can begin Gran Turismo 5 on it.

I really don't want any games from PS3 except that one. I really can't have nice things, I guess.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. And by anything, I mean every single word that I have written there. Credits go to Kinoko Nasu and the TYPE MOON franchise for Fate/Stay Night, and Hiro Mashima for Fairy Tail.

Chapter 13: Into Darkness

Day 2: Evening

A golden sword passes him by. That sword is not getting clearer at all from the moment that he grasped its form.

He tried to reach for it, but for some reason, the sword eludes from his sight. He tried to grasp that sword, but all it does is blur from his sight.

Why?

It is a very beautiful sword. Why I am not allowed to touch it?

Is it really bad to want that sword?

"Shiro!" Saber's stern voice brings him back to a really harsh reality as she is now in front of him, catching him totally unprepared for what will happen next.

She slashed upwards with her shinai, which Shirou tried to parry that attack. After two successful parries coming from the upward slash and left side slash, Saber had him on his knees by three swift strikes at the right side of his ribs, left clavicle and stomach. Shirou tried to hold his ground at the strongest strike to the stomach, but then he is unsuccessful as he tumbled over like an unbalanced bicycle.

Saber then walked towards him and reached for his hand. Shirou now berated himself for such a foolish move on his part. He should never have lost focus on that battle. He then grasped Saber's hand and used that hand to slowly get up.

"Remember this, Shiro." Saber now began her wise sayings that can make seasoned fighters twitch their eyebrows. "An opponent never calls out on you having your head in the clouds. In a real battle..."

"Losing focus is the same as losing your life." Shirou repeated those words as if he never heard of it. "Okay, one more…"

Their practice session is then stopped by an ominous feeling. There is one Servant that exuded intent to kill, but it is not directed at them. Rather, it is directed at something that resembled like an illusion.

"Saber, shall we find out what is going on?" Shirou asked as he stood up. Saber is about to nod when she felt another ominous feeling coming towards that location. It is as though that Servant never used that special ability at all.

"Assassin…" Saber then remembered her golden eyes reminiscent of someone who is really determined to do what she had come in here for. She then sighed as she now said this to Shirou.

"It is better if we wait." Saber suggested. "As you have said yourself, Servants should fight other Servants. We should not interfere unless we are disturbed. Besides, they are now fighting in a place where no one can see them. Lancer knows that much."

"Lancer?" Shirou almost froze in his place as he heard of the name of the spearman once again. But then, he shook his head clear of the memories as he placed the shinai back into its place. He then let his body fall down in the dojo before letting out a big sigh of exhaustion.

Saber then turned around to see Shirou lying face – up, then she softly smiled.

"It's good to rest after a practice." Saber then placed her shinai beside Shirou's shinai, then she now sat in a way that a Yamato Nadeshiko should sit. "Exhaustion is the enemy after all."

She now closed her eyes, and at once she saw a pair of golden eyes staring back at her, illuminating the pitch black darkness. But it is not the eyes of the Assassin that she had met before. Rather, what she sees now is…

It will not be long before I will become King again…

She then opened her eyes in wide horror at the thing that she witnessed, before realizing that all of it is an illusion. She then saw Shirou sleeping like a log. She then stood up quietly, being careful not to wake Shirou up, before carrying Shirou to the place where he sleeps. She then laid him carefully in the futon before covering a warm blanket over him.

As she finished placing Shirou in his bed, she saw a small picture of him with her former Master, Emiya Kiritsugu. She never saw him smile like that during the Fourth Grail War. Granted, it is never meant to be fun in the first place, but he took it too far by shutting down his emotions. She tried to understand him, but then he never wanted to be understood. A Servant is a Servant after all, not meant to be taken as a human being.

Adding to all of that is that this man has lectured her about the war not being glorious in the first place and it is never meant to be glorified. People who revel in it are revealed to be the same as the people who lived in the Stone Age. Although all of this is true, it doesn't mean that he had to go through underhanded ways to stop it in the first place.

What have you made this way then and now, Emiya Kiritsugu? Saber wondered as she now held that picture. She then saw something inscribed in the back of the picture frame. As the Grail supplied her information about reading Kanji, hiragana and katakana, she now understood what those Kanji and hiragana characters try to imply.

"Seigi…no Mikata" Saber read it loud enough for only her to hear. She then wondered about what that phrase even means. She then shook her head as trying to think about it makes her head spin in circles trying to put the pieces together. She then placed the picture back where it belonged to and stood up. She then quietly walked away.

"Have a good night, Shiro." Saber whispered as she now gently closed the door.

Day 2: Evening

Darkness.

This is all that she can feel as she waded through the thickets at a speed that even humans cannot comprehend at all. Her eyes beholding her golden orbs are only the bright things that lights up its way through her path that she takes up.

She concealed herself in the shadows as soon as she saw the bright full moon upon a mysterious lake. From there, she saw an unknown spearman now illuminating the lake through the tip of his spear engulfed in flames.

Wait… Mirajane quipped as she cooks up a simple dinner. Who is…that guy?

I am guessing that he is a Lancer… Assassin replied as she found her hiding place for her shadows to blend in. She breathed in deeply before she assessed the situation. I think that he has found something of value.

But then, another figure appeared from the shadows, and from there, the unstable and ominous air surrounded the tranquil lake of the Ryuudou temple as two figures stared down at each other like two beasts. The pitch – black phantom remains unfazed despite the azure spearman's threatening gaze that can rival a ravenous wolf. Granted, the spearman only had the ferocity of a beast. But the other figure assumes a position akin to a stealthy snake about to strike its prey.

I stand corrected, Mirajane – san. Assassin squinted her eyes to see what her vision can make out of that figure. He has found someone.

Ryuudou Temple. This is the place where Caster and Assassin died. But why did the man ordered him to stay put the moment that he said that someone carried away a dead Servant home?

He should be getting his daily fix of fishing in the dockyard. But for some reason, he felt that this night will be different from the other nights that he has. For the meantime, he let his mind drift to what happened in the past few days that he has been here in this world.

First, his real Master's death. He wondered how the body is in its state as of now. He gritted his teeth at the fact that his class is bestowed upon by the Grail as one of the Knight classes, yet he is too powerless against the man that held his former Master's Command Seals. He felt pity for those that he killed just to get a proper prana source since that man did not even form a contract with him.

Second will be the boy that he tried to kill two times. He has successfully summoned the Knight Class guaranteed to win the Grail War. What's more is that the Knight that the boy summoned is a Saber, which diminished his chances of getting back at that man by a hundredfold. Furthermore, the aforementioned diminishing is enhanced even more by his Luck stat.

The third one will be the case of Assassin. Sure, he is a wraith, but said wraith is a being that can be on par with Heracles, a feat that no one ever dreamed of to accomplish. Lasting five minutes with that beast is an accomplishment, one hour and it can serve as a crowning glory for the Servant. If not for the constant streak of hate between Caster and Assassin, they make a great team in defeating Servants on par with Berserker or even Saber. Adding to that powerhouse is a teacher who is really a former assassin. If the teamwork is put on in the medieval battlefield, it will serve as a glorious sight for those who dare to destroy their stronghold.

But then, this is a Grail War, so in this war, the glory of battle between Servants is meaningless before the Holy Grail. He shook those thoughts out of his head as he now waded through the thick forest.

It is what Lancer will consider as a bleak night. It is too dark for even him to describe it. His eyes are not helping much in trying to investigate the Ryuudou Temple at night.

So he brought out a small test tube of motor oil sealed by a cork from his pockets, made his Gae Bolg appear, popped the tube open, drabbled the tip of the spear with the oil, then drew an Ansuz rune of fire in the air and slashed the rune with the tip of the spear. It then lighted up thanks to the rune that he drew earlier.

But what he will discover is out of his comprehension.

As she tried to make heads or tails of the situation, Mirajane saw two figures through Assassin's Shared Perception. She can confirm that one Servant is a Lancer based on the spear that he holds. But then, the mysterious figure's name obscures her stat sheet as she tried to identify the figure.

I guess it can't be helped. Mirajane sighed through her link, to which Assassin now asked with concern layering her voice.

Mirajane – san, is there something wrong? The raven haired figure now sensed the uneasiness in her Master, to which Mirajane replied.

Don't worry about me, Assassin. Mirajane chuckled as she now senses that her Servant is now concerned for her. I can provide for you prana that can exceed your current reserves. It's just that if only I can only join you in this…

Assassin smiled softly as her Master is worried for her welfare too. But then again, she is the only Master that she knew that faced off with Berserker and yet have lived, so it is natural for her to see her Master almost pouting for not letting her in on this. However, the Master's safety comes in first and foremost, so unless the situation calls for it, Servants should protect their Masters with their lives on the line.

Never worry about me, Mirajane – san. Assassin's joy is now on the link that they share. I will call upon you if I ever need your help. For the meantime, you must get some rest for us to continue our mission. Please remember Berserker's strength.

I understand, Assassin. Mirajane replied with relief. I wish you the best of fortune out there. However I will not sever the link until you get home or unless the situation calls for it.

I see. Assassin mused while she observed the eerie calmness of the two Servants. I will see to it that you will get every ounce of the information that you need, Mirajane – san.

"MeAt…mUsT…eAT…MEaT!" He promptly backed off meters away from where the voice came from. At a large puddle of clear water, he now changed his outfit into battle clothes. Presence Concealment is now gone, and at once a masked man in a ragged black cloak appeared in the midst.

"Well now, that is a fine example of being inconspicuous." Lancer jeered as he spun his ominous spear. The man in the white mask however felt no fear for the Hound of Ulster. He instead brought out his black dagger that shone under the light of a full moon.

Lancer, I advise you to only study his movements as of now. The mysterious man spoke, his voice devoid of emotion. But that façade will break the moment that someone will speak.

Ah, it's really good to see your Servant here, young boy. An ominous raspy voice echoed throughout the forest as he spoke.

He knew that voice. He knew that man. He should have hunted him down and finished him ten years ago with his own hands. That man has inflicted suffering more than he can ever inflict. That man is…

Matou…Zouken. The mysterious man had his voice almost growling low at the fact that the man is still alive after all these years. He then decided to speak through Lancer.

"Hey, old man, my Master asks if you are elected as a Master of this War." Lancer spoke, but then his Shared Perception spoke to the man concerned otherwise. You knew this guy?

It is none of your business, Lancer. He spoke, his voice having traces of strained anger and disgust. It is better to keep yourself out of it. Tell him what I only say to you.

There is no time for formalities. The man now named Matou Zouken replied. But then he added something sinisterly. In fact, are you preaching to me what you had done already in the first place, priest?

Tell him this, Lancer. It is none of your business, Matou Zouken. The now – identified priest replied in annoyance. Even if you are one of the founders of the Heaven's Feel Ritual, as a judge in this war, I will hunt you down and eliminate you swiftly and quietly as you have violated one of the rules of the Holy Grail War.

You are welcome to try, young Executor. Zouken cackled at the foolishness of the young priest. But then, I can assure you that my Servant can defeat your Servant.

As the words left his mouth, Assassin now threw the black dagger aiming at Lancer's person. The aim of the throw is not to kill, but to observe the enemy's movements in battle. After all, Assassin classes are known to exploit every opening presented to them by the enemy, and they will strike where they deem to be the most efficient in eliminating the target.

As the dagger now flew to Lancer's person, he dodged it by a hair's breadth. But then, before he can even react, Assassin is now centimetres within his range. The man in the white mask must have run along the dagger's flight trajectory in order to close the gap between them. He must do something to erase that short gap.

It is now answered by his left foot instinctively backing off, and using the left foot's powerful spring, he now jumped away from the enemy. The lake now left a big splash in its wake. But then, the man now threw two ominous daggers before he can even react. So there is only one way to avoid those.

He twisted his body at almost abnormal rates in midair to let his spear reach the two daggers before it can ever reach him. The white masked man repeated his feat of running along the flight trajectory of the daggers to give him a swift blow. Three daggers are now stuck in one tree where Lancer's current location in midair is.

"Ghk!" Lancer now gave a somersault kick to the man's chin, who then promptly backed away. Lancer now landed on his feet. That feat alone sent him panting, while the man in the black robes seems as if he is never exhausted from that skirmish.

Meanwhile, the female Assassin, currently hidden in one of the trees of the Ryuudou forest, now asked her Master for permission now that her Master saw the skirmish through Shared Perception. Mirajane can only reply calmly as she closed her eyes.

"It seems that they are still locked down in a struggle, so we must let them be for now."

"As you wish, Mirajane – san." Assassin exhaled calmly, being careful not to let her Presence Concealment down even for a fleeting moment. Her heart stayed as calm as ever so as not to let others see her. But one event threatened her tranquil demeanor as she saw the figure that would forever send her emotions in conflict.

At first, she is not sure what to make of the figure, for the figure is dressed in a black cloak just like her. But then, her suspicions began to rise the more that she observed the movements of the unknown being. It looks more and more to her that he is one of the same persons that she saw in the organization that she served. From the sinister hold of the weapon, to the precise throws that the being makes as though he is observing the movements of the unsuspecting prey first before pouncing upon it and killing it in cold blood.

"Is there something wrong?" Mirajane asked, her concern daintily skipping on her voice. Assassin closed her eyes and tried to still her heart, hoping that no one ever heard it. But it is for naught as her heart beats louder than a bell toll on a church.

"I'm…not sure yet." Assassin's voice is now at its breaking point as she trembled with uncertainty. "But… I have to see it for myself. I just hope…that I am wrong."

"Ki. Kikiki. Kikikikikikikikikikikiki!"

That mad laughter of the pitch – black phantom echoed through the forest. Cicadas now fell silent before the mad laughter of the beast. Lancer stiffened his body and his guard for unexpected attacks. Now that he saw the pattern of Assassin's attacks being unpredictable, he must be as unpredictable as that being himself. And there is only one way to counter his attacks.

Warp Spasm.

This is the only skill being mitigated by his class. He can be a Berserker and cast runes at the same time without losing his mind and strength. But then, his speed in casting runes can pale in comparison to his mentor. She can cast runes with the same speed as that monster, or even more.

The event will be over the moment the phantom decided to be too serious. He now drew a Dirk from the folds of his cloak, and played with that Dirk as though it is a toy. Lancer saw a few drops coming from that Dirk and concluded that the weapon might be poisoned.

Time to finish him, Assassin. The ominous voice commanded as Assassin hissed with glee.

"yOu are…" Assassin jumped as the Dirk gleamed in the mellow azure moonlight "my MeAt NoW!"

The ragged black – cloaked man began to descend on Lancer when another hooded black – cloaked person appeared in their midst. As the Dirk of the True Assassin approaches her silken face, she brought out a Dirk of her own and deflected it at the same speed that he will strike Lancer. The impact of the two forces has disturbed the lake's tranquillity and has now made a powerful splash upon contact.

The skull – masked man somersaulted and retreated slightly, but his whole body is on alarm on instinct just in case that the defender will strike. For Lancer, it seems that the two of them seem to know each other, based on what their movements has suggested.

"No… It can't be you…" The woman uttered with disbelief as she dropped the Dirks. Lancer cocked his head in confusion at the turn of the events. The black cloaked man just laughed manically, forming the cool evening mist that he breathes, hoping to send shivers down the spine of the both of them.

"You know this guy?" Lancer quipped, partly out of curiosity, and partly out of gaining information for his Master to assess. His Master must be really enjoying this turn of events, as he remained silent, although he hears an undeniable smirking sound in between the exchanges every now and then.

I really hate to be left out.

"He is one of the leaders of the Hassan." She replied with sadness tinged in her voice at the fate that her fellow comrade has taken. "He is one of those people who created a true miracle of the Zabaniya."

"Looks like he's only an insane monster to me." Lancer snided as he readied his spear for another attack. "Even I don't have the guts to eat people at random in my Warp Spasm state. Wait, don't tell me…"

All of the events that took place right now are making sense when he put the pieces together, and he did not like it one bit.

First, the body of the False Assassin at the temple is been missing. Second, the appearance of what appears to be a true Assassin, and the beautiful woman that has the same weapons as the one that he now opposes. All he needs is a final clue to prove him right or wrong. Either way, the priest will still be amused.

"mUst…eAt…MoRe…MeAT!" He laughed manically at the prospect of having to eat two people on that same day. This day must be a really fortunate night for him, even though his Luck stat says otherwise. He now unravelled the wraps that were on his right arm, and revealed a devilish – looking arm that shot out of its confines. The water in the lake now exuded an ominous force.

He now turned his head on the beautiful woman, now with a similarly devilish looking arm as the opponent has, only difference is that it was at her back. She also exuded the same force that her opponent is now having. Faster than the blink of an eye, the arm of the True Assassin is about to recreate his heart, when the lady closed the distance between them, and the arm of the frail lady grasped that hand tightly. He quickly withdrew the monstrous weapon and returned it to its confines.

What in the name of the gods' and goddesses' green grassy plains is going on?

But at least, he got one thing right.

There are two Assassins once again in this war, what's worse is that the True Assassin seems to have come from the corpse of the False Assassin. The beautiful woman that he saw has almost the same garb as that masked man, but the only difference is that she doesn't have a mask. She can be mistaken as having another identity instead of Hassan if she did not say the information that can prove that she is one of them.

For the second time, he felt that he can't do anything in a situation. His Rank in Luck does not help him much in trying to save the ladies. Even more degrading is the fact that a lady has saved his sorry behind from the monster that he now faces, leaving the lady at his opponent's mercy.

He must take that chance. Assassin is now dumbstruck at the lady. He jumped in the air and unleashed all of his past anger down at the opponent. The woman now dodged as she left her colleague standing.

"Gae…Bolg!" Lancer announced with all of his guilt for the events brimming to its fullest, throwing the spear with all of his might. The spear travelled faster than a bullet, and aimed to reverse the logic of causality.

Knowing that he will not survive it, he now disappeared in the black mist. Lancer landed on the ground and his Noble Phantasm did not succeed in killing his aim, leaving the Noble Phantasm to waste its energy upon its glorious impact at the lake.

"Well, that is a total waste on my part." Lancer quipped in annoyance as he walked and picked up Gae Bolg. He then returned his weapon to its confines as he made it dissipate in thin air. He then saw Assassin's look of disappointment as she picked up her Dirks.

"What's wrong, lady?" Lancer asked. The lady now looked at his blood – crimson eyes with her own mellowed golden steel eyes as she told him this.

"I…cannot save him." Assassin sighed. "I failed…as a member of our organization…"

"His Luck stat had it coming." He quipped as he made his weapon disappear and his outfit went in for his casual clothes. "You, however, are more fortunate than him. So don't try to save him at all."

"But, I must. It is my sworn duty, as this is not the Grail that they are looking for." Assassin insisted as she cloaked herself in her attire of a white collared long sleeve blouse in a black suit.

Not the Grail that we are looking… Lancer pondered. His eyes now widened and he now searched for the lady. "Wait a minute, what do you even mean by…"

Before he can even ask the question, he saw that the lady is now gone. He now sighed as more questions filled in his mind more than answers.

"Great, now I will go home again without a single answer." Lancer quipped. "But at least I know that there are two Assassins once again in this war. But then, their stats as a Hassan serve otherwise, so they may not be Hassans at all. Hey, old man, can the war have two Servants of the same class appearing at the same time?"

The voice that commands him did not answer his question. Instead, he now gave a relieved sigh as he closed his eyes.

"What I know is that it is impossible to have two Servants with same classes. The Grail knows that much." Kirei replied as he now walked away. "But then, it happened. So what we can do right now is to observe."

Thus, the ominous night has ended. With everyone moving their pieces, the Holy Grail War is about to come to its climax.

A/N: Ah, I feel accomplished as I finished one of the first chapters for this year.

And another chapter placed on a sinister number. Wow. Just, wow.

Have fun reading, everybody.