A/N: YES! NO MORE SURGERIES AND I'M HAPPY AS A CLAM~!
Also, tired, but that's another matter considering last night.
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING related to BlazingAzureCrow or other media. They're a massive inspiration!
HOLY CRAP SO MUCH SUPPORT! Thanks for all the reviews!
Now, onto your questions!
Q: Playing havoc with the Masters are we? I like it.
A: I'm glad you approve!
Q: How many Noble Phantasms does Naruto possess?
A: Let's clarify them, shall we? I've been meaning to go back and edit my author's notes for this very reason. He has only a handful. Five to be exact. The first is the Reality Marble we all saw. The second is a pseudo-reality marble that only alters his body as opposed to the world around him. More to come on that later. The third is, in essence, the Bijudama. The fourth is his regeneration and the fifth...
...that be a secret. He couldn't possibly have nine phantasms, that's just way too much.
Q: Illya's new body when? Can't you describe it?
A: I shall, in this chapter. In terms of appearance, think a younger Irysviel.
Q: Oh gods. Did Naruto just trigger the reserve system of the Grail by mistake?
A: I wouldn't say that, rather he found a loophole and exploited it. Whether this leads to victory or defeat remains to be seen. They're wont be any Red or Black Faction servants in this story. Give "A Most Unlikely Berserker" a look if you're after that.
Q: How can Saber Alter exist in this story?
A: Its...complicated. Remember, this the one from the Heaven's Feel route. The one that he killed. A separate existence from Artoria, yet her all the same. She shouldn't exist, yet she does. If there's one thing I've learned from Grand Order, its this: Multiverse theory is a bitch.
Q: Who is the Master of Assassin?! Is he who I think he is?!
A: ...I admit nothing.
Q: When do we get to see some deaths?!
A: They're coming, and you might well be surprised.
Q: Doesn't Naruto have limits in this story? He seems to retain
A: For all his power he's surprisingly squishy in this iteration. Gilgamesh's Ea would kill him outright. As would a direct hit with Excalibur. And while Rin might be a fine Magus, she cannot support Naruto in combat for long; after all a lot of his techniques are far more energy intensive than Archer's and come at a far higher cost. Such is the fate of all Casters. Of course, you'd have to catch him first, but any solid hit and he's down for the count..
Now, this may be an interlude, but it sets up for a pivotal battle.
Minor timeskip of a few hours ahoy!
"I see no king before me! Only a tyrant!"
"Enough. I won't bandy words with fools and a mute. Prepare yourselves!"
"Ah, Rin? Might be a good time for you and Illya to get out of here. Take Bryn and run."
"What are you talking about, Caster? There's three of you and only one of her! Can't you just-
...and she's likely to wipe the floor with all of of us in spite of that. Nothing personal, but run. NOW."
~?
Long Live the King (Interlude)
"What is the meaning of this, Assassin?"
If he was at all offended by her remark, the Servand did little to show it.
Instead he merely raised his palms before her to show himself unarmed. Harmless.
As if an Assassin could ever be such a thing. No, she would not lower her defenses for one such as this.
"Now, now! Don't be like that, Saber!" His low, mellow voice rubbed pleasantly against her ears. "Think of it as a token of goodwill."
"Ho?" Saber felt her mouth curl down into an irritated grimace as she digested the information she'd just been fed. "Why tell me this, then? I fail to see the purpose of revealing a contender in this war." That much remained true. For an enemy Servant to simply appear on her doorstep and reveal the location of not one, not two, but three additional Servants boggled the mind. Much less his claim that one of said Servants had somehow managed to manipulate the Greater Grail into doing his bidding. Really, it begged the obvious question.
"What do you seek to gain from this?"
A sly smile greeted her.
"Everything."
That actually drew a blink from the golden-eyed servant. Assassin had spoken with such sincerity that she found herself hard-pressed to challenge him. There was no madness to be found in his gaze, only frozen resolve; an iron will to match her own.
"I...beg your pardon?" she sputtered.
"Simple." a lone finger rose to jab at the empty air between them. "You're going to track down Caster; an old protege of mine. You're going to pick a fight with him; because lets face it, in your current state you're just too damn proud to do anything else. And you're going to lose." a feral grin blossomed upon his tattooed face. "Oh, you might get some licks in sure, but one way our another, you'll suffer defeat at his hands. Eventually, you'll join his side as a direct result of that defeat."
"Preposterous."
"Wait, it gets better!" the lavishly clad man cackled. "'Y'see, the kid has a way of making enemies into allies. If he has his way, you might even see the error of your-
Shing.
Excalibur arced out with bitter surety, alighting under the man's jaw.
"Choose your words with care, Assassin." Saber hissed. "Lest you find yourself without a head."
"You won't kill me." his expression didn't waver. "I'm too valuable to you alive."
Her postured relaxed minutely.
...blunt of you."
"Eh, my Master's been running me ragged from the moment he summoned me." the older man admitted with a sheepish shrug, causing his coat to flare about his shoulders. "Frankly, I'd tell you how to kill the old worm outright and bind myself to someone else, if he hadn't silenced me with a Command Spell. Really, this is just a roundabout way of getting him out of my hair."
Poisoned irises flicked downward, measuring the distance between them.
Even without her armor to protect her, Saber remained confident she could survive Assassin's first strike.
From there, it would be a matter of speed; it was here that her mind grew uncertain. Just how agile was this old man?
In the end, her bottomless curiosity won the day. "You intend to rid yourself of your Master?" she inquired, edging closer. "How so?"
"Either he uses up his commands and thereby looses his hold over me, or one of you slip by and kill him." The man's painted face creased in a small smile. "You might have to deal with Rider's master in the offing, but I consider that a win-win by comparison. Don't think the kid would let you hurt her."
"Rider's master?" the plot was beginning to thicken and she wasn't sure she liked it.
Here did Assassin's face turn contemplative. Against his better judgement he turned, presenting his back to her. All in favor of watching the rising sun. Thumbing his chin, the killer favored her with a wry glance.
"She's in a bad way, that one." he murmured. "I'd like to help her if I could, but Rider's just so damn stubborn...you lot really need to learn to trust people, sometimes."
"I trust no one." Saber growled.
The man laughed at her.
"More fool you."
There was something distinctly wrong about him; not in his face, or clothes, or even that sly, jovial manner. She could still comprehend the concept of "Assassin" in her mind's eye, but anything related to his appearance seemed to slip through her fingers when she sought to grasp it. No, she couldn't hold the memory of him in her mind. Merely looking away threatened to scrub all thoughts of him from her mind. When she'd first glanced away she'd nearly forgotten his appearance entirely. Even now it was only with a supreme effort that she found herself able to maintain her mental image of him. A frightful skill indeed. Or was it a Noble Phantasm?
Regardless, the owner of said skill had seen fit to visit her at the crack of dawn without her Master's knowledge.
And while he slept, no less!
If Artoria was entirely honest with herself, Shirou was an...acceptable master. For now. Also a more than adequate cook given her voracious appetite. A normal magus he might not be, and while he might not be able to supply her with the full amount of prana she required, he had enough sense to know when to step back and let her fight. Now if only he'd abandon his morals alongside that absurd dream of his. Save everyone? Impossible. This boy was somehow even more naive than the one she'd known. Still, his foolishness had proved a boon in at least one aspect; her unwitting master wasn't idiotic enough to charge headlong into a battle he barely understood.
Better that he didn't know she was feasting on the souls of the innocent.
After all, if the alternative meant disappearing...
Still, she was loathe to lower her guard, least of all when faced with one such as this. Whomever Assassin was or claimed to be he clearly hailed from a different land than she. His stark appearance and cordial grin suggested kindness, but belied an inner menace that set her nerves on edge. This was one to be watched. Judging by his appearance she would place him as an Asian but beyond that she knew nothing of him. Whatever legend he hailed from remained steeped in mystery and that damned skill wasn't helping matters any.
"Do we have an accord, then?" A lightly armored hand extended in friendship. "I tell you where to find Caster, and you swear not to seek me out?"
...very well."
Saber clicked her tongue in distaste.
Slowly, reluctantly, she lowered her blade.
"You're a strange one, Assassin. I don't understand you."
"Not much to understand." the ancient warrior riposted. "I have a wish of my own and I'll do whatever it takes to see it through. If I can talk my...student into letting me have it, all the better. If not...its nothing personal." he shrugged loosely. "Its war, after all. One I intend to win. I was quite the spymaster back in my day, I'll have you know. Suppose that gives me a leg up on you kids."
Saber Alter bristled.
"I'll thank you not to call me such." she growled.
"Sweetheart, when you've been around as long as I have, everyone's a child by comparison."
'Unruly coot!' h
"You are aware that I seek my own restitution from the Grail?"
"Of course you do." he waved her warning aside as though it were little more than an afterthought. "As for Caster, you'll find him in a wooded area not far from here. He's cozzied up with that Einzbern girl you were hunting earlier. They're going to give you quite the bout, I expect."
Her pride rankled at the slight. "I relish the challenge, Assassin."
A small, sad smile plucked at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen."
"You dare?!"
In that moment her temper finally slipped its leash. Excalibur burst forward in a bold bolt of black, skewering the pale-haired man through the chest before he cold react. A pang of regret lanced through her breast but she stubbornly thrust it aside as she wrenched the blade in the wound...
...and tasted smoke.
Much to her dismay, her sword sliced through empty air as a fresh plume of white smoke greeted her weapon. A harsh peal of hysterical laughter echoed into the gloom, causing her to whirl, but she found no blade in her back. Only that low, mocking voice trampling over the tattered remnants of her pride.
"Do you flee, coward?!"
The laughter only redoubled.
"I prefer the term tactical retreat! Its been fun, Saber! Give the kid my regards!"
(...0o0o0...)
"Why lure us to this place? Not just to fight, no you're protecting something...someone."
Naruto heard the words as though from a great distance. Yet all he felt was confusion. He opened his eyes and found not the four walls of the Einzbern mansion, but a wooded grove. A full moon hung overhead, blood red with warning. His limbs moved stiffly, as though they were mired in mud. Why was he here? He didn't know. Couldn't remember. His last coherent memory consisted of speaking with Rin; of closing his eyes for a heartbeat. Was he asleep? Did a Servant even require such? The knowledge escaped him when he reached for it.
Unbidden, his lips moved of their own accord.
"...and if I am?"
His tactical mind analyzed the situation instantly as he be. A blond woman wearing some foreign style he didn't recognize, her hair styled in golden ringlets. A man with stark white hair, clad in red.
The former sneered at him.
"Then grovel! Submit yourself to me and I might spare her, Caster!"
Despite his confusion, his mouth moved of its own accord and a bitter laugh burst out of him.
...I will never submit. My soul is sworn to her. You can stick me full of arrows, you can stab me with unlimited blades, but I won't turn on her. I have my honor. Something your Archer knows nothing about. Ain't that right, EMIYA?" Grunting, he forced himself to his feet. "That's right. I know who you are. C'mon then, mister ex-hero." he beckoned, swaying on his feet. "You might kill me, but I'll make you work for it! I'll kick yer arse so hard that even that stupid Shirou's gonna feel it!"
The blond grimaced.
"So be it. Archer, by the power of my Command Seal, I order you to...
CRUNCH.
She swayed as something struck her from behind.
"What...why am I..."
In disbelief, she looked down to see a hand protruding from her chest.
Startled, to see blood.
Her blood.
"I...you...but that's...that's cheating...
It wasn't Caster's hand.
Nor was this Archer.
It belonged to...!
(...0o0o0...)
"Wake up, damn you!"
Blue eyes jolted open with a start, jolted from the dream at once. For a fleeting instant his mind reeled in a stupor, unable to decipher his surroundings, much less the face looming over him. The room swam around him like a storm-tossed raft caught in a wild sea, nearly taking his sense of reason with it. This wasn't his room. That certainly wasn't her ? What?! When?! Where?! Why?! Thankfully sanity reasserted itself moments later, preventing a panic attack from claiming what little remained of his reason.
Through bleary eyes he beheld Rin's pensive expression.
Brynhildr, of course, was nowhere to be seen.
When in blazes...?
It was then that rest of his senses descended on him with a vengeance. In that instant he became keenly aware of a faint weight resting against his chest, accompanied by a faint scent he couldn't readily identify. A pair of slim legs twined between his, trapping him where he lay. The softest sigh wafted through his ears, fanning a faint ember of confusion to life amidst his thoughts. When he finally dared to raise his gaze, a curtain of stark white hair dominated his vision. It didn't take him long to put two and two together. Illya? Oh. Right. Illya. He'd crafted a new body for her. Hadn't he? Still, that failed to bridge the gap between then and now. When had he fallen asleep? More aptly, when had she crawled atop him?!
This was of course, made all the more murderous by the fact that the Einzbern homunculus no longer retained her childlike form.
If his Master's thunderous visage was anything to go by, she'd chosen quite the compromising position.
"Any last words?" she chirped sweetly.
Naruto swallowed thickly.
...I can explain."
"Can you?"
"Not really, no." he gulped.
"Hweh?"
As luck would have it, Illya chose that moment to stir.
"Morning, Onii-chan...
Eyes the color of bloody rubies drifted open to meet his own. Rather than panic-which honestly would've been preferable by this point-she simply offered a quiet mewl and nuzzled her head beneath his chin. Judging by the choking sound Rin made, she'd just suffered a stroke. Illya's smug expression certainly wasn't helping matters any. Ah. So this was it, then. This was how his second life ended. Such misfortune. Why was he afflicted with such ill luck?!
"Urk."
"I didn't know you could sleep...
"Mana intensive, remember?" Pearly white teeth flashed out at her in a false grin. "Had to take a nap."
"So you're running out of Mana, then?" Rin's sweet smile-lies!-didn't diminish in the least. "Anything else you'd like to divulge, Caster?"
"Unless you're suggesting I start devouring the souls of the innocent, no." the blond shook his head. "I don't think so." when she didn't challenge him, he allowed a waspish note to creep into his voice. "Right, then. I'll just pop down to the nearest police station and have a snack, shall I?"
It was precisely the wrong thing to say.
Rin absolutely hissed.
"Oho?"
A wild look flashed through those aquamarine orbs, like embers of a dying fire just waiting to spring back to life. Naruto opened his mouth to retort, only to close it just as quickly. While it could certainly be said that he did enjoy teasing Rin from time to time, he was wary of pushing her too far. After all, the spunky little magus still had several Command Spells to bully him with if she so chose. Moreover, she'd had something of a stressful day. Should she take it into her head to seek retribution upon him, well...
"Enough excuses, Caster." She bit out. "We need to see that damned priest."
"Fuck're we going to church for?" he whined.
Tohsaka favored him with a dark look.
"Best that you don't ask."
A/N: We get more action next chapter!
Yes, I just did that!
And I'm probably going to catch some flak over it, but screw it.
So let's explain, for those who don't understand:
It stands to reason that Naruto could repair the damage done to Illya's body and extend her life. His Mark possesses incredible power, after all. Toss in the Rinnegan and its quite doable. Yes, I am aware that Illya was meant to be the host of the grail. Well, that'll just have to be passed on to someone else. And I know just who it'll be.
I think we can all agree on who that is, neh?
Wonder what this might cause...
On another note, there will be alliances in this story of course. Expect the unexpected! I aim to take this story down a different route than most, but the question is which? Hmm. We'll bump into ol' Shirou next chapter, and there'll be a clash of ideologies between him and Naruto for obvious reasons. As well as a few more surprises. I feel I should also state that Shirou DOES summon Saber by this point, albeit offscreen.
I won't name the other Servants, ah, for the night is dark and full of spoilers...
Expect chaos and incredible battles to ensue!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the good ol' potential previews!
They're rough atm, so don't think too much of them!
Please bear in mind that they're just POTENTIAL outcomes.
Nothing's solid yet, so as always there's plenty of room for change. No flak please~!
They're just scenarios that COULD happen.
There are a lot for a REASON, ya know.
Tell me which ones you like!
Enjoy~!
We've also got a few deaths coming up soon!
(Previews)
"I am destruction."
Much to her consternation, the blond tilted his head.
"Hi, destruction. I'm Naruto." Pearly white teeth flashed in a rueful grin. "Nice ta meetcha."
For all her severity, a crack etched itself in the woman's stony facade, a faint fracture breaking through those eyes of flint.
"Naruto...you're scaring me."
His head snapped up and Rin caught a flash of crimson.
"Funny you should mention that. I'm downright terrified myself."
Caster clicked his teeth in annoyance.
"It pains me to do this, kid. It really does. But you're in the way. Last chance. Move or I make you."
"No! I won't back down-
"Then fall.
Shirou opened his mouth to reply; only to grunt as a clenched fist sheathed itself in his stomach with blinding speed. It would've been easy to turn that arm into a point. To pierce his stomach. Yet he didn't. Instead breath burst from the boys lungs and he bent double in an explosive gasp. Twin palms clapped over his ears, deafening him. Even as he turned to face the enigmatic servant, another hand blitzed into the side of his head to render his world black.
Reeling, eyes rolling in his head, he collapsed.
The last he heard was a bitter growl.
Rather, he saw his lips move:
"Sweet dreams, hero."
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"
Archer looked up.
Saw the boot.
Too late.
"Shit!"
R&R~!
=D