Well, here's the next chapter of Non Omnis Moriar.

Before I go in, a quick announcement for The Cauldron readers. I am strongly considering a Potterverse crossover (perhaps even multiple ones) with one that I haven't done before, and which hasn't really been done in any substantial way on this website, beyond a couple of Gamer95's Project Motherhood stories (and even those are below 10K words, as of writing). Like Zen and the Art of Magical Bonding Between Former Child Soldiers, it's a crossover with a Capcom fighting game series. Only, this one's a better mesh with the Potterverse.

I'm talking about Darkstalkers.

Keep in mind, it's early days yet, but some time in the near future, I may be writing a Potterverse/Darkstalkers story, with a tentative pairing of Harry/Morrigan.

NON OMNIS MORIAR

CHAPTER 2:

(RE)INCARNATIONS

Even now, the last moments of that life were something of a blur. He only had impressions of his last hours of life as Harry Potter. Of seeing Ginny, raped and murdered, her mutilated body left in the Great Hall as a warning to everyone who would defy Voldemort. Of learning the truth about his Horcrux. Of making a suicidal attack against Voldemort…by tapping into every last drop of his magic…with explosive results. When he arrived at Kings Cross Station, or at least a limbo version of it, he was satisfied to see the glass-lined crater that remained. Of the argument he had with Dumbledore's shade, before deciding to get on the next train…

…And now, here he was, sandwiched between three formerly dead girls. Two of them Servants, the spirits of heroes from myth and legend, aka Heroic Spirits, summoned into new bodies. One of them was none other than THE King Arthur…who was a girl, in this universe at least.

While he had been Harry Potter in that past life, he still thought of himself as Shirou Emiya. It was ironic that his adoptive father treated him far better than the Dursleys did…though he felt guilty about that when he thought of Ginny, who had been raised by a loving family in one life…only to be discarded by another in this one. And then subjected to a decade of horror.

The quartet were seated around the table in the dining room. Eventually, Arturia seemed to tire of waiting, and asked, "Master, I would like to hear your story."

"Firstly, Arturia, please call me Shirou. This is my girlfriend, Sakura Matou. And this is Rider. Who is…?"

Rider shot Sakura a look, only for the violet-haired girl to nod. "She's our ally, Rider."

"Very well. I am Medusa."

Arturia stared at the Rider Servant, as did Shirou…who then remarked, "Huh. Well, you're not what I had in mind when I thought Medusa…though that explains the blindfold and the Parseltongue. Geez, what's with all the female Servants being as good looking as Sakura is?"

Both Arturia and Medusa choked slightly at the assessment, while Sakura blushed a little, smiling softly at his praise. Shirou knew that the girl had self-esteem issues. Well, more of a subscription, really, but who could blame her? She had been adopted out of her birth family, with her mother and sister barely protesting, she had been infested with Crest Worms since the age of six (and given that they effectively raped females, that was horrific beyond belief: Shirou wasn't sure how she survived through that even remotely sane), and was raped by her brother.

When Shirou had found out a few months ago, he was furious, but Sakura didn't want to get the police involved, for practical reasons: Zouken would simply erase their memories and arrange for any paperwork to simply disappear…before punishing Sakura. And there was a method to Zouken's vile orders other than psychological abuse: the Crest Worms needed to be subdued by carnal activity, lest they ruin Sakura's body in their hunger. So, as much as it stuck in Shirou's craw to do so, he made a deal with the decrepit old Magus: he would take care of Sakura in the same manner, only with her consent.

Sakura had been astonished: she never thought that Shirou would ever want her in her condition. But after considerable discussion, they agreed to the arrangement. And, if anything, Sakura and Shirou were happy that their friendship, which had been growing already for quite some time, had grown even more. In fact, the only one really unhappy with the relationship was Shinji, but given that he only wanted his little toy to abuse and play with. Zouken had warned Shirou, though, that if Shinji came to any substantial harm, there would be consequences.

Pranks, however, were perfectly fine, even if they led to an occasional broken bone.

Shirou wasn't going to let this state of affairs continue forever, though. One day, he intended to deal with Zouken for once and for all, along with Shinji. Once, when discussing what it meant to be a Hero of Justice with his father, Shirou wondered whether one could save everybody. Or more to the point, whether one should?

His father, that day, had warned Shirou against walking the path he once did. The path that led Kiritsugu Emiya to be feared and reviled as the Magus Killer. And Shirou knew he wouldn't. Kiritsugu would willingly, if reluctantly, kill thousands of innocents if it served the Greater Good…a phrase Shirou hated for some reason.

But people like Zouken and Shinji? Yeah, if he could ensure that Zouken could stay dead, Shirou would do it.

"Anyway, firstly, Arturia, I want to offer an apology on behalf of my father. I found out about what happened last time. And he had a suspicion that you would remember. He didn't think I would be pulled into another Grail War, but…he told me to tell you he was sorry, as much as he knew you wouldn't be happy about that."

Arturia's lips thinned, but she nodded. "Aye, I do remember your…father. Forgive me, Shirou, but I do not have kind words to say about him, save for the devotion he showed his wife and child. I accept that your apology on his behalf is sincere, but I would rather not talk of him."

"I'm sorry, but we have to," Shirou said. "Did you ever wonder why he ordered you to destroy the Grail?"

Arturia blinked in shock. It clearly didn't occur to the Saber Servant that there might actually be a reason. "No. But…"

"There was a reason. I know you may not believe me, but I think he was telling the truth, as much as he could. He told me the Grail was contaminated, that any wish made on it would only cause a catastrophe. He said something about meeting his wife, Irisviel, in the Grail. Only, she wasn't. She called herself Angra Mainyu, and tried to tempt him into ending the world, with only Irisviel and Illyasviel still alive. He rejected the wish, and she cursed him. He died five years ago, five years after the last Grail War."

Arturia blinked in shock again. "Only a decade has passed since the previous Grail War? But then…"

"Yeah, Sakura and I are still working out why too. The best theory we have is that the Grail being destroyed prematurely did something, and it only took a decade to recharge."

Arturia frowned in thought, before she said, "You say this…entity within the Grail called itself Angra Mainyu…but is that not a Zoroastrian deity, sometimes known as Ahriman? I thought those could not be summoned by the Grail as a Servant."

"Under certain circumstances, they can," Medusa said. "I myself am a fallen deity, of sorts, and demigods can also be summoned."

"Dad did some digging. Apparently the von Einzberns summoned an eighth class during the Third Holy Grail War, Avenger, and they summoned Angra Mainyu. He couldn't prove it, especially not to the satisfaction of those idiots in Clock Tower, never mind the von Einzberns. I had a hard enough time persuading them to let me meet my big sister instead of killing me." Shirou sighed. "Anyway, he thought he was saving the world by forcing you to destroy it. But Angra Mainyu was a sore loser. The Grail spewed out some stuff that pretty much set a good chunk of Fuyuki on fire. I was one of the survivors. Even now, I can't remember what my life was like before that fire…in this life, anyway."

"In this life?" Medusa asked.

"Long story. Anyway, I was staggering through that fire, doing little more than surviving, before I pretty much, well, gave up. And then, he came along, looking for someone to save…and he found me. He looked so happy to have saved me, Arturia. That's how badly things had affected him. I only remembered my given name, Shirou. He saved my life, and brought me to a hospital. Eventually, he offered to adopt me. As my parents were missing, presumed dead in the fire…I accepted. My memories before the fire were pretty much burned away. As for how he saved me…well, there's a reason I was able to summon you, Arturia." With that, he gently removed from his body a familiar wedge of gold, with intricate designs on it.

Arturia stared at it in wonder and nostalgia. "Avalon…"

"Yes. Excalibur's sheathe," Shirou said. "I have you to thank for saving my life Arturia, as much as Dad." He replaced it.

"I see," Arturia said. After some time, she said, "While I cannot accept all of your story on face value, especially as the one supplying the information through you did not see fit to trust my judgement, I am considering it regardless. Though if it is true…then why summon me again, if it is to destroy the Grail, and with it, my wish anew?"

"Arturia…you are a knight, right? Would you wish to leave a great evil unvanquished?" Shirou asked simply. He didn't want to manipulate her…or at least do so the way Dumbledore did in his old life.

She looked up at him sharply. Then, she nodded. "Very well. While I would wish to find out more myself, I concede your point."

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not going to treat you like Dad did. He told me doing so…he regretted it until the day he died. And I'm not going to use a Command Seal unless absolutely necessary," Shirou said, holding up his hand, showing said Command Seals. "Merlin, they're like having an instant Imperius, aren't they?" he muttered, more to himself. Shaking his head to get rid of that disturbing thought, he then said, "There's also one thing you should know in confidence, Arturia…and I have to ask, how do you feel? Is the mana supply good?"

Arturia seemed surprised by the question, before she nodded. "It is. Indeed, it feels better than it did with…your father."

"The same goes for me," Medusa said. "I was surprised at the reserves being given to me by Sakura. Highly unusual for Magi."

"That's because, well, we're not just Magi," Shirou said. "Sakura is a gifted Magus for her age, but me…well, thanks to being an Incarnation with my element and origin being Sword, my magecraft tends to go awry unless I'm using Structural Analysis, Projection, or Reinforcement." With that, he concentrated, and Projected a copy of Medusa's weapon. "Of course, this is just a crude copy, just made from looking at it…but if I used Structural Analysis on it first, I could, potentially, make a perfect copy. Sakura and I even think I might be, over time, able to copy Noble Phantasms, though the few times I tried with Avalon…let's just say that I was lucky to just have a splitting headache at the end of it."

"We think that was partly because Avalon was created by the Fae," Sakura said.

Arturia was looking on in astonishment, perhaps even awe. "A highly-specialised Incarnation…and potentially capable of copying Noble Phantasms. If you were ever a Heroic Spirit, you would be a formidable opponent…"

EMIYA sneezed, and frowned. "I thought Servants couldn't catch diseases," Rin asked snidely. "Or is someone talking about you behind your back?"

"Probably. I'm a Heroic Spirit after all, a lot of people would talk about me…"

"But it also means Shirou cannot learn other magecraft," Sakura said. "However, other magic is another matter."

"Other…magic?" Arturia asked.

Shirou smiled impishly, before waving a hand. To Arturia's astonishment, glasses emerged from the cupboards of the nearby kitchen, filled themselves with water from the sink, and then placed themselves on the table in front of them. Arturia stared. "…Merlin used to do such things as parlour tricks," she murmured finally. "But I did not think modern Magi would dare use their magic for something so trivial, even if that was possible."

"That's because it's not magecraft," Sakura said. "It's closer to True Magic, or at least magic as used in the Age of the Gods. It can't emulate the known True Magics, like Kaleidoscope or Heaven's Feel, but unlike magecraft, it is less affected by the World. Not to mention that it seems to be based more on a magical core rather than Magic Circuits. It seems less…abhorrent to Gaia."

Arturia considered this. Eventually, she said, "Regardless of the truth of your words, you seem like a more than competent Master, Shirou. I sincerely hope that our partnership is on much better terms than the one I had with your father. Do you know any healing magic?"

"A little. If things look dicey before a battle, I'll give Avalon back to you. That'd probably be better. Sakura knows healing magic too, of the magecraft variety."

"I see." Arturia's eyes flickered over to Sakura, and nodded. "Very well. Do either of you have intelligence on enemy Servants?"

Sakura looked over to Shirou. "I encountered two tonight, not counting those in this room. While I was investigating a possible Bounded Field on the roof, Rin Tohsaka showed up with an Archer Servant. Tanned skin, white hair…scarily skilled at using two short swords he created through Projection. We were accosted by a Lancer Servant. He had blue hair, red eyes, and wielded a single, red spear. Had an Irish accent too."

"It could not have been Diarmuid of the Love Spot," Arturia mused. "He did not match the description, and I fought him myself in the prior Grail War. There are a number of Irish spearmen who could have become Lancers." Her face fell at what was presumably an unhappy memory. Shirou remembered that his father alluded to doing something cruel to the Master of Lancer, Lord El-Melloi, something Arturia had objected to.

"The Lancer seemed excited by fighting more than one opponent," Medusa supplied. "His Master recalled him, though."

"The Archer, he did not have blonde hair and golden armour?" Arturia asked. "I know how you described him, but the Archer of the previous Grail War…"

"No, it wasn't Gilgamesh. He didn't call me a mongrel or anything," Shirou said. "Also, I know for a fact that my big sister summoned a Berserker, and she was bragging that he was Heracles. I don't want to fight that walking embodiment of 'roid rage yet."

"Big…sister?"

"There's only two people Shirou calls 'big sister'. There's his guardian, Taiga Fujimura, and there's his adopted sister, Illyasviel von Einzbern," Sakura explained patiently. "He's talking about Illya."

"Illya…Kiritsugu and Irisviel's daughter," Arturia mused, her expression becoming mildly rueful. "She is a Master now too?"

"Yeah. I tried warning the von Einzberns about the Grail, but they didn't listen. Illya's a bit more willing, but she's still going to participate. Sakura and I are the only Masters set on destroying the Grail."

"Still, that means Caster and Assassin are unaccounted for as of yet, and those are ones you should be wary of," Arturia pointed out.

"Zouken told me that Caster was summoned some time ago, and Assassin not so long ago," Sakura said. "Which means the Holy Grail War has begun in earnest, more or less."

"If I may," Medusa began. Getting attention on her, she said, "The sigil at the school was my doing. Zouken Matou wished for me to prepare one of my Noble Phantasms, Blood Fort Andromeda, as a back-up plan. When activated, it would convert those present into mana for myself, at the cost of their lives. I should have mentioned this sooner. However, I altered the sigil. As it is my Noble Phantasm, I can change elements of it. It will no longer have a lethal or even harmful effect. My apologies for not speaking of this sooner."

Shirou looked at Medusa in a little irritation. Eventually, he said, "That's fine. But it's probably going to be erased by Tohsaka before long."

"It's not the only sigil at the school. All erasing that one will do is delay the time until I can activate my Noble Phantasm," Medusa confessed.

"Another thing to worry about is where the Grail will materialise," Shirou said. "Dad told me of the four most likely points…"

Arturia nodded. "He told me that information too. We are close to one point, there is one at the church of the Overseer, a third is at Tohsaka Manor, and the final one is at Ryuudou Temple."

"I will do reconnaissance of the temple," Medusa said. "If Astralized, I can make my way there swiftly, and then retreat if there is any sign of a Servant being present."

"Would you be able to do so tonight?" Sakura asked. "I trust Arturia to keep us both safe while you are gone."

Medusa nodded. "I will do so forthwith. I won't take any risks, Sakura. Goodbye." And with that, she faded from view.

Arturia seemed to relax slightly. "It seems yet again I face a Rider from Greece. Last time, it was Iskandar."

"AKA Alexander the Great," Shirou muttered. Louder, he said, "Arturia, you shouldn't have to face her at all. I trust Sakura, and she trusts me. And I trust your honour as the King of Knights. Dad may have disdained that honour, but I don't."

"And neither do I," Sakura said. "I remember…the Servant my Uncle Kariya summoned. Zouken told me later…it was Lancelot."

Arturia looked at her sharply. "Your uncle…he was the one who was Master of Berserker in the previous Grail War?"

Sakura nodded sadly. "He promised to rescue me. He…couldn't keep the promise. A part of me hated him for doing so. But…at least he tried. Until Shirou came along, nobody else did."

"My apologies," Arturia said sincerely. "It was a shock to find my own comrade as an enemy…indeed, perhaps it was the most profound shock I suffered during that Grail War. His desire to rescue you was a noble one, then."

"Sakura…was in a bad situation. She still is," Shirou explained. "She thinks of me as a knight in shining armour." He punctuated this statement with a sardonic chuckle. "I haven't quite rescued the fair maiden from the monster's den, but I'm working on it. Then again, he's more tenacious than Voldemort."

"But we will deal with him soon, my love," Sakura said, before yawning. "We'd better go to bed. We'll have to deal with some things in the morning…"

Arturia nodded, but Shirou knew she was a little at sea with this whole thing. He hoped he would be able to persuade her to help him destroy the Grail, not just for his father, and the mother he never got to meet, Irisviel, but for the sake of the world. Distantly, he heard a memory from another life, of a bushy-haired girl berating him for his 'saving people thing'. Oh, Hermione, you're more right than you ever knew…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Shirou and Sakura have explained things to Arturia, and Medusa's gone off to do some reconnaissance. What next, though?

No numbered annotations this time.