Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Purified by Fire, Dancing with Fairies

Chapter 7

"Just feel."

Kiritsugu sat on a boulder overlooking the stream, one leg crossed beneath the other, which hung down over the boulder's edge. Standing knee-deep in the stream below, Ayame pointed with her right hand's index finger up the stream, towards a small waterfall and the rock face behind it. "Just concentrate on what you want to happen," Kiritsugu continued. "Feel, don't think."

Ayame didn't say anything, the only sound being that of the water flowing and the chirping of the birds in the trees nearby. And then magic circuits flashed along her arm, and with the sharp crack of displaced air, a beam of glowing energy lanced from her finger through the air, and towards the waterfall. Hissing filled the air as water flashed into steam, almost simultaneously with the cracking of breaking rock.

"I did it!" Ayame yelled, turning to her father with a grin. Kiritsugu nodded with a smile, and getting up jumped down from the boulder to join Ayame in the water.

"Yes, you did." He said, patting her on the shoulder and causing Ayame's grin to grow even wider. "But, you also saw what it did to the water and the rock, didn't you?"

"Yes." Ayame said with a nod. "The water turned to steam, and the rock broke."

"Yes," Kiritsugu agreed. "Now, imagine what would happen if you used this spell against Human beings."

"T-that's…"

"Not very pretty, is it?" Kiritsugu asked with a gentle smile, and Ayame nodded. "This spell is very useful, but very dangerous too. That's why, if you have to use it, then it should only be if you really have to."

"But…what about…what about 'magi walking with death' and all that?"

"Yes, there is that." Kiritsugu agreed, before sinking down to Ayame's face level, and holding her face in his hands smiled gently at her. "But, as much as possible, I don't want you killing people. Call it…a father…your father's, selfishness."

Ayame smiled back. "You're not selfish, dad." She said, and Kiritsugu laughed.

"Maybe," he said, standing back up. "But just because you have to be ready to kill if you have to, you don't have to kill if you don't have to. Remember, what is in your power to do, is also in your power not to do."

"…yes, I understand."

Glowing beams of light jetted down the darkened corridor, the darkness recoiling every time they did so. Dragon Tooth Warriors were blown apart by the beams, until the entire corridor was clear.

Ayame ran down the cleared corridor, towards the first of several bodies sprawled out, unconscious on the floor. Saber stayed beside her, and as Ayame began checking the young man on the floor, he stood protectively over her.

At a gesture from Ayame, the fairy orbiting her floated down, and settling itself over the young man's heart fluttered its wings a few times. A faint, iridescent glow shimmered over the young man for a few moments before fading, and he began to breath more easily. "Thank you." Ayame whispered to the fairy as it returned to orbit, and carefully and gently lowered the young man back onto the ground.

"There should be more people in the rooms up ahead." Ayame said to Saber. "Let's help them out as well."

Saber nodded, and followed Ayame further down the corridor.

Ayame sighed, and Saber glanced at her curiously. "Tired?" he asked.

"Kind of," Ayame admitted. "Don't get me wrong, helping people when they need it is only right, especially when they're just caught up in a mess other, irresponsible people started. But…"

"This whole business was tedious, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

Ayame and Saber stood on the rooftop level of an apartment building, looking out over the skyline of Fuyuki deep in the night, a strong and cold breeze whipping through their hair and clothes. They'd spent the past few hours going through that same building, destroying the constructs and dispelling what they brought with them, that which was draining the life energies of the people inside the building, the true face of the supposed gas leaks plaguing the city for some time now.

It was however, a very repetitive and ultimately tedious matter. They'd enter a floor, destroy the constructs in the corridors, sweep the rooms and help the people individually, and then move on to the next floor. Rinse and repeat.

"It might seem…selfish, or something, to be worn out like this," Ayame continued. "But, it's been what, three or four hours? And we've basically been doing the same thing over and over again over those same three or four hours. It's only natural and expected that people would get tired from repetition, and over so long."

"True," Saber agreed with a nod. "And of course, we're simply taking reactive action."

"Reactive…action…?" Ayame echoed, glancing at her Servant, who nodded.

"Yes," he said. "To be sure, we're helping the people victimized by whichever Master or Servant is behind this. But when all is said and done, we're not really solving the problem. We're only dealing with its effects, or countering a single part of it without really solving the whole. No matter what good we do here…"

"…unless we deal with whoever is behind this," Ayame finished. "Then these attacks will continue."

"Exactly."

Ayame made a sound of disgust and frustration. "There has to be some way we can figure or lure out whoever these people are." She said. "And, there's still the ones who actually kill people, instead of just slowly draining away their life forces. Damn it…"

"Calm yourself," Saber said gently. "I understand how you feel, but if you allow your emotions to get the better of you, you'll start getting hasty, risking mistakes or even playing to the enemy's pace."

Ayame took a deep breath, and nodded. "Yes," she admitted. "You're right. Thanks for that."

Saber smiled and nodded. "You're welcome." He said, turning to look back out over the city. "Now what?"

"There doesn't seem to be any more buildings under attack tonight." Ayame said after a moment. "We've done enough for tonight. Let's go home."

"Yes, Ayame."

Morning light gently streamed through the living room windows, Rin silently taking her tea after a light breakfast. Nearby, Archer also enjoyed his own cup of tea, all the while discreetly keeping an eye on Rin, in order to judge her mood. As she finished her tea and replaced the teacup on its saucer, he spoke up. "So," he began. "Will you go after Emiya again?"

"Of course I am." Rin said. "I've got a score to settle. And while she does seem to have quite a few tricks up her sleeves, in particular those spirits of hers, there's no indication that she's more formidable than I initially thought her to be."

"And yet she managed to defeat you quite easily, just two nights ago."

Rin's right eye twitched, and she crossed her arms, taking a deep breath to try and control her temper. "I underestimated her, that's all." She said. "I lost because I didn't expect her to use cheap tricks or underhanded methods to win. I didn't lose because she was the better magus. In fact, except for those spirits of hers, from how she fought in the battle, it doesn't look as though her magecraft is anything special."

"And yours is?"

Rin didn't answer at once. "I'll play to my strengths." She finally said. "If her strength as a spell-caster is…unorthodoxy, then mine as a magus are Elemental and Jewel Magecraft."

"…really?"

Rin briefly glared at Archer, who just shrugged in response. "I'm an Average One." Rin said. "That gives me an affinity for all five elements. And my family's researched jewels and their application in magecraft for five generations, not counting me since, well…"

Rin trailed off with a shrug and a gesture at herself, causing Archer to nod slowly. "I see your point." He said. "That said, even if you play to your strengths, the enemy will be playing to theirs as well. And…unorthodoxy, the ability to think outside the box is not something you should take lightly. Be careful."

"I know." Rin said. "I won't underestimate her again."

"That's good to hear, Rin."

"We're being watched," Saber remarked as he and Ayame passed the gates and entered the school's quadrangle. "Again…and this…feeling…I recognize it…it's Archer."

Ayame sighed. "Looks like Tohsaka got a grudge, didn't she?" she asked.

"It seems that way." Saber said. "You did hit her on the face – and on the head – with a shovel. And from what I know about magi, they tend to be really prideful. How you defeated her two nights ago…you have to admit, it was rather humiliating. A prideful person would not allow such humiliation to go unavenged."

"We're at war." Ayame thought in disgust. "No one fights fair in war. That's not how it works."

"I…don't think that's really the point here."

"Oh yes it is." Ayame shot back. "You see, the only reason I fought like I did is if I didn't, I can guarantee I'd have lost the battle. She's a better magus than I am, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. But, who would fight a battle just to lose? Or a war, for that matter? And in order to win, I had to find and use a way that would remove her advantage. And I did."

"I understand." Saber said. "But, I don't think Tohsaka's going to see it that way."

"Stupid magi and their stupid pride."

"There's nothing wrong with them taking pride in their achievements and lineages, you know."

"…okay, you've got me there." Ayame conceded after a moment, passing through the main building's doors and heading to a bench to take off her shoes. "But they shouldn't force their expectations and standards on other people either."

"Hmm…from what I understand, it's their society you live in. So their rules, and all that…"

"…whose side are you on, anyway?"

Saber laughed. "Just trying to keep you objective, that's all." He said. "I understand you're being unfairly judged, but then again aren't you doing the same to them? In any case, this is all fairly academic, a better topic for us is how we deal with Tohsaka and Archer later on."

"…okay, you've got me there on both counts." Ayame thought after a long pause, in which time she'd replaced her indoor shoes and stowed her outdoor ones. "As for how…do you really think they'd attack us?"

"Yes, wouldn't you if you were in their place?"

"…okay…well, for one thing we can't use the same strategy from before. They'll be expecting that, and probably would be prepared for it to. If I had to guess, if we used the strategy from two nights ago, they'll herd us using pre-prepared bounded fields, traps, maybe even familiars and summons to a prepared battlefield, and attack us at our disadvantage."

"I think so too." Saber agreed. "A countermeasure?"

"The easiest solution would be to simply play along."

"…what?"

Ayame smirked as they walked down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. "We play along," she repeated. "And when they spring their trap, we turn their trap against them and take them out once and for all."

"You're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you?"

"Sure I do." Ayame replied. "Let's show them just how powerful Excalibur is. Come to think of it…how powerful is it? I won't get disappointed, will I?"

"…no, you won't." Saber said after a moment. "Even if I don't go all out, Excalibur is powerful enough to take out most Servants in one swing."

Ayame whistled. "And if you go all out?" she asked.

"I'd rather not unless absolutely necessary."

"Just tell me what would happen."

"I'd split the Heavens."

"…what?"

"You heard me." Saber said. "Excalibur is a sword forged to protect the Human race from any threat to its existence, embodying and drawing power from the dreams and wishes of Humanity. And when I say threat to Humanity's existence, that includes threats from beyond the World…thus if need be, Excalibur has the power to split the Heavens."

"…I'll take your word for it." Ayame said after a moment, pausing to exchange pleasantries while heading to her classroom. "So what do you think of my proposed strategy?"

"I think it's too early to reveal either my Noble Phantasm, or my true identity."

"Oh fine." Ayame conceded. "The other option is to fight them here, at the school, after classes end for the day, and everyone has left. That way, whatever prepared strategy and battlefield they have would be all for nothing, and at the very least the situation isn't too disadvantaged for us."

"I prefer this strategy to the previous one, though we may return to said strategy in the future."

"Glad to hear it."

Ayame entered her classroom, and while exchanging pleasantries with her classmates headed to her seat. As she placed her things under her desk, a thought occurred to her. Getting up, she walked over to the windows, and glancing outside and sideways, narrowed her eyes at what little she could see of the forest around the school.

"Hey, Saber."

"What is it?"

"I just had an idea…that is, it's not just Tohsaka who can prepare a battlefield to fight in. I can too."

"…what do you have in mind?"

Ayame just smiled.

Rider felt a spike of hostility from Saber in the distance, and ghosted away from his Master in astral form. Indeed, he had been about to do just that, as his Master had been just about to…couple, with his current paramour, in an out of the way corner of the grounds. The girl's breasts had already been exposed, and her womanhood readied even as Shinji began fumbling with his pants.

Having little interest in watching his Master coupling with a girl, Rider moved to investigate the spike of hostility. Moving through walls, people, and other obstacles with ease, he slowed to a halt as he sensed a wary Saber standing guard outside the ladies' room.

Now what…oh…his Master must be inside. That seems…

…no, wait. His being out here makes sense, but…why is he so wary? And what was that spike of hostility from earlier?

Did…someone try to sneak a peek?

Ignoring a pulsed warning from Saber, Rider ghosted over to stand next to the Knight of the Sword. "Don't worry," Rider whispered. "I'm not going to try and take a peek at your Master. I enjoy the company of women, but I don't touch children."

"I'm glad to hear that." Saber whispered back. "Now, please depart."

"And I will." Rider whispered. "But first, just one question, if only to answer what drew me here just now: why did your hostility spike just a while back?"

Saber didn't answer for several moments, but he eventually did. "Archer tried." He whispered.

"…truly?"

"On my word as a knight."

"…I…see…"

Rider immediately found himself feeling a sense of repugnance for the Knight of the Bow. He'd seen what Archer had looked like, during his battle with Saber a couple of nights ago, and he was clearly a man full grown. To think he'd tried to sneak a look at a girl not even twenty summers old while she was relieving her needs…

"Thank you for the answer." Rider whispered. "I will depart."

"Very well."

Rider ghosted away, invisibly shaking his head at what the Knight of the Bow's preferences were. He then reached out, through his telepathic link with his Master, to report on what the earlier spike of hostility was, but sensing the whirlwind of lust, passion, desire, and pleasure through their link, thought better of it. Shinji was still clearly busy with his paramour.

It wasn't as though this matter was really important anyway. It could wait.

"What did I miss?" Ayame asked as she left the ladies' room several minutes later, striding down the hallway with Saber beside her in astral form. "I sensed your hostility spike."

"Oh that." Saber said. "Archer tried to have a look."

"…what?"

"I don't think he was trying to sneak a peek, more that he might have been…suspicious, given how long you were taking inside." Saber said. "So I warned him off. Considering that there's a good chance your needs just might be taking a while to address, he probably decided it wasn't worth the trouble of breaking into the ladies' room, and left."

"I see."

"Rider noticed it though. My spike of hostility, that is." Saber said. "He came over to check."

"And then what?"

Saber chuckled. "I simply told him that Archer tried to have a look." He said. "That's all I said to him, and from the feel of things, Rider's drawn his own conclusions."

For a few moments, Ayame was quiet. And then she snickered. "That was rather underhanded." She said. "I could even say it's not something a knight would do."

"We're at war." Saber replied. "We must do what we must to achieve victory, such as muddying Rider's perceptions towards Archer. And besides it wasn't a lie."

"Oh really?"

"Yes." Saber said. "Archer did try to have a look. It's just that I…neglected, to clarify why that was the case. It is hardly my fault Rider jumped to conclusions, though it might just be of benefit to us."

Ayame laughed out loud. "Okay, I get your point." She said. "Sneaky though."

Saber just shrugged. "As I said before," he said. "We're at war."

"So we are."

"How about things on your end?"

"My end? Oh yes…I've summoned the fairies, and put them to work preparing the battlefield. All that's left should be getting there. And to be honest, that shouldn't be too hard."

"Are you certain Tohsaka won't notice them at work?"

"Yes, I am." Ayame said with complete confidence. "Fairies are extensions of nature itself. When they perform miracles, it doesn't register as magecraft on spells meant to detect or senses attuned to magecraft, since it technically isn't magecraft. It's just…nature, being nature."

"And what of your summoning fairies in the first place? Wouldn't that have been detected?"

"Normally yes, but this time no."

"And why not?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"…do I?"

"No." Ayame said, her face looking somewhat disgusted at herself. "It'd disgusting and in hindsight I'm stunned at myself that I could actually do something like that. Even then, I'd rather not talk about it, even if it did prove useful in keeping Tohsaka – or Matou for that matter – from finding out I've been summoning fairies in the comfort room."

"…well, we are at war, necessity and all that."

"Yeah, let's just go with that."

"Agreed."

Golden, afternoon light shone through the windows, casting low shadows from the bars. Ayame snoozed on a chair in an empty classroom, legs stretched out before her, arms crossed lightly over her lap. The air was warm and still, but not uncomfortably so, and even in astral form Saber found himself tempted to join his Master and just enjoy this warm afternoon.

But…needs must. While Ayame snoozed, waiting for the school to empty, Saber kept watch, his senses attuned to their surroundings and the school, and in particular Archer and Rider's. At least until the latter left of course, leaving Archer as the only other Servant present, and it was clear that he and his Master were clearly waiting for the school to empty as well.

Finally, as the Sun touched the horizon, Saber sensed them move. Materializing, he gently shook his Master awake. "Ayame," he said. "The school's empty. Tohsaka and Archer are on the move."

Ayame stretched her arms overhead before getting to her feet. "Got it," she said yawning and rubbing at an eye. Saber found himself smiling at the sight, reminded that despite everything else, his Master was still just a young woman on the cusp of adulthood.

In a way…it's sad.

Even though it's her choice to join this war, she shouldn't be in it. She should be enjoying the springtime of her life with her friends and family, not putting her life on the line in war and magic.

But…it was her choice. And I must…and do respect that.

"Shall we go?" Ayame asked, and Saber nodded, falling into step behind her as she strode towards the classroom doors. Ayame slid them open, carefully looked around outside before stepping out and standing, waiting in the middle of the hallway.

They didn't have to wait for long. Slowly but steadily, Rin and Archer's presence grew closer, until they emerged from the stairwell, and likewise stood in the middle of the hallway. Ayame blinked, and then whistled before smiling at the situation.

Standing like this, in the light of the setting Sun, facing off in the middle of an empty hallway…it was almost like in those showdowns in cowboy movies. "If we were in the middle of the quadrangle below," Ayame thought. "It'd even be more like a Western. All we'd need would be sand, tumbleweed, and cowboy clothes."

"So," Ayame said. "Looks like you've recovered from…well, two nights ago. And…here we are, again. Facing off…I get the feeling you don't really like me."

"Funny," Rin said. "Even before the war, it was pretty common knowledge you didn't like me."

"I didn't really hate you or anything of the sort," Ayame said. "But…alright, I'll admit it. I did avoid you."

"Guilty conscience?"

"Why would I have a guilty conscience?"

"Well, there's the fact that you're squatting on my property!"

"…what?"

"Don't play dumb!"

"What are you even on about, Goldilocks?"

"G-goldilocks?" Rin echoed, eyes bulging from her eye sockets.

"Yeah, Goldilocks." Ayame said before reaching up and miming tugging at imaginary pigtails. Imaginary, since with her own hair cut into a shoulder-length bob, it was too short to be tied into pigtails. "And again, what are you talking about? I have the deed for my house and the lot it's sitting on. Seriously, it's got my name on it, along with the government seal and all, plus the receipts for tax payments made in my name ever since dad died."

"DON'T CALL ME GOLDILOCKS!" Rin shouted. "And that's not what I meant! You're a magus! You…!"

"Spell-caster, actually…"

"SHUT UP!" Rin shouted. "DON'T INTERRUPT ME, YOU WORTHLESS EXCUSE FOR A MAGUS!"

Ayame rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, while Archer tried to intervene. "Maybe we should talk about this some other time," he said. "Like you know, when we aren't facing off to settle scores from the last time we fought, Holy Grail War and all…"

Rin didn't bother to speak. Stepping forward, she pointed her right index finger and opened fire, her crest flashing as Gandr rounds blasted forward. Saber and Ayame's eyes widened in surprise, only for Saber to step in front of his Master, Gandr rounds splattering harmlessly against him.

"It seems the time for talk is over." He remarked.

"Like hell it is!" Rin yelled, while Archer tried to restrain her.

"Good," Ayame said, her expression unhappy, already shoving Saber aside with her left hand. As she did so, her right hand rose up, arcing from behind her, all but her index and middle fingers folded inward. Saber's eyes widened at the sight of what looked like flames burning at their tips, and trailing in their wake, as they pointed towards Rin and Archer.

A powerful explosion blew out a large section of the school's main building, and shaking the rest to the very foundation. As dust and debris filled the corridor, Saber and Ayame ran away from Rin and Archer. "INCOMING!" Saber shouted, skidding to a halt and turning as Ayame continued to run behind him.

Three, glowing, silver blades flew like arrows towards Saber, and warned by instinct the Knight of the Sword decided against blocking directly. Instead Invisible Air rose, hurricane force winds gusting to be released in an instant.

Another, even more powerful explosion tore up the school's main building, the shaking and the shock wave breaking what glass wasn't already broken, and not just in the main building. The windows of the school's other buildings were also broken, and as dust and debris plumed out Saber leaped from the clouds, arcing down towards the ground.

Turning in the air, he noticed another explosion, much like the first one, blowing out the side of the main building. As dust and debris plumed out, he saw Ayame jump out, leaping down to the forest below. "Just as planned," Saber thought before narrowing his eyes.

Whistling through the air, black and white scimitars spun in his direction, but even in free fall Saber swung his sword with finesse and precision, parrying and turning the dozens of blades trying to cut him down. Landing down hard, Saber immediately leapt back, in anticipation of the follow-through…and he was not disappointed.

A glowing bolt lanced down where he'd landed, the explosion shaking the grounds and tearing up the quadrangle. But even as the clouds of dust and debris cleared, Saber stood unbowed, unbent, and unbroken. Invisible Air rose to block Archer's downward stroke, and with a roar Saber twisted and threw Archer back.

Archer tried to attack from the flank, but Saber was too fast and too good. A couple of parries later and Kansho was forced from Archer's hand, and the follow-through shattered Archer's armor like glass, the Knight of the Bow only able to avoid getting disemboweled by mere luck.

And then Saber was on him, Archer cursing as Kansho reappeared in his hand, and together with its mate, was raised to defend against Saber's counterattack.

"So you can use elemental magic too, huh?" Rin shouted as she ran into the forest.

"What's it to you?" Ayame shouted from somewhere inside.

"Just so you know," Rin shouted. "You're only prolonging the inevitable. Come out and surrender, and I swear I won't hit you too hard."

"Go away."

"W-w-what?"

"You heard me, go away."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GO AWAY?" Rin roared. "ARE YOU TAKING ME LIGHTLY? YOU LITTLE BITCH! JUST BECAUSE YOU…"

"I'm telling you to go away because I don't want to fight you."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

Rin roared, gesturing and sending a glowing, comet-like blast of blue fire in the direction of Ayame's voice. It plowed through the forest, simply immolating everything along its path before ending in an explosion in the distance, smaller flames burning along its wake.

"You shouldn't throw fire around like that you know." Ayame chided. "You could start a forest fire in here."

"Oh that's rich, coming from the bitch who blew up half the school." Rin spat, as she ran through the trees.

"Actually, that was your Servant." Ayame said. "I only blew up a corridor."

Rin responded with another jet of fire. "COME OUT, COWARD!" she roared. "FIGHT LIKE A MAGUS!"

"I told you, I'm not a magus. I'm a spell-caster."

"Yes, a spell-caster," Rin said with a sneer, every word dripping with contempt. "How someone as pathetic and with no pride whatsoever like you could summon Saber of all Servants…it's a joke in bad taste!"

"…well, if that's how you want to play, alright."

"What?"

"You heard me. You want to play hardball, okay. Still, last chance: go away. I won't be responsible for what might happen to you in here."

"STOP MOCKING ME!" Rin roared. "I CAN TAKE ANYTHING YOU CAN DISH OUT! I'M A MAGUS! I WALK WITH DEATH! I'M NOT AFRAID OF IT!"

"…alright then. Welcome to the Phantasmagoria."

A/N

You wanted to see Kiritsugu in a flashback, so here we go.

Wow, Rin really lost her temper, huh?