Shinji sighed to himself as he stared at the ceiling. Despite, or maybe because of, the bluster he put up while Hane was here, he was feeling very drained. Sakura had attended to him like some robotic maid, although he was sure robots had more personality than her.

Creepy ass girl.

To his relief, his Grandfather took his 'sister' away from him, the old man claiming he needed Sakura to do something to help out in the war efforts. The old man barely looked at him. He didn't even care of the risks that the boy took to become a powerful mage.

That fucking creepy ass girl stole even his family's hopes from him.

He rolled over in bed, now staring at the wall instead. It was mercifully quiet for a few minutes… until a loud crash shook the house to its foundations. Shinji groaned as he rolled over, pushing himself to a sitting position. He should have felt more fear, but… he just felt numb. If that was a result of the last few days or the potion, he had no clue.

His entire body felt like it was cased in concrete as he forced himself to swing his legs over the edge of the bed. He was about to force himself to stand up when the door to his bedroom quietly swung open. Sakura quietly walked back in, and behind her…was Rider. Of course it wasn't his Rider, no, it was that purple haired giant that Sakura had summoned. Great, so now he'd have to deal with her all over again. Unless…

"What? Is Grandfather going to make me be her Master again?" Shinji asked. In the past, he would leap at the chance, but now… now he had his own. He would rather not deal with that bitch if he didn't have to.

Well, then again, he did swear he would punish the Servant if he got her again…

"Shinji." Zouken's voice called out from behind Sakura, sending a shiver up both of the teenagers' spines. "You're lucky you even have the Servant you gained. If it wasn't for Hohenheim's insistence, you wouldn't even be in this war. Don't push your nonexistent luck."

Shinji didn't respond, instead turning to stare at the wall. He only hoped Perceus came back soon.


The shadows grew longer as the sun slowly lowered itself below the horizon. The sky was a brilliant combination of colors, a perfect setting for a showdown. And what a showdown it was.

Harpe clashed against the Round Table, the impact sending shockwaves out. Perseus gritted his teeth as he pushed against the mysterious girl's shield, trying to make her yield. However, her slender arms refused to give in, not even buckling under the weight.

"Now who might you be?" Perseus mused as he gave up on the attack and bounced back. "You wouldn't happen to be an Archer Class Servant?" He joked as he spun Harpe around his body. The girl gave no answer, instead staring down her enemy. "Tsk, no one's been willing to talk recently." Perseus muttered to himself as he charged at the girl once more.

This time, the red eyed girl ran out to meet him. Her fist flew through the air, the shield following. Her form was sloppy, unrefined. Too easy for Perseus to dodge. Harpe swung in a carefree arc. The golden eyed girl whipped around, blocking the strike. Perseus quickly ducked under a kick from the girl. He retaliated by flipping backwards, her chin catching his boot.

The red eyed shield girl fell towards her back, only to be caught by the boy she was trying to save. He held her up as she found her footing again, the girl rushing back into the fight without a word of thanks. Perseus ran to meet her, holding Harpe behind him.

Before the two forces collided, Perseus took to the air. The shield slid under him as the Rider flew through the air. Gracefully, he landed, spinning around and slashing at her back. The blade missed by mere fractions of an inch. The girl quickly turned, lugging the massive shield behind her. A loud scraping rang out as she tried to smash Perseus's jaw with her weapon.

The Greek hero jumped over her attack lazily. This time however when he turned to slash at her, she managed to place her shield in front of herself. The booming sound of metal striking metal rang out, acting as a signal to the girl. With all the strength she could muster, she pushed forward, intent on ramming the man.

Perseus simply jumped again.

The girl wasn't sure if she wanted to scream in rage and attack harder or just grab the boy she saved and run. She decided to keep running, breaking away from the fight and stopping by the boy she was trying to protect.

"We should run." She said simply. Her eyes narrowed as the boy shook his head.

"Nah, with that one Noble Phantasm he has, he could do three laps around the city and still catch us before we even get a block away." Ritsuka reasoned. "We'll just have to drive him away. Seeing as he's just playing with you… for some reason… we might be able to do that."

"Not if he keeps avoiding all my attacks." She answered back in that monotone voice. She wasn't sure why that Heroic Spirit in her body wasn't taking over. She really wished she understood the nature of her current existence more.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Ritsuka commented as he adjusted Jack slightly, the girl glaring daggers at Perseus. He leaned over, whispering into the Shielder's ear, the girl showing no response as she listened.

"If it does not work, we are running." She finally replied before rushing back into battle. She held up her shield once more, going for another swing. Once again, Perseus lazily jumped over the attack before realizing something important.

That was a damn feint.

The girl adjusted her stance, crouching low and drawing back her shielded arm. In a split second, she shot into the air, swinging her shield arm out like an uppercut. She struck Perseus from underneath, knocking the wind out of the Servant and launching him even higher into the air. Meanwhile, Ritsuka grabbed on to Jack with his good hand. He felt raw power flowing into his arm thanks to the Instant Enhancement in his Mystic Code. Gritting his teeth, he used all his temporary strength to throw the tiny serial killer at the Greek hero.

Gracefully, she flew through the air, her hands gripping her knives tightly. As she flew by Perseus, Jack lashed out. Her knives sliced through his sides, a geyser of blood exploding from the wounds.

The thrown child reached out, grabbing on a nearby powerline pole to stop her descent. Perseus was not afforded such a luxury. However, he easily swapped out Harpe for his winged sandals, stopping his fall and landing safely on his own two feet.

"Clever, but, come on… one lucky shot isn't enough to take me out." Perseus commented as he undid his cloak, wrapping the piece of cloth around his wound.

"No, but it will slow you down." Ritsuka shot back. "And speed's your greatest asset, after all." Perseus let out a chuckle as he summoned Harpe back into his hand.

"And yet that'll be enough to beat you and that half baked Servant." Perseus returned with a verbal jab. With a yell of determination, The Greek Hero charged forward, ignoring the throbbing pain in his side. The mysterious girl rushed out to meet him, shield in hand.

Focused. Powerful. Angry. They were ready to kill the other to get what they most desired. Neither would ever give up, not until they could fulfill their wish.

However, their determination wouldn't reach their opponent.

A blue shooting star fell from the sky, burning brilliantly. It crashed between the two, shaking the very earth. A streak of red appeared around the blue star, revealing the identity of the star to everyone on the road.

Between the two enemies stood a wild Irishman.

"You know kid, this whole war's gotten really weird since you showed up." Cu called over to Ritsuka as he rolled his shoulder. "Then again, I can't complain too much. Gives me a far more interesting time!"

"Lancer? How did you find us?" Ritsuka asked, causing the mystery girl to turn around and give him a funny look. Cu let out a laugh.

"C'mon kid. There was a giant dome of magical mist in the middle of the day. That was soon followed by an explosion. I'd have to be deaf and blind not to find you." The Lancer explained.

"That is how I found you." The girl added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Basically, ya suck at being stealthy, kid. Speaking of…" Cu turned to Perseus, ignoring Ritsuka's indignant shout. "I usually don't give a rat's ass about the proceedings of this Grail War, but now, someone like you appearing out of nowhere, and threatening my good time? I'm going to need some answers from you." Cu pointed his spear at Perseus. "What the hell is the big idea attacking in the middle of the day, with so many potential witnesses?"

"Ah, Lancer of the…" Perseus paused as he looked at Cu, squinting a bit. "Wait, wait, wait… which one are you?"

"Eh, whaddya yappin' about?" Cu barked.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just a little confusing, keeping track of who was summoned by which grail." Perseus admitted as he held Harpe in a defensive position. "Especially since you both look so alike. Anyways, Lancer of the Fuyuki Grail. I'll tell you why I don't give a damn about keeping the secrecy." The Greek Hero threw his arms up dramatically, his cape fluttering behind him. "This timeline is doomed. Only one tiny chance of correction, one tiny chance of salvation. Otherwise, it will be wiped away, and all who live in it will vanish like dust in the wind. Why hide when there are only mere days left of existence?"

The three facing the Greek Hero were stunned into silence. For two of them, it sounded like the ravings of a madman. For one though, it sounded far too familiar, and hit far too close to home.

"W-wait, what do you me—?" Before Ritsuka could finish, Perseus interrupted him.

"Ah, ah, I've said too much. If I keep going, the one who summoned me might have to move up their plans, and we certainly wouldn't want that."

"Oh? My Master is interested in what those plans are," Cu commented as he got into a fighting stance. "So you wanna do this the easy way, or the fun way?"

"Please…," Perseus commented as he adopted his own fighting stance. "Faced with a great Irish hero, an unknown Servant, and a Master that has saved humanity, there's only one thing a hero like me can possibly do."

The four stared each other down, the grips on their weapons tightening. The light slowly vanished as the sun finally set, causing the shadows to grow even larger. Over their heads hung the moon as the stars filled the skies again. A cool wind blew through their hair as they waited for someone to make a move. The tense atmosphere was obviously starting to get to the girl, who barely was able to keep from shaking from the pressure of the moment.

Finally, Perseus made the first move.

With a flash of gold on his feet, Perseus took off. The winged sandals gifted to him by Hermes carried him off into the distance in record time. The three left behind were stunned into silence. For a brief moment, the three stood dumbly, watching the Rider vanish into the distance. Finally, Cu regained his senses enough to act again.

"Oy! Get back here!" Cu called out as he dashed off after the Rider, his speed causing him to vanish over the horizon as quickly as Perseus did.

As the two disappeared into the distance, Ritsuka found himself at a crossroads. He could try to follow Cu and Perseus. He could force some answers out of Perseus, and maybe get to the bottom of exactly what was going on. Or, he could head to Rin's house and summon someone from Chaldea. Some Chaldean support would do wonders for his stress levels.

He considered and weighed his options. He thought back to how everything went so far, and looked down at his broken arm. There was only one right answer in his mind.

The boy walked over to the powerline pole, holding out his good arm. Jack looked down and carefully climbed down the pole, soon landing his arm and crawling over to his back. With the child secured, Ritsuka looked over to his new ally.

"Now we're running." He said. She nodded in agreement, and the two took off.

It was finally time to summon a new Servant.


The moon hung high over the sky, illuminating the yard in pale light. Shirou took a deep breath as he walked towards the shed. It wasn't 2 AM yet, but he couldn't bring himself to wait any longer. What was the worst that could happen anyways? Without telling Rin, the boy went on ahead. Tonight was the night that his everyday life would change, and he was ready for it. He would take the first step from regular school boy to Hero of Justice.

The door swung open slowly, a loud creaking filling the air. Inside the shed the shadows danced around the center. The dull glow of the gem illuminated the magic circle on the floor while the moon cast its light to the edges.

Silently, the high school boy walked to the center of the room, stopping right at the edge of the magic circle. Shirou didn't know why Rin set up the magic circle as she did, but he trusted she knew what she was doing. Well, for the most part. He believed it was best not to put it off anymore.

He closed his eyes, perfectly reciting what was written on the paper.

"Let silver and steel be the essence.

Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.

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.

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (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 approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

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 ―――!"

He opened his eyes to look at the summoning circle. A frown crossed his face as he saw nothing change. There was no doubt about it. The summoning attempt was a failure.

But why? Was the time really that important?

No… no, that wasn't it.

He couldn't explain it, but… something felt wrong. He couldn't tell what he was, but he knew whatever the problem was, it wasn't with the ritual, or the circle drawn. He tried to place his finger on it, but the closest thing he could come up with was that the whole time he tried this, it didn't feel… genuine. It was such an odd thing to think, but something felt hollow, like he was missing a key ingredient.

Such a small setback wouldn't stop him though. He'd push forward, he'd find an answer, and he will become a Hero of Justice. He clenched his fist in determination as he made that vow. There was nothing that would stop him.


Ritsuka sighed to himself as he walked down the street. Jack was nestled back into his back, but he could tell she was glaring at the mystery girl. Speaking of that mystery girl, maybe now was the time to get some answers from her.

"So… what's your name?" He asked the girl. She gave him an odd look, like she wasn't expecting him to ask such a mundane question.

"Why does that matter?" She asked almost robotically.

Man, he was meeting a lot of emotionally stunted girls in this timeline, wasn't he?

"I mean, it would be good to know. If we're going to work together, I want to be able to call you something other than Shielder. And it'd be easier if you could call me… well, anything really, but my name would be best. I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka. What's your name?" Ritsuka greeted.

The girl paused, as if mulling over the decision, before finally nodding. "Tachie." She supplied.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Tachie." Ritsuka said with a warm smile. She didn't return the smile. "So um… I have a lot of questions for you." The understatement of his career. "I guess I'll just start with the most important one. What is it that you want me to help you with?"

The girl looked up to the sky, staring at the stars above before she uttered her desire. "I need you to help me find someone."

Ritsuka felt a wave of relief hearing that. That was so simple. He was worried she was going to ask him to do something impossible, or something horrible. No, it was just finding someone. It was such a nice change of pace from any other request he usually got.

"Yeah, I can do that. What do— wait, hang on a second." Interrupting himself, he pulled the piece of paper Rin gave him out of his pocket. He quickly scanned the directions scribbled into it, checking it against his current surroundings. When he was satisfied he knew where he was going, he slipped the paper back into his pocket. "Sorry about that, anyways… who are you looking for?"

"I am looking for… a boy…" Tachie stated, uncertainty laced in her voice. Ritsuka waited for her to continue, but she didn't. After an awkward minute of silence, Ritsuka spoke up.

"Anything else about the boy that can help? Like a name…? Or identifying features?"

"He has… red hair." She finally added.

Well, that wasn't much help, was it? In the two days he was in this timeline, he already met three people with hair that could be described as red. Ritsuka sighed to himself. Of course this couldn't be nice and easy.

"Do you mind changing to Gala— the Heroic Spirit inside of you? No offense, but maybe he has some more info I could use." Ritsuka asked.

"I can not switch with the Heroic Spirit within me on command." She explained. Ritsuka sighed.

"I guess that's just how that works with the guy." Ritsuka muttered. "Look, we'll worry about it later then. We're almost at the leyline. I'm going to summon another Servant, and that's more eyes we'll have looking out for this mystery boy of yours."

Tachie just gave Ritsuka a blank look before looking at the small child glaring at her from his back. "You can summon more Servants?"

"Yeah, well… that's a long story… I just… I don't have the energy right now." Ritsuka muttered as he moved some of his blood caked hair out from his face. "Ugh… I really need a shower when I get the chance." Tachie simply nodded, not pushing the issue further. After all, there was much she wasn't telling him, it didn't make sense to force him to spill his guts. Not yet anyways.

Ritsuka pulled the paper back out, staring at the directions once more. Rin lived pretty far from Shirou, almost on the complete other side of the city, in fact. He wanted nothing more than to rest, but they didn't have time for that. Which was why he was also going to make sure that they didn't get lost along the way.

He kept his face low, not wanting to be stopped by concerned people. He was sure he looked like a mess right now, and the strange company he kept probably wouldn't help them stay inconspicuous. Thankfully, and perhaps oddly, no one seemed to be out and about, letting the three take the trek rather peacefully.

They were quiet for the rest of the trip, Ritsuka doing his best to converse his energy. Tachie wasn't much for conversations anyways, and he didn't want to overwhelm her with questions. Still, it felt… nostalgic almost, walking with her down the street after a difficult battle. Ritsuka quickly reminded himself that Tachie wasn't Mash, and that she might not appreciate being compared to someone else… no matter how similar the two really were.

Ritsuka lost track of how long it took to get to the final step of Rin's instructions, but his exhaustion made it feel like hours. The place they ended up at however… was a mansion. A very nice looking place. It could comfortably fix nearly three families into it, let alone just Rin's.

"Man, her place looks nicer than Shirou's…" Ritsuka muttered to himself. "We should be staying here, really." He stared at the mansion before asking no one in particular. "You think she'd get mad if I used her shower?"

Still, considering the fact that Rin had no issues staying at Shirou's place, and no one to tell that she was doing it… was she living in this place alone? That seemed incredibly lonely. Ritsuka couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl when he thought of it like that.

"You seem to know some well off people." Tachie commented as she looked at the mansion.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know she was this loaded—" Ritsuka began, but paused as the sounds of insect wings filled the air. The buzzing grew louder and louder, and soon, Ritsuka spotted the source of the sounds.

Standing in front of the Tohsaka house was an old man. The man himself seemed old, older than any human had any right to be. However, that didn't stop the old man from having sharp eyes that seemed to stare straight into the Master of Chaldea's soul.

And the man's presence…

It didn't match the man's small body. It wasn't overwhelming, bearing down on Ritsuka like the pressure of a god. It felt more like something trying to find the cracks in his skin, to wiggle inside and burrow deep within. Despite it not being on level with actual gods, it unnerved the boy.

To make things weirder, Ritsuka recognized the man. He couldn't quite place his name, but that face, that shiverled face that barely passed as being human, was stuck in his mind. The Master of Chaldea immediately tensed up, his fight or flight instinct screaming at him. The old man noticed this and laughed.

"Oh, the savior of another world, backing away from a frail old man?" His laughter pierced the night like a knife, sending chills down Ritsuka's spine.

"You know as well as I that you shouldn't judge someone only by their looks." Ritsuka shot back as he took a step back.

"Oh, it seems your adventures have taught you common sense after all." The man responded in an amused tone. "Or perhaps our previous encounters have just left you fearful of me?"

Ritsuka could tell this old man was enjoying himself. "I… I don't think I know you." He admitted. The man's face twisted in a mockery of a hurt expression.

"You don't remember me? Even after you tormented my coward of a grandson for my name?" He mocked. Ritsuka's eyes narrowed. So this must be Matoi Zouken.

"Hey, don't talk about Shinji that way!" the Master of Chaldea snapped, causing the old man to raise an nonexistent eyebrow. "Yeah, he's not the bravest, he's a complete pain in the ass, and he wanted to stab me in the back, but he's the most helpful person I've met since I came here!"

The old man simply laughed.

"I suppose you're right. He's been helpful to me as well. After all, you've been delivered to me on a silver platter, too tired and weak to fight back." Zouken gloated. Ritsuka gritted his teeth, causing Zouken to frown. "Seems you still have some fight in you. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. After all, you fought through that accursed Singularity of London, stopping my plans there. Of course, you'd do the same here."

London?

RItsuka took a look at the old man, and thought about Shinji. Shinji… Shinji somewhat looked like someone Ritsuka met in London. And this old man… now that Ritsuka took a real look at him, it clicked where he saw this man before. He was at the Fourth Grail War Singularity. And the name that Irisviel called him… matched the name of the man he met in London.

"Makiri Zolgen?" Ritsuka asked, causing the old man to smile, a sight that made Ritsuka feel sick in his stomach.

"That's right, Fujimaru Ritsuka." Zouken's smile only grew wider. "I must thank you for freeing me from the cursed seed Goetia planted in my bloodline. And what better way to thank you then to make you the centerpiece of my master plan?"

Ritsuka blinked at that statement, confusion flooding into his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Now, now, there's no reason to ruin the surprise." He held out his hand, the gentle gesture twisted into something frightening. It was if those boney fingers wanted to rip into the boy's skin. "We can do this in an easy sort of manner, or you can force me to subdue you. Which will it be, boy?"

To both of their surprise, Tachie stepped in front of Ritsuka, her visible red eye glowing.

"He is going to help me. He promised. And he can not do that if you are using him for some sort of master plan. I will not let you take him." She said, holding up her shield.

Zouken's mad cackling filled the air again.

"You can not stop me, young lady. I will have him. One way or another." That was the only warning the three would get before the man erupted into a swarm of insects. The ground around him, the trees, and even the skies above were blackened as insects crawled out of their hiding space. The moon and stars were blocked out, and every sound was drowned out by the buzzing of their wings. They formed one large cloud of wings and teeth, before diving at the Master of Chaldea.

The girl took a deep breath as she readied herself. Even as the insects grew louder, Ritsuka could hear her voice. "LOOOOORD…" Tachie raised her shield high above her head as the swarm of insects drew ever closer. "CAMELOT!" All around the girl's shield, beautiful white walls built themselves up towards the sky. The light the walls gave off illuminated the night like a star of hope.

The bugs were drawn to such beautiful light like a moth to the flame, and collided with the walls headfirst. Despite the dark clouds of insects assaulting the walls, they stood firm. No matter how hard the abominations fought to break down the light of hope, Lord Camelot was invincible. So long as the wielder held no hesitation in their heart, so long as no impurity clouded their mind, the walls would stand.

However…

The walls cracked as the insects pushed, their buzzing getting louder. Tachie yelled, doing her best to push back, to repair the walls with her determination. It was useless however. The walls only cracked more as the bugs began to push through. Ritsuka felt worry fill his heart, but he couldn't bring himself to look at the threat in front of him.

No, his gaze was fixed on the girl struggling to maintain the walls. He knew how Lord Camelot worked. His life had been saved by it far more times than he could count. Seeing those magnificent walls crumble like chalk only told him one thing.

The girl in front of him needed help. A kind of help he couldn't provide right now.

The walls finally shattered under the pressure of the bugs, the dark cloud surging ahead like water from a broken dam. They swarmed around the Master of Chaldea, crawling over his skin, getting under his clothes. The sensation was awful, but Ritsuka did his best to stay calm. That was impossible the second they crawled into his ears and over his eyes. The boy could only scream as the bugs began to crawl into his gaping mouth and his vision was blocked by the swarm.

He felt the child on his back pried away from him as his body was lifted into the air. The bugs crawling down his throat made it too hard for the Master of Chaldea to breathe. His screams soon turned into gasps, and his gasps soon fell silent.

With Fujimaru Ritsuka subdued, the swarm took off into the night, the shadows hiding their forms from the Servant and Demi-Servant that was left behind. All they were left with was the sound of Zouken's mad cackling filling the night.

The vile man's master plan was finally starting to go into full motion.


Fate/Starry Night Act 1

END