From Fake Dreams

by Third Fang

Emiya Kiritsugu was happy living the rest of his short days. He had put his past behind him... until he began to dream of futures that had yet to be. Let it be known that the Magus Killer was not dangerous simply because he was dying and had no plans to fight. Slowly being put on Royal Road over time.

45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Compatibility

I do not own Fate/Stay Night and stuffs.

o. o. o.

This was the story of a boy.

"Thank god. You're alive. Thank you. Thank you."

A boy that was saved in life by a man. A boy that was saved in spirit by a smile.

"So what do you want? Do you want to go to the orphanage, or do you want to come with me, a complete stranger?"

A boy that had been broken down by a fire. Rendered into a husk that could barely be called human, inside or out. A boy whose remains had been roughly gathered up in the aftermath.

"Swing harder Shirou. Yes, like that. Your enemy won't be giving you mercy so you have to respond in kind. That doesn't mean you have to kill them, but accidentally crippling them now so they won't be a problem is better than leaving your back open when the next threat comes a few seconds later."

He was broken when he came to this new home. Broken, but still functional. That did not mean that all the parts he had left never healed, or properly. Only that they fell into their own places over time, guided and eased with words, conversations, and interactions with the outside world.

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero."

But even if he was twisted, the boy without a doubt loved the man. The man that was broken as well, just in a different way. Shattered by his own hands, and his dreams.

"I learned too late that it was a silly thing to amount to. Heroes always get the short end of the stick. Always throwing themselves into messes without looking at the details. Always giving up something irreplaceable for the masses and getting little in return for it. That... that isn't a life. That's barely existing. Spend too long doing that and you end up losing sight of what you were trying to accomplish in the first place, doing more damage in a day than you fix in a decade. All the legends end up like that. You could consider it one of the biggest jokes of humanity."

Yes, he loved the man that was so much like him it was unnerving. The man he called Dad.

"But, like it or not, people still like heroes, even now. There are so many things wrong with them and their stories, but in the end it always comes back to the idea that they all seemed to exemplify. The person that goes out of their way to fight the bad guys. The person that was special and more than the normal human in some way. To bring peace. To just… to just stop bad things from happening. That's really what most people want in the end. It's hard to argue against something as simple and innocent as that. There's nothing actually wrong for wanting someone like that to exist. I guess that's why I tried to be one too."

Even as young as he was, the boy knew the man's dream was silly. If a villain was stopped and the day was saved, there would still be at least one person suffering by the end of everything: the perpetrator himself. The idea for everyone in the world to be happy and at peace was an impossibility that even his young mind could understand.

But, that only made his idolization for the man that tried to be a Hero, a person who supported such an impossible goal, even grander. The man wasn't great because his dream was to be a hero. No, rather, the dream must have been at least this magnificent to enthrall the man in the first place.

He was not blind. The boy could tell that his father had suffered because of this dream. There was no way to save everyone. The man was hurt in a way that the young boy doubted he would ever be able to comprehend. However, the fact that the man still claimed that his dream was still something so grandiose only elevated both the goal and its pursuer to grander heights in the boy's eyes.

The man was an ideal, a person that everyone should look up to and learn from. He was no saint, but that in itself only made him more relatable to people from all corners of the world.

The dream was an impossible-to-achieve gem, but it was also something that the man had gotten closer to obtaining than most would ever imagine possible.

The boy had at first tried to go down the same path as his father. To inherit that beautiful dream that had spurred his savior so… but it did not last for long.

The man didn't want the boy to follow his path. The man knew the boy's faults, and knew just how badly the boy would suffer should he go down the same road as he. The results were not worth the costs. No father in good conscience would ever wish for such a fate on their own, even if they didn't share blood.

The man's story had too many loose ends. He had a dream, but that very thing had wounded him in more ways than even the boy knew.

His daughter, held by the mother's family. Experimented and lied to, perpetually without remorse. Alone without protection.

A threat to the world, gone unnoticed by everyone, masked as a blessing to be fought over. All the curses in the world, waiting to be born.

A misplaced king of unmatched standing. His pride rivaled only by his wealth and power.

A young girl. Exchanged by her family, with a fate eerily similar to his daughter's, but unnaturally in tune with the darker aspects of the moonlit world despite her demure nature.

The boy himself, broken and aimless, self-destructive if left unguided. An unfinished blade of limitless potential for salvation and destruction.

He lauded all of these things on the boy's shoulders in the hopes that others would help give the boy the stability and life he would not be able to provide in the future.

In place of an impossible dream, he bestowed the boy his regrets. Tasks that would crush most adults, let alone a single child, but far more possible than his dreams.

Really, what did it say about the man? For him to push his lamentations instead of goals onto his successor, and claim honestly for it to be the more humane option of the two?

Ultimately, he had succeeded before his passing in the end. The boy was no longer driven by an impossible task.

That did not mean that the boy had forgotten it though.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

o. o. o.

It was shortly before sunrise when the immortal with the child's image appeared at the base of the mountain.

There were no cars or pedestrians walking by despite the area being a fairly popular tourist location. The bounded fields had ensured that there wouldn't be any inconvenient minor annoyances for around a kilo in any direction.

He waited patiently at the foot of the stairway, occasionally allowing his gaze to drift to the savaged path that had been the location of far too many fights, and the barren and charred forestry that would take years to recover to its former glory.

"You know, you're really starting to drive the bitch upstairs nuts right now. Honestly, I don't know how she's not gotten wrinkles or grey hairs yet. Must be that witchcraft of hers." Lancer appeared at the top of the first set of steps, sitting casually with Gae Bolg resting on his shoulder. "And while I do applaud you for that, she's starting to get real annoying with her paranoia, meaning she's starting to bug me about it."

"Really? My apologies. I didn't think that she'd be so callous as to ignore the proctor of the Grail War and push something so important onto someone that can easily bend my words to mislead her." Merem smiled and swayed back and forth on his heels as if he was a prepubescent child.

Lancer rolled his eyes. "Feh. Yeah right. If she really was that stupid, that mute bastard Assassin would be here with you instead of me."

"You mean, instead of him taking aim at me from that building over there, correct?" The Vampire pointed to a seven story building a block and a half down the road.

Lancer glanced at the suspected location and shrugged. If he was surprised by Merem's claim, he didn't show it. "Hell if I know. My sensory range is shit and it's not like I set up any bounded fields with my runes to pick up on that boring prude."

Before Merem could respond, a new voice joined the conversation, one without a body.

"Why are you here, Vampire?" Caster clearly was not pleased or amused by this turn of events if her tone was any indication.

"My job. I am the overseer of the War now after all." The accused didn't seem to be bothered by the turn of events.

"Does that mean to say that you intend to kill me now?" The Witch probed. Though she hid it well, there was a hint of trepidation and confusion in her tone. "You are powerful and capable, far more than your predecessor, but even you should be able to see the folly in such a decision. You and your products would lose."

"Mmm. Yes, you're right about that. I definitely wouldn't be able to take you four on by myself." Merem fully admitted it. He was a very powerful individual that had survived over a thousand years, but by no means did that mean he was unstoppable. It merely meant that he had picked his fights wisely and had grown in the meantime.

"But, at what cost would that victory be?"

Lancer's eyes narrowed momentarily in thought before a brief bark of a laugh escaped his lungs. "Hah! You cocky little shit. And I thought the kid was the only one here with balls bigger than his head."

Caster was far less amused. "Your Divine Beast from earlier was most impressive Vampire, but I doubt it would be able to hold its own against four of us."

"Alone, yes." Merem's four limbs began to glow faintly, as if itching to become something else entirely. "However what if I were to match your four with mine? You certainly have the home field advantage, but I highly doubt that all of your forces would remain in this world in the end."

All her forces. That was the crux of the matter. Assassin. Rider. Lancer. And herself, Caster. She needed the abilities and power of all four in order to hold bay the remaining four Servants effectively. With Saber and Berserker's raw power, she needed as much help and time as she could get in order to fulfil her plans.

If she fought the Vampire now, even if he won, if he killed two… no, even just one of the Servants under her influence, she'd be doomed once the boy made a move.

Worse yet, fighting the vampire was ultimately a pointless endeavor that was best to be avoided. At least with the boy, every Servant that died would be used as fuel for her own makeshift grail thanks to the bounded fields she had set up in the area. The same could not be said for the familiars this wretched little freak possessed.

"Seeing as you still have your unwilling help here alive and well, it should be clear that you require far more than three Servant's worth of prana to activate the Greater Grail." Merem pressed. "More than low enough that you wouldn't be able to drain the inhabitants of the city fast enough to cover the difference in time before the other Masters notice."

There it was. The real threat to her situation. Everything was aimed and depended on her being able to obtain enough power to make her wish. If she wasn't able to obtain that power in time before she was killed or run out of the temple, then all that she had done and worked for would be for nothing.

She wanted that wish. She needed that wish. Killing her enemies was a nice bonus, but still secondary to that one thing.

"… What do you want, demon?" She all but hissed, her anger potent enough that her disembodied words rattled the windows on the buildings near the subject of her ire.

He didn't answer immediately, instead rocking on his feet and looking around him as if there were more important things to dwell upon. "Several things really, although if you are talking about the purpose for my visit, I suppose it is to set up your final confrontation for this mess called a War."

"… Final Confrontation?" Caster echoed, somewhat taken aback. Lancer seemed to share her thoughts if his scowl was any indication.

Merem nodded and held up three fingers. "Three days. Starting tonight. Both sides will restrain their actions for that long. To rest. To prepare. To organize. To do whatever it is you wish so long as it does not escalate the situation. However there will be no fighting or overt actions from either of you. If you do that, I'll stay my hand and remain as a neutral party for the remainder of the war."

Deadly silence filled the mountain air for what felt like several eternities before a light chuckle chilled the world. "Fufufu. Really now? Is the boy in such poor condition that you must buy time for him in such a roundabout way?"

"Well, seeing as he's been responsible for more heroic acts than all of the so called Heroic Spirits in this city combined over the past two weeks, I don't see how that's surprising." He shrugged, ignoring the annoyed glare from Lancer. "However, it is for your benefit as well Caster. You get more time to prepare and plan, and despite your poor choices recently, I doubt you are foolish to see how valuable it really is."

"Oi. Not to burst your exposition bubble, but why the hell are you setting things up like this?" Lancer interrupted. "I thought that as the 'neutral party', or at least as the overseer, you'd be all over this bitch's shriveled ass by now."

"Lancer, you and I are going to have an interesting talk once our guest leaves." Caster's tone dropped a few dozen degrees.

"Bite me. I'm the only one here that can last longer than five seconds against Berserker or Saber if they do rush the temple," he shot back.

Merem coughed loud enough to get their attention again. "Ultimately, I don't want either side of you rushing and doing something stupid which would result in, say, the mountain exploding from the discharging of untold amounts of prana. The way I see it, the only way Shirou can pull that off is if he's properly prepared when he does go after you. Likewise, the only hope you have of getting your wish, is if you kill enough servants or gather enough prana while not dying in the process. If I fight you before Shirou does, you have no hope of getting what you want, and would probably just destroy everything to spite the victors."

"Meaning no one wins," Lancer summed up the consequences of fighting Merem in a sentence.

"That does not console me Vampire. Once the boy moves, you will aid him. Him and the other Servants I can handle. You aiding them I cannot."

"Then I won't help him." It was his tone that bewildered everyone the most. It was the sort of tone one had if he was talking about something obvious that wasn't his problem in the first place.

"Elaborate" Caster probed, her command held a bite to it that betrayed her ebbing temper.

"If you abide by my rules and wait three days, I won't aid Shirou in the final fight and stay out of everything." Merem shrugged as if explaining something simple. "If you don't, I will team up with him. Simple as that."

Assured failure, or a slim hope for victory against a fully healed and prepared foe. It wasn't an ideal choice to make, not in the slightest, but given the circumstances…

"Assassin."

Before Merem had any time to react, the accelerated bullet fired from Kiritsugu's sniper rifle speared through the distance between the two parties and punched a fist sized hole through the Vampire's chest.

Crimson fluid sprayed in every direction as the small body was thrown across the street and hit a nearby street. His frame had been punched completely through by the bullet, but the impact was so great that it was only to be expected that it would be tossed by the force of impact.

"Well that was boring." Lancer yawned, not at all surprised by the turn of events. "Got good distance at least."

"Be quiet, Lancer." Caster hissed.

"What? It's not like you killed him." The Irishman pointed out as if it was only obvious.

Indeed. Where there had been several bloodstains on the ground and a mangled corpse on the road, Merem stood right as rain, brushing off some dust off of his clothes.

"I do not know what the purpose of that was, but please do not do it again. Getting shot is uncomfortable."

It was not regeneration. Dead Apostles didn't regenerate. Not from the bigger wounds they obtained. Instead their infamous recovery abilities stemmed from time reversal. Whatever damage they had was erased from existence and their bodies returned to a state of normalcy so long as they had the prana to do so and no interruptions.

This ability was obviously most vexing to manage with the oldest of the Ancestors, of which Merem was one.

It was also insufferably potent when the moon was full, or near full in this case.

It would take at least a week for the moon's phase to ebb away enough for the monster to be taken out by something short of Lancer's Spear or one of Caster's more elaborate spells. Means that would take time and preparation to execute properly and reliably with minimal risk.

In short, too long.

"If I am to be threatened, I at least make sure that the offending party is capable of doing so and not bluffing." Caster excused her actions as if they were meaningless.

"You sound like Van Fem." Merem muttered and shook his head, the last hints of his wound vanishing from reality. "So do you comply, Caster?"

The silence that followed was tense, almost as if the mountain itself was about to reply to his question.

"… I will not restrain myself from setting up traps or setting up means to observe my enemies." The Witch stated firmly.

"And neither would they." Merem complied.

"I will still be pulling prana from the populace of this city."

"So long as you do not go overboard and draw attention to yourself or the city of anything particular happening, you may continue to do so." He didn't care about the mundanes of Fuyuki, much like any other Magus or member of the Church. He only worried about being exposed and the hassle it would be covering up the aftermath.

That didn't mean he wouldn't put his own spin on things though. He secretly liked that tanker story that Kirei did to cover up the fire that took out the Matou house. He couldn't believe that the public actually bought that rubbish.

"… Fine. Leave, before I change my mind and decide to do the world a favor." It was obvious that Caster wasn't satisfied with the idea of going with his deal, but she had few options if she wanted to actually be successful in her plots.

"That would be a first," Lancer muttered under his breath.

"Assassin."

Had Lancer had not had his Protection from Arrows skill guiding his movements before he knew what had happened, his right shoulder would have been the home of a shiny new hole instead of the stone walkway right next to him.

"Oi! What the hell? You didn't even hesitate you ass!" the blue man shouted at the general direction that Assassin was in.

"Indeed. How peculiar." Caster's tone had as much water in it as the Sahara.

"If that is all, then I bid you farewell, and good luck." Merem bowed deeply before almost making it to the buildings across the road.

"Vampire… what is it you are after?" Caster couldn't help herself. Merem's presence was something no one had expected or planned for. His movements didn't seem to be aimed towards the curse or obtaining the Grail at all, but he was focused on something all the same.

Merem didn't slow down in the slightest and vanished into the city.

"It's nothing you should be concerned with, Servant. All you need to know is that if you weren't such an annoyance, I would have had it already."

o. o. o.

"Are you ok, Rin?" Sakura nervously addressed her sister. "You're making a scary face right now."

"I, I'm trying to decide if I should be horrified, amused, bewildered, or relieved at the moment." The owner of the household didn't look away from Kiritsugu's notes, provided by Saber and Illya. "What's written in here, it goes far beyond what I had assumed. The Shirou of these realities is a complete incompetent idiot. How in the world did anything get done with him like this?"

"Don't ask me. The best I came up with is that you carried most of the weight." Archer shrugged, leaning against a nearby wall and ignoring the fact that everyone in the room appeared to be keeping their distance from him. "I've gone through those timelines and more and I'm still scratching my head at it. The fact that I managed to come out of that mess in one piece and still have such an abysmal Luck ranking now is quite frankly insulting."

Caster looked over Rin's shoulder in curiosity and rose an eyebrow. "Did you seriously run at Rider headfirst without thinking when she had her eyes uncovered?"

"Don't load my counterparts' stupidity on me. I have enough trouble dealing with my own poor decisions."

"So we can still blame you for that stunt where you betrayed Rin and joined Caster then," Luvia accused.

"Which one?" He had the nerve to chuckle in amusement, as if purposefully trying to rub salt in an open wound.

"Archer, stop being a jerk for once. Luvia, don't talk to him if you know he's just going to piss you off," Rin chided offhandedly.

Archer allowed himself to smirk briefly in petty self-satisfaction, allowing the insult to wash right over him. Luvia on the other hand, pouted and crossed her arms.

"This tome certainly is elaborate," Caster noted as she read over Rin's shoulder. "If the boy was using this as a guide, it certainly would explain how he was able to plan things out so well."

"It's reference material at best." Rin added. "From what Illya and Saber said, Kiritsugu didn't reveal anything about Archer to Shirou other than a few details. Luvia and her sister weren't participants, resulting only in the other Caster being summoned by someone she killed before things even started. Assassin was different, and Kirei never killed Bazett to take control over Lancer. Then there was the fiasco that was Rider and Shinji's predicament, and Zouken's deal with Shirou. Too many things were different from the beginning to make this as dependable as it initially appears. If anyone did rely too heavily on this instead of the war in front of them, they would most certainly have died by now. I'm guessing that Shirou spent the first few days of the War just trying to determine how much of his information was still valid in the first place."

"Moving as if you're expecting everyone to move by a script is a foolish thing to do, especially in a war where your enemies are in such close proximity to you. People would notice almost instantly." Archer shook his head, condoning the very idea.

"I take it you're speaking from personal experience." Caster accused.

"More or less, but it took longer for it to get into my head." The Servant didn't deny it at all. "Rin has a habit of messing up my summoning in general, so the times that I actually do come with my memories intact so I can fall into that vice in the first place are few and far in between… though it was still more often than Caster's original Master staying alive long enough to see him, or witnessing a proper Assassin being called forth."

"After everything we've learned, I'm debating if that's a good or bad thing." The guilty party didn't look ashamed in the slightest at his Master's chiding. "Considering how stupid you apparently are without proper training, it probably took longer than you are claiming."

"Such a cruel Master I have." No one missed that he didn't deny her statement in the slightest.

"Rin, be nice. Archer may be difficult, but he does protect you." Sakura chided her sister. "Besides, you spend enough time lambasting Shirou. Doing the same to Archer is just being redundant."

"I honestly don't know what to say in response to that." Archer shook his head.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Rin grumbled and focused on the notes again sourly.

As she turned the page, something written down caused both her and Caster to blink.

"Mm. That explains why he didn't bring up my counterpart in conversation when we met with that teacher of yours." Medea nodded in comprehension.

"What happened?" Luvia blinked.

"Apparently if Shirou asked Issei about her, Issei would murder suicide Shirou then and there." Rin didn't bother to act surprised. She had half expected to see something like this the moment Illya had told her what was in the book in the first place.

Overall, it was still a better outcome than the time Illya turned him into a doll. Even if he was a complete moron for taking her up on her offer.

"Oh." The blonde turned a shade paler, but didn't press further on the subject. "I take it that's another supposed bad end."

"He has handled himself well so far. I'll give the Shirou Emiya of this world that much." Archer mused out loud, catching the ears of everyone there. "I've witnessed and engaged in reckless plans to take out Gilgamesh countless times, and honestly this approach was among the least suicidal and had the highest chances of working so far. It was still suicidal and reckless, don't get me wrong, but it did show that he actually thought things through. It's more than what I can say about some of the others."

"Not like every version dealt with Gilgamesh. Some only had to work with Sakura going nuts in the end game." Rin tried not to let the fact get to her and not notice her sister flinching. "Speaking of which, how did you know that Kirei could graft your arm onto Shirou and that he had a shroud to help keep your arm isolated? Even if you knew that your arm could be grafted onto him, you aren't dumb enough to miss that it would overwhelm him, that doesn't explain how you'd predict Kotomine's actions."

The Servant began to speak before pausing and frowned in confusion. He started to speak his thoughts before he even knew he was doing so, compelled by Rin's earlier command seal. "That… I'm not sure. I've done this for so long that I no doubt have forgotten more than I remember. The fact that I don't remember at all, or why for that matter, is peculiar. I know of the event you're talking about, but my reasons for doing so aren't so clear."

"Maybe, perhaps you're still impulsive at times, like you used to be?" Sakura hesitantly suggested. She was somewhat uncertain being around EMIYA. He was Shirou, but not if Rin's and Luvia's behavior to him was to go by.

"That's not right. I don't do things that I know won't work. I knew my arm would overwhelm him without some sort of buffer, but I don't and shouldn't have known that Kirei had the means to provide it in the first place, even if Rin summoned me properly. He never mentioned he would use or had it to begin with. Perhaps it was just a Hail Mary given the circumstances at the time, but that doesn't sound right either. The more I think about it, the more I'm certain that I knew it would happen, even though I didn't. I died shortly after the grafting, so it's not like I would know that it would work long enough to be of use. However, that still doesn't sound like me. I've long grown out of doing reckless impulsive things like this, unless it was to either kill my younger self, or…?!"

"Archer? What have you deduced?" Caster warily watched as EMIYA momentarily donned an infuriated image, clenching his teeth and fists tightly before forcing himself to relax.

"… It's nothing you or anyone else needs to worry about. I just realized something I wish I had figured out sooner." He didn't make eye contact with anyone there, and his aimless gaze gained a haunted overhang.

"Archer." Rin looked up from the notes with worry. While she had limited her connection with her Servant for multiple reasons, she could still feel the anger and anguish that was plaguing his mind at the moment. Whatever he had concluded was not doing him any favors.

Wonderful. As if dealing with one mentally unsettled Shirou wasn't hard enough.

It had taken half an hour to calm the unstable teen down enough to put him under with a spell. Saber had taken him up to a guest room, followed closely by Illya since she was able to calm him down a bit if he woke up again. Sakura had stayed in order to keep the rest updated on what Shirou had known and any actions that the others weren't aware of. Rin had been healed by Caster and was trying to distract herself with the notes Illya had handed her before going to check up on Shirou.

On a side note, no one had bothered to waste much time on the fact that Rin was wearing glasses while inspecting the booklet even though she had perfect eyesight.

She didn't know what infuriated her more, the fact that Shirou had been sitting on this goldmine of information for two years without her knowing any better, or the actions of this idiot savant version of Shirou that she was reading about now.

Her counterpart in these memories wasn't much better in some cases.

She turned the page, read about halfway down the paper, and nearly choked on nothing before slamming the thing shut.

"Hmm? I take it that particular artifact is something personal to you, girl?" Caster probed, from over her shoulder. Rin's efforts to hide its existence had clearly been in vain.

"N-No! I-It was… sex! Yes! Tantric rituals! With Shirou! It was terrible! Terrible sex!" She desperately grasped at straws to try and prevent Luvia from learning any more than she should.

"No. I recall you blushing over that bit about eight pages prior. It must have been difficult and embarrassing to guide an inexperienced boy like that. Or were you referring to the bit where Saber was involved? That was even further back," the Princess noted.

"Oh? Is that so? I'm impressed Tohsaka. Who knew you were that skilled?" Luvia smirked.

"You go any farther than that and I will have Archer dredge up rumors and events about you from the future," the brunette growled.

"Please. As if I would do anything crass enough to warrant rumors about me." The accused flipped her hair petulantly.

"Fem's Casa. Forklift Lady. The Mary Poppins event at Big Ben. Your disturbing obsession with getting me to be your personal butler. The time you and Rin destroyed the office of…" EMIYA absently counted off the various events about Luvia that stood out in his head. From the way he looked, it was clear he was just running on autopilot rather than doing it on purpose.

"Ok! Ok! You made your point! Stop!" Luvia retracted her claim frantically before calming down and getting back on topic. "Tohsaka, I'm a bit disappointed that you're trying to hide something this late into the game. Are you trying to get us killed?"

Rin looked away as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar before standing her ground again. "I'm not trying to keep it a secret per say. I just don't want too much of it to get out. Some of what's in here covers some closely kept details and research of my family. I don't mind you learning of the end products, which we'll more than likely be using in the end, but anything deeper than that I'm taking to the grave."

"Oh? So the Tohsaka weren't simply mere copycats and thieves? Color me impressed." Luvia arced an eyebrow. "So what end products are we talking about then?"

She glared at the blonde with a cold, unreadable expression. "A mystic code of Zelretch's. The Jeweled Sword itself."

The girl's confident expression shattered into one of disbelief. "Th-The Jeweled Sword? The one he used to battle Crimson Moon himself? THAT mystic code?! What in the name of the Types did you do to get your hands on that thing?!"

"It's been a family project since my Ancestor worked with Kaleidoscope to make the Grail Ritual in the first place. A prank task done on a whim knowing the Vampire." Rin shook her head. "And that's all I'm going to tell you about it. How we are going to make one and by what means are going to remain quiet. And so help me, if I even hear a rumor that you stole my research or used Caster to take my family's achievements for yourself, Archer or not, Shirou or not, war or not, I WILL find a way to wipe out your family if it's the last thing I do. Do I make myself clear, Edelfelt?"

Luvia didn't say anything for several moments before letting out a rude chuckle and crossing her arms. "What do you take me for, Tohsaka? I am a magus, like you, but the Second Magic isn't something to be played with. Caster and I will make due with what we will see, or not in your case, once the code is finished."

"Wait." Sakura interrupted. "Jeweled Sword… doesn't that mean that sem-I mean Archer can just make a copy now?"

"Mmm?" He clearly wasn't paying attention to them anymore, and only responded to his name out of habit.

"Jeweled Sword of Zelretch. Can you make one now?" Rin pressed, keeping her temper in check.

"That thing?" His eyes narrowed at the thought of the weapon. "Yes and no. I'd need Illya's help to make any copy."

"You need help to make a sword?" Caster tilted her head in confusion.

"The Second Magic is a complete mess of thaumaturgy that I can and should never make sense of." Archer spoke of the subject as if it was of little importance, almost akin to an afterthought. "Each one made can be considered a representative of the world it's in, meaning that each one made is unique and can't technically be copied. No two worlds are truly identical, so the same theory applies to the blades themselves. The version used in one world or time can't be used in another because of that logic. Illya's memories are part of the equation for the sword that I can't process myself, but that's not all. She's also… to put it into layman's terms, an identification code for the world we are in for the sword. She's a homunculus, a copy of the one that became the Greater Grail in the first place, and the sword was used in its making. Her history is for lack of a better term tied to it."

"I think I understand what you're saying." Sakura looked away in thought. "The "Illyasviel Von Einzbern" of "here and now" is different than the one five seconds in the future or the past. Thus, it's that Illya that has the information you need in order to make a copy of the sword that exists "here and now". Any other version of the sword in your Reality Marble stems from a time a place that is neither "Here" nor "Now", so it wouldn't work if you tried to replicate it normally. Is that right?"

"More or less." Archer nodded, giving Sakura a peculiar look that no one could identify. The closest anyone could guess would be a mix between curiosity, impressment, and something else.

"So, I'm guessing that means that you couldn't use just anyone's memories to copy it then." Luvia pressed.

"No. With most other weapons that would be so, but Zelretch is a special case. Even with Illyasviel filling in the gaps, making it is difficult, even for me. It is magic that probes and exists in all worlds simultaneously, so a single world, or a single Reality Marble, cannot accurately replicate it completely."

"I suppose that it should be expected from one of the few remaining true magics in this era," Caster conceded. While her magic on the whole may be more intricate with the world and thus more effective in several categories, the Kaleidoscope was one branch of study that by its nature was beyond the normal scope of comprehension and potential.

"Yes. It's amazing. That's why the only people that are going to touch the shiny new sword until otherwise stated, let alone look at it in detail, are me, Illya, and either Shirou or Archer depending on who makes it in the end," Rin muttered as she opened the book again. Her tone was final, as if expecting no one to argue against her to be stupid enough to say otherwise.

Had the situation been dire enough, Luvia might have attempted to argue that it would boost their combat potential if she had a copy as well, but she thought better of it. Their group's stability was rocky enough as it was, and to be honest, she didn't want to have to be put in a position to fight against a Servant in the first place.

"Girl. Can you by chance tell us of what the boy has planned for my other?" Caster turned to Sakura. "As frustrating as he is, he must have told you of something by this point. He does not seem the type to completely focus all of his activities on one thing at a time."

Sakura pretended to ignore the fact that everyone was now paying attention to her, though some appeared to be otherwise distracted. "He hasn't said a lot. By the time I realized just how much he knew and had prepared, we had already attacked the mountain and lost Rider. Shirou was particularly concerned about the wrong people finding out what he was doing and how much he knew in the first place. Considering Caster has Rider now, it was probably best that he did."

"… I have to agree with what she said." Rin turned a page in the book. "Even if only a fraction of what is in here was true, it had still enabled Shirou to more or less guide everyone's movements for a good portion of the War. He's capable, but he's nowhere near as versatile and powerful as the Witch. Had she known about all of this early on, I doubt we would all be here now."

They were complete polar opposites on that spectrum. With this information, Shirou had managed to, although not perfectly, kept everyone he cared about alive. Caster, on the other hand, would have used it to ensure total victory, slaughtering and enslaving Master and Servant alike.

There had been only one force that would have given both of them pause in this War, regardless of how well they performed and prepared… and he had been killed last night.

"Then what do you know?" Luvia pressed the topic. "I understand that Gilgamesh was your main issue to deal with once Shirou finally began to talk, but you must have learned something else."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Assassin."

"What about him?" Caster pressed, ignoring the fact that Archer had momentarily stilled at the mention of his father.

"He's on our side." She went on, clearly trying to find the right way to word what she was trying to say.

Luvia rolled her eyes. "Intentions aside, that isn't saying much. Everyone under Caster's control is on 'our side', or, at the very least they are against Caster. That doesn't change the fact that they can't act against her wishes."

Sakura shook her head. "No, they just can't act against the instructions and commands she's given. So long as it falls under a grey zone and she doesn't notice, they can still work in our favor."

"That makes sense. He managed to stall for time and give us information when he and Rider attacked yesterday," Rin muttered in thought, recalling the tense standoff.

Archer managed to figure out what Sakura was alluding to first. "You can get in contact with him without Caster knowing."

"Is that true?" The Princess stiffened in alarm, giving the girl her full attention.

o. o. o.

She winced as Assassin roughly grabbed her arm and held it up against her back. The angle was painful. Not as much as being bloated with all the prana she had just absorbed from Caster's attack, but it was enough of a shock to bring her out from the daze caused from said bloating.

It was hard to pay attention to anything around her. Her agony was still fresh, and her mind was still reeling from the shock of it all, drunk off of the unwanted stimulation that pervaded her mind, body, and soul.

She had barely noticed when Shirou had appeared, shortly followed by Bazett, and gained Caster's attention. Had she not been so out of it, she would have wondered when and how Caster had gotten so close in the first place.

A hand covered her mouth, the sensation of the sudden action brought her closer to reality.

However, unlike how most people would cover another's mouth with their hands, this time was different. The base of the palm and the fingers were indeed touching her skin on either cheek, but there was space between the palms and the rest of her mouth, as if the assailant was cupping her mouth instead of smothering it.

Her body stilling must have been enough for her captor to get a hint of confidence.

"Don't talk. Blow means yes." The voice behind her was so quiet it was almost as if she was listening to a voice in her head, but the tone firm enough that it had her full attention. "Do you understand?"

Her addled mind forced itself to recover, seeing the disheveled state that Shirou was in as he and Caster spoke. She blew out her mouth, just enough for the hand in front of it to detect the difference.

"You came through the back entrance."

That much was obvious.

She blew.

"You were in contact with the others during this time."

Given the timing of her infiltration, also fairly easy to determine.

Another gust of air brushed against his hand.

"You have a phone or a walkie talkie on you."

Her body stiffened. She didn't know how Assassin had managed to come to that conclusion so quickly, but her body language betrayed her as the hand holding her arm behind her back darted to her waist and felt her thighs before pilfering the device before she had realized that he had let her hand go.

"She doesn't trust me. Be careful." His words caught her by surprise. It was only her awareness of the dire situation that kept her from saying anything in response.

Not that she had much time to do that. A few moments later, she had realized that Shirou was more enraged than she had ever seen, primarily at the woman next to her.

A few more after that, dozens of red spears and cursed swords flew in her direction…

o. o. o.

Sakura looked around nervously. "Shirou saw the whole thing from where he was standing, but Caster didn't. From his warning, Shirou thinks that we have at best one message to send to Assassin before Caster notices. He was thinking about what to do with it, but he couldn't plan that extensively with Gilgamesh coming soon after that. We didn't know what resources… and who, would be left after the fight, and in what condition."

"One message… that's not much." Luvia grimaced.

"The Witch has probably set up a load of restraints on him and Rider to prevent them from acting out. Lancer too if she decided to take him from Bazett now that she has more Command Seals. We'd have to be extra careful about what the message would be in the first place and not ask him something impossible," Rin noted.

"It could also be a trap," Archer added.

He ignored the looks he got. They knew he was right, they just didn't want to admit it.

The Princess shook her head and got back on topic. "So in the end we can't ask Assassin for information about what my other is doing or how things are set up. Did the boy have any idea of what he wanted to do with it?"

"He looked like he had something in mind, but I think Shirou was still trying to figure out what plans could work in the end and which one had the highest possibility for success," Sakura relented. "Saber might know more about it. I've seen them bounce ideas off of one another faster than I could keep up more than once. It almost looked like they were enjoying themselves doing so. They get along really well."

"So essentially we're stuck waiting for him to wake up again before we get a concrete plan in the works." Rin sighed.

"You're giving up that easily?" Luvia looked at Rin incredulously.

"I'm all for brainstorming, but you tell me the odds of Shirou's plan being more likely to succeed in the end than anything we can come up with," she shot back, although it was clear that she herself didn't like what she was saying. "He's been doing this for the entirety of the war. Even if we somehow memorize everything in this book it wouldn't make up for the fact that he's been analyzing and tracing anything and everything that's happened with a comb since we started. We're better off being proactive and verifying as much as we can while stifling any plan and mystery that Caster might set up in the meantime. Spying on her setup and healing ourselves."

"… I agree with Luvia," Archer spoke up, getting surprised looks from everyone in the room. "If he's still Shirou Emiya, then he's bound to forget or overlook something obvious at some point, regardless of how adept and capable he is. Our luck is like that. If anything, it will help us make sure our bases are covered."

"You certainly have confidence in yourself," the Princess noted dryly.

"It comes with experience." He brushed her off and closed his eyes again, ignoring his surroundings.

"Why not do both?" Sakura interrupted before an argument broke out. "It doesn't look like we are going to fight soon. Caster attacked you before, but she won't with Berserker and Saber here. She knows that she's on the defensive this time. There's enough of us to multitask."

"The idea of splitting our forces so soon doesn't appeal to me, but she does have a point. Together we are a large enough force to multitask with some efficiency," Caster admitted.

"We'd have to be careful about it though. The Witch has a surplus of Command Seals," Luvia warned. "She can easily relocate her forces wherever she wants with little worry and catch us off guard."

"Two Servants," Rin interjected. "She can't afford to allocate and weaken more than two Servants at once. Anymore and she wouldn't be able to hold off a full force counterattack."

"So when we go out, we'd have to pair up," Caster concluded before sending a wary glance at Archer.

He didn't miss the distrusting look, but merely shrugged and shook his head. "Really. To think I'm lower ranked on the popularity contests than Berserker. That's just depressing."

"At least we know what Berserker will do in the end," Medea shot back.

"And what do you suspect I'll do? Ruin a plan that will keep my Master alive? I'm selfish Caster, not an irresponsible runaway."

Eyes narrowed. "I can picture a few scenarios. You've already admitted and shown to have a history of poor decision making." Altered history or not, it appeared that Medea of Colchis had always possessed a viciously sharp tongue.

"Caster!" Luvia paled. She may not have been of Archer, but her Servant's insinuation went way past the line.

"Caster. Archer. That's enough," Rin snapped. "I know Archer has been a pain and nearly killed all of us at one point or another, but this isn't the time for pointless and petty bickering."

"… No. I think it would be best to clear the air now while we still have the chance before it possibly becomes a problem. Quite frankly I want to get it over with since this pattern is getting annoying." To everyone's surprise, Archer didn't give up the fight and stepped away from the wall, his cold steel eyes focused on Caster.

"What on earth are you insinuating? You make it sound like I'm the liability of all things," the accused snapped back.

"You are." He got to the point, causing many people to fumble over their words. "Most of the people on our side are, to quote Gilgamesh, women and children. Lacking in either power or experience. Despite being a Servant though, it can be argued that you have the least experience and fortitude of all of us being neither a warrior nor a hardened Magus."

"I what?!" She took a step back as if she was slapped in the face, bewildered by his crass comments.

"Archer. You better make sense before Caster decides to do something that I'll condone." Rin wasn't absorbed in her book now.

"Androphobia." Archer didn't move from his spot, but the unexpected blow was real enough to shock everyone in the room. "Not a crippling or severe case, but it's clear that Caster suffers from it. It's not surprising considering what you went through, but after what my counterpart and I have done in the war, it wouldn't be surprising to assume that you've subconsciously relapsed or drawn parallels between us and Jason."

Luvia spoke up first. "A fear of men? That can't be right. Caster's had no problem dealing with Sebastian…" She flinched momentarily as she recalled her now dead butler, "Or your other self before we realized what he did."

"And how much did she talk to either one of them? Or the way she spoke? How much distance did she maintain from them when in their presence whenever they were around?" Archer countered. "Mild cases can easily be hidden so long as contact and conversation are kept to a minimum. So long as she was distracted or distanced herself in some way, it could easily be manageable."

"You…" The Princess tried to raise her voice and argue against him, but instead took a step back and raised her arms in front of her chest, a defensive reflex that she unconsciously made.

"Caster?" Luvia looked at her Servant in genuine surprise. She had been experiencing her Servant's past for a few days now during the dream cycles, but she didn't recall any hint of this in them.

"It's not severe, but it's obvious if you put everything together. Your Noble Phantasms clearly indicate you never left your Aunt's island when you cleansed yourself. There were likely other men, sailors, that had the misfortune of visiting afterwards, but they were all turned into animals, more than a few I assume were by your hand after a time. Isolated for decades knowing only magic and the cursed former men you tend to. I must commend Circe for being able to keep you sane, refined, and well-spoken despite the isolation for so long."

Rin glared annoyed at her Servant. "Archer. Unless you have a point I suggest you apologize now. Nothing productive is going to happen from needlessly worming into the trauma of our allies. We aren't like you."

"My point is that the last time I went to battle with someone constantly looking at me like that behind my back, I wound up with a noose around my neck. I'd prefer it if everyone here didn't potentially have that risk as well for this debacle."

"Y-You, YOU of all people, think that Caster is likely to betray us?" Luvia broke the deadly silence in sheer astonishment.

"No. It's not in her to betray us. She's too honest for that. Not intentionally at least." Archer shook his head. "However, from what I've seen, she's likely to hesitate, turn a blind eye, or disregard certain individuals in this building if in a pressed situation and jeopardize everything."

"You mean, yourself and Shirou?" Sakura frowned.

"How dare you question my honor? And to think I had developed the slightest grain of respect and pity for you." Medea of Colchis was clearly not amused by his accusation or his insinuations if the growing levels of prana in the house are any indication.

"I have no use for either of those. It's no great loss." He brushed off her rage filled words before giving her his full attention. "You're reaching your limit, Caster. Unlike your counterpart, you aren't suited for this sort of environment. Lies and backstabbing is a constant in the Grail Wars, the same sorts that destroyed your self-confidence enough to live in exile for the rest of your life. Yet here you are, betrayed and led on yet again and a dozen times more in the span of two weeks, and just a few days from the biggest fight yet.

"You and I are the ranged and support fighters of our group. Odds are high that we are going to be working together not only fighting, but in protecting our Masters as well. If it was just my life at risk, I'd simply brush it off since I have nothing of particular value at stake, win or lose. But this is the final fight for everyone. My master as well as yours would easily die if one of us acts out now. Neither of us can afford to be egotistical. I need confirmation that I can trust my back to you."

"You should reflect on your past actions before you speak about these things, Archer." Luvia huffed. "Even if you have a valid point."

Sakura looked around quietly. Clearly there was something that she had not been informed of just yet that was causing conflict between them.

Rin looked at Luvia's Servant warily. True, they had a very good reason for distrusting Archer, but now that she thought about it, Caster was the only one that held a certain level of animosity for him. She was civil, yes, but she never let her guard down once near him, even when it was obvious that they needed to rely on one another. "Well?"

"Well what?" The Princess glared at her before returning her attention to Archer. "What do you expect me to say? That I'll simply trust you with no arguments? Even if it was true you wouldn't be satisfied by mere words. You may not be as foolish as Jason but you're just as insufferable and self-justified. My life was ruined by fools like you, and even in the afterlife I am dealing with your ilk."

"Then why are you fighting at all?" he cut her off. "If you wished to be left alone so much, then why did you answer the grail in the first place?"

"Because I wanted to apologize!" she snapped. "I killed my brother who only wanted to bring me back home! I betrayed my father! Allowed the dragon under my care to fail his duty! Abandoned my people! All because I fell in a false love! That was my wish! To go back and apologize for everything that I've done!"

Archer remained quiet for several moments before turning around. "How disappointing. It's like I thought. People like us just aren't the type to get along."

"What's that supposed to mean, Shi-Archer?" Sakura spoke up, slightly unnerved. This cold attitude wasn't like Shirou at all.

"She's spoiled," he answered in a cold tone before anyone else could reply. "Using an unlimited and unrestricted wish to apologize for something that was not her fault and out of her control? After she had spent her life in self-exile and had already cleansed herself of the sins she had committed? She could have returned and apologized anytime she wished when she was alive, but chose to do so now after everyone else was dead. She's a Heroic Spirit in name, but did nothing herself to deserve it. This event is probably the first real hardship she's had to endure since she left Jason. Her reason for being summoned into this War is more pointless than mine."

"Archer! That was uncalled for!" Luvia snapped. "We are trying to get along! Not make things worse!"

Caster's hands clenched tightly, enough that blood started weeping from them. She bit her lip fierce enough to also draw crimson fluid. The pain just barely managed to stay her tongue from speaking words that would damn them all as her bounded field reacted to her anger, flooding the building with raw power. "I have not been spoken to in such a way in my life. Your words are as vicious as you are, Archer. Before I make my final judgement, do you have anything else to say?"

EMIYA looked at her coldly. "Do you really think that I am the only one that noticed all this?"

"… You think that the Witch would bring this up." Rin managed to connect the dots first, gaining her a wide variety of looks.

"As vicious and distasteful as she is, that woman clearly has more spine and nerve than this one here." He didn't look away from Caster, who was starting to lose ground against his cold glare. "Who is this foolish girl? How dare she claim my name? This coward is nothing like me. She's probably thought this and more while mentally taking you apart and figuring out how you tick. Even if you didn't say anything, the mental connection you share due to you both being Medea of Colchis means that she probably deduced more than I have. It's a miracle she didn't stab you in the back first in self-satisfaction before leaving you for the temple, although it might simply be because she didn't see you as a threat in the first place. She'd tear you apart without even having to use a single spell."

"You are no better, Archer!" she snapped, albeit with a notable hint of fear in her voice. "You use your knowledge for your own gains. Betraying your master and former friends alike. You speak of trust and sacrifice, yet your hands are bloodier than everyone's!"

"You're right. My hands are red. But at least they aren't shaking."

It was only then that everyone else noticed that indeed, Caster's arms were trembling. Whether it was rage, fear, or something else was anyone's guess.

If Archer had any pity for the woman, he clearly wasn't letting it show. "You focus on defensive spells. Your Noble Phantasms are creatures that you surround yourself with and do your fighting for you. At your greatest, you are fighting in the land that you exiled yourself and died in. You are not a hero. You are a girl that is constantly running away from your problems and shielding yourself from the world itself. You are so easy to read it's disgusting and the worst thing is that you don't even assume that your other has no thoughts on the matter. And you expect me to just accept the fact that you will be protecting Rin, Luvia, Illya, and Sakura in this fight against veterans and monsters like Cu Culainn, Medusa, and my father?"

Everyone there winced as if they were punched in the stomach as he spat out that last word as if it was the vilest curse he knew. The room shook as his voice seemed to bear extra weight with it. No one missed the cold rage that he had spike drastically.

"Humph. It appears regardless of what war I'm in, I have to deal with fools like this. I'm done. If Caster is the key to ensuring that things don't fall apart, then the odds of success are just as likely as a good ending in those useless notes. I actually pity the Shirou Emiya here." He didn't bother addressing anyone else in the room, turning spiritual and moving away without a care.

o. o. o.

"Nnng."

"He's waking up."

"About time. I know you and Sakura told me that he's been getting hurt a lot since the War started, but it's just annoying by this point. Seriously, he just looked at Archer and fell apart."

"I believe that Kiritsugu warned us that this might be a pattern. Still, I don't think even he expected the possibility of a reaction this severe."

Shirou grimaced as he slowly became lucid once more. His skull felt like it had been split in two, and every nerve in his body ached with a ghost-like pain that he honestly could not identify. Even more frustrating was that he didn't even have a decent idea as to why he was like this in the first place.

"Are you ok, Shirou?" He heard Saber ask from right next to him. Her smooth and calm voice helped ease his nerves just by listening to it. A minor comfort that he had someone he could trust so close. It was likely she was with him the entire time, if only to maximize Avalon's healing potential.

"My head," he managed to grunt out in some discomfort as he put one hand to the offending bodypart and the other to prop his body up.

He hissed and pulled the hand touching his head away.

The offending limb was once more covered in scale like ridges, more pronounced and erratic than before. In his haste to cradle his skull, he had ended up cutting his forehead.

"I told you he wouldn't notice until it was too late." Illya glanced at Saber, who pretended not to hear the girl and settled for shaking her head in embarrassment. Grabbing a small piece of cloth on a nearby dresser, the girl walked up to her brother and turned him to her direction so she could clean up the freshly weeping wound. Avalon could heal him, but it didn't clean what was outside the body. "You really are a handful you know that? Can you go for one day without getting hurt?"

"I'll let you know when that happens." He managed to eke out a joke while inspecting his warped limb. It took him a few moments to remember why it was like that in the first place, and half that to return it to its normal human appearance. "What, what happened?"

"What was the last thing you remembered?" Saber warily answered his question with one of her own.

"The last thing?" He echoed as if trying to remember what the meaning of her words were. Clearly his head wasn't completely cleared up yet. Looking around at his environment, he seemed to take everything in as if trying to piece together his situation. "We arrived here at Rin's place. I woke up after we got here. Rin and I talked for a bit. Then she tore me a new one because you told dad about the leylines. Then… then we all got together and started talking-"

Bzzt. Bzzt.

Shirou flinched as his cell phone went off. God he hated these things. They were convenient yes, but also a tremendous distraction if he wasn't careful. He had left his personal phone at home when he left for Illya's place, leaving him with his rarely used "work" phone, yet even now it seemed to ring only at the most annoying times.

Still, the only people that knew or access the device were less than a handful. The only time it should ring was when something was up.

It took him a few moments for him to get his arms to work well enough to get the device out of his pocket. "Hello?" He didn't notice it until then, but his throat was exceptionally dry. He'd need to get some water soon.

"I take it you can make time to talk."

"God damn it," Shirou swore, instantly recognizing the voice of the only Barthomelloi he knew. He then froze and broke out in a cold sweat as he realized he said that out loud. "Er…"

"I could care less what you think of me so long as you don't make a show of it for the world to know." Her tone didn't change in the slightest, but he knew damn well that she would hold this over his head when it suited her.

She wasn't happy. That much was obvious. The problem was that he had no bloody clue why she was so pissed and he wasn't in a good state of mind to try and figure it out.

"I'm not in reasonable condition for drawn out conversation. I don't have an abundance of time either. Why did you call me now?" He got to the point, shifting himself so that his legs went over the edge of the bed so he could sit upright.

"Why is the vampire there?"

He paused for several moments as her words were processed in his head before swearing again. "Damn it. I knew I forgot something."

"Is that a confession?" To most other people her voice didn't change in the slightest, but Shirou knew right off the bat that the woman was close to cutting him loose.

"No. No. I just forgot to consider your reaction to this mess once everyone found out he was here in the first place." He placated her, albeit with minimal effort into it. "I have no idea why Merem is in Fuyuki, or that he'd be here at all until things were well underway. He knew of the Grail War beforehand when we talked during the conjoined missions I did with the Church. But, he's never shown any interest in it in the slightest."

"Clearly, you read him wrong," she noted.

"Clearly," he agreed. She really must be pissed if she was being borderline sarcastic and didn't even notice it.

"And you didn't put forth any efforts to enlist his aid when you did find out he was present?"

"Only when I knew that Gilgamesh was coming after me yesterday. Despite your thoughts on Apostles, he and I do have an amicable relationship and I needed a hold of any and all resources I could access. Until then, he came and went as he pleased without anyone keeping tabs." he replied honestly. "He's an Apostle Ancestor. I'd have to be a complete moron and have my back against the wall before asking him for help or try to lure him to do something that was to my benefit."

"But you did ask for his aid in the end," she all but growled.

"Only after he interfered in the war in one way or another at least half a dozen times. He wasn't going to stop regardless of what I did," Shirou countered, his tone getting annoyed. "I just made it so he'd do it in my favor after we talked. I couldn't afford to make another enemy or risk."

"And now?"

"Don't even try to play that game. He's the overseer of the War, what's left of it. Kirei, I could get away with the evidence I have. There's no way the Church would simply ignore the death of one of their greatest assets simply because I thought you'd be pleasantly pleased with another deader than dead Ancestor." His tone grew more irate. He wasn't in the mood to play this game with his boss after waking up.

He knew that she was testing him. Ensuring that he was on "her" side and not "Merem's". Had he replied wrong, things could have gotten real bad real fast, but then again, his choice of words wasn't exactly ideal either.

"You seem to be more confident than normal." Confident was certainly one word for it. Annoying and overzealous were others.

"I've been awake for at most a total of an hour and a half since the fight against Gilgamesh, and lucid for at best half of that," he stated dryly. "Most of which has either been spent trying to convince the rest of the people here that I'm trying to fix things, or getting used to being mostly healed from being torn apart and having holes punched through me with artifacts that transcend the vast majority of what anyone can manufacture and fabricate today. At the moment, I'm not in a position to take unreasonable requests."

"Are you able to take requests at all, boy?" There was only the slightest hint of a warning in her question. Are you still useful to me?

"I just fought the King of Heroes head on and somehow won, and am still alive. I'm doing fantastic, thanks for asking. Give me a day or two and I should be back to snuff. Luvia's Caster is a blessing with her healing mysteries, but I was hit with several Noble Phantasms with peculiar properties. I'm a bit of a patchwork job."

Saber and Illya glanced at one another. It was surprising just how a person that was honest to a fault like Shirou could mislead someone so convincingly like that.

Lorelei knew of Avalon, but she wasn't aware of its absurd healing potential when Saber was around.

"I shall take your word for it." Begrudgingly, she left the last word unsaid. "You have disappointed me. One would think that informing me of the Ancestor would be fairly important to do."

Shirou held back an annoyed sigh, not at all bothered by her ire and rolling his shoulders. "Just tell the public the truth. Merem was there 'cause he was bored without anyone noticing till things already were underway. I noticed he was here, saw an opportunity, and convinced him to help me out when things got too chaotic. I in no way asked, hinted, lured, tempted, paid, ordered, or in any way orchestrated him being here. I did on the other hand, use him to my benefit."

"… You have become quite audacious in a short period of time."

"I'm a Japanese backwoods nobody with not a hint of noble blood or proper raising in me. I killed another Ancestor two years ago, and just killed most likely the strongest Servant ever summoned. The masses would probably believe I'm a Dead Apostle Ancestor hiding under your nose at this point if we tell it right at this point." The method he described was harsh and far more violent than he liked, but it would get the point across.

On a side note, in the future, Shirou would look back at this conversation several times and just barely resist the urge to smack himself for being so loose lipped.

"But would it be enough."

His eyes narrowed. He didn't like her tone. "Meaning?"

"Lord El Melloi's trial is in three days. Your progress and achievements are notable, no doubt with his aid, but that alone is not enough to protect him," she pressed, clearly waiting to hear his reaction.

His breath caught in his throat. He, Waver, and Sirius had expected something like this to happen in the fallout, but they had at least expected the blasted war to finish before things went down. He breathed slowly and let out a slow stream of air to calm himself down. "Is that so? That's certainly quick. The Archibalds must be nervous if they don't want witnesses."

"I didn't take Edelfelt as the type to renege on her clients." Even if threatened, most professionals would rather die than give up their benefactor's information. And that was before the enforcement of the signed contracts came into place.

He held back a curse. The bitch had known that Luvia was hired to kill him from the beginning and didn't bother to tell him. She had likely expected him to kill his friend the entire time as a show of strength and to hold it over the blasted nobles' heads.

"She knew a bad deal when she saw one and gave herself an out if things got unpleasant. Sadly, she was more right than she assumed," Shirou admitted, keeping his thoughts to himself. Luvia couldn't turn down the contract, but she could bend it to her favor.

"She's more capable and observant than I thought. You have an interesting effect on others, boy." That was the closest thing to a compliment that she had said to him in a while, even if it wasn't one.

"Yeah, well, recently that effect hasn't been in demand." If even half of the people he knew still trusted him after this mess, it would be a miracle. "So where do you stand on Waver?"

"… He is guilty of many things, but the Apostle isn't one, and neither is incompetency." The woman chose her words carefully.

"The latter can't be said for his sponsors. But will it be said is the question?" Shirou already knew where this was going. "You'd think they'd know better after the last War that this isn't a game they are suited for. They certainly lost a great deal then. And this time they even raised a hand against someone on their side. Imagine what would have happened had Waver not been where he was now."

"Your attempt to appeal to me is paltry at best." Lorelei didn't sound convinced. "El-Melloi would have done the same for anyone in order to get rid of Gilgamesh."

"But that isn't the case now is it? He did it for me, and in turn, for you. More so, he did it in spite of a family that they and I both dedicated ourselves to. A family that has disappointed and embarrassed itself multiple times this past decade. We both know Waver did it because he knew what was at stake better than anyone, even me. Do you really want to let go of such a promising asset because he went around the orders of a family that did the same to you?"

"What I want and what is are two completely different things." She was beginning to lose her patience.

"Much like the Archibalds." He shot back, his tone mirroring hers. "They are under your domain, yet they still blatantly raise their hands against another under your care. In one stupid motion, they have snubbed those directly above and below them and somehow expected that they'd walk away clean. They have lost, Barthomelloi. Regardless of whether I am successful here or not, they will hang by the noose that they have woven for themselves. The only difference your choice will make will be how far and how hard they will be cast. Sacrificing Waver to ensure that a failing family keeps face is pointless."

The line was silent for several long moments. "… It seems as if you've finally learned how to growl, dog."

"No. It's just the first time you've been around to hear me when I do." His voice was just as deadly quiet as hers.

"And if the Archibalds somehow survive the following days and continue to be a problem?" For me?

"Then they may come across a series of inconvenient events soon afterwards. Tragic, devastating accidents that no one could have predicted or prepared for that could happen to anyone. Accidents that may or may not undo generations of work and effort in a single moment."

Illya couldn't help but feel intimidated watching her brother. She had only heard of Lorelei Barthomelloi in passing, but even she knew that it was normally suicide to speak to the woman so harshly. Yet here Shirou was, matching her threats with his own.

Her kind and patient older brother had seemingly reached the end of his saint-like patience to reveal the cold wrath that was forged underneath.

Saber had similar feelings. True she had seen Shirou angry before when Assassin was revealed, but it was still a thing to behold. The phrase, "Do not poke the sleeping Dragon" came to mind. Still… she couldn't help that the source for his irritation was stemming from something else.

"… I expect your next report soon. Before the Vampire's." The phone cut off ominously.

Shirou clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned his off. "That woman."

"I can see why you are so wary of magi if they are like her," Saber spoke up. "Archibald, they were the ones that Summoned Lancer in the previous War."

"Kiritsugu killed him if I recall from the reports." Illya frowned and thought about the name.

"Ignoble methods were used, both against Master and Servant. I cannot say that the Master was one that I would follow, but neither one of them deserved to be put down the way they did." Saber admitted before turning an eye to Shirou. "I hope you won't use similar methods if you do intend to pursue the rest of the kin."

"That depends on them." Shirou matched her look with unwavering eyes. "It's best to put magi down fast so that they can't use spells, let alone find out what happened in the first place."

Saber didn't say anything for what felt like minutes. "… So long as you don't purposefully draw out their pain like your father did."

He sighed and shook his head. His everything was killing him, and getting worked up only made it all worse. "If I do have to put down someone, I just do it and get it over with. There are more important things to do than grandstand and dwell over someone that should have died earlier for everyone's sake. It's pointless to talk to someone you're going to kill in a few seconds if you aren't getting info. Nothing comes out of it."

Illya and Saber looked at one another warily. He had said those words so nonchalantly that he might as well have been talking about homework.

"Will this Queen of the Clocktower be a problem?" Saber inquired. She had dealt with individuals like Barthomelloi before, and it rarely turned out well if there was tension in the air.

"She's a person with significant power in our world, and officially, she's my direct superior." He really didn't want to talk about her now. "Honestly, she scares me to death, and she's not incompetent, but she's also too used to getting what she wants. Right now… it can go either way with her. She's a terrifying enemy with the resources she has, but she's also a boss that you don't want to deal with frequently. Normally I don't mind going with her orders, but she can't seem to get it into her head that this is my War, not hers. If she keeps on pushing like this I might do something I'll regret later."

"I'll be sure to take over for you when the time comes." Saber nodded understandingly. Politics was her specialty as King.

"Really, what is with you and scary older women Onii-chan?" Illya attempted to joke. "People are going to think you're a masochist at this rate."

"You're one to talk." He glared at his older sister that had attacked him with the Bastard of Zeus the first time we met.

"Oh?" The homunculus smiled dangerously, causing him to break into a cold sweat. Rule number one of women, never talk about their age. "What are you implying, O-Nii-Chan?"

"That my adorable little sister has the tongue of a dirty old man." He managed to keep his face straight as the girl appeared to choke on nothing. "My poor innocent ears. As if they aren't punished enough by Rin. Clearly the Einzbern didn't raise you as a proper young lady. No wonder dad didn't want you to stay there."

"Now now you two. That's enough." Saber chided, falling easily into the role of the mature adult. "We will have plenty of time to practice proper decorum once we deal with more important matters."

"Yes." The siblings gave up without a fight far too easily.

She had trouble not smiling in amusement for only a few moments before she allowed the weight of the situation to fall into place. "We have to get back to what really matters. Shirou, you really don't remember what happened before you passed out?"

Shirou frowned and palmed the side of his head. "We were all together in the living room. I remember us about to talk about everything. I wasn't going to hide anything anymore. It was too dangerous for that. We started talking, and then…?!"

"And then you saw Archer." Illya inspected her brother very carefully. He didn't seem to be completely gone this time, but it was clear that whatever Shirou had momentarily forgotten still had a strong impact on him seeing as his eyes were dilated and his mind was elsewhere.

"You went completely catatonic, lost control over your powers, and crawl up into a ball saying 'It was me' over and over again until Rin calmed you down and you passed out. You scratched her pretty badly, but thankfully Caster was able to heal her soon afterwards," Saber added while mentally checking her connection with Shirou to ensure that he wasn't about to give them a repeat performance.

Shirou didn't respond immediately. He was too busy reigning in his breathing as he used his lungs to full capacity. "You… both of you knew… the letters…"

"We expected," Saber corrected him. "There was no way to ensure that Rin summoned him in the end. I didn't have confirmation until Rider came back from her first fight against Assassin with him. She could tell that Archer was you as well and came to me about it. Given how you reacted, it probably was for the best that we held this off until now."

"I didn't encounter Archer until today." Illya shrugged. "But considering how much of a mess this whole War has been, I put the odds of him not being summoned at pretty low. Saber confirmed it when we had some time to talk in private."

"Shirou, you never reacted this poorly to Archer in Kiritsugu's notes," Saber continued warily. "Headaches and arguments yes, but you didn't break down, not from brief eye contact. What happened?"

"I… I saw him. I saw him and I saw everything. And… I understood. I'm an idiot. I'm such an idiot." His answer was slowly dissolving into the familiar gibberish that he had been spouting before he had passed out. One hand was grabbing the side of his head, the other his knee, both hands clenching as if he was in extreme agony.

"What do you mean by that? No one could figure out what you were talking about." Illya frowned, yanking the hand on his leg with her two and holding it tightly as if doing so would do the same for his attention as well. "Please, Shirou. What's wrong?"

Sharp silver eyes stared vaguely into crimson blood eyes, as if trying to see that they were there in the first place. "He's wrong. He shouldn't exist."

o. o. o.

This is the story of a boy.

"What the hell was that?" Rin snapped as she wrenched open the door to the veranda that was outside her parent's room. She may be owner of the house, but she had never felt comfortable moving into the master bedroom.

A boy that loved his father.

In the far corner of the small patio, Archer stood with his arms crossed, looking at Fuyuki. "You're going to have to be more specific Rin. Today's been a whole mess of events that can qualify as "that"."

A father that had made too many mistakes in his life, and committed many crimes, all for the sake of saving as many lives as possible.

"Caster! Shirou! You! Pick one!" She snapped. "I thought you were going to tone down your annoying habits now that us getting along actually matters!"

All because of his childish wish to be a hero.

"I was pretty clear on Caster. I don't feel like repeating myself on that bit." He didn't look at her.

"There were a dozen different and better ways you could have approached it!" she snarled. She had barely managed to get a few words in with Luvia before she and Caster absconded to another part of the house to talk in private. She knew that Luvia didn't hold it against her, but at the same time it was clear that the blonde felt that she should have done a better job controlling Archer.

The boy loved the man as his father and his savior, even if they weren't related. The man loved the boy as his son, even though he was responsible for the boy being broken in the first place.

"And how many of them would have gotten the point across in time? Time that we don't know the duration of, let alone have, and still need to address other problems?" he countered. "If the Witch is half as competent as we think, she's probably already thought of it as well. I just beat her to the punch."

"Yeah, emphasis on punch! Now we don't know if she's too numb to be of use! You practically just saved Caster the effort of breaking her herself!"

But. One day. Something changed.

"Clearly I overestimated her capabilities as a Heroic Spirit."

"You overestima-?" Rin blinked bewildered, completely astonished by what he was saying. On the verge of exploding into swearing or tearing her Servant a new one verbally, she took in a deep breath and forced herself to calm down and think. "Shirou… what's wrong?"

The Servant didn't bother to answer her question.

A couple of years after they had started to live with one another, the man started to look at the boy differently.

"You're not like this. Not you, or my Shirou. You're not mean for the sake of hurting others. You two are different, but I know enough. You push people away because you developed a fatalist personality. I get it. You're a Servant. You feel as if there's no point in getting close to people when you're summoned. Keeping yourself at arm's distance is your way of protecting us from emotional pain when you do have to go. But this, this was different. You tore into Caster as if you had a grudge against her."

Whether it was on purpose or by instinct, the man would involuntarily flinch every time he saw the boy.

His only response was to grimace, fighting against the command from earlier to answer her question.

"Your actions were always for my benefit in some way too, even the deplorable ones," she continued. "When you nearly killed Luvia, you were acting in accordance to the War itself. Three enemy Servants at once in your Reality Marble was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, even if you knew Luvia in a past life. Even then, the people you were about to kill had no major effect on the outcome if the war was as twisted as you remembered. Only Saber, Illyasviel, Sakura, and Gilgamesh had that significance."

The man still loved his son. There was no question about that, but there was something else there now. The man never noticed his change in behavior, but the boy did.

"And you," he ground out, still not turning to her direction. "You had a habit of being stuck fixing everyone's problems despite how much you complained."

"Well of course I did. After all that's happened I feel like I'm the only sane person left here!" she snapped before regaining composure. "You're not a bad person, Shirou, but even I am having trouble keeping up with all of this. My version passed out just by looking at you, and not even an hour later you are practically tearing apart what little stability the rest of us have. Please, what's going on?"

The boy didn't say anything at first. The man was teaching him dangerous things about a dangerous world. A world that the man had less than kind things to say about. He had assumed his father was merely scared and worried about him.

Archer shifted on his feet, uncomfortable with the topic and looking for the right words to say. "I'm not supposed to be here."

But the man wouldn't stop, and he never noticed. Even as the boy got better with his studies, the flinching and scared look in his eyes persisted.

"Meaning?" She knew there was more to his words than what most would assume.

It persisted until the day he died at the young age of thirty two. His son barely a teenager.

"I'm an impossibility here. More so than normal. Your Shirou has no chance of becoming me," he elaborated. "He… Inherited something different from Kiritsugu. He's fundamentally different. Not just in history, but in his soul as well. We are the same person, but at the same time vastly different. A contorted reflection at best. I'm more akin in nature to the Princess, or Sasaki Kojiro. The fact that I'm here in the first place shouldn't be feasible."

The boy had never asked why his father acted like that. He had just assumed. But it still hurt… no. It was worse than that.

"And that bothers you?"

The boy really just wanted to see that look on his father's face one last time. That look of unparalleled joy that had been there when they first met. When the man had pulled him out of hell itself, both of them barely alive. Both of them saved by the other.

"No. It doesn-ngh. It shouldn't." He flinched as his body reacted to the unconscious lie.

That look of redemption. That look of genuine peace and salvation.

"Meaning?"

He hid himself away for days. Eating and sleeping the smallest amount possible. He had few friends, and his teachers, people that he considered as good as family, didn't know what to do.

Archer didn't look away from the setting sun. "Jealousy, would be the best word to put it, though that isn't completely accurate. Anger. Frustration. And a slew of other emotions that I thought I only had aimed for my own younger self. I don't know how, but Kiritsugu somehow is a Heroic Spirit. He's been on the throne itself this entire time and I didn't know. There was no need for me to carry his worthless dream. Shirou Emiya is competent and accident prone, but has no hope of becoming me. Illyasviel is on the way to living a long and happy life if everything turns out well, as will Sakura. Gilgamesh and Kirei are dealt with. And once Caster is finished, you'll all have your futures open to you."

It was the girl next door, his older sister figure that finally got to him.

"You mean to say that seeing us being successful and happy bothers you?"

She didn't know anything. No, that wasn't entirely correct. She knew more than she put on, but she didn't know everything. She didn't know about magic. About just how dark the unknown side of the world really was. About the dangers the boy would be put in due to his father's name.

But she knew the man had been dangerous. She knew he had been a killer, one of the best. One that everyone had feared. She didn't care. All she saw and wanted to remember was the kind man that loved his son and had almost burned down the house that one time trying to cook.

He snorted. "I've been summoned in worlds like that countless times. Worlds where you and Shirou Emiya fall in love. Worlds where Sakura is cured. Worlds where Saber realizes her mistake in time. Worlds where Shirou Emiya is actually competent and not a fool. Worlds where Kiritsugu lived long enough to be a part of the Fifth War. Worlds where Illya lives a long happy life. Worlds where I'm not found out. Worlds where I am early on, and people get over it. Hell, sometimes I've even been summoned in the Fourth War. More than a few have caught me off guard and were even interesting, but none actually got to me. Not like this."

She barged into his room with the grace of a raging bull, took one look at him, and held him close like a sister would.

What was she supposed to feel to a response like that? Sorrow? Pity? Frustration? Anger? Any and all of the answers that most people would display would probably only piss Archer off even more than he already was. Instead she remained impassive despite how much it hurt to do so. "How so?"

"My being here, in this world, is excessive. Pointless. Cruel in that it's almost as if I was summoned to this world in particular to see that everything I've done before and after my death was meaningless in the end. The more I witness, the more I just want this all to be over with so I don't have to deal with it anymore, but I'm honestly concerned that what I've learned will drive the original to new degrees of insanity once he finds out."

It took some prodding, but the boy finally told her. How the man looked at him. How the boy only wanted to see the man be happy again. How he missed his father and didn't want to disappoint him.

Rin didn't know what to say about that. What Archer said didn't excuse his earlier actions and words, but it certainly explained his recent poor mood.

"The more I see the Princess, the more I see myself. Another excessive individual that has no real purpose in being here. Not this world, and certainly not this War. Her wish is pointless and selfish. She is powerful in her own right, but she simply coasts by without taking any action of her own and prefers to follow orders. She feels entitled to be angry at me for what I've done when we were originally supposed to be at war and killing one another." He spat to the side. "What a pointless fool. She would have gotten along well with my younger self."

She didn't know why the man acted the way he did, but she had suspicions. That people the man angered earlier in life would be after the boy sooner or later. That the man was worried for the boy's life. That he was scared.

"So you unconsciously made her an outlet for your frustration, just as she has for you," she summarized with a hint of annoyance. "That's not ironic or childish at all."

"I wasn't lying or stretching the truth. She needs to come to her own or the Witch will make her falter at a critical time. I'm fine hanging again if that's what it takes, but I pledged to protect and bring you victory. As messed up as that situation is, I still intend to do just that." He looked at the setting sun with an unreadable expression. He wasn't denying his actions, but he wasn't excusing them either. "It's about the only decent thing in this world I can do at this point."

The boy didn't understand. The man was a hero. He took down the bad guys. Why couldn't people see that? He did bad things yes, but that was so that more people could live. It couldn't be that hard to figure out.

She felt her heart get stabbed through at his words. Archer wasn't her Shirou, but he was still someone that was… that had been close to her. She had never seen someone so given up on themselves before, as if their life didn't matter in the slightest. His words carried a restrained frustration and resignation, as if what he was experiencing was just only a bit worse than the standard that he was used to.

It was almost as if he had once again given up on himself, and more than anything was annoyed by the repeated action.

"Even if that means working with the Shirou here?" She weakly followed up, knowing that there were probably better things to say.

She explained that people were stupid and saw and said what they wanted to see and say, even if it wasn't true. It was the reason why his father reasoned that he had to go to such lengths in the first place, and completely ignored what the world saw as the norm.

Surprisingly, the Servant snorted in bitter amusement at the question.

"What? What's so funny? You're not going to try to kill him are you? You said it yourself. He can't be you." She gained more power in her voice, fueled by confusion.

The boy was probably the only person left that knew what his father was like deep down. What the man really felt. What his motivations were. How much he truly hurt in the end.

"No. Sorry. It's just, when we saw one another, we recognized and registered the other as "Shirou Emiya" instantly. The bleeding effect mentioned in the notes is more prominent for us since I didn't lose my memories and he's actually competent. There's less information that's being exchanged at a higher rate, and it works both ways. I actually learned a few things earlier, which doesn't happen often. He's smarter than he looks… or maybe I really am that foolish." Archer shook his head and smiled dryly.

"I'm going to have to say the answer to that question is yes."

As time went on, and the boy learned more of his father's actions, he understood the man more intricately. Motivations, thoughts, actions. Everything fell in line with what he already knew. Nothing was contradictory.

He shook his head. Even as a teen Rin's dry wit was something else. "Cute. Anyways, it's how I know he won't be me in this world, no matter what happens. How he's fundamentally different, and why I think your question is so ironic is almost criminal."

"Ironic?" She honestly was drawing a blank at this moment.

The man did not leave his dreams with his son when he died. He had left his regrets, and genuinely believed his action was a blessing. However, unknown to the man, the boy had decided to undertake something else that day.

Archer turned to her and gave his master a look of pity. "Rin, I have no intention of killing Shirou Emiya here. However, you seem have made a small oversight. In Kiritsugu's notes, in the other worlds, Shirou Emiya would instinctively clash with me on instinct. Their natures were incompatible with mine to the point of rejection."

Rin swallowed, not liking where this was going. "I thought you said that you didn't know why he reacted so poorly to you."

He shook his head. "I don't know why, that is the truth. I've never seen a reaction like his before so I can't say for certain what is exactly, but I do have an idea that would at least point you in the right direction. I said it before, what drives Shirou Emiya completely clashes with what drives me, but there are other factors that makes our interaction even worse. Your Shirou won't reject me like the others…

Taiga looked at Shirou dead in the eyes with tears streaming down her cheeks, a small sad smile unlike the normal wild ones she normally wore graced her features.

"Remember him Shirou. His hopes. His dreams. His mistakes. His goals. Remember everything and use it as a guide. That's the best thing you can do for yourself and him."

"… He will deny me. My actions. My words. My reasoning. My history. Right down to the fact that I exist at all."

"Remember the true Kiritsugu Emiya, because if what you said is right, I don't think anyone else can, or will."

o. o. o.

"You've certainly been busy as of late."

"Not as much as it appears, but more than enough to stave off the boredom."

Despite the city being on lockdown, the four star restaurant that the two were eating in was open for business. The lights were on. The waiters, waitresses, and chefs were at the ready, and fresh food was being prepared.

The entire building was filled with men and women eating and conversing with one another. Some in modern military uniforms. Others garbed in clothes that had not been seen in public for centuries. Even more barely wore anything outside of ragged cloths and furs that maintained their decency. Weapons and tools of war never further than arm's reach from anyone.

Yet even so, an effort was made to ensure that the table in the middle of the main room was a certain distance from all the others. A table where two mismatched individuals in particular sat and behaved as if they were the only ones there.

On one side sat a diminutive boy that appeared in his early teens in clean church garb.

On the other, a handsome tan man from the Mediterranean in his early thirties in a clean and pressed black Naval uniform, a hat sitting on the table to his side.

Had the air not been heavy with blood and power, a normal passerby might have even assumed that the meeting was normal for them, and not a conversation between monsters.

"So you say." Fina smirked, picking up a glass of wine and swirling it casually. "Japan… such an exotic country. Great food. Wonderful culture, truly. Rarely touched by those annoyances in Europe, and I tip my hat to that alone."

"Shame you've had little reason to visit since World War Two." Merem nodded as he sampled his own glass. He didn't bother checking for poison. It wasn't Fina's style.

"I could say the same to you. Until Louvre, you supposedly haven't visited these parts in over a century."

"I've popped by every now and then for a chore or curiosity or two. The Church keeps me busy." Merem shrugged, as if the Seventh's words didn't mean anything. "This country does have its own trinkets worth collecting after all."

"Heh. Yes, I almost forgot about that hobby of yours. I hear that you managed to get hold of that Mace that Louvre was bragging about before he died." Fina laughed in good nature.

"It's certainly a piece. Pity it was found by Louvre in the first place." The older vampire focused more on the sushi and sashimi that had been delivered to their table, and with some preparation, used the chopsticks to pick one up, dip it in some soy sauce, and put it in his mouth. "I swear, I'll never get the hang of these things."

"Trust me, I know the feeling." The younger grinned, managing his own sample with as much effort. "The boys say that it's like holding two pens at once, but that just made it more confusing."

"I bet." Merem focused on his next sample. "Although, if you pay attention, you do notice the lack of metal aftertaste that you get if you used normal metal utensils."

"That's what everyone's been telling me. I agree, but half the time I'm more worried about getting the blasted food in my mouth to begin with." Fina focused on his rice next. Thankfully, it was clumping together nicely so he didn't have to try too hard to get a good amount. "So your thoughts? I know the kitchen isn't mine, but the crew is, as usual."

"I'm not that particular to Asian cuisine, but it is decent. It's only to be expected that you are capable of preparing sea food." He pretended to play ignorant as to where this conversation was going, but he still had to put some effort into not rolling his eyes.

"Decent eh? I'm guessing the Magus Killer's good at more than just picking off weaklings after all."

"It's more of a stress relieving activity for him." Merem didn't deny it.

"Heheh. No kidding?" The Seventh Apostle Ancestor reached down and took out several plain looking manila envelopes, each with a paperclip on top that revealed a picture. On top was a headshot of Shirou. "Shirou Emiya, aka, the Second Magus Killer and the Queen's Silver Dog. Seventeen years old. Senior at Fuyuki High School. Adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya, the first Magus Killer, ten years ago shortly after the Fourth Grail War."

"I do hope you went through the proper channels getting those. As arbiter, I am obligated to tell everyone of you if you try to stick your head into things." Merem didn't look up from his plate, completely disinterested with the looks he was getting.

"Public records and common knowledge. I told you I'd keep my hands out of your little show and I meant it." Fina waved off the threat was just as much enthusiasm. "Really, I'm more surprised that the Magi in Europe don't know what he looks like yet. It wasn't that hard to find all this out."

This time he did roll his eyes before getting another roll into his mouth. "We're in Japan and magi tend to completely ignore mundane record keepers unless they are trying to cover the existence of thaumaturgy in the first place. They tend to be incredibly pigheaded at the worst times, though you probably know that better than I."

The wry grin slightly faltered on the Captain's face. "You know, your relationship with the boy isn't exactly a secret. Some are even wondering why that's the case."

"You're really asking me why I'm keeping an eye on Barthomelloi's pet project? A Japanese boy of no background that killed Louvre and was almost instantly claimed by the Queen herself?" Merem rose a skeptical eyebrow. "Even if I didn't do it myself, the Church would have almost certainly sent someone to do it eventually."

"And what did you find out?"

"That he'll skewer anyone that screws with his kitchen. Brat had the nerve to say he'd cut me down if he even thought he heard a rat near it. He damn well meant it too," he mumbled in annoyance and decided to stall for time by drinking some more wine.

"Snrk. Hahahaha! You're serious?! A boy not even two decades old threatened to kill you if he thought that he needed an exterminator, knowing full well who and what you are?! Hahahaha! My god that brat has the biggest pair I've seen in years!" Whatever decorum and manners that had been drilled into the Vampire had been lost as he laughed from the bottom of his lungs, not once hiding his mirth.

Merem remained quiet as his fellow Ancestor laughed with abandon at his expense, pretending to ignore the looks the two got from the peculiar crowd around them.

"Hah. Ah, I haven't laughed like that in a while. What in the world is Barthomelloi thinking having a fool like that directly under her thumb?" Fina finally managed to calm down and shake his head before taking a look at Shirou's picture once more with an interesting glint in his eye. "Then again, he is quite a tasty looking lad. Red hair and Japanese. That's not something you'd see every day."

"I wouldn't." Merem was again focused on the sushi. "At least, not now. He's the Master of Saber, and they get along and work together far better than most Masters and Servants. It would be far too much of an ordeal getting to him as he is now."

"Saber? Feh, that's not surprising. A Hero of Swords for the Sword Magic user." The man calmed down a bit and relaxed in his chair. He reached forward with a pair of chopsticks before giving up and just picking up another roll with his fingers and tossing it into his mouth. "… Will they be a problem? If the War is on hold, then that means that the Servants will be here for some time."

"Only if we are." Merem shrugged. "They don't seem to particularly care about any worldly events or making changes. Instead they just want things to stabilize and make sense again. Given who the Masters are, that shouldn't come as a surprise."

"The boy could rat us out to Barthomelloi."

"He could. But then again, you aren't part of White Wing's clique, and from what I've heard, she's rather intrigued by our latest member."

"A neutral party. Do you think I'm a fool Solomon? Your relationship with the boy isn't a secret. It's hard to be neutral in such a situation." The Pirate leered at his guest.

"He's a friend, but he's still alive and human and weak. He has potential, most certainly, but not enough to survive should either one of us become dissatisfied with our arrangement." Merem played with a new roll of sushi, pushing it back and forth on his plate like a child. "I want what you are offering. You want information. He can be our paper shield. Should he die, I would be in trouble with my superiors and you would get the ire of the Queen herself. It should keep us, civil, for the time being. Besides, it's not like you'd be in any danger of actually dying."

Fina snorted in bitter amusement. "Civil he says. Telling me to keep my calm in a city filled with Heroic Spirits."

"All the more reason not to do anything stupid." Merem looked up and frowned. "Like interacting with anyone that has a relationship with the Masters or asking peculiar questions."

"Calm down. You know I don't touch women if I can help it. Now if only Riza would get that hint." The accused looked away bored, biting into a piece of sashimi.

"The boy is just as protective over few he considers close as he is his kitchen. No, more so." he warned. "He's weak, but sickeningly versatile."

"Will he be a problem?" The Pirate probed.

"No more than any other competent magical assassin. Only difference is that he has a Servant at his beck and call. So long as you keep them in sight they aren't that dangerous. Just don't do anything for the time being. The Servants will be gone eventually once this whole Grail matter is settled. Shouldn't be too hard for you to deal with."

"Ugh. Assassins. I hate Assassins. What a pitiful lot they are. Why can't they develop and train themselves to fight up front instead of stewing in the shadows all the blasted time?" He spat out the word like it left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

"That's funny coming from you. Aren't most of the lot you steal these days more or less Assassins? Excuse me, saboteurs?" Merem glanced to one table where several tan men in modern military garb were eating while clearly keeping an eye on the central table. "I recognize those badges. They're Mossad Special Forces. Spies and demolitions experts for Israel. I heard you were spending a good deal of time in the Mediterranean recently."

"It's not a big secret. Not with how badly the United States are fudging things up. That sea is a buffet for me now. They actually managed to convince the world that Saddam was responsible for the WTC attacks. Hah. As if. I don't know who's the real monkey, the President or the people that actually believe him. It's almost depressing how stupid humanity is getting these days." Fina brushed off the accusation whimsically before turning to his men and lifted his wine in a half greeting half toast, which was matched moments later. "Jews can't fight, my ass. That lot there took forever to find and take down. They were pleasantly skilled and stubborn for a bunch of humans."

Merem held his tongue. Backstabbing, double dealing, bribes, and hypocrisy were aplenty in the Apostle Ancestors. He technically was no different, working for the Church and all. Complaining about it wouldn't bring him anything. "I don't know how on earth you can stand being in the Middle Eastern waters and sun for so long. Sumire is one thing but you…"

"I have a ship. I have shade. Sunlight can't get past several layers of metal, plaster, wood, plastic, whatever I'm using at the time." Fina finished the last bit of sashimi without hesitation. "Think of it like our clothes. We can fall apart from the inside out, but the threads we wear were made by some poor old lady in Vietnam and sold at a local thrift store haven't changed at all."

"Convenient." He meant it too. Fina was one of the few Apostle Ancestors, let alone Apostles in general, that could operate to a great degree during the day, albeit not directly in person.

"Mmm." The Pirate wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Solomon, why are we beating around the bush like this? We are both here. We both want what the other has. Why not conduct the deal now?"

"Because we don't trust one another. Even if fighting in or near the city is the last thing we want, it doesn't ensure that we won't try something," Merem replied simply and honestly. "There's no guarantee that what I speak will be the truth, nor that you won't attempt to retrieve or sabotage my payment. A capable neutral party is needed for something like this."

"You've said that you wanted the boy involved." The Seventh frowned, looking at Shirou's profile.

"And his Servant as muscle. Just to keep things in order."

"I'll remind you again. Emiya reports to Barthomelloi. You're essentially exposing your disciple to one of the biggest threats we have. You're selling out your new project as it is, but even we wouldn't carelessly throw our kind out to be hunted by that mad bitch."

"Is this the first time you've done this before? He'll oversee the exchange. Arranging it so that he can't determine the contents is beyond simple." Merem looked at Fina as if he was an idiot.

"And if he finds a way around your precautions?"

The shorter of the two shrugged as if it wasn't his problem. "Well then I'll end up with more at risk than you, unless there's something you aren't telling me."

Fina leered at Merem with an unreadable expression that clearly expressed his determination to find out what Merem was not telling him. "… Every time we meet, I am reminded that you are so much like my lady it's terrifying."

A scowl marred the older Vampire's face for the briefest of moments. "Please do not compare me to that impostor you serve. It is painful enough that I am willingly going through with this deal of hers."

The Pirate's lips twitched in amusement, as if enjoying the reaction he got. With a flamboyant swing and a tilt of his back, he downed the rest of the wine in his glass. "Then I suppose it would be best that we conclude tonight's event. You no doubt have responsibilities to attend to, and I must find someone to teach my men how to make more raw fish meals to make my time out on the sea more bearable and less monotonous."

"I suppose you are right." Merem finished his drink as well before pushing his seat back and standing up on his one leg. "Thank you for the meal."

Not once did either Vampire seem to take notice that all of the people enjoying their dinners around them just moments ago stop at once and get up with the Pirate.

The two left first. One walking with perfect posture, the other hopping almost comically with a completely neutral face.

They exited the doorway and the world exposed them to a sight that seemed to belong to a science fiction novel.

Hovering over the seaside restaurant was Merem's King of the Sky. A titan that seemed to hover in the air effortlessly with tentacles swaying about without care.

But it was not the only oddity.

All around the building, monstrous creatures that either did not officially exist, or only did so in mythological stories were resting about the building with their human handlers. Pegasi and Griffins with saddles and bridles. Seahorses of equal sizes and equipment by the docks. Men and women of all ages, times, and nationalities armed with all sorts of tools having abandoned their dinner for their armaments as the two Vampires walked outside.

And in the distance, a small fleet of ships sat silently, as mixed and diverse as the people in and around the building. The flagship itself, an old Spanish Galleon, surrounded by a hazy mist and its sails hoisted, just beyond its escort.

Fina-Blood Svelton was said to sail a pirate ship. That was true. What wasn't said was that he commanded and orchestrated a fleet of ships and an ever growing army that accompanied said Pirate Ship.

All marching and sailing forward in a grand show of might.

In a grand Parade.

o. o. o.

A/N:

Thanks wayfarer for betaing.

So. There's the return of Fina the Butt Pirate. Yes. He's a Butt Pirate. I don't care what people say, that's what I'm going to call him now. He's an epic Butt Pirate of ass kickery and bullshit magic vampire shenanigans, but he's still a Butt Pirate.

I am taking some liberties with his powers and abilities, but I am trying to make them all fit with what little we know of him to begin with. It is somewhat similar to Ionioi Hetairoi in terms of the contents, but its execution and foundation is vastly different.

To put things in another way, Parade's contents are fundamentally weaker than IH's if the armies were directly put up against one another, since IH's soldiers are all Servant level, albeit with bare minimum stats, but Parade's is far easier to upgrade, is more versatile, and overall has much more potential for abuse than IH's.

Plus, Parade has a few extra tricks to it that make it particularly nasty. Like, really bullshit broken unfair nasty. Fina's not the 7th Ancestor because of his dangerously fabulous sense of fashion after all.

In the end, if IH were up against Parade in a battle of RM's, then the victor would not be determined by who has the stronger army, but by a combination of "who is the more capable commander" and "who can learn the weakness of the other first", with the latter being the more important of the two.

Sorry for taking so long though. This chapter fought with me almost the entire time… and nothing else.

… OH DEAR GOD WHY ARE THERE TWO HYPER NARGACUGAS IN THE SAME and I just died… er…

Yeah. HR6 atm. If you see a Scab Oogak, that's me. I like Longswords.

Again, I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner. There's at most going to be 2 chapters before the final fight and let me tell you, it's going to be a doozy… who says doozy anymore?

I understand that Archer's and Caster's bit seemed to come out from nowhere to most people, but I felt that it was important to elaborate that I haven't forgotten about them. Out of all the Servants in the war, those two are the most out of place. Archer's been left in the dark and seems to make mistakes everywhere he goes, and the Princess is just… there. I wanted to correct some of that while still making their interactions relevant to the plot.

The thing is though, and I'm just going to say this to everyone who will bother to read this even though I don't follow this rule very well myself, is that not every character has to be important or elaborated on even if they do something important.

In the original FSN VN, if you went down the HF route, Lancer, Assassin, and Caster were all practically given the Red Shirt treatment and barely given any screen time. Likewise, Zouken and Sakura were given just as little attention or even LESS in the other two routes despite how monumental of roles they were given in HF.

I know I'm kinda being hypocritical considering what I just did in this chapter, but the point still stands. Just because a character is there in the story, has plot relevance, and has potential in general doesn't mean that you have to go into detail about everything in their life and everything.

I mean… just look at Tenten from Naruto. Such wasted potential.

Anyways, that's all I have right now. Oh yeah. The presidential elections…

… We're all fucked. Seriously. Why the hell are THOSE TWO our candidates? Our next president is either going to be a complete moron or a woman that lies and is SO fake that I don't even think that her marriage is real. If there isn't a World War in the next decade I will be honestly astonished.

So REVIEW! WORSHIP THE LOG! WEEP FOR THE FUTURE! AND REVIEW AGAIN!