This takes place during December of 2012. Ichigen is still alive, so Kuroh's still a Colorless Clansman, Tatara wasn't shot, and Adolf's still in his original body. He is, however, living at Ashinaka as a teacher and Neko's his Clansman.

I've included an element from Fate/strange fake in this.

I did originally intend for the Berserker to be Penthesilea, but she'd be constantly going for Achilles' head as soon as she sees him.

"How are you settling into SCEPTER 4?" Blue Clan lieutenant Seri Awashima asked Lancer-Class Servant Cú Chulainn when he walked out into the hallway. It had been four days since he had been summoned by Blue King Reisi Munakata and during that time it was clear that he was struggling to fit in with a group of people not as free-spirited as the Knights of the Red Branch. They didn't seem like the kind of people who would start a battle then throw a party that same night to forget all about it.

"I've gotten the hang of routine 'round here now. One thing I haven't gotten used to yet is my Master. Reisi's so hard to read."

A word Lancer would use to describe his Master: Scary. Not scary like Lancer's mentor in the Land of Shadows, Scáthach, but definitely creepier. You can never tell what that SCEPTER 4 captain's thinking and that smile of his sends chills down the blue-haired spearman's spine.

"Well, you need to learn to read him fast if you wish to work well together with him."

Lancer rubbed the back of his neck with a groan. "Sheesh, I know, I know! Get off my back about that!" One thing he learned about Seri is that she can be cold and blunt a lot of the time. Kind of reminds him of how Emer, his wife, could be at times. But her rack wasn't nearly that enormous! She could kill someone with those!"

Seri narrowed her eyes. This man, a jock-type and with a devil-may-care attitude, is probably a better match with HOMRA. He has a sense of justice at least. But she has a hunch he's also someone who embodies the cynical notion that wishes never come true. It'll be interesting to see how he works together with the Blue King.

As soon as the two came outside, Lancer spoke up. "Akira and Andy, ya wanted to spar with me, right?" he said to two SCEPTER 4 members in the courtyard of Tsubaki-mon, the Blue Clan HQ. "I ain't got nothin' better to do, so how 'bout now? The rest of you are also welcome to join up against me."

Seri crossed her arms. "I recall the Captain ordering you to share some of your tactics for guerrilla warfare with the Special Squad. It's partially what allowed you to survive single-handedly fighting a war for seven years. Are you going to openly ignore your own Master?"

"Look, I can drill ya guys later. And don't call it ignorin', just improvisin'. Hands-on experience against a Servant should do better with improvin' 'em. 'Sides, I haven't fought anyone in 2,000 years. If I don't train myself my skills'll get rusty. Doubt Reisi wants that."

"He's aware of how your physiology works so I doubt he'll buy that excuse. It doesn't matter how long you Servants go without training your skills will never decrease."

"That's what you think." He glanced back over. "You guys wanna hit the dojo? I ain't gonna wait all day."

"Of course!" Andy Doumyouji immediately replied, practically jumping up.

Akira Hidaka sheepishly grinned at Seri, who had a downright disapproving look on her face. "Sorry, Lieutenant." The other members nervously glanced at Seri before walking over to Lancer.

Then Seri glared at Lancer but didn't stop him. He's definitely too much for even the Blue King to use force against if his legend and his Servant outfit, which left little to the imagination regarding his muscle mass, were anything to go by. "I'm beginning to see why you had so many people wanting you dead."

"I don't much like rulers. Blame Agamemnon. If only that king wasn't such an ass!"

"At least you're willin' to give me a chance," said Red King Mikoto Suoh. The one speaking before is his Rider-Class Servant, Achilles. They were currently in the bar, Homra, the Red Clan's base. "I actually don't care that the Slate chose me to be the Red King. I won't deny that it has saved my life but I don't like it."

Misaki Yata, the skateboarding vanguard of HOMRA, regarded Rider with distrust. He had been since a few hours ago when, upon learning about Misaki's fear of ghosts, phased through a wall directly in front of him and earned a very feminine scream.

"Who wants me to take them for a ride on my chariot?" He referred to one of his five Noble Phantasms, Troias Tragōidia.

"I remember Kamamoto throwin' up yesterday after he rode with you," Saburouta Bandou pointed out.

Rider rubbed the back of his neck. "I hadn't even hit the speed of sound when he wanted to bail. And then Xanthus actually blamed me for it!" Xanthus is the only one of the three horses pulling the chariot who can talk. Let's thank Hera for that mistake.

Izumo Kusanagi, Homra's bartender, grinned. "I think Yata and Chitose should go. After all, they were the first to laugh at Kamamoto."

"Wait, what?!" Both Clansman exclaimed. Izumo, still smiling, roughly lifted both and tossed them out the bar's back door.

"All your's, Rider!"

He started headed to the back door, "Alright..."

"This is the second day he's here and I still can't believe you got such a powerful Servant," Tatara Totsuka, a core member of HOMRA along with Mikoto and Izumo and a non-fighter, said.

Izumo narrowed his eyes. "With how famous he is we need to be extra careful his True Name doesn't get out. Thank God only his spear and shield require the True Name for full use."

"We'll go half the speed of sound. Don't worry. Like with Rikio, I'll use my mana around the chariot to protect you two from the air friction."

As Rider held his index finger and his thumb to his lips to whistle for his chariot, Yō Chitose sweatdropped. "I don't think that's what we were as concerned with..."

It was in the Chamber of the Slate in the Gold Clan's base, Mihashira Tower. One thing the Gold King Daikaku Kokujouji already noted about his Archer-Class Servant, Gilgamesh: he's a douchebag and narcissist who believes he's the world's only king and every treasure belongs to him. You can imagine his anger at seeing the Dresden Slate, Japan's treasure, right there and being unable to just take it into his treasury since it would be detrimental to his own Master. That'll change once he gets, or rather reclaims, the Holy Grail. Until then, he'll allow this mongrel to borrow it. A king should be magnanimous to his vassals.

Daikaku was explaining to him what a King's Sword of Damocles is, one thing led to another, and a Gate of Babylon appeared, Archer pulling the actual Sword of Damocles from the golden portal.

"How..?!"

Red eyes narrowed. "My treasury houses the original of everything! Of course I possess the sword!" The sword dissolved into golden flecks of mana. "I suppose I should go out and see how my garden fares now." He then went into spirit form in a dust of golden mana.

Daikaku sighed. As the first Heroic Spirit Gilgamesh should be the most powerful. It's why the Gold King selected the relic to be the fossil of the skin shed by the snake who stole the Herb of Immortality from Gilgamesh. Still...

I hope he lets his guard down and gets eaten.

It was the third day since the Caster Servant, Medea, was summoned by the Colorless King, Ichigen Miwa. Caster was on guard the first day, unsure if Ichigen would also walk all over her. But she loosened up when Ichigen actually treated her like a person instead of a tool or witch.

But she viewed his Clansman, Kuroh Yatogami, like how she acted with her brother when they were kids, where he used to shove her into a puddle of mud and in retaliation she would put spiders in his hair. Perhaps she's subconsciously wanting a sibling relationship again.

Kuroh walked into the kitchen to make lunch and inside it looked like a bomb of ingredients had gone off. Caster was standing before the stove, her purple robe off. In the frying pan was something currently on fire. An open cookbook was next to it.

"What in the world?!" Kuroh was on that frying pan in an instant, projecting his spectral hand to smother the fire. "What happened?!"

"Watanabe gave me some fresh ingredients and I tried to make miso soup..." Caster's face was bright red and she shrunk down in shame.

Kuroh sweatdropped. "I think you need to go on Worst Cooks..."

"I don't need your opinion, boy! I was trying to do something nice for Master Ichigen!"

"I doubt he'd appreciate the house being burned down."

"It was only my first attempt! I'm sure I'll get it right the next time!"

"If there's a next time. There's a reason I do the cooking." He glanced down at Caster. He can see she really wants to cook something nice for the King. "How about this: I show you how to make the food so you can yourself."

Caster looked unsure about accepting help from a male. But if it's for her Master... "Fine! As long as I can make Master Ichigen happy! Don't think this makes us friends, though!"

An abandoned water storage housed a replica of a room. Inside were six people and one parrot.

"Y'know, combined with my Fog Santum I'm sure your dirks will be even more deadly since even Servants won't see them until it's too late," Grey King Tenkei Iwafune said to his Assassin Servant, Hassan of the Cursed Arm. "Both of us will make killing Masters a piece of cake."

Assassin's left hand was on his chest and he bowed. "Yes. Worst-case, at least my dirks are black. This will make it difficult to see them in the dark."

"Then Saber and I will handle the Servant," Green King Nagare Hisui said. He glanced at his Servant, Altera. "Since you're a Knight Class I assume you can handle it."

"Yes. I have this blade for a reason." She materialized a sword with a tricolor blade. "This is Photon Ray of the god, Mars. With it I embody destruction itself."

"How did you get Mars' sword?" Sukuna Gojou asked.

"I was told I was born with it in my hand but back when I was alive I had glimpses of me killing him and taking his weapon as a prize. But I wonder why I dreamed of something like that."

"There may be more to the story that you're unaware of," Yukari Mishakuji said.

"Berserker's so tall that he has to crouch in the room?!" Silver Clansman Neko exclaimed. Silver King Adolf K. Weismann, a teacher here at the high school on the small island of Ashinaka, had just summoned his Berserker-Class Servant, Heracles. But the height of the Greek demigod soon presented a problem...

Said Servant gave a rumbling growl, as if agreeing with Neko that this isn't right.

"And he has to go through the kitchen in spirit form..." Adolf sighed. "I was lucky I summoned him in the forest instead of indoors. Lunchtime's almost over, Neko. You should start heading to your next class."

Neko took one last look at Berserker then smirked, an idea coming to her head. "Addie, can I borrow Berserker for the rest of the school day?"

"What for?"

"It's a secret~!"

In the dojo, all the Special Squad members were in various places of the room, struggling to catch their breath. Lancer alone looked unbothered, like he's ready for more. He was the only person in the room not wearing training gear, in his Celtic outfit instead. But, like everyone else, he held a shintai. He tapped the blade of it against one shoulder. "C'mon! Are all of ya tired already?! That wasn't enough to qualify as a warm up for me!"

"Oya? You're all working hard I see."

Yuujirou Benzai, who had been lying back on the floor while panting, raised his head. "Captain!"

Both he and his lieutenant had walked into the dojo. Reisi wore a smile instead of Seri's disapproving look. "A sparring session against Lancer? May I also join?"

Lancer pulled his shintai off his shoulder. "Sure. But since you're a King and I'm a Servant should we take this into the courtyard?"

"Very well."

"Captain! What about your budget proposal to the Prime Minister?!" Seri exclaimed to her superior.

"I've already filled out the paperwork and had a Clansman submit it."

"I'll use the shintai and you can use your saber. I offered the same thing to these guys but Himori insisted they all use the shintai so they don't cause an accident. Bet he's regrettin' that decision now."

"I'll continue to stand by my choice!" Himori Akiyama panted out.

"Was it worth all the anger you now have directed at you?" Daiki Fuse growled.

Reisi cocked his head at Lancer. "You won't use your spear?"

"I guess I forgot to tell ya it's also cursed. If I wound ya, it won't heal without magecraft. And even then it'll take a lot more time than what's normally needed."

"Then perhaps I should loan you a saber."

The ancient warrior shrugged. "Whatever. Any injuries that get made I can close with a healin' rune."

"Captain, he's really strong even when he's really holding back!" Akira warned.

"It'll be fine."

Red eyes narrowed. "Given your status I'll be goin' harder."

Reisi smiled again, but a cloak of his blue aura billowed around his form, like an icy mist. The room's temperature felt to have dropped almost to freezing. While it didn't fail to scare his Clansmen, a fanged grin grew on Lancer's face. "Good, because I won't hold back."

"Captain, you're positive this is a good idea?" Now Seri's voice was filled with worry.

"I'll make sure to keep collateral damage to a minimum. I'm positive Lancer's smart enough to do the same."

"Ya need to change first?"

"No. I'll spar in my uniform."

"Both of you reconsider!" Seri begged. "Someone could end up seriously hurt!"

Reisi seemed to ignore her and walked out of the dojo, Lancer following. Ryuuhou Kamo sweatdropped. "Well, those two match in stubbornness..."

Everyone that was in the dojo gathered in the courtyard to watch the match. SCEPTER 4's no. 3, Saruhiko Fushimi, also joined them. "Has the Captain lost it?"

"It's only supposed to be a sparring session but they're using sabers..." Seri sighed. "I've already ordered the medics to stand by..."

The Master and Servant were standing three meters apart, locking eyes.

Lancer pulled out his borrowed saber, tossing the sheath out of the way, the locking mechanism on it which can only be released by someone with blue aura having already been undone by Reisi. "Let's see if ya can entertain me!"

"Getting cocky? Munakata, ready!" As soon as Reisi pulled out his saber, his Blue Sword of Damocles, a mass of power taking the form of a giant sword hovering over the head of the King it belongs to, materialized.

Swords began clashing without warning. Each of Reisi's beautiful sword swings was accompanied by ribbons of blue and flakes of ice. But Lancer blocked each effortlessly and in fact began forcing his Master back, slowly beginning to advance forward.

"I'm honestly surprised that saber hasn't broken yet," Reisi said. All Lancer was doing is defending against blows like from a sledgehammer, the strength behind each causing bits of concrete to break off below.

"Reinforcement magecraft is pretty simple. I'm just runnin' my mana through the blade."

"You should show me how to perform the runic magecraft you use."

"Later." Anyone could tell by Lancer's tone he isn't going to get around to doing that.

"Attack me. I can't improve otherwise."

Uncertainty etched itself on Lancer's features momentarily but went away. "Fine. Just remember that you were the one who asked for it."

As soon as he saw the Servant's grip change, Reisi fell back and held his saber in a defensive position with both hands. A swing from the side with the saber in one hand. Reisi grunted when his sword collided with the incoming one, waves of blue energy flying from his blade as it tried to soften the impact.

What Reisi didn't expect was the kick flying at his midsection. A grunt came from him as he was knocked down. He recovered fast enough to use his aura as a shield to defend against a downward swing. Shockwaves that spilled down the sides of the translucent dome cause chunks of concrete to go flying. Age of the Gods Ireland must be pretty Spartan with training!

Reisi jumped back, his shield vanishing and causing the blade of Lancer's sword to smash into the ground. He then shot forward, his saber going for the spearman's chest in a piercing strike.

What happened next completely surprised the King. Lancer actually grabbed the blade with his left hand, pulling it off target and yanking Reisi toward him. He then felt cold steel touching his throat, not enough to break skin.

A chuckle from the Servant. "And with that, this match is over." He left go of Reisi's saber and took a couple steps back. Quite a bit of red came out of his hand, but the injuries closed in only a second.

Andy whistled after he took in how much the courtyard had been torn up. "I'm so glad those two are on our side! And to think that Lancer wasn't even going all-out!"

"I never would have accounted for someone grabbing my strike," Reisi chuckled. "It seems I learned something to defend against."

When Rider returned to the bar, Yō and Misaki looked like they had been dragged through hell.

"Didn't think I'd ever go across Tokyo that quickly..." Yō said.

"Now you know how I felt," Rikio Kamamoto said with a smirk. This earned him a glare from Misaki. Then he covered his mouth.

"Are you alright, Yata?" Kousuke Fujishima asked.

Anna Kushina, the only female member, sighed. "He's trying not to throw up."

"You looked like you wanted to as soon as that bird flew into your mouth," Rider pointed out. Misaki groaned before rushing to the bathroom.

Mikoto grabbed a leather jacket. "I'm gonna head out. Be back in an hour. Maybe two."

It was at the back of Tsubaki-mon, away from prying eyes. Mikoto's hands instantly flew to Reisi's shoulders, the back of the man with the dark blue hair pressed against the wall.

"Suoh, the War's started. It's too risky for us to keep doing this."

"Actually, it hasn't yet." Without waiting for a reply, Mikoto captured Reisi's lips in his own.

"Yeah, I don't see a problem here."

In that instant, both Kings froze and it felt like ice-cold water had been dumped on them. Then Reisi sighed. "How long have you been there, Lancer?"

The mentioned Servant suddenly materialized out of thin air. "A little before the Red King pinned ya."

"Are you here to drive me off then?"

"As long as either of you aren't here as an enemy, it's fine."

Mikoto took a moment to process what Lancer said. "Either of us?"

"You aren't aware ya didn't come here alone?" Then Lancer moved his gaze to an empty spot a couple meters behind the Red King. "Show yourself already. No use hidin' with me here."

A shower of blue particles revealed Rider. He was rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, I wanted to come out of spirit form when you showed up. Forgot I was still in it."

"How'dja forget? Our senses are different in it."

Mikoto rolled his eyes. "Can ya both keep it down? We don't want all of SCEPTER 4 to know the Red King's here unannounced. Actually, forget it. The mood's ruined. Well, Munakata, we'll see each other soon. But it might be on the battlefield."

"So...the seven players have assembled."

I already have a few scenes in this written out. If it goes how I want the first should seem less depressing in comparison.