Fate Shirou

Chapter Four

Does This Look Like The Start Of A Harem?!

[GIRLS AND SHIROU]

Previously on Fate Shirou: The Peaceful Time Of Planning, Plotting, Playing, And Personal Life!

Misaya Reiroukan is tucked into bed by Lancer! Caster teases Luviagelita Edelfelt! Archer cleans Rin Tohsaka's house! Bazett Fraga McRemitz talks with Avenger! Saver forces Kuno Kishinami to become his Master! And Rider kills Shinji Matou and Zouken Matou?!

Shirou Emiya dreams about weapons, and graves, and thrones! But is then awoken by Taiga Fujimura's scream for help! Saber claims herself to be Shirou's fiancee and breakfast is eaten! Taiga awakens as the Slumbering Beast of Fuyuki City but is promptly knocked out!

Shirou and Saber form an alliance with Sakura Matou and Rider! And then another alliance at school with Luviagelita and Caster and Rin and Archer! Manaka Sajyou comes to the conclusion that she wants Shirou Emiya?!

Shirou is approached by Kuno and vows to save her! Saber battles Saver, mistakes him as Assassin, and then he escapes! Next Saber orders Kuno to strip!

All the meanwhile a mysterious person plans to interfere with the Fifth Holy Grail War by using his Fake Holy Grail to call forth more Masters and Servants?!

This time on Fate Shirou: Does This Look Like The Start Of A Harem?!

"Where is that idiot?" Rin Tohsaka muttered softly.

The prodigy magus was waiting with the Edelfelt Head outside the Archery Club's dojo. They had yet to pick up Sakura Matou because it wouldn't be easy to approach her, without raising her suspicions or her guard, if her ally the red-haired boy wasn't here.

"What's taking him so long?" she huffed some more, "Doesn't he know it's rude to make a girl wait?"

"It is strange," Luviagelita answered, "Shirou has always been one for punctuality," but she sighed in her mind, 'Though, he does have a tendency to become engrossed in helping others to the point that he forgets his previous obligations...'

It was already twenty minutes afterschool and neither had seen the boy since lunch.

Nearly five minutes passed before Luviagelita spoke again.

"Shirou might have run into another Master," she stated lightly tensed.

Rin's mind quickly analyzed the situation. Misaya and Lancer were unlikely to start anything at school during the day and Illyasviel and Berserker were still most likely recovering. The only unknown remaining was Assassin...

"Yeah, it's a definite possibility that he's gotten himself into some kind of trouble," she replied, "I wouldn't be surprised if he already is."

A loud explosion and the sound of massively falling objects roared from the forest far on the other side of the school. The noise was not necessarily loud from their distance but it was clearly unnatural.

The two magus shared a look with one another.

"Edelfelt, go and check it out. I'll catch right up after getting Matou-san."

Luviagelita nodded and ran and then commanded her Servant to travel ahead in Astral Form. Meanwhile Rin turned around and headed for the archery dojo.

[...]

Trace On!

[...]

Shirou Emiya's cheeks were burning.

He was standing ram-rod straight because right behind him, just standing right behind his back, his underclasswoman, Kuno Kishinami, was practically naked save for her undergarments. He could hear the girl delicately squeak as the Servant of the Sword's hands roamed all over her body. 'Why are you torturing me like this, Shiroko?!' he gulped, 'Think of something else, Shirou! Think happy thoughts! Think! Of! Cooking!'

Saber watched in amusement as her Master fidgeted about at the slightest of noise but the Servant's attention was ultimately focused on the girl before her.

The girl was doll-like, not in the same level as Illyasviel von Einzbern, but there was definitely a quality to this girl that seemed refined or processed. It was shame that her beauty was being marred by the two unsightly bombs strapped onto her belly and behind her neck.

"Command on," she quietly said as she activated Structural Analysis. The explosives were deadly but not impossible to tamper with, so she worked precisely at disrupting and removing the devices whilst chatting, "Girl, how did you become involved in this?"

Kuno was silent for a moment, "I was threatened last night."

"Ah, I see, so you haven't been with him long?"

"No."

"That's good. You're rather lucky that he didn't have enough time to prepare a more permanent trap on you. If that was case then I would surely have left you for dead." Saber's word caused the girl's body to tense.

"Shiroko!" her Master shouted out in an admonishing tone and he had almost turned around to do so but stopped himself short of the action.

The Servant glimpsed at the girl's hand and noticed the fading Command Seals, 'Rule Breaker and a high-grade Independent Action, huh? What a troublesome Servant. He's going to be fairly bothersome to deal with later then.' She smiled, "How fortunate for you that isn't the case then. But you still have a problem, girl."

Kuno blinked, "What is it?"

"Assassin is not one to leave behind loose ends," she stated simply.

"Wait, Kishinami-san is still in danger?" Shirou cut in.

Saber hummed, "Of course. Leave her alone for a day and you'll most certainly find her dead the next." The girl did not outwardly show it but there was dread in her eyes from hearing that. "There, all finished," the Servant smirked as she tossed the bombs far away. Two swords materialized in the air and pinned the explosives onto a tree, rendering the instruments of destruction even further useless. "You can get dress now." Kuno Kishinami hastily picked up her fallen clothing and began putting them on; the chilling winds were rather discomforting. "So, do you understand the kind of danger you're in, girl?"

The brown-haired teen paused, "I do," she answered quietly.

"Good, then do you understand the simplest way of keeping yourself safe?"

Kuno tilted her head and slowly shook it. She highly doubted that the police of Fuyuki City could keep her safe from whatever abnormalities she had just witness and she didn't think for a second that they would believe her words about being stalked by a magical killer.

The Servant of the Sword happily grinned at her reaction, "That, of course, is to be under the protection of someone willing and capable enough to assist you," she nudged Shirou's back with an elbow, "Isn't that right, my Master?"

"R-Right!" the amateur magi jolted, "There's no way I can abandon her! Not while she's in danger!" he almost turned around but stopped himself once again, "Kishinami-san, I'll definitely protect you!"

"...Thank you, Emiya-senpai."

"Excellent!" Saber chirped, "Then from now you'll be living with us, girl!"

"H-Huh?!" the two humans stuttered together.

The woman bemusingly smirked, "You better start thinking up an explanation for Fujimura now, Shirou. And you," she turned to Kuno, "should start making up an excuse for your family."

"W-What?!" the two said in unison again.

Saber did not answer them and noted something else, "Ah, it seems that an ally has arrived."

Caster soon casually strolled out of the forest and spoke in monotone, "An interesting development; a rival has appeared."

"Whose that? Caster?" Shirou asked and turned his head around but then immediately stiffened, "Ah..." as he discovered that Kuno Kishinami had yet to button up her top.

"Senpai, stop looking and turn around," Kuno coldly spoke to him despite her rather even tone that was as flat as Caster's.

He answered with a HRUK before quickly reeling his head with a snap and swiftly changed the subject, "C-Caster, what are you doing here?"

"To investigate the source of a nearby disturbance," she stated matter of factly, "I see that you are safe, boy. Good, Master would be unhappy if you were injured," she paused as she looks over the fallen trees, "That is quite the scene." It was not quite as showy as how most battles of Servants would go but a clearing with dozens of fallen trees was not inconspicuous enough to call a natural phenomenon either. Well, it wasn't their problem, so Caster could care less of the clean-up.

"Well, explanations can be given as soon our newly formed alliance arrives," Saber waved a hand.

The Servant of the Spells lazily nodded, "My Master will be here soon. As will be Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou shortly after."

"I see. Then, in the meantime, I have something else to sort out," Saber folded her arms in a relaxed manner, "Shirou, now would be a good time to explain to the girl about the basics of the occult."

"Is that alright?" he asked weakly.

"It would be more dangerous for her not to know. Besides, it'd be for her own safety to learn about just what kind of world she has been forcibly dragged into."

"...Right," Shirou nodded after some thinking and turned to face Kuno, "Kishinami-san... this might be hard to believe but what I'm about to tell you is the absolute truth." She silently nodded at his serious expression and he continued, "I am a magus."

[...]

Some distance away from the debris of fallen tress, the humans and Servants are gathered to exchange information and finalize their alliances. On one side was Rin Tohsaka, Luviagelita Edelfelt, Caster, and the astralized Archer. On the other was Shirou Emiya, Saber, Kuno Kishinami, Sakura Matou, and the astralized Rider.

Brief greetings were exchanged before business began.

"So, Emiya-san, what happened here?" Rin questioned him in a muted expression.

"Ah, well, I went to save Kishinami-san and was ambushed by Assassin."

"Imagine your Archer except with a black duster and a preference for modern weapons such as gun. Though he is still capable of Tracing," Saber provided.

"Why would Assassin want to kill you, Shirou?" Luviagelita asked with a hint of concern.

"That's is not Assassin's goal at all," the Servant of the Sword answered, "He most certainly has yet to realize that this world is not his past," she chuckled, "If you could change the events of the past for what you believe to be the better, would not you do so?"

"I see, so that's his goal, huh?" Rin stated her theory, "He wanted to team-up with his past self and direct the outcome of the war to a more favorable ending."

"That's correct," Saber confirmed her words, "Now, a word of warning to you all. Unlike my kind Master here, Assassin is without mercy. He will kill you swiftly if given the opportunity and there will be no compromising with him. He is that sort of individual."

Rin and Luviagelita nodded firmly while Sakura did so uneasily.

"As expected of someone placed into the class of Assassin," Caster commented off-hand.

The Tohsaka Head slowly closed her eyes and reopened them, "The next question, I suppose, is what to do we do with Kishinami-san then?"

Shirou explained, "Since there's a huge possibility that Kishinami-san is still a target for Assassin, and since it was my fault that she got involved, I've offered her to stay at my place until the war is over."

"Wait," Luviagelita interjected, "S-She'll be living in your house from now, Shirou?"

"It would be dangerous if Saber and I can't keep a close eye on her," he answered.

"O-Oh..." the Edelfelt's shoulders slumped. It was then that Caster moved in close to her Master and to whispered something privately and Luviagelita began to seriously contemplate the wisdom of her Servant's idea.

"Um, Senpai, what about Fujimura-sensei?" Sakura pointed out a potential problem with the co-habitance.

"I'll... think of something," Shirou scratched the back of his head, 'Like not cooking for her ever again if she doesn't accept...' and then perked up, "Ah, that's right, I wanted to ask you this later but, Sakura, you can stay at my place too. I'd feel much better knowing that you're safe by my side," he honestly offered, which made his junior blink in surprise with a mutter.

"P-Please give me a moment to think," Sakura quietly said as she slightly lowered in head in thought to the invitation. She very much wanted to stay at his place because she so dearly loved her Senpai; just being by his side everyday would be the greatest blessing she could ever imagined for herself. She felt a little guilt that a sinful person like her was being given this opportunity of bliss but quickly pushed away that negative pulse. She was going to accept, as there reason for her not to. 'I need to ask grandfathe-' and then she paused.

Zouken Matou and Shinji Matou were no longer home.

This morning Sakura had awoken to no other presence than Rider at the Matou Estate and her Servant merely informed her that her brother and grandfather had apparently moved out during the night to avoid the potential crossfire of the war.

All of that explanation was completely faulty.

Rider was hiding something her, she could tell. Nothing was gone from the house, as though Shinji and Zouken had simply up and left the place with packing, and the timing of their movement was both too sudden without preparation and too late at night to be true at all. Her brother would not have left alone without a few choice words and a final nighttime visit and grandfather was the patriarch of the Matou Family and would have dictated her every move in the 5th Holy Grail War.

The two of them of simply couldn't have left or disappeared. What happened? Rider must have done something. Did her Servant ki-

"Sakura?" Shirou called out at the spacing out girl and she uttered a sound surprised, "If you're troubled then you can refuse. I won't mind."

"N-No, that isn't it, Senpai," she shook her to clear her thoughts and clarify, "I'll be really happy to stay at your place." Later, she could dwell about the implications later...

Shirou smiled back at her, "That's great."

"Ahem," Luviagelita drew attention to herself, "Shirou, we are allies, correct?"

"Um, right," he answered.

"Then would it not be fine if I was also allowed to stay at your place then?"

"...Okay...?"

"Wonderful, I'll pack my stuff and move in tomorrow," the blond girl nodded with a pleased expression.

Rin Tohsaka folded her arms, "Emiya-san, I'll be moving in tomorrow, so prepare a space for me too."

"W-Why?" Luviagelita and Sakura queried in unison.

"I'll be teaching Emiya-san how to utilize his magic circuits amongst other things, so it would be more convenient for me to stay at his place," she answered, 'And to keep an eye on you two,' she left unsaid.

"There will be no need, I can teach him on my own," the Edelfelt Head briskly retorted.

Rin smirked, "Oh? How about a wager, Edelfelt? Let's see which one of us is the better teacher then." It was always such a hassle for her to compete with her rival but she would lying if she said that she didn't enjoy it either.

"I can get behind that. Very well, I'll show you just how much of a genius I am, Tohsaka!" Luviagelita laughed; She didn't even bother to ask what was being wagered, not that there was anything. Though, for Tohsaka this was just so she wouldn't need to take the entire burden of teaching Shirou alone.

"Excuse me," Kuno interrupted, "The person you're calling Assassin... he said his name was Saver."

The magus' turned and looked at each other.

"Saver?" Shirou asked and Kuno nodded.

Saber quirked a brow as she accessed information from the Holy Grail and then smiled, "Well, it seems that the war has just become a lot more complicated."

"What do you mean?" Tohsaka questioned with a sinking feeling in her chest.

Caster tilted her head as she too requested the appropriate information from the Holy Grail, "Oh dear," she said blankly, "the rules have changed."

"They've what?!" Rin raised her voice.

The Servant of the Spells continued nonchalantly, "There are two additional Servants to this war now: Saver and Avenger."

"Two...?" Luviagelita muttered as she took in the information.

"You have got to be kidding me," Rin almost growled as she began tapping her foot on the ground. She accessed her inner-compendium, an ability similar to the Servant's information-accessing that is also granted by the Grail, and then actually let loose her growl. The last time she had check there was only seven slots, now there were nine of them. "Two servants... two whole new servants...!" The twin-tailed girl swore under her breath.

Shirou noticed her behavior, "Um, Tohsaka-san are you al-"

"That's it, we're leaving!" Rin shouted to the whole group. "We're going to the Kotomine Church right now and we're going to get some answers from that god-damn fake priest!"

[...]

Kirei Kotomine kneeled in prayer in front of his altar. It was a simple ritualistic gesture to him, no more and no less, a habit he had acquired since he was a priest for the church. He did this everyday, passing the time slowly as he waited for different, perhaps interesting, things to occur.

It seem that he would not need to wait long.

The door of the church burst open as his young ward and apprentice, Rin Tohsaka, strutted in, along with several two other teenagers and two hidden but spiritually powerful entities, with a very noticeable scowl on her face. Oh, this was interesting to him; perhaps she has finally figured out that there are more than seven Servants and she was now going to interrogate him?

"Welcome to the Kotomine Church, lost lambs. What may I do for you on this fine day?" Kirei greeted the group flatly but politely.

"Shut it, you fake priest!" Rin growled at him.

"Hoh? You truly are a disrespectful student, Rin," he commented blandly before turning to the other two with a smile, "I am Kotomine Kirei, the priest of this church. And you two are?"

"Luviagelita Edelfelt," the head of the family replied with a curtsy.

The red-haired teen took a slight step back, "Um, Emiya Shirou, sir."

Emiya Shirou? Emiya? Kirei stared at the boy. Coincidence? Fate? To think that man's son was participating in this war too... This greatly amused him.

"Skip the pleasantries, Kirei!" the Tohsaka Head cut in and took his attention again, "Why didn't you tell me, Kirei?!"

"And now what would that be?" the man almost hummed.

"You know damn well of what I mean! Why are there nine Servants in this war?!"

"Ah, yes," he smiled again, it was very close to a smirk or a grin, "It was because you did not ask, Rin. As you know, I am the Supervisor of the Fifth Holy Grail War, and as such I am to remain neutral. I cannot directly go out of my way to assist an Master, they must come to me asking for assistance. That is, if it is still within my limits as a supervisor, of course."

"Don't dodge the question you fake priest. Why are there nine Servants?" the twin-tailed girl repeated more calmly.

Kirei nodded, "I do not know." He gained a small amount of satisfaction looking at his apprentice's dumb-founded expression. "Something like this has never occurred before in the past Grail Wars and I'm afraid that I do not have answer why it has happened here."

"Excuse me," Luviagelita intoned lightly, "You are the Supervisor are you not, Kotomine-san? Then should you not do something about it?"

"I have indeed chosen to take action, Edelfelt." The three young Masters looked at him intently. "I have decided to allow these two extra Servants to participate in this Holy Grail War."

"What," Rin spat out flatly. Oh joy, it was ages since he had seen the girl so flustered. "What the heck are you thinking, Kirei?!"

He placed a hand on his chest, "I am but a supervisor. My only role is to ensure that the secrecy of magic is kept intact and that the war does not erupt beyond Fuyuki City's borders. It is not place to interfere should the Grail allow two or more Servants to be summoned," the priest spread his arms open, "Indeed, is it not up to the Masters and Servants to deal with their own? If you all truly desire the Holy Grail then you should accept such a simple development like this and handle it as you deem fit." Kirei put down his arms and placed them behind his back, "Now, will that be all? Or is something else you need?"

Rin Tohsaka huffed and turned to look at Shirou Emiya, "Well, since we're already here, I guess I can have you act like a proper supervisor and teach this beginner about everything on the Holy Grail War."

"I see," the priest faced the boy, "Let us start."

It would be a long explanation. One that lasted long enough into night due to Shirou arguing with the Priest, Rin bantering with Kirei, and Luviagelita occasionally cutting in to ask questions or make remarks of her own. At the end of it all, Shirou, Rin, and Luviagelita would leave feeling very unpleasant because of Kirei's calm demeanor.

"Farewell," Kirei said to the leaving group as they exited the church.

But one entity remained behind. She had almost white-hair with golden eyes and was dressed in red armor and garbed in black revealing clothing. She smiled at him teasingly before astralizing and disappearing from view.

"Hmm..." Kirei Kotomine hummed to himself. Those teasing eyes reminded him of Avenger that Bazett had summoned. The man lightly chuckled, "If two Servants are wary of me, then it seems that I must watch my back now."

[...]

The moment the group stepped out from the church they felt a terrible tension in the air. Walking down the steps, they quickly rejoined the two girls that they had left outside - Sakura and Kuno.

Rider materialized and spoke, "A battle has broken out only a short while ago, we can be there in five minutes if we head out now."

The group looked at each other whilst wondering who the participants were. Of the remaining Servants, there was only Assassin, Avenger, Lancer, and Saver, that were unaccounted for.

"Well, there's no point in waiting around. Let's go and have a look," Rin suggested. Other than Berserker - who was still healing - there was no other Servant that could possibly threaten this four-Master-alliance on their own; after all this alliance was created specifically to handle Berserker. "Lead the way."

The white-haired Servant glared at the girl for a moment before turning away and then ran off to the location of the nearby battle.

[...]

The twisted gears of Fate churn and churn...

[...]

As Rin Tohsaka, Luviagelita Edelfelt, and Shirou Emiya conversed with Kirei Kotomine, another Master and Servant pair made their way to the Kotomine Church.

"Are you sure, Avenger?" Bazett asked as she quietly made her way toward her destination, "This could be a trap." Her Servant had informed her that she had sensed several other Servants gathering at the Kotomine Church. Though what placed her on edge was that none of them were fighting; which didn't bode well for her if they were all allies.

The Servant still clad-in-priest-clothing giggled, "Even if I were to be attacked by three others or more, it would not be a problem for me to handle," she stated confidently. "But if you are uncertain then the least we can do is learn the faces of our targets~"

Bazett Fraga McRemitzz agreed about scouting out the competition, she still wasn't sure how strong her Servant was and wanted to avoid what was most likely an overwhelming battle, but she couldn't deny that this was also a great opportunity for her to identify the other Masters and, if she was lucky, the other Servants as well.

"E-EH?! What are you doing, Avenger?!" Bazett yelped as her Servant's arm wrapped around her waist.

The dark-haired woman let go and smirked, "Ready yourself, Master." The Servant casually stepped before her human partner, meanwhile Bazett narrowed her eyes and prepared herself in a fighting stance at the warning; the runes on her clothing were ready to give her Reinforcement.

"Aw, and here I thought I could ambush you by hiding under the presence of the other Servants." A smirking raven-haired girl with orange-red eyes stepped into the pair's view. "Well, fighting head-on isn't so bad either, I guess." A man wielding a black spear appeared next to her.

"Misaya Reiroukan," Bazett called out the girl's name. Though no one could say why exactly a person was chosen as a Master, there were general patterns that were discovered from the past wars; one such thing was either living in Fuyuki City, resident magus had a higher chance of being chosen alongside with the Founding Families who started the Grail Wars. It was no surprise to Bazett that one of the better magus living in Fuyuki City was a participant in this war. "Lancer," she added.

[...]

Misaya giggled, "Hear that, Lancer? We're famous!"

"Hah, whatever you say, Master," the Servant of the Spear replied dryly. He was tense in combat mode as the female Servant gave him chills that not even the raging Berserker had manage to do. 'Something's wrong...' There was something familiar about the other Servant and he couldn't figure out what exactly it was that bothered him.

Even Misaya was a little unnerved by the nun-garbed Servant but she was not about to back-down anytime soon.

The black Servant pinched the hems of her robe as she gave a curtsy, "My name is Avenger," 'Avenger?' and smiled wickedly, "and you are dead."

Lancer gasped as his body reacted instinctively to danger and dodged a projected weapon that was aimed to pierce his chest. He materialized the white Bakuya and hurled the twin spears toward the enemy Servant, immediately he grabbed his Master by the waist and retreated.

The Servant Of The Spear panted heavily, he had never felt such impending doom since his second encounter with The Wolf Of Ulster and his Gae Bolg; The Beheading Blade, as his minded sorted out the black weapon meant to take his life.

CURSESCREAMHATREDMALICEPOISO NEVILFILTHANGERLOSSDEATHMAYH EMSCARIFICETORTUREWRETCHEDRO TFEAR-

The nameless blade screamed and struggled in his mind as his Inner World catalogued the blood-thirsty tool. The weapon held no history, only existing the moment it was called forth, yet it already contained so much ill-will.

Lancer shivered as the a memory of an opponent he wanted to forget came to his lips... "Angra Mainyu...?" A Zoroastrianism spirit of evil that had lurked behind the veil of the Holy Grail back in his own world and war. He had never fought the thing personally, as he was busy fighting the King Of Heroes, Gilgamesh, at the time, but during the Dismantling Of The Holy Grail War that came years after, Lancer had fought many corrupted Servants.

It was a bloody war.

One side wanted the removal of the system, the other side wished to keep and tamper with it, and the Grail - corrupted by Angra Mainyu - wished to spread its evil. It was no wonder that the other side was assisted by the Grail, as it allowed them to summon Servants to fight for them. The Servants were but mere shadows of their former selves - extremely small fragments to support their great numbers - but they were still pieces of a Heroic Spirit nonetheless, and that did not even include the extra boost a 'Master' could give with their Command Seals.

They were a deadly force and Lancer was one of the few who could even oppose them head-on.

It was also that very war that had taken Lancer's life.

His ability to Trace meant he had nearly every weapon for every situation and could counter every one of his opponent with ease. Thus, the corrupted Servants surrounded and ambushed him. Worn out, the fatal blow came from behind, courtesy of Joan of Arc.

If the Throne Of Heroes had not want Lancer for his Reality Marble, then certainly by then his heroics would have cemented his spot in the Throne Of Heroes as someone who had defeated more Servants than recorded history.

"Lancer, what's wrong?" Misaya asked, even she had only glimpsed at the black sword and she was already shaken.

"Angra Mainyu, huh...?" Avenger smiled nonchalantly, "I'm afraid that I do not go by that name, Lancer."

Another black blade flew toward the male Servant which he barely deflected with his own traced projectile.

'ANGRA MAINYU!' How did the Persian God of Darkness get into this war? The entire point of the Fifth Holy Grail was Angra Mainyu taking form because of Gilgamesh's schemes. But, even before that, this war should only have had seven Servants, and even further before that was that all the Servants should have been a 'Shirou.' "I won't let you live!" shouted out Lancer, he would not retreat and leave Avenger unchecked; solving the mysteries could come later.

But Misaya's safety came first, "Master, you must retreat." He could not go all out if had to protect her while fighting.

"And what? Miss the awesome show?"

"Master," Lancer intoned more seriously, "Please."

The girl was simply silent before yawning, "Fine, fine, do whatever you want, Lancer. Don't come crawling to me when you need my help."

"Thank you, Misaya."

The girl whimsically pouted, "Don't say my name so informally like that all of sudden, Shirou~" and then she left the battlefield.

Lancer projected another pair of his spears, Bakuya and Kanshou, and glared hard at the other Servant, "Why didn't you attack?" He had kept Avenger at her Master within view and saw how the Servant had kept the well-dressed woman from acting.

"It doesn't matter to me whether your Master escapes or not," the black Servant politely answered.

"I see, so I'm your only target, huh?" Lancer smirked, "That's good, because you're my only target right now too," the Servant of the Spear prepares himself into a defensive stance, "I don't plan on holding myself back!"

Wicked blades appeared in the end, the barrage of cursed steel wished to end his life as they streak through the air. The spearman chanted his aria amidst dodging and parrying the sharp weapons. His superb concentration was honed through many battles, something as simple as this storm of weapons would not be enough to break it.

"I am the bone my spear! Steel is my body and fire is my blood!" He knocked away twelve blades. "I have created over ten-thousands of spears!" He ducked low and jerked his neck. "Unknown to death, nor known to life! Have withstood battles to create many weapons!" He projected his own Noble Phantasms to prevent her from herding him. "But these hands will never falter!" He stood his ground. "So, all I believe in: Unlimited Spear Works!"

Flames erupted from Lancer and engulfed the surrounding world. The world changed to a darkened place, the dull colored-earth held multiple spears and other weapons jutting out from the ground, and the skies were filled with large silent cog-and-gear wheels. The atmosphere itself seemed to be ready to bestow a heavy storm at any moment.

The black swords stopped.

Only Avenger and Lancer were in this battlefield.

"Heh~ So this is a Reality Marble? It's my first time seeing one," Avenger mused in delight.

Lancer pointed Kanshou at the female Servant, "Is it now? Well, take in the view... because this is your first and last visit!" The winds kicked up as the sky darkened all around.

"Hoh?" the black Servant smiled as she moved to her right as a spear pierced into the ground from where she was previously standing. Peeking her eyes up, she could see that it was literally raining Noble Phantasms, dropping out of the sky like raindrops. "How scary," she said and her red and gold eyes seem to gleam in the dark. The Servant of the Vengeance nimbly dodge the coming attacks with the grace of a Lancer.

She twisted her neck, she lifted her arms and legs, she bent and leaned her body. Her fabric is cut and her skin is lightly pierced, but all of it is superficial and easily ignored. She smiled at the Servant of the Spear's attempts to harm her. "Come on, Lancer. Thrust harder~"

Lancer growled and swung right and swung left, jabbed and stabbed, dashed and pounced. But he could not touch her and the Servant of the Vengeance merely danced around him, her black blades protecting her from his storm of spears from above.

She was toying with him and he knew it.

Lancer snarled with a grin, "If you insist!" and threw the married spears together as he rushed forward and plucked two weapons off the hard ground. He approached Avenger with large but precise steps and thrusts out the spear in his right hand, the tip of the spear thinly cuts the Servant's neck as she danced around, his left followed quickly nicked her cheek.

His attacks connected more often and cut deeper than before. But still, Avenger merrily accumulated the small scratches without concern.

"Is that all you can do, Lancer~?" the female Servant taunts.

The Servant of the Spear smirked. Several spears dropped behind Avenger and gave her pause; that was all he needed. "ENKIDU!"

Chains erupt from nowhere and bounded the Servant of the Vengeance. If she was indeed Angra Mainyu, the Persian God of Darkness, then her own Divinity - lowered or not - would strengthen the chains to ensnare her even more tightly.

A spear fell down the sky in his path and Lancer snatched it on the move. It was white, gold, and blue, a weapon forged by the fairies, the holy spear: Excalibur. He could not think of a better weapon to eliminate the possible-Angra Mainyu with.

"Ah, how troublesome, I might accidentally kill my Master now..." Avenger muttered apologetically with a sigh and then stared straight at her incoming killer.

"EXACALIBUR!" Lancer roared.

And Avenger declared, "JUDGMENT!"

A sudden dark red power coincided with the golden energy released by the holy sword.

The battle was settled as the Reality Marble was destroyed.

[...]

The grove of trees under the moonlight, the thick silence of the air hung around the empty streets, there was a battle here but it has seemed to disappeared. There were three here but there were only two now.

The Servant of the Vengeance merely hummed without care as she looked at Bazett, "Oh dear, it seems that you're in great pain, Master."

"A...ven...ger...!" the woman growled out in a hoarse but accusing voice. Her appearance was disheveled and her were fingers gripped in deep into her arms.

The Servant placed a hand on Bazett's forehead and giggled, "Ah, I must have used too much prana forcibly, you almost cooked yourself alive, Master."

Bazett grit her teeth and glared at the Servant. The pain was so intense that she had wanted to claw out her own throat and felt like her skin was about to peel open. She glared at Avenger even harder. If this was how much energy the Servant of the Vengeance needed to defeat another Servant, then Bazett would die before winning the war.

[...]

Misaya stared at her left hand as a red spear-like sigil slowly faded away. She stared and stared but she knew it would not come back; she knew what this represented and what the answer to her question was.

"You idiot..." she grumbled. Slowly she reached into her pockets and pulls out a coin to flip it, the small object clacked onto the ground with tail facing the surface.

She closed her eyes as images came into view. His past, his life, the things he did, the things he fought for, the people he protected, the enemies he defeats; dreams and images that Misaya had seen when she had slept in bed on the first night of the war.

"...Why are you so self-sacrificing...?"

A scene of black and red. Servants corrupted by something. Weapons collided, bodies pierced and stabbed, cut and slashed; death, death, death, and more death all around. The body tired yet the grips on his spear only tightened in determination. It came suddenly, a fatal stab from behind going through the heart, yet he struck back piercing his own lung to reach and kill the phantom attacker behind him.

His life flickered before him, he could hear voices calling for his name, he knew that he would not see the end of his fight and so he chose to pave the way for victory. He brought out his greatest weapon and he roared. Broken and tattered, beaten and dying, he crawled and crawled until he was besides her feet. He didn't bother apologizing, he had no regrets, instead he said simply said goodbye.

Misaya stared her Command Seal, it's final segment shined softly in the dark.

"You big idiot... Don't you dare try to crawl back to me, I won't forgive if you do."

The red symbol lit up...

"That's why... at least go out with a bang, you flashy hero."

...and vanished.

[...]

A loud laughter filled the air.

Avenger spun around and eyed her somehow still living opponent. Lancer had lost his entire right arm and almost all of his right leg, the Servant kneeled on the ground, held up only by a single spear. She assumed she had completely annihilated him but apparently that wasn't the case.

"I guess people are wrong; death doesn't cure idiocy after all," Lancer strongly stated in amusement as he readied the spear in his lowered position, "...I'm proof of that."

"How troublesome, you have Battle-Continuation," Avenger commented, "You were a really persistent person when you alive, weren't you Lancer?"

"I'm as persistent as they come," he grinned, as he angled the spear.

She eyed the splendid weapon wearily, she personally knew what it could do. She held up her Noble Phantasm, the black sword called Judgment, and idly wonder if she could endure the surely coming attack.

Lancer wanted to take them both out; a dual-death. He could still accomplish that despite his broken state.

"Brahmastra..." The bronze-like spear ignited in Lancer's hand. "Kundala!"

Avenger gathered strength into her weapon, using her own prana instead of borrowing from Bazett, and swung, "JUDGMENT!"

Cleansing fire met unholy evils.

[...]

A gust of wind swept through the roads and a mighty explosion howled throughout the night.

Quietly, Misaya picked up the coin off the floor.

"...Lancer, you lug-head, it's not cool to leave a girl alone."

The raven-haired girl looked up into the sky and saw not a cloud in the night sky.

"I wish it would rain..." she mumbled to herself as drops streaked down her flushed cheeks.

Author Notes

Gah! This chapter really took awhile because I kept jumping from one story to another... Anyways, I worked on this in bits-and-pieces, so it might come out narratively weird since I didn't write out all at once... It's a tad shorter than the other three main chapters (this is 6k) but 10k words is rather unusual for me; also, a small thanks to FanFicReader712012 for reminding me that I had enough life-force to squeeze into working on this chapter.

And, of course, I still don't have an update schedule for Fate Shirou.

Eh, so let's see, here we are at the fourth chapter when I suddenly switch to Japanese honorifics. It totally makes sense! Totally! So why don't I just switch the previous chapters? Because Taiga's declaration in the Tiger Dojo wouldn't make sense otherwise. In other words, retcon has happened; like magic!

I've also suddenly switched to past-tense narrative because it's more comfortable to write in.

And, well, for other questions, concerns, or comments, those will be addressed in the next Tiger Dojo... whenever that will be.

[Uploaded on 1/31/2013] [Lancer vs Avenger extended slightly on 2/12/2013]