Fate/stay night 1. Prologue

A/N Welcome to Three Seconds, I always wondered while I played the game and watched the anime why there wasn't a route where Shirou was too slow to stop Saber from killing Rin, and from that spawned this idea. How much would have changed in the War without Rin around?

I am looking for a Beta, so if someone wants to take the job let me know, and we'll see how it works out. I'll probably be posting a chapter a week, if everything goes smoothly.

And here we go

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><p>Three Seconds<p>

Night One

Three Seconds, such an insignificant amount of time out of someone's day, out of someone's life. Yet three seconds was enough time to irrevocably change the course of The Fifth Holy Grail War

Moonlight filtered in through the door of the open shed for a brief moment illuminating the scene that lay within. An unnatural light flared as the boy known as Shirou edged back further from the man wielding the red lance, his mind consumed by the fact that he was about to die, for the second time tonight. _"This is bullshit, there's no way I can let myself be killed twice in the same day. Am I truly so weak that I can't even save myself, are my ideals so meaningless?"_ The man in blue armor moved closer raising his lance and preparing the fatal strike. _"I won't die, not again, not like this!" _ The unnatural glow grew brighter blinding the occupants of the room as the red lance shot forward seeking its target, and a clash was heard as sparks flew from the collision of the lance and the invisible weapon throwing the lance wielding man back through the door. The boy moved further back from where the man had been, until his back was touching the wall as his eyes finally locked on his savior. Illuminated in the Moonlight stood a woman, her blonde hair reflected in the pale light giving it an ethereal glow, her emerald eyes shifting to land on his prone form freezing him to the spot and taking the breath from his very lungs. Clad in a blue dress with white lining, and finely detailed silver armor, and yet this description could not do justice to her beauty.

Her eyes still penetrating to the depths of the young man's soul she finally spoke her words clear and resolute. "Are you my Master?"

The words shocked the red head from his dream like state, forcing his mind to start assessing the situation that lay before him. _"What was it that she just said, am I her Master? What does that even mean?"_ Staring at the woman before him Shirou could definitely tell that she was the same as the man in blue, and yet so much more. "Your…Master?" He said, trying to make his mouth form the words in his mind.

The woman continued to stare, her gaze searching for something he could not tell, and again she spoke. "I am Servant Saber, I ask again, are you my Master?" This time upon hearing the words the red head felt a twinge of pain in his hand. Looking down the marks were glowing an intense red before fading back to its regular color. It seemed as though this was the signal she was waiting for, for as the marks fell to their original color she spoke again. "Your orders, Master?" Before Shirou had a chance to speak his decision was made for him, although it seemed as if an eternity had passed when Shirou began looking at Saber in reality it had only been a few moments, and Lancer was back. Saber moved far to fast for Shirou to follow and sparks began exploding in the night as the two Servants fought. Shirou was awed at the speed of the battle, and even more so at the skill these two warriors were showing. They clashed over and over Saber clearly at the advantage with her invisible weapon. With a vicious strike Saber threw Lancer back separating the two knights for the first time.

"How about we call this a draw, your Master is useless, and mine is a coward, no use finishing things here" Lancer said as he brought his spear back to the ready position.

Saber scoffed at his attempt at negotiations "You will die now Lancer, Prepare yourself" she yelled pushing off the ground and sprinting toward him. Lancer jumped back keeping his distance from the blonde while turning in full retreat. There was no point in continuing this battle, he was only scouting out his pray at the moment, no sense in revealing his Noble Phantasm this early in the War. Seeing the perfect distraction Lancer smirked as he jumped over the girl running down the street in red with her Servant Archer. Using there confusion to his advantage he continued back to his Master, never realizing how much his actions would affect the war.

Shirou continued to watched in a daze as Saber sprinted after Lancer, he couldn't believe that this was real, and he had no idea how he came to be mixed up in this crazy battle. What he did know was that he needed to hurry, because his Servant had just rushed off, and she was only just barely in sight. Running after her was going to be harder then he thought, she moved far too fast for him to keep up with, and she was still a few hundred meters in front of him.

Saber cursed silently as Lancer jumped over the incoming pair, It seemed her Master was rather popular tonight, as another Servant had just appeared headed in the direction of her Master's house. Lancer may have gotten away, but she swore to herself that this Servant would not. Using her momentum she attacked without warning aiming to finish this battle as quickly as possible. Her opponent was fast, but no where near as fast as she was. He fought well, blocking her strikes as if he knew how long her blade really was. While this was rather admirable, it did not change the fact that she had the advantage. Putting forth as much strength as she could into the next few blows she heard the satisfying crack of his blades as she made a cut trailing from his left shoulder to his hip.

"ARCHER!" The young Tohsaka heir yelled as she witnessed her Servant being injured, She could already tell that this was Saber, and no matter how good with a blade Archer may be, he stood no chance against this woman. Calling him back to spirit form she withdrew her signature jewels and began to toss them at the blonde woman. Explosions rocked the area as the gems exploded clouding her vision for a few moments.

_Three_

When the dust settled the Servant was standing there unharmed, and Rin knew instantly in her heart, that she was in trouble.

Shirou ran, he had watched as Saber engaged this new enemy, and just as with Lancer she had defeated him without too much effort on her part. When she had been covered with smoke he had sped up his heart skipping a beat and praying that she would be okay. He sighed in relief when the dust had cleared and she seemed to be standing there without any damage

_Two_

"It was a valiant effort, unfortunately for you I have a class A resistance to Magic." Saber said as she raised her arms preparing to strike at the now defenseless girl.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he pushed himself to move faster, he needed to reach the battle, he wanted to yell out to his Servant, but he was still too far away.

_One_

Saber rushed forward her blade held ready to pierce her opponent through the heart.

Rin sighed, unshed tears clinging to her eyes as Saber approached her, this was it, this was how it all ended. "_To think, I wouldn't even survive the first night of the war, how embarrassing." _Her eyes looked past the rushing form of Saber to the red headed boy sprinting toward their battle "_At least your still alive Shirou" _

His feet pounded against the pavement in tune with his heart smashing against his ribcage. His eye's had cleared, and even though he was still too far away to be clearly heard, his vision was perfect, he could see the wind rustle against Saber's clothing, he could see the tears beginning to form on Rin's face, and he could see with perfect clarity that he would not make it in time.

_Zero_


	2. Archer Arc: Part One

Night Two:

xxx Zero xxx

"NOOOOO!" The blade struck true, sliding with little resistance through Rin's heart, painlessly ending her life before she was even aware it was over. Saber withdrew her sword flinging the blood to the ground in front of her as the girl's body hit the ground. She turned looking at her Master as he closed the last of the distance between the two of them. "Saber, why, why did you kill her?" Her Master rasped out in between deep breaths his eyes never leaving the prone form of Rin.

Saber sighed and turned to her Master, unsure how to best handle this situation. "Master, we are in a war, surly you knew there would be casualties when you summoned me."

"War?" He began, finally having collected himself from his mad dash "What war are you talking about, I have no idea what's going on here." Even now he couldn't look away from the girl laying dead before him. Yet, again his vision was clear, and somehow, even though his eyes had never left the girls body he could see the Archer drawing back his arrow. He rushed forward just as the arrow rocketed from the bow seeking the head of the blonde girl in front of him. Ignoring the confused look on the girls face he dove pushing them both out of the arrows path and to the ground just as the arrow slammed in to the pavement.

Saber jumped to her feet bringing her blade up to bear against the next volley of arrows, blocking them all without too much trouble. She shouldn't have let herself get so distracted, "Shirou, when I say to make a break for your house, I'll protect you..." her words were cut off as the arrows ceased firing and the Archer himself appeared next to his former Master.

Getting his first good look at Archer Shirou couldn't help but be impressed, he was tall with tanned skin and grey eyes as sharp as steel. His hair was white, but not from old age. "Emiya Shirou, you will die for this, I will make you suffer" without any further words he picked up his Master and vanished into the night.

xx

Shirou sighed for what must have been the thousandth time tonight "Alright Saber, we're back at my house now please explain just what the hell is going on."

The blonde rubbed her temples again, how did she get stuck with such an uninformed Master. she could see her chances of winning falling before her eyes. "Alright Master, just listen and i'll explain things the best I can." at his nod she continued. "When you summoned me you joined the Holy Grail War, it is a war fought between seven Mages and the Servants that they summon. The object is to be the last pair standing, when you win you get a wish granted by the Holy Grail. As of now there are only five more magi that we must defeat to win." She stopped to take a breath and ensure that he was following, with another nod from her Master she continued. "Now there are seven classes of Servant, you've met Lancer, Archer, and of course Saber. The other four classes are Berserker, Caster, Assassin, and Rider. Archer has made it clear that he will be targeting you, luckily he can only survive for two days without a Master."

Resting his head in his hands Shirou couldn't help but laugh, this was insane, he'd finally gone crazy, it was the only explanation. "Alright, it's been a long night, let's get some sleep, i'll take you to a room you can sleep in." As he stood up and began to walk away he heard a loud rumbling sound, spinning around trying to find the source he had to hold in a laugh when he realized it was coming from Saber. Her cheeks were beginning to redden, and Shirou could no longer contain his chuckles, though the glare he received managed that nicely. "How about some food first." this had the desired effect as the glare turned into a nod.

"Yes, that is a good idea, for hunger is the enemy" she said her head bobbing up and down resolutely. Making their way to the kitchen Shirou began by making some rice and tofu. Setting the plate down in front of his Servant he turned back to prepare his own food when an odd sound assaulted his ears. Turning around he couldn't help but gape at the sight before him, his Servant was inhaling the food, she was already almost done, and she didn't look like she would be stopping anytime soon. Taking this as a challenge Shirou turned all his efforts into making a full course meal instead of the snack he had intended, when it was all said and done she had eaten 7 bowls of rice and tofu, and Shirou honestly couldn't understand where she had put it.

"Well now that we've eaten lets get some sleep, I'll show you to your room." Standing up and leading her down the hall he led her to a room a few doors down from his own. "Well Saber have a goodnight, we'll finish our discussion in the morning." Turning his back and walking to his room he didn't notice the footsteps following him until he entered his room and turned to shut his door.

Tilting his head in a questioning manner he started to speak but was cut off. "Master this won't do, we will need to sleep in the same room, I don't think you understand the danger you are in with Archer after your life."

Shirou stuttered trying to find the words to dispute her reasoning, but nothing was coming to his mind. he had seen the skill of the fighters today, had seen how quickly a life could be ended. He sighed rubbing his temples, and nodded shortly to his Servant. "Very well, let me get you something to sleep in." He sighed, hopefully for the final time this evening, he just knew he wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight, not with that ethereal beauty in the same bed.

xx

It was odd he decided, sleeping with someone so close, he could hear her breath, see her outline in the dark. At the same time though, it was rather comforting, he couldn't deny being mildly happy to be sleeping in the same room as a beauty like his Servant. He couldn't sleep though, every time he closed his eyes he saw _her _face, Rin Tosakas. He shuddered drawing the blankets closer to his body, it was like a phantom chill ran up his spine every time he thought of her. Finally after what felt like hours his eye's drifted close and darkness overtook him.

_"Where am I?" the red headed boy thought to himself as he walked around the large welcoming hall. "It looks like I'm in a castle, but I don't think I've ever been here before." His thought process was interrupted as he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around he couldn't help but gape as he saw the Servant Archer and Himself standing across from each other. _

_"ARCHER! Where is Rin?" His dream self yelled glaring at the red clad servant in front of him. _

_"Your late Emiya, I've already given her to Kirei" the Servant responded, a smirk making its way onto his face. "You should worry more about yourself, I will kill you here, and your meaningless Ideals will fade just like your life." With a flash of light two short blades appeared in his hands, one black the other white, unbidden their names jumped into Shirou's mind. "__Kansho and Bakuya"_

_Turning to the dream version of himself he caught the look of determination that flashed across his face. "Saber, stay back, this is between the two of us." Waiting for her nod of approval he turned back to Archer holding his hands out at the side of his body. "Trace On" he said, causing Kansho and Bakura to appear in his hands as well. Both men rushed forward attacking the other at a fast pace. Dream Shirou's blades would shatter only for a new one to take its place. It was clear that Archer had the advantage, but his dream self was holding his own, giving it everything he had. Watching them fight he couldn't believe that he could fight at this level, yet there he was fighting a Servant, and not doing that bad either. _

_He couldn't help but think that this was an odd dream to be having. "You can't save everyone, as you are now you can't even save those closest to you" The Servant yelled over the sounds of clashing blades. "You are no Hero of Justice, you're a school boy that doesn't know his place." He spat pushing dream Shirou back and shattering his swords._

_ Dream Shirou struggled to his feet, his breaths coming in gasps "I may not be able to save everyone, but I will save as many as I can." _

_Archer laughed and dispersed his swords, "hearing that bullshit from you makes me sick" He spat on the ground and held out his hands in front of him "I am the bone of my sword" summoning two blades to his hands he threw them arching them both toward Dream Shirou "Steel is my Body, and Fire is my Blood" creating two more blades he threw them straight toward the red headed boy infront of him. "I have created over a thousand blades" Dream Shirou threw his pair of swords out to the side forcing them to collide in a hail of steel against Archers first two blades. "Unknown to Death, Nor Known to Life" His dream self summoned a second pair of weapons blocking the last pair of swords flying his way. "Have withstood pain to create many Weapons" the two combatants locked eyes "Yet those hands will never hold anything" Shirou couldn't help but shiver as these words were said, they penetrated his very mind, his very soul. "So as I Pray, Unlimited Blade Works." _

_And the world erupted in flames. When his Vision cleared Shirou was surrounded by swords, all stuck in the ground. Cogs floated in the air turning of their own accord, yet despite these strange surrounding both warriors kept fighting just as fiercely as before. Exchanging blows back and forth with each pass one of Dream Shirou's weapons would be destroyed. Watching the battle Shirou began to feel strange, words were beginning to form in his brain, starting to become clearer the longer he watched this fight. Until finally with a clarity that shocked him they smashed into his mind. "My body is made of swords, iron is my blood, and glass is my heart. I have overcome countless battlefields undefeated. Not once have I retreated, nor once have I been understood. Always alone on the hill of swords… intoxicated with victory… Thus this life has no meaning. This body… was surly… made out of swords." _

He shot up in bed, his breath heavy, and a cold sweat clinging to his body. That dream if it could be called such was disturbingly clear, and he didn't like the implications that it held. Still, he would need to experiment with these potential new powers, he could tell that no matter how odd a dream it was he could clearly envision every sword he saw throughout it, could recall their names. Looking at the clock and seeing it was just after 6 am he decided to get up and begin preparing breakfast, if last night was any indication he would need to prepare far more than usual to keep his Servant fed. Luckily it was a weekend and he wouldn't have to explain to Taiga why he had a girl living with him.

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><p>AN I've planned on using the dream cycles to my advantage to get Shirou to the level he'll need to be to survive what I have in store for him. I always found it odd just how vast the power differences were between each of the routes. He's normal in the fate route, able to fight off the strongest servant in UBW, and he's simply a god by the end of the third. I plan on having him be as strong as he was in UBW, maybe a little stronger.


	3. Archer Arc: Part Two

AN: Well I'm not sure how this is going to look because the edit document feature is acting pretty odd right now, so if this chapter looks weird I'll come back and fix it tomorrow.

Shirou couldn't help but gape as he watched Saber inhale food for the second time, where was she keeping it? Certainly no one could eat that much food and still be as tiny looking as Saber. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, he'd been doing that more recently he realized. This war was just too insane for him to grasp, The Holy Grail? An entity so powerful it could grant your wish, no matter what it was, it seemed ridiculous to him. Still he was in this war whether he wanted to be or not, and Saber clearly had a wish to obtain the grail so if for no other reason than that he would strive to win. This line of thought brought him to his next problem, Archer. The red headed boy didn't even know where to begin with that train of thought. Clearly the older man wanted him dead, he'd said as much himself, that look in his eyes as he turned and took Tosaka away was one of utter loss, as if his only tie to humanity had been severed. That would make him a very dangerous opponent as well, not to mention that dream. It was clear that it was not a vision of the future, for Tosaka had already died, but what else could it have been but a memory? Not to mention that feeling he'd gotten every time he'd seen a blade in the dream, he could still vividly picture every blade he'd seen, but not just their image, no he could see everything, their strengths, skills, and histories. He knew, he wasn't sure how but he knew that he could summon those blades. _"Kanshou, Bakuya" _he thought, their very names bringing a sense of security to his mind. Yes, he decided _"Today I will forge my blades"_ the images from that fateful dream filled his head, finally resting on the Hill of Swords _"For surely my body is made of swords"_ the very thought chilled him to the bone.

The voice of Saber snapped him from his internal thinking "Shirou" she paused waiting for him to turn his attention to her "You look troubled, perhaps we should continue where we left off last night." he nodded urging her to go on. "You now know of the war, the different classes of Servant's, and of the prize at the end. Now I think it would be wise for you to ask any questions you have, and I shall answer them as best I can."

Shirou sighed again, he would really have to stop doing that soon, but that was a thought for another time. "Alright, I understand what is going on, but why do you want the Grail? I don't really care for an artifact that can grant my wish, but surely since you are here you must have something you want."

Saber turned her gaze to the floor, a look of concentration etched on her face. After a moment of silence she spoke, her tone unreadable. "I wish to make up for my past mistakes." Her eyes burning with resolve "That is my only wish, to fulfill my duty." With that she locked her gaze on Shirou, and he knew that questioning her further would not bode well for their budding partnership.

"Very well then, I swear that I will do everything in my power to help you achieve your goal." Her face softened at his declaration, and the tenseness in her shoulders began to fade away. "Still I think the first problem we need to face is Archer. He has no Master, and his goal is to kill me, and probably you. You injured him last night, so he will need time to rest, but there is no telling how fast he can heal."

Saber nodded her emotionless façade back in place. "You are correct Shirou, he will be a very formidable foe, he can hit us from an undetermined distance, and we have yet to see his Nobel Phantasm. There is nothing we can do for now but to be on our guard."

Shirou smiled thanking whatever deity out there that had given him this perfect opportunity. "Saber, I was wondering if you would train me. I'm not a very good magus, and if I want to stand a chance against another Master It would help for me to be able to defend myself."

Surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by the first smile he'd seen from her. "Shirou that is an excellent idea, I'm glad to see that you're taking this war seriously. I would be honored to train you, but don't expect me to go easy on you." The glint in her eyes promised pain, and for the first time Shirou began to wonder if this was such a good idea.

"Saber, there was one last thing I wanted to ask you. Last night I had a strange dream. It was a dream about me facing Archer in combat. Yet it felt like more than a dream, it was like a memory, only not my own. At first I wanted to write it off as just the stress of last night, but I know that it wasn't." She nodded, showing that she was listening to his concerns. "In this dream, I could project weapons in to existence, every weapon I saw I knew it inside and out. At a glance I could tell the history of the weapon. I wish to discover if I truly do have these powers."

Saber stood from the table and started for the door. "Shirou, what you've said sounds like something called the dream cycle. It's something that happens when there is a bond between a Master and Servant. I would expect you to have seen some of my memories as I saw yours, I cannot be sure why this is happening. What I can do though is help you discover you abilities in the only way I know how, through battle and hard work."

Shirou's face fell as he heard her parting words. He stood following her out the door "_Perhaps I am seeing this dream cycle" _he thought bitterly _"but I'd rather not think on why I'm seeing __**his**__"_

xx

The two made their way to the dojo behind Shirou's house in comfortable silence. "Alright, have you had any training before?" Saber asked grabbing one of the practice swords off the wall. She turned a questioning glance to Shirou as he grabbed two of the practice blades instead of one.

"I haven't had any training with a sword before, but I've done archery for most of my life." Noticing her questioning glance he elaborated "I'm grabbing two because in my dream I was wielding two swords."

Saber nodded before taking a ready stance "Okay, get into a stance that feels natural" Shirou nodded and did as he was told, crouching slightly and bring his swords to rest by his side held slight above where his arms would normally hang. "I'm not going to take it easy on you. Traditionally we would work through the basics and build you up to dueling at faster paces. We don't have time for that, so you're going to learn the other way, and that's through experience."Without another word she rushed forward bring her blade up to slash across Shirou's chest easily breaking through his hasty guard and hitting him solidly on the shoulder. She jumped back and came at him from the side this time, moving far faster than a normal human could, again he put up a guard, but this time it held and she used it to push off and use the momentum to switch into a slash across his back. In this manner they continued for the next few hours, she would attack and he would do his best to defend, every exchange he would get better and better. Shirou was nowhere near a level in which he could challenge her, but he also wasn't getting killed by her first strike anymore.

It was only lunch time yet Shirou could hardly move, the thought of getting up to cook was painful, but he knew by the look in his Servant's eyes that she was hungry, and that if he didn't satisfy the raging beast that was her appetite he would be killed in the most painful way possible. _"Why did I decide that training was a good idea? I didn't even know it was possible to hurt in some of these places." _Slowly he tried to push himself off the ground only to wince and sit back down on the ground. "Saber, how about we take a break for lunch?"

Without looking Shirou could tell she was nodding her head. "Yes, that does seem the best course of action, we shall stop for lunch and give our bodies a chance to rest." To punctuate this thought her stomach gave a large rumble causing her cheeks to redden.

Unable to stop himself Shirou burst out in laughter unaware of the dark look he was receiving "Of course, 'For Hunger is the enemy' right?" he gasped out between breaths.

A woosh of air was the only warning he had before the training sword Saber had been using was sent flying through the air impacting heavily on the ground by Shirou's head causing the laughter to abruptly cut off. "Oops" she said unsympathetically "I seemed to have dropped my sword. Perhaps that is a sign that we should eat lunch _now _to avoid any accidents" The sweet smile she wore on her face was offset by the glint of evil in her eyes. Lying on the mat with wide eyes Shirou silently promised himself that he would make a feast fit for a king to appease his Servant.

After lunch the pair returned to the dojo to continue their training. This time Shirou would be working on how to develop his abilities as a magus. "_Alright, where to start" _he thought bringing the images of Kanshou and Bakuya to his mind "_Analyzing structure" _his mind ran through the history of the blades, revealing everything about them to his mind "Trace On" he said as he focused his prana to begin forming the baldes. In his hands he could begin to feel the blades forming, slowly but surely they began to form until the weight settled in his hand and he looked upon the blades, _his_ blades. "I'm glad to see that I can do it, but it's not going to help me in battle if it takes this long to make them."Saber looked upon her Master as he formed and reformed those blades over and over again. It was fascinating watching them form, but it became rather tedious as well. "Shirou, as good as it is that you can now form those swords, what good will it do you if you can't use them properly?"

Startled out of his thoughts by the interruption Shirou looked to Saber for the first time since he'd begun his training. Rubbing his head sheepishly he conceded to her point. "Yeah, you're right, wont matter how many of the things I can summon if I'm no good with them. Let's pick up where we left off before lunch." Grabbing their practice blades off the wall the two began to spar.

A man with silver hair and steel eyes watched his target from the building he was sitting on. His eyes had taken on a crazed glint as he planned out his move. He would have his revenge, he would make them pay for what they'd done. He'd told his Master that he didn't remember his past, that had been a lie. The man did remember his past life, he just couldn't associate with the emotions he'd so childishly felt back then. The only feelings he had were for his Master, and for that boy. He hated his younger self, he had joined this war to stop him from becoming a counter guardian. In his life time he'd failed so many people, had his ideals twisted and used against him, and been forced to kill over and over again. She had been the only constant in his life, and he swore that he would always protect her. Yet again though he had failed, and she was cruelly ripped away from him. It was at this point in his original life that he came to the conclusion that he needed to join the war and convince his former self of the futility of trying to be a "Hero of Justice" and if he couldn't be persuaded, then he would be killed. He made it back and finally he could see her again, she'd looked so similar to his own lover, yet she still had an air of childishness about her that his Rin had lost over the years. Of course this couldn't be allowed though, before he even had a full day to spend with her _he_ killed her. He vividly remembered that night from his original life, he remembered using a command seal to save her from Saber. So why? Why had _he_ not done the same? To watch her die again snapped the last of his humanity, he only had one goal now. He would make Shirou Emiya suffer, he would make him beg for death on his knees, only to make him suffer more. Saber would share the same fate, she may not have become Rin's Servant yet, but she had still betrayed her Master, and that would not do. Before his two days were up they'll both understand the meaning of suffering. "_It's time, time to make my first move."_


	4. Archer Arc: Part Three

A/N: I just wanted to make it clear incase it wasn't, that this Archer is the Shirou from UBW route, so he does in fact still have Rin's Magical Crest, and so he is quite a bit more powerful then Archer was in the original series.

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><p>Archer Arc Part 3<p>

It looked like a dance as the man in red spun around the room, twirling from one side to the other. He never stopped his body constantly in motion. The man was like a maelstrom switching partners at his will, never staying in one place for more than a second. It looked to be a grand choreographed dance as the man painted the room in red.

xx

He was going to die, there was no doubt in the man's mind as he watched the red demon move across the room. He was slaughtering everyone that stood in his way. A part of him wondered why this man was here, sure the Yakuza had enemies, but he wasn't aware that demons were among that list. He had watched as the thing had taken out everyone that stood in his path, and now he was the only one left. The Demon stopped for what seemed like the first time, and he realized that the demon greatly resembled a man. Abjectly he noted that although this thing had just slaughtered the entirety of the men present here he didn't have a drop of blood covering his black armor. He looked in to the steel eyes of the demon before him and fired the last of his rounds directly at his chest. The Man was dead before he hit the ground.

xx

Archer turned surveying the room that he had just finished clearing. There was no challenge in killing these men, they were just fodder before his blades. "_Still_" he thought to himself "_they gave their leaders family enough time to escape, and so the hunt goes on." _Making his way out of the compound he moved to the highest building in site, using his superior vision to spot the retreating backs of the Yakuza's leader.

xx

Shirou was sore, he couldn't remember ever feeling so tired in his life, yet at the same time he felt amazing. They had spent the rest of the day practicing in the dojo alternating between sword play and his magical training. He couldn't believe the difference in his strength already, yet he knew that he had a long road ahead of him before he'd be able to really fight alongside Saber. Finishing up his meal he rose from the table and made his way to the kitchen to do the dishes. Hearing the padding of feet behind him he turned to see Saber standing in the door way. "Do you need something Saber?" he asked turning fully to face his Servant.

Saber had watched her Master silently throughout dinner, watching as he would wince from time to time as he moved his arms. It seemed so surreal, this boy was nothing like his father had been. When she had first heard his surname she had immediately been put on guard, but now after spending some time with him she couldn't even describe how fundamentally different the two were. He was something of a mystery, all day she had knocked him down only for him to get right back up to his feet and keep training. She would admit to being impressed by his determination, with a little more training he could have even served as a knight at her table. She had been broken from her thoughts as Shirou rose and made his way to the kitchen. Hearing the water run in the sink she had made her way toward the kitchen as well. He'd turned to her as she came in the door and smiled asking her a question. "Shirou, I think we should talk more about the War. I agree our best plan of action is to continue your training and wait for Archer to make his move, but we must be weary of the other Servants. The bounded field here will hide our presence, but it also makes us blind to what is going on outside. You also can't forget that Lancer is aware of where we are staying, as is Archer. I admit that I am not sure of what our next course of action should be."

Shirou felt the sigh coming as he listened to Saber speak, she was right. No matter how much he despised the idea of war he had an obligation to Saber to help her win The Grail. They sat in silence, each of them pondering what it was that they should do next. "Your right Saber, our position is a bit rocky right now. We have no idea when Archer will come for us, or if he even will. Lancer and his Master also know where we're staying. I think tonight we should get some rest, I'm not sure about you but I'm pretty tired. Tomorrow we can go out and get you the clothing you'll need, as well as look for traces of other Servants."

Saber nodded her head in approval before turning questioningly to Shirou. "How will we pay for the clothes, you are already paying for my food, I do not wish to strain your funds on unnecessary items."

Smiling slightly Shirou chuckled "Saber, it'll be fine. My father was rather wealthy and left me a good sum of money, I only work because I don't like to use it unless I have to. We'll have plenty of money to get you some clothes, besides you'll need them if you plan on walking around town during the day."

Saber nodded again and turned to leave the room, by this time Shirou had finished the dishes and made his way out of the room as well. "It has been a long day, let us retire to bed Shirou." Saber said as she turned and walked from the room headed to the bathroom to prepare for bed.

Shirou nodded as heat rose to his cheeks "Yeah that sounds fine Saber." It would take some time before he could think of them both being in the same bed as normal. Still it was for his protection, and he knew he needed it. Waiting for her to finish in the shower he pulled out a new set of clothes and made the bed. Saber made her way back into the room sometime later and pulled on the same clothes she had worn last night. "Goodnight Saber" Shirou said as he made his way out of the room to go shower. Distantly he heard her murmur a goodnight as well as he made his way to the bath. The water had felt wonderful on his sore body he thought as he dried off changing in to his sleepwear. As silently as he could he made his way back to his room and lay down next to Saber on the mattress, scooting as far away as he could. Slowly his vision clouded and he fell into the land of dreams.

_Shirou held back the sigh he knew was coming as he once again found himself in the castle entrance that he had been in when he'd fought Archer. This time though something was different. He tried to move his body but it didn't respond. He began to panic when his body started moving on its own jumping up higher in the rafters and hiding from view just as the giant doors exploded in. From outside a blonde man wearing black pants with a white shirt and a black jacket made his way into the room. "Knock, knock" he called into the mansion an arrogant smile on his face._

_From the main staircase he saw a giant of a man with a stone club start walking down the stairs. After a moment he realized there was a small girl with white hair dressed in purple sitting on the giants shoulder. Her voice was soft and childish as she spoke "I'm not sure who you are, but it doesn't matter. Berserker" a roar from the giant interrupted her speech "Kill him." The giant man roared again and set the little girl down behind him and rushed for the golden haired man._

_Shirou watched in awe as Berserker raced at the much smaller man raising his club high. The man clad in black simply jumped back putting some distance between the two as a giant wall of red opened behind the man and weapons began to pour from inside. Shirou's mind was racing a mile a minute, his mind being overrun by all the information rushing through his brain. Every weapon that appeared he could see, all the history, the properties, a headache began to form in his mind. Refocusing on the battle he watched as the giant beast of a man was stopped dead in his tracks by a hail of blades that were rushing from inside the gate. "Fool, do you really think you match the power of The King of Heroes?" the man yelled as the gate opened further launching even more blades toward the frantically blocking giant in front of him. "Let me show you the true power of the Gates of Babylon, a simpleton like you has no chance against my power." He yelled, a crazed laughter echoing about the room. Slowly the Giant was pushed back by the never ending hail of blades._

_Then something odd happened, Shirou felt his body begin to move, a bow as black as night appeared in his left hand, a sword he now knew to be Caladbolg appearing in his right. The Sword shrunk and became an arrow before his eyes as he heard himself speak. "I am the bone of my sword." Pulling back the arrow he released it aiming it directly at the golden haired man and piercing his left arm. Using this distraction to his advantage Berserker rushed forward slamming his club-sword into the man and sending him flying out the broken doors. Without hesitation Berserker rushed after him and out into the night. Again Shirou felt his body move, and as he fell to the floor below he caught sight of his reflection in a mirror in the hall. He was in Archer's body, he wasn't sure how but he was seeing what Archer was. Landing on the ground Archer moved toward the little girl, a feeling of dread began to form in the pit of his stomach. "Illyasviel von Einzbern" Archer said as he again moved closer to the girl. "You hold an enormous amount of prana in your body, and as I am now without a Master I find myself in need of some." Shirou felt his face form a sinister grin, and began to fight within the confines of Archer's mind to do something, anything. A dagger began to form in his hand at first glance it looked unimpressive, the hilt was wrapped in leather, the blade a dull gray with nicks in the edge._

_Shirou gasped as the short history of the dagger made itself known to him. It had been a regular dagger passed from father to son as a birthday present, used as a tool to help with everyday work. Until the son began to have dark thoughts in regards to his brother, his jealousy consuming him. Then the day came when their father choose the successor of his Magical Crest, and when the son was passed over for his brother he became lost to darkness. The son summoned a demon to his side and offered his soul in return for the ability to steal his brother's power, and so the demon smiled as he imbued the dagger with the ability to steal the Magical Crest of the boy's brother. Later that very day the Son took his brother out to the fields and looked into his eyes as he ran the blade through his heart stealing the Magical Crest and the power his brother's circuits held. The son turned to wander the world and explore his new power when the demon he had summoned appeared before him. "Have you enjoyed your gift?" It said, a sinister grin splitting its face "I hope so, because I've come to collect on your end of the bargain." Without waiting for a response the demon stole the son's soul, and so it came to pass that Cain killed Abel only for his soul to be taken right after. The blade was then lost to the world, kept deep within the Gates of Babylon it's story never spoken of again._

_Shirou watched horrified as Archer moved faster than the girl could react and slammed the dagger into her heart. Shirou felt unimaginable amounts of prana rushing into Archer's body as he stole the power of the little girl. "With this power I shall have my revenge" Without a look back Archer moved out the doors and into the night to continue hunting his prey, he still had one more stop tonight._

Shirou shot up breathing heavily and covered in sweat, he slowed his breathing and looked at the clock, he had only been asleep for a few hours, he couldn't get up yet, he'd need his rest tomorrow. Finally letting the sigh escape he rolled over hoping to get some peaceful sleep.

xx

Archer moved through the night his prana refilled giving him more time to prepare for his meeting with his counterpart. He still had a few more things to do first. Somewhere inside him he felt bad for what he'd done to his stepsister, but through the red haze that had settled over his eyes she was just another casualty of life. He'd followed the Yakuza crime boss to his "safe" house earlier in the night after he'd taken care of the main compound and now it was time to finish what he'd started. Moving silently he landed on the roof of the building sliding silently into the upper floor through one of the windows, he listened carefully searching for some sign of life in the house, and heard the faint sound of breathing from the room next door, and from one across the hall. Moving to the door closest to him he pushed it open silently and saw the two figures laying in bed sleeping soundly sure of their safety. Forming two Black Keys in his hand he threw them killing the sleeping Yakuza crime boss and his wife without incident. Stepping into the room across the hall he saw her laying their tossing in the bed snoring loudly from time to time. His old teacher Taiga Fujimura, making his way over to the bed he quickly knocked the sleeping Taiga out and carried her off into the night.

xx

In another part of the town a young man took a break from his work to catch his breath, he'd been working for over two days now but it would be ready on time. He was told that he was a failure, and that he had no chance of winning, he would prove them wrong, he would prove them all wrong. Monday morning he would have enough mana for his Servant to win this war, and there was no one that could stop him.

xx

A man stood a top a long set of stairs, the wind blowing his hair softly in the breeze, his orders were simple, he was simply to stand here and stop all who tried to pass. Sadly for him he would not complete his goal for as the moon began to set in the night darkness swallowed him and from the inky blackness of the night a True Assassin was born.

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><p>AN: I've tried looking but I could find no trace of wether or not Illya had a Magic Circuit, so if anyone knows if she actually had one or not let me know.


	5. Archer Arc: Finale

A/N: Right well sorry it took so long to update, but life happens. This is the finale of the Archer Arc, and it will now move into more progression of the Holy Grail War as a whole. In this story this is the Third day of the Holy Grail War. Rin died on friday night, and this chapter takes place on Sunday.

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><p>Archer Arc: Finale<p>

Shirou slowly opened his eyes and moved to get up, only to feel an extra weight on his chest. Looking down he realized the golden lump attached to his chest was none other than his Servant Saber. Slowly he started to edge his way out from the bed, but as soon as he'd cleared enough room to stand up he felt a thin pair of arms with a surprising amount of strength pull him back to his initial position as the blonde head of hair that he had just escaped from reclaimed her former resting spot. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation Shirou closed his eyes and continued dreaming of a hill of swords.

A little while later when Shirou awoke again he instantly noticed his Servant had rolled again during her sleep and was now back on her side of the bed. Taking this chance Shirou moved from bed and made his way out to the kitchen to make him and Saber a plate of breakfast. Grabbing the ingredients he'd need to make breakfast Shirou turned on the stove and began to prep the vegetables. Whistling one of his favorite songs Shirou continued working on breakfast.

After finishing both his and Saber's breakfast he sat both plates down at the table and turned on the television flipping to the local news station. The words scrolling across the bottom of the screen caught his attention and the fork fell from his hand. "…hundreds so far have been affected by this illness. Top medical specialists are blaming this outbreak on a gas leak of some sort that is sweeping across the town placing its victims in a coma. As of now there have been no deaths and authorities have yet to find the source of the leaks. We ask you to please be careful when venturing out in mid town, and to report anything suspicious that you may see." Shirou continued staring at the TV he felt as if a hurricane had swept through his mind, and instantly he knew he'd reached the eye of the storm. This was all because of the war, Saber had mentioned that Servants needed to collect their prana from either their Master, or other people. As he stood up to go and get Saber she walked through the door, almost as if she knew that she was needed.

"Saber, listen to this." He said pointing to the TV and watching it again to pick up on anything he might have missed the first time through. "I think that this is the work of a Servant, what else could possibly cause this?"

Saber nodded, sitting down at the table and beginning to eat her breakfast. "I agree, this sounds like the work of a Servant, most likely this is the work of Caster. I'm not sure any other Servant has the power to affect such a large portion of the city in such a way." A comfortable silence settled in for the rest of breakfast as the two finished their food.

xx

In the deepest section of an old manor a shadow stepped away from the wall kneeling before his new Master. The Shadow had been pleased to receive his Master's call, and only too happy to put that fake assassin down. _It_ was the only real assassin, the only one who deserved that title, for _it_ was Assassin, the _True_ Assassin. "Assassin" the gravelly voice of his Master spoke. "What have you discovered at the shrine?"

The voice that echoed around the room was distorted, muffled as if multiple people were speaking at the same time, perfectly in sync. "Master, the temple is the location of both Caster and her Master. Caster is the cause of the alleged gas leaks as well. There was another Servant scouting out the area as well, but as per your orders I did not initiate contact. The man appears to be of the Lancer class.

The elder man nodded his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "What can you tell me about what happened at the Einzbern Manor? The Bounded Fields surrounding it were disabled last night."

"From what I've discovered the Bounded Field was disrupted due to the death of the young Einzbern heir. With her death we can confirm at least one Servant has already been taken care of. I am unsure of exactly how she was killed, it looks as though she was stabbed by a blade of some sort. Both of the maids we're killed as well, as far as I can tell only the Servant who killed her escaped the battle." Assassin said his voice still distorted as he spoke.

The old man nodded absently his mind focusing on the information he's just received. Not only had the vessel for the Holy Grail just been killed, but so had her Servant. It was still so early in the war, and this new development could only help his goals reach fruition. He'd need to begin to prep Sakura, now that she was to be the container for the Grail. "Assassin, go scour the city I want to know who the other Masters are and what their up to. Do not cause a scene, and keep hidden." Without another word Assassin stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

xx

Kotomine Kirei sat down in his office going over his sermon for later on this morning. His mind though was focused on the events of the previous night. As the mediator of the Holy Grail War he had the responsibility of making sure that the general populace did not find out about the war, and that the Magi society was kept a secret. He had thought his plans were perfect. He had acquired one of the Servants from the current war, as well as maintaining his Servant from the previous one as well. Yet already things were shifting far from his control. His ward had been killed. Her Servant had gone rouge and slaughtered the Yakuza branch in Tokyo as well as killing the vessel for The Grail. Gilgamesh had been injured and nearly lost one of his arms, now he was swearing revenge on whoever the fool was that had injured him. Not to mention that the old fool Zouken had decided to stick his nose into this war as well using his old Servant from the last war. Of course then there were Caster and her Master draining the prana from humans all over Mid Town. At the rate that this war was going the whole world was going to find out about magic. So the real question was _"How do I fix this?" _He knew that he was going to have to take care of this war's Archer soon. The Servant was unstable and clearly far more powerful then was normal. Tonight he was going to have to make his move, he would take Lancer and Gilgamesh and go put an end to that fool. With that red clad Archer dead he could then focus his attention on Caster and then he would deal with Zouken. His mind made up he called for his two Servants. "Lancer, Gilgamesh, I've come up with a course of action."

Almost instantly the two Servants appeared, and just as instantaneously Gilgamesh made his ire apparent. "Kirei, have you discovered who the hell attacked me yet? That fool will feel the full wrath of the King of Heroes!" Lancer merely shook his head and leaned back against the wall waiting for whatever it was the fake priest wanted.

Kirei sighed and rested his head on his fist. "Yes, I know who did it, and we'll be going after him tonight. It seems without a Master Archer went on a homicidal spree killing all of the Yakuza that lived at the compound as well as kidnapping the leader's granddaughter. He then went on to attack you and kill the Einzbern heir destroying the container for the Holy Grail. Right now he is holed up in the Yakuza compound. We'll make our move tonight." With a final sneer Gilgamesh vanished probably going to rest up for the fight tonight, Lancer nodded to his Master and returned to spirit form. Focusing again on his sermon Kirei prepared himself for a long day.

xx

The sound of wood hitting wood sounded throughout the small dojo. Shirou and Saber fought tirelessly trying to push the other back. Over the course of the hours they'd practiced today Shirou had improved in leaps and bounds, he could now actually attack Saber instead of just blocking and dodging, but he knew she wasn't really trying. "Saber" he called over the sounds of their fight, neither stopping as Shirou huffed out his words. "I want you to go all out, I need to see how far I still need to go" with barely a nod his Servant increased her pace. Slowly at first he started to lose track of her movements until he could only just barely see her moving. Getting angry at his inability to see his Servant he willed himself to see her movements and slowly they came into focus. The only problem was that his body couldn't keep up with her. As a few hits slipped through his guard he lost concentration and again she became a blur, a literal whirlwind of swings. As Shirou fell to the ground he realized what it was that he had done. Subconsciously he had reinforced his eyes, and his prana had reacted to his wish and granted him the ability to see her. He wondered if he'd be able to the same with his body, getting up from the floor he decided there was no time like the present to try it out. Getting into a ready stance he focused on his Magic Circuits willing them to respond to his plea. Suddenly he felt as if a blanket had settled over his body, and he knew it had worked. Keeping his state of mind intact he rushed forward striking out at Saber. He saw surprise flutter across her face and knew now beyond a doubt that he had succeeded. Not giving her a chance to recover he pushed himself to land a hit on her swinging as fast as his new limits would allow him. Saber looked hard pressed to block all his blows until a look of determination spread across her face and she began attacking in earnest. As Saber sped up Shirou began to truly realize the gap in their skills. He was pushing himself beyond the limits of his normal body by reinforcing it with Magic and yet she was still keeping up with him and pushing him back. His surprise attack had caught her off guard for a moment and let him get the opening salvo in, but she had recovered quickly and was now back on the offensive pushing him further back. After fighting at that speed for almost fifteen minutes Shirou was sweating profusely and breathing hard while his Servant looked almost angelic. The sheen of sweat on her body made her glisten and only further demonstrated her emerald eyes as her hair stuck to her face. Shirou began to feel his prana run dry as the warm blanket of energy that had settled over his body began to lift. Holding up a hand to stop the fight Shirou turned his golden eyes on her. "Saber let's call it a day for now and go out and get some food and get some clothes for you." She nodded and moved to put her training sword on the wall.

Making her way toward him she sat in front of him and stared into his eyes. "You've done well today Shirou, I'm not sure what it was you did at the end there, but it greatly improved your speed and strength. While you are still no match for a Servant I feel you could at least survive against one for the few minutes it would take for me to arrive there. I think it would be best for us to clean ourselves prior to leaving, I shall go first. I'll let you know when I've finished." Getting off the ground she held out a hand and helped her Master to his feet. "Try to rest a bit Shirou you look a little tired." Turning around she made her way out of the building and went to get ready for their day out.

xx

Saber sighed as she lowered herself into the warm tub, oh how she wished they had had such things in her time. It was hardly even noon and she'd already had a long day. When she'd awoken earlier this morning she had been wrapped around her Master on the bed. Just thinking about it brought a tint of red to her cheeks, and she couldn't blame it entirely on the hot water. Luckily he was sleeping and she didn't think he had noticed, and while it had been embarrassing she had slept peacefully the entire night. His training was progressing nicely and if he continued at this pace he would be able to match anyone of the Servants within a few months. Sadly they didn't have a few months, if this war went anything like the previous war it would only last a few weeks. It bothered her slightly that they hadn't gone our patrolling at all, she felt blind as to what had happened in the war so far, but she knew it couldn't be helped. With Archer after her Master and Lancer aware of where they were staying it would be too dangerous to go out until at least one of the two were taken care of. It also worked in Shirou's favor so he could continue his training. Getting out of the bath and toweling off she dressed in the extra clothing Shirou had given her. "Shirou" she called as she made her way past the living room. "I have finished preparing." With a nod Shirou rose from the couch and made his way to the bathroom to clean up.

xx

Thirty minutes later the duo made their way out of the house and toward the shopping district. They stopped in at a small café and had some lunch, and again Shirou had to thank the gods that his father had left him money. Making their way to the shopping center didn't take too much more time after lunch, and they were soon at their destination. Moving from store to store didn't take long, and Shirou was glad for once that Saber wasn't like a typical teenager in his era. Within an hour or two they'd gotten everything she'd need and were headed back to Shirou's house for the day.

Arriving home Shirou couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Walking up to the door his feeling proved true as there was an arrow stuck in the door with a note wrapped around the shaft. Ripping the arrow from the door and unrolling the note Shirou's face colored red and his knuckles turned white as he got to the end of the letter. "That Bastard" he yelled, handing the note to Saber as he carried her bags into the house.

Saber dutifully followed behind him reading the note as she made her way into the house. "Shirou" she said as she pushed him gently toward the couch in the living room "We need to rest up the rest of the day, I know you want to leave right now, but you're not fully recovered from training this morning. Let's get a bit of sleep and then leave this evening for the compound." Shirou sighed and sagged into the couch resting his head in his hands.

"Saber, she's like a sister to me. We have to save her!" He sighed again as he rose his head to look into her emerald eyes "but you're right, we need to be at full strength." He slowly rose from the couch and made his way to his room. If Saber had noticed the tears in his eyes he was glad she hadn't mentioned them.

xx

Darkness had settled over the city as Kirei left the safety of his church with his two Servants. Like wraiths they moved through the night, drifting from shadow to shadow with barely a sound. Their destination was the old headquarters of the Yakuza, and there target had no idea they were coming. Little did they know that when they arrived at their destination there would already be a battle in progress.

xx

The Master and Servant walked up the path leading to the main building senses on high alert. Walking through the front door they found the entrance hall still littered with bodies and Taiga was tied to a statue at the top of the stairs. "Shirou" his Servant called "Be careful Archer is here somewhere we must take care of him first." She received a quick nod as the two continued to scan for their opponent.

A loud chuckle reverberated across the hall as a figure dropped from the ceiling to stand in front of the two. "Welcome Emiya, Saber, or should I say Arturia?" ignoring the sharp intake of breath from Saber he continued on. "The time for talk has past though, I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago. Tonight you will die Emiya Shirou." Instantly the two familiar blades formed in his hands as he rushed forward.

Saber pushed off the ground as well moving to intercept Archer and their blades clashed in a meeting of steel and wind. While their blades were locked two swords formed over Archer's shoulders and launched themselves at the unsuspecting Saber. "Saber!" Shirou yelled but it was unnecessary as Saber had pushed off of Archer just as the blades fired.

As Saber skidded back she returned to a ready stance watching as six blades formed around Archer's body framing him in blades. "Your reflexes are astounding Saber, it's truly something to be amazed of. They won't save you for long though." Without another word he launched the blades surrounding his body at Saber while rushing to attack Shirou who already had Kanshou and Bakuya ready in front of him. Their two blades crashed together both shattering apart as two more blades reappeared in their hands. Before their blades could meet again Saber was back in the fight slamming her fist into the side of Archers face and sending him skidding across the ground.

"Shirou, be careful he's far more powerful then he was the last time we met him." Not waiting for a response she launched herself back at the now standing Archer before he had a chance to fire off anymore swords.

All across the entrance hall they clashed at speeds Shirou could only match by reinforcing his eyes. Like two tempests they clashed the sounds of their blades meeting sounded like thunder in the room. Shirou could barely keep his mouth from dropping as he watched the two Servants fighting. Archer was using eight swords all of them in constant motion in his hands and around his body, all of them would attack in some intricate pattern only Archer could see. He struck out with the sword in his right hand and before the strike was even finished he released the blade and let the strike finish itself as he spun and grabbed another sword in his right hand to block the strike that Saber had just made. How Saber was keeping up with the blades was a mystery to Shirou it was almost like she could see the strikes before they came, ducking just enough to dodge one blade while counterstriking with her own only to dodge a second strike from another blade that was floating around Archer. As Shirou watched he realized he couldn't go head to head with Archer as he was now, but he could provide ranged support for Saber and try and give her any advantage he could. Forming the bow he'd seen in his dreams he began to trace Caladbolg and make it take the form of an arrow. "I am the bone of my sword" he stated as he poured prana into the blade. His task complete he launched the projectile at Archer just as he and Saber separated. The blade nicked Archer's shoulder and sailed past into a wall the explosion causing a hole to form. With Shirou's interference Saber was able to get a clean slash across Archer's chest leaving a shallow cut in his armor.

Shirou drew back the bow and fired again diving to the side to avoid the blades Archer had started throwing his way to halt his interference. The walls were littered with holes as the three combatants moved across the room two working in tandem to fight off the seemingly endless storm of blades Archer could create. Drawing back his bow one more time Shirou incanted "I am the bone of my sword" firing his broken phantasm. Time slowed for Shirou as he watched his arrow fly toward Archer's unprotected back only for it to be deflected up and into the ceiling. The explosion rocked the building the stress of all of the holes in its foundation pushing it to the breaking point. As the ceiling started to collapse Shirou's body felt like it was covered in ice. He hardly noticed as Saber grabbed him and pulled him from the building as the room filled with rubble. His eyes were locked on the site of his pseudo sister's still form as chunks of roof fell around her. "NOOO!" he screamed his hands clawing at the air as he tried to fight his Servant's grip on him. As the dust settled Archer stood across from them no worse for wear his blades still hovering in the air next to him. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Shirou screamed finally tearing himself from his Servants grip rushing toward Archer Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands and another two pairs swirling around his body acting as they saw fit. Shirou felt the twinge of pain in his body as he forced more prana through his circuits then they could handle, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Over and over again he attacked Archer shattering both of their blades with every strike. The air around the two was filled with chunks of blades that flew in all directions as they constantly met in the air fighting as furiously as their owners below.

From the side Saber watched looking for an opening to jump in and save Shirou from himself. At the rate he was fighting he wouldn't survive for much longer, but there was no way to just jump into that maelstrom of blades that surrounded the two. Sighing and preparing herself Saber ran forward preparing to unleash the wind from her blade to knock the flying blades away, and allow her to enter the fight. As she reached the edge of their battle she released the air on her blade causing a shockwave to fill the area sending the two combatants flying in opposite directions as she readied her Noble Phantasm. Without a word of warning her blade began to glow with an ethereal golden light. Just before she let loose with Excalibur a rain of swords shot toward the downed form of Archer. Shooting a glance to the still recovering Shirou she realized that he hadn't been the one to fire of these blades.

Shirou had just made it back to his feet as the dust settled from that storm of blades that had rained down on Archer. Yet again Archer stood unharmed covered by a shield that looked like a flower. Instantly the name of the Noble Phantasm made itself known to Shirou "_Rho Aias_" the shield of Ajax. Looking to the source of the blades he saw the same man he had from his dreams standing next to Lancer and a man he didn't know. Saber appeared at his side as blades reappeared in his hands even as he felt the pain using prana caused him.

"Gilgamesh, Lancer, take care of the Servants. I'll handle the boy." The man said turning to face Shirou directly. Before either of the Servants could answer a group of blades began to rain on them both causing them to jump back.

They turned to find Archer in front of them firing off blades while moving toward them with a look of pure fury etched on his face. "How dare you!" He spat, venom instilled in all of his words "How dare you get in the way of my salvation, of my vengeance." Finally he stopped moving and the look on his face grew colder still as a hint of mania entered his voice. "Fine, if you wish to die so badly I will grant you your wish, I'll kill you all."

Shirou felt something pulse within himself at those words, call it premonition or whatever you please, but Shirou knew what the next words out of Archer's mouth would be."Saber be careful, he's unleashing his best move." He ignored her questioning glance to focus on Archer.

"I am the bone of my sword" he incanted increasing the number of blades shooting at the two Servants with every line. "Steel is my body, and fire is my blood" Archer turned and locked eyes with Shirou as he continued speaking "I have created over a thousand blades" The rain of blades he was letting out increased in number again mimicking the gates of Babylon as he sent a sneer Gilgamesh's way. "Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain" Gilgamesh jumped back making distance for his own Noble Phantasm. "Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival" Archer continued to chant as Gilgamesh being protected by Lancer opened the Gates of Babylon. "I have no regrets, this is the only path" The Gates of Babylon unleashed a torrent of weapons to block the rain of swords from Archer. "My whole life is Unlimited Blade Works" As Archer finished the courtyard erupted in flames revealing a world only Shirou had seen. Swords were imbedded in the ground everywhere and clouds of dust hung in the air. Giant cogs turned in the air held aloft by nothing spinning round and round yet never moving. Yet the most mesmerizing sight was Archer standing atop a hill of swords hundreds of blades floating in the air around him waiting for some unseen signal.

A scream ripped through the air shredding the silence that had hung about them "NOO!" Gilgamesh yelled "I am THE King of Heroes, and you are nothing but a faker!" Gilgamesh unleashed the full force of the Gates of Babylon at Archer, yet still Archer didn't move. As the blades drew nearer to Archer his own blades shot out and began to push back the assault of weapons coming from the Gates of Babylon. "I will not lose to the likes of you, I am the greatest, you are nothing compared to me!" The King of Heroes continued to rant as their blades met in the air.

Taking the opportunity granted by the clash of blades Lancer moved to attack Saber as Kirei rushed at Shirou. Now that he could see the sword she was using he was sure he could defeat her. He knew he would need to make it quick though as she was already aware of whom he was, and had already seen his Noble Phantasm. Their blades clashed, and Lancer was pushed back. Her blade was much stronger without the invisible air surrounding it.

Shirou winced again as he felt the pain from creating another sword in his hand. Between the constant use of reinforcement to his body and the need to create weapons he was beginning to run extremely low on prana. If he wanted to keep his life he would need to pull out all the stops. Willing swords to form around him he again winced, surprised at how much easier it was for him to form them in this wasteland. Jumping forward he crossed both of his swords across his chest and threw them at Kirei while grabbing a second set and launching them at him as well. Forming another pair of swords into his hand he pushed even more prana into his legs and forced himself to move even faster than he thought possible as he rushed the unsuspecting man.

Kirei managed to block the first set of swords before cussing and rolling out of the way of the second set, but he wasn't expecting the young Master to cross the distance between them so quickly and couldn't fully dodge the attack that bit into his stomach and left him lying on the ground unable to move.

Gilgamesh panted as he dodged another round of swords while bringing Ea to block the sword in front of him. He jumped back to dodge a rain of blades only to feel something wrap around his body. "No" he yelled as he feebly tried to break the restraints. "NO! You can't use my own weapon against me! I won't allow it!"

Archer paid him no heed as he summoned The Sword of Promised Victory to his hand "You talk too much King of Heroes." Archer raised the swords over his head calling out its power for his own use "EXACLIBUR" A golden light flew from the blade blinding all those in view of its brilliance. As the light cleared Gilgamesh lay on the ground still covered in chains and bleeding heavily.

With Kirei wounded and Gilgamesh most likely dead Lancer turned to Saber and jerked his head in the direction of Archer. "Maybe we should take care of that guy first. I don't think either of us could take him alone." Receiving a nod from the golden haired Servant they turned as one and rushed for Archer just as the effects from his Reality Marble wore off leaving the group back in the destroyed courtyard. This didn't halt them as they both rushed for the Servant and attacked with everything they had.

Saber kept pushing even as she felt her prana start to fade, she had to take down this threat to Shirou before it was too late. She had felt an influx in her prana when Shirou had exploded earlier after the building had collapsed, but she was running low and Shirou was almost out as well. They needed to finish this now.

Shirou watched through glazed eyes as Saber and Lancer attacked Archer. Slowly they were wearing him down, but they were getting damaged as well. Shirou winced as he watched Lancer skip across the ground coming to a rest at the base of a tree. He forced himself to move in the direction of the battle, and more importantly in the direction of Saber. For the second time tonight time slowed for Shirou Emiya as he watched one of Archer's blades cut into the side of Saber as he backhanded her sending her skidding along the ground. Shirou rushed forward no longer caring about the pain he felt from channeling prana. Pushing his body past its limits again and forming a dagger he'd only seen in his dreams to his hand he rushed at the red clad Servant. As Shirou closed the distance he saw a flicker of surprise in Archer's eyes, and that one moment of hesitation was all Shirou needed to close the remaining few feet and run the dagger to the hilt in Archer's chest. As blood seeped from his Mouth Archer managed to get out one more sentence. "Why do I always lose to myself?"

The rush Shirou felt as prana flew into his body was only dulled by the intense pain he felt in his circuits, he had over worked them, and now he was going to pay the price. As darkness started to fill his vision he saw an intense set of emerald eyes filled with worry starring down at him. "So this is what an angel looks like." With those final words Shirou let the darkness claim him.

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><p>AN: Ok well hopefully this chapter is as awesome for you as it was in my head. If not well I'll try harder next time theres an epic duel between four Servants. Some of you may think I nerfed Gilgamesh and in a way I did but Archer already fought and killed Gilgamesh when he was in the Holy Grail war, and I can't imagine him becoming any less GAR in the following years. Especially with that power boost I gave him, and no Shirou will not be that badass in this story. He will be far more powerful then he was in any of the routes, and a lot darker too. He'll need it though for what I have planned for him.

Next chapter will revolve around the fall out of a lot of these events. With all the destruction and civilian deaths any normal person would begin to think something is wrong.


	6. Rise In Conflict Arc Part One

A/N: Well as I'm sure you can guess I'm not dead, and this story is not abandoned. I stopped writing for the holiday's and then took some vacation so I'm just now getting back to writing.

I'd like to thank AngrySanto for betaing this chapter, and helping me out with some type moon knowledge.

Disclaimer: I Don't own Fate/Stay Night

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><p>"A Rise in Conflict Arc Part 1"<p>

The Servant raced along the rooftops making its way back to its Master. It slid in and out of the shadows shortening its trip. Finally it reached the mansion and made its way down to the sub-basement.

Zouken stood in the shadows waiting for Assassin to return. As if he had heard the silent command Assassin's form rose from the shadows before him. "Master I have much to report." Without waiting for acknowledgment the shadow continued on. "I followed Saber and her Master from their residence as they made their way to the Yakuza compound to meet with the Servant Archer. It would seem as if the Tohsaka heir has been killed, and Saber and her Master were the ones to do it. The Master of Saber has been identified as Emiya Shirou. After arriving to the compound, Saber and Archer began fighting while Emiya gave support to his Servant from afar. The battle took its toll on the building and before long it collapsed leaving the combatants outside. Before they could resume in earnest Kotomine Kirei showed up with a Servant in gold and Lancer. The battle started anew the Servants began battling while Kotomine advanced on Emiya. Before long the golden clad Servant and Kotomine were both wounded and put out of the battle. At this point Saber and Lancer teamed up and began to wear down Archer. Emiya Shirou rejoined the battle and was able to finish off Archer before passing out." Zouken let the information sink in as he debated how he could use this to his advantage. Perhaps he could use this information to make that useless girl join the war. Surely the news of her sister's death would prompt her to act. With a wave of his hand Assassin disappeared and he retreated upstairs to come up with a plan to use this information to his advantage.

xx

On the other side of town Kotomine Kirei lay in his bed thinking on the battle from the night prior. That man's son had bested him in battle, and robbed him of his greatest tool. Without Gilgamesh his chances of winning the war were slim at best. On the bright side he did still have Lancer to do his bidding, but he would be no use against Saber and her Master. Not to mention that explosion of light that Lancer had mentioned. Something had happened between Archer and the boy, and until he had more information on it there would be no point in making any further moves. A sigh escaped his lips as he shifted to his side. Until he was healed, there was nothing he could do either way.

xx

A girl with purple hair and violet eyes rushed around her room preparing for the day ahead. Her name was Sakura, and unless she hurried she wouldn't have time to stop by Shirou's house and walk with him to school. It was a daily routine for her to go over to his house and sit and eat breakfast with him until it was time to go to school. Today though she had overslept and was running behind. At the current rate she was going she'd be lucky to make it to his house in time to catch him before he left for school. Running down the stairs as quietly as she was able, she slid to a stop in front of the door and slid on her shoes. Throwing open the door she prepared to run off when a deep voice halted her in place. "Sakura, come to my study I have news you must hear." Without waiting for a response the form of her grandfather slipped into an open door.

Sakura slowly made her way to the study, her mind racing to figure out what her grandfather could want from her. Stepping through the door she found her grandfather sitting behind his desk waiting for her. "What is it that you needed Grandfather?" she asked as she strode forward to take a seat. "I'll need to hurry if I'm going to make it on time for school."

Sitting in his high backed chair Zouken stared at the girl sitting in front of him. He was debating how best to share the news of her sister's death to have the greatest impact on her. "As you know the War for the Holy Grail is under way, and the Servant that you summoned has yet to face another Servant. It's come to my attention that your sister Tohsaka Rin became the Master for the Archer class Servant. On the first night of the war she faced off against Saber and her Master, and didn't survive the fight." He barely managed to contain his smile as he watched the shock race across her face, and tears forming in her eyes.

"No" she muttered as she shook her head. "That can't be right! She's… she's not dead!"

Zouken sat behind his desk watching the emotions flash across her face gauging her reactions to perfectly time the next piece of information. "Sadly it is true, but that is unfortunately not the last piece of information I needed to tell you. I've discovered who it was that killed your sister. The Master of Saber is none other than your friend Emiya Shirou."

Darkness engulfed her vision as she heard her grandfather's words. It couldn't be true, there was no way that Sempai had killed her sister, it wasn't possible. Shakily she stood to her feet and stumbled out of the study and back up the stairs to her room. She needed to lie down. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was lost to the darkness of her newest nightmares.

xx

Matou Shinji sat in his room admiring the spell book that allowed him to control Rider. He had spent all weekend waiting for this moment. When he would gain the most powerful Servant of them all! School had started a few hours ago, and now the rooms would be full of students, and their prana was ripe for the taking. "Rider" he said as the figure of a beautiful woman formed in front of him. "Now's the time, use Blood Fort Andromeda. Take every drop of prana that you can!"

Half way across town students began to fall slowly unconscious dropping to the ground until not a single one was left standing. Hours later when local authorities and medical personal arrived on scene they would discover the bodies of the students that had been present that day. With absolutely no sign of what caused their death it would later be reported as a tragic accident involving a gas leak.

xx

Night had already settled in when Sakura awoke again. Slowly she got out of bed and made her way downstairs into the kitchen to get some food. Crossing the threshold to the kitchen she saw her brother sitting at the table munching on food with a smile on his face. "Sakura" he called as she walked into the room "How nice it is too see you today. You should turn on the news you may find it pretty interesting." With every word the smile on his face slipped more and more as an insane grin finally settled on his face.

Almost numbly the girl turned the Television on and flipped to the news channel. As she listened her heart fell further and further into despair. "_…all dead, at this time public officials are blaming it on the gas leaks that seem to be spreading through town. Outrage is spreading throughout town with these first deaths. Prior to this incident the gas leaks were merely causing comas and now the public asks 'is nowhere safe?' The school is to remain closed until further notice. A list of the casualties can be found online at our website, or in tomorrow morning's paper…" _

"Shinji, What have you done!" The normally timid girl screamed as she turned on her brother. "You've killed all of our friends!" Suddenly a thought made itself known above the rest "You killed Sempai." A look of pure devastation appeared on her face, and something irrevocably broke deep inside her.

Shinji's insane grin grew as she spoke, but it quickly morphed into one of anger as she uttered the last line. He stood from the table and backhanded the girl to the floor. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! That's all you ever talk about 'Shirou this and Shirou that'" He mocked grabbing her by the wrist and forcing her to her feet "I'm twice the man he'll ever be, and I know just the way to prove it!" Dragging her quickly from the room he led her upstairs to his room. Throwing her on to the bed he viciously tore the clothing from her body.

As he loosened his belt a cold chill swept over his body and he looked down to find piercing red eyes glaring back up at him. "You're wrong, you're nowhere near the man Sempai was, you're nothing but a worm"

Shinji backed toward the door as she advanced on him trying desperately to make his escape. "Rider!" he screamed turning as she appeared next to him "Kill her, she's gone crazy! Kill that bitch!"

Rider turned toward Sakura but made no move to attack the girl. "Rider, drain the worms prana and then dispose of him" she said airily her voice hardening on the last word "painfully." As Shinji's screams sounded throughout the house one thing was clear. The timid girl from that morning was gone, and a darker Sakura stood in her place.

xx

Saber kneeled on the ground next to her Master's bed as she had all day. She was unsure what had happened the prior night when he had stabbed Archer with that dagger, but whatever it was he had not recovered from it yet. All of his wounds had healed, and now he lay there on his bed unmoving with no sign of awakening soon. She had noticed a significant increase in the amount of prana that she was being fed through their link, and could only surmise that it was a result of that flash of light that had occurred. At the time last night she had done as she thought best and immediately took the boy from that place and returned here. With Archer dead and Lancer's Master injured the chance of them being attacked was slim. Still as she sat there staring at the sleeping face of her Master only one thought came to mind. "Shirou you had better awaken soon… I'm getting hungry."

xx

Caster raged as she stared at her Master's still form. He had almost died earlier today in that accursed school, and it was only due to a command seal that he managed to escape alive. Caster could sense Rider's Prana at work in that seal, she'd had to disable the field and it had cost her quite a bit of her stored up prana to do it. What idiot Master ordered Rider to use that spell? It was far too noticeable, someone would have known something was amiss. Regardless Rider and her Master would pay for this mistake with their lives!

xx

In another country two figures sat in the back row of a church speaking to each other softly in the moonlight. "This is becoming a problem, they're showing no subtly so far and the War's just began!" The man stated his voice rising as he spoke. "Not to mention the mediator is actually taking part in the War as well with two illegal Servants. As if the last War wasn't bad enough, at least they just burnt the place down, this is sure to attract unwanted attention. At the rate their going our whole society will be found out!" By the end of the sentence spit was flying from his mouth and his face was turning an interesting shade of red.

His companion sat in silence for a moment before answering. "You are correct of course, having the most experience with these types of things I'll take a group with me and we'll settle things down a little." He stood slowly his mind lost in the past almost missing his companions last sentence.

"You take your group and do what you can, but we have our own plans on how this matter needs to be settled." Without another word the two men split paths and returned to their own duties.


	7. Rise In Conflict Arc Part Two

A/N: So here's the next chapter, and again a huge thanks to AngrySanto for betaing for me.

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><p><span>Rise in Conflict Arc Part Two<span>

Slowly awareness returned to the man lying down on the cot. His injuries hadn't fully healed yet, but he was well enough to get up. His Servant stood resolutely in the corner, his wounds having healed over night. "Lancer" the man's voice was quite and raspy from disuse. "Has anything happened in my absence?"

Lazily the Servant pushed himself away from the wall and moved closer to the man. "It seems you have some observers. They arrived earlier this morning and have been watching the place intently."

Kotomine Kirei slowly pushed himself out of bed and moved toward the bathroom to clean up. "It seems the Church has caught on to my plan. No matter, we will deal with them shortly and then we'll move into hiding. If the Church is here the Clock Tower can't be very far behind."

Lancer shook his head with a look of disgust on his face. "Hiding is all you seem to do, what I wouldn't give for a Master that just wanted to fight." A feral grin began to form on the lance wielder's face. "Still maybe these punks from the Church will make things interesting."

xx

All around him the world burned. For an eternity the man had seen nothing but death, and he had dealt his fair share of it. How was it that he'd come to be here? He turned his head searching for some sign of life, even a glimmer of it to keep the hope burning in his heart alive. Again just as every time before he looked at this desolate wasteland there was no sign of life only him standing atop a hill of blades alone, always waiting. Softly the padding of feet could be heard in the distance, and he turned to find a young man slowly making his way up the hill of blades.

"So you've finally arrived Shirou." He lifted his hand in a calming gesture as the redheaded man formed a sword in his hand. "It is no longer the time for fighting. Now I think it's time you understand what your dream truly is." Archer sat down atop the hill of blades motioning for Shirou to do the same. "It all started as it had for you with Lancer killing me. What you don't know is that it was Rin that saved your life. That jewel that you found was hers, and she used it to save us from death. In my time when Saber was going to strike Rin down I used a Command Seal to stop her. The war took a very different turn that night from yours. Rin became my partner in the war, and became someone very important to me. I loved her, and after the war we settled down together. I still strived to be a hero, but I did it realistically saving those I could and not thinking on the ones that I couldn't save. Although we were together we were often separated by long distances. Me trying to be a Hero and save all those I could, and her working away at the Clock Tower trying to master every aspect of magic that she could. For a time all was well, and then Magic was revealed to the world at large, and a war the likes of which you couldn't imagine started. Magi fell to using forbidden Magic's to combat the more highly developed non-magi. Sacrificing other Magi and using their magic to summon Heroic Spirits in a sad mockery of the Holy Grail War. I had immediately returned to Rin and we attempted to stop the war." Tears formed in his eyes and ran down his cheeks slowly as he spoke. "Rin, well she didn't make it, and then I did what I'd swore I'd never do. I begged Alaya to make me a Counter Guardian to give me the power to stop the war." Archer laughed, a bitter resentment in his tone. "Of course Alaya was happy to grant me my wish, and then order me to kill everyone involved. I thought I was prepared for the horrors I would face…I was a fool. From then it was just as the Archer of my war had told me. An eternity of dealing death, and no one to help me bear the burden" Archer turned his eyes locking on to Shirou's own "That is why I tried to kill you, but fate has a cruel sense of humor and it seems the only enemy I cannot defeat is myself."

Shirou stood turning his back to Archer and gazing out at the landscape. "Why tell me this?"

Archer stood as well standing shoulder to shoulder with the shorter Shirou. "This time you have all of my power, all of my weapons. Shirou I'm placing my trust in you, save us from this fate." Shirou turned to look at Archer as the silver haired man started to fade away until there was nothing left. Archer's last words floated to him on the wind "I'm sorry" and then Shirou's head exploded in pain as images of a life not quite his own streamed through his brain.

xx

When Emiya Shirou awoke he kept his eyes closed and listened to his breathing as his chest rose and fell with each breath he took. He could hear the soft breathing of someone nearby and inhaled deeply breathing in the scent of vanilla confirming the presence of Saber by his side. With the memories and experience of Archer now floating through his head he could feel the difference in his power, and while he wasn't as powerful as Archer had been when he fought Saber, Lancer, and Gilgamesh. He knew his strength had greatly increased. Smiling slightly he opened his eyes immediately finding the emerald eyes of his Servant as a small smile spread on her lips.. It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful she could be without trying. It had taken a lot of time in his Reality Marble to sort through all of Archer's memories and separate them from his own. The end result was that he manged to fully regain his sense of self, and while he knew he wasn't the same person he had been before he at least knew that this new Emiya Shirou was all him. "Good morning Saber. How long was I out?"

Saber's smile slipped from her face as she spoke "You have been out for almost a day and a half. It is now Tuesday, and there are many things you need to know." Her eyes raked over his body searching for some sign that he was still wounded. "First though how are you feeling? That was a very foolish move on your part, attacking Archer, you could have been killed." Her eyes locked onto his, giving Shirou a disapproving glare.

Shirou smiled sheepishly at Saber as he took stock of his body. He felt good better than he ever had, and he knew the reason. "I've absorbed Archer's power, and his circuits have merged with my own. That is why it took so long for me to wake up." Before he could explain any further a loud growl erupted from Saber's stomach and her face flushed as red as a tomato. "I think we should continue this in the kitchen over breakfast." He said with a chuckle as he rose from bed noticing for the first time that he was no longer wearing the clothes he had been wearing the night they fought Archer. Lifting the edge of the pajama bottoms he was wearing revealed that his worst fear had been confirmed he was wearing new underwear as well. His face reinvented the color red as he thought about how he had come to be in these clothes, and he quickly decided he would not bring it up.

xx

A loud knock sounded in the church as the doors were pushed open revealing six men dressed in the robes of priests. They walked down the aisles passing by pews as they made their way forward to the man kneeling in front of the alter. "Kotomine Kirei, we've been sent on behalf of the Church to open an investigation of your actions since the beginning of the Fifth Holy Grail War. Have you anything to say in your defense?"

The Man stood from his knees fluidly his injuries from his previous fight seemingly healed. "I see, I thought you would come, but I never assumed you would be foolish enough to actually confront me. Lancer" Turning to face the men he saw the anger in their eyes shift to shock as their leader fell to the ground a red lance still sticking from his chest. That moment of hesitation was all Kirei needed to close the distance between him and the figures and stab another one through the chest with the blade he had pulled from his cloak. His Servant rushed forward slamming the priest in front of him in to a pew, and then grabbing him and throwing him toward the wall allowing the priest's body to bounce of the wall and start it's decent to the ground before being halted in midair by the Lancer's spear. The remaining three priests quickly schooled their features and began their counter attack.

"Deal with the Servant I'll deal with Kotomine!" With only a nod in acknowledgment the other two priests rushed off toward the now weaponless Lancer. The priest who had shouted the orders allowed his eyes to follow their rush for a moment too long and was sent crashing through a few of the pews due to Kirei's fist. Before he could get to his feet the mad priest was already in front of him his blade pressed against his throat. "You won't get away with this Kotomine, you'll pay for your sins" without a response Kotomine Kirei slit the man's throat and turned to watch as Lancer finished off the last of the priests.

"Lancer" Kirei commanded as he wiped the blood from his blade. "It's time to leave we'll make our way to a safe house I've prepared." Without waiting for a response the mad priest walked outside.

xx

In another part of town the smell of breakfast permeated the air as Master and Servant ate breakfast discussing the events from the previous day. "So they're all dead?" The redheaded young man asked the woman sitting across from him.

Swallowing the food in her mouth the blonde woman nodded her head and cleared her throat. "As far as I am aware there were no survivors, I am unsure which Servant it was so we should be careful." Saber heard a sigh as she continued eating her third helping of food.

Shirou closed his eyes saying a silent prayer for those that had passed on as he finished his breakfast. Due to the memories from Archer he was aware that Rider had used Blood Fort Andromeda this time as he and Rin hadn't been around to disrupt it. "Saber, what should we do? We have to stop this war, it's costing far too many innocent lives." His Servant nodded her head as she too finished off her plate. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it quickly as a serious look snapped into place on her face as her armor formed on her body. "You felt it too?" he stated as he stood forming the familiar falchions in his hands.

Without warning an explosion rocked the house blasting open the front door as 3 men rushed in muttering under their breath. The tallest man stepped forward his blonde hair falling into his blue eyes. "Emiya Shirou, you have willingly participated in the Holy Grail War and through your actions as well as the actions of your fellow competitors placed the Clock Tower and the secrets of the Magi in jeopardy. This cannot be allowed you are to cease all magic and surrender yourself to us for investigation." The man had barely finished his sentence as Saber rushed forward slashing her blade clear through the man's stomach rending him in two. His colleagues unleashed a torrent of magic in her direction causing a wall of fire to engulf where she had been, and starting a fire that quickly began to envelop the room.

"SABER!" Shirou yelled as he rushed forward using his prana to increase his speed. He was caught off guard by the speed he was moving at, he was far faster than he had been before. Trying not to dwell on it he targeted the Magi on the left as Saber appeared on his right aiming to end the fight. Still blinded by the Fire in the room neither Magi saw the approach of Shirou and Saber until it was too late and the life had faded from their eyes. Dismissing his blades he turned to Saber his eyes burning with fury and passion. As Shirou stared down at the dead bodies of the Magi in his quickly burning house his mind snapped back to the decision he'd made in his Reality Marble. He would win the Holy Grail War, and when he did he would use the grail's power to prevent the wars from ever happening. "Saber, before today I had no desire for the Holy Grail, but after hearing of the senseless death that has occurred toady I see no other course of action then to win the war, and prevent another one from ever occurring." He moved quickly to his room as the fire spread around them. "Grab what you can and put it in this bag, we won't be able to stay here anymore we'll need to find a new place to stay." Quickly the two packed their bags and moved out in to the street hurrying down the road as sirens blared in the distance moving ever closer to the smoke.


	8. A Rise in Conflict Arc Part Three

A/N: I'd love to say I have a great excuse for not updating in so long, but in reality I just didn't feel like writing, and I'm against forcing myself to write because all that will be typed is crap. This has actually been done for almost two months now, but I wanted to actually finish the whole story before posting again. Sadly that didn't happen, and I'm still only halfway done with the next chapter. Luckily for anyone who actually likes this story, I will finish it. There are only another two or three chapters left anyway. At one point I thought about doing a sequal, and I may still do one, but it wont be right away.

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><p>A Rise in Conflict: Part Three<p>

Sakura Matou had lost all sane thought with the perceived death of her love interest Emiya Shirou. Immediately after killing her _brother_ she had moved to kill her tormentor as well. The old man had thought his pitiful magic would stop her, and when that had failed he called for his Servant to stop her while he made his escape. That had been his final mistake. Detestable as it was Shinji had given Rider a huge amount of prana from all the lives he took. It was child's play for Rider to kill all those pesky Assassins, and with his Servant dead he had been nothing but another insignificant worm that needed to be crushed under her foot. Sakura sat on the throne that had once belonged to her _Grandfather_ in his basement lair. Rider stood beside her, her constant companion as her new Servant kneeled at her feet. This fake Assassin had been swallowed by the darkness due to his weakness, but she had cured him, and made him strong. With no inhibitions to slow him down he could truly be the hero she not only needed, but deserved. Her path was set, she would kill everything she passed until she had killed all of these so called Master, and when that had been completed she would use the power of the Holy Grail to bring _her_ Shirou, and Rin back to life. Shirou would have to be punished of course, but he would soon learn the error of his ways and come to love her even more because of it. Sakura laughed as her fantasy played before her eyes over and over.

xx

Shirou and Saber trekked through the streets hand in hand as they moved to the next house on the list. All day they had dutifully played the role of a newlywed couple searching for their first house. So far they had visited three different houses and not found one that suited their needs. As they walked up the stone path leading to what would hopefully be the right house they looked at each other and then turned with smiles on their faces as the seller opened the door. "Welcome" he said jovially as he ushered them inside. "I'm Mr. Nakimura, and I'll be showing you around the house today."

"It's a pleasure to meet you" Shirou responded as they were led quickly into the front room. The house was by no means large, but it had a basement that would be large enough to train in, and few windows for them to be spotted through.

"Well" the man started as he led them back to the door "I'll let you guys think about it, call me if you have any further questions." Noticing the look that passed between them he wasn't all that surprised to hear what came next.

"Mr. Nakimura, that won't be necessary. This is perfect, everything we've both dreamed of in fact." Shirou said as he pulled Saber to his side draping his arm around her shoulder as both of them beamed at the older man.

A smile lit up his face as he stared at the couple before him. They were so young, and still so innocent, caught up in their love with no idea of what life had in store for them. It reminded him greatly of him and his wife prior to her passing. Hopefully this house would be filled with their happy memories. "Great, I'll talk to the bank, and you can start moving in tomorrow." He couldn't help the smile that stayed on his lips as the young lovers walked down the path and away from the house still wrapped in each other's arms.

As Shirou and Saber rounded the corner out of sight of the old man the need to play a newlywed couple deeply in love searching for their first home faded. Yet neither noticed as they walked back to the hotel, that they were still holding each other with smiles on their faces.

xx

Shirou opened his eyes not at all surprised to find a head of blonde hair draped across his chest. He couldn't believe that it had already been a week since he had summoned Saber. Yet at the same time he could hardly believe that so much had happened in only a week. His arms circled around Saber's lithe form as these thoughts filtered through his head. Everyone he knew was now dead, and Saber was the only person he had left in this world, and even she would vanish after the war ended. He was shocked at how much the blonde girl in his arms had come to mean to him in such a short time. Still it was better not to focus on such thoughts after all they did still need to win the war.

Saber's eyes opened slowly as she took in her surroundings a light blush colored her cheeks finding herself again cuddled into Shirou's side. Looking up she smiled finding Shirou's eyes "Good morning, have you been up long?" She asked, as he always seemed to be awake before her.

"Not long" he replied a smile etched on his face. Shifting slightly he moved out from under her, and headed for the shower. "We'll need to move into our new house today, and then get some rest if we want to spend the night patrolling." Saber nodded stretching as she moved from the bed to the small desk in the room. It had been quite since the magi had attacked on Wednesday, and that unsettled him. There were no more news reports of gas leaks, nor any unexplained explosions or damages done. It had just been quite, and from what Saber had shared of her experiences in the war with his Father, that was something to be worried about.

"Shirou" she called over the sound of running water. "Perhaps we should do a bit of training today as well. You have yet to test your new limits, and it would be unwise to do so in the heat of battle. We were lucky that those magi that attacked your house were weak. They were unprepared to fight a Servant, and I doubt that will happen a second time."

Letting the warm water rush over his form as he listened to his Servant Shirou ran through some of his borrowed memories for anything that could be of help. Archer had not stopped working on his skills after the conclusion of his war. With Rin as a tutor he had actually been capable of learning a multitude of low level spells and finding ways to increase the damage of his attacks. He was confident that he could fight a Servant on his own, as long as they didn't have an instant kill Nobel Phantasm. Getting out of the shower he pulled on a new set of clothes and plopped back down on the bed to wait for Saber to finish.

Finally hearing the water turn off he leaned against the wall right outside the door and called just loud enough for her to hear. "I think we should head to the temple tonight. From my memories of Archer's time in the war Castor is the one causing all these "gas leaks". We should stop her before she gets too powerful."

Saber exited the bathroom and sat back down at the desk before turning to Shirou. "That sounds like a good idea, and then we'll finally know if we were the only ones attacked by the Clock Tower. We still don't know how many Servant's there are either. We know both Berserker and Archer are dead, and Gilgamesh was killed as well. We know both Lancer and Castor's Masters, but we're not sure if they've gone into hiding as we have. Rider is probably far more powerful as well after all the Prana she stole from the school." She let out a sigh as she rubbed her forehead "We really can't do much else until we know for sure or not if we were the only ones attacked."

A loud grumble echoed from Saber's stomach and Shirou laughed as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Perhaps we should get some breakfast first, it wouldn't do to let our enemies get the best of us." He ducked to avoid a pillow as he continued to laugh at his Servant's predicament.

xx

"Sir, the teams sent to capture the Emiya boy and Kotomine have both been confirmed dead. Their location is unknown, and our familiars have been unable to find them. We have another team prepared to go after Castor and her Master tonight, how should we proceed?

A sigh escaped the regal looking man's lips as he watched the agent in front of him. "Send two full teams, and inform them that I'll be personally accompanying them." With a nod of his head the agent stood and made his way across the room with nary a sound. Letting another sigh escape his lips Lord El-Melloi the Second wondered again how he had been convinced to take up this assignment. Ten years had not been enough time for him to forget the awesome powers displayed by the Servants of the Fourth Holy Grail War. He doubted any amount of time could pass that would make him forget just how outclassed humans were in comparison. Still the Masters of this war were not only incompetent, but reckless, and threatened to expose themselves to the world. This brought him to problem number two, without a Servant of their own they were at a huge disadvantage, no matter how inexperienced the Master a Servant was nothing to scoff at. He knew this first hand, as when he had fought in the war he was a fool playing at being a man. Still, he had an answer to that problem, no matter how strong a Servant was, if a Master died the Servant did as well. Not to mention with the right amount of personnel a Servant could be brought down. From what their familiars had gathered they had managed to confirm the identities of almost all of the Masters. Rider's Master was the only one they could not confirm, and they had a good idea of their general location. The familiars they sent out were all killed when they approached the Matou manner, and if their guess was correct that had to be the location of Rider's Master. Now he had to deal with his final problem, both Kotomine, and Emiya had seemingly vanished. The team leader from the contingent of Executioners was a fool who had rushed in and attacked Kotomine without any backup and had been easily killed. Not that he could say much different for the original team leader of the Magi either. That idiot had went after the most dangerous Servant left in the game, not to mention her Master is the Magus Killer's son. He had warned them both, and now he had to pick up all the pieces of this operation himself. Hopefully tonight's raid on Castor's stronghold would be simpler. He chuckled to himself at that thought, now he knew something would go wrong.

xx

The muffled sound of wood hitting against wood reverberated off the walls at an increasing speed as Master and Servant met in a deadly dance. They had been fighting for several minutes, and no clear winner could be seen. With the increase in power and the experience gained from Archer's memories, Shirou was capable of keeping Saber on her toes. She was still a far better swordsman than him, but he had the ability to wield countless swords at the same time. After sorting through all of his acquired knowledge Shirou had found a few techniques that he really liked, and was now trying to work them into his fighting. One was what he was using now, by forming premade blades in Unlimited Blade Works he was capable of firing them directly into combat, and by taking several of these blades and having them fire on his weak side while attacking he was capable of keeping a much more skilled opponent off balance and unable to use their greater skill to any advantage. As he slashed at her right side a blade shot off aiming at her left forcing the parrying Saber to jump to the side, and right into the path of another blade. Pushing his advantage Shirou pushed forward firing off another two blades hoping to catch her off guard, but like always Saber merely jumped to the side before rebounding off the wall and knocking aside his forming blades. She landed with a twist knocking another blade that she couldn't possibly have seen, and using her greater strength and speed to slip past his defense and take a swipe at his side. Jumping back Shirou dodge the first strike and formed a blade to parry the second while he tried to catch his breath. While their spars were much closer than before he had yet to come out on top, and while he may have a chance with his Reality Marble, it still took too much out of him to use it as anything but a last resort. Saber pressed her advantage and batted one of the blades out of his hand while spinning and smashing her elbow into his face. Shirou staggered back firing off ten blades in a random pattern to buy him time to recover. Saber pushed forward knocking aside any blades in her path and dodging the rest. Seeing no other way out Shirou dove forward tackling the charging Servant to the ground rolling to come up on top, but with Saber's advantage in strength she was able to pin Shirou with her blade at his throat. "Well Shirou perhaps you'll win one of these days." She said with a teasing grin.

Over the last few days she had become much more open with Shirou, and it always brought him joy to see her smile so openly. Saber felt something press into her stomach and quickly glanced down to see a wooden dagger pressing lightly into her stomach. "Perhaps that day is closer then you might think." He smiled up as pride gleamed in her eyes. He may not have won, but for a human to bring a Servant to a draw was nothing short of a miracle. A sudden blush spread on his cheeks as he noticed how suggestive their position was. Although it had only been a week Shirou knew beyond a doubt the he loved the woman before him. Shifting slightly as she stood up he took her hand and returned to his feet. "Why don't you go take a shower and I'll get started on dinner." Saber nodded, and moved to go upstairs followed closely by the redheaded man.

Saber hummed to herself as she washed in the shower, a habit she had had from her childhood. Deciding to relax in the bath for awhile before dinner Saber leaned back and rested her head against the rim of the tub.

Shirou had just finished cooking dinner, and had yet to see Saber come back downstairs. Walking upstairs to their room he noticed the door was closed and assumed that Saber must be in there changing. Calling through the closed door he turned further down the hall to use the bathroom. Pushing open the door to the bathroom he was startled out of his thoughts by a feminine gasp. Immediately his eyes locked on Saber's form as she covered herself with a deep blush on her cheeks that he knew was mirrored on his own as he stepped back slamming the door shut. "S-Sorry" he stuttered out as he turned and rushed down the stairs back into the kitchen. Throughout dinner that night neither could look at each other without blushing.

Preparing for bed Shirou lay down and closed his eyes as he felt Saber crawl into bed next to him. They would be getting up in a little over four hours to patrol the temple, and see what Castor was up to. It was silent for a minute until with a huff Saber slid over from her side of the bed and cuddled into Shirou's side resting her head on his chest. "Just shut up" she muttered, the only response she got was Shirou wrapping his arms around her.


End file.
