Disclaimer: I own nothing

Well, here it is, the Azure Blade Works. What is this Fic? Read it and find out.

Also, I'm pondering whether or not this is good for Beast's lair, since the very basis of this fic doesn't involve any of the main Nasuverse characters and it's not even in the same world. Only one part of the thing is still part of the Nasuverse, and that part isn't even that big. I'll ponder on this some more, before I decide to go ahead and just post it or not.

XxX

The chains wrapped around his arm like a snake. They gripped onto him so hard that he felt his bones break under the sheer tightness of the wrapping.

"Gah!" He couldn't help but shout in alarm as he was pulled forward slightly, towards the black hole left by the Holy Grail. He pushed his legs downward, trying to balance himself and prevent himself from getting dragged into the hole by whatever it was that was hooked on the other end of the chain. He could feel his feet shaking, his body bending towards the hole as he tried to resist the pull, and he could feel someone trying to pull themself out using the chains that were wrapped around his hands.

"That fool!" The arrogant and familiar voice began. "Does it not know it cannot use another Servant as its core?!" He heard the Golden King's voice shout as his face reappeared through the blackness of the hole. He could see the king's desperate face, so he could only come to one conclusion.

"Are you trying to take me down with you?!" He shouted as he felt himself take off slightly, he pushed his body down. Trying to prevent himself from getting thrown into the hole with the frantic King.

The king's response wasn't what he was expecting. "You fool! Why would I choose death?!" Gilgamesh shouted as he kept pulling, his body steadily showing as inch by inch he started to escape the hole. "Keep yourself there mongrel! I shall pull myself away from this!"

He was so surprised by his declaration, that he let down his guard, only slightly, but it was enough to inch him towards the hole even more. This act caused the chains to strain, making Gilgamesh sink into the hole as he approached it.

"Mongrel!" Gilgamesh shouted, his voice holding a little bit of desperation. "Are you so enamored that you cannot keep your head straight?! Do not move! That is an order from the King!" Again Gilgamesh started pulling himself, and again his body started inching closer to the hole, closer to the king that was steadily pulling himself out of it.

He grit his teeth before he stomped on the floor. "Like hell I'll let you out of there!" There was no way, if he escaped, that would mean he would continue his fantastical idea of killing off humanity! He couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't let that happen. "Trace On!"

Pulling deep into his reserves, he managed a last Projection. It was an image of Bakuya, hastily and only partially Traced. The image flickered in his mind, but he made sure to keep it tethered in the real world for as long as possible.

He felt the weight in his left hand, and he raised it above his head, this would do just fine, he only needed to throw it down and he'd be done with it. "I'd rather cut off my arm than let you live!"

He didn't let the king respond, he didn't even think. He felt his left arm come down, and then he lost all feeling from his right arm. He caught sight of his arm detaching in a spurt of blood as the Bakuya image slashed through muscles and bones. He saw his arm get cut, inch by inch it started to detach.

And then the pain caught up to him, and he screamed.

"Gah!" He shouted as blood spurt from the stump that was his right arm. He dropped to his butt and watched as Gilgamesh got dragged into the hole left by the Grail, his own arm trailing right behind the king.

And when the winds died down, when the hole was gone, he allowed himself a sigh before he fell on his back. He felt his breathing hitch, his body was numb, and his head was aching. And though the stump that was his right arm was bleeding and giving him pain, he still felt himself smile.

He had done it, he had saved the world.

Those were his last thoughts as he drifted off into darkness, he wasn't afraid of dying, but he wouldn't die there. He still had so much left to do, with Rin, with Saber, Sakura, Fuji-nee. He wouldn't die. He wouldn't die. He wouldn't… die.

"Shirou!" He heard Saber's voice as he drifted off into sleep. He could have sworn he heard Rin's voice right after, but everything else was a blur… He needed rest… he just… saved the world after all…

Azure Blade Works

XxX

In another world, In another time, a similar battle was taking place

But instead of a battle to save the world, this was a battle to save, or destroy, a life

Two brothers fought, one estranged and manic as he tries to kill his brother

The other, desperate to save everything that has ever helped him and his family survive

This is a battle without anyone winning, a single event in the infinite number of timelines, but nonetheless, the single turning point that will define the world

"Gah!" He felt numbness as he was kicked square in the chest. But he didn't fall, he couldn't fall, not with Jin like this. He couldn't let his little brother kill their sister! He wouldn't allow that to happen! "Jin snap out of it!" He shouted as he clutched his chest. That kick hurt like hell! He didn't even know Jin had that kind of strength!

"Why?" The voice that was like Jin's but wasn't Jin's asked. "Why should I brother? This is so much fun!" To emphasize his point, Jin stepped forward and slashed at him, the sword in his hands singing through the air as it sought to behead him.

He rolled to the side, barely avoiding getting his head cut off. As it stood though, he felt a few strands of his blonde hair fly off as the sword narrowly missed his forehead.

As he rolled on the ground, he quickly looked around, looking for anything he could use as a weapon. He found one in the form of a fallen wooden beam. Quickly, he righted himself before he dove for the beam, it was larger than his arm, and weighed him down some, but at least he had something he could actually use.

He turned around, prepared to use the beam as a means to defend himself and probably knock Jin out. He barely had time to think before the beam suddenly split in two in a shower of splinters. He shouted in pain as some of the splinters went into his right eye. Blinded for a second, he didn't react as his chest was suddenly slashed, letting out a large spurt of blood as he staggered back in pain.

"You don't know me anymore brother." He heard Jin's voice as he staggered back. He tripped over something, he didn't know what, before he landed on his behind as he clutched his chest and right eye. Damn, damn, damn, damn! Why the fuck was this happening damn it!

"You've neglected me for so long, I wanted to show you what I could do, what kind of power I had." Jin's voice was turning more manic every second, he cursed as he forced his right eye to open, to stare at Jin. What he saw on his little brother's face could only be described as mania, as hysteria, and everything in between.

"Now though," Jin continued as he took a step forward towards him, he crawled backwards, gritting his teeth as he did so. His eyes momentarily flashed towards the katana in Jin's hand, and he couldn't help but curse the damn thing. The moment Jin got a hold of it, he turned batshit crazy. "Now I can show you just how much you've missed my growth!" Jin finished as he raised the katana to slash at him.

He couldn't move, he just stood there and stared, unable to do anything. But as Jin's sword flashed down towards him, a voice cut in, sounding even more manic than Jin's.

"Oi, Kisaragi. You done yet?" They both turned towards the voice. It came from behind Jin. What he saw made his blood run cold and his mind stop functioning.

A man with neon green hair in a black suit was standing while tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, his eyes were slits, but he could see they held back something sinister. His mouth was curled downwards as he stared at them both. "We gotta get going you see. Can't let her spoil, she's important cargo after all."

All these things about the man with the green hair were secondary. The man's hidden power, his slitted eyes, and even his tone of voice. They were all secondary, as he saw someone in the man's arms, someone he was trying to protect.

"Saya!" In a feat of strength he didn't even know he had anymore, he stood and rushed towards the man. Barreling past Jin, past the fallen form of the sister that had taken care of all three of them, and towards the man with green hair who only stared at him with a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

He reached the man in just five seconds. Five seconds to cross twenty five feet. It was a feat he didn't even know he could do; he was fast sure, but never this fast. Maybe it was the adrenaline in his body, or maybe it was his inner need to see his sister safe. But whatever it was, it empowered him, empowered him so much that it pushed his bleeding and battered body, allowing him to ignore the pain he felt, allowing him to reopen his right eye that was already half-blind, allowing him to run towards his sister and try to save her.

It took him five seconds to get there. But it only took the man one to slice his right arm and send it flying with a knife.

Time seemed to slow as he saw his right arm fly off, somewhere over his head and towards the debris around him. He saw the knife that the man had used was silver and had the grip of a snake. He saw the man's absolutely manic expression, a smile turning into a sadistic grin as he locked eyes with him, a sight he would never forget. Finally, time caught up, and he was sent tumbling forward, all the while screaming bloody murder as he felt the pain that accompanied getting his hand cut off.

"GUAH!" He shouted in pain, rolling forward and into the ground. He couldn't think straight, he could only focus on the pain. He couldn't even register what the man was saying to Jin. He could only feel the pain in his right stump of an arm.

But he did hear something, one thing, through the pain of losing his arm, and the anger of losing Jin, Saya, and the person that helped all three of them. He heard one thing even through all his screaming and writhing.

"The name's Terumi kid, I'll be taking care of you from now on." Those were the last words he heard before the pain overtook him and sent him into unconsciousness. Terumi… those words were probably directed at Jin. He would remember that name; he wouldn't ever forgive the man for what he did.

XxX

Rachel Alucard was an immortal vampire, one that had seen carnage and destruction. In all her immortal life, she had borne witness to humans killing, raping, and stealing from each other. So it should be expected that an immortal being such as her, who had lived for a millennium past, be jaded about such things.

That was not the case.

She was an immortal being, of that there is no doubt. But she would never get used to seeing chaos. Because from the word itself – chaos – it means to be unpredictable, to be unsettling, that was the very definition of chaos. Anyone that would say that chaos is predictable, that chaos can be controlled would be fools. Even after a millennium of living, she was still not used to chaos, to seeing what happens when it does happen.

So it was with sad eyes as she surveyed the latest chaotic event that had happened in front of her. She wasn't here when it started, true. But from the fallen beams and the still burning church she could ascertain that she was too late to do anything to help.

Well, almost too late.

She looked down at the boy that would turn into the most interesting man she would ever know (though she would deny this if anyone ever asked her). She would never get used to this sight, seeing him broken down and bleeding, his breathing ragged and his body bleeding out. This man was supposed to be uncouth and strong, a barbarian, and not some whimpering little kid that looked ready to die at anytime.

Tentatively, she sighed, seeing him without an arm reminded her of what she had to do. And though she was loath to do it, there wasn't anything else that could possibly help the man.

"Look at you, whimpering and writhing in your sleep. Pathetic." She was a cruel being, she knew this, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it. But she was not heartless; she already knew what she would be doing here, and why she would be doing it. For all the man's faults, he was the best chance to save the world, the most interesting man she had ever met, and quite possibly the most uncouth barbarian she had ever come to know. And that was all the more reason she knelt down and raised the boy's head and placed it on her lap.

Her hands began stroking the messy mane of blonde hair. She didn't like the color; she much preferred it when his hair was white. There was something oddly right with seeing him with white hair, she couldn't explain why.

Her stroking brought a reaction from the boy, as he whimpered. Whimpered as her hands brushed against his hair. If he was a bit older and a little less broken, she would have slapped him and told him to never make such a pathetic sound when in he was in her presence. As it stood though, she could only sigh as her hands continued to run through his hair.

"Regrettably, this is the one thing I cannot ever stop." Timelines were messy things, and she much preferred to just sit back and watch, but she knew that this was not her fate. Everything was set in stone already, and it was her job to see it fall and let it cause ripples in the lake that is time.

She stopped stroking the boy's hair, an act that was almost regrettable, before she bent down to his neck and pierced it with her teeth.

She didn't suck, that would cause her bloodlust to take over. But she did transfer just enough of her vampiric qualities into the boy so that he would survive. With that said though, even though it was night, and even though vampiric powers helped a lot to soothe and heal wounds, he still needed an arm.

"Looks like I got here a little too late." She recognized the voice, and though the voice was gruff, it held a slighty disappointed tone in it.

"It wouldn't have mattered if you got here at all." A lie of course. She needed him here, but she would never admit that.

She heard him sigh behind her, before she heard his footsteps coming closer. "Never thought I'd see the day…" He whispered as he stopped right next to her. She shared that sentiment with him, seeing someone as strong as the man in her lap look so weak and frail was something she didn't like seeing.

"That makes the both of us." She added primly, before a dainty sigh escaped her lips. "Do you have it?" A formality at this point, of course he would have. Unless this was a timeline where he didn't have it, then that would make everything moot.

"'Course I do, what d'ya take me fer?" He held out a black object. Rectangular and unassuming save for its pitch blackness. She knew what it was inside of the box, and at the same time, she didn't. The Azure Grimiore wasn't something that was understandable. Much like chaos, she mused to herself.

She took the box with a grateful nod of her head, before she looked down on the boy's face. She noted that his hair was already turning white, thanks to the vampiric blood that was now flowing through his veins. She couldn't help but smile a small smile, he really did look better with hair like that.

"You sure about this though?" The person right next to her asked. She let out a small huff. The very idea she wasn't sure was insulting.

"Of course I am." Why wouldn't she be? "It's to save his life." She sounded sure, but she knew that was a bluff, she knew what would await him if she continued.

"Or damn him to an even crappier one." Her companion muttered under his breath, but she heard him just fine.

She turned towards him, leveling him with a cold look, before she asked. "And what would you have me do then? Leave him to die?" True the man was a barbarian, but she wasn't so shallow as to leave him to die if she could help it. If it was any other man, she would have already turned a blind eye, but this wasn't just any other man. This was…

She shook her head to clear her head. Now was not the time to be thinking such strange thoughts. She opened the box, and immediately the area around all three of them was buffeted by a strong gust of wind. She could detect trace amounts of seithr, but she left it open regardless. It wasn't enough to be poisonous, at least, not yet.

"You got a catalyst for that thing?" Her companion asked, and she couldn't quite reign in her apprehension as she answered.

"Yes," She confirmed, before she reached for a pocket dimension and pulled out a prosthetic limb. "Hopefully this shall suffice for the time being."

"Are you- The hell are you thinking?!" Predictably, the person right next to her reacted violently. "Ya can't just stick the Azure Grimoire into a piece of prosthetic!"

She felt her lips curl into a thin grimace. She already knew the risks of what she was doing. But this was the only way she could think of. She turned towards him, and asked. "Unless you have something else that I can use as a catalyst, I suggest you keep your mouth closed. I'm about to attempt something extremely dangerous." This really was no joke. She needed silence. Fusing the Azure Grimoire with a piece of magical prosthetic was something she was nervous even thinking about. True, the prosthetic she was using was much more durable than any other piece of plastic, and was personally created by her, but that didn't mean it could contain the vast power that was the Azure Grimoire. To graft something as powerful as that to something that could be amounted to nothing more than hardened plastic was so far out, so crazy, that she wouldn't have entertained the notion if it weren't for the fact that it was their only choice.

If she was being completely honest, she would have much preferred if they had something biological, something human to graft the Azure into. Too bad having a right arm fall from the sky and into their laps was so statically impossible, that it would need a miracle to have it happen.

So she was utterly and completely taken by surprise as the seithr started to coalesce into a single area in front of them, before she felt wind start coming out of the vortex that was happening.

"What in the world?!" Her companion shouted in alarm, the sound of a sword unsheathing and getting stabbed in the ground echoed as the exploding wind buffeted them.

She found herself struggling against the incoming wind, holding onto the child as she tried to stand firm. She couldn't hold it for long though, she left her pets back in her home, so she was steadily getting forced onto her feet, and pretty soon she would be sent careening away with the boy in her arms.

Thankfully, before that could happen, the winds died. As abruptly as it started, it suddenly died and the portal seemed to shrink upon itself, taking with it the seithr around them. She let out a small breath, perhaps it was just a hiccup? The Azure Grimoire was temperamental at best, and borderline explosive at worst. Maybe they got lucky, whatever happened was something random and startling, but was just that, random and startling.

She was about to turn back towards the boy in her lap, before the sound of something heavy and wet slapped right in front of her. She looked up, and was… shocked? Surprised? Whatever she was feeling, it was because of the naked arm now sitting just a few feet in front of her.

The arm was one thing, but there was another thing that caught her attention, and that was the chain attached to the arm. It was unassuming, save for the pointed knife that was attached to the arm and the chains that were gripping it. With that said however, she noticed that the arm was now steadily getting pulled back into the closing vortex.

She was about to react, but her companion was faster, showing her just how much of a quick thinker he really was. He had jumped towards the arm, forgoing the sword he had stabbed into the ground, before he grabbed the end of the arm and started pulling. "Oh no ya don't!" The cat person shouted as he pulled hard.

She knew Jubei was strong, she had personally borne witness to him carrying a bus before, and though it sounded impossible, she knew he was much, much stronger than that. Extremely so. So it surprised her to see him suddenly lurch forward as if something pulled back against the arm that had the chains around it.

"I'm not lookin' a horse gift in the mouth damn it!" Jubei shouted as he pulled out another sword and tried to cut the chain in half. With a loud clang, the sword bounced off the chain and made Jubei recoil, sending the arm and now Jubei closer to the vortex. Jubei cursed, before he stabbed the sword into the ground much like he had before with his first one. He used it as an anchor and pulled himself towards it, arm in hand. She looked towards the vortex, and saw that it was still closing. So she moved.

Temporarily foregoing the boy in her lap, she leapt forward and strode her way towards Jubei and the arm. When she was next to the cat person, she reached for a part of the arm that Jubei wasn't holding, and pulled with him.

"Just a little longer." She commented as she watched the closing portal. If they could just hold out, just a few more second, then the chain would-

Her thought process stopped as a hand suddenly erupted from the vortex. It was only for a brief moment, before the vortex collapsed in itself and suddenly closed with a loud bang, but she recognized a hand when she saw one. She didn't know who that hand belonged to, but whatever it was, she felt relieved that they had managed to stop it from coming out.

As the hole closed in on itself, the chain immediately gave way, getting split in two as it erupted in sparks. The sudden lax of the chain sent both her and Jubei sprawling backwards, chain still attached to the detached arm in their hands.

When they finally got their bearings, she floated herself up and dusted herself. That was entirely inappropriate for her, and utterly disgraceful. She shall do her best to keep that memory locked away, especially to Rag-

"Hehe." She turned her head as she heard Jubei chuckle. "Hehehe." He chuckled again, this time, sounding even more amused. Soon enough, his chuckling turned into full blown laughter, full of mirth and happiness.

She didn't like it.

"Just what exactly is so funny?" She asked, her voice purposeful and demanding. Jubei for his part, only continued his laughing.

It wasn't until a few seconds later, when Jubei had calmed himself down somewhat, did he answer. "J-just thinking about the chances of this happenin'." He commented happily as he stared at the arm he held in his hands. She followed his gaze, and immediately noticed just what Jubei was referring to.

The arm itself looked picturesque, almost perfect. True it looked mangled and probably had broken bones and cut nerves, but it wasn't something an experienced Ars Magus healer couldn't fix. Yes, this was most likely a one in a million billions chance of happening.

She couldn't help it, she felt a smile tug on her own lips. She didn't believe in god, nor in any deity for that matter. But whatever this was, it certainly really was a miracle. They had found their catalyst.

XxX

There's the prologue. Go nuts on the reviews. Tell me what you liked about it and what you disliked, review it as critically as you want. I'm just aiming to improve myself even more with my writing.

With that said, hopefully everyone stayed in character here. I honestly have no idea if Jubei has two or three swords. The pictures say two, but the games say three. How many are there really? And don't be afraid telling me what I've got wrong, though if we have two conflicting ideas, don't be surprised to find me striking up a conversation to ask where and how you got that information. This is basically why I'm so exasperated with people reviewing my other stories saying that the 'wiki says this' or 'the wiki states that'. The wiki was made by fans of the series, that means they are not objective in their work on the wiki, but subjective. I try and be objective with my dealings in writing, and don't allow prior judgment to cloud what I know is right.

I've also taken liberties on what happened during and after the fight with Terumi and Jin. I know for a fact that Terumi was the one that cutoff Ragna's arm. And Rachel had healed Ragna. Though to what extent she healed him, I don't know. I only know that in the original timeline, Ragna was healed by Rachel, and got the Azure Grimoire because he touched something he shouldn't have. I've taken liberties here and just went with Jubei having the Azure and actually arriving the same time as Rachel did.

This will also mark the first, last, and only appearance Shirou will have in this story. Well, save for his right arm. That said, flashbacks aren't off the hook, and we'll be witnessing what Shirou's arm will do to Ragna and his own training.

That said, Shirou's perfectly fine. He won't go dying from losing an arm. Getting another one is probably fine with Rin anyway. And since they'll be going to the Clock Tower soon, Shirou really has nothing else to worry about… Well, save for having Saber there and risking another arm growing thanks to Avalon… does it work that way? Oh, and probably explaining to Sakura, Fujimura, and the rest of the school how he lost an arm. Heh, that'd actually be pretty funny to write about. Might make an omake or a oneshot about Shirou actually losing his arm and having to explain it to everyone else, before he magically gets another one and having to explain how he did that. Gas leaks, yeah, that's right. You were all hallucinating under the gas leaks, I never lost my arm!

Anyway, I'm out. C.O.Y.L signing out, peace!