Heyo! Glad to see some reviews, follows, and even a fave if I'm not terribly mistaken! I'm really happy to see the interest in my first 600 words and I definitely hope that I'll be writing more than that soon (it's a lot harder than I thought!). Someone (Pureblank), told me 4k-5k was the optimal word number for a story. Well, at least I made a 200 word improvement! Still, it astounds me that five minutes of reading took an hour of writing!

The bus driver grinned at the pair as they got back on the bus. "Old friend?" he queried.

Startled, Rin glanced up at the powerfully built red-haired man, "How did you-?"

"I know a lot of things you wouldn't think a bus driver knew-but I know them and that's all there is." His tone was very jovial, but to a degree that Rin could almost guess it was an act. If she was allowed another guess, she would say he was a very boisterous person-loud and likely unkempt.

"Have you been a bus driver long?" Shirou asked from beside Rin.

The man's smile widened, "No, not too long--not perhaps the last three quarters of an hour. My name's Alec, Alec Xander."

Rin partially raised an eyebrow--his name was clearly significant, but how? she wondered.

"Anyway, you two had best sit, it's time to move on!" he said closing the bus doors.

Rin allowed Shirou to lead her to a seat. It let her think of important matters without her having to divert energy to thought rather than direction. Archer warned them of a new Grail War and shards? Now that couldn't be right, Saber destroyed the Grail and it couldn't function in fragments. Archer must have meant that there was a second Grail. Rin felt her heart jump into her throat-already divided on whether this was a blessing or a curse. A blessing for a second chance-or a curse for the death it would likely bring--and the divide it would force from Shirou if she chose to try to fight for it. Rin knew he would never agree to use it.

"Tohsaka?" Shirou asked in his concerned voice. Usually that voice and face would only provoke Rin, but not now--her brain was too focused on everything to be concerned with his... problem to worry about it.

"No..."Rin said softly, laying her head on his shoulder, "Just tired, I guess."

Who was at Shirou's house? She couldn't stop thinking about that question.

~~~~~~

Rin held a few jewels in her right hand (flash and fire, distraction and an offensive) while keeping her left holding Shirou's arm-an easy and currently inconspicuous way to restrain him if he decided to do anything rash-like get in her way and while trying to protect her.

"Who do you think is inside?" Shirou asked.

Rin shook her head, they were just standing on the doorstep-waiting. "Archer was who I thought. I don't know who else could have given me that...aura."

Shirou looked at her quizzically, "Aura?"

Rin nodded, "It's hard to explain-powerful, controlled, but sad and...lonesome too..."

"I think I understand," Shirou said his voice low, "I guess all the Servants would feel different-especially for you because you had had two."

Rin didn't answer, "You ready?"

"You think it's some sort of trap, don't you?" Shirou asked, with a touch of amusement.

Annoyance flared up in her for a brief second-he almost had the condescending quality Archer had used from time to time-but it disappeared just as quickly, of course he's going to sound like...well, himself at some point. "I do have a certain mistrust for things that are not what I had thought they were--intentionally done or not." Rin admitted without remorse.

"Alright!" Shirou raised his hands in mock defeat.

"Okay..." Rin began, the gears in her brain working at their max, "Shirou, stay behind me-but I want you to prepare to forge your swords-we don't know who this person is, or even if they are really a servant."

"Okay Tohsaka-but I think I should go--"

Rin impatiently cut him off, "I know you do, which is why I'm going in first-besides, this "Servant" called me master...if that really is the case, then I will be the only one who can control him."

Shirou sighed, "I guess that makes sense, but still..."

Rin blushed, he was too cute for his own good, the little- "I can take care of myself, Emiya! So get used to this! I wasn't the one who almost died five times in the first minute of being a master!"

"Yeah?" Shirou countered, "Except if I hadn't-"

Rin shushed him and pointed to the door, it had just slid itself open.

"There went the element of surprise," Rin muttered.

The two began to walk cautiously into Shirou's house, checking the rooms as they passed by.

"Listen!" Shirou whispered, pointing at one of the rooms with an open door. "Kiritsugu's old study..."

A man was inside, facing away from them. Only his silhouette was really fixable because of the darkened study and his black clothing. He held a well-worn book in his hand. "I couldn't listen to you two anymore," he said, nonchalantly replacing the hard cover. "It took you forever to find me-even though I told you exactly where I was."

Blood boiled in Rin at his superior tone. "Who are you, servant? Why are you the one making all the meeting arrangements?"

The man faced them. "Master."

F-father?!" Shirou gasped.

Kiritsugu Emiya

Please, review and tell me what you think! And what I need to work on