Chapter 2

"Lancer, why the heck would you attack a bystander?! We only ended up here because we were chasing after Assassin!" Saito snapped whilst approaching the group.

Lancer humphed in annoyance, folding her arms over her chest as she finally regained control over her body.

"Well I had assumed the lassie to be Assassin's Master. With how the battle with Assassin was going, it was clear the better choice would be to take out her Master. After all, a defenseless prey is far easier to kill than that of one as sly as a fox." she remarked back, not bothering to hide the snarl that laced a few of her words.

"Well you were wrong. Now come on! We need to get Assassin before..." he began but cut himself off when he saw the retreating form of Assassin leaping onto the rooftop and dashing away, disappearing in the cover of darkness. With the target lost, the teenage boy groaned, pressing his hand up against his forehead. "...before she gets away." he finished with a grumble.

Tamiko was at a loss for words. Her mouth hung open as she glanced between the fiery red-head and the blue-haired teenage boy before her.

With her feelings coming to a boiling point, she finally demanded "Okay, what the heck is going on?! Saito-kun, is this what you've been involved in lately?!"

Saito turned with his brows raised in surprise. He understood the girl was rightfully confused with what she had witnessed, but at the same time he was annoyed.

"Sticking your nose in other people's problems as usual. Ugh, why do I have to be the one stuck in this situation?" he grumbled under his breath.

He let out a sigh before shoving past the teenage girl, sternly stating he would explain everything inside the house.
Tamiko nervously watched the retreating form of the seventeen year-old. She flinched when she was once again caught under the cold gaze of Lancer. She didn't dare utter a word nor take eye contact off her retreating form. Only when Lancer was gone from sight did she finally release the breath she was holding. Turning back toward Caster, now that things had calmed, the two found themselves with no words to share.

She bit her lip nervously. She hadn't given it much thought during the midst of Lancer trying to kill her, but now she felt it extremely awkward to have a person view her as their Master. Seeing nothing else to do, she offered out her hand.
Caster's purple eyes glanced down at the hand, managing to accept it without much hesitation. He grunted as he was pulled up to his feet by the teenage girl.

"So..." Tamiko began, the awkward atmosphere affecting her thought process, "I suppose we should head inside to hear Saito's explanation."

With the nod of the head, the two finally reentered the home. Inside they were greeted with Lancer leaning against the wall. Gone was her armor and dress, replaced with casual winter clothing.
Lancer glanced back at the two with her blue eyes narrowed.

"He'll be back. Said he wanted to check the premise to ensure we truly are alone." she stated.

Tamiko's brow furrowed in worry, the anxiety of being left in the room with her attempted killer settling in. But among her anxiety was confusion as well; she could have sworn she wasn't outside for too long. So she couldn't figure out how Lancer managed to change her attire so quickly. She was awakened from her thoughts by Saito entering the living room, letting out a deep breath whilst doing so.

"No sign of any other Masters nor Servants nearby. So..." he started as he sat down at the table, "It's time I told you exactly what you're involved in now."

His eyes stared up expectantly at the teenage girl as he patted his hand on top of the table.
Realizing Saito was telling her to sit down, she obeyed the request without any second thoughts. After all, she was eager for the answers to shatter the confusion filling her mind. She was about to open her mouth till she heard shuffling next to her. Turning her head, she seen Caster had sit down next to her. She nervously cleared her throat with a small blush on her face, reminding herself the nature of her relationship with Caster would be one she would have to get use to.

Brushing aside her flustered feelings, she finally asked "You mentioned something about wishing to defeat someone named Assassin. Why is that?"

Saito didn't reply immediately. Instead choosing to inhale deeply through his nose to keep his frustration in check.

After a few moments of gathering his thoughts, he answered "It's because Assassin is one of the seven Servants that have been summoned for the Holy Grail War."

"Holy Grail War?" Tamiko questioned.

Nodding his head, the blue-haired boy continued "It is an event that dates back to over two-hundred years ago. Seven Masters are chosen by the grail to do battle. Each master is given one Servant which are spirits from our past given form. The last Servant standing wins the right to the grail and one wish of course. This would make the sixth one in total. The fifth took place here ten years ago, but no one seems to know what conspired then as the events surrounding the Fifth Holy Grail War are shrouded in mystery."

"Wait, last one standing? You means the Servants have to..." the teenage girl began, but couldn't find the strength to finish her sentence.

The thought of white-haired teen who had saved her being summoned only to fight to the death was heartbreaking to her. Glancing over at Caster, she could see the hint of sadness lingering in his purple eyes. She had to wonder what it would feel like, being told your only duty was to put your life on the line for a stranger you barely know. Not because you trust them, but rather because it was a duty assigned to you.

She was drawn out of her thoughts out of her thoughts by the sound of Saito continuing to explain "Yes, Servants are expected to fight to the death. Though just because they are expected, doesn't mean they are willing to obey. Servants have thoughts and feelings like any other living being. That is why each Master is given these."

He paused to lift up his left hand, showing the red mark that look similar to a spear. While the rest mark was a deep red, the top part of the mark was faded.

"These are Command Spells. They are the proof of your status as a Master in this war." he stated before pointing his index finger to the faded part of his mark, "Each master is given three spells. These spells can be used to give specific commands to your servant. For example, I had used one to command Lancer to stop, so now I only have two Command Spells remaining."

He took a moment to glare over at his servant, still frustrated with her actions.
Tamiko's hazel eyes glanced down at her own left hand. Carefully studying the mark, she was able to easily identify the three points that represented her Command Spells.

"Alright then," she began, her eyes glancing back up at the teenage boy, "What happens when you use up all three?"

Upon hearing this, Saito let out an annoyed sigh whilst pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Isn't it obvious? You lose your right as a Master and the pact with your servant is severed." he grumbled.

Lancer couldn't help but scoff at the sight before her, having grown tired of the countless questions.

"If the lassie is this confused, perhaps it will be best to let her be naive until she is slain by one of the other Masters." she commented with a deadly smirk.

Saito jolted in shock, staring at his servant with a mixture of disbelief and anger. He had hoped he could ease Tamiko into the fact that Servants could also be defeated by killing their Masters. Turning toward the ginger-headed girl he could see her face had lost all color and she was staring at him with wide, terrified eyes. It also didn't escape his attention that Caster was glaring daggers at him whilst moving closer to his Master should the need to protect her arise. Saito leaned his head back whilst rubbing his fingers against the temple of his forehead.

"Perfect Lancer, now she thinks I only told her all this stuff just so I can kill her." he noted sarcastically, letting out another tired sigh.

He remained silent for a few more moments before lowering his hands. His blue eyes were strict with a hint of sadness lingering beneath them.

"This tends to be the part I hate." he sighed, his voice taking on a more uncharacteristic softer tone, "A more preferred method of defeating Servants is by killing their Master. Why go through the trouble of defeating a challenging Servant when you can take out their Master and be done with it. There's also the fact that even with the Servant dead, if they come across a Servant who's pact has been severed, they can forge a new pact with that Servant."

Tamiko glanced down to the floor; her eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Just know that you don't have to do it. Just because it's the most efficient way doesn't mean it's the required way." he finished in a somber tone.

Seeing he had explained everything, he began to stand up. But as he did, he realized Caster was still in his current attire. He inhaled deeply through his nose, shaking his head whilst doing so.

"Caster, while I am not your Master, if you insist on staying out in the open, I suggest changing into more proper attire." he advised.

Caster blinked in surprise, taking a moment to glance down at his robes.

"I suppose you're right. I'll change clothes immediately." he replied as he stood up.

Upon hearing this, Tamiko's face turned blood red in panic. She immediately began shouting out a series of objections, trying desperately to prevent her servant from changing right in front her. Though much to her surprise, the white-haired boy closed his eyes as his clothes were engulfed in a blue light. The light faded away in seconds, revealing a casual attire of a white shirt and black pants. She stared unblinkingly in shock, reaching a hand out and tugging on the button of the shirt to confirm its existence. She only stopped when she noticed the confused expression painted on Caster's face.

"Well my job here is done." Saito spoke up, shattering the silence filling the air, "Let's go Lancer."

The red-head nodded her head in agreement, silently following her Master out of the house. Once outside, her eyes narrowed at the teenage boy.

"Why are you so insistent on protecting that lassie?" she asked, prompting the teen to stop in his tracks, "If you had let me taken her out, we would have had one less Master and Servant to deal with."

Saito's body tensed at the question. It was true if he had allowed his servant to kill Tamiko, his competition for the grail would have been lessened. But he couldn't accept victory in that form; he didn't want to accept it in that form.

Taking in another deep breath, he finally replied "It wouldn't be right. She was dragged into a situation she knows little to nothing about. It just wouldn't be the honorable thing to do. Not that you would know anything about honor."

Lancer didn't fail to miss the boy's final remark. A snarky smirk spread across her face.

"Though my tactics are crude, they are still very effective. Regardless of your feelings, you will have to face her eventually. There can be only one winner in this Holy Grail War after all." she remarked.

Saito chose not to reply, allowing silence to fill the air as he made his trek home along with his servant.

Back with Tamiko, she let out a sigh with her head leaned back.

"Well I guess we should get things straightened out before-" she began.

But she was never able to finish when she heard the exclamation of "What happened to the house?!"

Flinching, the ginger-haired girl slowly turned to see the horrified forms of Ken and Makoto. She whimpered with her head hanging low, wishing Saito was still there to help her come up with an excuse. After the father and son duo had calmed down, her mind desperately scrapped for any kind of excuse. After a few seconds of thinking, she finally came up with the claim that a thief had broken in and she was protected by Caster who happened to arrive in time. A partial lie, but she was convinced the two would never believe the truth of the situation.

"Caster? Such a strange name." the dark-haired man mused before smiling, "Well I'm glad you were here to protect Tamiko. Meanwhile I was unable to be there myself, all because I got stuck with repairing a flat tire. As her guardian I tend to care for her, she's practically like family. So once again I thank you."

Caster nervously glanced to the ground, trying to find the words to say.

"By the way, there's something else you should know about Caster." Tamiko spoke up; she wasn't sure how the older man would react to her following statement, but she managed to take deep breath and continued "Caster will actually be living with us."

Ken said nothing as the kind smile on his face immediately vanished.

Upon hearing this Makoto exclaimed "Oh no, it's actually happened dad! She brought home a boyfriend that she wants to live with her!"

The ginger-haired girl's face turn blood red in embarrassment and panic. She could already sense Ken's strict gaze on her servant who seemed to cower slightly from it.

"Caster is not my boyfriend, he's just a guy that will be living with us! That is all!" she claimed, her face burning brightly red.

Silence lingered in the air for a few moments, creating an awkward and tense atmosphere.

A few more minutes of silence managed to pass by until the young child shattered it by muttering "Sounds like a boyfriend to me."

In that instant Tamiko had to use all her willpower from attempting to strangle the boy out of frustration. Instead she opted to groan and plant her head down on the table, wondering how she managed to get herself wrapped up in such a situation.

Later that night, Tamiko huffed as she managed to roll out a spare futon for Caster in the guest room. She wasn't too sure if Servants truly required rest, but still wanted to make the white-haired teen as comfortable as possible. Admiring her handiwork, she turned toward Caster who was sitting in the corner of the room. With a smile, she managed to bid him goodnight.

Though as she turned to walk away, she heard a voice call out "Tamiko?"

The teenage girl's eye widened as she spun around to the white-haired boy.

Noticing his master's distress, Caster nervously asked "Is... is it alright if I call you... Tamiko? Your um... guardian called you that. If not, I can just keep referring to you as Master."

Tamiko was speechless. Usually first name basis were only reserved for family or close loved ones in Japan. The fact Caster requested to call her by her first name was slightly jarring for her, especially since she barely knew him. Yet at the same time, she could understand why he requested it. He had yet to hear her surname and referring her by a name seemed better than constantly calling her Master. Taking a few seconds in thought, a small smile spread on her face.

"Of course it's alright. We'll be working together from now on, so I think it will be alright if you call me Tamiko." she replied.

Caster briefly returned the smile, though it quickly faded as he glanced downward, nervously rubbing his arm.

"I... I suppose you'll be wanting to know my true name." he noted with a few pauses, "Servants conceal their true names as their identities can also reveal potential weaknesses."

The seventeen year-old raised her brow in interest. Much like Ken, she had considered Caster to be quite the strange name. Though not once did she ever consider it could be merely a code name. Her brows furrowed as she went deep into thought. Ideally she could she the advantages of knowing her servant's true name, that way she can ensure he doesn't encounter his weaknesses. Yet at the same time, carrying such knowledge worried her. The thought of being captured by the enemy and them forcing the information out of her came to mind.

Having thought it over, she declined the offer with the shake of her head. She never wanted to put Caster in a situation that could endanger himself. While it was his duty to protect her, she couldn't stand the thought of placing all the burdens of the Holy Grail War on him. Because of this mindset, she believed it would be in their best interest that even she remain ignorant to his true identity.

"Caster, I want to make something clear right now." she stated as she knelt down in front of him, "Despite me being your Master, I don't want you to view me as your superior."

She paused as she carefully took the teen's hand into her own.

"I want us to be equals. Partners you could say rather than Master and Servant. I don't want you to pointlessly throw your life away for me all because of a role. Your survival in this war is just important as mine. It would never sit well with me to put my safety before yours or anyone else's for that matter." she finished.

Caster's mouth opened slightly in awe. The girl's kindness and concern for a stranger's well-being certainly was touching. Though at the same time, such a mindset worried him. He could easily see anyone taking advantage of her kindness, abusing it for their own gain. While he never wanted to do such a thing, the thought of someone wishing to do exactly that concerned him. But despite this, he couldn't complain too much, recalling it was through the kindness of strangers he had became who he was in the first place. With this in mind, he smiled as his intertwined hands slightly tightened around his Master's.

"Of course, Tamiko. I will do my best." he replied, the shyness long gone with each of his words brimming with confidence.

Tamiko sighed in relief; her hands silently slipping away from the teenage boy's.

"Well I'll be going to bed now. Rest well, Caster." she said as she stood up.

Caster nodded his head before watching the teen leave the room. With her gone, he silently glanced down at his hands. How long had it been since he had someone treat him with such kindness; he could not remember. His body tensed as he recalled how he spent the final moments of his life alone, no friends nor loved ones by his side. Because of this, he wanted to cherish this kindness for as long as he could. A small grateful smile graced his face as he laid down on the futon, ready to preserve his mana. He would not let his Master's kindness go unpaid. No matter what, he swore to protect her. Not as a Servant but rather a grateful boy who had yearned for kindness after discarding it to fulfill his duty.