And here is chapter 2. This one needed a bit more work. It originally started off during the fight at the school, and so was only 2,000 or so words long. But I refused to release a chapter that was that short. Part of the reason it was so short was because when I first wrote this out, I didn't feel up to watching the scenes with Shinji over and over again. But now that I feel more pumped up, I watched them until I had my new scenes.

And those of you that figured out who Caster was, good job. Guess that meant I did him well. I hope to continue writing him well in future chapters.

Chapter 2: I Ask of You, Are You My Master?

(8:00am Tuesday, Emiya Residence)

"You made enough food to feed an army again." Shirou said as he sat down at the table. Sakura smiled as she saw him tuck into the food she made. She put a lot of effort into it. Mr Menethil entered around the same time, and smiled as he heard that.

"Indeed. As my family used to say, 'Even a horde of Orcs couldn't finish this meal'. We'll have enough for leftovers."

"Actually, most of this is for my lunch." Fujimura-sempai said as she started eating. "I've got a bit of a cash issue at the moment, and it was either this or borrow money from Arthas. I decided to go with the less scary choice."

"You're having Sakura make your lunch for you? Fuji-nee, that's totally abusing your authority over a student." Shirou replied in an annoyed tone. Sakura felt much happier when he defended her.

"It's alright. I love cooking." She replied truthfully. In fact, ever since Rider had shown up she'd needed to make even more food than usual. "Besides, if she enjoys my cooking then that makes me feel even better."

"I think it's really good." Mr Menethil said. "Like the food of Royalty." She believed him. Something about him seemed princely, but at the same time it was like he had forgotten how to be nice. All Shirou really knew was that he was a friend of Kiritsugu Emiya. But he didn't really know how they met in the first place. Sakura imagined them as brothers in arms, fighting as part of a mercenary group. They saved each other from all manner of fights, and won plenty of battles. It would certainly explain where he learnt the self-defence he taught her.

"Listen Shirou, if you're that jealous that I've got a free lunch then swing on by the archery club at lunch break. I'll be more than happy to share it with you." Sakura nearly sighed as Fujimura-sensei tried to get Shirou to join the archery club again. He was good – probably from gruelling training with Mr Menethil – but he stopped one day. Shirou said it was because Mr Menethil had him so busy with other training, but she wondered if it was more than that.

"Nice try, but it's not going to happen. I've got work to do." Shirou brushed her off. Fujimura-sempai groaned theatrically in response before nearly flopping over the table. She yelped as she realised she was about to fall into food, and pulled herself away. But this motion caused her to crash into Shirou, who accidently threw his bowl of rice with a yelp. Mr Menethil nonchalantly dodged the flying bowl, letting it smash against the wall. As Shirou fell, he knocked another bowl flying towards her. She saw time slow down for her, until she could reach out and touch it gently. She put it back down on the table, before guzzling it to replenish the energy she used for that maneuverer. Shirou and Fujimura-sempai merely looked in shock at her.

"You're cleaning that up." Mr Menethil said, placing his empty bowl back on the table.

(8:30am, Outside Fuyuki School)

"Hey Sakura." Shirou said as they walked. "I really appreciate you coming over every morning. God knows Arthas isn't a master chef. But I wish you'd agree to take weekends off. I feel bad, like I'm taking advantage of your trust. And I'm sure you've got friends besides me."

"It's alright." She replied. She would've loved to have more friends. But Uncle Byakuya made it his mission to 'accidently' drive off anyone she could've been friends with. He seemed to want to hurt her in any way he could without making her attack him. She knocked him down the hallway when it happened one time too many, but the damage had been done. Shirou was her only friend because he hadn't heard the rumours about her creepy uncle. "I'm not really passing up anything. I don't feel like I have to go to town just because it's the weekend. Don't worry though. The moment I have something else to do, I'll do it."

"Well, if you insist. Just don't put yourself out for my sake." As they approached the school, she spotted blood running down his hand. "Shirou, your hand."

"Wha? Oh." He noticed the blood dripping from his middle finger. He pulled his sleeve up to reveal a line going down his arm. "I must've cut myself on some junk last night. But it's weird how no one noticed until now." He noticed her looking at him in worry. She learnt quickly that not everyone was as resilient as her. She healed and shrugged off things that would've put someone else in hospital. "Relax. It's barely a scratch. I don't even feel it. I'll clean it up and get a bandage before class starts." She smiled in relief.

"Well, if you insist. I don't want you to get ill or anything."

"Morning Emiya." They heard Ayako Mitsuzuri call out. While she was a good friend and a nice person, Sakura didn't really like it when she showed up around Shirou. Probably because according to the rumours, she was competing against… that girl… to see who can snag a boyfriend first. Everytime she hang around Shirou, Sakura was worried she'd be trying to steal him. But Shirou smiled warmly at her.

"Hey Mitsuzuri." He replied.

"Hey? That's all I get? Man, be a little more glad to see a friend." Sakura looked at her watch and realised she was going to be late.

"I'd better get going. I've got class now." They both said their goodbyes and waved her off, leaving her running to class. She hoped there wasn't anything going on between them.

And if there was, she was going to show how much stronger she was.

"So how the Archery Club going along?" Shirou asked Ayako.

"Not too bad." She replied. "You should come and watch sometime later. We're having a shared lunch today."

"Yeah. So Fuji-nee's told me. If I went I just know she'll try to force me to join again."

"Not that I blame her. You're really good at it."

"My uncle made me train. He said that once I can get a bullseye from 200 feet, then he'd stop waking me at 6 in the morning for training." And he used a bucket of cold water too. The few weeks before they moved onto shields was almost pure heaven.

"You know, there's actually something I need you to do for me. Can you keep an eye on Shinji for me?"

"Shinji? What's he up to this time?" Shirou could never really understand how someone as nice as Sakura got someone so cruel as Shinji for a brother. He could be a real charmer most of the time, but he's seen the time Shinji would start acting petty for little reasons.

"Well, he's gotten completely out of control lately. I take my eye off him for one second and he acts like he owns the place. Just the other day, he made the first-years do target practise in front of every girl in the club. None of those boys had ever fired an arrow before. He just kept embarrassing them until they hit their marks."

"Well, where were you when this was going on? Shouldn't you have stopped it?"

"I'm the team captain. I've got about a dozen things to do at once, and watching over the team members is unfortunately a bit low on my list of priorities." She glared now, looking very annoyed. "I can't be in the dojo and out on the targeting range at the same time. And whenever I try to have a talk with him about anything, that little jerk just gives me the slip." She growled in anger. "Sometimes I just want to strangle him."

"Still. I wonder what's gotten into him?" Shirou wondered. "He should know that there's a huge difference between tough instruction and public ridicule. That was one of the first things Arthas taught me."

"Well, I did hear a rumour that he got shot down pretty hard by Rin Tohsaka the other day. If there's one thing that boy's got plenty of, it's pride. And from what I heard Rin took all the pride and grounded it into dust."

"Alright. I'll talk to him later today."

(12:30pm, Fuyuki School)

Shinji wasn't hard to find today. He was having an argument with an older woman.

Shirou wondered who she was when he got closer. She was older than Shinji by quite a bit, and looked very tough. She didn't really look it though. Her skin was dark, but smooth; and her hair was sandy-blond. And she looked nice in her black hoodie. But something about the way she held herself felt imposing. Like she had killed many people before, and could kill everyone in the school if she felt like it. Maybe she was a soldier. In fact, he often got the same feeling from Arthas, especially during training.

"…You can't just give me orders like that. I'm not one of your pathetic soldiers." Shinji was saying, his skin red in anger. Against his blue hair, it looked a little comical.

"No, you're not." The older lady said curtly. "If you were, I'd have had you court-martialled by now. You are a disgrace to yourself, your family, and to me. Now shut up."

"Have you forgotten your orders, woman?"

"My orders were to protect you. They didn't say anything about letting you embarrass your classmates to bolster your stupid pride."

Shirou felt like it was a bad idea to interrupt, but he had to talk to him at some point. He coughed lightly, and the lady turned to him. "Uh hi. My name's Shirou Emiya. I was wanting to talk to Shinji."

The lady held out her hand. "Bethany Shepard. Nice to meet you. Now, what complaint do you have with him?" She held his jacket in one hand to stop him running.

"Well, it's not really my complaint. But I wanted to talk to him about how he treated the first-years the other day."

"Save your breath." Shinji muttered. "Shepard's already talked my ear off about that. Besides, ever since I became vice-captain our team's been piling up the wins. And why do you care anyway? You left the team."

"I'm still friends with Ayako, and she wanted me to talk to you. You can't humiliate the other Club members just because you're upset. You're supposed to support them when they need help. And you can't just throw the newbies into the lion's den like that."

"Well that kind of attitude is why we kept losing before. Ayako doesn't have the stomach to do what needs to be done, to win at all cost. Maybe we need a new change in…" He stopped talking at Shepard punched him in the stomach. He dropped to his knees, wheezing and gasping.

"People who think they need to resort to that kind of behaviour make for poor leaders. I am ashamed I have to work with you, you brat."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask. But what do you do?"

"I'm his temporary guardian. Father Kotomine hired me to look after him and Ms Matou. But now I'm starting to regret it. And I can't leave because of a binding contract. Still, at least Sakura is a nice lady."

"Funny. She never mentioned getting a new guardian. She's a good friend of mine."

"So you're the kid she rushes over every morning to make breakfast for. You must mean a lot to her."

"Well, we are good friends."

Shepard sighed. "You remind me of my boyfriend. Took him forever too." She picked Shinji up by his arm. "Come on. You and I are going to have a little chat now." Shinji was still too busy gasping to object, letting her pull him along.

You'd think she'd mention getting a soldier for a guardian.

(1:15pm, Fuyuki School)

"Do you feel that?" Rin barely whispered, knowing that Archer would hear it through the Command Seal. "There's a Servant nearby."

"Nice of you to state the fucking obvious." Archer replied from wherever she was. "Whoever this bastard is, they're avoiding fighting. So either he's a coward with a pussy instead of a dick…"

"Or," Rin interrupted, "they're waiting for a more opportune time to attack. We should wait at the school for everyone to leave, and draw this Servant out."

"Sure. Then I get to blow the shit out of this place. Reminds me of my time at school. Shit, those were the days. Hookers and cocaine every week."

This did not surprise Rin in anyway.

(8:00pm, Fuyuki School)

Shirou was feeling puffed. Today had been one hell of a day. After that with Shinji and Shepard, he hadn't seen him again until after school. Just when he was about to go home Shinji had him clean the Archery Club dojo! But now at least he's finally finished. Though Arthas was probably gonna kill him for being out so late. He was just doing the finishing touches when he heard an explosion. Wondering what was going on, he rushed out to find an unbelievable sight.

Two people were having a fight that was tearing the place apart. The first person was covered in grey armour, holding a purple glowing katana in one hand and a golden pistol in the other. She pointed and fired the pistol at the other, who dodged as the bullets shattered the ground like it was paper. The other rushed back in. It was a woman, wearing a red and black robe. The red's placement made her bust seem larger than it really was, and she had metal covering her shoulders. He couldn't see her face, as she was wearing a metal faceplate and a very pointy hood. And in her hands, slashing away at the ground…

Was a stick of fire.

Shirou was amazed. The murderer was actually here at the school! He didn't know what was going on, but he hoped that the knight won the fight. But there was another person, an accomplice perhaps? As he looked past the smoke he was surprised to see who it was.

"Tohsaka-san?" His voice was apparently loud enough to get the murderer's attention. She turned to face him, the battle forgotten by both sides. Not knowing what else to do, Shirou ran for the school. He reached into his coat to pull out his sword, his gift from the other day…

And found nothing. He only just remembered that he had left it in his bag in case the teachers took offence to it.

"Of all the times I could've forgotten it, it had to be tonight?" He muttered as he ran faster. But a great force slammed him against the wall, and the murderer was standing over him. How she managed to run in a robe like that was beyond him.

"I really don't want to do this." She said in a metallic, sultry voice. "But all witnesses must be silenced. It couldn't be too much trouble for you to just never speak of this to anyone?"

Never tell anyone that he saw the murderer? Never help the police find her and put her behind bars? It was unthinkable!

"Never." He said. He would've said more, but he had trouble speaking with her weapon sticking out of his chest.

"I am truly sorry." She said as everything went dark. What was either moments later or an eternity, voices echoed around him.

"…help him…Not a part…no need." One voice said, higher pitched like a school girl.

"…that. People die… Got in the way…happens." Another, deeper voice said.

"…care…help…Isn't fair."

And then everything went dark completely this time.

(8:15pm, Fuyuki School)

Shirou woke up with a start. He had a really bizarre dream. He found the murderer fighting Rin Tohsaka, but he was being chased. Then he was stabbed through the heart, but someone decided to heal him. Now he was somewhere strangely familiar. Still, Arthas could explain what he might've…

His hand squelched against a red stain on his jacket. Looking around, he realised that he was at school. Which meant…

Oh shit.

Shirou rushed back down to his bag and grabbed his sword. After tonight, he was never going without it. There was a murderer on the loose, and he had to get to safety before she tried to kill him again. He rushed down the streets, noticing how empty it was. If he got caught out here, he doubted his rescuer would be able to help again. He made it to his street when he was struck by lightning. He screamed as his body refused to move. Fortunately, he fell over just as a blade of fire moved to slice through him with a buzzing noise. He rolled over to find the murderer standing over him.

"Well." She said. "You must've been very lucky to have survived that." He noticed how her voice sounded as though she was speaking through a walkie talkie. "Still, as much as I loathe them, I have my orders." She raised her blade again. This was the end for him. He couldn't reach his blade in time.

A blast of ice knocked her away. Quick as a flash, Shirou got back up and raced for home. Arthas stood in the doorway, a large spiky sword in one hand. His eyes glowed icy-blue, same as the sword while frost formed around him.

"Damn." He muttered. "How is the War starting so soon? Could Angra Mainyu be behind this?" He shook his head. "Shirou. Get to the shed. There is a summoning circle inside. Hopefully, you can get someone to help defend you."

"Me?" Shirou replied. "What about you? This lady's a murderer. And she's fast." His questions were silenced when Arthas glowed and black mist formed around him. In an instant he reappeared wearing extravagant armour, with massive shoulder-plates and fur and skulls everywhere. A spiky helmet protected his head.

"Don't worry about me, Shirou." He said with two voices. "Worry about what I'll do to this Servant. Now go!" His tone allowed for no arguments. Shirou rushed into the house as Arthas charged at the murderer. He heard their weapons clash as he raced for the shed. He pulled the door open just in time to see the murderer appear out of thin air, while a small tornado had formed outside the house. Heart in his throat, Shirou stood on the circle inscribed in the floor, one he had seen in there for years. He pulled his sword out of the sheath, nearly dropping it as it grew heavier. He stood at the ready for when the lady came in.

"Come on, come on." He thought. "Make this thing work. Summon someone already!" He noticed that the lines were lighting up, but was too distracted to notice the wind pull him out of the shed. He barely managed to avoid stabbing himself with the blade, rolling back onto his feet just in time to intercept the fiery blade.

"You're skilled." She said. "But this will all be over soon. Such a shame a bright young boy like yourself said no. We could've been a team." Damn she was strong. It was taking everything just to stop the blade from getting closer. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for ever.

Luckily, he didn't need to.

A bright glow came from the shed, and the lady was pushed away by some invisible force. As Shirou fell back, he nearly landed on someone. He looked at the person and nearly shrieked.

It was another lady, but she was both beautiful and monstrous at once. She had a gorgeous figure, but it was marred by spikes and scales. Claws tipped her hands and feet, while her skin was a motley patchwork of green and purple. Her face was wonderful, but her hair seemed to be some skeletal tendrils. Lastly, she had to large wings of bone, tipped with razor-sharp claws. She was looking at Shirou in puzzlement.

"You, boy, who was fighting a Servant in single combat." She said. Her voice echoed in a similar way to Arthas when he wore that armour. "I ask of you. Are you my Master?"

Shirou wanted to say something cool. He wanted to say something normal. Instead, he ruined the moment. "Wha…wha…what the hell?"

Lancer groaned as she got back up. Damn, that was a powerful force push. The last time she felt that was during her climatic duel with Darth Thanaton. She got back up, but nearly groaned when she saw the new enemy.

Honestly. She knew her species weren't really in a place to point fingers, but were there any beautiful species that understood modesty and decency? Not many these days saw her strutting around with everything hanging out anymore. Well, not anymore at any rate. She noticed that she wasn't carrying any weapons, but those wings of hers certainly looked dangerous. And she noted, ducking under a purple orb the new lady fired from her hand, she was strong in the Force or whatever she had.

She hadn't really wanted to kill the kid. He would've been of no threat, and no one would've believed him if he told anyone. But her Master was as vile as many of the newer Sith Lords. He had ordered her to kill the boy, probably so that he could get off from the pain. Now look at what happened. What started off as a one-on-one now had two more people gunning for her. Her Whirlwind wasn't going to stop the Dark Knight for much longer. But her Master still ordered her into the match. She wished she still had her old master. At least Lord Zash had known when to run and survive. Everything she did was pragmatic. And it worked until she betrayed her. Well actually it would've worked anyway if Khem Val hadn't jumped in the way to save her.

She jumped towards the Servant, managing to surprise her and cleave through a wing. The other barely managed to block her in time, and she was having some difficulty keeping up with Lancer's strikes. Claws clashed with her lightsaber as they battled. The Servant managed to catch the blade with a force barrier on her hands, and reared to stab Lancer with her wing. Lancer blew her away with an Overload. She was about to charge again when her shields blocked several bullets. She looked at the roof to find Archer and her Master ready to attack her. She dodged again as the Dark Knight smashed through a door, cleaving into the ground where she had been standing. As she wondered about retreating, the new Servant got back up and regrew her wounded wing. There was no doubt. She was in over her head. She wasn't going to do anything against three powerful servants.

"A wise warrior knows when to run." She said before using the force to vanish. As she jumped away, she noticed that the new girl was attacking Archer. Good. Hopefully one would kill the other.

Luck was for the foolish, she scoffed.

"STOP!" Shirou shouted as the monster girl started attacking Rin and her knight. Rin had jumped down as the knight smashed the monster to the ground. Undeterred, she got back up and started throwing boulders with her mind. The knight managed to catch them and throw them back. One nearly smashed Rin into a pancake. "Stop! Please!" She refused to listen. She called him Master yet she wasn't obeying. He didn't want more fighting. He wanted to know what the hell was going on. "Please stop!"

A wave of ice formed between the two warriors, blocking their attacks. Everyone turned to see Arthas with his sword glowing with ice. He stood back up and glared at the two warriors.

"Knight. Your Master was nearly killed. I suggest you make sure she's fine. And you, monster. Your Master gave you an order. Obey it at once." The two warriors stopped fighting and seemed almost sheepish as Shirou ran to check on Rin. He didn't get much further before the knight pointed a glowing gun at him.

"That's close enough, dickhead." The knight said in a feminine voice. "You ok Sexy Legs?"

"I'm fine." Rin replied. "And I told you to call me Rin."

"I prefer Sexy Legs."

"You. Are. Infuriating."

"You're just jealous cause I've scored more guys than…"

"HEY!" Shirou interrupted them both. Everyone was now looking at him. "What the hell's going on here? Who was that woman? Who are you two? And why is my uncle covered in armour?" He had to admit, he was panicking.

Arthas removed his helmet, looking at Shirou with his glowing eyes. He sighed. "Come inside Shirou. We've got a lot to discuss."

So there we go. That's almost all the Servants introduced in one form or another. You should have more ideas on who they are after this. For those of you crying foul for Arthas getting beaten so easily, well he wasn't beaten as waylaid. That's what that power does in-game. It holds a powerful enemy in place for you.

Next time, we finally meet with Berserker. And boy, did I choose a good character.