Alright, some things:

First, I have been really lazy, and haven't written much of anything for two weeks. That was dumb of me, cause I just started a story, then let it stagnate. So, to remedy that, here is a day's worth of writing, in a couple of chapters... update... things. Yeah.

Second, I am still taking feedback on the story. Those who have commented, thank you. It gave me a lot of ideas to work with, and I appreciate it. I also would like to hear any criticisms, problems, etc. I can't get better if I don't know when I screwed up.

So anyway, that out of the way, here is an update. Enjoy.


NIGHT [1]


"Ah, that was a good fight."

Evangeline glanced up at the blue haired woman beside her. Rider was smiling, hands behind her head, totally relaxed, her eyes were closed as she walked beside Eva. Eva raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so happy? They barely passed the test."

"Nah, that guy was holding back." Rider brought her hands down to her hips as she began to laugh. "He didn't even use any special moves, and he was able to block one of my lasers. THAT was pretty impressive."

Eva's eyebrow raised even more "Then he's an idiot. Why would he hold back in this fight?"

Rider shrugged, opening her eyes. "You heard him. Probably that stupid code he mentioned. I don't claim to understand you humans and your qu-" Rider froze where she was, head snapping to the left. She stared off into the now dark sky, glancing back at the park.

Eva stopped as well, looking at Rider. The previously emotionless expression she had been wearing shifted into a nervous one. "What? What is it?"

Rider continued staring for a moment, then shook her head, face splitting into a grin. "Nothing, nothing. Thought I sensed someone, but it was just those two limping away." Her eyes darkened, growing more serious. "Speaking of, are you sure about letting them go?"

"Yes.' Eva nodded, moving forward again. "Since we let them go after such a strong performance, that will leave them in debt to us. Which we can take advantage of later if we need to force them to become our allies."

Rider nodded, clapping a hand on Eva's shoulder "Heh, I'd expect nothing less of my Master! You certainly play the role of ice-cold beauty to a T! Even I was impressed by your performance"

Eva colored, blushing at Rider's words. "Its the only way we have a chance! I'll wear whatever mask I have to to win this-!" She began hotly, glaring at Rider before she started coughing. It was a low, racking cough, that shook her frame and made her pause and steady herself against a nearby streetlamp. When the fit stopped, her breathing remained ragged as she fought to catch her breath.

"Alright, alright. I understand." Rider crouched down next to Eva, then jerked her head towards her back. "Climb on. I'll give you a ride home, 'My Lady'." Her lips curled into a smirk, but her eyes remained serious.

Eva looked like she was about to reject the offer, but then sighed, defeated. "Fine, you win. I'm only doing it because its more convenient."

"Sure thing, Master." Eva clambered onto Rider's back, wrapping her arms around Rider's neck for support. As she clung there, the older woman put her hands behind her back to support Eva's weight, then set off down the street.

As time passed, Eva's breathing eased, and the slight jostling from Rider's pace began to lull her to sleep. "Hey... Rider...?" Eva's voice was quieter than before, causing Rider to glance back into her face. Eva's face was pressed into Rider's neck, her eyes half closed as she hung on to the blue haired woman. "I'm sorry I'm not a better master."

Rider stared at her, then her face broke into a grin again "Nah, you're alright. Don't worry about that sort of thing." Grinning, she picked up the pace a little, then kicked off from the ground. Instead of falling, she continued to rise into the air, until she was a good fifty feet above the ground. Leaning forward, she continued to move forward, flying silently over the empty street.

"Lets head home, Master."


Rider drifted alongside the river, the lights from streetlamps and porch-lights below making the streets sparkle. A brisk wind blew through her clothing, and she shivered. Rider wished she was wearing thicker clothing instead of her battle gear, but it didn't matter, as she could see the western style house district where Eva lived.

On her back, Eva's body rose and fell as she quietly slept, her arms wrapped tightly around Rider as the two flew along. Rider glanced back, and saw that the girls blonde hair had turned white under the pale moonlight that peeked out from behind the clouds. As a particularly cold gust blew past, Eva mumbled, clinging tighter to Rider's back for warmth.

"Hey, don't worry, we're almost home." Rider said softly to the sleeping girl as she began to descend, finally touching down on one of the streets, about a block from Eva's house.

As Rider walked down the quiet streets, she shifted the small girl on her back, trying not to wake her up. Her Master had forced herself to come out here tonight, and she wanted to get her home as quickly as possible. Accelerating, Rider moved briskly towards the intersection up ahead, walking past the homes that bordered the street with dark windows. The only light came from the streetlamps and the occasional glimpse of the moon through the cloudy mass moving across the sky

Upon turning the corner, Rider spotted the residence that Eva called home. It was a two story building, built in the western style, like all the others in the area. Eva had mentioned something about inheriting the place from a relative, but Rider hadn't been paying to much attention at the time. As she walked towards the building, she took in the brick and stone construction, surrounded by a wall that separated the building from the outside world. In the center of the wall, a trellis archway covered in creeper vines stood, with a stone path leading up to the wooden steps into the building. Under the archway, a man dressed in black, and the rose bushes planted around the-

Rider stopped. Standing under the archway was indeed a young man dressed in a black uniform, resembling the classical Japanese school uniform: Black over coat, buttoned up the front, with buttons on the cuffs, a white inner lining and undershirt, straight black slacks covering his legs, and black dress shoes on his feet. He stood against one of the archways, hands in his pockets, eyes closed as he gazed up at the night sky. He somehow appeared to stare endlessly into the cloudy void overhead despite his eyes remaining shut.

A shiver ran down Riders back as the man's head came down, and he turned toward them. When he opened his eyes, she saw that the Iris was completely black, mixing with the pupil to create a pitch black hole in a sea of white. Upon seeing Rider standing at the end of the street, the strange man smiled. As he moved out of the archway, the wind tugged at his clothing, making it billow gently. His limp black hair stubbornly clung to his head, refusing to be ruffled by the soft breeze.

Another shiver passed down Rider's back, but this one was of fear. She hadn't even detected the boy's presence as she had approached the house. Granted, she didn't have a very strong affinity for sensing people before, and her class didn't grant her any improvements to it, but she prided herself on being able to detect when someone was closing in on her. As the boy continued to walk slowly towards her, Rider noticed that he had a weird gait, and his arms didn't bend as he swung them by his side. Yet another shiver ran down her spine.

As the distance between the two of them shrank, Rider felt her limbs began to quake with a repressed urge - to move - to move away from, to run as far away form this person, who had appeared before her without even setting off her instincts. Shuddering, she stood her ground and watched as the young man finally stopped, a little over five feet from her. He raised his right hand and waved, smiling widely as he opened his mouth

"[Hello!]" The young mans voice sounded... wrong. Rider felt suddenly ill as the young man continued talking, "[It was such a pleasant day today, I felt I just had to go for a walk. What a happy coincidence running into you two while I was out.]"

The man was obviously lying. He had been waiting for the two of them, and Rider shifted her stance ever so slightly, preparing herself if she needed to move. While she didn't sense any hostility from the man, his voice set her teeth on edge, and the ill feeling inside her grew stronger. She shook her head, trying to clear it as he continued "[Well, that wasn't true. I was looking for you, as well as the other five. So, how are you doing Rider-chan?]"

She started. So this boy-! He had been looking for her, and the other servants, so he must also have been one. The smile he wore now seemed stretched, a mask that sat on his face, covering every other emotion. He moved forward again, closing the distance to a few feet, and leaned in, still smiling. "[Just between you and me, Rider-chan, I am looking forward to this game very much. So many interesting people...]" His eyes slid off of Riders face to the sleeping girl on her shoulder's "[... and so many cute Master's as well.]"

His smile hadn't dimmed, nor had his mask slipped, but Rider could detect the meaning in his words, the threat that he had let slip so casually. This boy before her seemed like he could kill her as easily as he breathed. Wordlessly, she lashed out, one arm aiming right for where his head was, but the boy moved again. He slid under Rider's arm, slipping through her guard and closing the last few steps between them in a second. As Rider began to recoil, he leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. He then whispered "[You know, older women are just as cute. I think you'd look good in a naked apron]"

Rider leaped back, gaining at least fifteen feet in a single bound. Her arm held in front of her, she summoned up a ball of energy. It grew until it was the size of a baseball, white light spilling out from between her fingertips. "Just who the hell are you?" She yelled at the boy, who stood in the same spot as before, gazing at the orb in her hand with unconcerned eyes.

"[Ah! I appear to have forgot to introduce myself]" The boy tapped his right fist on his open left palm, acting surprised. "[How rude of me. I am Assassin! Pleased to meet you.]"

At the pronouncement of his class, Rider's already heightened nerves began to run into overdrive. In the back of her mind, information began to flow into her, informing her of the class just mentioned. Assassin... the class with the ability to completely suppress their presence, to evade detection with ease, and the ones most suited for silently killing their targets. Cold sweat broke out on Rider's skin. Silently killing... yet he had approached her head on. This guy...

"[Sorry, I lied again. I'm actually Lancer.]" The boy tilted his head to the side, his smile just as wide as before. Rider lurched, startled. He had lied about his class, then admitted it just a second later. More so, Lancer! Lancer, one of the three knight classes. Said to be the fastest class, this boy...? Realizing the disadvantage she was at while carrying her master, Rider began to edge backwards, searching for an escape route. Lancer, or Assassin, she couldn't take this man on in her current state.

"[Ah, don't run. I'm not here to fight. More so, I cant fight.]" The boy with the dishonest face said, smiling again. "[My master has ordered me to observe the other contestants. When I saw that one of them was such a beautiful lady, with such a cute master, I couldn't resist saying hello.]"

That said, the boy put his hand in his pockets and turned around. Calling out over his shoulder as he walked down the street to the left of Eva's house, he said "[Oh, and I already meet someone else. He seems really strong! Maybe we'll be joining together in the future to fight him? Or maybe...]" The boy looked over his shoulder, and for a second, the mask fell away. The eye that stared back at Rider was deeper and darker than an abyss, and she could sense the a great welling of emotion inside the previously empty frame. Anger, loathing, disgust, envy, frustration, sadness... the onslaught of emotions went on and on. Just that glance made Riders shivering increase, until her entire body was shivering like a leaf. The boys mouth opened, and from it came his voice, lacking any of the falseness from before.

"... maybe I'll kill you before then." His voice which had lost its fake quality, now sounded hard and harsh, cutting through the air like a knife. More so than the obvious dishonesty his words had held before, now his voice held a direct threat, a promise. He was serious, and the air around him darkened, a black shadow seeming to wrap itself around him. The darkness of the night was drawn towards this man's greater darkness, a void that even shadows were swept into.

And just as quick, it was over. The black aura dispersed, the mask returned, and the boy shot a cheery smile in Rider's direction. "[Kiiidddiiinnngg! See you later, Rider-chan!]" Then we disappeared into the inky night, waving with his left hand as he was swallowed up by the darkness beyond the streetlights.

Rider realized she was shivering, and the cold sweat from before hadn't stopped. That boy... whoever he was, she felt that he was seriously bad news. She hadn't been able to get a grasp of his power from their encounter, and his lack of a presence worried her. If he was Assassin, then that would explain his lack of a presence, but if he was actually Lancer...

Rider found herself wishing fervently that she never encountered that boy again. The orb of light in her hands dwindled to nothing as she felt herself beginning to relax, and she moved down the street. As she crossed under the archway, the remaining threatening feelings she had felt from the boy evaporated, though she kept a watchful eye out. Retrieving the key to the front door from under a potted plant on the front step, Rider unlocked the door and entered the house.


(Author's Note)

Phew, you would not believe how long it took me to write this. I actual wrote the next chapter before this one, but held off on posting it since I felt I wanted to write something that took place in between. Then I got a horrible case of writers block.

I finally managed to nail down where I wanted to take the story today, and slammed out this piece. While the creative mood is on me, I post up the next section, and maybe another chapter? I dunno. Phew, after two weeks, feels good to get some writing done.

And with this, there is another servant introduced. Am I introducing them to fast? I don't know. If you would like it to slow down, or speed up, give me some feedback. Also, if I was not able to portray the new servant properly, I am sorry. His personality is really hard to write. I will try to get better.

Thanks to everyone for their support. Next post coming soon.