The night was quiet as Archer lay asleep in a deep slumber. During his slumber though, he felt like he was having a dream, the setting of this dream was the same as the flashbacks he had earlier. He was back in that classroom standing across from his old servant who was sitting in his throne of desks.

"You're doing a lot better than I thought," his servant said smiling at him.

"This place…" was all Archer could mutter back. He looked around, remembering every detail about this room like he was just there. The sunlight shining through the glass windows of the school, the way the desks were arranged for Archer's throne, the place where he sat to communicate with him, it all felt so familiar.

"Like it? I thought this would be an appropriate setting."

"What? Is this a dream?"

"Heh, you wish. It may feel like a dream, but it's not."

"Then what is it?"

"It's your inner self. Your mind, your subconscious, whatever you want to call it. It's just easier to do this while you're sleeping, so it's understandable why you may think it's a dream."

"How in the hell did you end up here? Why are you here?"

"It's…a long story. I can see that you adapted quickly to Kanshou and Bakuya, as well as being a master marksman."

"What..?"

"The swords. Those are their names."

"Oh, well that's- wait, don't try and change the subject! Tell me how and why you're here." His servant let out a sigh.

"As persistent as ever…if it wasn't obvious, I'm here to help you. It seems that you've been drug into another world, an alternate universe from the one that we were in."

"Well no shit Sherlock, I can see that, but that still doesn't tell me how you're here. Not only did I die, but like you said I'm in a completely different world, how are you inside my mind?"

"A servant never leaves their master." His servant smiled at him. Archer smiled back even though he was still confused.

"But…aren't you free now? The war is over, I'm no longer your master."

"Look at your hand." He pointed at his left hand. Archer raised his arm and looked at his hand, and on it was his final command seal. "As long as you have that seal, you are my master."

"I can't believe I still have this…and even more I can't believe I didn't see it…"

"Well it's kind of hard to see through those gauntlets you wear, so I can't blame you for not noticing." Hearing this, Archer examined himself and noticed that he wasn't in his armor anymore. He was wearing the school uniform he wore when he was fighting in his war.

"I didn't notice my outfit change either, I guess under my armor I'm not anything more than a school boy huh?" Archer let out a chuckle after he spoke. "What happened after I approached the grail..?" The atmosphere inside the projected classroom changed, it was almost saddening. Archer's eyes looked towards the ground, like he didn't want to know.

"…I went in after you, tried to give you as much time as possible in there to fulfill whatever wish your heart desired. It was the least I could do since I didn't really do much for you throughout the war."

"Don't say that, you did plenty…but why? Why did you go after me? You didn't have to get yourself killed to give me time."

"Does it look like I died? I'm still here aren't I? I'm just here inside you is all."

"But-"

"Look, I'll be honest with you. I have no idea how I ended up here, but I'm part of you now. When you draw power, you draw it from me. You're knowledge of bows and of those blades came from me, the way you fight, the way you shoot, your ability to use projection magic, it all comes from me. Anything combat related draws power from me."

"So then, if my combat comes from you, am I really from the Archer class?"

"That's a good question, and I've been thinking about that too. I've decided that yes you are."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've already tested that theory. In your last fight with Lancer, do you recall that final arrow you shot at him?"

"Sort of. The one that pierced his armor right?"

"Yes. before you shot that arrow I cut off my mana supply from you. That's why you grew so tired all of a sudden. That arrow you fired was one of your own, but what was most interesting was how you were still able to use projection. Even without me you were able to project a bow and fire it with amazing accuracy. Only an Archer class could shoot like that."

"I see…"

"Well, I suppose I've kept you for too long. I should let you get back to reality; you have school in the morning." His servant teased his with a laugh.

"Shut up! You're inside me, so you have to go too genius."

"But I have the option of not paying attention…and plus, inside here I can make anything reality, it's actually a lot of fun, so when you're not fighting I'm here doing whatever I feel like."

"You sound like you're in heaven…"

"I might as well be." The two shared a brief laughter before Archer started to stare at the command seal that was left on his hand.

"…what happens after I use this?"

"Then I'll disappear. I'm here because you have that, I won't vanish right away though, as a perk of being an Archer class servant, but I won't be able to stay for too long."

"You say it like it's no big deal, what will I do when you're gone? If you're giving me strength when I fight, if you're gone then what?"

"Then you'll have to fight for yourself, it's as simple as that."

"You're always so blunt about things…"

"Like you have room to talk, I've heard some of your conversations. Speaking of which, that reminds me, is she..?"

"I'm not sure, she has the same name, she acts the same, but it's not the same girl…it can't be, that girl is in another world…"

"You seem to care for her just the same, even if she is different." Archer looked away from his servant, avoiding eye contact.

"I…I just want her safe. Even if my wish did come true, and that girl got out safely, this one is still in danger. Even if they're not the same person, I'll still protect her with my life. It is my job as a servant." His servant closed his eyes and smiled.

"You haven't changed a bit…it's good to see that your personality carried over, but really now. Time to go; if you ever want a chat, you know where I am. Like I said, it's easiest to do it when you're sleeping, but you don't always have to."

"Hold on! I still have more questions for you!"

"Save them for later, see you around." And with that, it was all over and Archer awoke from his slumber. He sat up in the bed and looked over to Rin who was still sleeping soundly. She must have rolled over in the night since her back was no longer turned to him, now it was her face. He got out of the bed and made his way over to the window that was a few steps away. He looked outside, the sun had just risen and the daylight was starting to emerge. He didn't bother to check what time it was, he just knew it was early.

Did that really just happen? Or was that the most realistic dream ever? There's no way that he could really be in me but… He removed the gauntlet from his left hand, revealing his command seal. It's still here. Then what just happened must've been real. Archer is still alive and he's somehow gotten stuck inside me. He danced around all my questions though, and I didn't really get any answers… God, he's still just as much of a pain in the ass as ever… Archer smiled as he finished his thought. He then turned around and made his way toward the door, checking behind him to make sure Rin was still asleep. He walked out of her room and down the hall, looking inside each door he passed until he found the bathroom. When he finally found it, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He flipped on the light and walked towards the mirror. He placed his hands on the sides of the sink and leaned against the counter. He looked at his reflection for a second, and then took off his gauntlets and put them on the counter. Next, he took off his shirt, and tossed it on the floor. He examined his body, specifically where Lancer had injured him. Even though it had stopped bleeding, the wound was still there. He placed his hand on the wound, and then rotated his shoulder back and forth, making sure that he could move it without it hurting.

I'm surprised this hasn't healed yet, I didn't think it would take very long… He rested his arms back down at his sides. He picked up his shirt and was about to put it back on, when he heard the door open. Rin was on the opposite side, and slowly her eyes met his. It took her a second to process what was going on, but soon her face lit up red.

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't think you were in here!" Rin went to turn around when Archer extended his arm out and caught hold of her hand.

"Relax, it's not like I'm naked or anything. I was just finishing anyways, the bathroom is all yours." Archer let go of her hand and finished tossing on his shirt. He was putting his gauntlets back on, when Rin happened to catch sight of the marking on his hand.

"Hold on a second," She said moving towards him. She grabbed his hand and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the mark on his hand. "Is this a command seal..? How did you get this?" Archer pulled his hand away from her and slipped his gauntlet on.

"It never left. When I finished the war I had one left and I guess it stayed with me." He walked past Rin and left the bathroom. Rin stared after him for a few seconds before she sighed and shut the door.

I wonder what's up with him…he was acting a little strange. She continued to think about that scene as she continued her morning routine.

Meanwhile, Archer had gone downstairs and was searching the cupboards of the kitchen.

"Come on, there's got to be something to eat here…" He sighed as he searched cupboard after cupboard, unable to find the food. He did, however, manage to find all the bowls, glasses, plates, and other unhelpful items. Eventually, after continuous minuets of searching, he became frustrated and gave up. He walked out of the kitchen and back up the stairs to Rin's bedroom. He stepped inside and made his way back over to her bed. He sat down on it at first, but then let his body fall backwards. He stared off into space for a while, still thinking about his confrontation with his servant. He still had a lot of questions to ask him. His thought was broken though when he heard Rin walk into the room. He turned his head so he was looking at her. She was dressed in the girl's uniform, and her hair had been put back up into twin tails.

"I don't suppose you have any food in this house, do you? Cause if you do it's hidden quite well," Archer said to her.

"Of course I do, did you look in the pantry?" Archer smacked himself in the face with his palm.

"My God I'm an idiot…" He sat up in the bed and was attempting to stand up, when Rin's hand hit his chest and pushed him back down. "What're you doing? Seriously, I'm starving!"

"In case you forgot, I still need to replenish your mana." Rin started to turn red again as she got closer to him. She put her hands on his shoulders and then pinned him down to her bed, moving herself on top of him.

"You know, as odd as this sound, something about this strikes me as familiar…" His face was as red as hers as he closed his eyes and tried to think. It took him a few seconds, but then it came back to him. The scene where his servant had lost his mana, didn't she do something like this back then too? He knew he wasn't supposed to look, but curiosity had gotten the best of him and he managed to sneak a quick peek…what was confusion then, was clear to him now. Realizing what was going on, his eyes quickly shot open and he pushed her off of him. He pushed her off to the side so she rolled onto the bed.

"W-what're you doing?! This is the easiest way to do this!" Rin was still blushing even though she was yelling at him. He sat back up in the bed and looked over to her.

"There isn't another way? This just feels…wrong…"

"The alternative option is to drain mana out of living people. I just figured that that would be out of the question for you."

"Those aren't very many choices…"

"I know, but those are the choices you have." Archer sighed and then stood up off her bed.

"Where are you going?"

"…I can't do either of those options. I'll regain my mana on my own; even if it takes longer, I can wait." Archer didn't look back to her as he walked out of her room, leaving her on her bed.

"Archer!" Rin called out to her servant but he didn't stop. He headed towards the stairs, but then his body suddenly stopped moving, like he was paralyzed.

What the hell..? I can't move. Archer's body remained motionless, but soon he felt Rin's presence at his side.

"You really are stubborn... I won't force you to do anything, but I can't have you walking away from me. You're still going with me to school today, and afterwards, maybe I could finally get around to showing you the city…" Rin blushed a little again, and snapped her fingers, making it so Archer could move his body again.

"What did you do to me?" He asked, moving his arms around.

"I casted a paralysis on you; don't worry though, you should be fine now."

"You've got balls casting a spell on your servant." Archer let out a chuckle.

"It was either that or use a command seal."

"Tsk, well whatever, it's over now. Now we can address the real problem…" Archer's eyes narrowed and his voice became surprisingly serious.

"Real problem..?" Rin's face became serious as well as she looked into his eyes.

"I'm still hungry." Any sort of seriousness that was formed had been completely obliterated as a smile came across his face. Rin clenched her fist in anger and grit her teeth.

"You are so unbelievably stupid… You actually had me worried for a second!"

"Heh, sorry, but do you think that you could cook us something to eat? I'm seriously starving…" Archer placed a hand on his stomach and frowned.

"You sure do change your tune awfully fast, but fine. I suppose I can cook something up real quick. We need to get going soon though, we still need to make a stop along the way."

"Oh? And where would that be?"

"We need to get you some casual clothes so you can walk around with me during the day."

"Can't I just stay dematerialized..?" Rin blushed a little at his response.

"Y-you could, I'm just saying that if you wanted to stay in your physical form you could have that option!"

"Why don't you just get me a school uniform? I can just wear that during the day, that way should you need me at school I can at least make myself known. I still think that just staying in spirit form works just as well though…"

"I guess a school uniform would work; it shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of an extra one."

"Now that that's settled, can we please eat now?" Rin smiled and chuckled a little.

"Fine, come on." Rin started to walk down the stairs, and Archer followed. They went into the kitchen where Rin got straight to cooking, boiling some water on the stove. Archer sat and waited patiently for her to finish whatever she was cooking. It didn't take her too long to make it, and soon she brought the finished product over to the table.

"Here, eat up." Rin set down a plate in front of Archer. He picked the pair of chop sticks that was lying on the table and poked at the strange dish for a second.

"Is…this edible?" Archer asked making a gross face.

"O-of course it is! You're the one who asked me to cook so you'll eat whatever the hell I make!" Rin got flustered quickly. Archer poked at it a couple more times, and then he finally took a bite. The look of disgust quickly faded away and he began to devour it instantly.

"This is amazing!" He said scarfing it down. Rin looked a little shocked at his comment.

"I-I know. Anything made by me could be nothing less." Archer finished the plate off and then let out a loud belch.

"Excuse me…" He said a little embarrassed. Rin looked to him and then laughed a little.

"That was so gross it was kind of funny. Come on, we should get going." Rin picked up his plate and brought it over to the sink. She then exited the kitchen and made her way to the front door. Archer followed right behind her. The two left the house, and the second they stepped outside Archer dematerialized himself.

"So, about that boy, he's a student of your school right? What will you do if you encounter him?" Rin waited a while before she gave a response, like she was taking a long time to think about it.

"Sooner or later we'll have to fight each other, I know that, but let's just leave him be for now. He isn't really a threat, and he seems to trust us which could work out in our favor. If we can avoid a fight with Saber, then we should. It's not that I doubt your abilities, it's that we don't know enough about his servant to be able to formulate a strategy to use against her."

"But if you kill the boy then the servant won't be an issue anymore."

"I know, but just go with me on this one."

"Whatever you say…" That was the last they said to each other on the subject. They continued to walk down the streets, gradually making their way towards the school. Archer would sometimes stop and admire some things in the window along the way, but he was quick to catch back up with Rin.

"Like I said earlier, after school is out I can show you around the city if you want," Rin said.

"Finally taking me out on that date huh? It's about time." Archer laughed a little as Rin got flustered again.

"For the last time, it's not a date!"

"You know you might not want to shout so loud, people will think you're crazy. Remember, they can't see me." Archer laughed again. Rin looked around and saw a few people staring at her and talking amongst themselves. Rin gritted her teeth in frustration, but she didn't say anything, not wanting to make the situation worse.

As they were heading towards the front gate of the school, a familiar face appeared down the street. It was Shirou, and he was walking with another girl who had short purple hair and purple eyes. She was dressed in the girl school uniform as well.

"Tohsaka!" Shirou shouted waving his hand in the air. Rin looked to him, and then closed her eyes and mumbled something.

"That idiot! He didn't bring his servant with him! Even if I didn't plan on attacking him, he still shouldn't be so reckless…" They eventually met each other as they stepped onto school grounds. As they walked in, Shirou looked to the girl he was with and said something to her.

"I'll see you later Sakura," He waved goodbye to the girl and then joined up with Rin.

"I take it everything went well last night?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, Saber and I had a little argument but we got everything figured out now."

"Speaking of her, why didn't you bring her with you? It's foolish to wander around without your servant."

"I told her not to come, I figured since there's so many people at school I'd be safe." Rin's eyes turned to look to where her servant was walking. She could imagine that he was probably smiling.

"Even so, it's best not to take any chances. You should make sure you get straight home after class then, you won't be safe should sundown come and you're not home."

"Yeah, I know."

"Hey, this is kind of off topic, but could you do me a favor?" Shirou looked at her with a confused look.

"A favor?"

"Yes, could you bring me a set of the boy's school uniform?"

"What? Why?"

"N-no reason…but could you?"

"Sure I guess… I'll stop by the office later and see if they have an extra set lying around. What size?"

"Probably a medium, but could you do it now?"

"Like right now? Class is going to start soon…"

"Come onnn, please?" Rin's voice turned sweet as she looked at him with almost puppy dog eyes.

"I guess…" Shirou sighed. "Wait here then, I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that, Shirou walked away towards the school. Rin smiled to herself as she watched him walk away.

"You know, sometimes I think you take advantage of the fact you're a women," Archer said noticing Rin's smile.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," She replied sarcastically. They stood outside the building for a few minutes, and soon Shirou came back with a school uniform in his hands.

"Here," He said handing them to Rin. She smiled at Shirou and thanked him. "Well I need to get to class before I'm late, you should too. See you around." Shirou turned around and started to walk away, tucking his hand in his pocket. Archer watched as he walked away, replaying what he had just said in his mind.

"See you around…" The way he smiled, the way he said it… it felt familiar, like I've seen that before…

"…cher! Archer! Hey, are you listening?" Rin's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah sorry, just thinking. What's up?"

"I want you to materialize and go change into these, after that you can dematerialize again."

"…If it's what you order…"

"Wait! Don't materialize here! Wait till we get inside, I'll take you to where the bathrooms are and you can do it in there."

"Fine fine, let's go then." Rin began to make her way into the school, where inside were many students walking with each other, some just standing around, and others were talking. She led him to where the bathrooms were, and looked around, making sure that nobody was walking towards them.

"Step inside and then materialize."

"Yes, I am aware of how this process works, thanks though." Rin waited a few seconds, and then Archer reappeared in front of her at the entrance of the bathroom. Rin handed him the uniform and he turned and headed back into the bathroom. A few more minutes passed before he came back out, now dressed in the uniform. Rin looked at him, admiring the change. He looked different without his armor on, he looked just like another high school student.

"I feel weird being back in uniform again…" Archer mumbled tugging on the collar of his shirt.

"W-well I think you look good…" Rin blushed as Archer looked at her. He then smiled at her. "D-don't take that the wrong way! I didn't mean anything by that!"

"Yeah sure whatever. You better get to class, you're going to be late if you stand here and continue to compliment me." He teased her once more before dematerializing again. "I'll be on the rooftop should you need me." Rin nodded her head and then started for her classroom.

She took her seat in the classroom; it was towards the back and next to the window. She stared outside most of the class, not really paying attention to what the teacher was saying. She knew pretty much everything about the class. If you ask anybody in that school who the role model was, they would say Rin Tohsaka.

Her morning classes came and went, and soon it was lunchtime. Instead of heading towards the cafeteria to eat, she decided she would head to the roof and check on Archer. She climbed the stairs that led to the top, and then stepped outside.

"Archer..?" She asked softly.

"Done so soon?" He replied, materializing himself. He was looking out over the edge of the roof. Rin made her way towards him until she too was looking out over the edge.

"Not yet, it's lunchtime right now. Just thought I'd check to see if you were still here," Rin teased him.

"Heh, where else would I go?"

"Good point I guess…well you could go back to my house and do who knows what…" Archer laughed a little as he continued to stare out in front of him.

"Yes, I'm going to go back to your house and raid your underwear drawer because I've got nothing better to do." He looked at her and smiled. She sighed, but then she too smiled.

"Well, I'm going to go get some lunch, want me to bring you anything?"

"No thanks, I'll be fine until you get done with school. I wouldn't mind though if you cooked whatever you made this morning again." Rin let out a soft chuckle.

"Breakfast for dinner huh? Sure, why not." Rin turned around and made her way back towards the stairs, and as she did Archer dematerialized himself again. As she was getting ready to head down, three other boys were heading up. One of them was skinny and looked like a stereotypical jock, while the other two were a couple of heavy looking students.

"Well well boys, look what we have here? Miss Rin Tohsaka, queen of the school. Hey, where you going? No need to hurry." The jock looking one spoke to her. The two other boys behind him laughed amongst themselves as they pushed their way to the roof.

"Please, I don't have time to waste on losers like you," Rin tried to push her way past them, but one of the bigger ones threw his arm out in front of her and pushed her back.

"Losers huh? You better watch your mouth bitch." The jock stepped out in front and placed his hand under her chin. She quickly and angrily swatted it away. "Come on babe, don't be so tense. Loosen up." His voice became violent as he ended his sentence. He pushed Rin back by her shoulders, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards. Archer was quick to show himself though as he appeared behind Rin and caught her, preventing her from falling. All of the boys jumped backwards when they saw Archer appear.

"Woah! The fuck did you come from?!" The jock shouted at him. Archer ignored him, focusing his attention on Rin.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, helping her back up to her feet.

"I'm fine, but you didn't have to show yourself to the likes of these guys."

"Hey! Dickhead! What's the matter, you deaf or something? I'm talking to you!" Archer turned his attention to the boy that was taunting him.

"…May I?" He looked to Rin, asking her for approval.

"Fine…just don't go too rough, we don't need this kind of attention. Just knock them out or something so I can leave." Archer smiled and cracked his knuckles, facing back towards the boys.

Just as it started, it was over in a flash. All of the boys had been knocked out cold with little to no effort made by Archer.

"Well that was boring, they sure talk a lot for weaklings," Archer mumbled dissatisfied. Rin walked passed him with a smile on her face.

"I'll be back once classes are over, don't go anywhere okay?"

"I'll be here." And with that Rin headed back down the stairs, and disappeared back into the school.

Archer walked back over to the edge of the roof where he went right back to staring off into space. As he looked out over the ledge, his body dematerialized back to his spirit form.

What took hours only seemed like minutes, as Rin was soon back up on the roof.

"All done," She said happily.

"Really? That was fast. I must've been more zoned out than I thought…" Archer replied.

"You've been really spacy today, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I must still be a little tired is all." Rin let out a sigh as she leaned her back up against the edge of the roof.

"…I need to tell you something…" Rin's voice was quiet as her face started to turn a little red.

"And what would that be?"

"I might've lied earlier when I told you that you only had two options to replenish your mana…" Archer pulled his body away from the ledge as he looked to her confused.

"What do you mean..?"

"I can transfer mana to you without you having to kill people, or… you know… sleep with me…"

"Then why-"

"Don't ask…I was just…testing you I guess you could say…it's a girl thing."

"Testing me…? Testing me for what?"

"Just don't ask…"

"You don't make any sense, you know that?"

"S-shut up!"

"So then, what is the alternative that you 'forgot' to mention?"

"When we made our contract, we made a connection with each other, and that's how I'm able to signal you when I need you, or how you're able to find me wherever I am. I can use that connection to transfer my mana to you; it can also be used vice versa should the situation ever arise."

"I see… you could've told me this earlier you know, it's not like you can't tell me things. I don't know what it is that you were 'testing' about me, but you can trust me. There's one thing that I need to get through to you, I'm here to protect you. I would give my life for you in a heartbeat."

"Archer…"

"You may think that I'm being sappy right now, but I'm being dead serious. You're my master and it's my job to protect you, no matter the cost."

"…You're right. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"What's done is done, let's just move on. So, how does this whole mana transfer thing work then?"

"It's really quite simple. Here, give me your hand." Archer did as she said and extended his hand out to her. She took hold of it in hers and then closed her eyes. She mumbled some words under her breath, and then Archer's body started glowing. It lasted for a few seconds, and then it was done. Rin opened her eyes again, and then nearly lost her balance. She fell forward, but Archer was right there to catch her.

"You okay? You didn't have to give me this much, I could've recovered some of it on my own you know."

"I'm fine… I think maybe it's me that just needs to rest now."

"Then let's get back to your house."

"But-"
"No buts. You can show me around later. For now though you need to get your strength back. Next time don't use so much that you can't walk."

"Give me a break, it was my first time ever doing that to a servant, it all happened a lot faster than I imagined, and I couldn't cut it off in time."

"Relax, I'm just giving you shit. Come on, let's go." Archer helped Rin back to her feet and then stepped away from her. Rin took one step, but that was it before she almost fell again. Once again, Archer had stepped in and held her up. He put her arm around him so she could balance herself.

"My legs feel like jelly, I must've used up way to much mana… I didn't expect you to need as much as you did."

"Well when I came to this world I wasn't at full strength anyways, plus all of the extra mana I used in my multiple battles with Lancer, I was running pretty low."

"But still…"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Here, hop on my back so we can get you back home." Archer bent his knees down and lowered his body.

"This again? Fine," Rin didn't struggle this time like she did last time. She hopped up on his back and put her arms around his neck. He placed his arms around her legs and then started to run. With a running leap, he jumped from the roof of the school to another nearby roof. He leaped from building to building, making his way to Rin's house.

"You sure can see a lot from up here," Rin said looking down to the city below. The gentle breeze of the wind ran by her face as they flew through the air.

"I know, why do you think I like high places? I like looking at things." Rin smiled and then closed her eyes, tightening her grip around his neck a little. He carried her the rest of the way to her house, all the way until they were standing on her roof. He jumped down from the roof, and made his way to the front door. He took one hand off of Rin and opened the door. He stepped inside, but sitting on the couch in the living room was an all too familiar face.

"Nice to see you again," He said.

"Lancer…" Archer mumbled as he stared down Lancer once more.

*AN* Updated 4-27-2017