A/N: So this chapter took a little longer than normal. There's a reason for that. University. To be more specific, I'm back at university now, which means that updates aren't going to be quite as fast as they were beforehand. Pumping out a chapter every four days just isn't realistic, what with essays, reports and revision.

That said, I still intend to keep up a fairly rapid pace.


Money had always been an issue for the Tohsaka family. Given that their particular brand of magecraft specialised in transferring prana into highly expensive jewels, and then blowing them up, this was to be expected. And so Tohsaka had been raised with a prudent financial mindset. Or, as Shirou would put it, she was miser. A penny-pincher. The type of person who'd wait for food to near the expiry date before buying, just to preserve that little extra money.

Which was why she couldn't keep the horror completely off her face as Rider examined the 5000 yen note with a critical eye.

"So this is what they use for money nowadays?" Rider asked, tearing the note a little as she turned it round. Rin's eyebrow twitched, but she nodded.

"That's right. Most countries use paper money for larger sums."

"It's easier to carry than gold or coins, I'll give you that," Rider admitted grudgingly. "But I like having the weight of coinage in my pocket. It has a nicer feel to it, y'know?"

"Well, you'd have to carry a lot of coins to afford anything more than a snack in this day and age." Rin said, eyeing the note, which Rider was now twisting between her fingers. "Speaking of which, could you pass that back to me now?"

"Hmmm?" Rider said, apparently deep in thought. She glanced at the piece of paper. "I can't keep it?"

"No, you can't." The words came out more grated than Rin might have liked, given that she'd been aiming for perfect composure.

"Stingy." Rider complained, before she handed the note back with a dissatisfied sigh. "How did I ever get called by a Master who worries about such a tiny amount of money? It's so annoying…"

"That's my line!" Rin snapped, glaring at the Servant. "I didn't summon a Servant to drain my funds!"

"Haaaah." Rider sighed wearily. "Fine, fine. I'll restrain myself a little."

Tohsaka Rin gave the Servant a a suspicious glare. She suspected that her idea of 'restraint', and the Heroic Spirit's idea of 'restraint' were wildly different. Still, if worst came to worst, she had her command seals. There wasn't a hope in hell that she was going to let her own Servant bankrupt her.

Rider got up from the couch where'd she'd been sitting, stretching as she rose.

"Well then Master, I think that's quite enough sitting around, don't you agree?"

Rin frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we should head out and check out the town," Rider said cheerily. "I want to see how the world's changed."

Rin stared at the Servant blankly. "You want to see what?"

"How the world's changed." Rider repeated. "It's been, what? Three, four hundred years since I've been alive? And I'm in a whole new country to boot. How couldn't I want to see the new world?"

Rin sighed wearily. While the summoning hadn't been nearly as bad as she'd expected, she still didn't really feel like going out that night, especially for little more than sightseeing. It was too late for one, and the day had been tiring anyway.

"Maybe tomorrow," She replied. "I'm just too tired right now."

"Oh?" Rider raised an eyebrow. "Bad day?"

"Not bad, just exhausting." Rin corrected. "And frankly, this might be the last good night's sleep I get."

"Fair enough." Rider said, looking a little put out despite her agreement. "I suppose I can get a good look tomorrow anyway."

Rin nodded. Of course, there was no way that she was going to school without Rider. While being a member of one of the three founding families of the Grail War had advantages, it practically declared the fact that she was a Master. Now that she was officially part of the War, it wouldn't be safe to be anywhere without a Servant guarding her.

She couldn't help but feel she was forgetting something though…

A memory of Kotomine Shirou, happily asking to borrow some of her clothes, came to mind.

Her eyes widened. Oh.

"Ah, Rider." The Servant gave her a curious glance, and she hesitated, not entirely sure what to say. "You should know about this. There's another Master at my school, a boy named Kotomine Shirou."

"Really?" Rider's lips curved into a smile. "Well now, I guess that makes our first target a little easier to pick, huh?"

Rin was shaking her head before Rider had even finished. "He's not an enemy."

Rider's eyebrow went up once more. "Really? I'd quite like an explanation to that. I was under the impression that all the other Masters were our competitors in the War."

"He's an old friend," She explained. "We'll probably be working with him, and if not, we'll at least have a truce for most of the War."

"Can he be trusted?" Rider asked, crossing her arms. It was the first time since she'd been summoned that the Servant looked serious, her face expressionless. It was a little gratifying to see.

"I've known Shirou all my life," Rin said, meeting the Servants eyes. "He's an idiot sometimes, but I'd trust him with my life."

"Is that so?" A mischievous smirk crossed the older woman's face. "You seem to have great faith in this 'Shirou'."

"So what?" Rin asked, a little more aggressively than intended.

"It's nothing," Rider responded, her smirk growing wider. "I was just thinking how nice it must be to have someone you feel so strongly about."

"What? No!" Rin shook her head frantically, blush staining her face. "There's nothing like that between me and Shirou!"

"No?" Rider gave a little shrug. "Then why are you blushing? Surely my perfect little Master isn't thinking of something inappropriate?"

"I'm not!" Rin shouted, fists clenched as she glared at the Servant. A flash of an imagined image, one that involved a white dress and a church crossed her mind briefly. It was wildly inappropriate. Her blush deepened.

"Oh, how cute!" Rider said excitedly at that, clasping her hands. "You really thought of something! Do tell."

"I didn't!" Rin backed away, the hand bearing the command seals held up like a ward. "And if you say another word about this, it'll be the last one for the duration of the war!"

"Now, now," The Heroic Spirit said in a placating manner, as if calming down a petulant child. "I was just teasing. I'm sure your relationship with Shirou is nothing more than friendship."

"That's right." Rin confirmed, her face beginning to return to a paler shade. "We're just good friends. That's all."

"Of course." Rider agreed, plopping back onto the chair, pulling out her pipe from that red jacket. She lit it with a match taken from another pocket, then leaned back, drawing in a long pull of smoke. Her eyes closed as she savoured it. She appeared somewhat satisfied, which irked Rin a little.

She watched the Servant for a few seconds, then turned away in satisfaction. It looked like she'd manage to shut the Servant up, at least for now. And without using a command seal, which was more important. She felt the urge to slap herself at the memory. She'd almost used a command seal, a power nearly on par with True Magic, over something as trivial as her Servant teasing her a little. On the actual day of summoning! What kind of idiot would do something like that?

Rin gave a little sigh as she tromped back to her room. If this was just her first day, she really wasn't looking forward to the rest of the War.


Shirou slipped back into his seat with a relieved sigh. The walk back the Chinese restaurant hadn't been exactly fun, what with the shards of rib floating around in his chest, but he'd persevered. While he'd been tempted to ask Ilya for help, he doubted that allowing another Master to tamper with his body was a good idea, no matter how much of a 'Hero of Justice' she proclaimed herself to be. So his bones remained in… less than perfect shape.

More than that, he'd had to explain to Batsu-san about the blood on him. While he'd cleaned as much of it off as possible, there were still a few splatters which stubbornly refused to vanish. He'd also closed his coat, disguising the rather large hole in his top. His story of leaping in to save the two girls with him from muggers had been accepted though, with the manager even giving him a hearty congratulatory slap on the back. Which had hurt. A lot.

The snow white girl picked up a menu as she sat opposite him, browsing over it with every sign of interest. To his surprise, Saber did the same, if anything even more interested than her Master in the contents of the menu.

"Hmmm…" Ilya mused. "I've never really had much Chinese before. Do you recommend anything?"

"It's all good," He replied, adjusting his sitting position a little. "Except for the Mapo tofu."

"Is it hot?" Ilya asked curiously, peering at him over the sheet of paper in her hands. He fought down a laugh at that. Even his crusade against the over-abundance of spices in Batsu-san's food hadn't so much as touched the Mapo tofu. If anything, it had only driven the man to make it worse. Hot? The fires of the sun as they burn your skin to ash are hot. Batsu-san's Mapo tofu has long since surpassed the ability of human vocabulary to describe in such a fashion.

"Fairly hot," he responded casually. "I'd advise something else anyway."

"Well, I like spicy foods," Ilya declared, slamming the menu down. "Besides, you've got my interest now!"

"It's your funeral," He said, shrugging. That was one Master down then. Ilya obviously wouldn't survive the meal. And there he'd been thinking that Saber might be a threat.

A tug at his sleeve drew his attention, and he turned to Assassin. The Servant's gaze alternated between him and the menu.

"Do you want something too, Assassin?" He asked. The look on her face certainly suggested that she did.

Assassin seemed to pause in thought for a second, then nodded. "I would like more of what I had earlier."

Shirou grimaced slightly as he pulled his wallet out. He could already feel what little remained of his savings dwindling. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Somewhere, Rin's laughing at me, He thought sourly, memories of all the times he'd teased her about her stinginess with money rising to the surface. He could almost imagine her pointing a finger at him, a wide 'Who's laughing now?' smirk across her face.

They ordered soon after, one of the waitresses taking their requests and departing back to the kitchen. After she was gone, Shirou turned to Ilya.

"We should be left alone for a while now." He said, meeting the little girls eyes. "Can I ask what this is about?"

Ilya watched him carefully for a second, then leaned back. "That's simple." She replied. "I want to know why you're fighting in the Grail War."

Shirou frowned slightly at that. Why he was fighting in the Grail War? It seemed unimportant in the grand scheme of things, a reason important only to him and him alone. While knowing it might give a slight advantage to another Master, Ilya could have simply had him killed earlier if she'd been of the mind.

"Really?" He asked doubtfully. "That's it?"

"Yep." The girl stated cheerfully. "I actually wanted to ask the Master you were fighting as well, but her Servant made a run for it too quickly." She paused suddenly, looking thoughtful. "Well, I've actually got a few other questions for you personally, but they can wait."

Shirou closed his eyes. Around the table, everyone was silent, their attention seemingly fixed on him. The reason I'm fighting, huh?

"There's a bit of a story to that," He said finally, eyes opening. "And it's not particularly interesting."

"Well, I want to hear it anyway." Ilya responded firmly.

"Alright." He folded his arms. "My earliest memory is that of a burning city. Fuyuki City"

The air at the table froze slightly at that, with Ilya looking at him curiously, and Saber suddenly looking like the bottom had fallen out of her stomach. Assassin fixed him with her gaze, her attention clearly focused on him.

"For all intents and purposes, my life started there, amidst the flames and screams of people dying." He gave a small, sardonic smile. "It wasn't the best start I could have asked for, but there you go."

The silence around the table remained, so he continued. "From the moment I heard about it, I wanted to experience the War myself, to know what drove the previous battle to that conclusion. Why did the combatants of the Fourth War fight? Was such a thing what they wanted? Was the situation that intense? Is the Holy Grail War that exciting? Is it fun? What was it like to battle against the greatest figures in human history, Heroic Spirits ascended to the Throne of Heroes? To war with them for a single, absolute wish?"

He gave a small, embarrassed smile. "It was a childish curiosity, but it drove me like a whip lashing at my back. I spent my life preparing for it, readying myself for a battle that may not even have come. But," He turned his gaze upon Ilya. "It did come. So to answer your question, I'm fighting in the Holy Grail War because it's the Holy Grail War. It made me who I am. And more importantly, I can't just ignore something on this scale, not something that offers so many new sights and sounds, ones that can't be found anywhere else."

"So…" Ilya said, shaking off the maudlin air that was permeating the table. "You're just fighting the War for the experience itself? You don't want the Grail?"

"I don't particularly care for it one way or another." He said calmly. "I don't have a wish I want granted, and I wouldn't object to seeing someone else make a wish on the thing. That would be interesting in it's own way."

"Then-" Ilya began to speak, but he cut across her.

"But I still intend to win. After all, Assassin answered my call because she wanted the Grail. I owe it to her to aim for victory." He turned to the Servant. "Right?"

Assassin looked at him, then slowly nodded. "…Yes."

It occurred to him, as Assassin said that, that he didn't know what Assassin actually wanted from the Grail. In fact, Assassin was still so very much a mystery to him. While he was beginning to get an idea of her personality, her past and her reasons for competing in the Grail War were unknown to him, and she wasn't exactly being talkative on the matter. He frowned slightly at that. While he didn't want to force her on this, he couldn't help but feel that he should know why she was fighting. Later then, after I've finished with Ilya.

Ilya was quiet now, apparently deliberating internally. Eventually, she nodded. "Thank you for telling me. It was… enlightening."

"It's fine." Shirou said, waving away the thanks. "I have a question myself now, if you don't mind."

Ilya looked at him curiously. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." He leant forward, gaze alternating between Ilya and her Servant. "When we introduced ourselves, you were interested in the fact that my family name is Kotomine. Why?"

Ilya hesitated, but spoke up after a few seconds. "Do you know of Emiya Kiritsugu?"

Shirou almost laughed. The Magus Killer, feared for his ruthless extermination of those who's actions brought harm on others. The man who had forced his Servant to destroy the Grail, bringing destruction upon Fuyuki City. How could he not know Emiya Kiritsugu?

"I do." He replied eventually.

"He was my father." Ilya continued, watching him carefully. Genuine surprise filled Shirou's mind at that.

His father had told him stories about his rivalry with Emiya Kiritsugu, about their battle beneath the Grail, each striving to prove themselves worthy of the artefact. He'd spoken of the magi's skill with firearms, his magecraft and his sheer determination with something like respect, a rare thing for Kotomine Kirei to have. But he'd never mentioned that Kiritsugu had a wife or child, never spoken about the relationships that the man had.

A thought struck him. If Kotomine Kirei had told him about Emiya Kiritsugu, and the rivalry his father felt had been reciprocated, then was it not possible that Emiya Kiritsugu had told his daughter about Kotomine Kirei? In fact, her reaction to his name practically guaranteed that such a thing had occurred.

"I see." He said emotionlessly, refusing to let either his surprise or newfound concern show on his face. "Well, that's unexpected." An understatement, but he honestly couldn't think of anything else to say.

Ilya made an odd expression at that. He blinked. She seemed… guilty? Defensive?

"Is something wrong?" The snow white girl paused at that, then inclined her head in affirmation.

"I thought you'd be angrier." She said, looking a little awkward. "I mean, my father was the man who was responsible for the fire. If it weren't for him, you'd still have your family. You'd still have a normal life."

Shirou shrugged. "I don't remember my biological family, or my old life. For all I know, they were horribly abusive and I was the very picture of misery."

"But, you don't know that for certa-"

"No. I don't. But I don't know that I was happy either." He spoke across her, voice firm. "What is certain is that I like my life as it is now. And that if your father hadn't done what he did, I'd be exactly what you said: a normal person, living a life with no awareness of the hidden conflicts in the world around me. I can't imagine living like that. Frankly, I have no desire to."

Ilya shook her head. "Even so…"

"Should I have called your father a monster, decried him as a fiend? Should I have lashed out at you as a substitute for some fierce anger? Would that help? Would it make you feel better?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "From what I've heard of him, Emiya Kiritsugu wasn't the type to revel in meaningless cruelty to innocents. Didn't he have reasons for unleashing the Grail?"

"Yes." Ilya responded. "He did. And doing what he did haunted him to his grave."

"Then there you go." Shirou said, shrugging. "I can't speak for anyone else, but you don't have to defend your father's honour from me."

"Is that so?" He turned to face the new speaker. Saber met his gaze head on. He shivered slightly. She unnerved him in a way that no-one else could. Even now, when she seemed uncertain talking to him, a primal fear was running down his spine. He couldn't place the reason. If anything, Saber was the least… dark Heroic Spirit he'd ever met. But that radiance worried him far more than Assassin's spite, or Lancer's animalistic rage. "You truly hold no grudge?"

"That's right." He took a sip of water, calming his nerves somewhat. "I mean, I do want to want to know why he did it, but I don't have any attachments to my life before the fire."

Saber seemed slightly relieved at that, her pose relaxing somewhat. Ilya meanwhile, was watching him thoughtfully. After a time, she gave a satisfied nod, as if she'd confirmed something.

"I thought it when we met, but you're not a bad guy, are you? You're a little twisted, but not evil."

Shirou smiled at the question. "Well, I can't make any claims to being a Hero like yourself, but I'm not using orphans to fuel my kitten mulching machine either."

Ilya gave a small giggle, then grinned. "Well, you're not like your father at any rate, so I can let you live for now."

The room went silent.

Assassin's pose changed subtly, her near slouch becoming far more predatory. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Saber, who shifted, her hand clenching around her invisible weapon as she levelling a fierce glare at the other Servant. If Assassin seemed bothered by this, she didn't show it, her own gaze hot with bloodlust as she eyed the Einzbern girl.

Shirou sighed, grinding his face into the palm of his hand. "Ilya, was the 'for now' really necessary?"

Ilya shrugged. "I'm probably going to have to kill you at a later date," She said cheerfully. "But I quite like you, so I'm not going to do it now."

How kind of you, Shirou thought dryly. Truly you are the very model of generosity and goodwill. He suppressed the urge to say it. Antagonising Ilya, particularly with Saber staring over her shoulder like a hawk, seemed like a bad idea.

"Well," He replied casually. "At least you're honest."

Ilya giggled mischievously once more, the laughter striking a harsh contrast with the tension building on the table.

"Ummm…" They turned as one to face the waitress holding a tray, their food laid on it. The woman was obviously nervous, instincts detecting the murderous intent lashing around the table, even if she herself wasn't capable of consciously placing it's source. "E-excuse me."

"Ah, thanks. I'll give you a hand." Shirou said, taking two of the plates from the tray, laying them in front of himself and Assassin, then repeating the process for Ilya and Saber's dishes. The waitress mumbled some thanks, then rapidly retreated from the table.

Even the newly placed food didn't alleviate the tension much, Assassin still staring at Ilya with bloodlust and Saber still warning the other Servant off with. Shirou sighed. He hadn't ordered much to eat, his wounds still aching from the battle with Bazett, but the sheer tension would make this meal impossible to enjoy from any perspective.

"Assassin, calm down." He reached out, touching her arm gently. She swivelled, watching him. "Ilya's not going to have me executed here and now, OK?"

The Servant hesitated a moment, then relaxed somewhat, her bloodlust fading. She still moved her seat a little closer to his before starting to eat though. Saber remained cautious for a little while longer, but eventually seemed to accept that Assassin had genuinely calmed down, and attacked her food with a fervour.

As they ate, Shirou became aware of two things. The first was that Ilya actually seemed capable of both eating and enjoying the Mapo tofu, a feat he had thought possible only for his father. The second was Saber.

He'd been impressed, and horrified, at his own Servant's ability to put away food. It paled before the golden haired Servants. She was a typhoon, a hurricane, the wrath of an angry god aimed at foodstuffs. The food was seemingly inhaled rather than eaten, vanishing into her mouth at an astonishing rate. Her plate was almost empty, barely three minutes into the meal, and she showed no signs of slowing down.

Assassin seemed to be trying to compete with her nonetheless.

The small Servant had sped up her own pace, fork little more than a blur of steel as it moved between plate and mouth. The two Servants made a strange picture; two girls, both slight of form, devouring what appeared to be their own weight in curry. Eventually however, they reached an impassable barrier. They ran out of food.

Assassin turned, her gaze, focused on his plate, telling him exactly what she wanted. He sighed.

"Would you like mine?" The question had barely left his lips before Assassin nodded, fork shooting forward, snatching pieces of the curry like a striking snake. Eventually, she seemed to deem this inefficient, and simply pulled the plate in front of her. He sighed again.

"Shirou." Assassin said, proffering a hunk of meat on her fork. "Do you want some?"

It was quite a cute sight. Though he couldn't help but think that it would have been cuter if she hadn't been offering him his own food after claiming it for herself.

"Thanks." He replied, leaning towards the fork with his mouth open. Assassin put it in his mouth then watched him chew it, a satisfied look on her face. "Yep. It's good."

She nodded, then focused her attention back on the food, obviously feeling that she'd fulfilled some kind of obligation.

Eventually, the meal came to an end and Ilya stood, stretching. "It's probably time for us to go now, Saber. Sella and Leysritt are probably panicking."

Saber nodded, standing up and moving beside her Master. Ilya glanced down at Shirou, who was still seated. "It was nice meeting you, Shirou." She winked. "Try to stay alive till the end, 'k? I quite like you, so it'd be a shame for someone to just kill you."

"Before you, you mean?" Shirou asked, amused despite himself.

"Oh, I was just teasing you with that. You're far too interesting to just kill off." Ilya shook her head. "Besides, I'm a Hero. I only take out the villains, right?"

"If you were just teasing, couldn't you had said that earlier?" Shirou asked, rubbing his brow in exhaustion. "You know, when Assassin was poised to jump at you?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Ilya exclaimed, as if surprised he'd even asked the question. "Misunderstandings, both deliberate and accidental, are the spice of life! Whether it's falling onto a girl's chest as your love interest walks through the door, or making someone think you're going to kill them, it's all fun! "

Ilya laughed loudly as Shirou groaned, placing a couple of notes down and trotting to door. As she was about to leave, a question that had been gnawing on Shirou since the revelation of Ilya's fathers identity finally left his lips.

"Ilya." He called out. She turned, facing him with a curious expression. "I never directly asked this, but I really do want to know: Why did Emiya Kiritsugu destroy the grail?"

Ilya raised a finger to her lip, taking on a thoughtful pose. "Hmmm. Well, since you introduced me to a great restaurant, I'll set you on the right track." She smiled cheerfully. "The Holy Grail isn't exactly what you think it is."

Shirou frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ask your father." Ilya said. "He knows."

He opened his mouth to question her further, but she spun out of the door, giving him a wave as she left, Saber following close behind.

He stared at her fading back, mind whirling. The Holy Grail wasn't what he thought it was? Then what exactly was it supposed to be? All he knew about it had come from Kotomine, Gilgamesh and Rin, and all their stories had agreed: The Grail was an omnipotent artefact, a magical device that could fulfil any wish. That was why people fought for it. If it was something other than that, then didn't that render the whole War pointless?

Well, not pointless for him. In fact, if the Grail was different from what he'd been led to believe, then that would be even more interesting. Yet another mystery to discover. He could already feel himself getting excited, that familiar urge to investigate welling up.

"Shirou." Assassin said quietly, drawing his attention from his thoughts. "Do you want me to kill the Master?"

He paused, giving the Servant a surprised look. "You can do that? Even with Saber there?"

Assassin nodded.

Shirou frowned. The idea was quite tempting. Ilya was almost certainly the strongest competitor in the War, her Servant near invincible. In straight combat, it was likely that not even Assassin and Lancer working together could defeat Saber. More than that, Saber genuinely frightened him, her very presence setting him on edge. He couldn't even look at her without that feeling of dread running through his body. Getting rid of her would be a relief.

Eventually though, he shook his head. "No. Leave her be for now."

Assassin's head cocked curiously, obviously surprised. "…Why?"

"Because Saber can cut down our competition," He responded. "She's probably the strongest Servant in this War, and the longer we leave her be, the more Servants she kills. Which means the less we have to go through."

Assassin seemed to think over this for a second, then nodded. "...That's fine then."

Shirou rubbed his head, thoughts jumbling together. Ilya's identity, doubt thrown on the Holy Grail, Assassin's secrets, his strange refusal to die, even with a sword buried in his chest… The only thing that was certain was that way too much had happened tonight.

"Let's… let's just head home." He said tiredly, standing up.


"Is it really fine to leave him be?" Saber asked, watching the girl in front of her carefully. Ilya had always been whimsical, making decisions based on little more than her current mood, but this seemed careless even for her.

"Yep, yep." Ilya responded happily. "It's fine. He's not that bad a guy."

"Even so," Saber continued, refusing to let the argument drop. "He is a Master. If you wanted to spare him, we should have still killed his Servant. Assassin is always trouble."

"Don't worry so much, Saber." Ilya said, beginning to skip a little. "There's no way that Assassin can get past you, right?"

Saber shook her head. "I can't guarantee that. She does not appear to be Hassan-I Sabbah. She may possess differing abilities from the Assassin's normally summoned."

Ilya paused at that for a second, but quickly gave a shrug. "Well, it'll be fine. I trust you Saber."

Saber sighed. It wasn't that Ilya's trust was misplaced. She'd give up her own life to protect the girl without a moment's hesitation if necessary. It was just that she wouldn't always be given that option. A knife driven into Ilya's back while she was sleeping would be as much a threat as a sword aimed at her in the day, if not more so. No matter how carefully she protected her, there'd be moments where her guard wasn't quite as sharp as it could be, where she wasn't quite as focused as she should be. That would be when Assassin would strike.

"Hey, Saber." Ilya had stopped, and spun round. "Did Shirou seem… weird to you?" Saber blinked.

"He was certainly unusual. But he has had a unique life, after…" She hesitated, a twinge of guilt coming to life. "After the fire, and being adopted by that priest."

"Not like that," Ilya replied, waving the answer away. "I mean, did he feel weird to you? Like, like…."

The girl paused, a confused expression on her face. "…I can't explain it."

Saber shook her head. "He didn't feel any different to any other magus." She replied. "But perhaps you are sensing something I am not. I would not dismiss your instincts out of hand, Ilya."

"Maybe," Ilya said, still seeming slightly uncertain. "I guess I'll keep an eye on him."


The moon hung low above the temple, yet seemed to cast little light upon its dark form. Within it, monks went around their business lifelessly, as if no more than puppets. Which in truth, is what they'd been reduced to.

The hooded woman sat in the central hall, her eyes closed as she focused, completing her link to the nexus of leylines that this temple sat upon. Across from her, her Master watched silently, waiting for her to finish. She shivered slightly, suppressing her disgust. His attentions were still as foul as ever, even when they were not lecherous in intent.

After a moment, she opened her eyes.

"It is done, Master."

He made no sign of congratulations, or even satisfaction. Instead, he merely stood, gesturing for her to follow. Despite her misgivings, she followed him. How could she not? The two remaining seals upon his hand guaranteed she would. Her only choice was whether to walk, or be forced to crawl. Or worse.

Caster had never considered herself a good person. She had betrayed, and been betrayed in turn. She had willingly let both bitterness and love drive her to monstrosity. She was kin slayer and murderer. But pointless cruelty, to people who had never wronged her, people she had never even met, had never been her way.

Her Master was different.

Eventually, they stopped on the veranda of the temple, staring across at the gate and the city below.

"The sky is beautiful, is it not?"

His voice was as quiet as ever, little more than a whisper. Not that it could be any louder. A ragged gash had been torn in his throat, as if by a jagged stone. The red wound stood out even under the pale moonlight.

"It is, Master." She replied, keeping her voice low and demure. Inside, she seethed. If he let his guard down for even a second, she could finish him. But he wouldn't. He never did. Not even when he… when he enjoyed her company. There was always a part of him that seemed perpetually wary, ever watching the shadows.

"And yet…" He wheezed out a sigh. "I feel so very bored."

She stiffened. There were few things that alleviated his boredom. Murder and sex were among them. She found herself hoping it was the former that he desired tonight.

"Conduct a song for me, Caster." He said, looking down at the city. "I want to hear music."

"Master?" She asked cautiously, uncertain as to exactly he wanted her to do. He gave her a smile, calm and composed.

"Make them sing for me, Caster." His hand swept out, gesturing towards the lights of the city below.

She understood.

The feeding began.

-End-


-?'s Information Corner

Servant Stats.

Servant Class: Saber

Identity: Arturia Pendragon

Master: Ilyasviel von Einzbern

Alignment: Lawful Good (If by Lawful, you mean 'borderline retarded'. Durr hurr, resetting the timeline is a great thing to do! I'm sure that'll have no negative side effects on 1000 YEARS OF HUMAN HISTORY. Or maybe I'm just bitter)

Strength: A (With her twig arms, I've got no idea how she pulls this shit off)

Agility: A (…Not much to say here)

Mana: A+ (She's got little miss psychopath fuelling her. What did you expect?)

Luck: A (She avoided Gilgamesh for 10 years. I'd say that's pretty fucking lucky)

Endurance: A (Again, her body's like a twig. HOW)

Class Skills:

Riding: B (Meh. King of Knights and all. It fits)

Magic Resistance: A (Rin always hated this)

Personal Skills:

Instinct: A (I swear, fighting with her is like trying to play chess with a bloody psychic)

Prana Burst: A (Ever seen someone attach a grenade to a sword? This is the closest equivalent. It's as retarded overpowered as it sounds)

Charisma: B (What can I say? She has her fans. Dat DFC)

Noble Phantasm(/s):

Invisible Air: Rank C (You know, I don't even know why she has this)

Excalibur: Rank A++ (That sword that nobody remembers, because Ea's better)

Avalon: Rank EX (No Sell everything. Superman'd be proud)

-?'s overall analysis:….. You know, this just reminded me how bullshit overpowered Saber is.