After a little more than an hour of walking, we arrived back at my house. The pain in my limbs was gone entirely now, and the wound in my side had closed up. I was miraculously healed and no one, not even Tohsaka, knew why. We had bigger worries than my recovery however. Right now, our first concern was Ayako, who still hadn't regained consciousness. On the other hand, her situation didn't seem to be deteriorating too quickly, and her sleeping face was cool and untroubled.

"Shirou, can we lay her down in one of your bedrooms?" asked Tohsaka. "Saber and I can take her from here. Do you want to make something to eat really quickly? I can get her to wake her up, but then it's up to her. Food is a great way to replenish her strength."

"Alright," I said as I let Tohsaka and Saber take Ayako off my back. "I'll leave her to you. I can cook some rice porridge really quickly. That'll be good for her. Would either of you two like anything?"

"No thanks," said Tohsaka.

"I will have some of the porridge, Shirou," said Saber. "But ensure there is enough for this woman first."

"Right, I'll make enough for both of you," I said. Then Saber and Tohsaka carried Ayako away and I stretched out my limbs before heading into the kitchen. My head was still spinning from the battle earlier today, and cooking would be the best thing for calming my nerves. I was caring for a girl, I had to stay composed and do my best.

We still had leftover rice from breakfast, so I moved it to a soup pot and put it on the stove after a few minutes of pre-heating. There would be more than enough for Saber and Ayako both, so I didn't worry about making any more rice. After adding water, I put two eggs into the mixture and slowly stirred as it came to a boil.

I breathed out, letting my stress flow away as I waited for the porridge to reach the proper consistency. I had survived my first real battle. Not only id I make it out alive, I fought against an enemy Servant myself. Archer had said he knew more about my power. I wasn't sure how he knew about magic, but if he could help me improve, I'd take his assistance no matter how annoying he is.

The sun was beginning to set when I poured the porridge into the bowls and took one to the back of the house. I left the other on the living room table with a spoon. Tohsaka and Saber had put Ayako in one of the back rooms. Saber was now standing by the door in the hallway, standing guard.

"You can go relax Saber. I poured a bowl for you and left it in the living room," I said. "You deserve a break."

Saber's eyebrows rose slightly. "I thank you, Master."

She stepped past me and walked briskly to the living room with a smile on her face. After giving Saber a curious glance I walked into the room to see Tohsaka kneeling next to a conscious Ayako. Tohsaka had laid out a futon and taken off Ayako's jacket, leaving her in just her button-down shirt. It drew my attention to her chest. I never really noticed it, but Ayako had a chest that most girls would kill for. After a second I caught myself staring and averted my gaze. As I sat by her side, I berated myself for looking at her like that. She was just a friend right? More importantly, she was a guest here. I needed to treat her with respect.

"Alright, I'm going to the living room," said Tohsaka with a dismissive gesture towards me. "I'll let you take care of her now, Emiya-kun."

Honestly, I doubted Ayako needed or wanted to be taken care of. She would help others even if she was sick with the flu. If I even tried to coddle her I'd just get talked down to.

As the sound of Tohsaka's footsteps grew softer, I sat next to Ayako and laid the bowl of porridge down in front of her. She was propped up on her arms, looking at me with a furrowed brow. I must have missed something. What had they been talking about before I showed up?

"Well," she said with a bitter laugh, "this wasn't how I imagined today would go."

I scratched the back of my head. "Me neither," I said after a second, letting her lead the conversation.

"I can't believe something like that happened," she said. "Shinji is an asshole, but I didn't expect him to do anything like that."

Either she remembered something, or Tohsaka filled her in on the basics of it. I was appalled by Shinji's actions as well, and I was worried about Ayako's wellbeing after an incident like that.

With a deep breath, she struggled into a sitting position. I put my hand on her shoulder to help her up, but the look she gave me just said "don't treat me like a child". She was still trying to be independent. Today must have put her in an uncomfortable situation. She was a proud girl, and being doted on didn't suit her well at all. She was probably having second thoughts about letting Tohsaka and I care for her.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" I asked.

"Not much," she said evenly. "It's all. I remember being really pissed off. . . Tohsaka filled me in." She didn't go any further, and her face went dark as she raked her memory for details. She reached across herself with her left arm, grabbing her right shoulder as if she was hugging herself, and gripped tightly. The nails were digging into her shoulder and I was almost afraid she was going to hurt herself.

"Here, Mitsuzuri," I said, raising the bowl. "You know as well as I do how important food is for a recovering body."

"Sure, sure," she said with a smile. "I finally get a chance to eat your food. But seriously, porridge?

Then she went slightly red in the face. Was it the food? There was no reason for her to be embarrassed about eating porridge though. I smiled, but if anything that made her turn redder.

There was silence as she ate, and I used that time to get my thoughts in order. It was clear that this was a delicate situation. Ayako wasn't the kind of person to admit defeat to anyone, least of all a guy. If I told her, or even let on that I was worried, she would get pissed off and defensive. Worse, it would damage her pride. But I was worried, and I couldn't just sit by and watch.

"How do you feel?" I asked. "It must take something crazy strong to send you down for the count."

"You've got that right," she said with a short but cold laugh. "It feels like when I had that fever that took me out for half a month. You remember that right?"

"Yeah, you made me run the club the entire time," I said with a smile, remembering my time in the archery club. Since Ayako never could beat me in a match, she always shoved responsibility on me when she couldn't be around, even though I was just a normal club member.

"Still, I've never passed out like that," she said. "I'm not the type of person to suddenly get sick or faint."

I could see in her eyes what she meant to say. I didn't want to press her on it, or talk about Shinji at all. Those sorts of things are better left unsaid. It would only get worse if I brought it up. She was the kind of girl that would try to work through everything herself. All I could do was help her out, hopefully without bruising her pride.

"It's no problem, Mitsuzuri," I said. I wasn't going to let Shinji hurt anyone, much less somebody I knew.

"Mitsuzuri this! Mitsuzuri that!" she said as she punched my shoulder. The blow was incredibly weak and she looked down at her hand and then at me with a slightly embarrassed expression. "You can call me Ayako you know."

I raised an eyebrow as she nodded to herself. I hadn't expected that. I guess had no objections though. We were friends, so there should be no trouble being more familiar with each other. "Sure, I guess," I said awkwardly, averting my gaze.

She laughed to herself, "What's that, feeling self-conscious?"

"Not at all," I said, mustering up a confident tone. "We're bros after all."

"Yeah, we watch each other's backs," she said. "I owe you."

I accepted her unorthodox "thank you" and smiled back at her. Then she continued and said "You know, you can be a pretty capable guy. I never really saw you as much of a fighter."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her. "I can hold my own."

"Sure, you're a certified badass," she laughed. "I just never expected it. You seem like the kind of guy to talk his way out of stuff."

"Well, I can't exactly argue with that, but if push comes to shove. . ."

"Well maybe I'll call you up if I need people dealt with," she said. She adjusted herself in the futon and I wondered if she had moved closer or if I had imagined it. As far as I knew, Ayako wasn't a touchy person. Surprisingly I realized that I was looking for a reason to back away from her.

"It's almost dinner time," I said, taking the opportunity to pull away from her. "I'll go whip something up and come get you when it's ready."

As I stood, her eyes immediately dropped down to the nearly empty bowl in her hands, and she slowly stirred her spoon in what little porridge remained.

"No need," she said, her voice returning to her stern tone. "I'll come to the living room."

Slowly she climbed to her feet. As soon as her back straightened, her knees buckled and she grabbed onto me for support. Without a word, I lowered her back to the futon. If anything crushed her ego today, it would be that.

There were a few seconds of silence as Ayako covered her face, now red with embarrassment as well as exhaustion. My own face was hot and I couldn't look her in the eyes. I needed to break the silence before anything worse happened. As I wracked my brain for something to say, I could feel the heat spreading to my ears.

After a few seconds, she looked at me from between her fingers. "That never happened. Tohsaka-san doesn't hear a word."

"On the condition that you rest up before dinner." I said, leaving no room for argument.

"Deal," she said with a small smile. At that, I headed to the living room, keeping eye contact with her until I was out of sight.

I found Tohsaka and Saber sitting around the living room table talking quietly. In front of Saber sat an empty bowl of porridge, which I quickly picked up and took to the kitchen to wash.

"How is she?" asked Tohsaka. "My healing should have set in by now so it's up to her."

"Ayako's alright," I said as I cleaned the bowl and put it back on the shelf. I was still trying to clear my head after our conversation, so I just gave Tohsaka the facts. "She can't walk yet, but she got to her feet on her own before I put her back down. She's awake at least, and we talked."

"Ayako eh?" said a chuckling Tohsaka. She covered her mouth with one hand and looked at me with mischievous eyes.

"We've decided to call each other by our given names," I said after putting the bowl down a bit too forcefully. "You better be careful Tohsaka, or I'll steal every friend you have."

"Someone is a bit full of himself," she said with a cocky smile. Saber looked confused by the proceedings. "In any case, it's best if we keep watch over her for the rest of the day to make sure she's alright. I'd rather not take her to Kotomine, but since I don't really know all the symptoms of an attack like this, I'd like to be careful."

"Sure," I said, maybe a bit too quickly. "I'll cook some real dinner in about an hour or so."

"No, you can leave it to me," said Tohsaka. "You look tired, Emiya-kun. I'll cook dinner, no arguments."

I didn't feel like fighting it, so I nodded and said, "Alright Tohsaka. The refrigerator is fully stocked so I'm sure you can make whatever you want."

I let out a deep breath and sat next to Saber as Tohsaka put on an apron and entered the kitchen. The battle was beginning to catch up to me, and I could feel my limbs growing heavier and heavier with fatigue.

The phone rang, and Saber stood up before I could. She was looking at it with an intensity that I took to indicate interest. How much did she know about the modern world anyway? After a wave from me, she answered it and stood silent for a moment, humming affirmations along to the person on the other end. "Very well," she said finally, "I will tell him. Have a pleasant evening."

"Who was that, Saber?" I asked.

As she returned to the table Saber said, "Taiga. She said that neither she nor Sakura will be coming tonight. She did not provide any reasons."

"Ah," I hummed. "She probably has a lot of grading to do. I wonder why Sakura isn't coming though. Maybe she has family stuff to deal with."

"It's for the best," said Tohsaka from the kitchen. "I'm not sure how they'd react to Mitsuzuri-san being here."

"You're probably right," I said, leaning back on my arms. Tohsaka was busy with dinner, and Ayako was still resting. It seemed that the rest of the night would be one of peace.

Interlude In

The Matou household was rarely well lit. The condition of its owner and head was the cause. However the darkness of the mansion mattered little to Rider. She stood quietly in the foyer, waiting for someone to call to her. The smell of death in this place would be imperceptible to humans, but to a monster like Rider, it was intoxicating.

"You, Rider," said the voice of an old man. "You have returned without your Master."

From the darkness of a nearby hallway, Matou Zouken stepped into view. Whether he had come from a room down that hall or manifested himself from the worms that lurked throughout this place, Rider did not know. The thing that held the shape of a man, dressed in traditional Japanese robes, stepped just far enough into the entryway to be seen, but stayed clear of the light shining in through the small windows that framed the door.

"Matou Zouken," said Rider, acknowledging the head of the Matou family. How quickly had he realized that she had entered? There was no boundary field over the house that she could detect. "Control has reverted to my original Master."

"What's this?" said Zouken. "What happened?"

"We engaged an enemy Master and Servant, Emiya Shirou and the Servant Archer. I wounded Archer, but was forced back when Saber arrived. My Master fled, and the exertion from the fighting must have ruined the contract."

"I see. So Saber and Archer's Masters are allied," said Zouken with a tired shrug. "A tactical retreat was prudent I suppose. And where is my grandson now?"

"I do not know. He fled from the battle before it had ended. I attempted to find him."

Zouken grumbled to himself. "That is troubling. My grandson is not disposable, Rider."

"I apologize," said Rider. She did not like Matou Shinji, nor did she like his grandfather Matou Zouken. However, she feared for her true Master when things didn't go their way. She would do anything to protect her Master, and attracting Zouken's displeasure would only bring her misfortune.

"Very well," said Zouken. "Come. Let us speak with my granddaughter."

Rider followed Zouken into the lurking darkness of the house. The smell of decay was more invasive now. As Zouken opened a hidden passage in the wall, the air turned damp and was filled with the sound of crawling things. Without hesitation, Zouken stepped into the passage, walking down stone stairs into a very familiar room.

This was where she had been summoned. Though it was only the second time she had been in this room, Rider remembered it perfectly. With each step she took down the ancient stairs, evil things squirmed to escape. In the center of the dank chamber was her Master, surrounded by the Crest Worms of the Matou family magecraft.

"Sakura, your Servant is here," said Zouken.

Sakura looked up, as if she had just noticed their entrance. "Rider, where is my brother?"

"He went missing after fleeing from a battle," said Rider. She hated to give Sakura this news. Sakura cared for her brother, despite the abuse he laid on her.

"No," whispered Sakura. "What. . . are we to do, Grandfather?"

"Control of Rider has reverted to you," said Zouken. "I will search for Shinji, but I am skeptical. There are not many places he could have fled to."

"Maybe he went to the church?" said Sakura hopefully. Rider could hear the desperation in her voice. She did not want to believe that her brother could be dead, despite the cruelties he inflicted on her every day.

Zouken shook his head. "If he did, then Shinji is already dead. The priest at that Church is no friend of the Matou family. Keep that in mind, Sakura."

"Yes," she said meekly.

"And now to the real issue," said Zouken. "With Shinji missing, Rider is now yours again. Will you fight?"

"Against Senpai?" said Sakura. Her voice was filled with hesitation. "I'm sorry grandfather. . . I can't fight him. I can't do it."

"If you can't fight,' said Zouken, "then what are we to do? We have a powerful Servant, but its Master is not willing to use it!"

"Maybe you could?" said Sakura quietly. Her voice was nearly inaudible.

"Me," said Zouken, tasting the word. "I had planned to sit this Grail War out. My magic circuits are weakened from my long years."

"But, you can still use magecraft," said Sakura. She was urging him, trying to force awful responsibility away. "You could take the Command Spells directly."

Zouken thought for a moment. "I suppose you're right." Then he stepped into the mass of worms, letting them crawl across his feet as he walked to Sakura. "Come now, hold out your hand."

Sakura obliged him, and Zouken laid his wrinkled palm on the back of her hand. He mumbled something, and a white light enveloped their hands. Rider was reminded of the light during her summoning. While the color was similar, this light seemed sickly and unwholesome, as though something once great had fallen into the clutches of evil men. It surrounded the two for a second and after a moment, Zouken stepped back with a chuckle.

"This is certainly a wonder," he said, staring at the two Command Spells on his hand. "Despite my age, this is the first time I have fought in a Grail War."

"Grandfather," said Sakura, breaking him from his musings. "Will you promise me something?"

"Hmm?" mumbled Zouken. "I suppose that depends on the manner of your request."

"Please don't harm Senpai," she begged in a nearly silent voice.

Zouken responded after his distinctive cough-like laugh. "Of course. For my granddaughter, who has provided me this great opportunity, I will spare Emiya Shirou."

"Thank you," said Sakura. She seemed relieved, but Rider's anxiousness only grew. Who knew what path Zouken would lead her on. He was a cruel man, and one Rider suspected would betray his promise to Sakura with barely a "it could not be helped" to excuse his actions.

"What are your orders, Master?" she asked, trying to gauge his intentions.

"We wait," said Zouken gruffly as he made his way towards the stairs. "I cannot provide much magical energy, so we will wait until you are strengthened. In that time, our enemies may eliminate each other. I will not push you to extremes Rider. We will win this War without risks if possible."

Rider was surprised, though her face did not show it. That was not the answer she expected from Matou Zouken. Only now did Rider begin to realize the truth. Matou Zouken had wanted this from the start. He would keep his promise with Sakura if only to placate Rider and keep up appearances, but his plans had always been wheels within wheels. He knew that Sakura would not fight, so he would have Shinji, and if Shinji left the playing field, only one other could accept a Servant. And now he held more than a book of contract. He held the Command Spells themselves. With that dreadful knowledge, Rider resigned herself to serving Zouken.

Interlude Out

Just as dinner was being served, the living room phone rang again. I was rested now, and when Saber stood, I waved her down and went to answer it myself.

"Hello, this is the Emiya residence," I said as I brought the phone to my ear. On the other end, I heard a familiar voice.

"Ah, Emiya Shirou. I am thankful you answered," said Kotomine Kirei.

"Kotomine Kirei, how did you get this number?" I said, annoyed that the priest would bother me in my own home. Its seemed that I couldn't avoid him even in the comfort of my own home.

"Do not be so angry," said the priest. "I acquired your number from the phone book. It is what any sane man would do."

I was speechless. Either that priest was mocking me, or he wasn't lying and I was being an idiot for suspecting any foul play. Or it could be both. That priest did seem to enjoy mocking people.

"In any case," continued Kotomine. "I have information that is to be passed along. If you see Rin, I would also ask you to tell her. She will not answer my phone calls, and that girl would certainly not come to the Church to speak with me."

"She's right here actually, so I'll tell her when you finish."

"Ah, that is fortunate," said Kotomine. "I was worried that it would be a struggle to relay this sensitive information."

"Sensitive?" I said. "What sort of information are you talking about?"

Tohsaka must have heard my conversation, as she was looking at me over the counter. "Kotomine?" she mouthed, and I nodded in response. She waited, listening in on my half of the conversation.

"As I said, this information is being given according to my role as Supervisor. I deliver it to trustworthy Masters."

"Care to name those Masters?" I said, expecting a useless response that wouldn't help me at all.

"No," he replied with obvious amusement, fulfilling my expectations immediately.

"Very well, get on with it," I said. "I don't have time for one of your speeches. What do you have to tell us?"

"One of the Servants has broken the rules. Caster is to be eliminated. That Servant has been sucking the life energy from the citizens of Fuyuki. Thankfully, none have died yet. However, involving innocents in the Holy Grail War is a direct violation of the rules. It is customary for a bounty to be placed on such a Servant"

"Rider has done it as well," I said. "But not in large scale. She injured a friend of mine."

"My sympathies," said Kotomine, whose voice contained no sympathy whatsoever. "Was Rider defeated?"

"We drove her off, but Matou Shinji, her Master, escaped."

Kotomine said, "Very well. One case is not liable for my forthcoming proposal, but I will keep an eye on Rider and her Master."

"Proposal?"

"Indeed," he said. "In events such as these, a small rule change can be implemented. I will tell you now that Caster and its Master are at Ryudou Temple. The temple grounds are a deathtrap, so I would not advise direct attack. However, if anyone should manage to defeat Caster, I will award a Command Spell to the Master in question."

"A Command Spell," I muttered. Tohsaka could use it more than I could. I still had all three of mine, while she was down to her last one. "Thank you, Kotomine," I said, appalled at the words leaving my mouth. "I'll tell Tohsaka."

"That is all I ask," said Kotomine. "And remember, you do not need to raid a Servant's stronghold to defeat it."

"I get it, I get it," I said as I hung up the phone. With a sigh, I returned to the living room table and sat down. "That man is too hard to deal with."

"What did Kotomine say?" said Tohsaka. She was just finishing up with dinner, what looked like a European stew of some sort. At my side, Saber's face tightened when she heard the name Kotomine.

"He said that Caster has been attacking people, and that the rules have been changed to focus on eliminating Caster. Whoever defeats him gets an extra Command Spell."

"He's sure taking this a long way," said Tohsaka, cupping her chin and thinking. "I've never heard of anything like this before."

"It must be a contingency," said Saber. "To prevent the War from getting out of control. Did the Supervisor say anything else Shirou?"

"He said that Caster and his Master are at the Ryudou Temple, but he warned me twice that attacking would be suicide."

"He's right," said Tohsaka. "That area is perfect for a Caster's Territory Creation. Plus, the curses in the forest leave only the Temple Gate accessible for Servants. We wouldn't be able to storm it, especially with a powerful ranged Servant defending."

"So what are our options?" I asked.

"We find Caster's Master," said Tohsaka. "And we beat them outside of the Temple. It's the only way."

"Such an action may also draw out Caster," said Saber. "Then we would be able to eliminate the Servant itself."

"I'm betting on it," said Tohsaka confidently. Then, in a hurried voice she said, "Oh, time for dinner," and ran off to the kitchen to prepare the bowls.

"I'll go get Ayako," I said as I stood from the table.

"No need," said an assertive voice as I turned towards the entrance. Ayako stood in the doorway, holding onto the wall for support. It looked like she didn't need it though, and she walked into the living room with measured footsteps. Despite her apparent confidence, I stayed by her side until she was seated with us.

"Oh, that looks good!" She said as Tohsaka laid out bowls in front of everyone. I agreed with her. By the look of the stew, Tohsaka was as good a cook as I was, maybe even better than me when it came to western food. Saber would probably be happy to eat something familiar to her.

Speaking of Saber, she and Ayako were staring at each other warily. Ayako's demeanor had changed since the last time they saw each other. Last time she had teased me for having a girl stay at my place. Her expression was almost hostile, as though she didn't trust Saber.

"Ah, this is Saber," I said hurriedly, trying to diffuse the sudden tension. "She's a friend of my dad's from Europe."

"Indeed," said Saber. "I did not know Kiritsugu-san was dead when I arrived. I will be staying with Shirou until my trip is over in a week's time."

"Saber?" said Ayako. "That's an interesting name. I'm Mitsuzuri Ayako. Did you know Shirou before you came here? Your Japanese is really good too."

She didn't sound interested. In fact it looked like she was trying to analyze Saber. A certain lack of trust was emanating from Ayako now, but at least she wasn't outwardly hostile.

"I learned Japanese abroad," replied Saber. "And no, this is the first time I've met Shirou."

Ayako's eyes widened in surprise, "You sounded so familiar with him, is all," she mumbled.

"That's just how it is in Europe!" I said quickly. "It's just the custom there."

"I see, I guess that's ok," said Ayako. I looked past her at Tohsaka. She was enjoying this conversation a bit too much. Seeing Saber and Ayako at odds was just giving her fuel with which to mock both of them later.

Then Tohsaka said, "Mitsuzuri-san, while it seems odd, I'd prefer it if you spent the night here. I'm staying as well, and both Emiya-kun and I will look after you."

"That may be best," said Ayako. "I don't want my parents seeing me like this. I'll call them after dinner. Can I say I'm staying at your place?"

"That's fine," Tohsaka replied.

"Thanks," Ayako said. "And Shirou, I appreciate you letting me stay."

"Weren't you planning on coming over today anyway?" I said, looking at her with a smile.

"Yeah but I wasn't planning on crashing here," she said, laughing.

"Oh, what's this Mitsuzuri-san?" said Tohsaka. "Feeling nervous? Or maybe a bit excited?"

"What are you getting at Tohsaka-san? You shouldn't jump to conclusions when you don't understand the situation!" Ayako said. As if to punctuate her statement, she flicked the hair out of her face with a contemptuous smile.

"You're just making it so easy on me," said Tohsaka with an evil smile. "You've gotten weaker lately."

"I'm gonna destroy you someday," said Ayako, matching Tohsaka's grin. "Just you wait."

Despite the two girls' teasing, the rest of dinner went quite smoothly, and the girls retired to their rooms. Somehow, Tohsaka had smuggled bags of clothes into one of the outbuilding's rooms, and had clothes for both her and Ayako. Was Saber her accomplice in this, and was Tohsaka planning to stay longer than just tonight?

I put those questions aside as I went to bed. Laying the futon down was just about all I could do. There was no way I would be able to train tonight. My back still hurt and my nerves were still tingling from the fight. It was the remains of the projection magic; an unknown skill that I had unknowingly tapped in to. I considered what that would mean for the war as the exhaustion swept over me. Before long, I was in a deep sleep.

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait y'all. I had this chapter done in the beginning of December, but my friend and I edited this chapter at least 5 times to make sure the conversation was perfect. Lets just say that Ayako sounded completely different in my first version. I hope you all enjoy it!