Chapter 2: Scheming Bastards

"I don't care for the other Servant, feel free to defend yourself if you're attacked, but don't you dare to hurt my sister!"

"Damn, you're annoying!"

Although Lancer was persistently pushing forward, forcing his opponent to focus on the defense, none of his thrusts actually reached the target. Caster was always a second or a mere centimeter ahead, like he could predict every move of the red spear. And when he couldn't dodge the strike, he blocked it with that small ball of lightning, which fired thunderbolts in Lancer's face.

"Are you reading my mind or what?" The spearman growled angrily; his bloodlust was raising with every passing second. He preferred a traditional way of fighting, in which he could show off his skills and strength, but it he'd been dragged into a weird match of concentration and willpower instead. "It's pointless anyway. You won't be able to dodge, if I'm way faster than you."

Caster did not object, fully aware of the truth in the other warrior's words. Letting Lancer to come this close was a mistake from the very beginning. They both knew that every single blow could be fatal. With almost no support from his novice Master, and only a thin layer of energy as his shield, Caster desperately tried to avoid the attacks of the fierce and talented Servant in blue.

The psychological effect of his strange 'weapon' was a thing, though. Whenever the tip of his spear touched the shining surface of the ball, Lancer instinctively pushed back. He didn't mind the lightning itself, but wasn't yet ready to face the consequences of destroying it, especially in a narrow passage between buildings.

Caster noticed this bit of hesitation and decided to use it to his advantage.

Dogs are usually afraid of the storm, aren't they?

"Divine lightning…" His eyes were shining unnaturally, when he counted something in his head. Two steps back, one step to the left. It was like a dance, when one's body must perfectly perform the commands of a mind. "Descend and strike, Vajra!"

The ball splattered into many smaller ones, that surrounded Lancer and fired electricity at him from all directions.

"Damn Clairvoyance!" Lancer hissed through his teeth, shaking off the sparkles, just like wet dogs do with their fur after the rain. "Archery must be carved in your soul, even if you're reduced to a mere magician."

"Indeed, this container is somehow hindering, but also gives some new, interesting possibilities." Caster stepped back and dispelled the lightning with another dance gesture. "May I suggest we stop for now? If you start fighting seriously, I will be obliged to answer with equal amount of power. And it won't end good for this area."

"Oh? So you can tell that I'm just toying with you?" Lancer chuckled, but it was hard to say if he was amused or really pissed off. At least until he took another battle position, on his bent knees, and his spear burst with red energy. "Then what will you tell me about THIS?"

Although Sakura's Servant knew what was coming, he did not even blink. It seemed that such display was not enough to scare him.

"I'm sure you can tell this is not the right time or place to go all out. I won't be running away from you, so we can finish this anytime." A tiny smirk crossed his face when police sirens sounded somewhere in the distance. "I bet your Master also doesn't need troubles."

Sakura swallowed painfully behind Caster's back. Until now she was observing the fight. Indeed, the noises those two made must have alarmed someone already, and if the corpses will be discovered... She glanced at the dead bodies of the freelancers, gruesomely curled in the pool of slowly drying blood, and suddenly it was too much for her.

"Master!" Her Servant caught her just before she hit the ground. It clearly didn't matter to him that exposing his back to a talented spearman wasn't very wise… Or maybe he just knew that this warrior would not attack so dishonorably?

Lancer chuckled helplessly at this reckless but justified behavior of the other Servant. His bloodlust was suddenly gone.

"I can't decide if you're honest and direct or just a slimy manipulator, Caster. And I don't like it." He shook his head and dispersed the spear. "Fine, take care of your cute Master. I promised to let her go and it seems she won't be able to make it without you, so..."

"Don't think you're doing me a favor." Although Caster was holding the girl in his arms with great care, his gaze, focused on the spearman, was cold and cruel. That contrast seemed… disturbing, even for Lancer. "Next time you will have my full attention."

"You're surprisingly cocky for a weakling and a dandy." The warrior in blue bared his teeth in a wild, irritating grin. "I've seen enough. My job here is done."

With those words, he disappeared into the night.

"What do you think, Rider?"

A beautiful woman materialized obediently in the back alley, next to her Master. She wore a gilded heavy linothorax on a white dress with blue accents. Her gorgeous black hair was pinned under a thin diadem.

"Lancer seems to be the most dangerous so far," she replied flatly. "It shouldn't be surprising, because Casters are usually territorial and this one had no chance to establish a safe hideout for himself yet. It's also highly possible that his more powerful attacks destroy huge areas, so he couldn't - or didn't want to - use them here. I would recommend further observation to confirm it."

"Master." The mage's eyes narrowed dangerously, his curly blue hair waved like a seaweed. "You forgot to say it. Again. But…" He smiled, and it wasn't a kind expression. "… I will forgive you, if you stop wearing that ridiculous armor when we talk. Something more sensual will fit you much better."

Rider did not bother to answer, only stared coldly at the wielder of her Command Spells. It was a gaze of a queen disciplining a peasant.

Shinji Matou did not look impressed by this silent threat. It was his typical way of dealing with literally anyone, women in particular – always checking how deep into submission he can push them.

"Stare as much as you want, it won't change anything. I have enough of your tactical blabbering for today, Rider. Begone!"

He waved his hand dismissively and his Servant dematerialized with a quiet sigh. Shinji ignored her whims and smiled even wider. Everything was going according to plan so far, he could say that the Grail was already his. Soon even that proud woman will understand that and completely submit herself to him.

It was that weird moment just before waking up, when real voices and images can invade the realm of dreams.

Even through her closed eyes Sakura could feel a thin ray of sunlight crawling on her skin. With that sensation came the sad realization, that she failed Shirou and the others again.

How long have I been asleep? I probably missed not only our breakfast, but also the archery training.

Not that she would be of any use anyway - a terrible headache made it impossible to focus. Sakura breathed out slowly. She felt extremely tired, something inside her was burning. It felt like every single vein in her body was full of liquid fire. No, not veins, she realized. Something else, hidden much deeper. Something she never suspected to possess.

That chain of weird thoughts had been abruptly broken by an annoying ringing of a phone.

"I'm really sorry, but Sakura won't be coming to school today. No, nothing happened. Actually, it's my fault… She's been kind enough to take care of a visitor from abroad. Ah, I'm sure we will. Thank you, Miss Mitsuzuri. You too take care."

That voice… So it wasn't only a weird dream and she'd been saved by a strange foreigner. No, not actually a person, but a Servant. HER Servant.

He was sitting at the table and looking through the window. Sakura quickly realized that it was a carefully chosen position. He was observing the street through a curtain, like a guard dog.

It was too dark for her to notice more details, except of a modern coat Caster was wearing – how did he get one? – and a figurine of a golden elephant, which he was unwittingly caressing.

Did Shinji know the statuette was this ancient and precious? If so, why did he give it to Sakura? And now, when a Servant had been already summoned, what he would want in return?

Deep inside she already knew the answer.

Sakura almost sighed, thinking of the ugly, itching mark on her temple. Her symbol of power over that humanoid weapon, her Command Spells, shaped as an eye. A sharp eye of an Archer, yes, but also a symbolic 'third eye' of a Caster.

Could it be even more ironic for someone who despised magic in general?

Well, it should be easy then to get rid of the spells, and of the 'problem' that was sitting near the window. Probably that was exactly what Shinji wanted – a free Servant to get the upper hand in upcoming fights.

Too bad that Sakura hated to let Shinji have what he wanted. She would rather give her Servant to Rin, if she had a choice.

But what if her Servant didn't want to be disposed of? Would he oppose and defend himself? Would a Command Spell be enough to stop him from killing a disappointing excuse of a Master?

Maybe we should just talk first?

Exactly when she thought about it, Caster stood up and looked at her. Maybe he was reading her mind all the time? That spearman in blue also suspected that Caster used such tricks in their fight. Sakura knew she must be careful, but how could she protect her mind knowing so little about magecraft?

"Good to see you awake, Master." His voice was polite, charming even, and Sakura took that for another warning. His sharp eyes were scanning her for a moment in search of injuries, then brightened with an undefined emotion. Was it relief? "Forgive me for not possessing any healing magic. I treated the wounds on your knees, they shouldn't left any scars." Not knowing why exactly, Sakura blushed intensively at the thought of some stranger touching her knees. She instinctively moved back on bent elbows, when he approached her with a bowl in his hand. "Here's the meal that should make you feel better. I also did what I could to stabilize your circuits, but I'm not experienced enough to open them to full capacity. If I pushed too much energy at once, you could end up paralyzed or worse…"

"Stop it right there," Sakura interrupted angrily. She remembered how in old times, when she still believed she could be a magus like her sister, they were discussing Servant classes. "Archers and Casters are the hardest to control," Rin said back then. "Archers just do what they want, due to their skills, and Casters usually know more about magic than their Masters. These classes are generally made of scheming bastards!" Sakura swallowed at this thought, but – surprisingly even for herself – she felt more irritated than afraid. "Slow down. I know that you needed to take action, and I really appreciate your help, but now I'm awake and can decide for myself."

"Master, I do understand that you may be tired and annoyed…"

"Sure I am!" For a moment she looked like she wanted to slap him in the face. "Tell me, who asked you to pick up the phone? Your kind is summoned to fight, not to ruin my personal life!"

Caster submissively stepped back, looking almost like a kicked puppy.

"My deepest apologies, Master. Of course I know my place. Please, utilize me to my fullest." He bowed deeply; his confession seemed honest, but movements became even more stiff than before. "I had no intention to ruin anything, I got caught off guard because of that new material body. It won't happen again, Master."

Suddenly Sakura felt wrong, like she'd just lost something important. But, having no idea what it was and how to fix it, she ignored the problem for now and focused on more pressing matters.

"What's wrong with your body? Who are you anyway? How did you know my address? And what kind of weird magic are you giving me to eat?"

Caster could comment on asking too many questions at once, but he only smiled, more amused than offended by her rant.

"It's just some yoghurt with honey, no 'weird magic' involved," he said, offering her the bowl and a small spoon. "The food of the gods. Eat, please. It will help you recover."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, but accepted the meal this time. Her stomach was rumbling, almost glued to the spine. She felt like the summoning had robbed her of at least few weeks of lifespan.

"Thank you." She ate a bit and frowned, surprised. It tasted weird, but not bad, and her body was screaming for calories anyway. "But how did you get the ingredients? And that coat?"

"I believe that revealing my identity will help me with answering those last questions, Master. Maybe you know it already? My true name is Arjuna, the third prince of the Pandavas, son of Kunti and Lightning God Indra."

Rin Tohsaka was acting strangely today. She was wandering aimlessly around the school, half-asleep and utterly annoyed. Even teachers noticed that sudden change of behavior of their most popular student and openly commented on it, while the rest kept whispering weird rumors behind her back.

The main reason of Rin's nervousness was the fact, that she couldn't find Sakura anywhere. She even visited the archery dojo, exposing herself to mean comments coming from Shinji.

Well, he wasn't there either, but that wasn't a good sign. Not this time.

Having no other choice, Tohsaka decided to ask Mitsuzuri about Sakura's unexpected absence.

"She didn't tell you anything?" The captain of the archery club frowned, deep in thought. "I called to Sakura in the morning, but that guy told me she won't be coming today."

Tohsaka suddenly turned pale, suspecting the worst.

"A guy?! What guy?! Maybe Emiya?"

Ayako looked at Rin with a weird mix of astonishment and concern.

"Huh? What Emiya has to do with that?" She raised an eyebrow, sensing a romance in the air. "I don't know, he did not introduce himself. But he had such beautiful, smooth voice…" She sighed, remembering the sensation. Tohsaka winced – she'd never seen Ayako behaving like this before. "He said that Sakura is helping him to settle down in Fuyuki and I suggested that we can help him too, or at least spend some time together. Don't you think it's a brilliant idea?"

But Rin was not listening anymore. She stormed out of the dojo like a red devil from a child's tale.

"Rin, are you sure you're not overreacting?" asked her nameless Servant, the amnesiac Archer in red. He was patiently escorting his Master in spirit form, but it seemed that he, too, had enough for today.

"During the Grail War? I don't think so."

"Hmmm."

Rin rolled her eyes. She already knew it was Archer's way to disagree with her without exposing himself to her - mostly unjustified - anger.

She barely noticed that she'd bumped into someone in a hurry near the school's entrance.

"Tohsaka?" A familiar red hair filled her field of view for a moment. "Better be careful or you're going to hurt someone…"

"I definitely will hurt you, if you won't leave me alone, Emiya," she growled and passed him by, like if nothing had happened. But just after few steps she turned around and approached him again, this time with an angelic smile glued forcibly to her scary face. "I almost forgot… Have you seen Sakura today?"

"That's a serious change of mood…" Shirou somehow controlled the urge to withdraw. "No, actually I was looking for you to ask the same question, Tohsaka. I was worried, because it's not like Sakura to cancel her plans without saying anything first."

"I see." Rin stared at Shirou for a long, tense moment. "Now listen carefully, Emiya, because I won't be repeating myself." She poked him accusingly in the chest. "Don't even think of paying Sakura a visit or something. Stay out of this for your own good. It's dangerous to roam outside nowadays, especially at night, got it?"

She didn't wait for his answer, though, just resumed her wild run to the exit, leaving the poor guy startled near the gate.

"Aren't we supposed to act carefully and keep the Grail War a secret?" Archer asked after a while of awkward silence.

"I didn't tell him anything! It's just a warning, because I can't split up to guard them both!"

That last sentence clearly alarmed Archer. A new, harsh and accusing tune sounded in his usually calm voice.

"Rin. I understand the sisterly love, but is there something you owe to that boy?"

"No," she replied with a frown, knowing exactly what he meant. "I just don't want any bystanders involved, when things will get violent. And, knowing Shirou Emiya, he will surely stick his nose into this, sooner or later."

"Hmmm."

Tohsaka sighed helplessly, trying hard to refrain from running all the way to the Sakura's place. She had enough problems already, and adding her Servant's sulks to the list didn't look good.

"Better prepare, Archer." She instinctively checked the spare jewels in her pocket. "I don't know what we'll find when we get there, but it may be our first battle in this war."

"As you wish, Rin. I'm ready."

"Of course I know this name. I'm in the archery club, after all!"

Caster stared at Sakura, finally giving her an opportunity to look at him more closely. She noticed a sign of passion in his big brown eyes when she mentioned archery.

"Really?" Sakura was sure that he showed her a genuine smile this time, and she liked it. Her inner Tohsaka noted a weak spot of this annoyingly composed man. "That's… I'm flattered and… Master, if it's not a problem for you, will you let me assist you with your training?"

The girl blinked, not knowing what to think about it.

"Sure, I guess," she replied eventually and, mostly to use his sudden enthusiasm to her advantage, added quickly: "But first answer my questions. Please."

"Of course. I checked the address on your school ID, Master. I found it in the pocket of your coat. After taking care of your wounds, I let myself to check the surroundings and met your lovely neighbor from the ground floor."

"You mean that old hag?! Yhmmm…" The girl almost bit her tongue. It might be rude to speak ill of the elders, but that particular woman did her best to make Sakura's life difficult.

"Y-yes. She was very nice, even gave me the food and that coat. She said it belonged to her grandson, who doesn't come to visit her anymore, how sad... I needed to improvise, though, so I introduced myself as an exchange student from India."

Sakura swallowed painfully. So, first Mitsuzuri, and now the entire neighborhood knew that a handsome foreigner moved in to her small room. Great, juicy rumors were all she needed in her current situation!

"I thought that Servants don't need modern clothes," she muttered, visibly displeased, mostly to change the topic.

"Usually we don't, if the summoning is performed by an experienced mage. Your circuits are of top quality, Master, but were dormant for a long time. You cannot produce magical energy or use spells until you reopen them."

"So it's my fault that you're stuck in this body?" Feeling useless again, Sakura stopped eating and grasped the spoon so strongly that her fingers became white.

"It's nothing to worry about, Master. I have plenty of my own energy. Sleep and food can help as well." He was carefully observing her reactions for a moment, and it seemed that he understood her struggles. "If someone's at fault here, it's the mage who secretly put a seal on you. And it's still hard to judge, not knowing that person's true intentions. I'm not an expert on magecraft, but that seal was made in a hurry. It's unexpected it lasted this long."

Not an expert, huh? The girl frowned, thinking intensively of what he'd just said. Rin was sure that Caster is the weakest of all Servant classes, so it seemed natural that a weakling like Sakura would get one, right? But this one was worse than she could ever imagine.

"How can you be a Caster if you're not a mage?"

She shuddered, surprised by the tone of her own voice. Normally she would never dare to speak so harshly to anyone who's not utterly annoying to her. Maybe she reacted like that because he was to her like an incarnation of magic itself?

Caster, however, did not show any sign of negative emotions, rather wondered for a moment how to answer her question.

"Technically, every famous hero can be summoned as a Caster. Not only we are the creatures made of magic, but also every legend has a bit of magic in it." He smiled gently and Sakura wondered if he was faking that expression. How could he be so kind to a girl, who constantly vented her frustration on him? "But I guess it's not what you wanted to know, Master. It seems that the times have changed. The gods are gone and what was considered simply a weapon in my era, now is seen as magic."

"Weapons, you say?" Now she seemed genuinely interested. "Tell me more about it."

"With pleasure, Master, but I'm afraid it will have to wait." He turned to the window with that cold, focused expression Sakura remembered from the last night. "I can sense an enemy Servant nearby, and it's approaching fast. Keeping you safe is my top priority, so I should go out to meet it."

Sakura tensed visibly. She didn't expect Shinji to come here, at least not during a day, so it left only one person…

"Caster!" The unexpected determination in her voice made Arjuna freeze in place. "I don't care for the other Servant, feel free to defend yourself if you're attacked, but don't you dare to hurt my sister!"

Sister? I see… Suddenly his heart ached, full of sadness. What did you expect, Arjuna? That wars between siblings were exclusive to your era?

"Understood, Master," he said, softer than ever before. "It may affect my fighting potential, but, as long as your life is not in danger, I will obey."

Not yet convinced that it's safe to trust him, Sakura watched in silence, how the door slammed shut behind Caster's back.

BONUS: Character Sheet

For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind. /Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 6, Verse 34/

Class: Caster

True Name: Arjuna

Master: Sakura Zenjou

Alignment: Lawful Neutral (?)

This aspect of Arjuna represents his legendary ability to concentrate. His mind is both his stronghold and the most powerful weapon.

Strength: D

Agility: B

Endurance: D

Mana: A+

Luck: A+

NP: ?

Personal Skills

Clairvoyance: C+ (has the possibility of seeing invisible targets; thanks to his extreme concentration, learnt through the archery training, he manipulates his own sense of time; in balance with other skills may raise to B or B+ and allow a limited future sight)

Endowed Hero: A (anyone would occasionally give Arjuna the thing he needed at the moment; he will not lack in anything, as long as he doesn't have an active cause, like a curse*)

Divinity: B

Sthita Prajna: A (or 'a person of steady wisdom', a modified version of Instinct skill; the results are obtained by the steadiness of one's mind and senses, not thanks to intuition or natural talent)

Class Skills

Item Construction: -

Territory Creation: - (this skill only boosts Arjuna's personal skills, giving him Magic Resistance against any form of mental manipulation; when he focuses, his mind becomes a kind of a separate dimension, with time and other circumstances working to his advantage)

Noble Phantasms

Astradhari ('the Bearer of Celestial Weapons'): rank unknown - Arjuna's ability to use Astras as spells. It 'translates' the essence of Astras into the universal language of magecraft. This Noble Phantasm is always active, which is the main reason why Caster is not able to materialize Gandiva or any other conventionally crafted weapon. Activation of every Astra requires an incantation and the right amount of magical energy.

In his Caster form Arjuna does not possess Brahmaastra or Pashupata. There's only one 'spell' powerful enough to qualify as a separate Noble Phantasm, but it consumes so much energy that it should be considered a suicide attack (at least with his current Master).

Vaishnavastra: EX, anti-unit ('Punishment of the Omnipresent'; able to completely destroy one target, irrespective of its nature. Uses the concept of Vishnu as 'force which exists within everything'. As such it can disintegrate anything by unraveling the structure of the target. Infallible, but most likely will use up the entire magical energy of its user).

Vajra (Conceptual): B+ (interpretation of Indra's lightning; in Caster's case it's not a material weapon, like the one stored in Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon, but rather a concept of lightning. As such, this version of Vajra is controlled by its user mentally. It can produce thunderbolts like arrows or form a diamond barrier, but its fighting potential is not impressive).

*quoted directly from TYPE-MOON Wiki

The next chapter is here at last! Thank You for comments, ideas and other kind of support, it really helped!

So... it seems I'm getting back to my old style, with multiple endings and such. There was a suggestion to include some mature content in this story - I made a poll on my profile to ask what You think about it.

As for Caster, I was thinking about such type of a mind-oriented Servant for a long time. I would like to know what You think about it, and of the story so far.

Thank You for reading and hope to see You soon!