Her every muscle was paralyzed, forced into place by an invisible force. The hooded Servant, Caster, floated above the ground with a grin and shadowed eyes. Archer wanted to say anything, but even her neck and lungs were paralyzed.

Her mind instantly wandered to her Master, Shirou. It was an involuntary action. To her, worrying about others was as natural as breathing. She barely managed to turn her eyes and see Shirou at the edge of her periphery. He was not paralyzed, standing slightly away from the two combatants. Archer knew what he would do. He stood his ground, even if his body was twisted in a way to facilitate running.

"Looks like I've got you in my clutches. You must be Archer's Master then," Caster addressed Shirou. His eyes twitched a bit, but his gaze remained planted on the servant.

Archer's arms began to cramp under the pressure. Assassin shook in front of her, bearing an equally disgusted expression on his face.

"You know me, but I don't know you. That's kind of rude," he replied almost nonchalantly. Archer wanted to groan, but her throat barely rumbled.

"I suppose that is fair. I am Caster," she replied, stepping in the space between the two Servants. In her ominous presence, Shirou stepped down one stair.

"You're a Servant," he said, voice now on edge. "Where are the people of the temple?" Caster's grin disappeared. Archer could feel the air grow still.

"What does it matter to you?" Archer tried once again to move, but nothing happened. She needed to think of something. Tracing, yes, that could work. But projecting at a distance was taxing, and Caster was bound to know it was coming, but she had no other choice. Shirou would get himself killed.

"Let them go right now," Shirou unwrapped his wooden sword, before chanting his aria Trace; On. It was different than hers, by a word. The sword was enveloped in a glowing circuit pattern. Shirou's actions once again caused amusement in Caster.

"Amazing. You want to beat a Servant with a stick and a simple spell?" she asked mockingly. Shirou kept his gaze on her.

"Let them go, and Archer as well. We don't need to fight," he reaffirmed his stance. Archer cursed internally. He definitely had a death wish. Not like she herself had been any different, but at least she had been pragmatic about it!

"You have quite a potent piece here. Such a shame to waste it on a blunder. I'm not letting her go, however," multiple lights appeared behind her. The entire area was coated in purple light, and Archer could feel the heat from her magic even through the paralyzing field. "You should start letting go of your life."

He was done. He realized it. Archer could see it in his eyes. The surprise, the realization he lost. Resignation would follow.

However,

"Caster," called a deep voice. All eyes turned to the top of the stairs of Ryuudou temple. A man stood there, straight backed and with a green suit. Everything Caster was doing, except for the paralyzing fields, disappeared as she rushed in his direction.

"Master Soichirou, I told you to stay inside," she said in an uncharacteristic sweet tone. In a second she became less a witch and more a concerned housewife.

"I could not remain once I knew it was one of my students here," the man turned to Shirou, fixing him with dead eyes that reminded her of a fish.

"K-Kuzuki…" mumbled the boy. Kuzuki continued to stare at him, analyzing every inch of his being, along Archer's. She was no stranger to looks and leering, but the way Kuzuki watched every little part of her made her feel cold.

"Emiya Shirou, are you here to kill?" Shirou grew pale, but lowered his reinforced wooden sword.

"N-Not right now," Was his answer. Kuzuki closed his eyes for a second before looking at Caster.

"What shall I do then?" She asked, looking back at the intruders with a scowl.

"Let them go,"

"Y-Yes," Caster flicked her wrist and it was like a sheet being lifted from atop her. Her muscles could move again with total freedom. In a second Shirou was at her side.

"Are you alright?" Archer nodded. Assassin was in front of them, looking very displeased as he moved his neck around.

"Come inside. We must discuss something," Kuzuki said, turning tail towards the temple. Caster followed him, but not before leaving them with a warning:

"You better do as he says,"

Shirou and Archer looked at each other with confusion. Archer remembered something, even if it was a faded memory, distorted beyond recognition. She had never acted like this, with so much restraint. However, trying to remember more made her head feel as if squeezed between two logs.

"Guess we'll continue another time," said Assassin, bringing Archer out of her stupor. He was smiling, confident in his victory. Archer had no pride herself, but could not stand men like him whose only interest was testing their strength in relation to others.

"We won't," she replied before following Shirou up the stairs, leaving Assassin behind.

They passed the boundary field from the temple into the compound itself. Memories came back to her as she walked through, like bursts of static.

Shirou and Archer followed Kuzuki and Caster a few meters behind. The woman floated above the ground while Kuzuki simply walked straight backed as if he had done this his whole life.

"Where is everybody?" Shirou asked, as if demanding an answer. Caster turned her head back. Although Archer could not see her eyes, the killing intent permeating the air gave her an idea of what her expression looked like.

"Mind your tongue, boy. You are within my territory now." She said. Shirou cocked his head.

"So what?" He asked. His voice had an innocent tone, and he truly had no idea. Archer could see Caster grit her teeth. She decided to step in before things got out of hand.

"A Caster Servant is much like a magus, Master. Most of them have the ability to create Magical items, as well as set up a territory, which could be like a magus workshop, or a boundary field, or something else. Maybe they don't have the best of stats but," she turned to look at Medea, who still stared at them even as they followed her Master through darkened halls. "They can more than make up for it. Right now, we are within her territory, and at a disadvantage." At this, Shirou shut his mouth and narrowed his eyes while Caster smiled.

"We are here," They had entered a building that looked like a traditional Japanese house. It was dead quiet. "Emiya, come with me. Leave Archer outside." At this, Archer stepped in front of Shirou.

"What game are you playing Kuzuki?" She asked the teacher. His expression did not change at all. She felt someone touch her arm, and then lightly push her out of the way.

"It's alright Archer," Shirou said, stepping up in front of her and addressing Kuzuki. "Is this about Issei?" Kuzuki nodded. "Then it's alright. He's a teacher, he needs students to be safe."

Archer grimaced. She remembered that foolishness too well. It hurt to see it. She had to stop it, somehow.

Master, this is a very bad idea. She said into their link.

Archer, please trust me. For some reason, that idea sent shivers down her spine. So many people had trusted her, and she had always failed. What made this boy any different?

My patience is running thin, Shirou. She said, finally. Shirou looked back.

That's a shame. With that answer, he stepped near Kuzuki, waiting for him to open the door. Kuzuki nodded and opened it before turning to Caster.

"Stay with Archer," he commanded. This sent the witch reeling back.

"B-but…"

"Please do as I say." With that, he went inside the room alongside Shirou, leaving the two women behind in an awkward silence.

He entered the room with Kuzuki, the teacher shutting the door behind them. Strangely enough, he could believe the cold, emotionless Kuzuki was a Magus. But he did not act like one, according to what Tohsaka told him. Still, even if he was not an enemy, Caster did not seem too fond of Shirou, and that may translate to her Master.

Emiya felt a sense of dread run up his spine. Inside, was a normal room for a teenager. It held many cupboards and a desk decorated by various religious items, alongside many book and… a Saber Wars poster?

Still… Shirou had never been to anyone's room before, save for Shinji's. But that had been many years ago, when he could still consider him his friend. Now he was just a pretentious boy seeking women and abusing whatever popularity he had. Shirou still wondered how it came to be. He even seemed to hurt Sakura. And that made him irrationally angry now.

As did what awaited in the room. On a white futon laid Issei, looking worse than ever. His entire body was full of wrinkles, his skin seemed horribly dry and he was pale as snow.

Shirou stepped closer with Kuzuki in tow before kneeling at Issei's side. He didn't know what to do, except check for vital signs. He had learnt about it, in case he needed to help somebody. When he touched his head, it was cold as ice.

"What happened to him?" he asked Kuzuki, who proceeded to change what he presumed was water and a meal.

"Unknown. I found him at Homurahara Academy, with bite marks on his neck."

"Bite marks?" Shirou asked. Indeed, upon closer inspection, Shirou could see a mark on his neck. However, he could see the mark was an unnatural purple color, with veins spreading out.

"Yes. Some kind of poison, magical in nature. He was also drained of mana." Shirou gulped, before lightly taking away some of Issei's covers. He needed to know more. His friend was still clad in what he would describe was his casual wear, an elegant shirt and pants.

"He's not dressed for school…" he muttered to himself.

"Which means…" Kuzuki waited for Shirou to speak, staring at him with an emotionless face as if they were on a school quiz.

"… he was looking for something. Or someone." Shirou said.

"Indeed. And whoever he was looking for, got to him at the school." Shirou rubbed his chin.

"Servants may use blood as a replacement for mana. It is possible that there is another Master at the school." Kuzuki said. Shirou's blood ran cold.

"If that is true, could they be using others to… feed themselves?" He asked to no one in particular. How could he ignore that now? People were dying right under his nose, and he never suspected it.

"Very. Or for a ritual. Caster told me there is a strong boundary field around the school. They probably intend to summon a strong Servant." Shirou greet his teeth at Kuzuki's response.

"Then why didn't you do anything?" He asked his teacher. Kuzuki's face didn't change. It was like staring at a dead fish.

"It was dangerous. Too many unknowns. I cannot allow myself to die, not as long as Caster remains in the world. So we hole up here." Shirou greet his teeth, before Kuzuki spoke again. "Do not hold me to your standards, Emiya. Not everyone has a selfless desire to help everyone." His mind stopped working for a moment.

"How did you…?"

"It's clear as day. You always stay late, you always help without being asked to, you have quit all clubs and don't engage in social activity unless you need to. The faculty have noticed, especially your caretaker, Miss Fujimura." Shirou's heart grew cold at that.

"F-Fujin-nee…"

"She is indeed worried," Kuzuki told him. If he could assign him an expression right now, it would be pity.

"Why did she tell you?" He asked.

"She was very inebriated during one of our coworker 'hangouts'," he said with very robotic air quotes.

"I see," Shirou said, letting out a breath he had been holding. Then he got up and took one last look at Issei. "Will he be alright?" he asked.

"Caster has kept him stable. Once the Servant that attacked him is defeated, he should return to normal. But he doesn't have much time." Shirou winced at this. So Issei's fate was sealed.

"I see. We're done here." Kuzuki nodded, and both men headed to the exit. However, one question lingered in Shirou's mind. Kuzuki had protected him once before, preventing him from touching Serena. If that was so…

"Say, do you know who could be the Master?" he asked him. Kuzuki stopped for a moment, eyeing Shirou.

"No. However, Caster and I suspect it's that new girl."

"Serena?"

"Yes. She may be a danger, and her Servant could not be far behind," Once more, Shirou's heart was in someone else's grip. "I advise you to remain hidden and out of school." Shirou looked at his teacher before smiling.

"I can't do that. Maybe if we work together–"

"–I can't do that, Emiya. I already told you that."

"Very well. Then I'll do it alone." with that declaration, he left the room.

Archer let out a sigh, and went to stand against a wall with her arms crossed, never taking her gaze off Caster, who stared at her in return from her position.

"You seem to carry a great burden with you, Archer," this made the Servant of the Bow raise an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" She asked. She was surprised to see Caster so… talkative. Her memories of the woman in front of her were barely being any help.

"The boy. He is a weak human, and an even weaker Master. I'm surprised you haven't left him to rot."

Archer narrowed her eyes. "And why would I do that?" Archer had a few reasons to leave Shirou. He lowered her stats, he was foolish and didn't seem to care about winning the Grail War, rather, he simply wanted to police it or something. He was in over his head; in both the war itself and everything related to mages. He was, in the end, a liability. Archer's chances to win the war for herself would raise above single digit percentages if she broke off their contract, if she took the easy route and killed him.

Yet, she could not. For one, she had already sworn to save him; and he wasn't a lost cause, yet. And Tohsaka had already taken a liking to him, and she knew that the girl would be hurt deeply if he died. Ren Tohsaka would have been equally hurt if a girl similar to Shirou died on his watch.

Her mind was assaulted by static for a moment.

Hey _, you really don't care about yourself, do you?

She shook it away. More memories that had faded. Why were so many coming back?

"Are you listening?" Caster seemed to yank her mind back to the real world.

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you break the contract? Come with me? I'm sure we could use even a fallen hero like you." Archer's heart stopped for a moment, before a flame lit up inside her.

"Fallen hero?" Archer asked, eyes narrowed, her mind picturing Caster impaled by a million swords. Yet her body language remained relaxed, she would not betray her emotions to an enemy.

"Yes. You have all the markings of one. So aloof, willing to use any tactic to assure victory, and so uninterested in anything. And yet you stick with a boy who is a lost cause. It's intriguing, and disgusting," Caster said with a wicked smile. Archer said nothing for a moment.

Was she a fallen hero? Her memories were a mess, a jumble of many timelines, many deployments, many slaughters. Yet, a few things she could never forget remained. The night her own hero appeared to save her. The night she was saved. The night she was betrayed and killed by the people she wanted to protect.

Caster seemed very obsessed with this. With heroes, with turning people to her side. A witch, and a very powerful one at that, breaking every rule of the war, having an Assassin Servant apparently at her beck and call. A witch obsessed with treachery.

"Very funny, coming from the Witch of Betrayal," At her declaration, Caster tensed.

"What did you–?"

"I know who you are, Medea of Colchiss." Archer said, still keeping her position. Caster ground her teeth together, fists clenching behind her robe. It was always amusing to irritate one's opponents.

Archer feared the mage would do something aggressive. She was ready, and could use it as an excuse to finish her off along her Master. Shirou would not agree, but he didn't need to know what caused the incident either. However, before anything could happen, the door opened and out stepped Shirou and Kuzuki.

"We're done," said Shirou, looking at Archer with a tired look and hollow voice. While she knew the boy was empty inside, he never let it show. What had changed?

"Very well," said Archer, once again standing at full height.

"We'll let you go one time," said Caster, directing all killing intent towards Archer. "If you come near my territory again, you won't survive, my dear heroes."

"Bold words, Caster. I'll take you up to the challenge once we come back," said Archer, stepping in front of Shirou.

"Let's go, Archer." Said Shirou from behind her. She looked behind before nodding.

Caster and Kuzuki didn't follow. Not like they needed to, Caster probably had familiars and bounded fields everywhere to keep track of their guests. Archer and Shirou traveled from the housing to the courtyard, then through the gate, past Assassin who simply stood by and stared at her with a critical eye, and down the stairs back to Fuyuki.

Every step of the journey was strangely silent. While Archer was calculating every possible approach when eventually having to come back to Caster's territory, Shirou seemed transfixed in the stars.

Such distraction annoyed Archer. "Hey, keep your head in the game, Master."

"Oh, right," he replied nonchalantly. Archer let out a huff of frustration. Yes, just like her, Shirou internalized all of his troubles, not letting one of them slip out. That had to change, but at the same time, she wasn't his babysitter. Yet… maybe if someone had…

"What's the matter? You're awfully quiet." She asked without thinking.

"I try to speak only when required," Shirou said.

"Really? Since when?" Archer asked. The pair exited the boundary of the temple, and thus Medea's influence. The very act of being outside made Archer feel less pressure, and more capable of fighting.

"Since… forever I guess. There's not much I can talk about."

"Don't you have any interest? You know, like a normal teenager?" She asked as they headed back to town, through dark streets slightly illuminated by moonlight and the odd lampost.

"I want to be a–"

"–A hero, yes. That's not an interest, Shirou. That's a goal. What is something you enjoy for yourself?" Why was she even asking him these things? She already knew most of the answers, and none of them were good. He was a lost cause. But a small part of her wished… it was different.

"Well," As they walked and entered the residential district of Fuyuki again, Shirou stared at the ground as if deep in thought. "I was in the archery club." He said simply. Archer could tell that if unprompted, he would not elaborate.

"Why did you stop going?"

"Who said I stopped?" Archer looked away with a blush. She had made a blunder. She was better than this.

"I just… you spoke in past tense. So I guessed you stopped going for some reason." She replied in an uncaring voice.

"Y-Yeah. You're right about that. I guess I quit because… I never missed," he said. Archer looked at him.

"Never?"

"Well, once, but I kinda wanted to feel how it would be like to miss."

"You must be quite talented."

"Not really. I just… followed the steps to empty my being. Still…" As they walked, Shirou looked at her and gave a warm smile. "… Not as amazing as you, Archer. You became an Archer class Servant after all." At his… compliment, Archer looked away. That was a lie, in a way. She was not a legitimate heroic spirit, but that was an issue for another day. Too troublesome to tackle at the moment.

"Being a Servant is not only about power, Shirou. It's about feats, being remembered. I never wished for that." She said.

"You really need to know how to take compliments, Archer." There was not a hint of teasing or malice in his voice. Just a normal sentence. Was Shirou aware of what he said? Maybe. Still, Archer could not help but look at him in shock.

"You are one to talk, brat. Maybe if you got out more, you wouldn't need to talk to me."

"Who said I needed you?"

"That stab wound that hasn't healed yet."

"Hasn't it?" Shirou asked, feeling around his chest and then wincing. "Guess not."

"Look who it is. Our favorite pair," in an instant, Bakuya was out and ready to protect her Master. Shirou and Archer turned to the rooftop, where a girl in red and a masked man stood.

"Tohsaka. Saber. What are you doing here?" Shirou asked from behind Archer. The Servant of the Bow did not let her guard down. Rin was a magus, and those were naturally distrustful.

"Just looking around. Patrolling."

"For more victims?"

"No, you dolt! We're looking for Masters. And all our clues lead to Ryuudou Temple, where you just came out of. Quite suspicious, don't you think?" Tohsaka's glare spelled danger. As usual, she could not get a read on Saber's intention.

Still, her mind began to process plans. Escapes, diversions, attacks. Luckily, this time most would end in success. Still, a Tohsaka was quite a wild card when they wanted to be.

"It's nothing like that, Tohsaka." Said Shirou.

"Really?" Asked Tohsaka, obviously not convinced.

"Come on. We're allies, remember?" Shirou argued. Rin simply let out a huff.

"Yes, allies. Not friends. We should be trusting each other, yet you go on your own without telling us. You expect me to take that in stride?" Despite the circumstances, Archer could not hold her tongue.

"We're not dogs, girl. All that regality, and yet you haven't learned manners." Said the Servant of the Bow. This seemed to trigger Tohsaka, who was now red with anger.

"Listen here, you–!"

"Alright. Calm down, Master. Archer is right." Said Saber, putting a hand on her shoulder. Rin, however, was having none of it.

"What are you saying?! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"I'm just trying to guide you to victory, Master. And making enemies of recent allies doesn't help." Said Saber, nor removing his mask, only to push his glasses up nonchalantly.

"You…! You traitor!" Said Rin, slamming her fists into his chest. The tall Servant didn't even budge. "Scoundrel! Villain! Betrayer…!" Tohsaka continued to mumble insults on his chest, while Saber simply looked at her with an amused smile. Archer and Shirou were shocked at this display. Still, in the end, Rin gave up and recovered her composure.

"Alright. Fine!" She then pointed a finger to Shirou's face. "I'll forgive this once! Only once! Got that?!"

Shirou looked at her hand, before smiling warmly. In fact, Archer had never seen him beam like that before. "Thanks Tohsaka, for the second chance."

The girl simply retracted her hand and blushed profusely, before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Good. Glad that's sorted out. Did you figure something out at least?" Shirou and Archer looked at each other, then back at their allies.

In the end, it was Archer who explained everything that transpired in detail.

Tohsaka was left pondering, eyes darting from side to side on the floor. "I see. So Caster is already fortified, and she has the Assassin Servant to boot. This is… not that bad, actually." She said finally.

"What do you mean?" Shirou asked.

"She says she'll hole up in the temple. And Kuzuki has two Servants, which means, if we manage to take him out, two Servants will be taken out as well."

"How do you plan to penetrate that fortress, though?" Archer asked. She remembered something, something about Ren Tohsaka, and screwing up…

"I don't know yet. But I'll think of something tomorrow. Anything to add Saber?" Saber closed his eyes for a moment, as if deep in thought.

"It's a difficult situation, but if we attack together, we should be able to overwhelm Caster. We do have high Magic Resistance and runes, so it will not be a problem to keep up with firepower." Before Archer could say anything else, Shirou stepped up.

"Sorry to interrupt but… we might have bigger problems."

"What now?" Rin asked.

"There's a Master In the school, aside from Kuzuki?" Rin's eyes darkened at this.

"You mean–"

"–Serena. That girl that's friends with Sakura." Archer saw Rin visibly relax at this. What was going on? Surely… she was worried about someone else being a master. But who?

"Are you sure?" Rin asked.

"Kuzuki told me. We cannot waste anytime. We can always deal with Caster later."

"I advise against that. We can't be sure her information is reliable, or even truthful." Archer said, crossing her arms.

"I agree. They could easily be lying. The later we deal with them, the stronger and more entrenched Caster grows." Added Saber.

"It doesn't matter. School is priority number one." Rin said, crossing her arms and moving away from Saber.

"Master, I strongly-"

"Sorry Saber, but I don't care. You have to do as I say, as my Servant. And you are a hero, are you not? Shouldn't this be a matter of honor to you?" For the first time since she met him, Archer saw Saber showed deep frown. However, it only lasted a second at best. Then, Tohsaka turned to Shirou.

"Emiya. Are you absolutely sure it's Sakura's friend?"

"Yes." Shirou said with a hardened gaze. Rin grimaced, looked at the ground, and then returned to her serious self.

"We'll talk more in the morning. There's some things I need to think about. Don't do anything stupid, got it?" Once again, Shirou was face to face against Rin's accusatory finger.

"Got it." He replied, stepping away with his hand held up.

"Don't expect much." Archer said. Shirou fell to her jab at him.

"Archer!" He said, blushing.

"Well then. See you two later. Let's go, Saber." With a nod, Saber wrapped his long arms around Rin's waist and thighs and picked her up, before leaping into the night and disappearing from sight. Archer and Shirou were left alone, staring. Shirou seemed especially slack jawed at the display. Archer decided to address it before it got worse.

"I'm not carrying you," she said, once again walking towards their- his house and leaving him behind.

"B-But I didn't say anything!" Shirou complained, quickly catching up to her.

"You didn't need to. It was written all over your face." Archer replied.

"That's not fair! I would never ask you to do such a thing!" He said. "You need to stop assuming the worst in people, Archer." For some reason, that comment made her snap her head towards him, redirecting all her killer intent towards his being.

"Well, you'll soon learn the price of that naivety. Just like trusting that girl near your precious Sakura. Maybe if you had assumed the worst, she would be safe. Now, she's another person that might die. Think about that." Without another word, Archer turned opposite of Shirou. The boy was left alone, watching with wide eyes at the back of the Servant of the Bow.

A/N: And that's a wrap. If you're wondering why this took so long, and why it may not be top quality, there are a few reasons.

1. I got into RWBY and my fanfiction for it, named Heart of Glass.

2. I ran out of story on F/GO in order to play the events, and while Ooku was good, GUDA GUDA 3 was garbage.

3. My computer died and I lost a bunch of chapters. Luckily I salvaged them, but it took a while.

Next chapter, Shero and Archer head to the school to confront Serena. What will occur then? As always, tips and criticism are welcome.

And one more thing, Archer stat sheet baby!

Class: Archer

Master: Shirou Emiya

True Name: ?

Sex: Female

Height/Weight: 190 cm, 87, 5 kg

Stats:

Strength: D

End: C+

Agility: C+

Mana: B

Luck: E

NP: ?

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance D

Independent Action B

Personal skills:

Battlefield Medicine E

As a Hero of Justice, Archer learned how to identify wounds and treat them. However, her healing magecraft was poor, and thus she relied on mundane methods. Thus, this skill is not very effective in the midst of combat.

Eye of the Mind (True) B:

A type of 'battlefield logic' acquired through countless battles. Allows one to identify patterns in an opponents combat style and counter them, along with the ability to analyze surroundings and formulate plans. If a plan has even a small chance of success, this skill heightens the odds of success.

Hawkeye A:

The ability to see great distances and hit targets regardless of their position. If a target moves, the owner of Hawkeye will not suffer any penalties, and will predict their movements. Essentially, it is a minor form of clairvoyance.

Magecraft C- to A+

Archer was a magus in her life. Though her magic ability is quite weak, she seems to have a lot of success with weapon based magic, and her knowledge is decent. Under unknown circumstances, this skill may jump to A+.

Noble Phantasm:

No Data Available.