Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Blessing in Disguise

Prologue

White light filled the underground room, flooding out from the circle drawn on the floor with iron and chalk, and powered by the young woman standing just outside, a crimson gem glowing with its own light hanging from her fingers on a silver chain. Motes of light swirled above the circle's center, and then coalesced into a figure cloaked in red over black and silver armor.

Then the light faded, and said figure opened his eyes and stared at the one who'd summoned him. "Huh…" Sakura Tohsaka said while scratching her head. "That…actually, worked."

The newly-summoned Servant raised an eyebrow. "If I might ask," he began. "You didn't think it would?"

"The summoning ritual?" Sakura asked back. "No, I did everything right, so I expected it to work. I hoped it wouldn't though, so I wouldn't have to get involved in this war."

"That…does not make sense." The Servant said incredulously. "How can you even be a Master or even have summoned me if you didn't want to get involved in this war?"

Sakura smirked and crossed her arms. "As Kirei's been saying for a long time," she said. "I'm a mass of contradictions."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Sakura said with a nod. "Anyway, enough about that. My name's Sakura Tohsaka, and seeing as I've summoned you, I'm your Master in this war. Care to share your class and identity?"

"I suppose I should." The Servant said with a nod. "My class is Archer. As for who I am…sorry. But I just…can't seem…to remember…"

Sakura hummed and raised an eyebrow skeptically. She leaned closer to her Servant, Archer leaning back and taking care to meet her skeptical gaze. He smiled weakly, though there was something…unusual, there. In fact, there was more than one unusual thing about him, though she couldn't quite place it.

"Right," she said skeptically while leaning back. "Fine, keep your secrets for now. I guess if you don't share them with anyone there's less chance of people figuring out who you are. Though I do plan to find out sooner or later. Got that?"

"Got it."

"Good." Sakura said with a nod and beginning to pace around her workshop. "Honestly…what a mess…oh yes, one more thing. What's your wish for the Grail?"

"And what's yours?" Archer asked while stepping out of the circle and looking curiously around him.

Sakura glanced at him unhappily, and Archer smirked at her. "None." She said, and then it was her turn to smirk as Archer's smile fell.

"That's impossible." He said. "You can't be a Master without a wish for the Grail. That's the whole point behind the Holy Grail War. You have to have a wish."

"Subconsciously?" Sakura asked. "I probably do. But I'm not so stupid as to make a wish on something that's essentially a glorified monkey's paw. And wish or not, I automatically get command spells and with them a chance to join this war. It comes with being one of three families that set up this whole thing in the first place."

"And who are the other two?" Archer asked with narrowed eyes.

"Einzbern and Matou." Sakura said offhandedly.

"I guess we now know at least part of the names of two other Masters."

"Only one, actually."

"What?"

Sakura looked at Archer. "Matou died out during the Fourth Holy Grail War." She said. "The last member of their family who could use magic was killed during that war. His sons couldn't use magic, and neither could his grandson. They're still around, but they're not magi anymore. For which I'm thankful for."

"Well it is one less potential enemy…though that also means one additional unknown to deal with."

Sakura hummed in acknowledgement while fixing her papers. "Alright," she said, while placing the papers back into a receptacle on a shelf above her desk. "Come on, I'll show you around my house."

Archer smiled and gave a small bow. "After you, Master." He said.

Hours later, and Archer let himself fall into the living room couch with a sigh. "Your house is too big." He complained.

Sakura laughed at that. "Yeah, I know it is." She said. "Still, it's home…a lonely one at times, but it's still home for all that."

"You live alone I take it?" Archer gently asked.

"No," Sakura replied with a wave of her hand. "Mom is here, along with the maids and the cook. Oh, and the driver as well. They're just all asleep right now."

"…you're a rich girl."

Sakura sighed and sank down herself into an armchair opposite Archer's own. "Yeah, I am." She said. "And it's a massive pain in the neck. Duty this, duty that. Responsibility…expectations…yeah, I know it comes with wealth and status, and even if I had less of both, I'd still have responsibility and expectations to live up to. But…I wouldn't mind having only the latter to deal with…an ordinary person's obligations, you could say."

"Is that your wish for the Grail?"

Sakura laughed and sat back. "Maybe," she admitted after a moment. "But as I said…"

"Yeah, you're not stupid enough to make a wish on a glorified monkey's paw." Archer said with a nod. "I heard you the last time. So…you really are only in this war for duty and expectations' sakes, aren't you?"

Sakura didn't answer at once, but after several moments she looked away. "I'm also the Second Owner of this city." She said. "It's my job to keep anything supernatural that happens here under control. And with this war, plenty of magi will be coming here, all for a chance to get their hands on the Grail and have their wish granted."

Sakura sighed and leaned forward, rubbing her fingers against each other. "Magi tend to be greedy bastards." She said. "If it means getting what they want to get, ordinary people getting killed or worse is perfectly acceptable. I won't let that happen."

Sakura met Archer's eyes with a hard set to them and to her face. "Listen, Archer." She said. "I don't plan on letting some greedy bastard just slaughter their way to victory, like what happened during the third war some sixty years ago. Or for that matter, repeating whatever the hell happened ten years ago during the fourth war, when the Grail somehow malfunctioned and blew a large chunk of the city into ash. But! We'll do it right. No civilian casualties. Collateral damage will be kept to a minimum."

"But beyond that…?" Archer asked.

"We'll do what we have to do." Sakura answered. "And as much as I don't like to admit it, I'm a magus too. I was taught the same first lesson as they were: magi walk with death. So if they force our hands, we'll kill them without mercy."

Archer was silent for a few moments, staring only into his Master's eyes, and then he smiled. "I can work with your previous restrictions." He said. "In fact, I like to work cleanly myself."

Sakura smiled, the tense air which had built up over the past few minutes dissipating so quickly it was as though it was never even there in the first place. "Good," she said. "Maybe we are alike after all. And they say Masters and Servants resemble each other, don't they?"

Archer smiled wider. "So they say." He said while sitting back. "I guess we'll have to see if that's really the case with us."

"I guess we'll have to."

Smiling at each other, Master and Servant truly relaxed around each other for the first time since they met. For several moments they sat in silence, and then Archer spoke up. "So," he began. "What's your plan for this war?"

"Not a clue," Sakura answered honestly. "I mean really, how do you prepare for something like this?"

Archer sighed and rubbed his chin. "There's a point there." He said. "Not to mention you're what…seventeen? Sixteen-years old?"

"Sixteen…I'm sixteen-years old."

"So you are." Archer said with a nod before narrowing his eyes. "There's a lot of responsibility on you and at your age too. Too much, I'd say."

"Yeah, I know." Sakura said. "But what we want and what we get in life are rarely if ever one and the same thing."

"Hmm…that is true…so very true…"

Sakura looked surprised at that, both at the very bitter tone of voice it was delivered with, along with the veiled self-loathing that flashed over her Servant's face. "I…see…" she said with a cough. "Personal experience?"

"You could say that."

"I see. Sorry for bringing it up."

Archer waved it off. "It's alright." He said. "It won't get in the way of what needs to be done, on that you have my word."

Sakura nodded, and again silence fell over them. "We still have time to think up of something though." She eventually said. "Last time I checked, there were still a handful of slots left unfilled."

"Such as?" Archer asked.

"There was your spot." Sakura said. "There's also Saber and Assassin."

"I see." Archer said with a nod. "Two slots left then…assuming they aren't summoned tonight as in my case."

"Yup."

"Hmm…who's your source?"

"The overseer of the contest."

"Ah…I see. Fairly reliable then."

"In a way."

Archer raised an eyebrow, but Sakura refused to elaborate. Again, silence fell, until several minutes later and the clocks began to sound the hour. Sakura yawned as though prompted by the sound, which she probably was on a subconscious level, and she glanced once at the clock. "Huh…" she said. "It's really late, and I still have school later in the morning. Oh well, a couple of hours of sleep is better than none at all, so I better turn in."

"Of course," Archer said, getting to his feet along with his Master. "In that case, I shall stand watch outside."

"Oh?"

"This house is fairly tall." Archer said. "And I've got good eyesight. I'll tell you more about it later, along with what else I can do, but for now, suffice to say from this house's roof I should have a good vantage point to keep an eye out from."

"Stay in astral form, alright?" Sakura said. "Not just to conserve prana though that's not really a problem, but also to stay unnoticed."

"Of course I will."

"Good." Sakura said before walking away, a hand raised in farewell. "I'll see you later in the morning, Archer."

Archer smiled and nodded, even if his Master couldn't see it. "Indeed," he said. "See you later, and sleep well."

Archer stepped out onto the roof of the Tohsaka mansion, and took a deep breath of the cold night air. All around him, the suburbs of Fuyuki stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Raising a hand, Archer repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist, and briefly concentrating, did similarly to his connection with his Master. His Master…

His memories were still blurred, but even so Archer couldn't help but feel…strange, about this whole situation. As though this wasn't how it should have gone, that there should be someone else standing behind him in this war, and that no one else should be in the mansion he'd be guarding every night from here on out.

Not to mention they're potential targets for our enemies.

Still, far be it from him to not adapt and make the best of any situation he was in. His Master had plenty of prana, which was a good thing when all was said and done, and while she was clearly inexperienced as a magus, she seemed to be well-trained and had ample resources at her disposal.

I'll just have to make up for her deficiencies, and we should be fine. She does seem to be the type to listen to advice, after all.

Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Archer reinforced his eyes before sweeping the horizon for threats, doing likewise with his spiritual senses. All around he could feel the Tohsaka bounded fields protecting both the mansion and its surrounding property, robust and solid, and again he nodded in satisfaction.

No enemies nearby, and the property was well-fortified…yes, they were off to a good start. Granted, they didn't quite know how to get to their end goal, but that could work to their advantage, potential enemies having nothing to predict of them and prepare for.

Though it also meant they couldn't take the initiative, which was a considerable disadvantage.

"I guess now's a good time as any to think of a plan to work with." Archer thought as he shifted into astral form, and sat down on the roof.

As the night passed him by, the Moon slipping down from the sky towards and then beneath the horizon, the velvet darkness above giving way to the pastel shades of the dawn as the Sun began to rise over the horizon, Archer just sat there. Part of his mind was focused on his surroundings for potential threats, the other part of it focused on the countless possible developments that could emerge over the following days, and how to best respond to them.

They'd have to be amended after taking into account the details of his Master's abilities, and those of their enemies, but as Archer sensed the staff bustle around inside, followed by his Master stirring, he smiled as he rose and phased down through the mansion and into its interior. Much still needed to be done, but they were in a better position now than they were in a few hours ago.

A/N

If you're expecting Rin Matou to show up as an enemy or just a background character, don't bother. Why? It will be revealed soon enough, unless you lot figure it out on your own.