A/N: It's been a long time (for me, that is) since I last touched this site. Been multitasking again (which develops into a bad habit for me) and this time it's juggling between watching Madoka Magica (which has a season 2 according to Urobuchi.), thinking about board examination type questions and writing this fanfiction. Also with a little fanfic searching on the side related to Emiya Kiritsugu and Homura Akemi. XD

Italics for emphasis or thoughts

CAPITALS for when someone is inserting a word in English or for emphasis

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I do, I would have made Homura Akemi (aka Homerun – chan) the servant of Emiya Kiritsugu, and Gilgamesh would have a hard time battling the controller of time. Credits go to Hiroshi Shiibashi for Nurarihyon no Mago and Gen Urobuchi and Type – Moon for Fate/Zero

Chapter 4:

That night after their discussion, Caster sipped her green tea, and looked at Kejoro in her eyes with all seriousness etched on Caster's face. Kejoro did not wilt under her serious stare, an initial sign of determination.

"So, what is your decision on the matter? I myself can say with certainty that I can't guarantee your safety. Are you sure you can do this?" Caster wanted to be sure that Kejoro's look was not a farce on her part. "There is still the option of giving up the command on a servant. The judge of the War will be in charge of such matters, and I'm sure he can guarantee your safety from other Masters."

Kejoro mustered up all her courage, took a deep breath and declared, "I'm absolutely sure. After what you said this morning, it made me feel all the more determined to join this war. After all, the world's fate is in the hands of this War. Soudaisho will not tolerate a premature apocalypse in his backyard. The Third Heir will not approve of that either. So I'll join and end this so-called War no matter what it takes."

Caster can't help but smile at her Master. Although she wished that her master was a young man so that she can fulfill her wish and live happily ever after, after what she saw in Kejoro's eyes, she decided to stick around with her. Perhaps she's a lot better than anyone thinks she is, she noted.

"Can I ask you one more question, Goshujin – sama?" Caster politely asked. Now is the time to lay down her plans for her goshujin – sama.

"Sure, fire away. And please drop the Goshujin – sama, it makes me feel uneasy. Just call me Kejoro." She said with a warm smile on her face.

"Since you said that you joined previous wars related to youkai domains, I assume that you are a combatant, correct?" Caster asked, still formulating something on her mind.

"I think so." Kejoro replied, still not getting what Caster is trying to plan. "But I only do it with my hair, and that's just for small fry. I can face stronger opponents, just as long as they are within my domain. For bigger ones, I really need serious help", she replied, recalling the skirmish between her and Kagibari – Onna and the Oni stronger than them, that if not for Kubinashi's intervention she would be dead meat. Caster then smiled wickedly while politely saying this statement that made Kejoro drop her jaw even further.

"Starting next morning, we will have a physical training session!" she cheerfully announced. Kejoro just mentally put a palm on her face at the thought of Caster declaring a physical training session. She can't believe that a Caster of all servants will declare a physical training session. But then she thought that there will be a catch. There has to be one, or else they'll be dead meat before the end of the War.

Caster explained further. "If you are wondering what is, then here it is. The weakness of a Magus is that if you are not a Magus. An orthodox magus type, to be specific." Kejoro wanted to ask the meaning of what she said just now, but she had to keep listening if she doesn't want to be left on air by Caster's continuous ramblings.

"I must admit, I use magic to knock down or even kill my opponents." She sadly recalled, but kept her composure to continue laying down her plan for the war. "I knew from the start that my Magecraft is strong. But a wild IDEA came up to my head. 'What if I combine Magecraft and physical abilities?' Then I started my experiments, of course with myself as the subject, and found out that my weak punch, when infused with mana from my circuits, can obliterate small rocks into tiny pieces. After that experiment, I thought 'perhaps this will be my atonement for all that I have done.' You know the rest of the story, negotiations have failed. But at least I have a surprise weapon" She finished cheerfully.

"Problem is, I'm a youkai. I only operate my hair through Osore, and I don't know if even that is synonymous with what you call 'circuits'." Kejoro deadpanned on the explanations provided by Caster.

"Then I'll make you an instant Magus! As a Caster, it's easy for me to activate your circuits. All I need is a deep breath and some enchantments, and voila! Instant magus" She concluded with a smile on her face. "Or are you severely underestimating my abilities just because I'm a Caster, Goshujin – sama?" She finished with a polite but deadly tone in her voice. Kejoro has no choice but to obey her Servant. After all, you don't want to get on her bad side.

"Then it's settled! Now, Kejoro – san, please close your eyes." Caster requested and Kejoro complied. She muttered something in Archaic Japanese language, and then placed a paper talisman on her forehead. After a few seconds, she flicked Kejoro's forehead.

"Ow! What the heck was tha-" Kejoro stopped mid – sentence as warm heat slowly seeped up to her body. Caster smiled at the development and analyzed Kejoro's circuits while removing the talisman from her forehead.

"You might qualify for a third – generation magus. You have four circuits. It's of the best quality too. If you were the daughter of a Magus, you would have surpassed other Magi with a Thaumaturgical Crest." Caster just observed her while Kejoro was wondering about the heat that is surging in her body right now.

"That heat by the way, is magic surging through your body. Try your best to control that, or other Magi might notice you." Kejoro complied and the once surging warm heat is now gone after a few minutes.

"Impressive, Goshujin - sama. Others will have their reserves drained by the time they knew how to control that. Now you are really ready for your training." She said with a triumphant smile on her face.

After a gruelling week of strategy preparation and "physical training" as Caster liked to call it, Kejoro and Caster were now leaving the confines of the Nura Clan House on daybreak.

"Just make sure to call for back – up if you ever need us." Rikuo advised to her subordinate.

"Sure will do, Young Master." Kejoro replied. Other youkai also woke up early to see Kejoro and Caster leaving, especially Nurarihyon.

"And don't forget to bring with you sweet candy on your way home." Nurarihyon added with a chuckle. Kejoro just sighed and she has no other choice but to bring him the sweets. After all, he's the one that provided the catalyst, and a powerful one at that.

The night before:

"Goshujin – sama! I have good news for you! It's related to the servant and masters!" She announced it with glee. Kejoro was just drained for it, after that intense training, but she had to listen. Really, when will be the day that Caster's energy will wane off like dry leaves?

"I have the pairings right now, although it's only six of them..." she trailed off when Kejoro popped off the big question.

"ONLY SIX? You must be underestimating yourself, Caster! One can't just say that he or she have just gathered information from six individuals without being beaten up to death or something!"

Caster just smiled nervously. "You might have forgotten, Goshujin – sama, but this is my domain. As a matter of fact, almost all of the masters' information that I've acquired came from Japan. Others were either that they look like Japanese or that they may be related to Japanese people." She cheerfully finished. Kejoro was amazed at the information that Caster had provided. And she's even more amazed to find out that Caster can be able to gather information due to the fact that The Land of the Rising Sun is her domain, even though she's only one of the facets of their Sun Goddess. It's really a good thing to have a Japanese Servant by her side.

"Alright, what are the pairings? And better hurry up. We need some serious sleep to regain energy." Kejoro flatly concluded.

"OKAAY! First pair is Waver Velvet, and his Servant Rider." She showed Kejoro through her mirror a picture of a teenager and a really big man by his side. Kejoro nodded before Caster continued.

"Second one is Saber and Irisviel von Einzbern," she raised up a picture of the lady bodyguard with a lady in white flowing hair. Kejoro marvelled at Iri's appearance "though I doubt that Iris is really her master." Caster deduced.

"A proxy master? Who would want to do such a thing?" Kejoro asked. To which Caster just replied in a serious voice.

"Only her real master will do such a thing. He or she knows that they cannot harm the Grail as long as she's not yet broken…" She trailed off from her statement when Kejoro asked her a question.

"So you mean to say that this lady with white flowing hair IS the Grail?" she asked, dumbfounded on what she is trying to comprehend right now.

"Twisted as it was, but yes. Her contents, to be exact. She's a homunculus, a doll designed to hold the Grail, so she's not what you will exactly call 'human'." Caster prepared herself for the worst question that will be fired by her Master.

"Then why can she smile? How can she display vivid emotions like a human?" Kejoro asked her, still confused. Caster can only conclude this, as she herself cannot believe at first that the one smiling at the lady bodyguard/Servant is a homunculus.

"I can only find one explanation for this. The reason why her eyes had such life is because someone taught her the ways of this world." Caster finished. Kejoro just hung her head.

"But if we're lucky, we can prevent her from dying." She tried to reassure her master. Fortunately, her master decided to carry on with the explanations that Caster will give. "Next Master and Servant pairing is…"

"Archer and Tohsaka Tokiomi. I daresay that this brat is a haughty king by the looks of him. Greedy too, considering the Noble Phantasms that he has in his 'storage'." Caster drew the conclusions, although she's not sure what era this young man was. All that she knows is that this man has some sort of divinity emanating from his presence.

"Wait, so you say that this golden armored servant that just shoots spears and swords like arrows is a king?"

"Yup. We must be on our watch for that Archer. Although he may be haughty, he may become serious in the next days to come." She concluded with a tone of caution in her voice before Caster continued her explanations.

"Next is Matou Kariya and Berserker…" She showed Kejoro a picture of a sick man and the Servant clad in black armor and with gauntlets that look like claws. "Kariya – san looks like he's sick due to some kind of disease…"

"Or some kind of twisted experiment" Kejoro finished Caster's statement with disgust, as she can see what kind of Magecraft did this thanks to her magic circuits being activated by Caster. She had better control of it over the week – long around – the – clock training with only lunch and dinner as rest. "Youkai have rules, they never do something like this unless it's necessary, but this reeks of forced competition. What motivated him to do this?"

"Actually, that's one of the questions that a participant in this war must ask, although I would have to revise it this way: Why does he or she want the Grail?" Caster finished.

"If only they knew what was in that abomination called the Grail by now." Kejoro said with a sigh. "Please continue."

"Next one is Uryuu Ryuunosuke and Caster" showing her a picture in her mirror of a teenager and a man that looks like he's out of an asylum. Kejoro can't stand that pairing as they reek of murderous impulse.

"Is that one of the humans we swore to protect?" Kejoro was really disgusted by that pairing. "When did his summoning took place?"

"After someone summoned a Lancer, I guess. Or maybe earlier than that. Either way, he's the weakest Servant in this war, as being summoned last has its disadvantages." Caster deduced before she continued.

"Last one will be Kotomine Kirei and…Assassin?" She was wondering why a priest of all people has a lethal and shadowy Servant by his side. "I might correct myself on this one: Assassins."

"Why is that?" Kejoro wondered about the correction that Caster has made.

"His Noble Phantasm is related to multiple personalities that are split into different people. That's why he has the nerve to sacrifice Assassin on the spot. As I thought." Caster chuckled. "Funny thing is, I just snucked up on Fuyuki church using my familiars, which by the way according to the rules of the war, a floundering of regulations regarding the neutrality of the place."

Kejoro facepalmed mentally at Caster's recalling of her so – called "espionage". "So that's like breaking a rule of the convention regarding the neutrality of a country if I'm not mistaken. Good thing you're not found out by an assassin."

"Of course." Caster said proudly. "But it's not the assassin that I'm worried about. I can take them down easily, provided that you ordered me to do so. It's the priest that I'm worried about."

"Oh, and why is the great Caster afraid of…" Kejoro trailed off when she found out a clue to what she said just now. A priest. He is someone capable of defying belief of the gods and preaching about the one true God.

"Aside from what you were thinking just now, he has an impressive resume, but he's…empty." Caster just mumbled the words that she said.

"What do you mean by the word 'empty'? He's a priest, right? He cannot be empty." Kejoro wondered aloud. It's a cue for Caster to continue.

"He's what you call 'the ace in every class', had a contented life until his wife had died. And to push himself away from the emotions, he just worked himself out twenty times harder than a normal human could work. He even became an Executor. He learns very quickly when it comes to magecraft, but at the point of mastery, he throws it away like trash to accommodate the new lesson or experience that he will acquire. And yet he's been chosen for this war. Surely the Grail had a twisted way to invite participants." Caster finished, seemingly tired from that explanation alone.

"I think you had the philosophical definition of emptiness. Nope, scratch that. He's emptiness personified. We really have to be careful of him." Kejoro finished.

"One more thing, before I forget. I don't know if he's a participant or not, but I just saw him with a tattoo that looks like a command seal, might as well follow him. Emiya Kiritsugu. Another man with an impressive resume." She showed her a picture of a man in a black trenchcoat, smoking cheaply made cigarettes. Kejoro nodded before Caster continued her observation.

"He is well known in the Magus world as the 'Magus Killer'. A pragmatist in terms of combat with magi. Aside from his killings of heretic Magi, he also participated in wars as a mercenary, but only when the fighting is fiercest. Well known for…" she trailed off in fear as she observed the man called Emiya Kiritsugu.

"What's wrong? Something tells you that something is off about him?" Kejoro tried to snap Caster off her traumatic thoughts.

"…shooting down an entire plane because the target was in it." She finished her sentence in horror. Caster herself prepared for the worst, but not this worse. He's in every way a monster. What made him continue this kind of life?

Kejoro tried to shake off her fear before that…monster. Although she's a youkai, she had a hard time composing herself at the very description of a man called "The Magus Killer." After a few minutes of composing herself, she motioned for Caster to continue, or at the very least, try to continue her observations without being shaken with fear.

"Fortunately, those activities were stopped for at least 9 years, since the Einzberns…invited him…to their family…" She just pored over the information for five seconds before she showed a surprised face at what the pieces of her evidences will lead into. She can't believe herself that she'll make an unbelievable conclusion for this matter. Now it makes sense to her. The command seals, the reason why Saber had a female proxy master which is the Grail itself, and why something was off in those situations.

"Something nibbling on your mind?" she asked. Caster then smiled politely before answering. Kejoro took it as a sign that she found out something, or worse, planning for an out – of – this world strategy, just like the last time that she planned that they'll march directly to where Saber and her master is.

"Let me show you up – close the Command Seal of Emiya Kiritsugu." Caster chuckled before showing her the zoomed – in look of his Command Seals. "What do you see?"

"I don't know, looks like a cross to me. Wait…" she saw that the Command seals look like a cross over – all in appearance, but it also looks like…a sword… "Don't tell me…"

"We got Saber's Master. Funny how an assassin and a knight would get along, if ever at all." Caster mused with a smile on her face. "Funnier as it may be, he's the husband of Irisviel von Einzbern. Other masters have obscure references of their command seals to hide their Servant's identity at least, but this screams of 'Hey, I'm Saber's Master'. He should at least wear a glove or something to cover it up." Kejoro looked at her hand and started wearing gloves in a panicked fashion.

"We got all six servants and masters covered, and we now know who we should look out for. Only one that's left is of the Lancer Class. With that, let's get a good night's rest, Goshujin – sama!" She finished cheerfully her observations.

"Like I said, please drop the Goshujin – sama. We're partners here, remember?" Kejoro said, clearly with a hint of irritation.

Osore - Fear

At last, I finished this one.

Sorry for having the plot take too long, but I want the others to understand how the war goes, especially for youkai and magi. And especially for the audience who reads this.

EDITED (May 11, 2013): some parts of the story due to wordings. For the reviewers, I deeply apologize for the words that I used here, since this is my first time writing a story. And for the reason why Caster's been knowledgeable about the Masters except for one, please refer to Nasu's interview on the question: "What if the Servants were summoned in their own territory?" since Caster's been summoned to her homeland, Japan, which explains why she knew the Japanese well (and the foreigners living in Japan for quite some time e.g. Glen and Martha) and why she can draw conclusions like this.

Please rate and review. :D