Been a long time coming.

0: The Choices We Make

"Master."

I look back to see Saber in the doorway, holding my discarded school jacket.

"Put it on the bed," I spoke, straightening my jacket and feeling the familiar weight of the black keys hidden throughout. "I'll deal with it when we get back."

"I see," Saber replied, moving to and laying the jacket on the bed. "And where is it we will be going?"

"Caster went to all the trouble of inviting us last night, but we were rudely interrupted before we could meet her."

I walked out the door into the hallway, Saber close behind me.

"I believe we should make it up to her."

"But what reason would it serve?" she asked as our steps echoed down the stairs. "We would be unable to battle her."

"Not unless we killed the witnesses."

I stepped off the stairs, feeling Saber's stern gaze on my back.

"Fortunately, we are going there only to speak with them today."

I finally reach the front door, turning back to Saber as I put my hand on the doorknob.

"Perhaps this doesn't need to be said, but you should be ready in case things go awry."

Saber wore a small frown on her face as she spoke.

"Is this really the wisest decision, Master?"

"Perhaps not."

I smiled as I opened the door.

"But it will certainly be interesting."

It was clear he wanted us to sense his presence as we approached the temple gate. Saber, more attuned to sensing Servants, moved to my left to likely place herself between me and Assassin.

"I'm surprised to see you so soon after our first encounter. Were I not certain it was for another reason, I'd draw my blade."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," I said as Saber fixed her eyes on the air beside us. "My Servant's adverse to killing innocents, which would likely occur if you two battled now."

"A sentiment I wish my master shared."

Despite his words never changing in tone, I was sure I heard a smirk on his lips. That is, if Servants still have lips in spirit form.

"I've come to speak with Caster and her master today. Think of it as a continuation of last night but under more civil circumstances."

Assassin went silent, likely relaying what I'd said to his master. If they were working with Caster's, as is almost certain considering the circumstances, I could possibly gain some information on both in this one encounter.

"I have been ordered not to let any enemy pass through this gate."

He said this as nonchalantly as anything else I'd heard from him, but I still was able to tell he was not finished with that thought.

"However, it would be terribly unfortunate if I were unable to have one more match with your Servant."

Saber, who had seemed tense at the possibility of a battle, relaxed at these words. She knew as I did what he was leading to.

"If you were to continue forward, I would be loath to stop you."

I nodded, but Saber still seemed apprehensive. It would be best she remained that way. A Servant watching my back through this was the entire reason I brought her.

Saber followed me as I entered the temple, the stone pathway stretching out toward into the temple grounds. A few of the temple's monks were walking around, carrying out whatever duties were required for the day. Some of them glanced our way but paid us little mind beyond that, though curious glances lingered on the foreigner accompanying me. Not that I minded. It would make my searching easier if they ignored me.

"Can you sense Caster?" I asked her quietly as we approached the main building.

"Not precisely," She answered, gliding her eyes along our surrounding. "It is as though the temple is filled with her presence."

"As it should, considering this is my domain."

Saber spun toward the voice, and I could practically feel her intent to call her sword and armor. I turned that way as well, facing a woman with long hair walking our way. Even if I had only seen her in a vision, I recognized her. She had been the embodiment of death in my eyes then, but now I wouldn't be surprised to see her on the face of a fashion magazine.

"I have to say, though," Caster said as she drew closer, tan skirt swaying with each step. "I didn't expect you to present yourself to me so willingly."

"Come no closer, Caster," Saber said, her voice bearing a clear edge.

"Oh please, Saber," Caster said in the same smooth tone I heard yesterday. "If I wanted to hurt your master, I wouldn't need to get close to him."

"True enough," I said, moving to Saber's right but still keeping her between us. "Which means you'd rather talk than be killed."

"Careful who you threaten, boy," she replied, lips curling into an icy smile. "Or else you might find me a less than gracious host."

"Threats are pointless. Had you attacked, you'd be dead. Simple as that."

"Brave words from such a weak master."

Caster's eyes glided over me and Saber, my Servant's body tensing at the movement.

"You can't even pull out your Servant's potential. Oh. Did I touch a nerve?"

I internally slapped myself as I rearrange my face to one of indifference. Calm down. Assert control.

"I didn't come here to talk with you, Caster," I said, keeping my tone calm. "Bring out your master before Saber starts swinging."

"In front of all these people?"

She gestured around at the monks passing us by.

"I doubt you'd be foolish enough to break one of your little mage rules."

"I wouldn't."

I motioned to Saber.

"Saber's perfectly capable of ensuring there are no witnesses."

Saber didn't show any reaction, but I knew she didn't like what I'd said. It was a bluff, of course. One I was curious if they'd call me on or not. Rin had said Caster was siphoning life force from the people of Shinto. I wondered whether or not that was with her master's knowledge.

She opened her mouth to answer, but a familiar called out to us.

"Shirou. They told me a red-haired boy had come here with a foreigner, so I of course thought of you."

All of our attention was directed toward the monk walking our way. I recognized the sturdy man with close-cut hair, a slight smile on his lips.

"Did I really seem the type to walk around with foreigners?" I asked him, keeping note of Caster in the corner of my eye.

"Should I point out the obvious?" Reikan asked, giving Saber a welcoming smile.

"She's someone my father met overseas," I lied, tilting my head at Saber. "I was taking her around and thought she might find the temple interesting."

"I see."

He looked over at Caster.

"Ah. Miss Medea. I'm not sure if he told you already, but this is one of Kuzuki's students."

"Oh? I didn't realize."

There was veiled anger in those words. I must say, I was very grateful and worried for Reikan in that moment. Medea may be a false name, but it would be smart to investigate it anyway. It was second part that caught my attention. The way he said it, it was information she would care about. Why would that be?

"You know Mr. Kuzuki?" I asked Caster with innocent curiosity.

Her anger was beginning to show a little more now. This was both good and bad, considering it was likely directed at Reikan as well. Saber sensed it too, her attention once more fixed on the Servant.

"I'm not surprised he never told his students. She's…"

"Don't you have something you must do?"

The words snaked into my ear and coiled around my mind. I did have something I needed to do. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew it was important. I just needed to…

I nearly bit through my tongue, the pain shocking the words from their vice. I focused on it, the words numbed by the unexpected action.

While I sorted myself out, Reikan got a glazed look in his eyes, feeling exactly what I did without any resistances to aid him.

"Of course," he said lazily. "I do have something I need to do."

With that, he began wandering away, something he'd likely do for a bit before finally snapping out of it.

I took a moment before speaking to allow my tongue some rest from the pain. Hopefully, Avalon would be quick about healing that.

"I wonder," I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Could he be your master or Assassin's?"

Gone was any semblance of civility from her expression, beautiful features twisting slightly in anger.

"No. That expression is more. Certainly your master, but maybe more. Casters must be romantics considering the same was rumored for the first and third war."

"I believe you've outstayed your welcome," she said curtly, turning back toward the temple.

"But I didn't even get to say what I came to," I said with a mock shake of my head.

"I'm sure it was a foolish waste of time, whatever it was."

I didn't know how to respond to that, but there probably wasn't any need to. Even if I wasn't able to do anything like forge a truce or meet Assassin's master, I found out a valuable piece of information.

Souichirou Kuzuki. That was a rather unexpected development. There was always something odd about him, but he never seemed like the mage sort. If he was Caster's master, then could Assassin's be a teacher as well or another person living at the temple?

"Guess we really are done here for now."

I began walking back toward the entrance, Saber warily staying at my side like she expected Caster to suddenly attack.

"Master. This Kuzuki… he is you teacher?"

I hummed thoughtfully as we exited the gate, Assassin making no repeat appearance as we descended.

"He arrived two years ago and took up residence in the temple. He's a quiet man, knowledgeable and respectable. I always thought someone like him could do better than a teacher. If it wasn't an unexpected development, I'd almost think he came here to prepare for the Grail War."

"You believe it was not his intention to join the war?"

"The Grail will pull in humans that qualify to summon Servants whenever there is a disparity of magus seeking it out. It's rare, having only happened twice with one in the second and one in the fourth. You may remember it was Caster's master in the last one."

I knew that would make her go quiet. The previous war was such a sore spot for my Servant, most any reminder left her silent. It may have been an attempt to asway me from digging further, and I was content to leave it alone. I knew enough from that war that a first account wasn't necessary, especially since it was unlikely to relate to now.

"Anyway, this means the school just became more dangerous. That, or perhaps safer if it means Kuzuki will no longer attend. Either way, we should act more cautiously tomorrow. If we leave ourselves vulnerable after eliminating Rider, Caster may take advantage of it."

Her eyes wandered in thought as we reached the bottom of the stairs. I looked around at the street, searching for signs of the battle the previous night. You wouldn't be able to tell the concrete had been cracked and broken fifteen hours ago. Even knowing how efficient the cleaners were, it was surprising how quickly they responded. Guess when the only options are fix it before people noticed or cover it up, one might be simple than the other.

"Well, this is a surprise."

Saber was to my right, putting herself between me and the speaker. I turned and looked past her to find a girl in purple approaching us.

"Why did you come back here, I wonder," Illyasveil von Einzbern said, looking up the stairway to the temple. "Did you forget something?"

"I could ask the same," I replied, tucking my hands into my pockets. "Strange that you just happen to arrive here as well."

"Well, the world is full of coincidences, isn't it?" she asked with a lopsided smile.

"Never put much stock in coincidence."

"You should give it a chance. The world's far more interesting with the unexpected."

"Like a master dropping herself at my feet unprotected. Where is Berserker, anyway?"

"Walking around with him in broad daylight would be troublesome, wouldn't you agree. Not like with your Servant, clearly."

I had a hard time believing for a second that she would go anywhere without that monster. If she had enough control over a Berserker that it obeyed her like it did last night, having it follow her in spirit form was hardly an issue. I wasn't certain Saber could even sense another Servant in spirit form, meaning Berserker could be right beside us and we wouldn't know until he decided to manifest and attack us.

Or maybe she was an idiot and actually approached us without her Servant in tow.

"So, you're saying you came without him?" I probed, watching to gauge her reaction.

"Maybe," she said, clasping her hands behind her back. "Or maybe I left him at home while I explored the city. Either way, it's not like I'm in any danger, am I?"

I had to think on her words for a moment. Was she talking about our deal last night? It's not as though it was some form of binding contract. I didn't even have the magical prowess to make one. Nothing I said implied she was safe until I fulfilled my end of the deal. Just that she wouldn't attack me until I was finished.

"Should I take my chances and attack you?"

"You could, but it'd be a pretty disappointing ending if you did."

I honestly couldn't tell if she was intentionally vague with that statement. So much about this girl was a contradiction, which was surprisingly clear from just two meetings. Girl or magus? Either was a threat, but one was more easily dealt with.

"I could kill you faster than he could materialize."

"You would try," she said, glancing around the road. "But the noise would definitely catch some people's attention. Are you just as willing to kill witnesses as you are to kill me? I don't think you are."

My lie died on my lips. If forced, I would certainly kill a witness, but I refused to intentionally take actions that would lead to it. Even if it was becoming evening, there were still enough people around that there would inevitably be some, not to mention those still at the temple.

"Then we come back around to what you hope to gain from this. If this is coincidence, what brought you here in the first place?"

I likely should have expected her answer.

"I wanted to see the city," she said, gazing to the buildings spread out below the hill. "I've never had the chance to explore a place like this."

I knew little about how she was raised, and I hardly knew more about the Einzberns as a whole. I couldn't even tell if she was lying to me or not because every statement was conveyed in the same nonchalant tone without any noticeable tells. Whether it was training, instinct, or simply the truth was impossible to tell which only made me more unsure of what to do.

"Master."

Saber spoke for the first time since Einzbern arrived, her voice steady and calm, a fact that seemed to ground me as well.

"You're right, Saber," I said as though much more was imparted than a prompting.

I turned and began walking away, curious what her response would be while also knowing Saber would be more than capable if the response was an attack.

…She hadn't said her opinion on witnesses.

"Is that really it? You're going to leave after all that?"

I was beginning to feel my mood slip into frustration at the remark. This girl wasn't making any sense. She accepts a deal with the confidence she can kill me later, then appears seemingly alone as though she asking to die. What sort of game was she…

I realized then how childish this entire encounter had been. For the last minute, we had been arguing about the possibility of fighting, and all it did was pull away attention from why she was actually here. And I fell for it. And she taunted me now because she wanted to keep it going.

She was playing with me.

"How bored must you be to talk to those who want you dead?"

I half-turned back, feeling like I had to watch what she'd do.

"I remember it working well for you last time."

I had no clue how to deal with this girl. She must realize I can kill her, and the church would just find a way to cover up the destruction like they always do. Even if I said I would kill them, it would be easier to simply convince them it was a street performance. Admittedly a very intense performance, but people prefer something explainable. I had even given her an out in honor of our deal, but now I was still there watching her twirl in a circle with her arms outstretched.

"Why would I stop? If you want to kill me, I'm at least going to have fun until you do."

She hopped toward us mid-twirl, and Saber's body went rigid, but I didn't see her take a fighting stance. She was as much on edge as I was, it seemed, but she also must have come to the same conclusion I had.

"So, Shirou," she said sweetly as she leaned forward, hands coming together behind her back. "Would you please show me around? I promise it will be fun."

This girl had a death wish.

"I…"

Should kill her.

"…"

Why did I have to look her in the eye? All I had to do was turn around and say no. All I had to do…

"…will consider it. After I've won this war."

I walked away. I didn't turn back. If I did turn back, I felt like I would lose something, but I couldn't say what. I just had to keep walking, and I'd figure out the reason later.

I could feel Saber watching me. What did she see? An outsider in the conversation, how did she see that exchange?

"Do you believe I handled that incorrectly?"

The question moved unprompted from my lips. I could've just been projecting onto her.

"I… am against killing witnesses."

What a diplomatic answer.

"Should I have killed her?"

"…If she had attacked us as she did last night, we'd have little choice. She may be the enemy, and I would not do something foolish such as turning my back on her, but I do not believe she meant you harm today."

"So, you would have been against killing her."

"Did you want to kill her, Master?"

There was an edge to her voice. I suddenly remembered Kiritsugu Emiya from the previous war. More importantly, that Saber very much disliked her previous Master. His brutal methods might have been the reason.

Yet, he was extremely effective because of them. He almost won the war, after all. Even Father taught efficiency over emotion, and he's the one who survived the war while Emiya didn't.

Still…

"I will have to eventually, won't I? If I'm going to win this war. But… if Berserker dies first, I don't see a reason to kill her."

I looked at Saber, seeing the stoic expression and cautious eyes she was giving me. She didn't fully believe me, not that I always believed myself.

"I would not lie to you, Saber. I like to believe the relationship between Master and Servant is built on mutual trust. My life is in your hands, after all."

Saber watched me for several more seconds, and the edge slowly slipped out of her face.

"I see," she said simply. "Then, I will endeavor to do the same."

"If there is an issue, then I want you to tell me honestly. That's all I ask."

Because if we were going to win, I couldn't afford to lose her loyalty.

"Don't you get it?" he asked with mocking laughter. "I don't even have to kill you. In another minute, this field will do all the work for me. The only reason I'm here is because I wanted to see your face when you realize you lost to me."

I narrowed my eyes, calling keys to my hands, but was dumbstruck by what happened next. Rider straightened up and… plunged a nail through her neck. Shinji seemed completely unfazed by this, and that alone told me something was coming.

The blood from the wound lashed out in front of her and slithered into the air to form symbols. Soon, a magic circle hovered and pulsed in front of her as it was filled with mana. The circle brightened, and Saber readied her weapon as the blood congealed into a red wall that I could have sworn was a giant eye. The light scorched into my eyes, and I was suddenly very aware it was pointing directly at us.

Saber's entire body seized before she cried out a warning.

"Move!"

Grabbing Rin, I dove to the side as a column of light speared toward us from the circle. I barely had time to register Saber dodging out of the way as well before a wave of force sent me and Rin careening away. Our airtime was abruptly cut short by the terrible crashing of a tree against my back. I barely had time to register it before the force sent us straight through it and into another.

Darkness threatened to claim me, falling like a blanket over the rush of pain flowing into me. I furiously fought it back, forcing my eyes to stay open. Keep thinking! Don't focus on it. Stay aware and take stock.

I was now sitting under a second tree, the first one luckily having fallen away from us. Rin was in my arms, possibly bruised but seemingly unscathed, which was good. There was an all-consuming fire burning under my ribcage where a noticeably red chunk of former tree had lodged itself in my body.

All in all, could have been worse.

"Shirou, are you okay?" Rin asked, extracting herself from my arms.

"Should have *cough* reinforced myself," I said as she noticed the large piece of tree sticking out of me. Her face contorted in fear, and I likely would've done the same.

"No…"

She instinctively reached down to pull it out but stopped. Normally it would be best to leave it, but…

"Pull it out," I said through gritted teeth. "Now please."

She might have thought I was crazy if she didn't trust me like she did. With only a minor hesitation, she gripped the chunk and jerked it out in one quick movement. I nearly bit my tongue in restraining the cry.

She tossed the dripping piece aside.

"What now?"

"Now…" I began as heavy breaths escaped my lips before I saw the wave of darkness hurtling toward us. "Move!"

Mustering my strength, I rolled to the side as Rin leapt to the other, the shadow shredding through the tree we'd been against. I tried to get to my feet as I did, but my new wound was making it very hard to focus on the action.

"Why can't you just die already?" Shinji asked in an exasperated tone. "Look at it this way. Dying now will be a lot less painful than waiting for the field to do it."

"Shirou! Catch!"

I watched Rin pull out and toss me a green gem. Fixing my eyes on the stone, I forced my arm to move and was barely able to catch it.

"Use it! Leave this to me!"

I did as she said, pulling out the mana of the gemstone as she had taught me. I tossed it in the air over me, the gemstone breaking and expanding into an emerald field. Just in time, as a number of black spears skidded off the barrier.

Didn't know how long I had before the barrier was worn down or just ran out of power, but it wouldn't matter if I wasn't able to take advantage of it. Avalon was still a mystery, but if something like Rider's nail wound took between eight hours to heal, this probably needed more time unless Saber could repeat what she did with my arm. That might be difficult now, though.

While Rin had begun taking on Shinji alone, Saber had her hands full with Rider. Seems the thing she launched at us was a pegasus that she now rode, swooping down with blinding speed to attack Saber time and again. Saber seemed to be keeping her ground, but her entire focus was on her enemy. I was just fortunate Rider seemed content fighting my Servant rather than capitalizing on my current state.

Blood had stopped flowing from my wound, but the pain remained pounding with every heartbeat. Standing up was going to be a challenge of its own, let alone rejoining the battle. I needed time, but there was none to waste!

Shinji had begun ignoring me, setting his sights squarely on the girl assaulting him with Gandr. Honestly, if Rin had the time, she'd certainly be able to whittle him down till he made a mistake or overexerted himself. Something needed to change quickly if we were going to make it out of this alive.

Something halfway between a whinny and a shriek pierced the air as a black arrow impaled the pegasus's side when it dove in for another attack. It reared in response, its wings flapping wildly as it rose higher.

Saber, temporarily freed from the assault, charged up the school building, vaulting over the edge onto the roof and out of sight. Shinji glared up at his Servant's wounded steed as waves of shadow screeched out at Rin, barely seeming to give her a thought.

"How the hell did that happen?" he asked irritably, turning his attention back to his opponent. "Was your Servant lurking around here too?"

Rin's back was to me, but I was certain a confident, smug, and completely fake smile had found its way to her face.

"We have two Servants, and you really think we'd only bring one of them?" she asked him, lowering the arm she'd been firing the curses from. "It's always better to have a little insurance."

It didn't matter how Archer got here without a command spell. It didn't matter that Rin had no time to call him in the first place. What mattered was using it to our advantage.

Shinji's eyes narrowed in response, a sneer stretching on his lips.

"What does it matter? You'll be dead before it makes a difference!"

To punctuate this, a wave of shadows materialized and streaked towards her. Without hesitation, Rin threw out a gem I hadn't seen her take out. The gem whirled through the air towards the attack before shattering in a blinding orb of white light. The last thing I saw before I had to turn away was the shadows rapidly approaching Rin.

When the light died down and I turned my attention back towards the battle, I noticed a few things had changed. One was that the field surrounding me had vanished, either from exhausting its energy or Shinji having sent some attacks toward me strong enough to shatter it. The next was that Shinji lowered his arm from his eyes, squinting at the origin of the light. The third being that Rin was nowhere to be seen.

Shinji, like myself, was glancing around trying to find where she'd run to, only I was hoping he wouldn't turn his attention to me. I needed to prepare myself just a little more if I was going to avoid incoming attacks in my condition. I focused on my arms, ready to reinforce them and get myself moving. This was going to hurt.

Shinji looked like he was about to say something when something caused him to jerk forward, his field impacted from behind. As he whirled around, I caught sight of a crystalline structure growing off the field.

Seeing my moment to act, I… suddenly felt two hands lifting me up. I looked up to see Rin, determination set in her face, pulling me close as she charged the school building.

We dove through a window, Rin shielding me from the shattering glass as we landed in the hallway. Without missing a beat, she ran down the hallway in the opposite direction of where Shinji was, rounding the corner and racing toward the other side. I saw the track field through the oncoming window before we crashed through that as well.

Once outside, Rin gently sat me against the buildings wall, immediately checking my wound. She looked surprised to find it much better in such a short amount of time.

"Never healed this fast when we were younger," she commented, looking away from the still disconcerting hole in my body.

"I'll explain later," I said, finding it was getting a little harder to breath. "We need to take Shinji or Rider out now."

She nodded. With us running away, Shinji probably would start searching in a very destructive manner.

*CRASH*

…Had started searching in a destructive manner.

"Archer," she said, clearly speaking out loud for my benefit while she communicated with her Servant. "Any longer, and Rider is going to gain an immense boost to her power from all the people here. You and Saber need to finish this by whatever means necessary."

As she listened for a response, I looked up to catch a glimpse of Rider weaving through the air, dodging arrows before swooping down toward the roof. The speed was mesmerizing, requiring all my focus just to keep up with it.

"That's fine," she said, looking down at me. "We'll deal with that when the time comes. Just hurry."

Whatever it was Archer objected to, Rin wasn't sharing. I would be lying if I said I focused on that detail at the time, but the fact that I had a hole in me was a more pressing matter in my mind. Especially since Rin had kneeled and gone back to examining it.

"Don't worry," I said, my voice coming out a bit stronger than before. "Saber can patch me up."

"I'm not going to ask how," she said, raising her eyes to meet mine. "We'll talk when we're done."

She vaulted over the window we came out of, peeking back out with some parting words.

"For now, just keep your energy circulating. If that wound doesn't kill you, the field will."

I heard her footsteps echo as she dashed down the hall in search of Shinji.

I rested my head against the wall, useless aside from Saber working to kill Rider. It galled me that all I could do now was sit and wait while my life rested on another's shoulders. At least they were shoulders I trusted. That much should have been comforting, I suppose.

I could feel the field's presence bearing down on me now that I focused on it. It was like a barrier had been erected between me and it, but it still pressed down like a wave of heat. Rin said it was a mana siphon, meaning it would be draining the mana from everything in the field that could provide it. I could only imagine how it felt to the students I'd seen in the courtyard, unconscious and unknowingly caught in a conflict they wouldn't understand.

"Why do you care? You're the one who put them in that position."

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. I didn't care. I couldn't just waste nights skittering around the city searching for them. We knew where they were going to and the likeliest time they would strike, so we prepared. This gave us the best chance at success.

If it stopped the killings, that was just an aftereffect.

I was a bit amazed I could still think that at this point even as I can see the obvious flaw. If I had just acknowledged that Shinji was involved… If I had just listened to Rin…

I felt a ripple through the air and looked up to see tears start forming in the reddened sky, revealing a cloudy blue. The tears grew, spreading and connecting until the entire field had vanished, the wave of pressuring heat evaporating with it.

"Either Rider is dead, or they somehow disabled the field."

My words were immediately followed by a figure diving off the roof above me, landing a meter away in a crash of metal and dirt. Saber, who was already facing me, rose to her feet and gave me a stern expression.

So, Rider was dead.

"Master," she said as she stepped towards me. "I find it very troublesome that you are always getting hurt on my watch."

"I would hope so," I said, sighing out the words. "Perhaps I should begin distancing myself from the battlefield."

I noticed with a little amusement that Saber brightened at my statement. I had a feeling she'd prefer her master away from danger.

"Unfortunately, I wouldn't be here if I was the sort to give up so easily."

The brightness dimmed but she didn't seem too surprised by the words. Even if she didn't approve, she wasn't going to comment on it.

"Then do be more careful, Master," she breathed out as she pulled me up. "My life is in your hands as much as yours is in mine."

…I had been wrong before, as had plainly been shown twice now. I actually smirked at her wording as a warm feeling grew where my wound was.

"I will endeavor to do so."

I held back my immediate exclamation before it could even pass my lips. I could hardly stop the flare of anger, but the fact that it was Rin certainly did a great deal to help that alongside the fact that someone could walk past us on the afternoon street at any moment. Still…

"Why would you let him go?"

…my anger was obvious, if restrained. It was a small, smoldering thing that she really didn't deserve to be the target of, though that didn't keep it from seeping out. I needed to get it under control.

"He has no Servant," Rin said, stopping and placing her hands on her hips. "He may be a bastard, but he's nothing without Rider. Even that book he was using vanished with her. He's done."

I stopped as well, looking back at her while Saber kept her eyes on our surroundings. Archer was probably somewhere doing the same.

"Do you think he would've given you the same curtesy? You're a mage, Rin! One of the first things you learn is that sometimes people have to die. At least he wouldn't be an innocent bystander."

"I didn't kill him, but he won't be coming back," she retorted, striding up and locking her eyes on mine. "I am not an idiot, Shirou Kotomine. If I thought for a second that he'd be an issue, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

She wasn't an idiot. It didn't change the fact that I wanted to know Shinji never had the chance to do something like that again. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a high degree of anger directed at myself in that desire. That was the main issue here, and I, like the true idiot, was venting it out on her.

I forced myself to close my eyes and focus on the anger, letting it flow out with each breath. I centered my thoughts on the positives of the day. Rider was off the board. Caster was in a corner, which could be both good and bad. Einzbern seemed like she had an interest in me, if in the sense of a toy, which could be useful when I attacked her tomorrow.

The heat ebbed away, my eyes opening on a calm Rin, her own frustration with me gone with my own. By this point, I'd be surprised if she didn't understand where it had come from. She sighed, took my hand in hers, and began pulling me down the street.

"If you're done, you can tell me how you no longer have a gaping stomach wound. I want to figure out how much you can depend on it."

She glanced back at me, a sardonic rise at one corner of her mouth.

"It'll be nice to know how hard I can go when we fight."

Her words added kindling to the small flame in my chest. Recovering from near fatal wounds might not be an advantage when I'm fighting someone who can't. Especially when I don't want to hurt them. It's an exciting challenge though.

"Well, that arm you're pulling did spend some time away from my body."

Watching her slowly process my words was priceless.

"You should think things through before you take that."

I stood between the two figures. One a man wrapped in white who smiled placidly despite his words of warning. The other, a familiar girl standing before a blade embedded in stone.

"Once you draw that sword, you will no longer be human. Even still, will you take it in your hands?"

Even though I couldn't see her face, I inherently knew his question was pointless. It was as though her soul was laid bare before me, and it was a burning certainty. Unwavering, prepared for years for this moment and every moment after. I did not know if the foolish mage understood all the meaning that lay in her simple nod.

She reached out a single hand, gripping the hilt of the sword that held her beginning and ending.

"Master!"

I was immediately awake, rolling out of the bed onto the floor. I pushed myself to my feet when it was clear no attack was forthcoming, finding Saber in full armor at the foot of the bed.

"We're under attack."

I didn't bother with a question.

"Archer witnessed Berserker approaching rapidly. He is currently assaulting him from the roof, but it is unlikely to halt Berserker."

It was a good thing Saber insisted on standing watch tonight, it would seem. If she'd been in my room, Archer would've had to come wake everyone up himself.

I glanced absently at the clock beside the bed as my mind worked. It was half past midnight.

"It would seem Einzbern has come to collect earlier than anticipated."

I spoke as I moved around the bed and past her, heading for the doorway.

"Is Rin awake?"

"I have yet to check."

As we moved down the hall towards the stairs, I saw bright lights casting from the roof in time with a distant thrumming. Archer's arrows, without a doubt. How far off was Berserker?

"I'll take care of her. Go outside and prepare for Berserker. I doubt his Master is going to let us go this time."

Saber simply nodded and vaulted over the railing onto the main floor, leaving me to continue towards Rin's room. I didn't bother knocking on her door, which, in hindsight, might've been a bad idea if she was more like myself. Fortunately, she wasn't the type to immediately attack someone barging into her room in the middle of the night.

She was, however, the type to surprise me by being both awake and currently unbuttoning the top of her pajamas. Yellow cat-print ones I didn't know she had. Not that I knew her… Not the time.

She glanced at me as I came through the door, her eyes lingering for a moment before returning to her task. I, in turn, put my back to her and gazed out the window opposite the doorway wondering if I'd see Berserker coming closer.

"I didn't expect you to be up," I said as I roved my eyes across the different panes of glass.

"Apparently the communication spell between me and Archer cuts through things like sleep. He didn't seem like he was trying excessively hard to wake me up, at least."

She explained this to me while I heard the soft rustling of fabric and the opening of the wardrobe behind me. I looked down at myself, still in my own sleep attire. I hadn't even grabbed my jacket when I left the room.

"Should you really be wasting time getting dressed?" I asked over my shoulder, catching a slight hint of red in the corner of my eye.

"You can go out looking like a bum if you want, but I'm the heir of an esteemed family. I should be presentable whenever possible."

Partially a joke, partially her own pride in her family. If the attacker was already here, she'd take them down even in her underwear. They might not live to see another sunrise, but she'd do it. It's strange where priorities go when you have time to think.

I felt safe enough to turn around, finding her closing one wardrobe door before slipping her arms into the jacket she pulled from it. She then looked me over, raising an eyebrow in appraisal as she clasped the jacket together.

"You should at least put on some shoes," she told me as she sat on the edge of her bed, pulling on her leggings.

I thought about it for a moment before sending a pulse through my circuits and projecting a pair of shoes into my hand. I sat on the floor and put them on while Rin glared at me.

"It really isn't fair," she mumbled as she began pulling on her own.

"I'm just surprised you still can't do it," I said mildly as I rose back to my feet and stepped out of the doorway.

"Just because I understand the process doesn't mean I can put it into practice."

I thought about that as she strode past me into the hallway and toward the stairs. Rin can do so much more than me, but Tracing causes her to hit a wall. It's probably the only thing I exceed her in regarding magecraft. It's part of the reason I explored what I could do with it more than other forms, much to Rin's chagrin.

"Maybe one of these days," I muttered as I followed her.

We hustled to the back of the house, both of us knowing that even attempting to fight something the size of Berserker on the street would practically be suicide. I was certain she also knew it was likely Berserker would still tear through her home first to get to us, but it was possible we'd get lucky and he'd barrel in from the side.

"Saber's guarding the front. How close are they?"

"Archer, how long until they get here?" she asked aloud, her eyes unconsciously sliding up to the roof Archer watched from.

I watched her eyes narrow and shift towards the eastern corner of the house.

"Apparently, subtlety is the last thing on their mind. They're jumping from roof to roof with Berserker protecting his master."

"Then why hasn't Archer knocked them out of the sky?"

Rin's brows furrowed in irritation.

"Anything he has fired either does nothing or is batted away into the buildings."

Giant footprints on roofs and arrows in walls. I wondered how the church would explain that.

"We may have to rely on Saber then."

Rin nodded, though still obviously annoyed at the prospect. Or maybe simply the fact that Archer just admitted he couldn't do anything.

"Archer," she said with a forced calm. "We're going to be backing up Saber while she takes him head-on. If you have something you think can hurt him, wait until she gives you an opening. Otherwise, keep him distracted."

I really wished I had any talent for communication magecraft in that moment. Saber, though, was the sort to understand a situation when she saw it. It was just frustrating not being able to tell her directly until after we were in the thick of it.

"And that leaves Einzbern to us," I told her, fixing the image of a black key in my mind. "If we can eliminate her first, Berserker won't be too far behind."

"Which is easier said than done," she replied, letting out a breath to ease the tension from her body. "If she controls Berserker as well as you said, she will be wielding a lot of power."

"Are you saying you're scared of a challenge?" I asked knowing her response already.

"Actually, it has me excited," she answered with a smirk, the calm much less forced than before. "Fighting the same person can get pretty boring."

"Spoken like someone on a losing streak."

It is, of course, that moment an earthshaking roar from something that couldn't possibly be human echoed from beyond the house, quickly followed by the sound of violent crashing.

So much for calming each other in familiar patterns.

"I don't know what magecraft she has," I spoke as keys projected between my fingers. "But she has a frail body. Even with reinforcement, I could still take her out if I got close enough."

"Do you think she realizes that?"

"Perhaps," I answered with a frown. "She's probably aware of her limits, so I'm expecting she'll fight like you without a physical defense to fall back on."

Rin sighed as the sound of battle drew nearer, pulling her loose hair back into a ponytail.

"We'll play it safe until we see what she can do."

"Then we'll take her apart."

Like myself, Rin felt better with a plan of attack. The tension was back, but it was more from preparedness than nerves. Einzbern came to fight, and we were ready to give it to her.

We watched as Saber was hurled through the walls of the mansion, tumbling across the grass and leaving gouges where she landed. She managed to roll to her feet, her unseen sword at the ready.

"Saber!" I called out, drawing her attention. "Archer's going to be taking whatever shots he can. Give him any openings you can."

Saber frowned in what might have been irritation. That chivalry of hers was probably the reason. Still, she would do it. I just expected she might have words for me later.

A hurricane burst out the building, and Berserker roared with enough force to shake the trees surrounding the yard. Rin winced at the action, not from the roar but the damage that had been done to her family home. We wouldn't be able to stay here after tonight.

The monster charged Saber, revealing a girl in purple strolling through the hole he made. She jumped around between the broken parts of the wall spread on the ground with a childish glee that ended with her landing on both feet at the other side.

"Shirou!" she called as she waved at us. "Did you keep your end of the deal?"

"Rider is dead." I answered, keeping my arms and the keys at my sides. "I was planning on going to you. You didn't have to come all this way."

"Or destroy my house!" Rin added indignantly.

Einzbern's eyes moved to Rin, her smile shrinking as they did.

"It won't matter when Berserker's done with you."

My grip tightened around the keys as Einzbern continued, her eyes shifting back to me.

"You still haven't shown me around, Shirou, and I was tired of waiting. As soon as Berserker kills everyone else, we can finally see the city!"

"That might be a problem," I responded, recentering myself so I was ready to move. "I'm rather attached to the person next to me, and I don't see you winning this fight."

She laughed at my words, dragging one hand through her hair in a strangely deliberate fashion.

"Don't worry," she said as she held the same hand out. "If you want, I can keep her too. I'll have to make a doll, of course."

She opened her hand, and silver hairs I didn't see rose and glinted in the moonlight. They all quickly formed into gleaming birds, wings slowly beating so they hovered above her shoulders.

"I think you've threatened us enough," Rin said simply before raising her hand, Gandr brightening at the tips of her fingers. "Shirou, let's end this quickly so I can find somewhere to go back to sleep."

"I know a place," I replied before immediately charging the girl in purple.

OP: STORY [Kensho Ono]