This covers Day 2 and 3. I figured updating another chapter with no action would leave you readers bored. I know the wait time was long, but this is double-length to make up for it.

Akiko woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. She was in her room. She placed her right hand over her forehead and groaned. "Ugh, what time is it?" She glanced at her alarm clock on the nightstand near the bed. It read 20 minutes to 10. "Shit! I missed going to school!" The summoning the other night drained her of almost all of her mana, so she was a tired mess, or at least felt like one.

She groaned again and pulled the covers off her body before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and stood. She was still wearing her pale blue nightgown and walked like a member of the living dead to the living room where Lancer slept last night. He was up and flipping through channels on the T.V.

"You know how to work the remote?" Akiko asked.

"Yeah, it just took some messin' around with it on my part, though I mostly learned how to use one from the Grail." He set the remote down. The T.V. channel was on a game show. "It's amazin' how far technology's come from my time."

"If how far technology's moved within the last 1,900 years amazes you, then it must be pretty advanced. Technology just a couple years old nowadays is pretty much outdated."

Lancer glanced at her in amazement. "Yer kiddin'!"

"Nope. People are constantly trying to invent new ways to make our lives easier. A new version of something comes out pretty much every year, Lan - Wait, do you want me to call you by your true name or your class name?"

Lancer went back to staring at the T.V. "When it's just the two of us, ya can call me by my true name. But when we're in mixed company, use my class name."

"I knew you'd want to be called Lancer around others to hide your identity from them." Then Lancer flipped to the news. [Light and Darkness] An interesting story was on. Apparently, there was a murder at an intersection near the school. There were no survivors in the family of four. All were found with their bodies torn up.

[End OST]

Lancer glanced at her. "I thought ya should know that yer alarm went off a couple hours ago. When I went into yer room to see where the beepin' I was hearin' was comin' from, I saw you were still sound asleep. I figured ya'd be tired from last night, so I shut it off. That's okay with ya, right?"

"Yeah. Even if I did get up for school, I'd probably be too sleepy to focus," Akiko sighed. She reached for the remote and shut off the T.V. She set it down and looked at Lancer. "Come with me."

Lancer got up. "What for?"

The two walked into the kitchen and Akiko gestured for Lancer to sit in a chair at the kitchen table. "Just wait here," Akiko said after Lancer sat down. He was facing the large glass doors. "I'll make some pancakes." Akiko walked into the back of the kitchen and got ingredients out of the refrigerator and pantry.

[Gentle Everyday]

"Ya sure you can pull off makin' breakfast with how tired you are?"

Akiko began mixing the ingredients in a bowl. She added buttermilk to it. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." Akiko put a skillet on the electric burner and, being half-asleep, accidentally set the temperature on it to high. Then she went to the refrigerator and got out some butter. She got out a butter knife and got a glob of butter on it to slick the surface of the skillet and to add more flavor to the pancakes. Then she got the butter to drop off onto it. It sizzled and oil splashed up, hitting Akiko's arm, the one she wasn't using [1]. She jolted at the sudden pain. "FUCK!"

Lancer shot up out of his seat. "What happened?!"

Akiko was clutching her burned left arm and grimacing. She quickly turned the temperature down to medium. "Dammit! I meant to set the temp at just above medium! Cu Chulainn, take care of this while I put burn cream on my arm!" She began running to the bathroom in the bedroom.

"Do ya even have any?!" he shouted after her. Thanks to both having sharp hearing and their telepathic communication, they could hear each other even on opposite ends of the house.

She threw open the medicine cabinet and dug around for the tube of cream. 'Yeah. I have some just in case I accidentally burn myself with my magic.' The burn was hurting like crazy. Akiko finally found the burn cream and looked down at the under side of her left forearm. A couple of centimeters down from her wrist was a small red circle. And the same distance down was the start of an even bigger burn. It was clear that oil hit it in an oval shape before dripping to the left less than a centimeter and going straight down to midway to her elbow and then going straight to the right less than a centimeter. It looked like a C.

She quickly squeezed the tube on the burn to leave a short line of the white cream. Then she set the tube down so she could rub the cream over the rest of the burn with her right hand. Touching the burn hurt, but the cream felt so cool and soothing on her arm. When she had rubbed the cream all over the burn, there was still a large smudge of white on her forearm where she rubbed the cream. Until it soaks in, she had to remember not to accidentally touch anything with it. Otherwise, whatever debris was on it would stick to her forearm.

She suddenly remembered she left the pancakes to Lancer. Worried that he would be lost as to what to do, she began talking, communicating with her Servant. 'Oh, right! You probably don't know what to do, don't you?'

'Don't worry. I may not look it, but I can handle cookin'. I had to cook fer myself on the battlefield all the time. 'Sides, some knowledge I got from the Grail taught me how to cook somethin' as simple as pancakes.'

Well, that was a relief. It looks like Akiko didn't have to worry about Lancer accidentally setting fire to the house. She went back to the kitchen. Lancer had already finished the first batch of two pancakes. They were stacked on top of each other on a large, white-glassed plate. No burns were on them. Both were a golden-brown. The man was cooking the last two pancakes. There was no more batter in the bowl.

Akiko picked up the bowl, ignoring the sting of the burn on her left arm, and took it to the sink. She turned on the water and began washing the batter residue in it out. "For your first time making pancakes, you're doing well, Cu Chulainn."

He flipped the cooking pancakes. "Like I said, I learned quite a few things to make it in the modern era from the Grail."

Once she was done with the bowl, Akiko let it rest in the sink with the other dirty dishes so she would clean them all together later. Then she got the flour and other ingredients that had already been used for the batter and put them away, along with the butter. "I should have you doing the cooking more often then."

Lancer used the spatula to get the two pancakes on the plate, on top of the other two. "Hey, can't ya also cook?! I don't wanna do somethin' all the time that you can also do!"

Akiko opened a drawer and pulled out an oven mitt. Then she went over to the stove and used it to grab the skillet. She took it over to the sink and washed both sides in cold water to cool it down enough so she could place it with the other dishes in there. "Hey, I'm letting you stay here for free. The least you could do is help out around here!"

Lancer sighed in defeat and took the plate to the table. "Fair enough."

Akiko opened the fridge and took out the bottle of maple syrup. Then she opened a cabinet door and took out two plates. Then she opened a drawer and pulled out two forks and knives.

Lancer glanced at the pancakes as Akiko walked back to the kitchen table, holding everything she got out. "That's a lot of pancakes fer one person. Sure ya can eat 'em all?"

Akiko set the things down on the table. One plate was set where Lancer was sitting. She placed one fork and one knife next to it. Then she did the same at a spot to the right. Then she placed the syrup bottle next to the plate of pancakes. "No. I can only handle three large pancakes."

Lancer looked at her with wide eyes. "Three large ones?!"

Akiko blushed and twiddled her forefingers. "I, uh...like pancakes...a lot..."

Lancer looked down at her slender waist. "How are you not fat then?!"

"I have a high metabolism, and I work out often. I do martial arts, so I practice a lot."

Lancer facepalmed. "Okay, so yer a big eater..."

"Only with pancakes and sweets," Akiko put in.

"...Okay, but how are ya goin' to eat all four? One would be left, right?"

Akiko looked at him before sitting down at the plate to the right of Lancer's spot. "Didn't you see me lay out two plates? I intend to give you two pancakes."

Lancer sat down at his chair, but was still staring at Akiko. "Ya know Servants don't need to eat?"

Akiko stabbed one pancake with her fork and moved it to her plate, then another. Then she drizzled the syrup on them. "Of course I know. But even Servants fight and feel better on a full stomach rather than an empty one, right?"

Lancer got the last two pancakes on his plate and drizzled syrup on them. "I guess yer right."

Akiko started cutting up her pancakes. "Same with sleep. You Servants don't need it to live, but I bet your fighting improves when you feel rested."

Lancer was cutting up his pancakes. "I notice that ya mentioned fightin' in both eatin' an' sleepin'."

Akiko blushed slightly as she took a bite from a pancake. "Sorry. I was thinking about the Grail War, and fighting just came to my head."

"Don't apologize. It's good that yer keepin' in mind of what the War involves us doin'. An' speakin' of the War, what's yer wish if we win?"

Akiko noticed that he said "if" and not "when". It's okay. After all, neither knew how strong the other six Servants would be. They could lose their lives during it. And some of the other Masters could overpower Akiko with their mage abilities.

[End OST]

Akiko knows that Lancer is part of the Three Great Knight Classes in the Holy Grail War. This meant that he should have an advantage as far as strength goes against four other Servant classes, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. And even though Rider is hailed as one of the fastest Servants, Lancer's agility rivals them. Depending on the Lancer and Rider summoned, Lancer could be faster than Rider. Or Rider could be faster than Lancer.

"Akiko?"

Unfortunately, the biggest worry is that Lancer is not the only Servant in the Three Great Knight Classes. The other two were Saber and Archer. Archers, while strong, usually fight with a bow. Lancer fights close-range. So as long as Lancer doesn't allow that large of a gap between he and Archer, Lancer should win.

And then there's Saber. That Servant, like Lancer, fights close-range. And their parameters are high, mostly A or B. This means that Lancer will have more of a tough time fighting one. And there is a good chance that he'll lose.

"Hey, earth to Akiko."

[Gentle Everyday]

Lancer was staring at Akiko. Akiko shook her head to get out of her daze. "Sorry about that. I was lost in thought. Did you need something?"

"Ya didn't answer my question. So, what's yer wish?"

"I just want to bring my parents back to life. I'll tell you more later," she added when it looked like Lancer was going to ask her to explain the reason for the wish. "What's yours?"

"I just wanna have a good fight is all. An' the Holy Grail War is perfect fer that!"

Akiko ate another piece of pancake, silent, expecting him to say more. "...That's it? That's what you want? No wish, just fighting?"

Lancer leaned back against his chair, grinning. "Yep, that's all. It's the only reason I answered yer summons."

"So, you love fighting." Akiko ate another piece of pancake. Only two pieces left. Lancer was already done, which was amazing. Akiko has often been told that she is not only a heavy eater of sweets, but also a fast eater. She figured with how fast she eats, she would be done first. But these pancakes were really good. Lancer did a good job at flipping them at just the right time, not having them rest on the burner long enough to lose most of their flavor, but not soon enough for them to fall apart. "You seem pretty laid-back."

"That's only when I'm not fightin'. Durin' my first life when I was done battlin', my friends would tell me that I looked like a wild animal durin' my fight. And this made 'em wanna stay outta most of it."

Akiko started eating her last piece of pancake. "Yeah, that's the impression of how you fight I got from Bazett when she told me about you. But she also said you have this thing, Riastrad, I think she said, that causes you to attack both friends and foes. I don't know about the other Masters, but I don't wanna be killed by my own Servant."

"Well, she toldja right. I do have that personality quirk. But since I was summoned as a Lancer an' not a Berserker, Riastrad is less likely to come out. So ya don't need to worry."

"Good, because I don't want to spend this whole War making sure my own Servant isn't targeting me."

Lancer grinned at her. "Ya don't need to keep an eye on me fer that." He leaned forward, with his elbows on the table, staring at his Master. "So, tell me more about yer mystic eyes, Like how often do ya see the future?"

"Like I told you last night, it happens randomly for me, without me myself having any control over them. As for the frequency of my predictions, it varies. For example, I may have several in one day and go many days without seeing another. I think I had one while sleeping last night."

"Ya did?!"

Akiko nodded. "Yes. This happens on occasion. The vision will appear in my dreams. Unfortunately, I often mistaken them for dreams, and thus I don't pay them much mind. I am unaware that they are future predictions until they happen. I saw that news story about the household murder in my dream. I figured out it was a future prediction when I saw the same story on the T.V."

"So that's the problem with it, huh?"

Akiko sighed as she stood up from her chair. "It'll be inconvenient during the War if I don't get a vision we really need in time."

"Hey, at least it's somethin' the other Masters won't have! We should consider it a blessin' we have that potential for an advantage at all, regardless of how random yer visions show up."

Akiko picked up her and Lancer's plates. She took them to the sink to rinse them off. "Huh, I guess it's not that bad if you look at it that way." She started walking out of the kitchen. "Now to do something about your clothes."

"What's wrong with 'em?"

"They aren't something to be walking around in public. Now come on so we can find something that fits."

Lancer got up and followed Akiko into the study room. She dug through a box of her dad's old clothes. She threw Lancer a black t-shirt and blue jeans. "Here. Try these on." Akiko stood up. "I'll be in my own room getting changed."

Akiko closed the door to that room behind her and went into her own room. She put on a long black skirt and a red shirt. When she came out, Lancer was already in the hall. He was also wearing her dad's clothes. They were a little too big for him. He was having trouble keeping the pants up. Akiko sighed and got a belt out of her closet and tossed it to him. "Here, put this on."

"Thanks," Lancer said as he fit the belt through the loops around the jeans before running it through the belt buckle.

"Now let's go out into town and find clothes that actually fit you."

[End OST]

[Surrounded by Smiling Faces]

As the two went into town, no one else seemed to notice that Lancer's eyes looked inhuman. After all, the person walking with him looked different from others as well. Not only was she really skinny, she was also really pale - almost completely white. She didn't go out in the sun too often. She mostly practices martial arts or magic inside, or did her favorite stress release, video games. The two went into the first clothing store they encountered with a changing room. The Master and Servant went to the mens' section. Akiko picked a set of clothes a size smaller than her dad's. She tossed them to Lancer.

"Go into the changing room and try those on to see if they fit. If they do, I'll buy them and others that same size for you. If not, we'll keep going down in size until we do find ones that fit. Since my dad's clothes are only slightly too big for you, finding the right ones to fit you shouldn't take too long."

Lancer started walking to the changing room with the clothes. "Got it." He checked in with the changing room attendant to let her know he was occupying one of the rooms and went into a stall. He came out several minutes later of course wearing the clothes of Akiko's dad. After all, the ones he was trying on haven't been bought, so Akiko was glad to see he knew enough about the modern era to know the couldn't just walk out of the store with the clothes without paying for them. "Still too big for me."

"Hmm, try these then." Akiko tossed him a white t-shirt and black pants. He took them back into the changing room. That's when Akiko noticed a girl with black hair and green eyes who just went out of the girls changing room staring at the Servant. And it was a look that meant she was planning to ask him out as soon as the man came out again.

[End OST]

"Ooh, he's handsome," she said. "Is he single?"

"Flirt with him and I'll kick. Your. Ass. Bitch!" Akiko snarled at her, glaring daggers.

The girl smirked and put her hands on her hips. "What? Do you have dibs on him already?"

Akiko blushed. She was trying to convince even herself that she needed him close for the Holy Grail War. Not because she secretly thought he was attractive or really nice. "Of course not!"

"Then there shouldn't be a problem here. Besides, I can't see him wanting to date a scrawny, vamp -"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Akiko roared as she tackled the girl to the ground. The two began rolling around on the floor, punching each other and pulling hair. Then the door to the changing room opened and Lancer came out. He was carrying the clothes that he tried on.

"Okay, these ones fit -" Then he saw his Master wrestling around on the ground with another chick. "Whoa, what's goin' on?!" He reached down and managed to wrench them apart. "Cut it out!"

Both girls stood and glared at each other, panting. Their hair was a frizzy mess, like they had just gotten out of bed. "I'm not about to give him up to a worthless skank like you!" Akiko panted.

"Who are you even talkin' about?!" Lancer exclaimed.

Akiko grabbed his wrist. "Nobody you need to worry about. Let's just pay for the clothes and get the hell out of here!"

"What about other clothes?!"

"We'll come back some other time to get them! Let's go!"

"Wait, ya mind tellin' me what you two were fightin' about?!"

The other girl was glaring at Akiko. "This isn't over!"

Akiko hurriedly paid for the clothes and rushed out of the store, dragging Lancer behind her. She took him straight to her house and plopped down on the couch. "Damn, fighting her was tiring! That bitch just didn't know when to quit!"

"I'll ask again: what were ya fightin' about?!"

"Nothing you need to know!"

The next morning, Akiko woke up when her alarm clock went off to go to school. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before sliding out of bed. She went to the living room. Lancer was sleeping on the couch again. He was wearing nothing but his boxers to sleep in. Akiko blushed when she saw the toned muscles on his abdomen, chest, and arms.

As Akiko approached to wake him, Lancer opened one red eye before she got next to him to wake him with most likely a harsh method. "It time fer ya to go to school?"

Last night, she explained to him it's something she does five days out of the week. Lancer agreed for her to continue going throughout the rest of the War, but on one condition. He goes with her to keep her safe. He doesn't want her getting killed and he himself vanishing without having had a single fight. She told him fine, but he couldn't actually go into the building with her. He'll have to keep a lookout in the trees near the school.

[Tender Scenery]

Once they ate, they headed to Homurahara Academy. Once the building came into sight, Lancer broke away from his Master and hid in the trees. Right when Akiko was about to go into the school building, a girl with brownish-orange hair and gold eyes, Ayako Mitsuzuri, walked up to her.

"Hey, I didn't see you at school yesterday. Did something happen?"

"Nothing major. I just felt sick yesterday. Didn't wanna risk getting everyone else sick as well."

"Huh, that's what Tohsaka said too."

"Was she also sick."

"Yeah. She skipped school yesterday too."

This got Akiko's attention. She knew the Tohsakas were a mage family. So were the Matous, but they didn't possess strong enough magic circuits to produce a mage, much less a Master. But the reason Rin missed school yesterday might be the same reason as Akiko's. She may have been chosen as a Master and summoned a Servant the same night Akiko summoned Lancer.

"Hey, Hashomoto, ya still there?" Ayako was gazing right into Akiko's eyes, her face right up to the Master's. They were so close that a little shove to either girl would be enough to make them kiss. And Akiko was certain Lancer wouldn't stop laughing until three or four days later if that happened.

Akiko took a step back. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

Ayako retracted her face. "Well, it is a little strange. You and Tohsaka rarely get sick."

That was true. Akiko possesses an unusually high immune system. The last time she got sick was three years ago. Akiko didn't know about Rin, but the teen was probably the same.

"Hey, we're human, aren't we? So it means that Tohsaka and I are liable to get sick."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. We'll if I'm not doing maintenance in the archery room, I'll see you at lunch." Ayako began walking to the building.

"I'm sure Emiya would be glad to do that for you," Akiko called after her. Ayako stopped and turned the top half of her body, looking at Akiko behind her.

"I don't usually do that. Shinji does. It seems Emiya's in over his head helping everyone with every little thing. I don't want to force more work on him. Besides, he's doing something for the student council president at lunch." The bell rang. "Oops, we'd better get going. We don't want to be late for class. Well, see you later, Hashomoto!"

Akiko knows she always makes it to class with plenty of time left before the tardy bell goes off. [2] Once Ayako was gone, most everyone was trying to get to their classes on time. So Akiko found this to be a perfect chance to whisper telepathic messages to Lancer. 'Hey, I think a girl at my school, Rin Tohsaka, is a Master and has already summoned her Servant. So we're going to lure her out.'

'How are we gonna do that?'

'Let out mana. If she's a Master, she'll investigate it. If not, she'll ignore it.'

'But if she is one, won't her Servant come in her place just to be safe?'

'No. I know her. If another Servant is out there, she won't believe it unless she sees it with her own eyes. She'll wait until night to investigate, when even those in clubs would have gone home. And this will also tell us if she has a Servant here.'

'How will it?'

'Just take a moment to picture yourself as a Master. You wouldn't want to risk going against an enemy Servant without one of your own, would you?'

'I guess yer right. But letting out mana will mean me takin' more from you to compensate. Ya okay with that?'

'Don't worry. It'll be fine. Now, I need to go.'

Akiko cut off the conversation and went into the building. She made it to class just as the tardy bell went off. First was Mr. Kuzuki. He had black hair and hard black eyes behind a pair of glasses. He wore a dark green suit over a white shirt, which had a black tie around the collar.

As Mr. Kuzuki was talking, Akiko glanced at Rin, who was sitting in a desk near a window in the back. Could she really be a Master? Suddenly, the classroom didn't feel as safe anymore. It felt like something heavy was pressing down on Akiko. Then a headache came. Akiko bent down so that her head was right over her desk. No one else paid any attention. After all, Akiko told them she suffers from chronic headaches. A vision passed across her eyes, which were squeezed shut. Ms Fujimura was coming into the classroom, skipping, before tripping and falling on the floor.

Just as Akiko opened her eyes, Mr. Kuzuki left the room. A few moments later, Ms. Fujimura came skipping into the classroom. The fall didn't hurt her, it was just comical. So Akiko didn't try to stop what was going to happen next.

Sure enough, the teacher tripped and hit her face on the floor. About 95% of the classroom broke into laughter. Rin groaned in annoyance and Akiko sighed. Ms. Fujimura got to her feet, angry that she had just humiliated herself in front of the entire classroom. Luckily, she didn't take it out on the classroom by giving everyone a pop quiz, but she did give everyone in the room the stink eye the entire time she was there.

Then the bell rang for lunch period and Ms. Fujimura left the room, still grumbling curses over what happened to her. Akiko took out her bagged lunch and got up from her desk, going over to Ayako's. But the shorter teen was also getting up. She faced Akiko.

"Sorry, it looks like I was right about the dojo. It does need maintenance. It looks like you'll either have to find someone else to have lunch with, or eat alone today."

"Don't worry about me," Akiko replied. "I already have a plan B in case this happened. I'll go to the roof to eat instead."

"Good that you have another plan. Again, sorry about this."

"Don't worry. You did warn me this morning that this could happen."

"Thanks for being understanding about this." Ayako headed for the door. "Well, see ya later, Hashomoto!"

Once Ayako left the room, Kaede Makidera made her move. She had tan skin, black hair, and was wearing a female Homurahara Academy uniform.

"Hey, Hashomoto! Why don't you eat over here?!"

Akiko and Kaede weren't the best of friends. At least for Akiko. Kaede didn't seem to know that. Akiko just thought of them as two classmates. Kaede and her two friends as well.

"Sorry, Makidera, but I already made up my mind to go to the roof to eat."

Kaede stuck her lower lip out like she was pouting. "You always make up excuses when I invite you to eat with us."

"Sorry. Maybe tomorrow if Mitsuzuri's busy again." Akiko left the classroom before Kaede could say anything else. In the hall, Akiko ran into a headache.

"Eating alone again, Hashomoto? If you'd like, you can eat with me."

It's Shinji Matou. He was a boy in the same grade as Akiko. He had wavy blue hair and blue eyes. And Akiko didn't like him one bit.

Akiko huffed and turned her head away from him, holding her chin high. "Sorry, Shinji, but if I had to choose between eating alone and eating with you, I'd prefer eating alone."

Shinji growled. "What did you say, Hashomoto?!"

"You hit on Tohsaka two days ago and I hear she turned you down hard." She turned her head so that she was looking right at Shinji. "I'm with her on the matter of you, and you're lucky we're in school right now. If this were anywhere else, I would have punched you to the ground by now. Do what you do best and slither back to the archery range to stick your face in someone else's ass."

Smirking, she left a fuming Shinji behind and went up the stairs to the roof. The breeze blowing through her hair as soon as she opened the door felt nice. She sat down next to the water tower and started eating. Lancer's voice broke into her head.

'I see yer safe fer now.'

'Well, of course I am. No sane Master would attack me in front of a bunch of people.'

It was a rule not just for the Holy Grail War, but regarding any mage activities. Non-mages couldn't be witness to anything magic-related, be it spells or even Servants when they aren't trying to blend in. After all, Servants were given form in this world by magic. If anyone who isn't a mage witnesses something like this, they must be silenced. Several mages have the ability to wipe a person's memory, erasing their knowledge of seeing something magic-related. For those mages without that power, they instead kill the witness to prevent information about mages spreading to commoners. And if it was the Holy Grail War, kill is most likely, even for other mages. This is a way to eliminate any potential Masters.

'Don't worry. I'm safe here,' she continued.

'I dunno. Suppose a Master was plannin' to kill everyone in the school, all at once, just to get rid of you?'

'Oh my God! Just thinking about that makes me sick! Don't mention something like that again!'

'Sorry, Akiko. But we can't rule that out.'

'If it we're up to me, someone who would kill a bunch of outsiders just to eliminate a Master doesn't deserve to be called one!'

'But that's just you. Suppose a Master was so desperate to win that they'd resort to somethin' like that.'

Maybe he's right. After all, each Grail War has been more savage and brutal than the last. Who know what horrors will be in this one?

'...Fine. Continue to observe the school from the outside. I'll keep an eye on the inside.'

'Got it. At least yer playin' it safe now.'

'And, since you're taking more mana from me, I assume you're letting some out?'

'Some. Not a lot. Just enough to rouse that lass' suspicions.'

'Good. Keep doing that. And once the clubs let out, I'll meet you up here when the trap worked.'

Akiko and Lancer cut off their communication to each other for now. When the bell for the end of lunch period rang, Akiko went back to class. She kept an eye on Rin. So far, the teen has made no suspicious movements, but she may have already told her Servant her plan for after school, given that she's already sensed the mana Lancer was letting out.

[End OST]

Then the bell for the end of the regular school day rang. Ayako, who had already come back to class after lunch period got up and went over to Akiko.

"Hey, Hashomoto, wanna hang out tonight?"

Akiko turned her head to look at her. "Sorry, but I've got plans tonight." Big ones, if she's right and Rin has a Servant too, most likely also at the school. If so, then this would turn into a fight between that Servant and Lancer. "What about archery practice? I thought you had it today."

Ayako scratched her head. "Sadly, I didn't finish cleaning the dojo. It's too messy to train in."

"I thought you did during lunch. Is there a lot to be cleaned?"

"Yeah."

"Then wouldn't you have to stay here and finish?"

"No. Shinji was acting up. Apparently because you turned him down. Nice job, by the way." Ayako flashed Akiko a grin. "As punishment for his behavior, Ms. Fujimura is making him finish cleaning the dojo. She was still mad about her little 'accident' in class today. But knowing Shinji, he'll weasel his way out of it by making Emiya do the work."

Huh. Even if that was the case, Shirou should be finished by the time the other clubs let out. If there wasn't a lot of cleaning left to be done, then Shirou should be finished before the possible fighting breaks out.

"Well, anyway, see you tomorrow, Mitsuzuri."

"Yeah, see ya!"

Akiko pretended to be leaving the school too, following behind Ayako. But when Ayako was far enough away, Akiko turned and headed back into the school. She hid in an empty classroom until night fell any everyone in clubs left the school. The second stage of the plan would happen soon.

'It seems the lass came up here after all.'

That was the cue. Akiko left the classroom and went up the stairs to the roof. When she opened the door to it, she saw Lancer standing in front of the water tower with his spear out. Facing him was Rin.

Akiko spoke up. "It looks like you fell for our little trap." She looked around. "Where's your Servant? I assume you have already summoned one, right? I know you wouldn't be stupid enough to investigate the mana without one nearby."

Rin scowled at Akiko. "So you're also a Master, huh? It never crossed my mind that a fellow classmate of mine would be a Master, my enemy."

"You shouldn't assume that you are safe among your classmates."

"Yeah, I got that now."

"Then you know what's coming next, right?" Akiko said and nodded. Lancer got his lance ready.

Rin smirked. "You're going to try to kill me, huh? Sorry, but that's not going to happen so easily. You see, you'll have to get through my Servant first." Then Rin turned around and broke into a run, mana in her legs. Then she leaped over the fence at the end of the roof.

Akiko crossed her arm. "So she DOES have a Servant." She looked at Lancer. "You ready for a fight?"

Lancer grinned, showing his fangs. "'Course I am!"

Akiko nodded. "Good. Then let's go."

[Into the Night]

He held her so she was on the left side of him, his left arm around her waist. She wrapped both arms around his chest. Then they took off for the fence Rin jumped over. Lancer leaped over the fence and landed on his feet on the ground even after the four-story drop. On the ground he let go of Akiko and she ran far to the right of Lancer as to not get caught up in his attacks.

Rin was on the other side of the campus grounds. A couple meters in front of her was a man facing Lancer. He had tan skin, steely grey eyes and silver hair. He wore a black top under a red mantle. A pair of black pants were worn with red cloth hanging down from the sides and back, from the rim of his pants. In his left hand was a black sword, with the blade slightly curved. This must be Rin's Servant. But which class was he?

Lancer seemed to be studying the other Servant. "A sword...but somethin' tells me ya aren't a Saber. An' I don't think yer the proper single-combat type. So that must mean yer an Archer."

"An Archer?!" Akiko exclaimed. "Then shouldn't he be fighting with a bow instead?!"

Lancer growled in frustration. "That's what I can't figure out...Archer! Where's yer bow?!"

Akiko sighed. "There's probably a reason he has a sword and yet falls into the Archer class. My intuition tells me we need to kill him before we find out the hard way. Lancer! Fight as you will! Go wild, for all I care!"

"I thought from his weapon that your Servant is a Lancer," Rin said. "That makes him a Servant in the Three Great Knight Classes. And since my Archer is also one, I suspect a huge fight will break out." She took several steps back. "Archer! Defeat Lancer!"

Archer smirked and seemed to vanish, the ground where he was cracking.

[End OST]

[Clashing Souls]

"Here he comes!" Lancer shouted and positioned his lance diagonally in front of his body. In that instant, Archer reappeared in front of Lancer, slashing down with his sword. Lancer's feet broke into the ground below as he snarled, resisting the force of the blow. Then the man knocked the sword up with a flick of his lance, throwing up pieces of the ground into Archer's face. In the same movement, Lancer stabbed at Archer's neck. Archer blocked the spear to his right as he sidestepped to the left of it, black blade throwing up sparks in a shower as the man slid past it to be face-to-face with Lancer. At the same time, Archer elbowed the other man with such force that Lancer flew back. He landed on the ground on his back several meters away.

A second later, Archer vanished and appeared over Lancer. He stabbed the sword down at Lancer's head. Lancer knocked the sword to the side with Gae Bolg and kicked Archer in the gut. The man tumbled back several meters before ending up on his feet, digging them into the ground to stop himself.

Lancer got up in an instant and vanished, slashing his spear sideways over Archer's head. But with only his right hand. As expected, Archer ducked and slashed at the abdomen Lancer left exposed on purpose. He took a step back to avoid the blow and grabbed the blade with his left hand. Blood from the cut trickled onto the black steel, with some of the liquid dripping onto the ground. The blade had been stopped completely.

Lancer grinned. "Gotcha."

But Archer figured it was going to be a trap. No Servant would leave an opening like that, much less a member of the Three Great Knight Classes! As Lancer crushed the blade, slashing down at an angle at the right side of Archer's neck, Archer released his hold on the handle of the sword and shifted far back, almost like he was gliding over the ground. Dust flew up when the tip of the spear hit the ground hard.

Lancer chuckled darkly. "Good reaction. Had ya been a moment too late to retreat, I would've taken yer head off! He crouched like an animal ready to pounce. He held his spear in the position for stabbing. Where he held with his left hand was slick with blood. "But now ya don't have a weapon! Yer life is as good as mine!" He charged at Archer, ready to end the fight. Archer didn't move, as if accepting his imminent death.

"Archer!" Rin cried. Archer's lips moved, forming words. Lancer was right in front of Archer, stabbing forward at the man's head. A light flashed from each of Archer's hands and the spear was knocked over the man's head. Under the spear were two crossed swords. One was the black one. But the other was like a copy with a white blade instead. Archer knocked the spear off them. While the tip was in the air, Archer slashed at Lancer's neck with both swords. Lancer tsked and backflipped, taking the spear back with him.

The two were now the same distance apart as when the fight started. "Two swords?!" Lancer growled. "What's goin' on?! I broke yer sword!"

"I wouldn't let my guard down if I were you, Lancer," Archer said. He raised both swords right in front of his chest and crossed them. "After all, we're still fighting." He vanished as he took off at Lancer. He reappeared in front of the man and slashed forward, the left sword going for his neck and the right one aimed for his face. Lancer held his lance up vertically to block both.

Lancer smirked, despite the pressure being put on the shaft of Gae Bolg, sparks flying from the blades of both swords. "Heh, who says I dropped my guard?" Lancer used the spear to push the swords slightly back. Then, without missing a beat, stabbed it at Archer's chest. Archer jumped back, avoiding the attack entirely, Or so he thought.

A line of the cloth over Archer's right bicep was sliced, revealing a cut, shallow but still deep enough for blood to trickle down. He glanced briefly down at the cut. "I thought I dodged it."

"I guess not fast enough!" Lancer said, grinning. He positioned Gae Bolg on the left side of his body, tip pointing to the ground. "Now I'll kill ya!" The two exchanged blocks and blows. Some of the blows from Lancer shattered Archer's sword. But the man would take a step back from Lancer and a new one would materialize in that hand. Then Lancer stopped, jumping back from Archer.

[End OST]

"That was 27. I disarmed ya that many times, an' yet ya seem to have another sword to replace the one ya lost! Is yer supply of weapons infinite?! If so, we could be doin' this fer days!"

"What's the matter, Cu Chulainn? Aren't you going to attack?" Archer asked, lowering his swords.

"How the fuck did ya figure out my identity?! I haven't even used my Noble Phantasm yet!" Lancer exclaimed, glaring at Archer.

"Your skill with a spear and your speed told me who you were."

"Heh." Lancer changed his stance. His body was turned to the right, holding Gae Bolg with both hands to his right side. The tip of the crimson spear was pointed to the ground. "Since ya already know my true name, then there's no reason fer me to hold back now." Red mana burst from the tip, swirling around the whole length of the spear.

This was it. He was going to finish the fight here and now. A Noble Phantasm is a Servant's greatest attack. But the Servants must call out the true name of the Noble Phantasm they're using. As a Noble Phantasm is related to the myth of the hero using it, it reveals their true name. However, since Archer already knows Lancer's true name, he is free to use Gae Bolg. As soon as Lancer calls out the spear's name, it'll be over, since the attack aims for and destroys the heart...

"Who's there?!"

Lancer had suddenly canceled his Noble Phantasm. He was staring in the direction of the archery dojo. And he looked totally pissed. Someone watching the fight from the dojo broke into a run for the school building.

[Nightmare]

Akiko's face felt cold. This must be the vision she saw the night she summoned Lancer. And that means Lancer will -

Akiko turned her head to where her Servant was. Lancer was gone now! If he was gone from here, he was probably going after the person in the school. "Dammit!" She broke into a run for the school building.

'Cu Chulainn, where are you?!'

'I'm here on the third floor.' He left out the part where he had just speared the lad through the back. The lad had red hair. When he fell down onto the floor in a forming pool of blood, Lancer saw his partially-open eyes were gold.

[End OST]

Akiko was panting as she finally made it up the second flight of stairs. "D...Damn...Did you...two...really...have...to go...this...far.?!" She rounded the corner and leaned against the wall. She saw who it was that was killed. "Shirou...Em...iya...huh?"

Lancer glanced behind Akiko and growled. "I sense Archer comin'! We'd better make ourselves scarce!"

"H-Hey!" Akiko exclaimed. Lancer had just scooped her up bridal style. She hoped Lancer couldn't see her blushing in the darkness. He threw his body at one of the windows in the hall and the glass shattered. His feet hit the outside ground and he turned around, sprinting out of the school grounds.

"How are ya doin'?" Lancer asked as he looked down at Akiko. He was referring to her exhaustion from sprinting without stopping. He didn't mean the face most of her face was red. He wasn't stupid. He knew what it meant and why she was doing it. Akiko was blushing.

"Y-Yeah..." She kept blushing even when Lancer arrived at Akiko's house, opened the door, walked to the living room, and set her down on the couch.

"Now, you stay right here an' wait fer me to return."

"Why?"

"The lad's alive. I'm gonna finish the job."

"What?! Why?!"

"Ya know why! He's an outsider! Rules say for him to be silenced! Look, I'm not all that thrilled about this either!" Without waiting for Akiko to reply, he ran out the door. Following the lad's presence, he came to a Japanese-styled house.

Lancer sighed. "Let's get this over with." He broke through the glass walls of one hallway and went straight for the room where he was feeling the kid. He burst through the door and stabbed at the head of the lad. He must have sensed Lancer, because he rolled to the right just in time, his body hitting a table and knocking a couple of rolled-up posters on the floor. The lad grabbed one and stood facing Lancer, holding the poster in both hands like a sword.

"Trace on," the boy said. "Component materials strengthening."

[Footsteps of Destruction]

Lancer sighed. "Paper? Really? You expect to be able to ward off my attack with that?" He lazily stabbed at the lad's chest. It surprised him that when the lad tried to smack it away with the poster, it sounded like metal hitting the spear. Gae Bolg only ended up shallowly cutting the lad's right arm. "Hmm? Did you just use magecraft to strengthen the paper? If ya have a trick like that, this may prove to be a little fun after all." Lancer swung his spear at the right side of the lad. He allowed it to hit, using the momentum to get through the door and into the hall. He scrambled down it, encountering the hole in the glass Lancer used to get in and jumped through it.

He glanced to his right and Lancer was suddenly right there. He kicked the lad near a shed. He shakily got up and ran into the building. Lancer inwardly groaned. "Pathetic. Grow a set an' face me to try to keep me from killin' ya." He sighed and ran into the shed, stabbing at the lad's turned back. The boy spun around at the last second and unrolled the poster, holding it like a shield. The paper burst from the spear and the lad fell back. Unseen by either, a summoning circle was forming in a corner.

[End OST]

"Well, looks like this is the end fer ya," Lancer said. "The fact yer a mage surprised me. Ya may have been a Master."

"Master?!" the boy demanded. "What are you talking about?!"

Lancer got ready to stab. "It doesn't matter now that yer gonna die."

The lad held his left fist up to his chest. Red marks forming what looked like a three-sectioned sword appeared on the back of it. "No! I won't let it end like this!" Light burst from the circle, blinding both and making Lancer stop his attack to shield his eyes.

"Oh, you have GOTTA be kiddin' me!" Lancer shouted as he blocked something suddenly swung at him. He was knocked back, out of the shed. He lowered his spear from his face, spitting curses. He didn't know how, but the lad somehow managed to summon a Servant of his own.

A bit later, that same Servant leaped out of the shed at Lancer. It was a woman with blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She was wearing a blue dress with metal gauntlet, a plate over her chest, and metal hanging down to cover the sides of her thighs. She was also holding something in both hands. But Lancer couldn't see what it was.

[Clashing Souls]

He held his spear horizontally over his head to block the woman's downward slash. Then her feet hit the ground and the two began exchanging blows. She slashed at Lancer's neck and he ducked then threw a kick at the woman's abdomen. She slashed down at Lancer's right shoulder and he used his spear to block. But that was just so he would direct less power into his kick. She blocked it with one gauntlet-covered arm and the two broke away. Then the two went at each other again. The woman slashed at Lancer's neck at the same time he stabbed forward. While the blonde could see the spear and know how far to move back to dodge, the same wasn't for Lancer. The woman's weapon was invisible, so he had to guess how far to lean back. He felt a sharp sting as his neck was cut shallowly. Then he jumped back.

Lancer snarled at the woman. "Yer a Saber, aren'tcha!? Then is the invisible weapon yer holdin' a sword?!"

Saber smirked. "Maybe it could be, or maybe not. Perhaps I am actually holding an ax. Or a bow. Or maybe a lance just like you."

"Heh." Lancer changed his stance, taking the one for his Noble Phantasm. "Saber, how 'bout callin' it a day? This is our first meetin', after all."

"I refuse to just call it quits! You will die here, Lancer!"

Lancer smirked and mana erupted from his spear. "Yer wrong about that. Yer the one who's gonna die!" He started running forward and Saber held up her weapon to block whatever was coming. "Gae...Bolg!" He made a motion with his spear like he was throwing it, but still held onto the weapon. Instead, a line of red mana as thick as the spear itself came from the tip and went for Saber.

[End OST]

Her memory told her that she blocked the mana and it flew off behind her. And yet, somehow, it was like time restarted and the mana was coming back at her. She tired to block again, but the attack hit her chest. She fell to her knees, clutching the bleeding wound. It was a couple centimeters to the left of her heart. "Impossible! I blocked it and yet it still hit me! Since blocking didn't work, it must reverse cause and effect!"

Lancer growled, holding the spear in both hands. "You managed to avoid a fatal hit from Gae Bolg..."

Saber's eyes widened. "Gae Bolg?! Then you must be Cu Chulainn!"

Lancer tsked. "Two Servants in one night, an' both figured out my true name." Speaking of Servants, Lancer was sensing one coming this way. "Dammit, just when it was gettin' fun..." He turned around and headed for the wall to the street.

"Are you running?!" Saber demanded.

Lancer glanced back over his shoulder. "I'll let ya keep yer life just fer tonight. But if we ever encounter each other in a fight again, yer heart is mine!" With that threat, he leaped on top of the wall and over it, going back to Akiko's house.

As soon as he opened the door, Akiko ran up to him. "What took you so long?!" Then she saw the cut on Lancer's neck. "How much trouble did Emiya give you?!"

Lancer growled softly as he walked inside, plopping down on the couch in the living room. "It wasn't the lad. Damn Servant did this."

"Wait wait wait, back up. A Servant?!"

"You heard me right. It looks like we can add that lad to the list of Masters we need to watch out for."

Akiko facepalmed. "That makes two people in my grade who are Masters. I wonder if anyone else I know is."

[1] Actually happened to me. On June 24, I got a giant burn on my left arm. It was the first time I made pancakes since I was in the hospital. I was used to setting the stove to high since I was boiling water before to make dinner. The butter didn't like high. I relearned the temperature quickly. As of now, I still have it.

[2] I have never gotten a single tardy in middle and high school. I just save talking to others until I'm in my desk and I make it to class in plenty of time.

Btw, the murder scene with the people getting ripped up DID appear in my dreams. Like I said, messed-up details, both dark and just plain weird. And the murders WILL be important later!

Remember to review.