When Akiko woke up the next morning, she was not looking forward to going into the kitchen for breakfast. Last night when she and Lancer got back, over 90% of the things asked of her was how her "date" with Lancer went. And going through all of those questions made her want nothing more than to go to bed, even if it meant missing dinner. And this would also mean even sleeping in a blood-covered futon. Shirou didn't replace that one with a fresh one until after dinner.

Lancer's accelerated healing should have already repaired his intestines, even if the stitched-up gash was still there. So he could eat with everyone else, and Akiko wouldn't have to come up with another reason to Taiga as to why Lancer couldn't eat today as well. And she wouldn't think his internal injury was that serious since he wasn't at the hospital, hooked up to an IV.

At least the stitches were holding Lancer's wound closed, and he was in little or no pain, enough to sleep soundly through the entire night. Akiko gently nudged the man next to her, trying to wake him up.

"Hey, Cu Chulainn, time to get up so we don't miss breakfast."

Lancer made a sound that sounded like a cross between a groan and a whine and cracked one eyes open slightly. Once he had gotten used to the light making the walls glow, he opened it completely, the other one opening as well.

Then Akiko stood up and headed to the other room to get changed. "Get yourself clothed. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Lancer materialized his modern clothes without even budging. Akiko was in the doorway to the other room when she doubled over and clutched the sides of her head. Lancer shot up out of the futon and ran over to her side, placing his hands on both of her shoulders to steady her. "Hey, what's wrong?! A vision?!"

"Ugh..! Y-Yeah..." she managed to say through clenched teeth. One of her eyes, which were squeezed shut in pain, opened slightly to look at Lancer. The iris was yellow like the sun. It also glittered like it was full of tiny white lights.

For her, she only saw Lancer for a moment before the scene before her changed. She saw herself walking away from the school building with Shirou and Rin. Then a golf ball came flying through the air out of nowhere and nailed her on the left side of her head. Then she heard the jackass who hit it at her shout "fore!" and then the scene went away. She saw Lancer again. And the pain in her head suddenly went away. She slowly raised the top half of her body back up. Lancer kept his hands on her shoulders, afraid she would suddenly drop to the floor.

"Ya good?"

Akiko nodded. "Yeah. You can let go of me now."

Lancer released his grip on his Master's shoulders. "What didja see?"

Akiko shook her head. "Nothing important to the War. Just the fact an asshole is going to hit me in the head with a golf ball after school some day."

Lancer sweatdropped. "Okay...I guess that's somethin'...to watch out fer?"

Akiko sighed. "I am not looking forward to that! Anyway, I'll get changed now."

"'K. I'll wait fer ya."

Akiko slid the door shut behind her as she got out of her night gown and into a fresh set of clothes. Some time later, she came back into the room she shared with Lancer.

Lancer scratched the back of his head. "Isn't that a little...plain?" Akiko was wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans.

Akiko shrugged. "It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone. Besides, before you tell others that what they're wearing is too plain, you should take a look at your own clothes."

"Good point."

[Tender Scenery]

The two left the room and went into the kitchen. Everyone else was already there and sitting at the table except for Shirou and Sakura. Both of them were behind the counter fixing up something to eat. Moments after Akiko and Lancer sat down at the table. Lancer sitting on the cushion to Akiko's left and Akiko sitting between him and Rin, Sakura and Shirou laid out the food and got everyone plates and bowls. In the center of the table on a large plate was a cooked salmon. And by Sakura was a giant container full of rice. Once everyone was served, they began eating.

Lancer was just about to eat some of his rice when he noticed Taiga staring at him intently.

"What? Do I have somethin' on my face?"

"No, I just noticed you seem very accustomed to Japan for a foreigner."

"I do? How?"

Oh crap! Akiko forgot about coming up with an excuse for that!"

"Well, for instance, you're using chopsticks like you have been your whole life."

"I've practiced with them a lot in Ireland in anticipation of my trip here."

"Secondly, you're speaking Japanese so well that you're even putting slang into it."

Akiko glanced swiftly at Lancer. He'd better come up with a good explanation for that or both of them are screwed!

But luckily for her, Lancer had come up with a reply for that yesterday just in case Taiga brought it up. "When Akiko came to Ireland, she taught me basic Japanese. Then later, we kept in touch over the phone. That helped me speak it well."

Akiko internally breathed a sigh of relief. He sounded so confident in his answer that it was hard to tell that he was lying.

"That all?" he asked, eating a piece of salmon.

"That's it," Taiga replied.

"Hey, Fuji-nee!" Shirou suddenly said. "If you're going to want seconds, you'd better take some now!"

"Huh? Why?" Then Taiga got her answer when she glanced at Saber. The Servant had already finished her first serving and was now reaching to get more food. "Saber! Don't finish off the rest before I get to it again!"

Saber was using her chopsticks to pick off pieces of salmon and putting them on her empty plate. "You need to be faster. I am not about to wait for you."

"BUT I WANT MORE FOOD!"

[End OST]

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

In their room, Akiko was studying and Lancer was laying back in the futon, staring at the ceiling. Then, he looked at his Master.

"This has been buggin' me fer some time, but I'm guessin' yer mystic eyes had somethin' to do with the death of yer parents, am I right?"

Akiko visibly stiffened. "Why do you say that?"

"It's just an assumption. So, did I get it right?"

Akiko inhaled deeply and let it out before replying. "Okay, fine. You guessed it. And a damn lucky guess at that."

"If ya don't mind me askin', what happened?"

The Hashimotos had weak magic circuits that didn't make them that outstanding as a mage family. That changed when Akiko was born.

"I was born with stronger magic circuits than a Hashimoto would normally have. And so my parents wanted to use me to make a name for our family in the mage world. So I was drilled in magic for most of my childhood. But it never felt like to me that my parents truly loved me. Sure, they kept me close and gave me the care I needed, but that was to keep me alive long enough to bring them fame. So I never really felt much love for them back."

"If that's how ya felt about 'em, why is yer wish to bring 'em back to life?"

"Ten years ago, we had gone to the shopping district. But the other day, I had a vision."

"Ten years ago...that's when the disaster happened! So did you predict it?"

"More specifically, I predicted my parents' deaths. We were running in the direction of the bridge. And then part of a burning building fell down on both of them, pinning them down. But I didn't tell them of that before we left. I could have used my magic to free them from the wreckage, but I didn't."

"Why?"

"As I said, I never felt like they truly loved me. And for revenge, I would let them meet that fate. But a little bit after I had run away, leaving my parents to die in that fire, I realized that what it was that I had allowed was wrong. No matter how upset I was at them, they did not deserve to die. But I couldn't undo that event. And that is why I desire the Grail. I can't undo the fact that disaster happened, but I can at least use it to undo the deaths of my parents."

"So that's yer reason..."

"Of course, it'll be a moot point if we both end up dying in this thing."

"Don't worry. I swear to see ya through to the end of this."

"So you're okay with the reason I want to bring my parents back to life?"

"Well, not really with what ya did to yer parents that day, but at least yer tryin' to right that wrong."

"And you? You have a wish you want granted, right? Or is the reason you're here really just to fight?"

"I really don't have a wish in mind. I guess I'll think of one if we win the cup."

"If? But I thought you said you'd help me see this War to the end."

Lancer exhaled softly as he sat up, still on the futon. "I'll certainly try my hardest to win in fights, but I can't guarantee that I'll actually come out victorious."

"Oh, I see..." Then Akiko blushed. "A-Anyway, changing the subject, how do you presently feel about...Emer..?"

"Whaddaya mean?"

"D-D-Do you still...love her?"

Then Lancer flashed his Master that jackass smirk of his. "What? You jealous?"

Akiko went redder and she looked away from the Servant in an effort to hide her face. "No way! I was just curious!" Lancer chuckled and stood up. He went over to Akiko and made her face him. He was holding her chin with one hand and the other was at her waist. "H-Hey! What are you doing?!" He silenced her by placing his lips over hers.

After a few seconds, he broke it off and looked Akiko in the eye. "I loved her in my first life. But this is my second. Yer special to me." He pulled her into his chest in a hug. "Ya don't need to worry 'bout my mind bein' on others except you."

Akiko unconsciously returned the embrace. "It's not like I was worried or anything..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

[Whirlpool of Fate 2]

A man lived by himself in a cabin in the woods near Homurahara Academy. No one came by it because just about all of the people in the town heard the man was crazy. Some had their doubts, though. It might have been because the man didn't spend any time with the townsfolk so they would get to know him better. Or maybe it was because the woods the man built his cabin in was rumored to be haunted. They still didn't want to risk their lives finding out the truth.

Anyway, the man lived alone, except for one dog. It helped keep the man company. The dog was a beagle, the top of its head almost to the man's knees. It had short fur of light brown and white. And it loved to yap and yap. The man grew annoyed by this.

"Shut up!" he shouted. But the dog didn't do that and went on yapping like it always does. This went on for five days and five nights. The man kept telling it to shut up, but the beagle wouldn't do that. The man, wanting to get some peace and quiet in the cabin, went to the kitchen and opened one of the drawers and pulled out a large knife for cutting meat. Taking the knife with him, the man went back to the beagle, who was still barking, and lowered himself onto one knee so his torso was even with the beagle's head. He was gazing down at it with a blank look in his eyes as he grabbed the beagle's tongue with his free hand.

"I told you to shut up," was all he said.

With the knife in the other, he turned it upside down so the tip of the blade was pressing onto the side of the tongue. The beagle was trembling as it tried to pull away, but to no avail. The man jerked the knife, and in one motion, severed the tongue -

[Stop OST]

"Ahhhhhhhh! Stopstopstopstop! Please STOP TELLING THIS!"

Eleven heads turned to the person who screamed. It was the inside of the shed at the Emiya residence. It was night right now. Candles placed in the center of the circle of twelve lit the room. The room gave off a feeling of foreboding, like something was about to happen. Perfect for telling horror stories.

[Troublemakers]

The one who screamed was Kaede Makidera. She was shaking like a leaf in a windstorm. Her black eyes were wide, her clenched teeth were chattering, and she was sweating heavily. She was wearing a black jacket with red stripes on the sleeves and green shorts.

"Maki, it's just a story," one of her friends, Kane Himuro, said. She had grey hair, hazel eyes, and wore glasses. She was wearing an outfit like her Homurahara Academy one. Ayako grinned. She wore a pink jacket over a white shirt and blue pants.

"Did my story really scare you that much?"

Kaede laughed nervously, an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "O-Of course it didn't!"

The girl, Yukika Saegusa, spoke. She had red-brown hair, brown eyes, and wore a yellow sweater and tan pants. "You can't handle scary stories, can you, Maki?"

Kaede stuck out her lower lip like she was pouting. "Of course I can!"

Ayako had a grin like an imp planning a prank. "Whatever you say..."

Saber, who was sitting in the circle, put a hand to her chin, "Still, it is pretty cruel, cutting a dog's tongue off just to silence it. And the pain would be unnecessary as that act would not be enough to make it be quiet. " Shirou, Rin, and Akiko had introduced Saber, Archer, and Lancer to the others in the circle, Ayako Mitsuzuri, Kaede Makidera, Kane Himuro, Yukika Saegusa, and Issei Ryuudou. Sakura Matou was also in the circle. The Servants had been introduced as foreigners, just like with Taiga.

"I haven't even finished!" Ayako exclaimed. "The man has a thing for collecting severed tongues! He did it to this one little kid he kidnapped because -"

"SHUT UP!" Kaede shouted. Everyone except Kane, Yukika, Sakura, and Saber snickered.

Ayako spoke. "In a nutshell, the missing people near our school were caused by him! He -"

"ENOUGH!"

Akiko understood why those visions showed up. They were showing her the pieces of Ayako's story. The disturbing parts. The ones that freaked Kaede out. The future could have been changed if Akiko hadn't invited Ayako. But she wouldn't see Kaede's reaction to the story, either. "Well, before Makidera wets herself -"

"I WAS NOT going to!"

"- we should stop with the stories."

[End OST]

Ayako did had the others come because she said to Akiko that "this party would be boring without scary stories to tell at night". And when Akiko told her a party wasn't what this was supposed to be, Ayako said "I invited the student counsel president and the track-and-field team so it will be one!" And then Shirou protested that she can't just invite others to someone else's house, but Ayako just blew him off. And that's how this situation happened.

All the guests did was get acquainted with the Servants, discuss the three recent murders (One happened the same day the three Servants and their Masters fought Berserker, near Homurahara Academy, The other two were yesterday. They happened in areas of Fuyuki away from the school.), eat snacks Shirou and Sakura made, and this, telling scary stories.

When the others from the school were talking more with the Servants, Ayako went over to Akiko, who was standing by herself outside the gathering.

"So, has he taken your virginity yet?" She glanced at Lancer when she asked that.

[Troublemakers]

Akiko's eyes went wide and her entire face went red. "Mitsuzuri! That's personal!"

"Come on! Just tell me!"

"You know damn well that I don't want to get pregnant while I'm still in school!"

"What does that have to do with the question?"

"IT MEANS NO!"

"Yeesh, you just had to say it, not shout it." When Ayako walked away, Lancer went over to Akiko. He leaned his head to hers.

"Y'know," Lancer whispered to Akiko. "Since I'm a Servant, I'm not fertile. So we can do it at any time."

Akiko faced him. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?!"

"Well, you two weren't exactly whisperin', so it was hard fer me not to listen in on it. So, do ya wanna do it?"

Pride makes Akiko tend to not say what others are clearly trying to get her to say. She would give him the excuse again that she wasn't ready yet, but that would be a lie. She actually wanted to go all the way with him here and now.

But what came out was, "...We'll see."

Lancer grinned. "I'm lookin' forward to it!"

"I said 'we'll see', not that we'll do it for certain!"

"Yeah, but yer at the age where yer hormones are runnin' wild. I'm sure you'll wanna have sex with me eventually."

[End OST]