(A/N: Here is chapter 6! Enjoy!

Carnwennan: Thanks for the review! Pacing issues? I can see why you think that, especially if you are impatient for the Grail War to hurry up and start. And I guess you don't like the slice-of-life stuff, do you? What can I say, my dude? I'm the type that just enjoys writing character interactions and characterization in general. Plus, I don't like to rush things myself if there's no need to. I know you are probably miffed about the story taking too long to establish Orihime into her new world, but it's there to showcase her reaction and thoughts to her new environment. And *sigh* Okay… How can I put this? I think you really need to go back and reread the last chapter's rant. And read it carefully this time. All I said was that I enjoy characters that face personal dilemmas when it comes to their ideals, dreams, etc,. You really weren't paying any attention to the rant, were you [because you obviously said something that I clearly did not say]? If you're only take from that entire rant was that I thought Shirou becomes a "Hero of Justice" in Heaven's Feel, you are dead wrong [because I already know he doesn't]. You obviously missed the point of the rant.

adriannyel22: Thanks for the review! Yes, the only arcs where Shirou is somewhat of a decent character.

Guest review [HookLeff]: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I guess I do rant a lot. I just like to get things off my chest. And this is no way me showing my dislike for these characters [except for Shirou], I just can't help but to point out flaws of characters that a lot people don't point out because they see said characters through nostalgia filters or rose-tinted glasses. And most of the flaws I point out come from the fact that I've noticed that it is either Shirou or Rin that seems to always make each route worse in one or another. That was what I caught on after making my own… analysis of the Fate/stay night series. If it is not the villains/antagonists making things worse, then it is either Shirou or Rin. Shirou due to his reckless, suicidal tendencies, or Rin because she just has to be a bitchy tsundere at the most inopportune moments [I know she likes to see her goals through to end, no matter what- and that is admirable in some cases- but when it comes to the detriment of others, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Well, Rin is the epitome of magi selfishness in Fate/stay night]. Then again, you can't really expect Rin to be emotionally mature. Despite being a genius magus, she is a teenager after all. This is proven by the fact that she rarely or never hangs out with friends after-school. She has spent years alone, so Rin's emotional ineptitude is a given. It is a sign that Rin has never truly made any deep emotional connections [at least until the war]. And another thing I've noticed is that Rin is not as mentally or emotionally strong as she likes to appear. As some scenes from Unlimited Blade Works and some Bad Endings suggest, Rin is always the first one to freak out during a tragedy. Then again, it could be a sign that Rin isn't broken when compared to Shirou and Sakura. But then again, some Bad Endings that- if Rin ever does become truly broken- she wouldn't be able to take it and would be driven to suicide- which further dictates that Rin's mental/emotional fortitude isn't that strong. Yeah, just goes to show how ignorant I am. But hey, I'm doing this for fun. Oh, I forgot this remark from the last review you sent me. I generally thought that Rin's 30 sub-circuits came from her Magic Crest. Because- in Fate/Zero I believe- it is said that Rin 40 Magic Circuits [which I already knew], and that was before she got her Magic Crest, so I just that the 30 sub-circuits came from the Magic Crest since a Magic Crest is years and generations of family circuits implanted into her [I think]. So if a Master hears a Servant's True Name, only that Master-Servant duo know everything about that Servant? Or does everyone in the war know it too? I was only thinking about cutting Orihime's hair because I was thinking if she would look good with shorter hair. But now that I think about it… I decided not to cut Orihime's hair. I like it long. I thought so too. But then it left me the question of why doesn't Saber's Avalon disappear when she's gone? Hmm, maybe I'm overthinking it, but Archer remembering past wars still doesn't make sense to me because it completely negates Archer's character development and turns him into a Shirou-centric, time-traveling serial killer. Death to all Shirous in all timelines and all that shit. Unless the story/timeline is supposed to take place before the Fate/stay night visual novel or something. After mulling over it, Rin is definitely going to be in the war and Shirou as well. As for her Servant… Well, if Rin can't summon Archer, then she would just have to be provided with a different Servant, wouldn't she? I just thought that if Orihime poured mana into a weapon then it should be fine. I mean, I've seen Shirou do it with a stick, so why not? I mean- if Shirou can pour mana into a stick [Reinforcement, I know]- then Orihime should be able to do the same with a knife or sword. I can't let her kendo lessons and experience go to waste, you know? It's better than having her be overly-reliant on her Shun Shun Rikka powers. Don't want to fall into the same pitfalls as most magi do- being a crippling overspecialized in one or two things. Orihime's wish for the Grail? Just wait and see. As for other Bleach characters? I have thought about it, then I thought it would just be too tragic. I don't know. All I can think about are tragic things if other Bleach characters are involved, especially Ichigo Kurosaki. Maybe they would make a cameo in the epilogue or something [like Orihime reuniting with a reincarnated Ichigo post-war or something], but- for right now- no other Bleach characters- especially not for the Grail War]. These are all purely Fate characters, except for Orihime [from Bleach].

Oh, yeah… Fair warning… This chapter might contain major spoilers- so if you haven't played the visual novel or watched the Unlimited Blade Works anime- then I suggest not to read this chapter until you do. Unless you don't care about being spoiled, then- by all means- go ahead. Okay now…! Enjoy the chapter!)

The Summoned Servant

Archer sat on a lone rock on the highest hilltop- melancholic, steel-gray overlooking the scenery before him. He was surrounded by the desolate landscape of his Reality Marble. There were swords, lancers, spears, daggers, bladed combat weaponry of any kind scattered everywhere. Weapons as far as the eyes can see. Weapons from different eras and periods of time littered this wide terrain. This was entirely a world made up of swords. Many people would be in awe and shock at the sight of such a world.

However, this world was only proof of his failures and regrets in life. Each blade was a "record" for each "deed" he was forced to complete. For each disaster- that threatened the very existence of humanity- a copy of every sword, spear, and shield he saw would manifest itself here in this lonesome, barren world. His servitude to Alaya had led him to be nothing more than the Counter Force's glorified attack dog. He sent off to whatever and whenever humanity was on the brink of destruction.

Or self-destruction would crudely be more accurate. Every time humans were on the verge of destroying themselves- more often than he would like to- he was there to "clean up" the mess- getting rid of any bad energy left by human negativity and bad vibes. It didn't matter if his targets were innocent or not. He simply killed, killed, and killed without any regard for reason behind human actions. He was merely there to stop and suppress it.

EMIYA was once a man who had an idealistic, hopeful dream. He had wished to save people. He had wished for a world where everyone could be happy. He wanted a place free of pain and tears. Being a "Hero of Justice" was all he cared about back when he was alive. He had thought it was a beautiful ideal- one worth striving towards. It was an ideal bestowed upon by the man who saved his life a very, very long time ago.

But an eternity of fighting, suffering, betrayal, and death had slowly yet surely eroded and grinded those stupid ideals of his to dust. It was only after decades- or perhaps centuries- of this never-ending fruitless cycle of being Alaya's janitor that he realized how naive and foolish his old ideals were.

How could he have not noticed the fatal error of such a dream sooner? Saving one person meant not to save someone else. Kill one to save ten. Kill ten to save hundreds. Kill hundreds to save thousands. Countless times he had sacrificed the minority to save the majority. Time and time again his ideals have failed and betrayed him. His stubbornness to follow his ideals had led to this bitter outcome. Without realizing it, ignoring it, or denying it- or a combination of all three- he had been consumed by the growing contradiction of his hypocritical ideals.

The red Archer had trampled on thousands of wishes in the pursuit of his ideals. He kept telling himself that it would be the last time, deluding himself into believing he would make the wishes of those he trampled come true as well. But it was only an illusion he liked to tell himself in order to fool himself into believing his ideals were right and just. That his ideals would eventually become true one day. He came to the horrid realization that his ideals were nothing but a curse. His sham of a dream only led him to be a hit man for all eternity.

He had seen many things throughout his miserable life as a Guardian. He had the atrocities humans are willing to commit against one another. Sophistry. Trickery. Falsehood. Vanity. Human cruelty knows no bounds. There was never an end to it. There were an endless number of times where he has seen humans tear each other apart, and was forced to "clean up" the mess that humans have made. He was sick of "cleaning up" after humanity, but- as a Counter Guardian- he was forced to do it for all eternity. He himself had brought nothing but despair and suffering a few people in the dark. There was only a limited number of seats of happiness, and those who were destined to not make it- he cut them down prematurely. His hands have been stained with the blood of innocents.

His Reality Marble held an everlasting tumultuous sunset background with steel gears that blanketed the gloomy sky. He had lost faith in his ideals a long, long time ago, and his Reality Marble- his world served as a reflection to that. It signified him as nothing more than a cold-blooded machine- a convenient tool to be used and discarded by Alaya whenever it seems fit. His shattered dreams became these endless mountains of blades. His hopeful eyes were now clouded with melancholic emptiness and pessimistic coldness. His once kind and gentle heart was now filled with nothing but sadness and regret.

EMIYA could only bits and pieces of his human life. He could remember the fire. The Great Fire that engulfed everything around him in a sea of flames. There were dead bodies lying everywhere. The smell of smoke, burning decay, blood, and death invaded his nose. He kept walking- desperately trying to escape that hell- ignoring all the cries for help from the dying people around him.

Eventually, his legs- his entire body- gave up, and he collapsed under the hurricane of flames. His lungs hurt and it was hard to breathe. His young, weak body was too tired to move anymore. His only thoughts were… This was it. He was gonna die too under the burning rubble of wreckage, wood, and debris.

Then a miracle happened!

He was saved. He was saved just when he had given all hope of surviving that hell. He was saved by a man named Kiritsugu Emiya.

He would never forget that face. The face of the man who saved him. Even now- as a Counter Guardian- that moment had been etched onto the very depths of his soul. What amazed him the most… was the look on that man's face. The look of pure joy as he saved him. He smiled- the most beautiful smile EMIYA had ever seen with tears of happiness running down his face. It felt as if… Even though he was the one who was saved from dying then and there, it felt as if the man was the one who was truly saved.

That itself was a true miracle!

EMIYA began to wonder if he could have that for himself. If he saved someone- just like he was once saved, would he be able to smile that happily? If he rescued people from disasters, would he be able to feel the same kinda elated joy that Kiritsugu felt when he saved him?

That is where his dream began.

One day, Kiritsugu confessed to him about his dreams to be a "Hero of Justice". EMIYA had felt pure admiration for the man who saved him. He thought the ideal of being a "Hero of Justice" was beautiful, and admired the beauty of such an ideal. Out of yearning for such a dream- and out of respect for the man who saved him- he proudly took on those ideals- optimistically and naively hoping to become the "Hero of Justice" Kiritsugu Emiya never could.

That was when his dream… became a curse.

Did Kiritsugu know? Did he know that his ideals were a curse? Did he know that the ideal of being a "Hero of Justice" leads people to their deaths? He often wondered if he held some resentment towards Kiritsugu for placing this curse on him upon his deathbed.

Due to his lifetimes of servitude as a Guardian, EMIYA does not recall much of his human life. He has lived so long, his memories have become fragmented. He could only recall bits and pieces of his life. He has mostly forgotten the names and faces of most of the people- friends and acquaintances alike- he had known during his human years. There were a few people whose faces he recalled, but their names eluded him. He had remembered going through a war during his human teenage years. A Holy Grail War. The Fifth one to be exact.

Yes, the Holy Grail War was a "war" between 7 magi and 7 Servants to obtain the coveted Holy Grail. He remembered being part of such a war. He remembered a blue guy with a spear stabbing him in the heart. Then he was subsequently saved by his mysterious savior. He still kept the red pendant his savior left behind as a memento of that fateful day.

His memories after that event were a bit jumbled. He remembered Lancer attacking him again when he realized he didn't die the first time- that he somehow managed to survive the first attempt at his life. He chased into the shed, and that was when he summoned Saber.

The red Archer's first meeting with Saber was also something he would never forget. The scene itself wasn't truly anything magnificent. No, what was truly awe-inspiring and breathtaking about the scene was the young woman- no- girl who stood before him. Her powerful yet regal presence left him in complete awe. The way moonlight illuminated her features through the door, making her blonde hair shine with a brilliant golden light and transforming her green eyes into pools of emerald. The woman was simply dazzling! Straight out of a romantic movie or a fairytale.

That was all in the past though. The thoughts of his younger, naive self. The beauty of that moment- however- has long since been lost. The only thing left were the torrents of pain, regret, and sorrow. He does look back at the memory fondly, but the awestruck beauty… simply wasn't there anymore. The failure and regret of being unable to save that woman tainted the beauty of that scene.

EMIYA had remembered Illyasviel von Einzbern- his "younger", half- homunculus sister. She was another person who was very dear to him in life. He had saved her- however- she had ended up dying a year later anyway due to her homunculus body. Illya's death was the first big blow to his idealism. It left a splinter of harrowing regret in the hopeful optimism of his ideals. He had promised to save everyone, yet he had failed to save her. Her death was what persuaded him to become a "Hero of Justice" full-time. To make sure something like that never happened again.

What an utter naive fool he was.

After the Grail War was over, EMIYA had traveled to the Clock Tower. He does not remember much of his time there. He vaguely recalled being an apprentice under another magus about his age. He recollected memories that she was another Master in the war he participated in, and they grew fairly close by the end of it. She had wavy, brown hair with some brunches tied up in twin-tails and aqua-colored eyes. He could remember what she looked like but her name was a complete mystery to him.

He had only stayed in the Clock Tower to improve his magecraft before leaving to become a freelance magus. Just like Kiritsugu Emiya. Over the years, he has learned of his father's… less than savory deeds as the infamous Magus Killer. Who would've known that he would end up following the same methods and philosophies as in the pursuit of his ideals- like Kiritsugu once did? Like father, like son- he guessed.

The red Archer traveled the country- traveled the world- saving the weak and frail. He had shown up in times of crisis- saving those that needed saving. At first, it started off minor- like rescuing people from burning buildings- almost similarly to how he was once saved. Then it started to escalate. Like stopping a violent thug or a crazy serial killer or preventing street gangs from hurting the innocents. Then… somewhere… along the line… he started resorting to killing in order to save as many people as possible. He was completely and foolishly drunk on the ideal of saving people- on his dream of becoming a "Hero of Justice". Though- his hair began to bleach and his skin started to tan because of overuse of his magecraft- but it was worth it if it meant reaching his dream.

He had maimed, killed, and slaughtered people in the name of his ideal. The bloody sight of skirmishes and wars everywhere he went gave him no choice but to resort to such… lethal and dubious methods. He stubbornly kept pushing forward- telling himself- trying to convince himself that it'd be the last time he would resort to such extreme methods. That it'd be the last time he would go against his ideals.

He had abandoned friends and loved ones in his single-minded pursuit of his goal to be a "Hero of Justice". Only to be betrayed by those very ideals at every turn. Public unease about him due to his morally ambiguous actions continued to grow as he stupidly chased after his foolish ideal of being a hero. Anything was worth it as long as he could save people- as long as he could stop people from crying- as long as he could make everyone in front of him- in his line of sight- happy. He had deluded himself- brainwashed himself to ease the pain of constantly failing in his ideals.

It was what led EMIYA into making the ultimate mistake of his life.

What an idiotic fool he was.

He was an utter fool for not noticing those cursed ideals would lead to his demise and his miserable existence as a Counter Guardian. He became nothing more than a useful tool to prevent humanity's total destruction. His stupid ideal of being a hero caused more pain, despair, and death than it was worth. He disposed of threats, halted conflicts, and silenced insurgents without any regard for whether they were good or evil.

All EMIYA saw was humanity's ugliness at its finest. He witnessed countless acts of cruelty. People hurting each other. People trampling over one another. People using and abusing each other. People's petty ambitious reasons for going to war like money and power. And each time he was forced to "clean up" the mess humans have made. He was nearly driven to grief-stricken despair and madness.

He was so sick of it!

He did not become a Guardian for this!

That is why he began to gamble on the chance to erase his miserable existence.

EMIYA began planning- continuing to place his hopes on the faint sliver of a miracle that he would be summoned into the Fifth Holy Grail War. He bided his time, waiting for his opportunity to arrive. Heroic Spirits and Counter Guardians were existences outside of time, so it wasn't an impossibility for someone like him- who came from the future- to be summoned into the past. He has been sent back to various points of time in human history. And because of his time traveling… "missions" he amassed numerous weapons into his Reality Marble. Even great and powerful weapons wielded by people from Greek mythology, Celtic mythology, Irish mythology, and Ancient China just to name a few of his… historical adventures to keep humanity from collapsing in on itself.. Weapons such as Caladbolg that was once used by Fergus mac Roich from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology and Hrunting that used to be wielded by Beowulf.

Due to the existence of the Holy Grail, the red Archer had waited patiently for his chance to be summoned in the Fifth War. It was the only chance he had to undo his mistake. Normally, it would be nearly impossible to summon a Heroic Spirit from the future. There were no catalysts after all from someone yet to be dead. Fortunately for him- till this day- he had kept the pendant of the person who had saved him during his own Grail War. If it wasn't for that one single fateful miracle, then this chance would have never arrived. Now- hopefully- all he had to do was wait for his "savior" to summon him. He was banking on the slim chance that his "savior" would be one of the Master's of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

After he's summoned, then he would commence his plan to erase himself from existence. He would slowly and surely ground out those stupid, accursed ideals from his foolish, younger self- body and soul- before killing him. He would make sure the Counter Guardian EMIYA would disappear for all eternity. He would plot behind the scenes to gain the opportunity to put his younger self out of his misery. If his foolish, idiotic, stupidly idealistic younger self insists on being a hero- despite all warnings of what a hypocritical ideal would lead to- then he would cut him down! A person as naive and juvenile as that should be put down! Nothing ever comes of putting other people's lives before yourself. Nothing ever comes from being a hero.

EMIYA climbed off the rock he was perched on. There was virtually nothing to do in this barren, desolate wasteland of gears and swords of his- that symbolized his life as a cold-hearted machine- except to wait until he's called upon by either Alaya to fulfill his duties as a Counter Guardian or by the Grail to fulfill his duties as a Servant to a Master. Such is the fate of the Heroic Spirit EMIYA. There should be no one here but him. This world was the place he ended up in after he died. There should've been no one else here.

That's why… When he spotted another figure out in the distance… he was left, stunned, shocked, and bewildered.

It should've been impossible!

No one should be allowed into his Reality Marble unless he lets them by twisting the reality around them. And even then… That only happens when he's summoned into the World to fulfill whatever duties and obligations he has either a Counter Guardian or a Servant.

So how did someone enter his Reality Marble without his permission? Where did they come from? The red Archer's unsettled brain was reeling with hypotheses and theories, but none of them seemed sound. When he quickly settled down somewhat- which took a few moments, more or less- he began observing the person who entered his Reality Marble.

With his hawk-eyed vision, it was easy to make out the person's features from this distance. The person was definitely a female. She had reddish-brown hair- auburn was more like it- that reached all the way down past her waist. Her eyes were a silvery gray color, and- unlike his cold eyes of steel- hers shined like a glittering moonlight. By her smooth, pale skin and facial features, he could tell she was someone of Asian descent. She didn't wear anything that suggests she came from Ancient China or one of the Feudal Eras of Japan. In fact, her clothes seemed more modern than anything. Just a simple yellow sweater and some light blue jeans. Overall, she didn't look like anyone particularly powerful.

Still though, none that explained how she got here! Here into his Reality Marble! Was it one of her abilities? He has never heard of a magus with the ability to freely enter Reality Marbles willing. He had pondered- his narrowing in intensity- on what to do with this mysterious phenomenon- with this enigmatic woman who had stepped inside his Reality Marble without his knowledge.

It was at that moment, the auburn-haired woman noticed EMIYA's cautious and scrutinizing gaze on her. However- she paid him no mind as if she was totally uninterested in this world and him. She stared up at the bleak, gear-ridden skies of his Reality Marble with the expression of melancholic boredom.

When her hand reached towards the sky, he began to tense. He watched her with the eyes of a predator, instinctively readying himself for whatever she might do. His battle-hardened, vigilant, and wary gaze never left her out of his sight as she muttered silently to herself- and finally snapping her fingers- disappearing in a glitter of golden-yellow lights.

Now EMIYA was even more befuddled and mystified now more than ever. Even with his calculative and tactical mind, he couldn't come up with any reasonable or logical explanations for what had just occurred.

His feet trudged through the rocks, hills, sands, and bladed weapons of his world until he reached the spot that woman was minutes prior. He could feel remnants of magical energy. It was weak. So weak- in fact- that it was almost nonexistent. But it was there nonetheless. The fact that he could still sense and feel the strange woman's own mana residue in his own Reality Marble was bewilderingly amazing in of itself.

Either the auburn-haired woman was an absurdly, ridiculously powerful magus- a complete contrast to his initial impression or her- or she was an impressively strong entity given the form of a human woman.

"Who was that woman?" EMIYA ended up muttering to himself, utterly flummoxed and at a loss for words.

He didn't sense any malice, hostility, or killing intent from the auburn-haired woman, but she was an anomaly nevertheless. He racked his brain for all the "records" throughout his life and afterlife. He searched and searched for any information on the woman. He wondered if there were any legends or mythologies based on a woman with auburn hair and silvery gray eyes who apparently had very mysterious powers. Even with his eons and eons of lifetimes, he genuinely had no recollections or "record" of the woman.

He was beginning to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him as the woman was only there for several minutes. Ten minutes- more or less- at most. Was this one of Alaya's damn machinations? No. The collective unconsciousness of humanity would not stoop to petty and childish pranks such as this.

EMIYA heard the sound of trumpets playing in the background. It was a different sound than what he normally hears. He was being summoned. That much he knew. However, this was not the usual sound he hears when he's summoned to the World as a Counter Guardian to stop another calamity that may endanger the human race as a whole. No, this sound was completely different. It did not take long for him to realize that he was being summoned by the Holy Grail instead of the Counter Force- which means there was a Holy Grail War that was about to happen, and he had been selected as a Servant.

He could feel a strange, almost familiar sensation as the Grail began the process of making a copy of his soul. He then felt his body dematerialize- his thoughts being that he hoped that he was being summoned in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Otherwise, there would be no personal objective for him to achieve.

The world around him slowly started to fade away.

"Well, isn't this just great?" EMIYA almost tsked in annoyance.

He didn't know what to expect when he was finally summoned. He had expected a lot of things- a lot of different scenarios. Something ordinary and mundane like appearing in a Summoning Circle with his Master greeting him. Maybe something as displeasingly irksome as falling out of the freaking sky! That has happened several times before because of his E-rank Luck in the past.

He never anticipated being surrounded by Caster's familiars the moment he was summoned!

He could only let out a disgruntled sigh. What a wonderful situation to be summoned in. His new Master must really have a knack for finding trouble. Granted, he has been summoned in worse situations than this. But he had a distinct feeling that his new Master would be troublesome. Though he could feel a powerful surge of power flowing through him, which must mean that his Master was a particularly strong magus.

Maybe… Just maybe… his Master wasn't such a disappointment after all.

Archer Projected Kanshou in his left hand, and made short work of the skeletal monsters. He could sense two different mana signatures, though one was stronger than the other. He instinctively went after the one he felt a connection with. He was after all a culmination of spirit particles given form by the Grail, and needed the mana of his new Master to sustain himself in this world.

He paid no heed to the broken glass on the floor, and leapt out the shattered window. With his keen eyesight, Archer- yeah, Archer because that's the class the Grail has classified him as- spotted more of Caster's familiars, and took them down with ease the moment his feet roughly landed on the ground. Once, he swiftly dispatched all the familiars, he sensed that his Master was right behind him and turned around to face them- sword still in hand.

Only to meet with stupefied shock once again when he was face to face with the mysterious auburn-haired, gray-eyed woman who seamlessly entered and exited his Reality Marble.

She was his Master?

Archer quickly composed himself. His lips curled into an amused smirk. Well, this was interesting.

The auburn-haired woman's own flabbergasted expression morphed into one of caution and wariness. She protectively held the heavily injured dog close as she took a wary step away from him. She was on full alert, watching him carefully with suspicious, gray eyes. He could approve of her reaction. He could approve of her skepticism. Her incredulity and slight distrust showcased that she wasn't the naively trusting type. She wasn't ignorant and stupidly innocent. That was good because- at least- she was not a credulously simple-minded fool of a person, ready to put her complete faith and trust in the first person who saved her life. She had earned a smidgen of respect from him for her reaction alone.

He figured that their little staring contest wasn't getting them anywhere- not when there's probably more of Caster's familiars lurking in the shadows and background- so he might as well be the first to break the ice and make introductions quick.

"I had wondered what kinda moron would summon a useless Servant like me. And in a place like this," Archer finally spoke to her in his usual mocking and sarcastic tone.

"Eh?" she muttered in only a breath of whisper. Obviously whatever she was expecting, she was not expecting. She stared at him, simply dumbfounded- not being able to come up with a proper response to his dry remark.

He sighed, almost feeling a bit disappointed. "Are you just gonna stare at me like an idiot all day?" He sighed once. He thought the woman would get her bearings already. How long was she planning to stare at him so blankly like that? Almost like she didn't get what was going on. He eyed the Command Seals on the back of her right hand, and confirmed that she was indeed a Master. He decided to cut to the chase. With Caster's familiars probably lurking around, they don't have the luxury to stand around here forever. "Let's just make things clear already. I ask of you, are you my Master?"

She continued to look at him in utter confusion. That question genuinely puzzled her. His gray eyes almost narrowed. Did she not really know what was going on? Did he really end up with a clueless Master? He didn't know whether to bless or curse his luck- which was surprisingly high by the way- and that was odd in of itself. Normally- Archer was stuck with the wretched E-rank Luck stat- but now… His luck stat sits as high as a B-rank. Could this be attributed to his clueless Master's abilities? They always said that a Master's power, skill, and overall personality affects a Servant's stats as well. He mentally shook his head. He'd figure all that out later.

The auburn-haired woman seemed to contemplate her options- her dog clutched closer to her subconsciously- before finally answering him with an uncertain, "Yes?"

That was good enough for him. That officially establishes their contract as Master and Servant for this Holy Grail War.

It was at that moment that the skeletal familiars decided to make their presence known. He was prepared and ready to fight at any time. Ignorant Master or not, Archer was duty-bound as a Servant to protect his Master. But first he had to wait for proper instructions from his Master.

"So Master? What are your orders?"

She was still unsure and guarded against him. She swiftly regarded her attention to the immediate danger at hand. "I don't know who you are, but could you kill all these annoying monsters?" she spoke in a serious tone that didn't show a lick of fear. And it wasn't that she was trying to act cool or was putting up a brave front. She genuinely wasn't afraid of the looming threat before her. For a supposedly inexperienced Master, he was quite impressed.

Maybe this female Master was not so bad after all.

"I need to get Blueberry to safety."

His steel-gray orbs stared at the heavily wounded, panting dog in her arms. The dog looked like it would keel over any minute. He wanted to speak, but what happened to the dog was of no concern to him really- so he kept his mouth shut.

"Understood, Master." He immediately charged forward. As he slashed and hacked at the familiars, he could hear his Master making her escape. That was a smart choice. He would protect her until she's able to safely escape from here.

"Oh- and hey- there's an injured woman here as well. Try to keep her safe, okay?" He heard her shout from the distance. She must be talking about the other magus he felt earlier. He frowned at that. Was his Master potentially protecting an enemy Master? Truthfully, Archer would bother protecting someone who could possibly be a threat to them somewhere in the future- especially if said person ended up becoming an enemy during this war. He wouldn't bother obeying such unreasonable and utterly foolish orders. It would have been better to leave the enemy to die. One less magus in the war to worry about.

Then again, if he did disobey, there was a chance of his Master using a Command Seal on him. Though his Master seemed clueless and inexperienced, she was strong. That much he could tell from the constant flow of mana supply he was getting from her. It was extraordinary. He constantly shifted between determining if his Master was a first-rate or third-rate magus. He shuddered at thought of his Master potentially wasting a Command Seal on something so stupid, and decided to listen to her orders.

Okay. He was really starting to have mixed feelings about his Master. Archer was standing on top of one of the city's tall buildings. As per his Master's behest, he disposed of Caster's familiars and kept the female magus safe. With their mental connection as Master and Servant, he was able to track down his Master to an apartment complex in Miyama Town. And lo and bold, there was not even a Bounded Field set in place.

A white brow twitched. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be anymore of Caster's familiars lurking around. So that was good at least. However, he was starting to wonder if his Master knew magecraft to begin with. For a second, he thought it was one of those Bounded Fields that couldn't be easily detected until it was far too late. But then retracted that thought because he would have sensed it through her. After tonight's events, he would think she would have a Bounded Field put in place for protection.

He sighed in exasperation before dematerializing and followed his Master's presence the rest of the way astral form. Racing the rest of the way there at speeds a human could barely keep track of with the city's darkness not hindering him at all, Archer found the apartment his Master was in, and slipped through the wall.

The apartment was of fairly average size. By the looks of it, the apartment was not anything special. It seemed like a normal apartment. He gazed around at the interior design of the apartment, and there was nothing…unusual about it. Nothing… worth noting about.

He walked and studied the place his Master lived. The living room was connected to both the kitchen and a small dining area. There was a cupboard filled to the brim with board games and books. Some small tables with some potted flowers and plants on top. There was a TV, meaning his Master was not averse to modern technology like how magi typically are. Yet he couldn't detect any sign of magecraft practice, or a study or a lab a magus usually has to study their Thaumaturgic brand of magic.

Either his Master lab and studies was located somewhere else- outside of the apartment she lived in- or she really was just an ordinary human with stunningly remarkable innate magical potential. There could be the possibility that she does know the potential she has. After all, she did not seem to recognize him when they- technically- met again for the second time.

This was not the first time the Grail had chosen someone… unorthodox as a Master for a Grail War. It had chosen a serial killer as a Master in the Fourth War, and himself in the Fifth War. Speaking of the Fifth Holy Grail War- with the knowledge of this era and the information the Grail provided him, he was informed by the Grail that this was the Fifth War- or some variation of the Fifth Holy Grail War because he originally came from the future of a different timeline. Either way, this meant that there's a high possibility that his younger counterpart would also be a Master in this war.

Looks like he was gonna need to lay some ground rules, if they were gonna survive and win this war. If his Master really was an inexperienced and ignorant magus, then she's gonna have trouble against the other Masters in this war. She looked weak and frail to begin with. A clearly hopeless child.

Still in astral form, Archer walked around the apartment to get a feel of what type of person his Master is. After all, a home is always furnished with the homeowner's- or family's- personality and taste in mind as it's usually decorated with the owner's lifestyle, sense of style, and the things they like and enjoy. He entered the dining area, the kitchen, the bathroom, and the spare bedroom, and the only thing he could say was… that his Master was a complex character. The general idea and the necessities of what every household needed was there, but the apartment was filled with miscellaneous objects, an assortment of trinkets and… random collection entertainment media that was completely unrelated to each other. It could be that his Master had a mercurial mindset.

But one thing was clear in that she does like flowers. There always seemed to be a plant or a flower painting hung up on the wall everywhere he went, except for the bathroom and kitchen. Another thing that remained consistent were family photos and portraits.

Archer decided to check in on his Master. He had seen enough of the apartment to get the general layout of it. He slipped past the wall, and entered what appeared to be her bedroom. How could he tell? Simple really. His Master was sound asleep in the full-sized bed there.

The bed was on the wall opposite of the door and right by the window. Next to the bed was a wide, dark brown desk with drawers, and on top of it was a computer and a digital clock on the left side of the desk. A black, leather chair was facing the desk. The closet was located on the left of the room. Lastly, there was a tall, dark brown cabinet near the corner of the wall that was facing the foot of the bed.

He dematerialized, but as soon as he did- the dog sleeping on its light blue dog bed started to twitch. His steel-gray orbs eyed the dog as it started reacting to his sudden presence in the room. First, one of its ears twitched. Then its head perked up slightly it started to sniff the air in his direction- its eyes still closed though.

Archer took that as his cue to dematerialize again before the dog caused a disturbance, and woke his Master up. The dog tilted its head in confusion when his scent suddenly disappeared. The red Servant could slightly see why there was no Bounded Field in place when his Master had a dog acutely sensitive to the presence of others, and very alert to danger. However, what he was most curious about more than was how the dog was able to heal so fast. When he saw the dog earlier, it was so severely wounded that it looked like it was about to die at any moment- only clinging onto life by sheer force of will. It's probably been less than 3 hours, and- astonishingly enough- the dog was completely fine now. Not an injury, cut, scab, or bruise in sight.

He wondered if his Master was responsible for the dog's ridiculously fast recovery. It was entirely possible. There could be no other explanation. She must be adept in some type of healing magic then.

Nevertheless he wasn't gonna get his answer standing here watching her sleep. Maybe he should leave and make himself comfortable in the living room. Or- better yet- take a patrol around the area to make sure there aren't any enemies around. Whatever the case, he needed to kill the next several hours until the sun rose.

"What the hell was his Master wearing?" was Archer's first thought as he stared at her wide-eyed and shocked beyond belief when she appeared before him in nothing but a T-shirt and panties. He could feel his face heating up a little bit.

He completely paid no mind to the dog barking, snarling, and growling aggressively and furiously at him. The dog obviously saw him as a threat.

His Master- on the other hand- was staring at him just as shocked- albeit for an entirely different reason. She was utterly stunned to see him casually sitting there on her blue couch as if he owned it.

Fortunately, he recovered quickly in time before a knife from the kitchen was lodged in his throat. Wow. If this was his Master's way of saying "good morning", then he would've woken her up sooner. He managed to easily catch her wrist, and prevent her from slitting his throat.

"Who are you?" his Master growled, her silvery-gray eyes narrowed dangerously. "What are you doing in my apartment? How'd you get in?"

Unbothered by the knife threatening to take his life, he smirked at his Master in amusement.

"That's the first thing you say to me after you attack me," he spoke nonchalantly. "Well, well, well. It seems I've gotten myself quite a Master." He was not really worried about the knife because a human's strength could not match the strength of a Servant's.

His Master didn't seem to take his response well as her eyes narrowed into slits and her lips curled into an angry scowl. Her face showed nothing but cold fury. His Master was a very violent, feisty, and serious woman apparently. He didn't mind that. It'd probably made her fun to tease. His sharp tongue only managed to make her try harder to drive the knife into his windpipe. His Master was not quite the morning person, was she?

He smirked slyly at her. "After last night, I never expected to be greeted by this kinda welcome, Master," he remarked wryly, though it had a condescending undertone to it.

The auburn-haired woman paused, blinking at him a few times. He could see the gears in her head turning before twisted in recollection. Her cheeks turned red out of sheepish embarrassment as slowly climbed off of him. She then noticed her state of dress, and her entire face turned a bright crimson red- nearly matching the color of her hair- out of sheer mortification.

She seemed to be struggling with herself as if she didn't know whether to be mad at him or herself. So she really hadn't noticed her state of dressing before violently attacking him? She wasn't a shameless exhibitionist after all. Just seeing him there overridden her sense of feminine bashfulness. Inexperienced or not, maybe working with this Master wouldn't be so bad after all. At least she wasn't gullible, and recognized danger when she saw it. He amusingly watched her mentally chastise herself before settling him with a cold glare.

"Don't. Say. A. Word," she hissed, pointing the knife menacingly at him.

She left, probably heading back into her room to change into something more… appropriate. Archer ignored the belligerent dog's continued livid barking and hostility towards him.

The auburn-haired woman emerged back in the living room, now sporting a pair of yellow shorts. "Now… What are you doing in my apartment?" she repeated the question in a no-nonsense tone, gazing at him expectantly with arms crossed.

Was she serious? Then again, he was half-expecting this. When he saved her from Caster's familiars, she sincerely looked like someone who didn't know anything about the Grail Wars. Maybe proper introductions were in order, so his Master would have a vague idea of what was going on- of what was to come during this war. They couldn't do it last night because they were attacked by Caster's familiars and all.

"I have come in response to your summoning. I am the Servant, Archer, and you are my Master."

For a couple minutes she stared at him with a deadpan expression of utter disbelief before opening her mouth and muttering a flat, "What?"

(A/N: This is the end of chapter 6! Enjoyed it? Yeah. There really wasn't anything… new I should say in this chapter. This was- more or less- perspective flip of the last chapter. EMIYA reminisced about his life, and then being summoned as Orihime's Servant in the Fifth Holy Grail War. This chapter- or at least- a majority of it- was supposed to be saved for later. But I decided… What the heck? Just do it now. This chapter was mainly for me to get a feel for EMIYA's character. Practice makes perfect. However, if EMIYA [or any other Fate character] seems OOC please tell me and scold me. But be gentle and polite please. There are things you can say without being overly angry about it.

Yes, I already knew that EMIYA's memories are fragmented, and he keeps "records" of his life. However, it is because of these "records" that I've found it really hard to believe that EMIYA went through the Fifth War multiple times. Like I said before- not only did EMIYA give back Rin's pendant to her- but- if he really did go through the routes- what happened to his character development? That is when my "suspension of disbelief" is stretched to the max. I can be a little lenient if it was Archer going through the Fate route multiple times, or maybe even some unknown made-up route from a different timeline [because it could be some pre-Fate/stay night shit]. But fanfic writers start talking about how Archer went through the Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel route multiple times, that's when I start shaking my head. Because if that is so, what happened to all of Archer's character development? Because those two routes where he seemed most satisfied with the outcome. What? Did EMIYA suddenly remember the war, but somehow conveniently forget the lessons he's learned? Or are authors just trying to turn EMIYA into some kinda Shirou-centric, time traveling serial killer?

People have asked me about pairings, and- like said in a previous author's note [I think]- romance isn't the main focus of this story. I have no pairings for Orihime, Archer, or Shirou. I'm not a big fan of Archer/Saber, Archer/Rin, Shirou/Saber, Shirou/Rin, or Shirou/Sakura. And definitely do not expect for there to be a Shirou/Orihime pairing. At this point, I should say this is [mostly] a gen-fic, meaning no pairings. Though, I can't guarantee pairings won't happen later down the line. It really depends on canon and how well the story flows. That is all I can say about pairings. And… Oh yeah…! AND NO HAREMS EITHER! So none of those Good Endings where Shirou ends up in a relationship with more than one girl at the same time.

You guys asked what my favorite characters are from Fate/stay night…? Hmm, if I had to choose my favorites between Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero- I'll say… Kiritsugu Emiya Archer Emiya, Irisviel von Einzbern, Illyasviel von Eizbern, Saber, Rider [from both Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero], Waver Velvet, Taiga, Lancer [from Fate/stay night], and Fake Assassin [from Fate/stay night]. These are the characters I greatly enjoyed during my watch through of the Fate series, particularly Kiritsugu and EMIYA are the reasons I finally watched Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night- respectively- to begin with. Now, now though… Just because I list these characters off as my favorites, don't expect them to play some big role in this story. I'm just answering because you all seem curious about who my favorites are. And also… Just because I list these characters as my favorites, doesn't mean I dislike everyone else [except Shirou- Shirou can take his annoying ass to hell. And Shinji Matou and Zouken Matou as well. They can join him]. Most other characters I'm neutral towards. Like Sakura Matou, for example. I get why Sakura gets so much hate, but I myself never hated her. Nor did I have any particularly fondness for her. It was pretty annoying- though- on how she seemed adamant on playing the "damsel in distress" role. I mean- if your life is so difficult- do something about it! Get help! Ask a friend! Do something! Anything! Even more annoying when you find out she's Rider's true Master, but still decides not to do anything. Almost like she's adamant about living in a fantasy where she's "the princess trapped in a castle", and Shirou is her "knight in shining armor" who would one day save her, sweep her off her feet, and they go on to live happily ever after. Though this is my opinion of Sakura before her full backstory is revealed in Heaven's Feel. After that, I felt kinda sorry for her, but not enough to like her. I guess… Sakura is just one of those characters that are designed to be pitied and nothing else.

As to which show I liked better- Fate/Zero or Fate/stay night… I would say Fate/Zero- only because I like the character interactions and the fact that it looks like a real war- an actual free-for-all. While Fate/stay night turned into a typical "heroes must defeat the villains" story. And the plot armor in Fate/stay night is so obvious. "Oh! Shirou and Rin both lost Saber and Archer, respectively. Oh, whatever would they do? Would they come up with some brilliant strategy to get them back? Nope! Lancer comes in and suddenly wants to make an alliance." Obvious plot armor is obvious. Though there are some things that I think Fate/stay night does better. Like how the identity of Masters and Servants are kept secret [though at the cost of character interaction]. And Fate/stay night is a bigger fanfic fuel than Fate/Zero- especially when you consider the what-ifs and possibilities of what to do with all three routes.

Although I would say that none of the characters seem that complex to me [or as complex as the story and some other people make them out to be]. I just find it amusing how the story tries to be… super intelligent. Try to make these characters sound complex when they're really not. Like Rin, for example. Rin is introduced as a school idol. But wait…! She's actually harsh and brash underneath that school idol facade. But wait again…! She actually has a soft and caring side underneath that. So you mean a typical tsundere? Or Shirou… You have a guy who has a compulsive desire to help everyone in need. But did you know? He has a tragic backstory that compels him to be the way he is? Ah. So you mean some guy with a guilty complex who is using heroism to make up for it? I see. I don't know. Maybe I just feel like this because I've seen characters like these hundreds of times already. It's not anything new to me at this point. And the same goes for some other characters. I'm just using Shirou and Rin as examples.

I also had some theories and ideas of what Orihime's Origin is, and I decided her Origin should be "Rejection" [or something similar until I can find a better name for it]. Her Origin allows her to reject, negate, and alter the reality around her. The reason I chose this as her Origin was because- c'mon… it fits with her original powers from Bleach. And- no matter how much she denies it- she is now a magus in accordance with the Fate power system. An untrained magus- yes- but a magus nonetheless. The only idea so far that I have for her Origin is that it easily allows her to slip into Bounded Fields and Reality Marbles almost undetected because her Origin allows her to bend reality around to suit her needs and will. Orihime is almost the literal definition of "I reject your reality and substitute my own". Of course, there are more possibilities that Orihime could do with her Origin, Rejection. This is just one of my ideas. Trying to keep Orihime's Bleach powers fit in with the Fate series.

These are Archer's final stats, and these stats are permanent. These are the stats I'm going with the rest of the story.

This is the new Servant Sheet…

Class: Archer

True Name: EMIYA

Master: Orihime Nazuki

Alignment: True Neutral

Master's Alignment: Neutral Good

Strength: C

Endurance: C

Agility: C

Mana: A

Luck: B

NP: ?

Magic Resistance: C

Independent Action: A

Clairvoyance: C

Mind's Eye [True]: B

Magecraft: C-

Projection Magecraft: C- - conditionally A+

If you guys would be so kind- leave any comments or questions in a review- and thanks for reading!)