Disclaimer: As always, I don't own anyone except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Kei and her family belong to Lang Noi, and Saber belongs to Type:Moon.

The theme for this is split between three songs: (1) Anata ga Ita Mori, or The Forest Where You Are, for a rough translation, by Jyukai for the Studio Deen adaptation of Fate/Stay Night; (2) Hold Me, or Håll Om Mig Nu, sung by Nanne Grönvall; and (3) TedescoCreations' piano cover of Obito's Theme from the original Naruto Shippuden soundtrack.

Let it be said that a mere "vampire" can't expect everything to go to his story-writing whims, according to the shinobi, anyway. The songs chosen represent that, in my opinion, while also calling back to the three main characters that star in this chapter. The second one in particular came from a Princess Tutu AMV that I've loved for a long time in spite of me having yet to watch the show, and I wanted to take its central message into this work when writing this chapter.

A small content warning, of course, for language and implied past trauma.

Please enjoy.


Chapter 7: Cutting to the Point

"Maybe you should shelve that dress for now, Tomo-chan."

Obito's suggestion, although innocent, immediately caused Mama to stand up from her seat at the kitchen table, looking affronted. She nearly knocked over her own teacup, a gesture that more than conveyed her shock and disbelief. "Obito—"

"Listen, Hikari-san," Obito interrupted, raising a hand to stop her from saying anything, "Not to be rude, but the dress did elicit a bad reaction from, uh…" Obito paused in the middle of his point, glancing at me with slowly widening eyes.

"Saber?" I filled in gently for him. True Names were still a private thing between Master and Servant, even if I loved Obito a lot. Even if I trusted Obito with my life.

Black Zetsu had already taught both of us that we couldn't take privacy seals for granted anymore. So Saber's True Name was something that would be left at her discretion to reveal, not mine.

"Saber," he agreed with a small smile, going back to Mama with a waggle of his pointer finger. "And I think the last thing your family needs is more baggage unpacked when we deal with enough as is."

Mama froze at that statement, her blue eyes wide before Papa placed a gentle hand on her forearm. The gesture was enough to make the frustration fizzle out of her gaze, resulting in her deflating back into her seat. "You're right," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I liked that dress, but if it's going to unintentionally trigger Saber, we should probably put it away."

"Maybe when things get worked out, Hikari," Papa said reassuringly, "we can bring it out for display again."

Mama shot him a weak smile. "Maybe."

Obito glanced between both of my parents before reaching over and placing a supportive hand on Mama's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Hikari-san," he said reassuringly, "we'll make it work out."

Mama's smile turned wry when she looked up at my boyfriend. "I'm surprised you're already including yourself in the 'we' part when you haven't even met Saber yet, Obito-kun."

Sakumo-jichan, who had stayed silent via tea drinking for the entirety of the conversation up to this point, proceeded to speak up with a quiet quip of, "Hikari, what else were you expecting?"

"I dunno, just, not as much Hero work?" Mama shrugged her shoulders as best as she could with Obito's hand still present, and if Obito's growing look of dread was any indication, he was noticing the impending teasing before Mama could even start reciting it. "Then again, considering these two dorks and their line of work—"

"Mama!" I squeaked. My face was starting to burn. She wasn't going to, right? "Don't!"

"What? I wasn't going to say anything!"

Riiiiight. I'd believe that when pigs flew high up in the sky like airplanes from the old world could when breaking away from the city lights. Because loving parents could be embarrassing too, sometimes. It came with the "caring family" agenda.

Obito had retracted his hand at that point, placing it against his face in mock despair. "Hikari-san…"

Mama stuck her tongue out at him while crossing her arms. If not for the streaks of gray glowing in her ponytail from the house lighting, she definitely would've appeared 20 years younger. Her attitude made me think as much, at least. "You knew this was going to happen!"

"Yep," Obito groaned. "At least you're not using puns…"

"We could," Sakumo-jichan piped up with the barest hint of amusement in his voice, "considering how much Kakashi's been talking about them when he sends me letters—"

Obito blanched faster than someone scratching at a chalkboard. "HELL NO!"

For the first time that evening, I felt myself laugh a bit. Even if it was at Obito's expense, the small smile he gave me past his fingers felt like something went well. Like all my efforts were worth it.


The entire time I went about setting up my futon for bed, Obito's watchful gaze consistently went back and forth between me and the doorway. The door was closed, privacy seals already stuck on, but I didn't have the heart to tell Obito that he was being too paranoid. After all, he already had a giant scare once when we were teenagers, and the time I woke up in the hospital after that solidified the experience as "something to never let happen again" in both civilian and ninja terms. He had every right to be cautious about unwanted visitors.

Even so, Saber had cut our mental connection earlier in the Training Grounds. The privacy seals weren't even needed with that in mind. Aside from the usual churning of my chakra that showed how she was still running on it, I couldn't really tell what Saber was doing at the moment. Nor could I reach out to her with my thoughts.

It didn't make Obito's gaze any less piercing. Or concerning.

"I could stay with you," Obito said after a moment, one of his slipper-covered feet absently tapping the floor tile. "So you don't have to be alone tonight."

"It's not really about that, Obi," left me in a weak whisper. The futon pillow looked nice and fluffed-up-enough for sleep, but… "It's—" Thinking of Saber made the backs of my eyes start to itch from the emotion. No tears, no tears, no tears… "That's not what I'm worried about."

She didn't even come out to have dinner. The concept alone was all the more depressing when remembering how much Art-san loved to eat with us for dinner.

Obito proceeded to let out a sigh that sounded like he was carrying the entire world on his shoulders, and I didn't turn around once he walked over to me. Strong arms immediately wrapped around my waist, pulling me back to him in a tight and snuggly hug. The gesture immediately clued me in to how I had failed in convincing him with my previous response because having to sit in his lap while in mid-hug felt a bit like being in the corner of shame or something. Well, if not for him being a dork and my heart beating really hard thanks to the entire thing, though. "You've been handling this for a while, huh?" he breathed into my ear.

I tried not to shiver, pressing one of my hands against the arms holding me to him. "S-Since you've been gone with Kakashi on that mission to Ame, really."

Obito sighed again, his nose pressing against the top of my hair. "What is it with you and getting easily attached to people, Tomo?"

"H-Hey, I got attached to you and you didn't complain," I protested weakly with a turn of my head.

In spite of my point, Obito still let out a huff of a laugh against my back as he tightened the hug. "That's different," he mused, the words ticklish against the back of my neck. "I crashed into you and owned up to it. And I confessed first." The soft smek sound against the top of my head certainly seemed to be his way of making his point clear. It was enough to make heat climb up my neck, at least. "I don't know what Saber has in her defense."

Okay. Sure, that memory of the "Crash into Hello" first meeting I had with the boy that would become my special other was a nice one, but really? Did Saber deserve that much shade? "You haven't met her yet and you're still throwing barbs, Obi?"

"Kei's a bad influence," Obito said in lieu of an explanation, huffing through his nose.

I opened my mouth just as the thought occurred to me, and then closed it. He won that point there. Kei could be a bit quick on the uptake when her loved ones were involved in anything close to resembling trouble. That's just how she was. And when looking back at my and Saber's first meeting, well. She did have every right to brandish the business end of a katana that first day. "…The situation did seem pretty suspicious, huh?"

I could already feel Obito rolling his eyes before he even spoke up. "Believe me, Tomo-chan, Kakashi getting adopted by dogs is a lot more believable than you summoning a human being out of nowhere. It's just not done, even among Clan members." His fingers trailed down my waist, and it almost took me a moment too late to realize what he was attempting to do.

"No tickles," I said immediately.

Almost as soon as I said that, Obito's wandering hands froze, breaking the ice as a shaky laugh echoed in the air. "That obvious?"

"Obi, I know I cried quite a bit on you earlier, but I'm not emotionally comatose," I pointed out to him with a face, already preparing my "pinching" hands in case he was still feeling wiggly. "Plus I don't wait at the gates every day like how I used to."

"And I'm proud of you for that last part since it means you're not lonely and shivering in the cold," Obito interjected, his nose gently brushing some of my hair back to rest against my shoulder, "but that doesn't stop me from worrying, Tomo-chan. That doesn't stop everyone else from worrying."

…Maybe I should've taken the tickles. It would've been a lot better than hearing something like that from him. "I'm trying," I admitted quietly, reaching over to grab one of his hands to squeeze. "I really am."

Obito exhaled a long deep breath before he ducked his head and bumped the back of my shoulder blades with his hair. "I know," he said in a matching quiet voice, "Just don't push yourself, Tomo."

I couldn't help but sigh myself. "Aye," was all I could say to that.

It was really hard to go to sleep afterwards, even when Obito was fully willing to be a good cuddly teddy bear of a boyfriend. All I could see in the back of my mind's eye before eventually falling asleep was blonde hair and the gleam of a Noble Phantasm.


The sound of a motor rang through my ears before my eyes opened to full capacity. The same leather from before was digging into my shoulder and by then, I knew I was in that car again. I didn't know how, I didn't know when I got there, but the tire wheels were loudly skidding outside the windows I could see and when looking in front of me, I could see the same long white hair from before.

Wait. White? It couldn't be—

"See? See?! This car can go pretty fast!" The white haired woman said with a happy lit in her voice from the driver's seat, abruptly turning the steering wheel to the left just as the metal railing of the road came into the distant horizon of the dashboard. The car cried out with the gesture, and once a glint of gold blonde came into view from what I could see of the reflection in the rear view mirror, my heart leapt into my throat.

"Th-This is some pretty…skillful driving," Art-san — Saber said slowly from the shotgun seat, holding a gloved hand to her chest once the car bounced in time with a bump on the road. I don't think I had ever seen her look so unsettled before, but then again…

I covered my mouth once the driver put her hand on the gear stick handle to change shifts. If Art-san couldn't handle this, how could a motion-sick civilian like me survive?

"I know, right?" In contrast, the woman seemed to be beaming if her earlier squeal of glee at the car bounce and the glint in her reflected red eyes from the rear view mirror was any indication. "You may not believe it, but I've been practicing extra hard!" The car continued to squeal loudly as the engine roared with her placing her foot to the acceleration pedal, and I held my breath as she continued to up the speed. "Out of all the toys Kiritsugu brought me, this one's my favorite!"

"T-Toys, you say?" Art-san said cordially, her head already coming close to the headrest of her seat as her companion continued driving. I could've sworn my intestines were starting to grow butterflies from the whiplash. Not to mention my head starting to swirl.

"I could only drive around the courtyard at the castle, so this is incredible!"

More turning of the steering wheel meant more skidding. I felt my stomach start to give out and in spite of knowing this was a dream, I still did my best to hold in the bile climbing up my throat. How was a car considered a "toy" to a grown woman?!

But wait. The woman mentioned "Kiritsugu" again. Was she acquainted with Saber's previous Master?

"Sh-Shouldn't we have hired a professional driver?" Saber said shakily in the interval it took for the woman to turn the steering wheel back and forth. The car rocked back and forth with her equally abrupt gestures, much to Saber's growing discomfort if her green eyes in the rear view mirror's reflection was any indication, and I didn't blame her. I couldn't, really, when all I wanted to do was to get out of the car. This woman's driving was just horrible, and that was saying something when I could vaguely remember my past self not even passing her driving test the first and second times.

"No way, that would be boring — I mean, dangerous!" the woman retorted mid-swing of the steering wheel, the car crying out in time with her protest. "What if the enemy attacks us?"

"I suppose so…" Saber paused, her gaze looking up at the rear view mirror, and yet again, I felt my heart jump up and into my throat once her green eyes narrowed in on me. Wait. "Stop the car, Irisviel!"

The woman startled just as Saber moved towards her side of the car to grab the steering wheel, pressing the brakes immediately, and once the car skid again, I knew I was in uncertain doom. Did she notice me?

The car came to an abrupt halt in about a second after Saber moved, throwing me into my seatbelt for a moment, and once my eyes opened again, I looked up into real emerald green eyes. Not reflected ones. Real ones.

Saber had turned her head past her companion (Irisviel, I think?) and was looking straight at me.

Oh no.

Through my fingers still covering my mouth, I said in a small voice, "Art-san?"

Saber exhaled slowly, leaning out past her seat in shotgun to give me a level stare. Yet again, her green eyes were swirling with something that made it hard for me to be sure of what exactly she was thinking. "…Tomoko," she echoed softly. "You are…"

You remember me. I couldn't help but think that in the spur of the moment.

"I-I didn't mean to intrude," left me in a hurry while I felt myself shrink into my seat, more so once the driver — I was definitely sure she was the one named Irisviel at this point went about glancing between Saber and me with a growing look of confusion. Shit, could others move in shared dreams now too? "I-I can leave."

"No, you don't have to," was all Saber had to say to my offer. "Just…" Her gaze wavered slightly from me, emerald irises a bit dimmed. "Tomoko, I—"

She was still hesitant. Of course she would be. I intruded in her privacy, again. What kind of Master was I? Hell, what kind of person was I?

We hadn't even talked about the dress that—

"Oh my," Irisviel spoke up, interrupting whatever thought process I had, and both of us turned to her as a small smile graced her face. "So you are here again, young Master?"

All that left me past that point was a little "Meep." I probably should've said something else, but nothing left my mouth after that.

"Irisviel…" Saber said in soft disbelief. "You—"

"Saber, don't push her away," Irisviel interrupted, giving me a discrete wink while turning back to the Servant sitting next to her. "She's your Master now. And after everything you've been through, you deserve someone to be by your side too. Don't linger on me."

Linger?

"But I—"

Irisviel's lips moved, mouthing something, but I couldn't hear anything else once my vision filled with white again, throwing me out of the car. Goddammit.


Waking up the next morning felt like surfacing from a deep ocean of heavy jello. Soft breathing above my hair proved that I didn't fall asleep alone last night, and once my senses started coming back, I closed my eyes to try stopping the incoming blush.

"Obi, you dork," I couldn't help but mumble quietly to his moving chest. "Am I really that nice to hug?"

Even when asleep, Obito hadn't let go of me the entire night. With the way my head was gently tucked into the crook between his chin and shoulder blades, along with the soft squeeze of his hands on my waist and back of my head, it all proved he was just being the best boyfriend anyone could ask for. Hell, Obito was just the best I could ever ask for. All by hugging me and still protecting me, even when quietly snoring.

But…

The images I saw in my dream were harsh reminders of who was still missing.

Wiggling out of Obito's hold, though? Hisako might've said, IMPOSSIBLE, to the idea with a straight face.

Me, on the other hand? I tried to go about wiggling out of his hold. Emphasis on "tried."

"Mugu..."

"…"

I failed. He gave no verbal response aside from the lightest snore. My attempts at pushing did nothing to make Obito move either. It was in times like these that he could be remarkably heavy. Sure, he was taller, but it was still by INCHES. I could still do something! Hopefully.

"Muuu…"

"…"

"Hnnnnngh!"

Again, no response.

I gave one last weak push at Obito's chest before flopping back into the futon from exasperation. Knowingly or not, his breath tickled the top of my hair and I felt tempted to pull the covers over my nose. If I couldn't get out of Obito's hug…

What about Saber?

A frown covered my face. That was the main issue, after all.

What was I supposed to do? Saber was still—

"…What are you thinking about, Tomo-chan?"

Ah, shit. I should've heard his breathing hitch earlier!

Still, I couldn't help it. I let out a small and embarrassed "Eep!" before looking up into one slightly amused black eye. Obito smiled an equally wry and amused smile once it became obvious I was staring at him. "O-Obi? When did you wake up?"

"Just now. I don't think pushing at me helped your case, Tomo," he said in an equally dry voice, the arm around my waist squeezing for extra emphasis. "What's up?"

"The…the ceiling?" I offered in lieu of a proper answer.

It definitely wasn't the right answer since Obito proceeded to let out a loud and tired sigh before bumping his chin against the top of my head. His legs going about holding mine down from any further wiggling via limb tangling cemented my current status as "teddy bear," apparently. "Tomo-chan," he said sternly. "We talked about puns in the morning."

"A-At this point, I couldn't think of anything else," I fumbled weakly, breathing in through my nose in an attempt to calm myself. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize when you haven't done anything yet, Tomo," Obito said, his voice lilting just a bit to take out the bite in his tone. With a deep inhale above my head, he pressed his nose into my hair. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"I-I wanna look for Saber, Obi," I confessed. It was all I could really say in that moment because seriously, how could I lie to him? "She's still…"

I couldn't say much else from the lump suddenly surfacing in my throat. Even then, my boyfriend's breathing immediately stilled once the words had apparently registered in his brain. "…Tomo-chan," he started in a softer voice after a painful pause, "she could be anywhere."

I shut my eyes from frustration. Obito never got that quiet unless it was serious, and knowing him… "Is that your way of saying you consider her a threat?"

"Very much so," Obito agreed flatly.

"A-At least give yourself some time before responding!" I protested, weakly bapping his shoulder with a fist. "Saber's never physically hurt me!"

"That doesn't mean your threat analysis skills are any good, Tomo-chan," Obito retorted back, and this time, my cheeks were flooding with a heat that wasn't good. It didn't feel good. Then again, call-outs. Agh. "And considering she came out of nowhere to contract with you, it doesn't leave out the possibility that she could hurt you."

"But she hasn't," I said louder, trying to hide my growing exasperation by burying my face into the crook of his neck not covered by his nightshirt. "And I know she won't."

Obito sighed again. I already had a feeling I was unintentionally trying his patience this morning. Even when we were already used to each other and all. But then again, there was a new person added into the mix that, to him, came out of nowhere. He had every right to be cautious. "How do you know that, Tomo-chan?"

Even if the question was said in a way to humor me, I still felt a bit miffed. "Three red markings on my shoulder blade," I responded flatly.

Aaaand I didn't have to see Obito's face to know he was imitating a fish. "…Run that by me again?"

"Since it's you, Obi, you have my permission to peel back some of my nightgown collar," I elaborated in the same flat voice. "Saber called them 'Command Spells' or something, but it's how I know."

Obito pushed me back from the hug, his right hand already going up to the collar of my dress to gently tug it down without breaking any stitching in the fabric, and once the three red lily marks came into view via the sunlight illuminating the room, I knew Obito had seen them. Who knew that a binding contract's markings would attract so much attention? "They…They almost look like a tattoo when put together," he said in a mix of awe and disbelief. "And you didn't get this applied yourself?"

"It's something that came with Saber, Obi," I explained quietly, avoiding his gaze as best as I could while trying not to shiver. "It's not something I can take off."

"These marks, they let you control her or something?" Obito's fingers gently traced the lily shapes, enough for it to feel ticklish.

"Three absolute commands if I wanted to. Summon her here, boost her power, or-or anything, really. And all this time, I never had to use them," I reaffirmed with him. "Saber's been here since you went with Kakashi on that mission, and she's been nice."

Obito made a face, but the gears were turning in his head if the look in his eye was any indication. His fingers still lingered on the red lily shapes. "Is that you saying it, Tomo-chan, or is the markings influencing you?"

Okay, never mind. I shouldn't have got my hopes up. "Obi."

Obito looked up from my Command Spells to stare into my eyes, and I felt my bottom lip tremble unconsciously in spite of my saying, "It's okay. It's not going to be like last time."

"That's what you always say, though," he interjected, the minute crack in his voice betraying something that would've made me waver if not for what was going on. "Tomo-chan, anything could happen."

I can't lose you again, was clear in his eye even if his voice wasn't spelling it out for me. It was at times like this that reminded me he had seen far more of the world than I could ever afford now. It was still jarring, fitting the image of my compassionate boyfriend with the scarred, jaded, and cold ninja that could kill anyone with a simple look of Kamui. But no matter what side it was, it was still Obito, the boy that I fell in love with, and I couldn't leave him hanging.

"And if anything did before, I wouldn't be here with you right now," I pointed out in a smaller voice of my own. "I know you want to protect me, Obi—"

"Damn straight," he agreed immediately.

"Not the point." You won't lose me, was left in my thoughts. I reached up to cup his scarred cheek and he leaned into the touch, closing his eye. "But I was just planning to look for her. Nothing more, nothing less."

Obito exhaled slowly, turning his head to gently press a kiss to the inside of my palm. "You're not going to push yourself?"

"Wasn't planning on it…" The statement came out more like a question.

Obito still gave me a half-hearted glare through my fingers.

My cheeks were starting to flush as I felt myself become a bit faint from being the center of attention. "I'm guessing trying to convince you I'm not overworking myself is a moot point now since you're not believing it, huh?"

Obito sighed again, reaching up to grasp the hand I was still using to pat his cheek and proceeding to squeeze my fingers. "Yep."

Where would I be without friends and loved ones, I wonder? "…Dork," I said finally. We were getting nowhere and we hadn't even left the futons yet to start on breakfast. "Just lemme search?"

"Dork," he echoed back, slowly nodding his head. "As long as you let me come with you."

"I-I wasn't going to say no!"

My fast retort was enough to appease whatever suspicions Obito had left, as a smaller, truer smile came up on his face as he reached over with his other hand to press a gentle palm to the back of my neck. "Good," he said finally, his eye closing half-mast. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"A-Aye…"

I probably should've warned him about morning breath once he pulled me in for the other morning greeting we had whenever he came home. Then again, this was Obito. He probably didn't care. Most likely.

We both still had to brush our teeth, though.


"Art-san? Art-san?"

Some decent morning care later, I tried to ignore Obito's barely hidden snickering as I walked around the house, hands cupped around my mouth as I continued calling out Saber's name. I couldn't help but look in every direction I could while exploring the house. Left, right, up, down. Our mental bond was open again if the slow usage of my chakra was any indication, but considering how Saber hadn't showed up at all compared to the speed she had during the first few days we were together, the worry meter was still steadily rising.

As of the current moment, she wasn't in the kitchen, the other bedrooms, or the restrooms. All that was left in the house was the café and the backyard that led to one of the many forests in Konoha. Not to mention the one storage shed where I first met her. And knowing Saber…

I found myself placing a hand to my chest, my fingers barely touching the area where my Command Spells were, before calling out again. "Art-san?"

No answer.

Obito was already opening the door leading to the stairs that connected the house to the cafe for me, and I still called out into the new space, louder this time, "Art-san?"

No answer.

Obito was still trying to hold down any stray snickers when I glanced in his direction, shaking his head as much as he could. "D-Don't worry," he said in a wobbling voice, weakly clutching the front of his Jounin blue shirt, "N-Not at you." His tone was light enough to clear away any anxious mental storm clouds of mine as he finished with, "I never thought I'd hear another cute nickname so soon in our lives."

I love you so much, the snickers added.

I took a deep breath through my nose and turned back to my search, walking down the stairs two steps at a time to try getting a bit more speed. "Dork," I muttered, feeling my ears start to burn as I held onto the hem of my skirt to keep out any unnecessary flapping. "L-Lemme focus."

"Fine, fine." Obito still raised a hand to prevent me from colliding face-first with the door leading to the cafe, and I could barely shoot him a grateful smile before I put my hand on the doorknob. "Good luck," Obito whispered to me above my head. It was a nice gesture, but I didn't really need his prompting once I threw the door open.

"Saber? Saber!"

I could've felt my heart physically break once my eyes finally caught a glimpse of blonde hair and one curly strand sitting on top of a prim head.

Arturia was sitting at what was my usual place in the center of Nagareboshi Café, facing the piano keys with a look that basically screamed "awkward." With a single press of her pointer finger against the middle C key, the note played out rather quietly in the air, her green eyes almost tracing the entirety of the grand piano in the moment it took for Obito to slowly come into the room with me. She didn't look up at my calls of her Class Name — rather, she kept her head bowed low towards the piano keys. I didn't have to meet her gaze to know she was feeling particularly upset.

"…Master," she said finally with a small roll of her shoulders. The blue ball gown dress that was her outfit before all the armor came on seemed to make her all the more lonely with the lighting, her shoulders hunched. "I am—"

I didn't even realize I was running over and throwing my arms around her neck until my nose found a platform in her shoulder. Obito made some kind of strangled noise of panic, but all I could register was the smell of fresh laundry and the warmth of Saber. She was back. She was here.

Art-san was here and I could hug her again.

Saber let out a belated hum of shock, no thanks to my glomping the crap out of her and interrupting whatever she wanted to say, her figure tensing as I settled into her right side. "T-Tomoko?"

"You worried me," left me in a warm whisper as I hugged her tighter. "Silly Saber."

I missed you.

Art-san let out what sounded like an exhausted, understanding hum as a hand awkwardly patted my back. She wasn't reciprocating the hug in its entirety, but I could understand why with everything that happened before. "I—I apologize for my absence, Milady," she said after an uncomfortable pause. It was enough to make me let her go in time to glance her over. Saber didn't meet my eyes the entire time my worry meter went off in the form of fretting, her mouth stretched into a thin line as her fingers clenched some of the gold hems of her dress. "What happened was…" she trailed off into awkward silence.

I missed… echoed weakly through our bond, echoing the same silence. It was obvious Saber was still affected by whatever was going on in her mind, considering any attempt at elaboration on her part just died.

I didn't have to be a therapist to see that Saber missed someone, almost to the point of yearning. She was definitely feeling it a whole lot more now no thanks to the dress that caused her to run out in the first place. It was honestly upsetting to digest the fact that, without knowing it, Mama and I had brought the memory of this someone up to a forefront that Saber wasn't okay with handling right now.

Maybe this someone was the Irisviel that I met in that dream. Or maybe Art-san lingered on her previous Masters. Or it could even be all the people she once sworn herself to protect as King Arthur, long before she met me.

Until Saber elaborated, I knew I would never come close to the truth.

Instead, I pushed away all my internal worries and fears to project what I hoped was a comforting feeling to Saber through our bond. Alright then. Sure, it wasn't the best situation I could've found myself in after finding out where my Servant was, but I could still do something. Damage control was my forte. And, hey. Saber was in front of me again, even after what had happened between us with that dress, and that alone was a silver lining. I could work with what I had.

So, I scooted back on the piano bench to give her more personal space while shaking my head. "Not your fault."

I never blamed you.

Saber opened her mouth with a louder, "But—"

"No," I said more firmly. "It's okay. It's okay, Saber." Even if I had no clue what Obito was thinking on the matter, considering he hadn't said anything since his little outburst earlier. Still, his gaze was piercing my back, so I moved on with, "Could I just ask where you've been?"

"I…" For the first time in a while, Saber actually looked sheepish as a small pink flush covered her cheeks. "I may have wandered about the entirety of the village in spirit form."

Eh?

"What." Obito interrupted loudly, unintentionally adding onto the very first thought that came into my head for me. Then, he added in an affronted tone, "Tomo-chan, you didn't tell me she could disappear."

"Um… well." I said after another adequately awkward pause, feeling very tempted to scratch my cheek because ooookay. To Obito, I hastily said, "Later!" To Saber, I said, "And you didn't come home for dinner last night because…?"

Saber actually shrunk in her seat with both my and Obito's eyes on her. "I was not hungry."

Time would soon prove to be Saber's enemy, though, as a large and loud growl noise echoed through the entirety of the empty café. Saber flushed a darker pink, her hands going to her stomach as she quickly quipped, "Perish the thought of anything otherwise, Tomoko."

Pfft.

It took all my self-control to hold back a sudden giggling fit. "Th-That's not entirely possible," I still said with a growing smile. "But hunger is one of your enemies, isn't it? So come back in for breakfast. I'll cook pancakes."

Saber finally, finally raised her head to look at me, and her green eyes were clearly swirling with regret and wonder. "A-Are you sure? Master, I—"

"You have your own demons to fight, Art-san," I interrupted with a firmer voice, shaking my head. "Even if we're contracted to stay together, it's not my right to ask you to spill your life story. That's your decision in the end. I'll just put Mama's dress away until you feel like you're okay with sharing what happened."

Saber's hands still weakly clenched at the hems of her sleeves as she murmured, "But I still left you."

I still broke a vow I made to you.

"Because I was pushing you, even if I didn't know it at the time," I reaffirmed in the same firm tone, holding back the urge to hug her again. "Even if I was worried about you, there's moments where someone needs space, not hugs, and I still need to learn how to respect that. You had every right to go out and get some air, even if it was in spirit form."

It's okay.

After all, the number of times I lingered behind Kei and our other ninja friends during dire situations still remained burned in my memory with all the other things that happened in our shared lives.

Saber's shoulders slowly slumped through her dress as she blinked owlishly at me through the veil of her blonde bangs. It was obvious she was taking a bit more time to digest my words. "You… You are taking this remarkably well, Tomoko."

I couldn't help but glance at Obito for a moment before shrugging my shoulders towards Art-san. "I've had practice." I didn't have to look over again to know that Obito's eye had widened at the reference. "Still, Saber, I don't think anyone would complain about a late breakfast. So," I offered a hand to her. "Let's go back?"

Saber slowly glanced between my outstretched hand and my face, her gaze wavering enough to make it look like she was tempted to cry. "Are… are you certain?"

I can join you at your side?

Oh, for goodness sake.

"Well, um. It's a request more than anything else," I admitted, my smile coming off all the more weak from the honesty. "It's a request from me as a person, not just your Master. I only want to spend time with you again." Once it became obvious Saber wasn't moving, though, my anxiety went up a notch to the point of my voice breaking. "Is… Is that okay?"

I'd like you to be there.

Finally, finally Saber looked up to meet my gaze head-on, a small light coming back into those emerald green irises as she smiled. "O-Of course," she said, placing her hand into my palm. "I shall look forward to your cooking, Tomoko."

I couldn't help the sigh of relief I let out at that point.

Art-san was back.


"Tomo-chan, think you could go ahead?"

Obito did his best to squash the tinge of remorse bubbling up at the sight of his adorable girlfriend turning around and tilting her head at him, big blue eyes blinking in confusion. Considering she had just reached the door leading to her home from the top of the stairs in the transition area from the café, she had every right to be looking at him like that with his line of questioning. Still, with the one braid framing her face with the orange hair ribbons… too cute.

"Um, why?" Tomo-chan then said in her usual high-pitched tone that screamed suspicion, her gaze darting between him and — ugh — "Saber" with worry. "Obi, you're not going to do anything I wouldn't do, right?"

"Of course not!" Obito said immediately. Argh, Tomo-chan was pouting. He couldn't lose the battle here. Not when it hadn't even started yet. Nope, nope, nope. "I just need to talk to your friend here!"

Saber, or "Art-san," Obito didn't know, only gave him a quirked eyebrow as a black-gloved hand lingered on the stair railings. The gesture barely made a crack in her schooled poker face, and the equally pitch black suit did not help in easing the more unwelcoming atmosphere around the already weird lady in Obito's eyes. When did she get time to change? Blue was a much better color than black. "A talk," she echoed dryly. In her tone, it sounded more like a statement than a question.

Fuck. This "Saber" was honestly giving Obito old-Bakashi vibes, and he was already hating it.

In response, Tomo-chan gave Saber a look, and Obito could already tell the two were having some kind of mental conversation he was certainly not privy to if the minute changes in their facial expressions was any indication. It was obvious Tomo-chan didn't approve in the slightest, but once Saber nodded in her direction, her shoulders sagged and Tomo turned to Obito again. "You won't be late for breakfast? I was planning to use blueberries with the pancake batter…"

Obito put on his best smile. "I'll be there as fast as I can, Tomo-chan."

Tomo-chan's bottom lip quivered, just a little, before she quickly ran down the stairs. Obito didn't even get the chance to say her name before she was wrapping her arms tightly around his middle, burying her face into the front of his Jounin blue sweatshirt. Oh. "Don't kill anybody," she murmured, making Obito's heart melt. "I wanna see everyone at the dinner table."

Obito thought about it, nodded to himself, then swooped down to press a warm peck to the top of Tomo-chan's head. It was the least he could do to reassure her when, in all honesty, he wasn't really sure if he could make it stay that way. Still, he said, "I won't."

Even then, Tomo-chan peered up at him from his shirt with wrinkles in her forehead from her frowning. "That includes Art-san, Obito."

Aaaand there went the moment. Obito did his best to not sweat, nodding again. "Sure."

He ignored the holes the so-called "Saber" was staring into the back of his head, opting to gently pat Tomo-chan's hair before pushing at her shoulders to urge her to move. "We'll be there soon, Tomo-chan. Don't worry."

Tomo-chan still glanced past him to meet Saber's eyes for a moment, visibly hesitating before running back up the stairs and then slowly closing the door behind her. A breezy "Don't take too long!" was left in her dust, her blue eyes focused on him alone the entire time she took to leave, making the smile on Obito's face linger all the more longer.

But once the click of the door meeting the doorway sounded, Obito let all pretenses go. Right here, with no one around, he didn't have to hold back. The swirl of his Sharingan was instinctual at this point and yet again, he thanked all his lucky stars that Tomo-chan was safe. Since she was out of earshot, he could be a bit more honest and open with his chakra reserve usage.

"…You're lucky Tomo-chan cares about you," he started, making Saber stop in her tracks of walking forward. He could hear the moment her breath hitched, even if it was for a second, but he knew he had her attention without having to turn his head to look at her. "If not for her vouching for you, I would've killed you in 5 minutes or less. I'm still tempted."

It was sad, but Obito already knew it was the truth. Servant or not, summon contract or not, no one got away with making Tomo-chan cry. No one. Not even Tai. Or Ty. Obito didn't give a damn. He had Kamui. He had Team Minato and the rest of their shared group of friends to vouch for him.

After everything that was October Tenth and what happened since, Obito knew he didn't want Tomo-chan getting hurt again.

Even then, a moment of terse silence was all he got before he eventually heard a reply.

"I…I did not mean to leave her alone," Saber said, her voice deeper and far more solemn than anything she had uttered before. "The fault is still all mine."

Obito let the dark swirl of triumph roll through his stomach for a moment before he mustered the energy to turn and meet Saber's eyes. For a summoned human, the blonde hair would've made him think of Sensei if not for the green eyes. The green irises specifically widened once they took in his Mangekyo Sharingan in all its glory, but still schooled themselves to a neutral look once Obito said, "What are your plans with Tomo-chan? Depending on your answer, I might cut you down here and now."

To Obito's surprise, a confident smirk slowly climbed onto Saber's face. "Believe me, Assassin." Saber said deliberately, some stray strands of her blonde hair floating upwards from what appeared to be sheer energy. Or was it Tomo-chan's chakra Obito was seeing? "With my pride as a knight, I would like to see you try to cut me down."

Wait. Wait a fucking minute. Was she actually confident she'd win?

For once, Obito questioned Tomo-chan's luck. First finding Kei, then him, then Rin-chan, then Kakashi, then everyone else — now a confident blonde lady who was sure she'd be able to counter Kamui? How?

Obito took a deep breath through his nose, turning fully on his heel to face Saber properly. Right. Right right right. He wasn't supposed to react when he was the one who started this whole mess. "…You didn't answer my question. What are your plans with Tomo-chan?"

This time, a glint of remorse shined in Saber's green eyes as her smirk dulled to a thinner smile. "If that is the first thing that comes to mind for you, then I am relieved."

Obito could've tripped and fallen off the stairs right then and there. "Huh? Relieved?" Obito couldn't stop the shock bleeding into his voice before he could successfully school it. "Why?"

"The last lady I had served before Tomoko died, Assassin," Saber said, making Obito's barely hidden anger come to an abrupt stop. "My only plan now is to make sure she does not experience the same."

It took a long moment for Obito to come up with a response. Instead of anything compassionate, all he could yield from his lingering frustration was something bordering Kei-levels of sarcasm. Maybe. He wasn't sure. "…Considering you ghosted her last night, I don't think you're doing a good job, Saber," Obito still snarked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Summons are supposed to protect their contractors."

Saber frowned back at him. "Tomoko is different from any Master I've had, Assassin."

"Enough of the 'Assassin' shit." Obito waved it off with a brush of his hand, biting the inside of his cheek to get his thoughts together. "All I am is Tomo-chan's boyfriend first, shinobi second. And I'd rather not see her cry again. You." Saber stood to attention once he pointed at her. "Are somehow connected to her. You have a place with Tomo-chan, somehow, and my only warning to you is not to squander it." The beginnings of a headache were nipping at the heels of his eye, and he hadn't even used Kamui in succession yet. Dammit. He settled for a sigh while placing his forehead into the palm of his hand. "She's dealt with enough as is."

It would take his fucking therapist to make him admit that he still had nightmares about seeing Tomo-chan's blood back during Naruto's birth right now.

So the last thing Obito expected to hear at that moment was a softer, "I know."

The fuck—

It took Obito a moment too long to realize that Saber was looking up at him with warmth in her eyes. "Believe me," she said once they made eye contact, "a pure soul like hers doesn't need any more darkness. I am relieved to know that you are not part of it. The lady I knew didn't have many people like that."

Obito didn't even need the Sharingan to know that Saber didn't count herself in that "many people" category.


A/N: A lot of this chapter was done thanks to talks with Lang and Leo on this. Lang for help on Obito since she's written him longer, Leo for Saber because he's the one with the newly minted Bachelor's degree in Psychology and maybe 10+ years more of knowledge in Fate lore than I have. It takes quite a bit of effort to have Naruto and Fate lore mix because otherwise, it's oil and water and then I'm floundering. Because apparently the shinobi should've reacted more suspiciously sooner and I really need to work on that kind of atmosphere. Ah well.

Still, I'm doing my best with what I can in the new year — job, Hematology class, and all — I just hope you all are doing okay too.

Once it reaches February 25, 2021, this story will be two years old. Wow. It's been slow progress, but progress. I hope all of you, who've stayed with me or just joined for the ride, will keep enjoying this while staying safe.

For now, I'll sign out to sleep. I'll see you all at the next update.