Chapter 2: Living with Determination
"Are you worthy of being my Master?" Saber asks as Nagisa looks at her with confusion.
"I'm sorry, but i'm confused about what's going on here." Nagisa said as Kouta and the others came up to them.
"I think i can explain." Kouta said.
At the Shinto Temple, Rider of Red comes back with a tray of tea and sets it down in front of Nagisa and Kouta "Okay, to simplify, you and Saber are participants in the Holy Grail War. A master and Servant of Red." Kouta said as Nagisa looked at his hand which had three red markings that formed a sword.
"But… Why did this happen?" Nagisa asked.
"The grail always has a tendency to pull in stragglers to fill in an unassumed rank. The first time was a serial killer." Kouta pointed out as Nagisa made an audible gulp.
"But i don't think we have to worry about that." Saber chimed in "Although, I don't know how to feel about this Great Holy Grail War. But it does give me a chance to fight other warriors, like Rider of Black." Saber said as she smiled happily.
"So does that mean you and your master will fight with us, Saber?" Berserker asks.
"That's up to our Performer." Saber said, getting confused looks from the other Masters and Servants of Red, including Nagisa.
"Performer?" Nagisa questioned.
"A servant like myself is nothing but an instrument for you to play. As a Performer, I know you will play on this stage we call life." Saber said wisefuly.
"Okay…? But, i think i want to fight in the Holy Grail War." Nagisa said as Kouta began to smile proudly.
"Yes! That means we have a full roster of Servants and Masters!" Kouta said excitedly.
"But that leaves a base for us to find and use." Caster of Red pointed out.
"How about here? I doubt the enemy would think this place would be our base." Karma said as everyone looked at him.
"That's not a bad idea." Rei said as everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"Okay, then. It looks like it's decided." Kouta said as Nagisa's phone rang and he saw that it was his mother.
Everyone quiets down as Nagisa answers the phone "Hey, mom. Sorry for not calling you, I forgot something at my class and I went back to get it." Nagisa said.
"That's not a problem. I do need you to come home, right now." Hiromi hanged up as Nagisa closed his phone and got up.
"Sorry, everyone. I have to get going." Nagisa said as Saber rose up as well.
"Well, i suppose i should say farewell as well." Saber said as she dissipated into sparkles.
"Whoa! What happened to Saber?!" Nagisa asks.
Don't worry, Performer. Every Servant has a spirit form. I will be at your side when needed. Saber said telepathically.
"Oh… well, at least i'll bring a guest over without my mom knowing." Nagisa said as he grabbed his bag and left the temple.
Once at his home, Nagisa opens the door to see a blonde hair woman standing with his mother "Welcome home! I want you to meet Lilly. She's going to stay with us for a while." Hiromi said with a smile.
Performer. That woman there… She's a servant. Be careful. Saber said as Nagisa walked past the blonde haired woman and left to his room.
In his room, Saber appeared in front of Nagisa, sitting on his bed. "That servant seems very prideful in her abilities. She might be controlling your mother, so be careful Performer." Saber said as Nagisa sat next to her.
"Yeah… Thank you, Saber." Nagisa said as he changes out of his clothes and puts on his pajamas for the night.
The next morning, Nagisa was walking to Class E, thinking of the events of the evening before "I still can't believe it… The Great Holy Grail War…" Nagisa was lost in thought when Akari walked up to him.
"Hey, Nagisa." Akari greeted as Nagisa turns to her.
"Hey…" Nagisa said with little emotion, which made Akari worried.
"Are you okay, Sir Nagisa?" Karma asks, which surprised Nagisa.
"Lancer!?" The two students exclaimed as Lancer looks at them sternly.
"I told you to stop following me!" Akari yelled.
"Like i said the other day, If I were to leave you alone you would most likely die very quickly." Lancer said as Saber appeared.
"You need to have more faith in your Master, Lancer." Saber said with a prideful smile.
"Thank you, Saber." Akari said as she took Nagisa's hand and quickly made their way to the classroom.
At the main campus, the Chairman was in his office with a few people such as a teacher, a familiar dark blue haired woman, and few students. "I think we all know why we're all here, yes?" The chairman asks as everyone nods as Rider and Archer of Black appears with Lilly and four other servants.
"Good. Now let's address the issue." The chairman said as Rider of Black smiles at a woman with Magenta hair and a girl, who had orange brown hair.
The woman had red eyes and was wearing a combat jumpsuit with armor shoulder and armored heels. She also wielded a red spear.
The girl walked up to the Chairman and showed a photo of Nagisa and Saber of Red walking together "So this is one of the Masters of Red?" The chairman asked the girl as she looked away hesitantly but the magenta haired woman put her hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to calm down.
"I won't ask-"
"Yes. He is one of the Masters of Red" The girl said, causing Hiromi to be shocked.
"My son is a Master of Red…" Hiromi started to chuckle a little until it burst into pure, insane laughter.
"I think you broke her, girl." Lilly said as Hiromi grabbed the girl by the collar.
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT MY SON IS A MASTER OF RED!? DO YOU WANT TO BE AN INCH AWAY FROM DEATH?!" Hiromi screamed at the girl, whose face was swallowed by fear, but the woman grabbed Hiromi's hand and caused her to let the girl go.
"You and Caster will refrain from harming my master." The woman used her spear and pointed it at Hiromi "If you both don't… I'll kill you!" The woman growled as Hiromi just smiled.
"Of course, Lancer. I understand that you care very much for this girl, so i'll leave her alone." Hiromi said in a composed voice.
"You may leave, Rinka." The chairman said as Rinka and Lancer of Black leave the room.
Throughout the day, Rinka couldn't focus on class, not after what she went through that morning. But when the school day was over, she saw Lancer of Black at the school gate in normal clothing.
This time, Lancer of Black was wearing a simple lime green short sleeve shirt, short jeans with a brown belt, and crimson red heels.
Rinka and Lancer of Black were walking towards an apartment building and inside the apartment was a buff color sofa and recliner and in front of them was a taupe color coffee table with an almond and bistre colored rug underneath. There was also a houseplant and a house lamp with the kitchen being near the entryway. The next room had a queen size bed with a lamp on the left side.
Rinka set her school bag next to the bed, and landed on the bed feeling exhausted "Master, are you not going to prepare dinner?" Lancer of Black asks, and only gets a grumble from Rinka in response "Master, are you still thinking about them?" Rinka got up and looked at her servant.
"Yeah…" Rinka answered as she shed a tear.
"I'm sorry, i should have stayed quiet." Lancer of Black said but then she and Rinka felt a small tremor.
"What was that?" Rinka said as Lancer of Black looked out the window.
"It seems that Caster is engaged in a battle." Lancer of black said as Rinka got up from the bed and rushed to the entryway and left the apartment to locate the source of the tremor.
Nagisa had just made it back to his home and noticed the lights were off and went into the living room "I'm home." Nagisa announced as he turned the living room's lights on to see Lilly and Hiromi sitting on the couch.
"Nagisa… Where is your servant?" Hiromi asked sweetly as Saber of Red appeared in front of Nagisa.
"I am here… Master of Caster." Saber of Red said as "Lilly" smiles wickedly.
"It seems that this confirmed our suspicion. Wouldn't you agree, Master?" Nagisa looked at his mother with fear in his eyes as Saber summoned her red sword.
"Nagisa… We both know, you want to solve this without fighting. So how about you surrender Saber to me and Caster and nothing bad will happen." Hiromi said as Nagisa shakes his head.
"I'm sorry, mom. But i won't do that." Caster then looks at Saber and right back to Nagisa.
"What a disobedient child. You remind me of my child. How she betrayed me just to be with her father…" Caster then stretched out her arm and had summoned a magic sphere of dark magic.
"Performer!" Nero saw that Caster was aiming for Nagisa and she quickly grabbed him and left the house but Caster still fired the ball of dark magic, which caused a tremor that people felt in a ten block radius.
Archer of Red and Ryunosuke were running to the source of the tremor and saw Caster of Black battling with Saber of Red and saw Nagisa on the ground, unconscious "Nagisa!" Ryunosuke shouted as he rushed to his side.
"Another Master of Red?" Caster said as she was about to attack but was stopped by one of Archer of Red's arrows.
"Don't even think about it, Caster!" Archer of Red said as she joined Saber in the battle.
"Good to see you, Archer." Saber of Red said as she and Archer began to battle Caster of Black while Ryunosuke took his unconscious alie to a safe place but was stopped by Hiromi.
"Ah, you must be one of my son's classmates and a Master of Red. I'm sorry but this is a family matter, so…" Hiromi uses the same magic tomb to summon a knife "Could you and your servant leave?" Hiromi asks sweetly but Ryunosuke puts Nagisa down and utters two words.
"Trace… On." Ryunosuke's arms let out a magical aura as a pair of fully automatic pistols, with sickle-like blades attached vertically under the barrels, appears in his hands.
"Oh, so you're not going down quietly, are you?" Hiromi said as threw the knife at him but Ryunosuke swiftly deflected it and charged at her.
"You let your guard down." Ryunosuke said but saw Hiromi smile before she disintegrated.
"I suppose that's my cue." Caster of Black said as she also disintegrates before Saber and Archer.
"Were we fighting a fake?" Archer of Red asks as Saber runs up to Nagisa.
"Performer!" Saber of Red shakes Nagisa "Performer! Wake up!" Nagisa slowly opened his eyes to Ryunosuke, Archer and Saber looking at him.
"Sa...ber?" Nagisa muttered out , which made Saber of Red sigh with relief but the group knew he needed medical attention.
From afar, Lancer of Black and Rinka saw the masters of red take Nagsia somewhere to get medical attention "Why didn't we step in to help Caster and her master?" Lancer of Black asks as she sees Rinka looking conflicted.
"I really don't know." Rinka said as she began to shiver, but not from the cool summer wind, but from fear.
"Why don't we return for now? We have other opportunities in the future." Lancer of Black said as Rinka nodded and the two went back to the apartment.
Meanwhile on a rooftop, a boy was watching the fight with Caster of Black and the two Servants of Red with the woman that Nagisa talked to the other day.
The woman had dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. The woman was wearing a white short kimono like dress with three kimonos on top and brown Japanese sandals. She was also wearing an Egyptian style crown with a cloth covering her hair.
"So what do you think of them after seeing them in person… Ruler?" The boy asks.
"The boy has potential but he still has a lot to learn." Ruler said as he and the boy jump down from the roof and land in the middle of the crowd to blend in and not raise any suspicions.
At Karma's house, Karma was watching the news of an accident that happened downtown, the same place Nagisa lived, but he showed no concern "I hope Saber and her master are okay." Berserker of Red hoped since she was watching the news with Karma but then the two heard a knock on the door.
"Who could that be?" Karma asks as he got up from the couch and went to the front door but Berserker stops him from opening the door.
"Hold on, master." Berserker of Red puts her ear to the door "Friend of Red or Enemy of Black?" Berserker of Red asks.
"It's us, Berserker! Let us in!" Archer of red said as they came in with the, once again, unconscious Nagisa.
"Do you know any medical skills, Berserker?" Archer of Red asks with a worried tone.
"Fortunately, yes." Berserker or Red said as she looked out the door to make sure her allies weren't followed and she quickly closed the door.