A/N:Okay guys here's chapter two! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Issei is quite OOC here, but I think his brush with Caster/Medea would have changed him quite a bit; he actually found a girl attractive! Well anyway, on with the story!

Shirou strolled idly through the front gates of Homurabara Gakuen, reflecting upon the Grail War for what must've been the thousandth time. It had been two weeks since the end of the war and the grail had been destroyed once and for all. The destruction had been attributed to a freak fire and the public was relieved that the spate of unexplained deaths had stopped. Little did they know that the so-called 'fire' was a result of his and Saber's final, epic battle with Gilgamesh and the deaths had been caused by Servants harvesting souls, either to replenish themselves or at the command of their masters. The sense of excitement that came from being involved with the supernatural had disappeared along with Saber and though he was glad to be able to walk down a street without fear of being attacked by servants, it felt as if a part of him had also vanished. He sorely missed Saber's calm, stoic presence in his house, and the times that Rin and Archer would burst through his door to inform him of another Master's latest doings. He missed seeing Rin's loafers in the entrance of his house and the sound of the girls' feet padding around the corridors at night. Life was returning to normal and the only reminder of his grand adventure was the fact that Rin would now sit with him in the cafeteria. 'Stop it,' he told himself angrily, "Saber's gone and she isn't coming back. " There was no point in thinking about a love that could never be.

"Shirou! Shirou! SHIROU!" Rin called, waving her arm and running towards him. "Hey wake up sleepyhead!" she smirked, thumping him over the head with her bag. Shirou scowled.

"Geez Rin, watch where you're- " Shirou's voice trailed off as he caught sight of the girl walking towards them. At the same time, Saber lifted her head and looked straight at Shirou.

Their eyes met.

Noticing that her two friends were blatantly staring, open mouthed and wide eyed at each other, Rin stepped in between them, but before she could do or say anything, the bell for class went. "Oh would you look at that!" she laughed. "Gotta run!" and with that she raced across the schoolyard, dragging Saber behind her. Pressing Saber up against a wall, Rin urgently whispered,

"Hey don't give him too much of an indication that it's you! You have to use your new identity to get to know him better!"Saber nodded mutely and was released from her grip. "Now get your crazy ass to the principal's office, if you're really meant to be here then things would have been sorted out for ya."

Twenty minutes, and a principal who had, to her eyes, quite obviously been magicked, Saber made her debut in Homurabara Gakuen. Staring at a sea of curious faces, she wondered how she was going to manage in this strange and unfamiliar environment. The homeroom teacher, Taiga Fujimura entered and beamed at her classmates.

"Good morning everyone!" she chirped. "Today I would like to introduce a new student, Aurora Prendergast who has moved here from England as a transfer student. Please give her a warm welcome."

There was a smattering of applause and Saber took the opportunity to examine the faces more closely. Most people were whispering to their friends about the "strange blonde girl", some looked fascinated and a couple of girls looked.. Annoyed?

'I can do this.' she thought, stepping forward confidently. Addressing the class, Saber bowed. "Nice to meet you."

"Great!" smiled the ever-joyous teacher. "Please take your seat."

Settling herself in the seat just behind Shirou, Saber could feel the eyes of her classmates boring into her. Ignoring the feeling of unease, she opened her book and focussed on the spidery text. In the background she could hear the whispers and feel the stares. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed.

'What have I gotten myself into?'

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Although most of the students in her class were fascinated by her, having never seen a foreigner in their lives, many were put off by Saber's brusque, irritable manner, and she was soon known to be sullen, antisocial and hostile. Her only friends were Rin and Sakura, whom she sat with at mealtimes. They were joined occasionally by Shirou, who Saber caught staring at her sometimes, but he was too apprehensive to make the first move and talk to her, which she was ironically waiting for him to do.

"…Shirou!" the voice of his friend Issei cut through Shirou's daydreaming and he turned around with a scowl.

"Yeah? Geez, you shouldn't interrupt people when they're thinking y'know. "

Issei grinned back. "Whatever man. Hey y'know you really should make a move on her soon."

Shirou's scowl deepened. "If you're talking about Tosaka, we really are just friends."

"No, idiot!" chortled the other boy. "I meant HER! The one you're always staring at."

Shirou froze for a second. Was he really that obvious?

"I..have no idea what you're talking about." he deadpanned, hoping Issei would buy it.

He didn't.

"Don't try to deny it man, I see ya looking over at blondie all the time."

Annoyed that his friend was so oddly perceptive, Shirou snapped, "It's not what you think. She just looks like someone I used to know."

'And love,' his mind added, but Shirou dismissed that thought.

Issei cocked his head to the side and stepped forward, placing a hand on Shirou's shoulder. "Doesn't seem that way to me. Face it man, you're totally into her, go make a move!"

Shirou swatted off Issei's hand. "Whatever man. I'm going home." Without further ado, Shirou sped up, striding briskly through the school gates.

"Dang it!" Shirou plopped himself down on the tatami mats in his living room, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. After Saber's departure, his friends, Sakura and Rin in particular had noticed a change in him. He talked less, smiled less and seemed to crave the company of no one. It was as if he had lost a limb. Shirou laid on the mats, staring upwards blandly. Without her, everything seemed so pointless…

"STOP!'' his brain told him. "Saber wouldn't want you to be like this."

'It was coming along all right, until that girl showed up.' Shirou thought bitterly. In a sense, he disliked the new girl for reminding him of the Servant he'd lost.

'And yet why can't I stop thinking about her?' he wondered glumly. Lying where he was for a few minutes, listening to the steady ticking of his clock, he suddenly stood up and headed to his shed. There, he picked up the wooden sword that he'd once used in a training match against Saber and began to practise his strikes. After practising for hours, he put down the sword, strode to the veranda and sat gazing nonchalantly at the stars.

'Saber,' he thought. 'I never want to forget the time we shared, but it simultaneously causes me grief.. Why can't I stop thinking about you?'. The stars twinkled merrily above, silent witnesses to his nighttime musings. He shifted slightly and focussed on the sword he'd laid on the ground. Sword.. That was it! The brown haired boy got to his feet and re-entered his house, confident in the knowledge of what he should do

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"You can't be serious," groaned Rin, as Saki stood beside her bed holding the telephone. "Who is calling so late at night?"

"It appears to be Shirou, ojou-sama," said the lanky butler. "He says it's important."

Grumbling and muttering darkly, Rin snatched the phone from him and answered "What is it?"

"Hey Tosaka, it's me." came Shirou's voice. He sounded excited and Rin braced herself for what he'd say next. What he said took her completely by surprise.

"I want to join the kendo club."