Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD and Fate and do not gain profit from this writing.

Chapter 9

Shirou Emiya adjusted his hood, a drop of sweat began to roll on his forehead which he quickly wiped off. His attire consisted of a green tunic with a pair of pants to match, a quiver on his back and a longbow. Despite the seemingly mundane look they were magically enhanced, so were the arrows.

In front of him were Saber and Rin Tohsaka. The knight was cladded in blue and white armor along with a longsword, the same size as her noble phantasm. Saber was looking around constantly with an open face helmet. There was no characteristic, no carve or special color, on her set. It was as generic as it could be. Rin on the other hand fancied herself in a red robe with a huge wizardry hat, on her hands a long staff, which could actually help her casting spells faster and better. A big difference is that her robe was enchanted so she could wear it in this heat. A luxury that neither Shirou nor Saber got.

One should be able to recognize what they were.

"Rin, I have found another one." Saber casually lifted up a boulder the size of a car. The boulder itself wasn't anything special, but underneath it was a chest, tightly fitted into the hole.

Rin pulled a mobile phone, a customized one that could only be used in this world, to snap at the chest. The chest disappeared into the phone, and she wasted no time to count the content.

"Yes! Another medium one!" His girlfriend happily counted the coins, a mix of bronze and silver, inside the chest. A bronze coin could be exchanged for a US Cent, and a gold coin for a US Dollar. So the more she got the bigger loot they would be able to exchange once this was over.

Rin was not the only person to have this kind of mobile phone. Both Shirou and Saber were also given one. Since they were using the 'Share' function, they could see how much they got, on top of their status and equipment. Rin was the one in charge of managing their loots, as she demanded.

"See? My time wasn't wasted at all!" Saber proudly puffed up her chest.

Shirou could only let out a silent sigh. He never expected to be here, in the Underworld, working an odd job that no mages had taken before.

After the 5th Holy Grail War, Rin had gone to attend the prestigious academy Clock Tower in London, along with Shirou as her apprentice and Saber as her familiar. Shirou was still on his way to help and save people, and the girls were his greatest support.

As per tradition every full pledged mages would enter a contract with a devil. Just devils, not Capital D Devil. Their main instructor Lord El-Melloi was not a spectacular man, ignoring the fact that he did survive a Holy Grail War like them. Lots of mages considered him to be mediocre, and unfitting for his position. Yet he surpassed all of their expectations with his teachings which had rapidly brought out the talents of every student in his class.

The most nerve-wracking thing about him however, was the fact that he got a Devil King's contact (specially an email address), who was none other than Lord Beelzebub.

From the dawn of magecraft very few mages had got a direct contact with a Devil King. High rank devils such as Dukes or Marquess were not that rare, but not outright their King. Rin had told him that only the Wizard Marshal and those among the top of Clock Tower could talk to them face to face, yet Lord El-Melloi could do it, and at a very young age.

The reason why they were here, was because Lord Beelzebub requested some humans to test out his latest work, which required modern knowledge and a love for gaming.

Lord El-Melloi wanted to go, being a video game addict, but his schedule was buried deep so he picked Rin instead. The rest of the mages… were not very familiar with video games, so this was the correct choice. The pay was good, great even.

Lord Beelzebub certainly had shown them how ambitious his project was with this test. Currently the three were inside a gigantic simulator that was created in the fashion of a fantasy land. From what Shirou understood when the test passed all points it would be released on Earth to be the first Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online game. The first of what humans have always imagined in the far future.

Shirou doubted this was the only intention of Lord Beelzebub, or the mages he was working with however.

Regardless the JRPG fan Saber was content with this job. Shirou couldn't blame her, since he and Rin had to study and do a lot of research Saber could only stay at home most of the time when she was not with Rin to be her security detail. To help the warrior king from the past Shirou had bought her a gaming console with a range of RPG games. Needless to say every time he got home Saber would always be in front of the monitor fighting, exploring or reading through dialogues. She even showed off her max level characters and a collection of secret items.

Unsurprisingly she was the biggest expert among them three here.

"The foliage is very realistic. The weather is accurate to a certain extent. The bugs are too few though, but this might be a better detail so as not to make the people feel uncomfortable." Rin wrote down on her mobile phone. Once they returned to their residence they would need to report to Lord Beelzebub's assistant.

"Looks like the entrance is here." Saber stood in front of a gate that led inside the castle. "Hm… This kind of castle will have a tough time defending or preventing infiltrators."

"Really?"

"Yeah, there is no moat, and the wall can be scaled without specialized equipment." Saber turned her head. "There are no watch towers either."

"Got it." Rin quickly scribed.

Today would be special. They would have a mock boss fight, the absolute feature of any JRPG. Just like they were hired to playtest, other people were also hired to do the same. Shirou hadn't met the opponents out of the game, but the assistant told him that there would be a knight and a dragon.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste!" Rin pushed ahead, Shirou and Saber also walked in. They could only test the game for 5 hours everyday, so the more loots they got the better reward afterward.

In the huge courtyard which would soon be a battlefield they found their target.

A dragon covered in red scales roughly the size of a horse was laying on the grass, with his wings tucked onto his back, and they could see a spike tip tail about two thirds of his body. His green eyes observed them in silence.

Saber had actually fought dragons back when she was alive so they wouldn't have a hard time. Still this was the first time Shirou and Rin faced a dragon, and they wouldn't want to let Saber do all the work. Already Rin had prepared defensive spells, but whether they would be useful or not remained to be seen. Although Shirou expected the dragon to be bigger, like a T-Rex at least.

Their other obstacle was a knight in red armor. He sat on the ground, patting the dragon's head as if he were his pet. His armor had a dragon motif, and his weapon was a straight sword that was identical from Saber's.

The three stopped just 10 meters from their enemies. The dragon rose, and began to say what could only be a JRPG Boss' script, with excitement.

"Adventurers come here only to die." He tried to make an impression, but his voice wasn't that threatening. "Your last chance to survive is gone now, as you will face the wrath of the Dragon Knight!"

The dragon spread his wings, confronting the party.

'So we will fight the dragon first, then the knight. Or the knight will jump on the dragon in the next phase.' Shirou readied his bow. In this formation Saber would be the offense while he and Rin supported from behind.

They knew they were only testing a game, and their opponents were here for a job just like them. However Shirou couldn't help but want to fight at his full strength against a dragon.

"Rin, Shirou." Saber threw away the scabbard. "Please do not interfere."

On the opposite the knight also did the same thing. He drew the sword and had the dragon step back.

In less than a second their swords had clashed for 10 times.

Following Saber's strikes was not unusual for Shirou. He had done that since her summoning, for the sake of fighting and fighting with her. Nonetheless he still had a hard time doing it, for Saber had surpassed humans.

However today was different. Shirou could follow and see where Saber hit her opponent. She was slower, and seemingly using more techniques. Strangely enough the red knight did the same thing, and Shirou couldn't help but understand that his fighting style was uncannily similar to Saber's. Sure there was a difference due to height and weight, but the majority of them were matching.

It was as if they were brother and sister, studying under the same mentor.

Just like Shirou and Rin the red dragon was also confused by his master. He only stood there, watching the fight.

Then it stopped abruptly. Both Saber and her opponent put down their sword.

""As expected.""

Saber returned to retrieve her scarbard, while the dragon did it for his knight.

"Huh!?"

Shirou and Rin were shocked to see the knight take off the helmet. Under it was a beautiful face of a young woman, but the gender didn't shock them. Shirou and Rin looked at Saber again, and back at the knight again. Saber gave them a confirmation nod.

"I see. So that's why I find her familiar." The dragon exhaled.

The test was canceled due to this unexpected encounter, requested by both parties. Now Shirou, Rin and Saber were sitting in a living room of the Gremory estate. They had changed back to their normal clothes, but with a necklace, a craft essence, that allowed them to breathe in the mana rich environment of the Reverse Side. Only Saber didn't need it, and in fact thrived in such a world.

"You guys return early today."

A young girl, younger than Shirou and Rin, came in with a tray. She gracefully put the tea on the table for them. The hem of her light pink kimono never touched the table. She was the owner of this place.

Also the devil that Rin had a contract with and currently provided them housing.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"It's my pleasure, Shirou." She smiled.

The other party, sitting at the opposite side of the table, also thanked Sakura.

Rin coughed a bit, then began to introduce herself.

"My name is Tohsaka Rin, to my left is Emiya Shirou. He's my apprentice in magecraft. On my right is Saber, and I have a good guess on you knowing who she is."

"Correct." The bigger and older version (Shirou knew Saber was somewhat jealous, but didn't vocalize it) of Saber replied. "My true name is not different from her, and our life might more or less be the same as the legend surrounding us. You should call me Lancer not to confuse me and her. My liege is Hyodo Issei, also a Japanese like you two, if I'm not mistaken."

"I see, so you too have gotten a new lord to serve." Saber nodded, indicating her new 'lord'.

"Given our alias, I can only assume that you guys are also from a Holy Grail War."

"Indeed, we fought in the Grail War which occurred in Fuyuki. How about you?"

"I met Lancer in the Kuoh Grail War." The boy, Hyodo Issei, answered.

The Kuoh Grail War… Shirou did hear about it when he was at the Clock Tower, but received no request to check it out. Besides, there were a number of Grail Wars, some of them real, a lot of them fake and nothing more than bloody games. Still, as an ally of justice Shirou needed to know whether the Holy Grail in Kuoh was a curse like the Fuyuki Grail or not.

"Oh it is real, as real as a wishing artifact could be. We kinda used it." Issei scratched his head, his face slightly reddened. Lancer only gave him a gentle smile, her hand touching his.

'Oooooh'. Shirou instantly recognized the very same smile that Saber only gave to him. He could also see that Rin had the face when she was about to uncover some embarrassing secrets, while Saber had an approving nod.

"Do you still have the grail? Because if so then we will have to collect or remove it before someone else does. A source of power and miracles is not something to be left alone."

"Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately? The grail dissolved after we used it."

Shirou nodded. Still he believed the Mage Association wouldn't just leave that alone. Sooner or later there would be agents checking and cleaning any suspicious trace of a holy grail war.

The room became quiet. Both parties were done with introduction, yet actual conversation wasn't done.

"Okay everyone! Tonight we will have a wyvern hotpot!" Sakura clapped her hand to break the ice.

Shirou and his two girlfriends were interested in such a dish, so when Sakura asked them for dinner they had picked this one. Shirou might have mastered a lot of cooking dishes, but wyvern meat is one that he had never seen or tried before.

The reaction of the other party was lackluster.

"You two are not interested in it?"

"Well, we had a lot of wyvern meat, and by a lot I mean enough for 10 men everyday, months ago."

Issei said in a low tone.

"It was not good."

Saber communicated with Lancer, and she gave her a silent nod.

"I see… How did you eat the wyvern meat?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well, give that we were basically naked in the wild stick on a bonfire was the only thing we got so-"

"Then you did it wrong!" Sakura proclaimed. "Wyvern meat is not to be treated like that! First you marinate both meat and bones in wine, not any kind of wine but a specific brew-"

Shirou was at a loss at the name of the wine brew, assuming it came from a supernatural origin. He still listened to the rest of the brief cooking lecture, as he would definitely try his hands on wyvern meat afterward.

"-Finally you use mead to clean the meat and voila! Now we have prepared wyvern meat to be enjoyed."

Issei and Lancer gave her a big hand. Shirou could see that they were hungry now unlike the first impression.

A huge hotpot was placed in the middle of the table. Wild vegetables native to the Devil Realm along with condiments and a whooping 20+ kilogram of juicy wyvern meat (Sakura told him it was more expensive than an entire buffet at a 5 star restaurant) for the two big eaters.

Before they actually pick up the chopsticks the curtain rose up, showing the red she-devil in her usual opulence kimono. With a koto in her hands, she began to play some traditional music that Shirou knew he had heard, but couldn't remember.

It was not like he had a problem with a completely supernatural foreigner to indulge herself in Japanese arts, he just felt like she was intentionally overdoing it. That said, she was Sakura's King so it was better for them to just enjoy the background music that she enjoyed.

"Let's dig in!"

It tasted a little like beef and chicken. The tenderness was just right, and the sweetness of mead enhanced it further.

Shirou now understood why Sakura had to prepare so much meat as Issei surely shared the appetite of Saber and Lancer, devouring his dinner like a wild animal.

Rin swatted down Sakura's hand when she tried to feed Shirou by hand. He did understand their rivalry.

And their relationship of being blood related sisters, separated at childhood. Then the Grail War happened and Sakura had been trying to 'steal' him away from Rin.

Shirou couldn't deny the yamato nadeshiko that is Sakura Gremory (as she had discarded her birth surname). She certainly had learned and followed the codes of Japanese etiquettes, down to even the way she sat on a futon. Her body was also… more mature than both Rin and Saber. Not to say that he didn't prefer the two petite girls, but Sakura had what they had yet to gain.

Dinner was finally over, both parties were satisfied. As Sakura began to clean up the table, Rin told Shirou to go get some liquor.

"Couldn't we just order them here?" He asked.

"Nah, the one store that I want doesn't do orders. You will have to get it yourself."

Issei was also told to go with Shirou. The younger boy stood up and walked to the door, before transforming into the red dragon earlier. He checked the map one last time.

"Does this mean…?"

Would Shirou finally get to ride a dragon!?

"Nope."

Then Shirou got to sit inside a basket-like carriage that Issei carried with him by his legs. It was like Shirou was being kidnapped by a flying animal.

"Um… Is there any reason for you not to just let me on your back?"

"Uh, sorry about that. I get very irritated if anyone but Lancer is on top of me. In the future I might meddle out, but for now there's a high chance that I will bite anyone on my back except her."

'So he's like a guy who lets no one but his girlfriend in his supercar.'

The liquor store was less of a normal bar that Shirou had worked for before and more of an entire wine ceiling. Devil does not joke when it comes to alcohol. The owner confirmed the order and before they knew it the pair was on the way back.

The golden moon shone on the endless night. From what Shirou knew, there was no sun in the Devil Realm, and this moon was even an artificial construct. That's why it's always on full moon, like today.

Issei was the first to break the silence.

"Was your Holy Grail War deadly?"

"Well, there were a few times I thought I was gonna die, but somehow I made it." It was definitely a deadly experience for Shirou. "If Lancer is King Arthur, then who is the Saber of your war?"

"We didn't find out who she is."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Issei answered. "If I have to guess, she might be Miyamoto Musashi, or at least a variant of the Miyamoto Musashi that we know. Who is Lancer in your war?"

"That was Cu Chulainn, the Irish hero you know?"

"Oh yeah, that guy who calmed down after seeing the boobs of the female villagers."

'Why do you mention that fact about his legend first?' Shirou believed that Lancer would straight up stab Issei if he heard this. Or not, maybe they would shout 'BOOBS' together like mad Celts.

Seeing where this conversation would go, Shirou took the initiative.

"Do you know about the rest of the Servants?"

"Not all of them, but we learned that Rider is Saint George, Assassin is that Iron Maiden noble lady, no idea on the first Berserker but the second one is Siegfried. I don't know who Archer is, and Caster is either Tamamo or Daji or some kind of youkai."

"For me Rider is Perseus, Caster is Medea, Assassin is Kojiro and Berserker is Hercules." Since Issei didn't know the identity of some Servants, Shirou felt comfortable not telling him who the 5th War Archer is. But the Kuoh War also had an extra Servant like Gilgamesh?

"... Who was the hardest to overcome? The Servants I mean but wow, you guys had to fight Hercules? That Hercules?"

"The Hero of Greece absolutely was a monstrosity. His strength is of mythology, and he kept going and going even after taking multiple noble phantasms in the face. Yet for me, the hardest challenge was not the Greeks but Archer."

Indeed, for Shirou Emiya there was no greater enemy than himself. He had fought tooth and nail to protect his ideal, even if it's from someone else, or impossible in the first place.

Shirou let out a silent breath, recalling the memory of the war.

"What about you then Hyodo? Who was the Servant that almost killed you?"

"More than a few I would say… Siegfried was one step away from finishing me off but Lancer managed to save me on time. However, I would say that Assassin was the biggest vexation in my war."

"Mine was not that bad, but technically he's not a real Assassin. Still he and his Master were troublesome."

"Sasaki Kojiro? Man don't I want to see him fighting against my war Saber, they might even recognize each other just by looking at their swords!"

"Yeah, but if your Saber was really Musashi then the legend would repeat and Kojiro would lose. After all, Servants are heavily defined by their stories."

"Unless their Masters interfere and change the circumstances."

"Good point." Shirou nodded. "Moreover, Kojiro would win if Musashi jumped into the fight instantly and not dragging it out."

"Or they could do a dramatic clash of swords as they ran all over the city." Issei claimed. "Yeah, I can see it now."

"You watch too many anime, Hyodo." Shirou rolled his eyes.

"Hey, magic and supernatural are true so watching anime about them will be a huge help."

"Right." Though Issei was not wrong because they had been working on a fantasy theme game project. Any knowledge on the supernatural through the media could be helpful.

"By the way, are you three in a polygamous relationship?"

'Going directly huh.' Shirou replied. "You could say that."

"It's amazing that I met you, you know."

Shirou could understand. Any healthy male does want the attention of multiple females. It is built into their biology.

Normally Shirou wouldn't speak much about his relationship with the girls, seeing that theirs was special and they didn't want others to nose in for some gossip. But perhaps due to the fact that Issei's girlfriend and his were like sisters to each other, and they had survived a Holy Grail war ordeal, Shirou could give the younger boy some advice.

"If you're wondering about whether Lancer accepts polygamy or not, you should talk to her. Although in my opinion, letting the relationship develop naturally is much better." Shirou spoke. "Besides, even when they're living in the modern age now, their thinking is still affected by the medieval age, which means it is okay for one man to marry multiple women."

"Well..." Issei painfully replied. "I'm scared that I would lose Lancer if I ever mention that I want another woman. For us to be together like this, we had gone through a difficult time. Honestly, if I have to choose, I will always pick Lancer over any other girls."

'She is that precious to him huh.'

Once again Shirou understood his position. Yet, to him both Rin and Saber were a treasure that he wouldn't pick one over another. Of course, Issei would also need to convince the other girl to be okay with him and Lancer in a relationship together. But that is a problem Issei has to solve by himself, otherwise it will be meaningless.

"Anyway, try your best. You said that if you had to choose, what you should do is somehow not reach the part where you had to choose. Do it, take both instead of one against another."

"... Thanks."

Shirou could only hope that Issei had seen it in a new light.

"Also, do you know how to cook?"

"A little, why?"

"A 'little' is not enough for Lancer! Listen, if you want her to be happy, you must learn how to cook! You have some days off right? Meet me here and I will teach you some advanced dishes so you can please Lancer."

"Thank you, teacher!"

They finally returned home, and as Issei turned back to his human form they headed for the room. They could still hear the music but this time it's some kind of ballad, or something like that. Shirou was not a musician.

"Hm… they could have people fetch the wine, couldn't they? I was under the impression that we're staying in a high class resort complex."

"Then you don't know, Hyodo." Shirou shook his head. "Listen, women will have their own talk when the men are out. I bet ya they're talking about us but don't want us to know."

"I see…" Issei raised an eyebrow.

'This guy…! He hasn't learned how dangerous women can be when they're sitting together to talk about males!'

Issei would have to learn it the hard way then.

"We're home." Shirou slid open the door.

Inside the girls were chatting lively, Rin was using her magnifying glass to check on a collection of jewelry from a small box intensively. Truly, they were filled with magical energy and candidates for her magecraft. Similarly, Sakura was also examining the gems along with Rin. Only when they worked together like this the sisters didn't try to snipe at each other with remarks and insults.

'That is also one big gem.' Thought Shirou at the egg-size gorgeous smooth gem.

"Shirou, how do I look?"

Saber greeted him in her full armor, except with a silver helmet that had a thick and fluffy mane. Two round orange orbs could be seen on top of the helmet, while fangs like decorations were on the visor and the lower jaw.

It was a lion theme helmet.

"That looks… weirdly suited to you, Saber."

"Hm Hm, it does, doesn't it?" Saber continued to flaunt her helmet in front of a mirror, spinning and looking at every angle like the best thing she got from an armory.

Meanwhile, Lancer was holding a sword in her hands, caressing it like an old friend.

Shirou had a good guess on what the two kings were doing when they were out.

"We got the liquor here."

"Huh? Oh okay." Rin looked up at Shirou before going back to the jewels, but one sweep from Lancer and she got all of them back in the box before taking it away, much to Rin's shock and frustration.

Shirou had no doubt Rin would try to convince Lancer to give her some of those rare gems now. He should stop her when she did that.

The two kings on the other hand were content with keeping each other's stuff.

Rias Gremory seemed to have gone somewhere so there was only a golden gramophone in her place.

"Now, cheer for our new friendship!"

"Cheers!"

The liquor was great, and now they started to have small talks, closing the distance. So much that Issei breathed fire as a magic trick, and Shirou juggled 10 knives as a response.

When the party was over, a drunken Issei was carried by Lancer to head back to their house. Apparently they were staying at their own place. Saber too carried the sleepy Rin back to their room, leaving Shirou and Sakura to clean up the place.

"Now, we're alone, S-e-n-p-a-i."

Shirou twitched, maybe he should have drunk to sleep like Rin so Saber could carry them both home.

With a fingersnap, the dirty dishes and glasses disappeared, leaving behind only two cups of sake. What a convenient demonic power.

"Well, it's late now so-"

"Can you not really stay here for a moment?" Sakura pouted. "You know how difficult it is for us to be alone like this."

"You're not wrong." Shirou grabbed the cup, but didn't drink it. "The last time… was it when Rin told me to help you set up the defense in her mansion?"

"Indeed." Sakura too didn't drink.

It was a strange time for Shirou, to meet a devil who from what he heard, was helping Rin to cure her mother of the shock and trauma from the 4th War. The girl was nothing like the Devil he had imagined, and the bigger truth bomb was that she and Rin were related.

"It's one hell of a coincidence, isn't it? To think that both Servants of the same legend would meet here, and for Masters who won the Holy Grail War to talk and drink together."

"Yeah…"

Now they drank the sake in one gulp at the same time.

"Sakura, you told me that you were saved, but I didn't get it. What happened? How did you become a devil?"

"You see…" Sakura pulled out a photo. Shirou could see three people there, the mother of Rin and Sakura Mrs Tohsaka, Sakura herself when she was a little girl, and an unfamiliar man.

"During the 4th Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, I was supposed to be sold off to the Matou. My fate was to be put into that… worm pit, to inherit the crest and become the next Matou. Uncle Kariya however, refused to let me step into that house. He sold off everything he got to summon Lady Rias, and asked her to save me."

Sakura recalled.

"You should have seen how furious Zouken was when Lady Rias took me away. Although… Uncle Kariya didn't survive after that and got fed to the worms. Lady Rias reincarnated me since it's the only way to pay for the price of saving my life. I have discarded my original family name since then, and learned how to use my blood magecraft as well as the demonic power."

"I see."

Sakura was lucky to escape the Matou. Shirou had seen what happened to Shinji and bystanders, and just remembering it made him want to puke.

"But the past is the past, and you yourself have ensured that the Matou is no more. So please, don't be sad about your friend Shinji." Sakura looked at him with warm eyes. "I'm sure Shinji would like you to live your life to the fullest too."

"You're right. Thank you, Sakura."

It was time for him to leave, but before he realized it Sakura had pecked him on the cheek.

"Hehe, I might only begin it because I wanted to pay back my sister for abandoning me, but now I'm doing it for another reason." She giggled.

"Well then, goodbye and good night, Shirou."

Once again, he was reminded that she was a Devil.

AN: So it has been over a year, I have no excuse. Turns out balancing my job, hobby, farming and read FGO and writing is way harder that it should be.

Anyway, if you wonder about the last part then it's a way for me to do exposition on what happened to Sakura as early as I can to get it out of the way. You can just see it as nothing but an exposition.

For me, the biggest challenge in this chapter is the interaction between Shirou and Issei. Fortunately, this is the first time they met so they didn't really have to recall their entire life and ideal so I feel like it's my out of jail card. That said, a lot of other writers could do a better job than me.

I will try to do a monthly update if possible to finish this story because now I have way too many plot bunnies jumping around and they are very distracting.

Thank you for reading.