Author's note: Daaamn, three chapters in tree days. Man, I spoil you guys. Most fan fic writers take weeks to submit a new chapter. (Don't expect this again, I need to work on college)

The whole town pulled out the stops for the party. Finally, after years of oppression by the Bastard, Gatou had finally gotten what was coming. They hung his mutilated body in a tree, though they did at least keep it away from the village.

Everyone in the village pulled out hidden stocks of sake and beer and began preparing the largest feast they had eaten in decades. Tazuna roped Team Kakashi into helping the town prepare the decorations and the bonfire. Sasuke was allowed to lay down as he was still injured from the numerous needle punctures. Sakura wanted to stay by Sasuke, but Kakashi assured her that the best thing for him was rest. So, she had no choice in helping the other girls in the village arrange various bouquets for decoration. Naruto, with his boundless energy was everywhere at once assisting where ever he was needed. He brought forth ten clones to aid him in lifting the heaviest loads and set to work placing tables for the food.

Only Shirou and Rider were absent from the activity.

The two of them had volunteered to deal with the dead bodies. Shirou was silently pleased with the development. As soon as the whole village left, he went straight to the two dead ninjas. While he mourned the loss of two good men, Shirou was glad that he was able to secure their reports and destroy them. Now, his name and any possible hints on his true identity where destroyed.

Yes, things had turned out very well indeed. Shirou discretely ignored Rider feeding on the last remnants of the thugs blood and souls. While the did had very little energy in them, Shirou would not begrudge her the right to heal herself as best she could. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she began healing all the damage he had inflicted. While most of the damage was removed, Rider was still walking with a slight limp.

Shirou dragged the drained bodies to a ditch and began covering them. It was foul, dirty work, but he could not allow disease to spread.

Rider watched as Saber finished burying the dead. He was a puzzle to her, he was probably one of the deadliest heroes ever, yet he had no arrogance around him. In her time, any hero with even a quarter of Saber's power would have been strutting like a peacock. Instead, Saber was confident, but not arrogant, smart, but not cocky, skilled, but reverent to the dead.

Rider was certain that Saver would have been viewed as a weakling in her time from Saber's attitude. He seemed to take no pleasure from his kills, and seemed almost sorry that he had to kill the men. Finally, after Saber had buried the last lowlife, she had to know.

"Who are you?" Rider asked.

Saber merely looked at her and smiled, "Can't you tell?" Right there, Rider wanted to smash his face in. Never mind about her previous beliefs, Saber was as frustrating as any other man. She watched as Saber's grin grew even wider. She suddenly realized she had pulled out her weapons. The man was worse than Perseus in some ways. He was taunting her.

Shioru sighed, knowing what was in store if he kept this up. Already, Rin, Luvia, Illya, Aoko, Yumi, and a dozen other women he knew would have attacked him already for his attitude.

Shirou placed a hand on his chest and a the other behind his back in a formal position and bowed at the waist. "Servant Saber, once known by the name of Emiya Shirou."

A thousand hints fell into place. 'Of course,' Rider thought, 'How could I have missed it?'

The thing about Heroic spirits, the more famous they are, the more powerful they tend to be. Every Heroic Spirit is known for their various deeds and merits. Emiya Shirou is one of the newest Heroic Spirits to enter the Hall of Heroes. Before he died, Emiya Shirou was known throughout the world. Before he died, six point something billion people knew who he was.

The thing is, Emiya Shirou, also known as the Magus Knight or the Red Knight uses the Noble Phantasms of other heroes rather than his own. Most people didn't even know Shirou's name, much less what his special ability was.

Rider raised her finger and pointed at Shirou, "The Aria, it was your Noble Phantasm."

Shirou shook his head, "Only when completed." Shirou shrugged, "I rarely used it back when I was alive anyway." The number of times he used Unlimited Blade Works could be counted on his fingers.

Rider shook her head, causing her long hair to wave behind her. "It was right there in front of me. All those Phantasms, the suicidal swordsmanship, the peerless archery, the white hair..." Rider was clearly upset how she had missed the subtle hints Shirou gave out.

"You forgot the red clothes," Shirou added picking up the shovel.

A flash of insight hit her, "You, you were her Master." She remembered now, a boy with red hair and a blond Saber.

Shirou nodded, "Your hint was a nasty little trap Rider." He accused. "She nearly died that day."

Rider smirked slightly, "It it true? Did you really fall for her?" The rumors to Shirou's legend were that he had fallen in love with a girl during a crusade for the Holy Grail. Of course, the people missed most of the story, but the romantics spiced up his tale of the Grail war and turned it into a crusade or a quest like the tales of old. People liked that sort of thing to listen to.

Shirou nodded once, "I did. And I found her again."

It took Rider a moment to piece the last bit of info together. Servants could not reunite with Servants, not unless...

"In death." Rider finished the thought.

Shirou nodded once and began walking back to the village.

"She was told once," Shirou said as the two walked back, "The only way to meet the once she loved would be to wait for eternity. In turn he must search for her endlessly."

Rider knew of this tale before. It was an old tale, of two lovers who were constantly trying to meet, and having to hope that the other had not given up searching. "I didn't think anyone could do that." Rider said quietly.

"We never gave up." Shirou said simply. Rider felt a renewed respect for Saber. Anyone willing to dedicate their lives on a slim chance was a good man. If she were honest, she was jealous of the blond Saber. This man was a one in a trillion find. 'So there is a happily ever after,' Rider thought. 'Who knew?' Granted, the happily ever after happened in death, but it still is a happily ever after story as far as Rider was concerned.

The two walked in silence the rest of the way to the village, which was sounding lively, even from a distance.

Gatou Hideout #3

Zabuza and Haku were surprised at the emptiness of the hideout. The two had figured on killing the weakened troops stationed here. Instead, all they found were piles clothes. It was as if the entire group had stripped down and walked out. There no signs of a struggle or a battle, only an ere feeling like something was wrong. Yet, no matter how careful they were, no traps were set, no ambushes, just an abandoned building.

Zabuza wasn't one to look a gift horse in a mouth. Some form of genjutsu had probably been done on the population and removed them. Why anyone would have them strip down was beyond him, but at least there was plenty of cash on hand. Every bit of clothing and chest was scavenged for money. The thugs had been too sick from Rider's actions to spend their money. In fact, they found several chest containing gold and millions of ryo. Gatou had kept plenty of currency here. Zabuza smiled, "With this, we have enough to begin again."

Haku nodded, Zabuza had sworn an oath that he would kill the Mizukage. With the money here, and the hidden stores they had stocked piled they now had enough money to hire a sizable number of ninjas.

Haku placed the money on a storage scroll and made a hand sign. The money disappeared in a puff of smoke and left an intricate set of words on the scroll. The money was now stored safely.

"Ready Zabuza-sama." Haku said.

Zabuza ignored Haku and grabbed his sword. "We have company closing in fast."

Haku grabbed a handful of needles and prepared to fight to the death. The two of them were tired from the battle on the bridge, but they would not go down easy.

"Hoy," a voice yelled out from the entrance. "Is Zabuza Momochi here?"

Haku looked out the window. Four Hidden in the Mist ninjas were assembled outside.

"Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked.

"Hmm," Zabuza looked at the group below. "That's Taka, he was a chunin when I left. The others were mere genin."

"Orders?"

"What do you want Taka?" Zabuza yelled out.

"We've come to ask for your assistance." Taka yelled, "We're gathering troops for a new coup."

Zabuza snorted, "Likely story, who's your leader?"

"Mei Terumi." Taka yelled.

Zabuza recognized the name. She was one of the few ninjas with two Bloodline Limits. This would be interesting if true. Yagura had ordered the death of all bloodline limits. If this wasn't a lie, Zabuza might have been handed a rebellion on a silver platter.

"Come in alone Taka," Zabuza said. "Maybe we can work out an agreement."

Haku felt something crawl up his spine. It wasn't fear or suspicion, it was anticipation. Somehow, he knew that the offer was genuine.

Haku could feel it, Zabuza-sama's dream would soon come true.

Village

Saber and Rider walked into pandemonium.

The entire village looked somewhere between celebrating and rioting. Celebrating the death of Gatou, and rioting over what they were going to name the bridge.

Apparently, half the village wanted to name it 'The Great Kakashi Bridge' due to Kakashi's inspirational speech to the villagers that brought them to their feet and armed themselves. The other half wanted to name it 'The Saber Bridge' for Saber's work at capturing Gatou. Things were coming to a head with all the alcohol involved. Shirou shook his head slightly. This was too much like how some of the people of Israel wanted to name the ruined city of Jerusalem after him. It had taken a week to convince his 'followers' that he preferred the old name over 'Shirou'.

"How bout we name it after it's builder?" Shirou suggested, trying to calm them down.

"No way," Tazuna said, "It's too embarrassing." He completely missed Shirou's efforts to stem the drunken brawl about to happen.

Shirou sighed, "The how bout you name it something like, 'The Great Wave Bridge.'"

"NO WAY," the crowd yelled. Shirou gave up, let them figure it out on their own.

"The Champion's Bridge" Rider suggested. The entire crowd considered it.

"Not bad," one man said.

"I like it," another added.

All around them, the townspeople came to a conclusion, it would be known as 'The Champion's Bridge.'

Years later, the stories would grow on how the cripple one eyed old man rallied the people to a heroic charge while the valiant red champion held off hordes of enemies with the largest sword you ever saw. 'It was as big as he was.' People would say. 'Only the champion could have wielded such a blade.'

'The old man was a retired general.' 'No, he was the former master of the champion who could not stand by while his pupil fought.'

The stories grew as the ages pass, and the people forget the details. In the end, people forget, they add new pages to the legends of old, and the names are lost to the sands of time. But, that is what makes the stories all the more interesting.

Later that Night

Shirou watched over his little Master with Rider beside him. Without a word, he switched to his astral form and went up onto the roof. Rider silently followed suit.

"What are you doing?" Rider asked.

Shirou was looking at the moon, lost in his memories for a second. "Reminiscing."

Rider remained silent.

After a while, she heard him whisper, "Saber...wait for me."

"She can't hear you." Rider said softly.

Shirou shrugged, "Maybe."

Rider hated this. This awkward silence. Her sisters were always talking to her or teasing her. Silence, she had only heard silence when her sisters were dead. Silence was too much for her. While she never talked much if she could, she could not stand silence.

"How long have you been here Rider?" Saber said suddenly.

Rider thought back for a second, "Over twenty years now."

Shirou shook his head, he had been summoned late, but then, Naruto was only twelve. "Why are we here Rider?"

Rider was taken aback by the question. Surely he knew...didn't he? 'We were summoned here Saber."

The Magus Knight shook his head, "No, why are we here? There's no Holy Grail, no Sacred Heart."
Rider was shocked, he really didn't know. Was it because of his summoning?

"The Grand Ceremony" Rider answered, hoping that would jar his memories. Instead, she received a look of confusion. By Zeus, he really didn't know.

"The nine demons attempt to summon us to fight in their stead." Rider explained, "Only seven ever receive the right to summon us."

Shirou motioned for her to continue.

"As we fight, our fallen bodies merge with the spirit of the earth." Rider halted her explanation. Saber was suddenly shaking heavily. No surprise really, one of his epic exploits had been to kill one such creature, Primate Fury.

After he collected himself, Shirou said, "Continue."

"After six of us have fallen, and eight of the demons are beaten, the final Demon will transcend and become the new Spirit of Gaia." Rider said.

Shirou was clenching his fist deeply. The demon inside Naruto had nothing but malice in it. He would kill that demon before he let it become another white beast of Gaia.

"As a reward for winning, the final Servant is allowed one wish."

"I have no wishes," Shirou said harshly. "And I'll be damned before I let this ceremony continue."

Rider sighed, "It's too late Saber. The ceremony is in full swing."

"I'll stop it, like I stopped the Fifth and final Grail War." Shirou said clenching his teeth. He could see it in his mind again, his burning town. The fields of fire he walked though when he was a child. No, never again.

Rider said nothing, she could see that there would be no reasoning with him. Instead, she finished her explanation. "The two remaining demons have the ability to steal a Servant from the original demon, but only if they defeat the original demon themselves."

Shirou doubted that the demons could steal the Servant in actuality, the Servants would defend their charges with their lives. Only the weakest or foulest of Servants would stand aside and let their Master be taken. In honesty, Shirou would use Rule Breaker in a heart beat if he wasn't protecting Naruto. Shirou made a silent oath. He would win this ceremony, and then he would kill the demon.

"So," Shirou said, "I assume you fight for your sisters?"

Rider nodded slightly, her wish was to see her sisters again.

"You realize, this ceremony is about as rigged as the Grail War?" Shirou asked.

Rider was shocked, rigged?

"In the Holy Grail war, we found out that the war was a farce. No Servant was ever intended to survive. They were all to die to revive the Third Magic."

Rider thought back to the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel. The ability to shape reality. Suddenly, the ceremony looked much more ominous. Before, she had hoped to win and revive her sisters. When Saber added her to his Demon, she had felt a flutter of happiness. She had gotten back on track to her wish. Now, now she tasted ash. Her dreams and hopes were crumbling. This ceremony was too much like the Holy Grail War to be a coincidence.

She couldn't deny it, she had been tricked, multiple times it seems

Shirou watched as she slumped in defeat. He had just killed a part of her. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

Rider shook her head, "No, thank you for telling me."

Shirou placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rider in turn placed her hand on his, enjoying the sensation it gave. Together, the two tricked and tired souls watched the stars.

Naruto

That night, Naruto dreamed of a temple.

All around him, he saw people worship three people. All three were young girls, with purple hair, light voices, cheerful personalities, and drop dead gorgeous. They wore togas like they were a sin. The three identical girls were clearly related, from their long hair to their outfits, they looked like someone had made one and copied two others.

The only thing odd about them were their eyes. Instead of round pupils, they had square ones. Other than the strange eyes, the three also had an aura about them. Like standing in an ancient cathedral. The three radiated beauty and holiness. Naruto watched as two of the girls teased the third one mercilessly. They made jokes at the third's expense constantly. It was clear that the third one was upset by the actions of the other two. She often broke into tears from the pranks of the other two. As Naruto watched, she began toge. While the other two remained the same, the third one was aging.

Naruto's dream suddenly changed. It was Saber and Ria. He watched as Saber dashed home carrying Ria in his arms.

He listened as Rin explained how Saber had been forced to use her Noble Phantasm to survive. Naruto saw how not having Prana could be deadly. It was small consolation for him that Saber had said that Naruto gave him more than enough Prana to survive.

Naruto watched as the next day came. Saber went to market to buy food, when he ran into the small white girl again.

"Ah,onii-chan" Illyasveil said. Naruto was unsure how Saber could stand Hanabi call him that and not freak out. Naruto would never here that word again without thinking of Berserker. As he watched, Illya used her eyes on Saber and knocked him out. When Saber awoke, he was tied up. Illya bragged how she had kidnapped him. She offered to save him, as long as he agreed to obey her. He refused. Naruto watched as her eyes became harder than diamonds. Illya hissed that she would kill Ria. With that she left.

The last thing Naruto saw before he awoke was Ria and Rin bursting into the room.

Naruto prayed, he prayed that Saber didn't get himself killed again. Naruto had had enough of that already.

Tazuna's house

Naruto woke up right as dawn broke. Shirou had beaten that in him with wooden sword and ice water. Near him, he watched as Sasuke was also waking up. Naruto looked ahead and saw Shirou raising a wooden sword above Sakura's head. Unlike Sasuke and Naruto, who had been trained by Shirou every morning for months, Sakura had only gotten the training since they set off on their mission. It looked like Sakura had slept in again.

THWACK

Instead of a screech of pain, however, the 'sleeping' Sakura turned into a pillow. Behind Saber, Sakura appeared. "Morning Saber-sensei." She said

Naruto watched as Saber began chuckling at Sakura's tactic. "Very good Sakura." Saber complimented.

With that, Saber went to the kitchen to make breakfast. The three genin went to prepare for the day. It felt strange, Zabuza had been beaten, Gatou was gone, what were they supposed to do now?
"Don't forget," Saber called to them, "We still have a job to do here."

Oh yeah, they still had to protect the old man, not like he needed it now. With Gatou dead, the village would be able to finish building 'The Champion's Bridge.' The three finished getting ready for the day and sat down for breakfast. As Shirou placed the food down on the table, Tazuna, Tsunami, and Kakashi came and joined them. Inari was a little slower, but even he enjoyed Saber's cooking skills. The only one who stood out from the normal morning was Rider. Naruto almost jumped when he saw her leaning against the wall. It took him a second to remember that she now had a contract with him.

Shirou sat down to eat, and motioned for her to join him.

Rider stood there, unsure whether or not it was a good idea. She had been their enemy up until the end of yesterday.

Saber sighed and stood up. He forcibly grabbed her and made her sit at the table. "You're one of us now Rider." he said tolerably.

"But," Rider started

"But nothing," Saber interrupted, "Yesterday's enemy is today's ally." he said sagely. With that, he scooped out the rice and began distributing the food.

The table was silent. Ususally, the three genin would be forcing food down their traots before they rushed off to train. Tsunami would normally have asked her father on the progress of the bridge, and Inari and Naruto would yell at each other. Instead, there was silence as they all ate their food slowly.

It was Saber who broke the silence. "Kakashi," he said, "I think it's about time you trained them for a few days."

Kakashi mulled it over for a bit, "I see, very well."

Naruto was excited, Saber always taught by sparring, while Kakashi worked on their technique. "What will we be learning Kakashi sensei?"

"You all finished the tree climbing exercise, so we'll move on to the next stage." Kakashi said cryptically.

"Yes!" Naruto shouted

"Is he always like this?" Rider whispered to Saber.

"About training? Yes." Shirou confirmed.

A part of her smiled at the dedication Naruto was showing. Her own Master had been like that before he became strange. She had explored her Master's mind, but was unable to figure out why he had changed so much. The rest of her was still hurting from the information last night. Everything she had been promised had probably been a lie. It had been a lie in the Grail War. She wondered if she would ever see her two sisters Stheno and Euryale.

As if he could read minds, Saber placed a hand on hers and squeezed it comfortably. Everyone else saw this as a sign of familiarity. Rider knew it was an empathetic gesture. He knew what she was going through, and he hated it as much as her.

'They look so cute.' Sakura thought 'One day, Sasuke will do that to us.' Inner Sakura added.

'Gross,' Sasuke thought.

Naruto was just confused, he was sure Saber loved Ria, not Rider.

Kakashi was analizing what he saw. 'Does he care for her? But, he trashed her heavily yesterday...now that I look at her, her wounds have healed. Not even Naruto could heal that fast.' There was also one more thing that was bothering him.

"Rider," Kakashi asked, "Why do you wear that blindfold over your eyes?"

Shirou knew he had to remain quiet. It was up to Rider to tell about her eyes if she wished. Though her identity is exposed, Shirou knew he could keep the three quiet about her real name. Kakashi would tell the Hokage, but probably no-one else.

"I have a bloodline limit," Rider said. "My eyes force anyone I see to obey any command I give them."

'Liar,' Shirou thought. Well, if she wanted hide the real ability, so be it.

"This blindfold allows me to see without using my ability as I have no control over it." Rider continued to lie.

'Sounds like she's had to lie about it before' Shirou analyzed. Frankly, he was happy no-one living had seen Rider's Noble Phantasms...except maybe for Zabuza. That was something he would have to discuss with Rider later.

Kakashi appeared to accept the lie and took the three genin out to train in water walking. Shirou opted to watched over Tazuna while the bridge was being completed. Rider followed Naruto discretely to watch over her new master. She was beginning to understand why she was spared. Saber was a lousy Servant. Any other Saber would have either kept watch over the Master, or kept him hidden while they fought. Instead, he sent the Master into the front while he went off to fight another. Rider shook her head, the Magus Knight should have been summoned as a different class. The Saber class was not for him.

The day passed quickly for everyone. Sakura was able to quickly learn how to walk on water, while Sasuke and Naruto struggled. Rider watched in amusement as her Master ended up soaking wet several times.

Only Saber had anything interesting happen to him. During the day, Inari walked up to him.

"Hello Inari," Saber said.

"You really are a hero." Inari said in awe.

Shirou smiled, "Yep"

"I want to be just like you." Inari declared with the certainty of a child.

Shirou nodded for a second then said, "Do you want to be a hero?"

Inari nodded.

"Then do this, from now on, no more crying. Instead, focus on what you can do right now." Shirou advised.

"What I can do now?" Inari asked.

"You can do things like help out around here, get lessons from the others, help your mother, those sorts of things." Shirou lectured

"But I want to be a hero." Inari wailed.

Shirou sighed, "Nobody can just be a hero. It takes time and dedication. Focus on what you can do now and in the future. Only then can you become a hero."

Inari nodded then went off to talk to his grandfather. Soon, he was helping the others move debris from the battle.

In time, the legendary architect Inari would begin to learn his Grandfather's trade. Before his end, he would build the legendary Hall of Heroes. One of the grandest structures in the world, the jewel of the Wave country.

It would be a large pantheon of heroes new and old. Many would aspire to have their own statues entered into the hall. In the center of the Pantheon is one statue unlike the rest. While the others would line the walls and ceiling it would be placed in the very center of the floor. That very first statue entered would be that of the Champion of the Wave, made by Inari himself. Legends would tell that the ashes of the Champion lay below the statue and would reassemble when he was needed.

Whether he knew it or not, Emiya Shirou was building up his legend once more.

Two Weeks later

It was time for Team Kakashi to leave. The entire village gave a fond farewell to their saviors.

Team Kakashi walked with pride in their steps. Though they were genin, they had completed an A rank mission without any casualties. Before they left, all three had mastered the water walking exercise. Sakura had spent much of the past two weeks working on increasing her chakra reserves and her combat skills as she had mastered the water walking in one day.

Behind them, The Champion's Bridge stood proud against the elements Unmoving, unrelenting.

Kakashi took the lead for the team, now fully healed and revived. The three genin were in the center enjoying the tought of going home.

Rider tried to stay in the background, but as usual, Saber kept pushing her forward. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were all certain that there was something going on between the two. It was obvious the two knew each other, but there seemed to be an awkward tension between the two. Sakura mentally made a note on trying to match make the two together. Sasuke did his best to ignore them, while Kakashi wondered what he would tell the Hokage.

Only Naruto, Rider, and Saber knew that there was nothing really going on between the two. Naruto had asked over a week ago, and got a firm "NO" from both of them. After that, Shirou had taken Naruto on in a sparring practice and beat the idea out of him. Rider was unsure of why the Magus Knight was so kind and cheerful to her. She had long ago given up on men, but he seemed different somehow. Then again, what man spent his entire life chasing a legend and a foolish ideal.

Shirou kept his own council and began planning on the repairs for the compound back home.

Yes, things were going to get interesting.

How interesting, they had no idea.

Hidden in the Wind Village

"I want the three of you and Baki to enter the chunin exams." the Kazekage said to his children. "We'll need you for the invasion."

"Yes father," Temari and Kankuro said.

Gaara merely scowled.

"And Gaara," the Kazekage said, "Keep your...friend hidden."

Gaara continued to glare, but muttered his acknowledgment. "Come along Berseker."

Author's Note

Yeah, one thing I can't find a good deal amount is Rider's blindfold. I swear the woman can still see with that thing on. I mean, she scouts the area out and dodges trees easily. Unless she's using her hair as a radar, I swear she can still see.

Anyway, getting back on track, When I began writing, I knew Gaara was the perfect person for Berserker (No, it is not Herakles or Lancelot), I mean, the boy was F***ing nuts until Naruto beat him up. The whole not getting much sleep his entire life and betrayed by everyone he cared about would do that.

Please read, review, and...oh yeah

Would you kindly vote on L33t Horo's poll?

Man, we will never look at the phrase the same again