AN: This is just a split of the old chapter, for ease of reading. Thank you,

11 August 2017 a.t.b., 1630 hours

Shinjuku, Area 11

Exhale.

Feel the concentration enter your body.

You'll get more out of them that way.

"Director, you know those pills look pretty suspicious, right?"

"They're mints. Don't write me up."

Kayeri Brant III, Deputy Director of Inspection, of the Office of Special Intelligence, Area Eleven Analysis, swallowed his daily cocktail of mints and 0.5% Diazepam.

His assistant, whose name he had already forgotten, turned to watch the dead landscape coming up.

Kayeri was not very good at judging the gravity of situations. In his late twenties, he was surprisingly fit and youthful for his position, but there was something in his expression that conveyed the weariness of a long-travelled veteran. His entire appearance fit the quiet way he spoke, grey suit and light skin tinged with the tan from his ancestors and untidy, coarse hair bundled into what was closer to a broom than a ponytail.

Descended from Iroquois aristocracy, many thought he climbed up to his station using the rungs of his respected ancestry. The Iroquois were perhaps the most loyal of Britannia's subjects, serving as Britannia's first allies, from defending the homeland in Washington's Revolution to leading the invasion of Japan during the Pacific Incident. Kayeri, like his ancestors, did not use his family. Dedicated service to the Crown got him to where he was.

He sighed. He did enough reminiscing. The sharpness of the mint in his mouth was distinct from the soothing of his nerves from the drug.

"Well, let's get started." He stepped out of the black HC47-Chinook, acknowledging the salutes of two soldiers with a nod.

The sight that greeted him made him wish he took a stronger concentration. Maybe 0.7%.

A battered landscape, smoke stacking up between concrete slabs in parodies of the structures they were supposed to be.

The centerpiece was a burnt-out wreck of a G1 Base, the scarred insignia of the Britannian Flag merged with Prince Clovis's heraldry emblazoned on its side.

Two blocks away was an impromptu base of two parties surrounding a broken white giant. Kayeri's OSIA11A, and the ASCEEC.

Intelligence against a research engineering corps.

Most academics in the modern day rejected organized religion as a relic of the superstitious past, but the religious fervor with which they often clung onto their little pet projects made them the second most unmanageable crowd after lawyers.

There's going to be quite a scene. If there hasn't been one already.

This was supposed to be a simple contain of a terrorist response. No better way to start off the day than dealing with scientists and politicians.

There were three questions that Kayeri considered, three more than he wanted to answer.

One. Why was Cornelia here? Clovis had this Area under control.

Two. How the was she killed by a bunch of small-time terrorists?

Three. What is an engineering corps under Schneizel doing here? Live testing of a next-gen knightmare is one thing. Getting it wrecked is another.

The heavily armored Winston APC brought him straight into the fray.

Well, the fray between an irate Lloyd and the two senior agents he had sent to supervise the investigation. Most of the engineers were provided gracious housing in processing tents.

Kayeri had no compunctions about containing a unit under Prince Schneizel's command. This was his investigation, whether he wanted to investigate it or not.

He was looking forward to seeing Lloyd again.

Oh boy, here we go.

Kayeri stood back for a moment to watch the show. For all his brilliance, Lloyd had the composure of a fifteen year old girl.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on here? I have my Lancelot to tend to! No- Don't even touch him! Get away, shoo, shoo!"

The lanky man was petulantly tapping his foot, waving his hands at the agents herding the Engineering Envoys into the tents.

Lloyd. Quirky as ever.

"Earl Lloyd Asplund, please stop violating the personal space of my agents. They get enough of that from your mother."

Lloyd spun around. He peered forward at Kayeri, and then grinned cheerfully.

"Kayeri! Ohooo, you're the one in charge here? How goes it, paper pusher?"

"Could be worse. I could be dying of leukemia." Kayeri chuckled. Even after what Lloyd and Rakshata had done to Kayeri, he couldn't help but enjoy their antics. The doctors told him it was alright to feel anger, but he didn't feel any animosity towards them.

Still, this was serious business.

"I'm here on business, Lloyd. I think you know why. I'd appreciate it if you could make my job easier."

"Ahaaa, that's a problem, isn't it? I'm afraid I can't do that, dear boy. I'm on a very secret, special mission from Schneizel! I do need my engineers from your spooks, so if you'd be so kind-"

"Lloyd, you know how this works. Don't make this ugly."

"Sorry, Kayeri, but I have my orders from Schneizel." Lloyd lowered his glasses, peering into Kayeri's eyes. "Now, you'll let my engineers go, and we'll both have a nice day, maybe some Earl. The Greys just sent me a fresh shipment."

"Fine." He sighed. Lloyd might be notoriously difficult to work with, but that didn't mean Kayeri lacked tools to make Lloyd more amicable to cooperation. Kayeri motioned for his two assistants. The four briefcases they carried almost caused them to stagger. Kayeri picked one up and popped it open. He handed the first packet to Lloyd.

"Under the authority given to me at 1530 hours today, presented by His Majesty Charles zi Britannia, 98th Emperor of Britannia, King of Albion and blah, blah, blah, I hereby confiscate and impound all assets of the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps. All control of the ASEEC is now and until the end of the investigation transferred from Prime Minister and Second Prince Schneizel to the OSIA11A, whose assets are to be investigated under the direction of Director Kayeri Brant III." He cocked a ready eyebrow at Lloyd. "That's me."

"It is to be stated, for the record of Area Eleven's Office of Special Intelligence, that Second Prince Schneizel is in no way responsible for the deployment of research assets in Area Eleven. The next in the line of command is Earl Lloyd Asplund, Chief Researcher of the Camelot Research and Development Division. I, as the head of the ASEEC, have full authority to arrest you under grounds of misappropriation of government funds, fraud, and high crimes against the Crown. Pending a full investigation, I do not want to do this. If you give me a reason, I will, Lloyd.

"To assist in the OSIA11A's investigation, Lloyd Asplund is to be fully compliant with the procedures necessary to determine the parties involved with the murder of Second Princess Cornelia li Britannia. Which are these." Kayeri smiled pleasantly motioned for the other briefcases, which were dropped in front of Lloyd's feet. Lloyd recoiled, the weight of each apparently dangerously high.

"You have until tomorrow at 1630 hours to finish these forms, if you wish to retain your assets for a week, before we reacquisition the Lancelot, the Camelot research corps, and the Engineering Envoys to the Crown's Criminal Investigative Services, where each and every component of the Corps will be dismantled and processed for evidence.

"Oh, and by the way, you can't touch the Lancelot. It's a crime scene."

Lloyd gaped. He was absolutely silent. Then, he picked up his jaw, and sputtered at Kayeri.

"But you're a paper pusher! Why are you even investigating this?"

Kayeri shrugged nonchalantly. "The mints don't pay for themselves."

"But the Lancelot is mine! You can't take my creation away from me!" Lloyd grabbed the front of Kayeri's suit, about to shake him.

Kayeri simply smiled pleasantly as twelve muzzles pointed themselves at Lloyd.

"Fill out the paperwork, and we'll have it processed. Until then, the Lancelot is evidence in my investigation."

Lloyd stared blankly at him, and then grabbed a briefcase. He tugged and pulled, dragging it on the concrete.

An agent went forward to lift another briefcase, but Kayeri shook his head.

"He got himself into this mess. He'll get himself out."

The thoughts spun in Kayeri's head as he watched Lloyd.

Sometimes, I have to put my game face on.

It's what he gets for live-testing a prototype knightmare without even clearing it through standard trials.

I guess I did enjoy that a bit too much.

He walked away from the struggling scientist.

It's about time we started this investigation.

"Sir?"

"Hm?" Another agent approached him.

"There's a Ms. Tohsaka whose credentials go beyond ours, sir. She's on the scene right now. We're trying to prevent her from going on the scene, but everything is clearing."

"Ahh, Tohsaka. Let me talk to her."

Kayeri moved quickly. He saw the small commotion, of several soldiers conversing somewhat heatedly with a black-haired girl in uniform.

"-I have to go to the Lancelot, Agent Barnes. Our pilot is still inside."

"I have my orders, Specialist Tohsaka. We're still waiting for your credentials to clear-"

"Which, Agent Barnes, should have been cleared five minutes ago. I want to speak to-"

Kayeri had skimmed the personnel report, and he thought he had imagined the name on the dossier.

"Rin?"

She reacted in surprise. "Director Brant? What are you doing here?"

"I'm in charge." He waved off the soldiers. "Men, she's alright. Back to positions. Good work." Kayeri turned back to Rin. "It's been a while. I never thought you would have joined the military."

"I'm a Specialist from the Association, so technically, I'm still a type of civilian. But right now, I'm working with Lloyd on research. Are you the new commanding officer, Brant?"

"The OSI is currently in charge of the investigation of Cornelia's murder. I'm the director of the Area Eleven branch, so effectively, yes."

"Yes, sir."

He grimaced. "Kayeri is fine. I'd like to think I'm still young."

"I'll call you Brant." She smirked. "I understand. I would feel weird too if someone called me sir, Director."

"Show some respect." But he smiled as well. "Has that priest copped it yet?"

Rin sighed. "Nope, Kirei's as healthy as ever."

"Pity."

Rin grinned. If Kayeri and Rin shared anything, it was their mutual dislike of Kirei Kotomine, the Church Representative in Rin's district of Fuyuki.

"So, what brings the caretaker of the nicest patch of magical real estate east of Jerusalem to this ghetto? Your pilot is still in there? Why hasn't he popped the hatch yet?"

Rin's face became serious. "The Lancelot was drained of energy after its confrontation. We don't know why yet."

"Your Servant can't get it open? I do take it that he's nearby."

"He is. But your men prevented us from reaching the Lancelot."

"Ah. Well, we'll get it open. I'll call over a mechanics crew-"

"That won't be necessary. I just need to go to the cockpit."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then let's go."

They travelled the narrow path set by the yellow tape, and began clambering over the kneeling form of the Lancelot.

After it had lost its power, it shifted into a programmed neutral position. It took the engineering corps thirty minutes to mobilize to the Lancelot's position, but they were prevented from working on it by the OSI.

Archer had made sure that there were no more enemies nearby, but he refused to leave Tohsaka's side.

At the cockpit, Kayeri watched Tohsaka key in the code as she pushed a jewel to the control panel. It sparked, and the hatch opened.

Kayeri was surprised to see a brown-haired, distinctly Japanese teen come out, squinting in the light.

"Tohsaka, you have a Japanese pilot?"

"Yes… This is going to be bad, isn't it?"

"You have no idea. I'll have to deal with my two favorite things—paperwork and Purists." he remarked as he popped another mint. He wasn't willing to go on a limb and accuse the hyperracist Purists of any foul doing, but there had to be a reason his mints periodically tested positive for Arsenic. He opened his comset. "Lock down the G1 Base. I don't want anyone in besides our guys."

The reply was one that worried him. "The Purist Faction is coming in ten minutes. We have Cornelia's Knight here, and he made a phone call. We'll need you to get them out of the scene, but we can gridlock them with a few roadblocks and a lot of missing papers."

"Do it. Tell them I'm sick. I'm dying of leukemia. My grandmother is in labor. Whatever keeps them off my back. Show them Pocahontas. Read them a story. Hell, read them Senator King's speeches, that'll get them excited."

"Yes, sir. Wish us luck. Here, there be idiotic dragons. We'll give them a lesson in intelligence."

"Mm." He closed the channel. Tohsaka watched with a wry grin.

"Leukemia? Really?"

Kayeri shrugged. "I like my Purists how I like my coffee."

Rin frowned. "You don't like coffee."

Kayeri nodded.

"That's the joke. Coffee aside, Tohsaka, I need a favor. Can you watch over your pilot while you both go for processing?"

Rin didn't like the idea. Her status as a magus would clear her from any "processing" that non-magus had to go through, but she saw the need to protect Suzaku.

"I'll do my best. Good luck with your investigation."

"Will do. Thanks."

"What is a footprint doing in sheer concrete?"

Kayeri stared at the distinct imprint. The concrete was shattered around it in a two-meter radius, but it was clear that someone had stood there.

Barnes took a closer look. "Looks like an adolescent's print, Director, though I can't tell the gender. I'd hazard around 10 to 15 years old."

"Kids these days. Steroids are one hell of a drug."

His agent, Charles "Chuck" Barnes, shook his head. "It's not like some kid on hormones stomped into the ground, Brant. There's no indication of kinetic impact. No, this was semi-static. Kinetic deformation would have created a seriously messed up print, and a load of sizable shards. It was like someone vibrated a foot into the ground. The concrete in the print itself is extremely fine."

Senior Agent George "Clifford" Noble raised a critical eyebrow. "But that doesn't make any sense at all. How would the foot vibrate? If my foot vibrated enough to make an imprint on the concrete, I wouldn't be standing there vibrating. I would have been on the ground, especially if I was a kid."

"Fine points both, but the print is still there. Unless some jokester used a vibrator and a steel boot for a jackhammer, I'm thinking the little fairies at the Association are up to something. Ideas?" Kayeri crouched, looking closer at the imprint.

"Well, given the reports of a blur attacking several knightmares, and this one as well, I would put my money on it," Noble replied.

Barnes and Noble were two of the small investigative unit that Kayeri worked with frequently for unusual cases. They knew about magecraft, though none of them were magus. Kayeri found magus woefully incompetent with technology, a staple of their work. The last magus he had managed to break his foot with a comset. "Non-magus" were far more preferable for this line of work. "Do we have anything else like this? Any sort of evidence for a steel adolescent?"

Noble nodded. "Several walls of the nearby buildings we canvassed had indentations. We'll have a few probies on their inspection, but I think they'll confirm our investigation."

Barnes chuckled. "Steel Adolescence … Sounds like the name of a band."

"Or a badass investigation, hm?" Noble could only hold his laugh for a second after putting "badass" and "investigation" together.

Kayeri rolled his eyes. "I'll shove this steel adolescent up your asses if you guys don't focus."

"Brant! You'll want to take a look at this knightmare!" Louise Borders shouted to her boss almost a block away.

"Dammit, Borders forgot her comset again." Kayeri ran over to the frame. "What is it, Borders?"

"We got some interesting cuts on this knightmare! Take a look!"

Kayeri pffted. Ah. Borders is using her comset as a pair of headphones. That's against regs.

He pulled a trick he learned in PT and Comms. He twisted his comset so that the receiver was next to the mouthpiece, selected Louise's number, and called.

Feedback loop caused her to rip off her comset.

"Ow! What the hell, Brant!"

"That's what the hell, Director. Probie, I don't have a problem with you listening to music when you work. I do have a problem when you shout. Now, what's with the cuts?"

He climbed up to the back of the frame. A terrible, pristine gash was cleaved in the Lancelot's back.

"This is the second source of damage to this frame. It's very, very strange, Brant. The cut is absolutely perfect." Borders ran her finger along it. "It's absolutely smooth. I've never seen anything like it. There's no scarring, no shredding of material. The armor just separated."

Kayeri remained silent. He gritted his teeth.

"Something wrong, Brant?"

"I saw this a long time ago. Call Specialist Tohsaka over."

It only took two minutes. Tohsaka met Brant a few meters away from his team.

"What is it, Brant?"

"Do you know if any Masters were at my crime scene?"

"I suspected it, after the Lancelot fell. There were strange energy readings from the Lancelot's Factsphere. I thought it was prana interference from the Lancelot because of Private Kururugi."

"I'm betting a Servant took your knightmare down. You know, you're giving me a lot of paperwork, Tohsaka. The fact that there is a new, hostile Servant-"

"I know, Brant. We're doing our best to track him down."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Tohsaka. But right now, I'm going to take the hit. Britannia only has two Servants ready for the War. Guess what's going to hit the fan when the higher pay grade gets wind of this?"

She nodded understandingly. "Sorry, Brant. This is a bad situation for everyone."

"Mm. What class do you think this Servant is?"

Tohsaka appeared a little tense. "Saber. That cut is evidence enough."

"That's the most desirable class, isn't it. My day gets better and better."

"Yes. It is."

"We better find the master, then. I'll let you return to your work."

Rin began walking away, but she turned back to Kayeri. "Good luck, Brant."

11 August 2017 a.t.b., 2020 hours

Emiya Dojo, Fuyuki, Area 11

"Fuji-nee, that's enough."

"Shirou, I was about to win! This is unfair!" Taiga stomped her foot on the ground.

"Fuji-nee, you attacked Saber before she drew her shinai! Twice! And she beat you. She stopped because-" Shirou took a breath. He was mad. Really mad. But he was able to control himself. "Because she didn't want to hurt you."

Fuji-nee stared at Shirou, then at Saber.

Without a word, she ran out of the dojo.

"Fuji-nee …"

Shirou exhaled. He turned to Saber.

"Are you alright, Saber?"

"… We need to talk, Shirou."

It was a slow walk to the living room. Saber was in a solemn silence as she followed Shirou.

They sat down.

"Saber, what is it?"

"Shirou, I am worried about you."

"Why? I'm fine."

"… Are you, really? You have a life that is … pristine. All I have done is to bring you conflict and dishonor. As long as I am here, your friends will wonder about me. They will doubt you. I know you to be a man of honor, and I will not deprive you of your reputation, nor your life here. I know that this War will continue to draw us into conflict, and it will draw your friends in as well. If you wish for me to leave, I will not hold it against you."

"I won't do that, Saber. I promised that I would protect you. You saved my life, but that's not the only reason why I'm staying in this. I'm willing to do this because you're my friend. If you need my help, I'll do what I can."

"But you have all you want already. You had said it yourself. You do not possess any reason to be a part in my struggle. You would risk-"

"You're my friend, and you're someone worth protecting. That's reason enough."

Saber looked straight at Shirou, with an impenetrable expression on her face.

She shifted, to look at the doorway.

Taiga was standing in the entrance.

"Shirou."

Fuji-nee looked strange. There was a faraway expression on her face. She closed her eyes, and then smiled.

"… So you finally found someone you like, someone you'd defend. I guess it's about time. I just didn't think it would come so soon, Shirou." She wiped her eyes.

"She did beat me. I guess she's worthy for you. I was worried you were doing this too fast, but I guess I was wrong. Have fun tonight."

She walked to the exit. Taiga gave some last advice before leaving. "Don't stay up too late. And please … be responsible, okay?"

Shirou couldn't talk. He was stunned.

Saber spoke. "Do you see now? Are you sure about this?"

"I …" He nodded. "I am."

"Then … Understand that I am grateful, Shirou, for welcoming me into your life. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Shirou checked the time. It was almost 9.

"I'll show you the guest bedroom-" He caught the severe look Saber placed on him. "I did promise you that you could stay in my room, didn't I?"

"That you did." She smiled at the irony. "If Taiga saw us, her fears would not be unfounded."

"That's not funny at all. You can defend yourself. Fuji-nee would eat me like a tiger." Shirou frowned. "That reminds me. What happened in the dojo? Your voice, and your arms … They didn't seem to be yours. Are you hurt at all?"

The response was hesitant, but honest. "I am. My arms do not bear a physical wound, but I do not think my injuries will heal easily."

"… I'll see what I can do."

They entered the master bedroom. A single futon laid on the wooden floor, the room spartan and unadorned.

"You can sit on my futon for now. I'll take out the other one, then I'll get the medicine-"

"… Shirou, I want to tell you about … myself. About my existence as a Servant."

Shirou sat down on his futon, next to a kneeling Saber. He looked at her expectantly.

She inhaled deeply, then sighed. "As a participant of the Grail War, I am given an existence based on the history of my actions, and the legend held for me by the world. When I sustain a wound, I am usually able to recover with the consumption of prana. Servants arrive in this world with an amount of prana, but they require their masters to provide prana to them.

"However, I am not receiving any from you. The spiritual connection we should share is not present. Are you capable of doing this?"

"Ah, no, Saber. I don't know much magecraft at all. I'm sorry."

"I expected this, but it is not catastrophic. It is not your fault. I believe that my summoning contained some error, and the line that should connect us was not formed. We will have to fight with a strategy in mind.

"Wait, so if … if I can't replace your magical energy, you'll-"

"I would not be able to stay in this world. My restoration is a regeneration magic, so every wound I take will reduce the time I remain here. I have already consumed five mature magi's worth of prana."

Sabe drew in a deep breath. "I sustained a blow from that white giant, one that caused me grievous harm. I-" I gave up myself in a moment of weakness.

The moment flashed in front of her eyes. She was consumed by the sheer might of her alternate, leviathan legend. That darkness within her … She had negotiated its release into her body. It channeled into the part of her existence it had the greatest affinity with. It devoured her holy sword, conquered her gauntlets.

The corruption, a deep ichor seeped into her arms, her hands, the pride of her legend and her alternate's.

Even now, she was waging a war for control of her arms against the darkness.

She was host to the greatest evil Britannia ever held.

She defended Shirou with my arms.

"Shirou, how much do you trust me?"

He looked taken aback by the sudden question. "I'd trust you with my life. You already proved that to me."

"Then take me for my word when I say that there is something I must handle alone. I can take care of it, but it was the reason behind my assault on Taiga."

"… Does it have to do with that black sword you had?"

"So you saw that … Yes, it does. And it is the reason why my arms are not recovering."

An honest and concerned expression was on Shirou's face. His words surprised her. "May I- May I see them?"

There was a moment of indecision, before Saber nodded, and rolled up the sleeves of her button-down shirt.

They were streaked with the imprints of red lines, remnants of rivulets that had flooded the insides of her guantlets.

He took her arms in his hands. She took an involuntary breath of air.

The pain spiked, then vanished. It was almost as if cool water was running over her hands.

This is a cruel trick, Vortigern.

There was no reply, except for an almost inaudible chuckle in her mind.

"Did that hurt?"

"No." She looked away, aware of the social impropriety. "The pain left for a moment."

Shirou was uncertain, and somewhat embarrassed. "Saber, my prana … I don't know how to help you with that, not yet. But if I can help you with your pain, would you- will you let me?"

Saber continued to look away, attempting to communicate with the shared legend within her. There was no reply for her inquiries. She nodded.

A flush crept up Shirou's cheeks. He had half-expected Saber to pull away. He intended to help, but something like this?

I made a promise.

I have been given a sword I do not deserve.

He gently applied pressure with his fingertips along the smooth skin of Saber's forearms.

Each time Shirou kneaded down on her arms, the heat of the pain was chased away, replaced by cold relief. She closed her eyes, enjoying the respite.

His hands travelled down to hers, and she tried to open her fists. She couldn't do it.

He stopped pressing, and the pain rammed into her arms, causing her to clench her jaw.

This is what you deserve for despising me, Tyrant. Enjoy.

She felt him touch her fingers gently, reluctantly.

He guided the paths of her fingers, curling them outward.

The echoes of the voice faded away as he clasped her hands, then began pressing on the inflamed muscles.

This must be how a rock feels against the sea.

The beating of the waves stopped. She opened her eyes.

"Saber."

A bright world greeted her, a pair of arms grasped by hands, over a short skirt.

Her arms, his hands, her skirt.

Her arms were gloriously cool.

"You awake? It's been twenty minutes."

Saber jerked her head up to meet Shirou's eyes. He went red instantly, looking away and coughing.

"Twenty minutes." She stated this matter-of-factly.

"Uh, well, yeah."

She knew that she was supposed to be mortified, but she only felt gratitude.

"T-thank you, Shirou."

… I stuttered?

Instantly, a shade of red colored Saber's face. So much for gratitude.

"Ah, erm, do you need anything else?"

"Just a change of clothes, and a bath."

"There're clothes in the closet. I- don't have any girl's clothes, but you can wear mine, if it's alright with you."

"That's fine, Shirou."

"I'll let you change, then."

Shirou moved somewhat hurriedly out of the room. He didn't want a repeat of the boy's dorm in Ashford.

He began pacing around, scolding himself.

What were you doing? You're a kid. She's not here for you, she's here for a war.

Lelouch's voice popped into his head.

"Come on, admit it. You enjoyed it. You enjoyed that someone everyone thought was your girlfriend let you hold her, caress her, take her-"

Shut up.

"Well, at least you didn't violate her, hm? Milly would say you're a hot blooded young man, and I don't think Saber would protest. Too much."

I didn't even think about that before you brought it up!

"Sure."

Dammit, Lelouch.

"I wonder what it says about you, that you're having an imaginary conversation in your head with your best friend about a girl, when you could be peeping on her. Or even better, in the room with her."

I- What-

"Well, you should check up on her. It's been five minutes. Maybe she fell asleep?"

… That's the first thing you've said that makes sense.

He knocked on the door. "Saber?"

There was no response.

He looked around the door.

Saber was slipping on one of his trademark blue armed, white centered shirts over her head.

A bare back presented itself to him, strands of blonde hair interrupting the otherwise perfect, smooth, soft length from the shoulders down to the base of the spine.

It was like someone took golden liquid and textured it with gold dust, and placed it down on the elegant curves of Saber's soft back-

Shirou immediately turned and slid the door shut.

He breathed heavily. Damnit, Lelouch. He would need a cold shower.

What was this, some sort of anime?

The door opened.

"Shirou?"

A girl, barely anywhere near 14, stood in front of Shirou. Her hair was tied down in a ponytail, and she wore his standard casual shirt and sweatpants. The lengths of the arms and legs were too long for her limbs, so they made her look absolutely petite.

"I believe I already told you this, but … Thank you, Shirou."

"You look …" The words just came out of Shirou's mouth.

"Hm? I look?"

Lelouch's voice reappeared in Shirou's head. "What are you doing? You said that-!"

Shut up … Might as well.

"You look nice, Saber."

That was the first time anyone had told her that.

Everything about her expression of happiness was light and subtle, but Shirou could tell that Saber enjoyed the impulsive, sincere compliment.

"… I'm going to change, Saber."

The baths were without incident, thank goodness.

He had finished before Saber was, and entered his futon, the one for Saber an appropriate distance away.

He made sure to put on a shirt that was different from the one Saber was wearing.

She entered when he had closed his eyes.

She seemed somewhat subdued, serene.

I guess I did make her happy.

I wish I could have been more … cool about it.

Milly's right, I am hot headed.

Out of the corner of his half-closed eyes, he saw her standing over him.

She smiled.

She closed the lights, and he could hear her sneaking into the futon he had set up.

This isn't so bad.

The day was over, and exhaustion closed his eyes.

Kayeri sighed. Good luck issued ten hours ago didn't help much. What he would give to climb into his bed, or even one of those cheap futons the Japanese insisted on using for hotels. And staying up until 3AM was no fun whatsoever.

Still, his men actually drove off the Purist faction until tomorrow. Knightmares and paperwork went hand in hand for effective negotiation tools.

Odds were, though, they were waiting for the Glaston Knights for political clout. He would handle it later. He didn't have much to worry about from them.

They had actually set up a roadblock around the Purist faction's representatives. They couldn't get out without proper credentials. Those credentials were sent at 6PM via faxing.

Guess the terrorists must have known about that, ECM started acting up.

By the time they were able to get a runner out to the convoy, it was 9PM.

The look on Jeremiah's face would be framed on his wall for at least three generations.

He entered the tech van. "We got anything from shop cameras?"

"Not really. That blur is seen from shops 2 and 3, but not 4. At 4, we have something very, very interesting. Shop 1's tape is corrupted, though there's a corroboration with 4. We're still waiting for camera footage along the street that our perp ran along."

"Perp? We have someone?"

"Yes, sir. The resolution is terrible on 4, but this is what we have."

The tape ran. A series of thirteen small figures ran by, their faces grainy, but evidently children. They looked like they were fleeing something. As the last one passed, he fell.

A tall figure stood over the child, with a rifle.

He leaned down, for a moment, then shouldered his rifle.

Kayeri felt dread at the bottom of his stomach.

But his fears didn't come true. The figure slung the rifle on his back, and lifted the child up.

His face passed the camera in full.

"Pause it."

Kayeri studied the face. His hair was short, somewhat messy. The color could be red. His eyes had an honest look about him.

He looked Japanese. But he was wearing a school uniform.

"What uniform is that?"

"Ashford Academy."

"Run it through."

"I did, we got a hit."

Kayeri grabbed the dossier proffered to him.

"Shirou Emiya."

Footnotes and some Notes (for Aspect of Normalcy):

At the start of F/SN, Shirou is in Year 2 of his high school, Homurahara School, which translates to junior year in American Schools, and Year 12, lower sixth in the British (and thus Britannian) system. It would also be a bit weird making Shirou "18" as in F/SN. Honestly, Type-Moon's age thing is understood to be purely for preventing the Decency Police of Japan from eating their game.

[1] Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (NIV). I have my theories on Saber's legend, and I'm supposing that her distinctly Christian legend, even in a "pagan" Britannian world, exists and has some basis in her true, historical life. I will only answer questions about this in PMs, no need for a flame war on this fic.

A shinai is the introductory training weapon used in kendo.

For those of you wondering what in Sam Hill is an intelligence agency doing investigating a murder, I say this. Britannia has no mention of an internal, national investigative service, which would normally investigate the death of a VIP. Furthermore, this is one of Britannia's Areas, and that gets into a mess if an international agency would be qualified to investigate an overseas death. I only have a rudimentary knowledge of this, so leave a comment in a review if there's a problem. Also, the OSI is implied to be Britannia's only intelligence agency, and thus I presented this badass mess of bureaucracy. Yes, I know that directors usually do not go on-site for investigations. But Kayeri is just that badass.

AN: I want to hear what your favorite part of this chapter was, first and foremost. That's all I ask, what you want to see more of. And if the entire chapter tickled your fancy, then say so. I will ask that you review separately for this chapter and the F/ZE pilot. Thanks.

I was nervous about including those bits of fanservice at the end, but they are based on … personal experiences. Hell, almost all of the romance bits in this are based on personal experience. I tried basing some off of the anime, but honestly, they felt a bit unnatural. I'm no expert on romance, but I've certainly had enough experiences to understand how realistic a moment can be.

This was the most difficult chapter I've ever had to write, hands down. The sheer amount of slice of life, romance, and plot I tried to mix together originally would have caused me to give up on this entirely. Fortunately, good sense won out. Sakura and Nina will get their moment in the spotlight sometime, but not yet. Some characters may be OOC, but … well, it's inevitable. I'm no master of writing. I'm a simple engineer building a world based on two structures.

Currently, I'm playing Fate/stay night. Yes, the actual visual novel. I've noticed that quite a few fics around (especially the neighboring ones) tend to use wiki-specific material, like a great big infodump. I'm trying to up the game. I've decided that I'll be using the original source material to write, and none of the anime stuff. The anime has its merits, but I believe that a work, based on another, must rely on the original basis to be of any worth. Don't get me wrong, the fics based on the wiki and/or the anime are pretty good. I'm not looking for just good. Time and life permitting, I want people to walk away from this saying "Wow." I pray that I've been doing that.

What this means, however, is that updates will be few and far between as I play through F/SN. I have engineering finals and research to do, and my college is one that has to do with ivy vines. And a league. Yep, being an engineer is suffering.

My eternal thanks to Mr. Sparkles, who beta'd the crap out of this, and made it awesome. Kayeri Brant III is his OC. Stay tuned for Fate/Zero Eos, and more of the adventures of the wisecracking bureaucratic badass, Brant. Sparkles made significant changes to the dialogue for Brant, so big props to him.

Fate/Zero Eos. Right. One big thing. It is NOT EROS. "Zero Love" is something I have for poor grammar. We chose Zero Eos because 1. It sounds cool. 2. It means Zero Dawn, and that has some special significance to the plot. Well, not really. You'll find out.

I'll also be designing knightmares with AutoCAD and ProE. This means that there will be blueprints and 3D models as side materials. Don't worry, it's not going to impede writing. It's part of studying for finals.

I'll only be replying to a few reviews. My apologies to anyone who feels left out. I will only answer F/NA relevant questions, you'll have to wait for F/ZE to be released for those questions to be answered.

Angry Santo: Right, Shirou has Avalon within. That's the only way he's able to summon Saber (well, and the summoning circle in the Emiya Residence, which is in [censored for F/NA spoilers] in F/NA. His magecraft is the same right now, but [spoiler spoiler spoiler]. [spoiler spoiler] is [spoiler spoiler]. Spoiler. Archer's gun, if you look back and do some research on the wiki, has some interesting connections.

Did you play the VN? I think only people who have played the VN know about the significance of Nine Lives. Though it is on the wiki. If so, mad props, I look forward to hearing more from you. If not, I still look forward to hearing from you, and I recommend playing F/SN. Legally, of course.

Aiur: No, Mr. Sparkles and I are not the same person. We've known each other for a few years shy of two decades, and we've worked together on quite a few projects. He also sends his thanks for catching the time mistake. As to the Glasgow, we're still working on it, but I say that the Glasgow shows up so early because of Magus Association cooperation in the development of the knightmare. Ahem, golems.

Vegeta the 3rd: I am very happy that you're happy. Though you don't have any questions.

Please, read and review. KEEP REVIEWS FOCUSED ON THE CHAPTER THAT YOU ARE REVIEWING. REVIEW SEPARATELY FOR EACH CHAPTER THAT YOU WISH TO REVIEW. I apologize for the rudeness, but this is simply to keep track of who likes what.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.

The next update will most likely come in May, marking the anniversary of this massive project.

Heavy Valor signing out for a while. I wish you the best.