Chapter 3:New friends and Old Love

As if hearing our conversation Kyou and Rider came over to us. Kyou's cocky grin grew wide when he saw me, "So you're the final Master for our team huh? I'll be honest you really don't look like much but its great to meet you!" He said as his grin turned into a handsome smile. I felt a blush rising to my cheeks as he patted my head and chuckled. "Only a high school girl too…you must have one helluva wish the Grail thinks is worth granting." He said as he whistled in wonder. That was when I noticed Rider gazing at me with a childish excitement in his eyes. "Hey there! I'm Asto-" that was when Kyou suddenly hit him on the head before he could finish. "Rider you idiot…! You almost blabbed your real name!"

Rider whimpered as he rubbed his head massaging away the pain. "Sorry Kyou…!" He said with a blush and then turned to me again. "So what's your name?! And is what I heard true?! Can you really tell what kind of a person someone is just by reading their mana?!" That was when Kyou leaned in again muttering. "Yeah I kind of wanna know that too, I've never really heard of a magus doing that kind of thing." I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment as I started mumbling. "Y-Yeah…its simple…all I have to do is look at a person for it to be done." Rider's mouth seemed to gape open in astonishment as he grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me. "Tell me what kind of person I'm like!" Just as Maria stepped in as I felt like I was going to pass out from dizziness. That was when I told him. "You're a handsome, strong and energetic person who sweeps over others like a mighty tidal wave." Rider stared at me and then almost squealed girlishly with excitement. "I knew it! I totally knew it! See Kyou? I'm like a mighty Tidal wave!" Kyou only retorted by banging him on the head again. "You just had to massage his ego huh? Now he's going to start blabbing off to me for the next few hours." I giggled watching them and that was when I remembered. "Oh I apologize for not saying my name immediately my name is Saiya Misako."

Upon introducing myself Rider bowed dutifully. "Well its good to meet you Saiya! I hope we can be good friends in this war!" I blushed again giggling as Kyou punched his shoulder. "Your getting loud again Rider…!" Rider whimpered as he looked up at Kyou blushing. "Sorry Kyou…" Maria sighed as she walked away for some other business. That was when I began to observe the room we were in. In one corner of the room I noticed a large burly man staring outside the window as he guzzled down a bottle of sake. "Who's that?" I asked as I looked at Kyou. He looked over at the man as he nonchalantly nibbled on his pocky stick. "That's Victor Dolzaev he's the Master who came in from Russia, with a guy like him he's the only one out of all of us that can handle Berserker." I blinked as I looked at Kyou and curiously asked. "So where is Berserker?" He only shrugged as he gave a smile that made my legs feel watery. "Victor couldn't bring him along…for obvious reasons."

I thought for a moment remembering how ridiculous the physical power a Berserker class Servant can have and then slowly nodded in agreement remembering how big some of the Berserkers were that I saw as a little girl. "So where's Archer then?" Kyou shrugged again as I noticed Rider chatting it up with Saber and admiring her kimono as he zipped all around her gasping in amazement. "Last I heard Archer and her Master were out doing some reconnaissance, typical Mage Hunter stuff." I winced slightly as I heard the term "Mage-hunter". As Kyou noticed my nervousness he waved his hand chuckling. "Don't worry he's not after any of us, he's an American magus who lives right here in Japan, got recently discharged from the U.S. military a couple of years ago I think so I figure he's putting all those skills he learned to good use." It still did nothing to ease my worries as the sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed through my mind. As I had heard footsteps I turned to see a young woman shouldering an old man with a cane and helping him into a chair.

I smiled again as I felt an aura of nobility radiate from the two of them. "Ah there's our General for the Masters of Red now, Alice Crawford." No sooner did Kyou say that as a divinely beautiful woman walked into the room wearing a long thick kimono and having long jet-black hair going down her back. "And that must be Caster…" I said as I gazed at them speechless. Alice looked over at me and smiled as she gave a cheerful and kind wave before sitting the old man down and walked over to them with her regally noble Servant at her side. "Ah you must be the final Master for our faction!" She said with a cheerful bliss in her voice. "Allow me to introduce myself I am Alice Crawford, daughter of Henry Crawford, we are a family of the Magus Association in Britain. What is your name young lady?" She said with a smile as she sized me up looking up and down.

I nervously blushed as I bowed as best I could. "My name is Saiya Misako madam, and this is my Servant Saber," I said introducing myself and my Servant as Saber stepped forward and bowed as well not just to Alice but her Servant as well. "Milady, it is truly an honor meeting Your Grace on this night even if our home of Nihon has changed the people remain the same." She said in a courtly manner. Caster seemed to momentarily perk up with surprise and then smiled softly at Saber. "And I had no idea I would be seeing the legendary ferocious warrior whom was given one of the three Sacred Divine artifacts of Amaterasu-omikami herself was really a beautiful young maiden." She said with a light giggle. Saber remained within her knightly bow as she said. "It was necessary as part of one of my missions Empress…but that we can speak of at another time." She said as she rose to her feet. Alice and I watched our two Servants chatting amongst one another as if they were old comrades. "Interesting the things you learn from two Servants of the same cultural mythology hm?" Alice said as she looked at me.

I slowly nodded as I shyly looked away. I wanted to trust Alice dearly however…something about the young woman made me feel extremely uneasy. I really don't like this feeling I'm getting from reading her mana…. I thought as I slipped over to Saber's side. "Now that all the Masters are present within the war we can get started." Alice said as she signaled someone standing over in the darkest corner of the room.

The figure nodded and stepped out of the shadows as I saw someone I REALLY didn't want to see anymore that night. Father Takahashi stepped out from the shadows as another man clad in black trailed behind him. What troubled me wasn't the man's shadowy clothing it was his skull-like mask which from what I could read in his mana he seemed to wear proudly. "Why of all people does HE have to be Assassin's Master…?" I mumbled as the former Vatican Executor stepped in the middle of the room and tapped a wine glass with a spoon to get everyone's attention. "I thank you all for coming." He said with the same stiff tone on his face that he had given me when we spoke at the cemetery. "As you all know once again another Holy Grail War is upon us, only it seems this time the war will be fought differently." He said as if he had given this speech before which for all I knew he probably did. "Instead of 7 Servants and Masters battling one another for possession of the Grail, it seems it has seen fit for 14 Servants and Masters to engage one another in factional conflict, Black versus Red. Us of course being of the Red faction." He said and nodded to himself as if confirming his own information.

"And even now, the first battle was fought at the house of one of our own comrades Saiya Misako, whom only barely received her Command Seal only a moment before her home was assaulted and her own life threatened by Archer of Black and his Master, a Clock Tower mage by the name of Aaron Roderick." The crowd momentarily turned and looked towards me as I bristled in anger and embarrassment. He was watching me?! I thought angrily as I heard him continue. "At the risk of her own life as she was unable to quickly prepare a summoning circle of her own at the time, this girl bravely armed herself and confronted a being many times more powerful than her in battle to protect her home." Everyone of the Masters present including Kyou and Rider applauded smiling at me. Saber looked at me with momentary surprise in her eyes as I knew she had questions. And finally Takahashi concluded as the spotlight now shined on Alice and her father. "Furthermore this united front against the Masters of Black would not be possible had it not been for the powerful influence of the Crawford or more specifically the father and daughter, Henry and Alice Crawford." Alice cheerfully curtsied and smiled at everyone sipping a glass of wine as her own father tiredly waved at everyone as if on parade.

As the festivities ended Maria and Lancer were escorting Saber and I out as I could see the same frustrated anger in Maria's eyes while hearing Lancer mumbling. "What a pervert that man is…." Finally Maria seemed to calm down as she looked at me. "Do you have somewhere you can stay?" She asked as that was when I realized I couldn't go back to the main house since the attack left it basically destroyed. "Well I could call Kai…" Maria tilted her head in confusion. "Kai? Is he your brother or something?" I blushed looking away feeling my face growing hot. "Well sort of…he's my family's homunculus who was created when I was little." I quickly turned and got out my cell phone pushing up my glasses before they fell off from my nervous sweating. I dialed rapidly calling him before Maria could ask more.

"Hello?" a male voice answered. I trembled as I spoke. "K-Kai its me, I'm going to need you to come and get me from the Miyazaki Hotel, A friend and I are going to be staying at the summer house for a while." Kai's response was filled with worry as he asked. "What's wrong Saiya? What happened over at the main house?" As I trembled I nearly broke into tears as I told him everything that had happened up to this point. He sighed with relief knowing I was alive as he said. "Alright you and your Servant stay where you are I'll be there soon to get you both." I smiled with relief, happy that I wouldn't have to burden any of my school friends and put them in danger by staying with them. "Thanks so much Kai…" I said as we both hung up.

It took Kai only a couple of hours to reach us which had me convinced that in a rush to come rescue me he ran his car ragged driving far over the speed limit and miraculously dodging the police. As I opened the door he smiled at me as Maria stared at him astounded by his handsome boyish features with the physical body of a young man barely having graduated from college. As Saber stepped into the backseat I waved goodbye to Maria and Lancer thanking them for their help. Maria stood there blushing furiously awestruck by Kai before Lancer slugged her in the arm to knock her into focus. I closed the door and sat down in the front seat as they waved goodbye and retreated back into the hotel. "I can't believe its happening again…" Kai said solemnly as I took his hand in mine smiling and staring into his ruby red eyes. "Don't worry Kai…I'm going to break the cycle this time…I swear it." He smiled sweetly at me and began driving us out of the city. "I know you will Saiya…I know you will…"

However our departure from the city did not go unnoticed as I was to soon find out. Two men watched the car traveling along the road and arrive at the large cozy summer home of the Misako family. One man clad in a white suit and black tie clenched one of his hands into a fist as on them glittered colored jewel rings radiating with mana. The other man was tall and thin clad in noble robes befitting that of ancient China and in his hands he wielded a powerful bladed halberd. "Looks like Aaron is a liar…that girl is still alive…" Lancer of Black's Master said with a smirk. His Servant grinned as well as he gripped his halberd tightly. "No matter…if a knight like Archer cannot conquer her and Saber….then I will…"

Hey guys I'm deeply sorry that I was late with this! A mix of real life stuff and school had kind of flooded me at the time so I've been able to work on this as much as I should. And as part of my most sincere apology chapter 2 of Damned of the Wasteland shall be up if not tomorrow then on Sunday.