Arrangement

Saber did not understand why God had forsaken her. How did she end up in this miserable position?

To an outsider, the situation could very well be understood.

Shirou's house had several guests, numbering close to ten, if you counted visitors who frequented the place.

Rin, Archer, Sakura, Rider, Illyasviel (with either her servants or her servant in tow), Bazett, Lancer, Taiga, Caren and Avenger. Adding Saber to the mix, plus her gluttonous appetite, the entire household was always in massive disarray, and Shirou soon found he no longer had the means to help everyone.

For the males, it was simple solution; they would visit during the day, when Shirou was home, with their respected female master. They never stayed long enough for dinner (although Lancer and Archer did volunteer to cook on a few occasions when Shirou was too sick to cook).

On the tangent of illness, Shirou was getting sick a lot as of late. Illya and Taiga insisted it was because everyone was overworking him, even though those two were the laziest of the bunch.

However, a note was made. There were simply too many people to take care of.

At first, Saber had no cause for concern. After all, she was Shirou's servant. She belonged by his side at all times. Besides, no one was willing to cook as much for her as Shirou was.

But when numbers were crunched and tallies made, the group of masters made a decision. Saber was the one voted to go.

Sakura, as kind as she was, tried to comfort Saber. Rin merely informed Saber of the facts, with Bazett agreeing coolly. Rider reminded Saber it was merely a temporary solution, one which would have immediate results until they could find a different solution.

And Illya and Taiga? They were most likely the master minds behind the entire thing.

But Shirou, her saving grace, would have none of that.

He said Saber was his servant and partner. Archer pointed out that the Grail War was over. Servants aren't really needed to protect their masters twenty-four/seven.

Shirou reminded everyone that Saber helped against Avenger's monsters. Bazett stated everyone did the same thing, but at the end of the day, her fighting monsters doesn't give her an excuse to eat Shirou out of house and home.

Then he nailed something. Where would Saber go, if she was forbidden from eating at the Emiya residence?

And just when Saber thought her place was safe, Caren, that accursed priestess, offered a solution. One that took explaining, but soon, everyone was agreeing.

Minus Saber and Shirou.

"But why?" Shirou asked.

Caren's face remained blank as she replied, "My servant Gilgamesh is difficult enough to deal with on my own. It seems he's on his best behavior when around Saber, so it would make sense to have her become his watch dog."

"Besides," Avenger added, grinning devilishly, "he's got enough money to support Saber's bottomless pit. No tears, no pain, all works out perfectly."

Rin, who had first advently opposed the idea, agreed. "It's true. Goldy is so rich, he could probably buy the entirety of Japan and still have enough to live hundreds of years comfortably."

"And he's improved in character," Sakura peeped up, trying to stay positive. "I mean, he's like an adult version of his child form. Oh! Uh, I mean, a more well behaved version of his adult form. No, that's not right…"

Rider held out a hand to stop Sakura. "We understand what you mean, Sakura."

Shirou looked over at Saber. Her green eyes looked into his yellow ones, and suddenly, she for once took notice of the bags under his eyes, his pale skin, exhaustion dragging his posture.

Breaking eye contact, she clenched her fists. "Very well. For Shirou's health, I will stay with Gilgamesh. But this is only temporary."

Oh, how she would be literally eating those words later.