Second chapter is here.

Sorry for any errors in grammar, after this chapter I'll get a beta.

Now, enjoy the story.

When the fire stopped roaring and the steel fragments ceased to rain only two figures could be seen near blackened crater that only a few second earlier was the Einzberg castle.

The taller of them released the little from his one armed protective embrace and stood up from his kneeling position. There was no trace from the red mantle that he once wore, and the back of his armor was full of small holes made by the shrapnel of the explosion, if his previous condition was bad now it was even worse.

But he smiled nonetheless as he turned around. No Hércules in sight, there was no way the mad Servant survived that with no lives in his stock. And he chuckled a little at that. He did it after all.

"I killed Berserker" he murmured in something between surprise and satisfaction.

Then, he promptly collapsed on the ground, all his forces spent.

Ilya was too shocked to react as Archer released her. She was too confused to do anything but see the damaged back of the Servant as he turned around.

Why was she alive? Why he didn't kill her?

It would have been easy for him to murder her in that strange world where he could make swords rain and appear at will, so easy to leave her at the mercy of that powerful explosion or to simply use a bit more of strength when embracing her and crushing her bones.

The rules of the war were clear, kill the Servants, kill the masters and claim the Grail. For that she was prepared and sent here. She wouldn't have any mercy with Archer's master if the situations were inverted, and she was sure that Tohsaka didn't want her alive after trying to kill her, so an order from his master wasn't the motive.

That was confusing her. He was so confusing. Nothing about the Archer made sense. First of all, since when and archer used swords and sorcery.

"I killed Berserker" she faintly heard him saying.

She didn't need him saying that, she knew that better than anyone. That her loyal companion wasn't with her anymore. But she couldn't blame the bowman, after all he warned her, she was the one that was so sure of her servant superiority that made light of Archer even after he killer Berserker many times. She failed to her Servant.

And she was alone again, only alive because of an enemy's whim.

She cried tears of impotence until she too passed out, not noticing the unconscious Archer until she fell on him.

Now that they couldn't feel him the Servant of the lance went out of his hiding place behind some charred trees, lance in hand. He had been observing the battle from the start, as ordered by his master.

Fortunately for him, he decided to leave when Archer made that strange boundary field since he could not see the inside, and selected a good hiding spot in the forest to take a short nap until the barrier disappeared. Then the shattering sound came, and after that, the fire and the shrapnel. He thanked every gods he knew for being outside the explosion radius.

Silently, he approached them and raised the weapon in the air…

Only to bury its tip on the ground, shifting most of his weight over the weapon and using it as an oversized cane. His expression relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.

"That was an amazing battle, you know? - he chuckled-. If you fought like that when we meet I would had gotten a better impression of you. I am even forgiving you for using my Gae Bolg."

Lancer wasn't like most Servants. He was probably the only one that held no interest in winning the Holy Grail. His interest in this "war" was the war itself. He only desired for battles that would push him to the limits, fights to death with enemies even stronger that himself, the feeling of excitement that only a clash between heroes would grant him.

And even if at first he only thought of Archer as a weak Servant that only barely could stop his attack with his ever reappearing swords, now that changed. One that could fight like that against that monstrous Berserker and win even after losing an arm deserved his respect. Weren't those five different Noble Phantasms? One of them his own Gae Bolg? Didn't he manage to exchange blow against that giant without even stepping back? And that explosion...

Just what the fuck was that explosion?

"Hahahaha, I like your style, Archer. Fight an epic combat against a resurrecting opponent and winning even when all the odds were against you. That was how a true battle between heroes must be!"

Fuck, he even got a girl out of it! That was another point in favour of the bowman. Maybe Berserker's former master was a bit too small for Lancer but, hey, every one has his preferences.

It was a shame letting someone like that dying of exhaustion after winning. Wasn't the first rule of war that the winner survives and takes all?

Being magical exhausted is a really pain if you are a Servant. The Word being bitchy about erasing you and all of that.

"My master sent me here to kill the survivor, he is cowardly like that, you know? It isn't like he used a command spell..."

He retired the lance from the blackened earth.

"So fuck him"

With expertly slashes he traced a few symbols, runes, around the unconscious bowman and the sleeping girl. Immediately they flared in red light and Lancer nodded in satisfaction as the runes did their work and pulled just enough ambient magic inside the other Servant to prevent the World from doing what Berserker could not.

He waited a few second until the runes faded away.

"The only death a hero deserves is in one on the battlefield." The spearman commented while retreating to the unburned forest." Take this as a gift in exchange for the free show. I'll take my way out before your friends come here. See you."

Lancer disappeared in the sea of trees while hoping that this development would give an ulcer to his master.

"I see that you managed to stay alive, Archer"

"Of course Rin. I'm your Servant, I don't die so easily."

"You lost your left arm."

"An acceptable loss, taking the circumstances into account."

"One last question"

"Ask what you want to know, master."

"Why is Illyasviel sleeping over your chest?"

The Servant stayed silent.

"Well?"

Still in the ground and with closed eyes, the bowman sighed.

"I have no response to that…?"

"ARCHER!"

He knew Rin's reactions to his actual company since the moment he recovered conscience, and resigned himself to the tirade that would follow about how dangerous Ilya was. He ignored most of his master's angry ramblings without much attention.

"… and that's not even mentioning what she would have done to Shirou if not for us. And better not talk about Berserker, taking her hostage is like waiting for Berserker to come at us in any moment, and even with Saber in good health fighting him will be…"

"Berserker is dead; I doubt he will be a problem." He couldn't prevent himself from interrupting her with some pride in his words.

"… stupid because… Wait. What?"

His master's words stopped abruptly and even with his eyes closed he knew that everyone attention was in him.

"What did you meant by that, Archer?" asked with command Saber's voice from his right.

He opened his eyes tiredly. The whole group was in around him. His younger self was at his left side, giving him a confused stare, at his right Saber was still watching their surroundings waiting for any indication of an attack. In front of him his master seemed frozen in mid sentence, without even being able to close her mouth.

"What I meant, Saber, is that I killed him."

Even the King of Knights gasped at this.

"Then that explosion we heard…?"

The bowman chuckled

"I'm not going to give you or your master any sensitive information without discussing it before with my master, in private. Ours is a weak alliance right now, Saber, with Berserker's death."

A few seconds passed in silence at this response until his master broke it.

"I… I see. Well done my Servant. We… will talk about this when all of us are out of this forest."

It was a lie and Archer could see it. His master didn't see anything; she just couldn't understand what could happen for her servant to win against that monster that no even Saber could defeat. But he didn't mind, he was having trouble believing and he was the one who did it.

"But if you won, then it's even stranger for Ilya to be here with you. I mean, aren't you and Tohsaka supporters of killing the defeated masters?" Great. His younger self had to remind everyone the cause of the previous outburst. Fortunately, or not, for him, the question was answered before his master reenacted her previously interrupted mad discourse.

"That is easy Onii-chan. I'm here because what Archer did without asking for my permission, so he now has to take the responsibility of doing it to me." Replied Ilya, with a sleepy voice from top of his chest.

Shirou and Rin fell into silence again and just stared at him and to Ilya, who stll was over him, alternately, in shock. The hand that Saber use to hold her sword started to twitch as she started murmuring about honor codes, despicable acts and death penalty by beheading.

"Ilyasviel, before anyone kills me over a misunderstanding, could you care to explain us what did you mean before by "it"?"

"Saving me from the explosion, of course. What would be I referring to?"

Saber's hand stopped and Shirou sighed with relief. But the answer didn't seem to please his master very much.

"Archer, I thought that we had an agreement in what you would do with a servantless master…"

"Tohsaka" Shirou interrupted in his favor."Don't be so hard on Archer. If he really killed Berserker Ilya isn't a danger anymore. You can't be asking him to kill, or to left to die, an unarmed child! I don't like him, but he did the right thing here."

"Saber! Say something to your master, he seems not have learned his lesson after being kidnapped and nearly killed by that child."

The Servant of the sword looked at her with a resigned face.

"Rin. We both know that nothing could be said that will convince Shirou. If I went against him in this he would use a command seal, which would be a useless waste, so I prefer to reserve my thoughts to myself."

"Yes, Rin. If I wanted revenge I could have killed your Servant before without much problem. But I am a good loser so I didn't do anything. And is of bad education to kill the people that helped you"

Not having anyone in his side Rin surrendered.

"Fine, FINE! But Emiya, you will take care of her. Don't come to me crying when she tries to kill you. Again." Then she stared at her Servant." And you and I, Archer, will be having a very long conversation when get back. Is that clear?"

"Yes master/Rin" the responded at unison with a firm tone.

"And you Illyasviel. Get down from my Servant!"

"Don't wanna. I'm trying to sleep and he is very comfortable" She replied without moving.

"Archer! Do something about her!"

"I'm not on the ground for a personal liking to it. If you haven't noticed, master, my levels of prana are too low to move. I would have done something about her, as you say it, if it didn't mean to pull more energy from our connection, which, since I did it before, would leave you too weak to move, as I am now." He explained. "I prefer to remain this way, in order to let you be able to run away in case of the attack of one of the remaining Servants, until we reach a safe location."

There was nothing that his master could say against what he just said. It was the truth after all. Rin only turned her head, visibly angry, and started to walk away, talking about idiotic allies and Servants.

"Don't worry Archer" His younger self assured him."I'm sure she won't be still mad at us when we get out of this place"

"Most probably, knowing Rin. She doesn't like having her authority questioned, but I don't think that she really wanted me to kill an unarmed Ilya." He agreed. Being hostile to Emiya Shirou in his current state would achieve nothing.

His younger self… smiled at him?

"I'll take Ilya while Saber carries you, Archer." Shirou took the again sleeping Ilya from his chest and waited to Saber to pick Archer up. "If I'm sincere I didn't like you before, you are a jerk. But that you stayed fighting to let us escape, and then went against your own recommendations of killing enemies and saved Ilya from that explosion when you didn't have to, has made me respect you a lot more. Maybe you aren't so much of a jerk in the end."

"Who knows?" He said tiredly from Saber's as they were starting to leave."I shouldn't have done that, maybe. But I couldn't help myself." He chuckled a bit while closing his eyes. "Old habits and old regrets die hard, and I was a fool who loved saving people in the past, too."

"Really?" Shirou stared at him with disbelief. "What made you change, then?"

Archer didn't open his eyes again or replied him, so Shirou didn't say anything again, letting him rest.

In the dark of his mind, Archer asked himself the same question.

Matou Shinji was an arrogant and a coward.

So when, the day before, he saw his servant and Emiya's Saber running up the wall of the building from where he was observing everything, the two halves fought inside him. The cowardly side won, and before they reached the top he was going down in the elevator. After the elevator reached the hall he ran, only stopping to scream as the book in his hand stated to burn. After that he ran faster.

Matou Shinji only survived that night for being a coward, even if he didn't know that.

But now this where looking better for him. Oh, how better they were.

He passed the night trembling in fear in a dark alley of the city, awake and fearing that every sound was a Servant going to kill him. When the day came, and he was sure that there was enough people in the streets that no magus could attack, him he started running again toward the place was said to protect any defeated master which desired to retire from the war.

He reached the church his grandfather mentioned seeking sanctuary. Then he didn't know how fortunate he was.

He, scared, begged for asylum to the priest, cursing the weakness of his Rider, then IT happened. The priest talked.

A new Servant, the strongest Servant of the last war was offered to him with the promise of a second chance, a new chance to win and crush his enemies. There wasn't anything to think about, he accepted.

The priest smiled and called for his new Servant, "Archer". A blonde foreigner dressed in black and white appeared from the interior of the chapel at the calling, walking to them at a leisurely pace.

Behind him, an army of blades. The air waved around them like wild water, at every step of man new weapons appeared causing new ripples on it.

Shinji wasn't stupid or ignorant, those were not his faults. He knew well the power that the weapons of a Heroic Spirit could contain, as they were the symbol of their strength. And because of that Shinji lost his breath when he realized that he simply couldn't count how many of them were floating before him.

The "man" stopped in front of him and smiled with superiority.

"Is this my new Master, Kotomine?"

"He indeed is, King of Heroes. Matou Shinji has accepted you as his Servant in order to continue in the War."

"I see"

Without any indication several blades flew past him at an amazing speed. One of them even graced Shinji's ear.

"I am Archer, "master"."

Somehow the word master coming from his mouth sounded mocking and depreciating. Like an insult or a joke.

"Annoy me, and I will kill you."

The killer intent that accompanied his words was so dense that Shinji could taste it. In that moment Shinji realized that he had nothing to protect himself from his new servant, there was no command spell that could prevent him from a horrible death caused by the powerful being before him.

"Please me, and I will lend my power to your purposes."

And the killing intent disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. The Servant gracefully waved his right arm, gently indicating Shinji to look behind himself.

The rows of seats at his back were now nothing but splints, and of the wall past them was simply gone, showing the outside. There, a few swords were embedded in several craters on the ground.

In that moment Shinji took a mental note to do everything in his hands to be on his Servant good side. He steeled what little resolve he had to prevent the fear from muting him and talked.

"I will be very pleased of having you as my Servant, Archer."

Matou Shinji returned this way to the Holy Grail War.

With the most powerful hero at his side he felt that he had nothing to fear while he kept his Archer in a good mood.

In the background, Kotomine Kirei just smiled.

Please coment, and sorry for anyone who saw the bad formating, the page doesn't seem to like my breaklines.