Alright, where to begin? Jeez, a bunch of reviews already. Dunno who Selias means by 'kill the bitch', but the Falcon Punch is inevitable. An alliance between Sakura and Shirou is certainly possible, but Shinji would complicate things, so it's best to wait and see. It won't be long before all bets are off.

Anyhow, enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 3

Bazett grit her teeth as she stood right outside the shed, Lancer by her side. This was a big problem. That Emiya kid had someone summoned a Servant purely by accident. There was no way he had been preparing to do that, if he could've done it by himself, he would've done it earlier. And he had summoned a Saber-class servant, to boot. After a brief conversation with her Master, the golden-haired girl turned towards Bazett and her Servant, glaring at them before leaping out of the shed, striking at them with her invisible sword.

An invisible sword. Wonderful, Bazett snarked to herself, as she leaped back, allowing her Servant to parry the blow. Lancer had the range advantage, and it gave Bazett time to make sure her runes were in working order. When facing down something as skilled and powerful as a Servant, you need the right tools for the job. And Bazett had been preparing, and had one of the best tools a magus could possibly hope to have against a Servant – Fragarach. Her movements were practised and spoke of years of training, as she engaged the Saber-class servant with her fists and feet, her runes allowing her to deflect the invisible sword without a weapon.

Saber's eyes narrowed as she juggled the feat of battling both Lancer and his Master, whose skill she could commend despite her relative weakness as a Master rather than a Servant. This was going to be difficult. Lancer was skilled with the unusual polearm he possessed, and his Master was certainly no slouch, herself. However, she also sensed two other Servants nearby. A strange noise could be heard, coming from the top of a nearby wall, and Saber jumped back immediately upon hearing another quick, sudden sound, which she could tell was the release of some kind of energy.

She was not wrong in her assessment. Both Lancer and Bazett had also jumped back, as a burst of blue energy blasted a chunk out of the ground. Saber glanced at the attack's source. Archer was standing on the wall, his X-Buster charging, and Rider was firing his sidearm at Lancer and Bazett, who immediately moved out of the way to avoid the shots. Shirou was standing by the shed door, gobsmacked by what he was seeing.

Rin and Luvia landed on the grass, having hopped over the wall with help from their Servants, and Rin chuckled, brushing her hair back, "Well, this is a surprise, Emiya-k-"

Her calmless disappeared the moment Saber suddenly rushed at both girls, intending to take out two Masters in one fell swoop, if their Servants did not protect them, causing both Rin and Luvia to freak out and move back. Obviously, as she expected, Archer moved in to intercept, but she was surprised when Archer suddenly drew a strange weapon, which emitted green energy – an energy blade of some kind. He was able to parry Saber's strike, and stop her from advancing, despite his relative inexperience with the blade. Saber frowned, as she pressed her attack...

Then she realized that her Master was exposed. Bazett broke away from Lancer, who held off Rider, and went straight for Shirou.

Or, at least, she would have, had a bullet not suddenly and unexpectedly go straight through her leg, causing her to collapse to the ground. Assassin stood on the top of the house, his hidden gun at the ready, declaring, "My Master wishes for a ceasefire, effective immediately."

This sudden attack caused everyone to freeze. Sakura was standing by the back door, frowning. Bazett gasped, as Lancer rushed over, immediately tending to the bullet wound. Saber moved back over to protect Shirou, as the exasperated teenager spoke out, "Okay, what the hell is going on?!"

"He's completely clueless, isn't he," Luvia asked.

"Blatantly so," Rin sighed, rubbing her temples. "Emiya-kun and Sakura are both Masters... Great. This is going to be a long night."

Everyone was sitting around the table in the living room. Shirou was both bewildered and exasperated by the circumstances. Sitting right next to him, was the young woman who had called him 'Master' and had saved his life, and Sakura, who was apparently a magus. On the other side of the table, was Rin Tohsaka, and the strange young man with blue armor. On the left side of the table, was the blonde girl (who he knew had transferred to his school recently) and the man with the laser-pistol. To the right, was the young woman from the Magus Association and the effeminate young man who had both tried to kill him. And the hooded man who had fired the gunshot was standing by the hallway.

Awkward could not even begin to describe this moment.

"So, let's begin," Rin spoke calmly. She had fixed Shirou's broken window, demonstrating her ability as a magus to him. "I never thought this would happen, but it seems due to Sakura's intervention, we're having a ceasefire."

"I don't know why you're so calm," Bazett grumbled. "That kid is the son of the Magus Killer, who was responsible for killing the most Masters in the previous war, possibly including your father."

"All things considered, Bazett-san, Shirou doesn't seem to be as good as his father," Luvia said. "Especially considering the summoning of Saber was an outright accident."

"My own scanners indicate that Shirou has twenty-seven magic circuits, all of them completely unused," Archer spoke up. He had been adjusting his sensors to detect sources of prana, which was made much easier by the fact that he had prana flowing through his body thanks to being a Servant. "Though he has an impressive potential od output for a first-generation, all signs point to be being a rather amateur magus."

"That's about right, I'd say," Shirou replied. He was very surprised to hear that he had that many magic circuits, all of them dormant. His usual practice involved temporarily transforming his nerves into makeshift magic circuits. "But still, could someone please explain to me what is going on, and why I nearly died twice today?"

Sakura smiled to Rin, "Tohsaka-sempai, Assassin told me you saved Sempai's life. You really are a kind person."

"It... It was nothing, really!" Rin spoke, clearly embarrassed. "You'd never forgive me if I let him die, and it wouldn't be nice for you to be sad if he was killed..." Luvia was amused by this comment, and chuckled, causing Rin to glare at her.

"Well, you've summoned a Heroic Spirit as a Familiar," Bazett explained. "Whether you like it or not, you're now involved in the Holy Grail War, a battle between seven magi and their Servants. Each magus summons a 'Servant', the spirit of a heroic figure from across time, to do battle for the Holy Grail."

"Wait, wait, wait, Holy Grail? As in, the cup that held the blood of Christ?" Shirou asked.

"No. This is a different Grail, but it is no less spectacular in its power," Luvia said. "It can grant one wish each to the Master and Servant who defeats all others. Masters can be killed, and this is encouraged, but the requirement is to defeat all other Servants."

"I see..." Shirou looked at Saber, who was sitting there calmly. "So Servants are a special kind of familiar, that's what you're saying?"

"Exactly," Rin smiled. "You catch on quickly, Emiya-kun."

"This is not the first time I have been summoned," Saber said. "The first time was in the previous war. And by your father, Kiritsugu Emiya, who was indeed the Magus Killer. Through underhanded methods, he killed the Masters of Lancer and Caster in the previous war. I would not know about the death of Tohsaka's father, but Tokiomi Tohsaka was definitely in Kiritsugu's sights, and was considered a dangerous adversary."

"So... What happened?" Shirou asked, genuinely curious. "Did you and my father lose the war?"

"No. In fact, we were on the verge of winning," Saber replied. "But the last order he gave me... Was to destroy the Grail."

The room went dead silent. Even Bazett was shocked by this claim. "He destroyed the Grail?! I have heard as much, but it was only a rumor, and the Einzberns, who he was representing in the war, claimed he betrayed them, but I assumed it was simply because he didn't revive the Third Magic. But if you both were on the verge of victory, then..."

"I could see it in his eyes, the conviction of someone who believe firmly with all of his heart that he needed to do it," Saber replied. "I was distraught at the time, confused by his order, one that required multiple command seals to perform. But Kiritsugu, despite his methods, would not simply give up the Grail, which he sacrificed so much for, for no good reason. He knew something I didn't. He had been that devoted to that goal, seeing himself and others as tools to achieve his ideals."

Shirou frowned. "My father... He wanted to become a superhero. That's what he told me in his final moments."

This surprised Saber, before Rin interrupted the conversation. "I suggest we take this to the church. Kotomine would be able to explain things there."

On the way to the Kotomine Church, across town, the group was fairly quiet for the most part. Saber couldn't assume her spirit form, so she had the wear a large yellow raincoat over most of her body, which admittedly looked somewhat ridiculous on her. Luvia had gotten a limousine, so they didn't need to walk.

Right now, Shirou felt awkward. With the other Servants in Spirit Form to save space, he was surrounded by girls. All of them admittedly very attractive. Saber was the first to speak up. "Shirou... How did Kiritsugu die?"

"He died peacefully," Shirou spoke honestly. "His body had been getting weaker, to the point where he needed my help to get around. We were sitting out the back, at night. That's when he told me his lifelong dream... And, well..."

"Well? What happened next, Emiya-kun?" A sly smirk appeared on Rin's face.

"Well... I... I told him I'd carry on his dream myself," Shirou spluttered, embarrassed, "He died with a smile, saying 'I'm glad'. It's a bit embarrassing, but, yes, I do want to become a superhero. Someone who can save everyone."

Silence. Luvia smiled, "For such an unskilled magus, that is certainly an admirable goal."

"I didn't think someone like you would encourage a first-generation magus like that, Edelfelt," Rin chuckled. "I've seen the looks you've given him..."

"Bite me, Tohsaka," Luvia glared at her. "I'll destroy you and your Servant when this ceasefire ends."

As the rival magi continued to sling insults, Sakura smiled, "Sempai, you shouldn't be embarrassed about your dream. I think it's really cool, actually."

"Ah... Thank you, Sakura," Shirou blushed lightly. "I know, it's rather lofty, but..."

"Heroes can't save everyone, no matter how hard they try," Archer said, appearing in the car. "I was like you, once. I thought I could save everyone. But no matter how many people you save, many more will die."

"You must have seen horrible things to become so cynical," Shirou replied, frowning.

"When you've lived through the deaths of billions of humans and reploids, fighting alone for years to protect the ones who are left, you tend to get a new perspective on things," Archer said dryly.

"Reploid...? You're a machine?" Saber's eyes widened. "But you're so..."

"Human? That was what I was built to be," Archer replied. "By the way, Shirou, I've been doing more scans. Are you aware that you have a Noble Phantasm inside your body? It's practically a bright spot on my prana sensor."

Both Shirou and Saber's eyes widened dramatically.

"I hope all of you have reason to be here at this hour," Kirei Kotomine stated, as he emerged from the back of the Church, coming over to the waiting Masters. The Servants were waiting outside.

"We've found the Seventh, but he's clueless," Rin replied. "Shirou Emiya here managed to summon the Saber-class entirely by accident. He also apparently has some kind of Noble Phantasm inside of him."

"Emiya, you say?" Kirei said, looking a bit more interested. A small smile emerged on his face, as he looked over the young man.

Shirou frowned. There was something about this priest he just didn't like. "Yeah. I want to know what exactly this whole War is about."

"For some reason, he's the son of the Magus Killer, but he's not acquainted with the Grail War or its rules," Bazett said. "You made up that rule that said we gotta bring new Masters here, but we'll follow it this once."

Kirei chuckled. "Very well, then. Allow me to explain..."

He had soon gone through a full explanation of the Grail War, and an offer to back out, if needed. Shirou, of course, accepted his role as a Master. He wanted to prevent as much death as he could, especially to protect Sakura. Then came the opportunity to examine what Shirou had inside of him.

"Well. This explains so much." Kirei, examining Shirou's body, had personally verified Archer's claim, by extracting the Noble Phantasm in question, a magnificent sheath of gold and blue. "A Noble Phantasm that has regenerative abilities. Interesting."

"Kiritsugu must've used it to save me back then, during the fire," Shirou said. "But he never told me I had it all this time..."

"It's best that you keep it with you," Rin nodded. "It must've been the catalyst for summoning Saber, too, it's probably connected to her."

"Very well," Kirei handed it back to Shirou, who managed to absorb it back into his body almost instinctively. So that's how Kiritsugu survived by blows during our last encounter... And now his adoptive son is a Master. How strangely fitting that an Emiya would be once again an adversary.

"Tch... Whatever. Tomorrow, I won't hold back," Bazett said, walking out of the church. "All of you should be ready, because there won't be ceasefires after tonight."

"What a bitch," Luvia muttered. "Alright, let's just go. It's been a long night. I'll drive you home, but just this once!"

Rin and Sakura both nodded, and the girls turned to leave. As Shirou was about to leave, Kirei chuckled, "Rejoice, Shirou Emiya. Your wish will finally be granted. A superhero needs a villain, and you have your antagonist at last."

Shirou frowned, as he left, shaking his head. But the words of that fake priest lingered in his mind.

"Archer heard everything with his enhanced hearing," Saber said, as she greeted Shirou outside, "That sheath can only be... Nevermind. I cannot say here. Revealing my identity even to you, Shirou, could be problematic, until you learn to protect yourself against things such as hypnosis."

"Smart," Rin chuckled. "Otherwise we'd have a clue about your identity, Saber."

"Oi! Sakura! Why did you not inform me you and Assassin were going out by yourselves?!"

That would be Shinji, who had arrived at the Church by himself, looking a bit incensed. Sakura winced, her eyes widening as she saw her brother. "Ah, nii-san... I'm sorry, Assassin told me that Sempai was in danger, and-"

"The both of you need to remember that I am Assassin's Master, and you need to stop coming to Emiya's house! I keep telling you this, but..." Shinji raised his arm to strike Sakura, but Luvia got in the way, head-butting him. "GAH! Edelfelt?!"

"Good evening, Matou," Luvia smirked, watching the young man stumble back in pain. "What's this about you claiming to be Assassin's Master?"

"As the Matou heir, the role of the Matou clan's participant in this war is rightfully mine," Shinji snarled at her.

"Bullshit. You don't even have any magic circuits, dormant or otherwise," Archer said, having scanned him, before looking at Sakura, "Sakura, on the other hand... Wha... What the hell...?! What the hell are those thing inside of her?!"

Sakura gasped, looking away, while Shinji remarked, "It's grandfather's way of making her compatible with the Matou crest. Crest worms aren't pretty, but they work."

"Worms... Blood worms?!" Rin covered her mouth, "The lowest of familiars... I think I'm gonna be sick...!"

Shirou clenched his fists, "Shinji... You knew about this?"

"Grandfather started the whole process ten years ago," Shinji commented. "But I never knew until I stumbled onto it by accident. It's painful, but I can't go against Grandfather's wishes, you kno-"

Then he was knocked down by a solid punch from an enraged Shirou, "And yet you never thought to support her despite her suffering?! You were even hurting her yourself!"

Shinji grit his teeth, wiping blood from his mouth, as he called out, "I don't care what you think, Emiya! Assass-"

Next thing he knew, he was suddenly on the ground again, as it was Rin's turn to punch him. "SHUT UP! You disgusting piece of trash! I never liked you before, but you've gone too far, Shinji!"

Standing by Assassin, Rider remarked, "You know, he is your 'Master'. Aren't you going to help him?"

"What? Certe che no," Assassin smirked. "Questo è troppo divertente. Quel bastardo si merita tutto quello che ottiene." That roughly translated to "This is too funny. That bastard deserves everything he gets."

"Was the Italian really necessary?"

"No. But I like it. And Shinji wouldn't know what I'm saying."

"Ah. Insulting people in another language has its benefits," Rider chuckled.

Luvia glared at Shinji as he got up again, "A word of advice, Matou. A pathetic non-magus like you has no place in this war. Stop playing the role of Master for your sister, otherwise, the next time I catch you alone, you will die. Am I clear?"

Shinji growled, as he walked away, "Whatever. Sakura, come on. We're leaving."

Sakura nodded, and was about to walk away, but Shirou took her hand, "Sakura, you don't have to. You can stay at my place tonight, if you want."

The quiet girl quickly nodded, smiling at the opportunity, "I... Of course, Sempai! I'd like to, very much!"

"No! I forbid it! You're coming home with me, and that's-" Shinji was about to finish his objection, but he suddenly found himself with an invisible blade at his throat, courtesy of Saber, who was glaring at him. Shinji grit his teeth, and left without a word.

Rin then rushed up to Sakura, hugging her, "Sakura, I'm so sorry! I never realized things were so difficult for you! With the worms and Shinji and everything... I should've been looking out for you more... Do the worms hurt? We could get them removed-"

"T-Tohsaka-sempai, they don't hurt that much anymore, they drain my od, but otherwise..." Sakura was a bit embarrassed. "I didn't think you cared..."

"Father thought letting the Matou family adopt you was for your own good, but... Ugh, I don't think he would've done it if he knew that old man would do this to you," Rin sighed. "I thought the hair change and your eyes were because of some kind of magecraft, but worms?! That's beyond disgusting!"

Shirou blinked. "Tohsaka... I didn't know you and Sakura were that close."

"Idiot! She's my sister! She was adopted by the Matou family because only one person can inherit a family's magic crest, and the magic circuits in the Matou bloodline were dying out," Rin snapped at him. "Good grief... Most magi wouldn't care about the means, as long as they got results and don't expose the existence of magecraft. But I guess I'm not so heartless like that..."

"Oh, you're not alone on that," Luvia sighed. "Worms! Honestly, how could such a formerly prestigious family could stoop to such lows? So utterly undignified!"

Assassin placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, as Shriou sighed, "Well, it can't be helped. Let's just go." The fact that Sakura was, by blood, a Tohsaka certainly did not escape him, but he seriously wanted to just get some shuteye at this point. There was only so much one person could take.

Not far from Shirou's home, Rider stopped the car. "There's another Servant nearby."

As they got out of the car, they saw who he was referring to. At the top of the street, waiting for them, was two figures. One, was Illya, who looked very eager. The other, was Berserker, in full armor, its emotionless gaze looking down at the group below. The arm cannon was charging energy. Illya smirked, "You're finally here, Onii-chan. Berserker, crush them!"

Archer suddenly moved in front of the group, charging his own weapon, shifting armor colours, as Berserker aimed, and fired a powerful burst of energy, "Rolling Shield!"

The spherical barrier Archer formed did its job, absorbing the impact and protecting the others. Saber leaped past him, "Thank you, Archer," she spoke quickly, as she rushed at Berserker, who charged at her as well, another charged attack being fired. Saber was able to deflect the charged shot with her sword, and went swinging at Berserker, who was surprisingly agile despite its bulky armor, which also allowed it to take hits from Archer and Assassin's ranged attacks.

Sakura looked worried, standing by Shirou. Rin and Luvia were casting spells, but Berserker didn't seem budge. Archer grit his teeth, "Oh, that's just perfect. Whatever that thing is, it has a defensive energy field like mine, plenty of damage resistance, and far more energy to spare to protect itself than I have. It's like we're fighting a hyper-advanced Ride Armor!"

"What the hell is a Ride Armor?" Rin asked, annoyed.

"Basically? A walking tank."

"Oh. I see... Crap."

Berserker suddenly grabbed Saber with its grapple beam, and began slamming her around with gusto. Suddenly, the Blue Falcon, Rider's signature vehicle, rammed the mad Servant, sending it crashing into a wall. However, as the Blue Falcon came around for another pass, Berserker began to sprint, surrounded by energy, and leaped forward with ridiculous speed, ramming the Blue Falcon, and sending it crashing off the road, and upside down, much to everyone's shock and awe. Rider got out, gasping, "It rammed me! He freaking rammed me! That was cool, but seriously, how?!"

"Oh, don't be surprised. Berserker is the strongest of Servants!" Illya smirked. "Samus Aran, a bounty hunter who has been known to destroy entire planets!" A slight exaggeration on her part, but it an effective one nonetheless.

Entire planets?! Shirou was shocked, his face going pale. Berserker was a monster who could kill any of the Masters with ease, and was taking on four Servants with little difficulty. "Who are you?!"

"Oh, where are my manners? I am Illyasviel von Einzbern," Illya smiled, bowing gracefully.

"Einzbern...?" Rin blinked. "One of the three founding families of the Grail War..."

"Who the heck does this pipsqueak think she is, anyway?!" Luvia grit her teeth, "Ruining my dear Rider's car like that!"

Archer charged his buster, attracting Berserker's attention, also charging its arm cannon, and they fired simultaneously. However, Archer's energy burst was overwhelmed, and Archer narrowed dodged the burst that came right at him, pulverising the ground where he stood.

Saber quickly recovered from the impacts Berserker had delivered, but Berserker was quick to blast her into a wall with a charged shot, and was ready to deal a final blow... Only for Shirou to spontaneously run in front of Saber to protect her, and got blasted right in the torso for his trouble, getting slammed against Saber, who caught him and absorbed the force. It was a wonder Shirou wasn't dead, but otherwise badly, badly burnt.

Illya was just as surprised as everyone else. "Why...?" She then shook her head, and spoke up, "I'm bored, now. Berserker, let's go! Tohsaka, Matou, Edelfelt, if I see any of you again, I'll kill you."

Illya and Berserker quickly left the scene, as everyone rushed over to make sure Shirou wasn't dead already. In fact, his burns were healing already. Archer shook his head. "Jeez. And I thought a good friend of mine was good at cheating death... Three times in one night? Impressive."

"Illya. I know I happen to leave a lot of destruction in my wake, but could you please turn down the hyperbole?" Once they were heading back to the Einzbern castle, Samus took off her helmet. "I've only destroyed one planet, and that was Phaaze. Zebes was the result of Mother Brain leaving behind a ridiculous, overcompensating time bomb. I don't know why she thought blowing up the entire planet was a good idea. And dropping the research colony on SR-388 didn't count."

"Oh, come on, it just made them more scared of you," Illya giggled.

Samus sighed, having to concede the point. "Just... Don't over-exaggerate my reputation like that, please."

That morning, Shirou was exasperated to find three girls waiting for him in the living room. Sakura, he could understand, but Rin and Luvia? And he only then remembered that he had nearly died the night before.

Not a thrilling experience, that was.

"That was an idiotic stunt you pulled, Emiya, but a heroic one," Luvia remarked, taking a sip from a glass of water. "You have guts, I'll give you that."

"Thank you," Shirou said dryly. "What are you doing in my house? Didn't you say you and Tohsaka would be enemies in the morning?"

"Well, yes, but with Illyasviel and Berserker in the picture, we decided that an alliance, as much as it shames me to admit it, would be most practical for our common interests," Luvia sighed. "Besides... I wouldn't mind teaching you how to be a proper magus. It would be shameful to lose to someone who can't utilise a Saber-class Servant's abilities to their fullest."

"And, um, I don't wish to see you get hurt, Sempai..." Sakura said softly.

"I couldn't exactly argue with their logic," Rin sighed. "Four servants couldn't take down Berserker. I wouldn't be surprised if Bazett wanted to change her mind if she found out..."

Shriou nodded. He took note that Assassin and Rider were not around, but someone was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Archer's face made him recognisable, but his attire surprised him – instead of the armour, he wore a plain white shirt and blue shorts, along with the normal apron Shirou normally wore in the kitchen. His short brown hair was also showing. Shirou blinked. "Archer? I'm the cook around here..."

"So I've heard from Sakura," Archer remarked, "But I think you can skip the cooking. Saber's in the dojo, by the way, she's waiting for you. You should go talk to her."

"Right, I suppose I should," Shirou said, heading to the dojo, grumbling about Archer taking his duties...

After briefly being surprised by Saber in casual clothing (and being gobsmacked by her beauty), Shirou discussed the state of the war with her. Saber noted to him, "It's clear that none of these Servants are the Heroic Spirits that their Masters intended to summon. They're either from ahead in time, or from other timelines."

"So a Servant can be summoned from the future was well as a different timeline, huh? I guess the laws of time and space don't apply to Servants," Shirou remarked, sitting down in front of her.

"The Throne of Heroes exists separately from any time-stream. Their presence here is not surprising," Saber replied, nodding, "but there is another issue... My Noble Phantasm."

"Ah, your invisible sword?" Shirou had already been informed about what a Noble Phantasm is.

"No. Invisible Air is but a mere sheath to hide my true Noble Phantasm," she said, "but I've realized that I've been carrying the wrong sword."

She summoned her invisible blade, and much to Shirou's surprise, a mighty gale burst out as the invisible sheath dissipated, revealing the blade that it covered. Shirou looked over the sword. It was clearly a one-handed blade, but for a petite girl like Saber, it was rather long. On the side of the blade was an engraving of three triangles in formation that Shirou didn't really recognize. The 'winged' guard and grip were blue, with a yellow gemstone on the sides, and featured a ricasso and no fuller. Shirou couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship. It wasn't a sword forged by men, but by gods. A subtle glow came from the edges of the blade, indicating its holy aura.

Saber looked it over, musing, "Though it is not my Noble Phantasm, and I cannot unleash its full potential, it is an excellent substitute for the sword I normally use. The fact that I have this instead of my proper Noble Phantasm must be a side-effect of whatever affected the summons. But it is a holy sword of comparable power, one that can only be wielded by one who is pure of heart and strong of body."

"I suppose you have both qualities, then," Shirou nodded. "But without your true sword, it would be harder for anyone to discern your true identity, I guess."

"As long as I don't need the full power of the Noble Phantasm, it will suffice," Saber said, as wind covered the blade once more.

Shirou then asked, "What do you think about the other Servants, anyway?"

"I dislike Archer's cynicism, but his heart is pure, and I feel he can be trusted," Saber replied. "Rider is difficult to read. His vehicle is strange, but even I can't help but wonder what it would be like to be in the driver's seat. Lancer is a skilled warrior and a chivalric man, and despite his class, Assassin is surprisingly honourable and respectable. Berserker is... Unsettling. His power is incredible, but his enigmatic nature makes me wonder if he is even human at all... Or if he even resembles a human under that armor."

"Yeah, I think that's about right. Let's go have breakfast," Shirou chuckled.

Shirou and Saber had gone to eat breakfast, cooked by Archer. Shirou had to ultimately concede to Archer's cooking prowess, but he was a bit unhappy with the notion that he was potentially being replaced by a machine. Granted, that machine was entirely sapient, but still.

Also, Rin and Luvia both decided that they should stay over at Shirou's house. This nearly made the young man faint. Sakura and Saber was one thing, but Fuji-Nee was not going to approve Rin and Luvia staying in the house. But the girls weren't going to budge on that one, and Shirou had to give in to their demands. Luvia especially seemed rather gleeful to be staying, which got her annoyed looks from Sakura.

The rest of the day was mainly idle conversation and Shirou making sure Saber was alright. When the evening came, Shirou was relieved to be out of the company of so many beautiful women (not that he didn't appreciate it, but he really wasn't used to it), and was able to sneak back to his shed for his evening training.

But his hope for some time to himself was foiled by Archer, who was waiting right outside the shed. "You know, sneaking out at night without your Servant isn't very safe."

"I know that, but I can't stop my evening routine," Shirou said, walking inside. "I can't improve if I don't practice."

"And you can't improve without actually using those magic circuits you already have. Trying to use your body's nerves as makeshift circuits is dangerous and has diminishing returns," Archer frowned, leaning against the doorway.

Shirou looked back at him, "The human body has thousands of nerves. Even if they're not as strong as 'normal' circuits, the sheer quantity-"

"The nervous system is not supposed to be a power source, and is not even remotely suitable for such a role," Archer countered. "The purpose of nerves are to relay information to and from the brain. Converting the wrong parts of your nervous system into magic circuits would prevent those signals from being transmitted, and would be potentially fatal. You're doubtlessly not the first person to try it. Trying to pursue such a ridiculous theory will only be the death of you, Shirou. And I don't think my Master would like that, or the other girls, for that matter."

"Yeah... Sakura would be sad... And Edelfelt and Tohsaka would lose an ally," Shirou conceded.

"That's not quite what I meant, actually," Archer chuckled.

"... You lost me."

This response nearly made Archer laugh. This kid was utterly clueless. Then again, so was he, a long time ago. But that just dragged up old memories that he really did not want to think about. Shaking his head, he noted, "Nevermind. At any rate, you should work on opening up your magic circuits."

"And how am I supposed to do that? I don't know the first thing about-" Shirou was cut off by Archer coming over, and placing his hand on Shirou's spine, causing a harmless electric shock to go through it, causing Shirou to gasp in pain, and heat flooded his body. Whatever Archer did, it had opened up something in his body. "Guh... What did you...?!"

"I had to open up your first couple of circuits forcefully. Nothing excessive, anything more would be unnecessarily harmful," Archer stepped back. "I'm not a magus, so that's the extent of what I can do. Rin and Luvia would likely know much more. What are you capable of?"

"Projection, structural analysis and strengthening," Shirou replied, panting, trying to regulate his body heat calmly. "Projection was the first thing I could do, but my father told me it was useless."

Archer raised an eyebrow. An interesting set of skills, for sure. "Give it a try, regardless. I want to see if you can access your circuit."

Shirou nodded, holding his hand out, and closing his eyes. What could he create? The image of the sword that Saber had came into his mind, but he knew that was too complex for him to project. So he tried to think of another item. And then, the image of the laser-blade that Archer was using to ward off Saber the night before came into his mind. It didn't seem like a Noble Phantasm, it must be an emergency weapon. So, it must not be as complex to project. He decided to give it a shot, going through several steps to form it. "Trace On-!"

Archer's eyes widened, as he saw the Z-Saber appear in Shirou's hand. How did he do that?! The robot wondered, as he watched Shirou attempt to turn it on. The green energy blade immediately burst out... But then it quickly sizzled out, leaving Shirou puzzled as he tried to turn it back on. Archer spoke, "It's very incomplete, but... Somehow, you managed to project my beam saber, which is a complex piece of electronics. How?"

Shirou dismissed the projection, noting, "I didn't have a good look at it, but when I saw you fend off Saber, I could make an outline of the design in my head. I guess it just comes naturally."

Archer looked at Shirou, dumbfounded. No way... He's just like me. He becomes stronger by copying the weapons of others! This was both an exciting and absolutely terrifying prospect for him. He realised this was likely how Sigma felt when he was talking about "limitless potential". But Shirou's potential was an unknown quantity by a huge stretch. Archer wanted to know more. No, he needed to know more. At the very least, if Shirou wanted to become a superhero, he'd be able to teach him to avoid the mistakes that Archer had made in life.

"That's... Enough for tonight, Shirou. Opening your circuits will have side effects, I think, so try not to use your magecraft if you can help it, until the effects subside," Archer sighed, as he left. "Don't linger out here for long."

Shirou watched the Servant disappear as he walked out, and sighed, deciding to heed his warning. Tonight resulted in much better progress than much of the last five years, he was certain, at least.

To Be Continued