Hey guys! So here's the next installment. I understand that my writing about Archer vs Berserker isn't the most realistic in terms of how it should've went down. Rankings like strength and riding skill are mentioned in the reviews, and I'd like to address them.

First of all, Archer's transforming sword is a Noble Phantasm that is always active no matter what form it takes, It is an Anti-Unit, Anti-Army, Anti-Fortress, etc. depending on the form it takes, plus they're at least A-ranked, so they do damage regardless of Archer's strength ranking. He doesn't really need to say his Noble Phantasm's name because it's active constantly. As for Archer's riding skill ranking, he has a dragon; let's leave it at that. As for his Class trespassing ability, I'll address that in the chapter. So let's get on with it.

Also about pairings…you'll find out! I can say that Lily is a part of it.

Disclaimer: First Chapter

Night 2

Shirou looked at a desolate landscape occupied by several warriors. Among them Archer was there. Archer stared at his colleagues, kneeling like he did. All of them keeled over from their injuries facing either enemy. A woman that looked like the Saber he saw just hours ago had royal blue clothing turned ragged from all the scratches, tears, and holes; her only intact outfit were her magically-repairing armor. She stabbed an intricate sword on the ground as support while one knee stabilized her other side. She gasped for breath, yet couldn't do so properly because of the intimidating aura one of the men floating above unleashed. A man in red sported objects, probably swords, on his back, but he wasn't sure of it; the image was fuzzy at best. Like a mildly thick fog, the image kept blurring the more he wants to see. He's still alive despite the multiple weapons impaling his torso. He too was in equally exhausted shape as the Saber look-alike. His white hair donned blotches of red and his mouth spat a waterfall of blood, but he couldn't identify his face. Lancer, the exact same Lancer he saw today, was no better. To be honest, he thought Lancer died standing. He got the same treatment as the man in red did, but more devastating in appearance. Again with the fuzzy image, Shirou saw what seemed to be Lancer impaled at the heart. Lancer's breaths came at a rapid, irregular rhythm. His left shoulder was useless as a spear-like object tore through the joint. A pirate woman was out of commission. Knocked out and out of mana, her body faced the ground with her back towards the sky. Her injuries were unidentifiable, but Shirou knew she bled heavily. A fox girl seemed the least injured, but merely exhausted. A black knight's armor was dented all over the place. Whole pieces of weapons lodged themselves in the grooves of the knight's armor, but despite that, he was ready for more. A very questionable girl with questionable clothing had only one arm. Still in pain, she lowered herself to knee and try to drown out the pain in her left side.

Despite the damage Archer and his allies faced, it didn't mean that the two men with extremely destructive powers were left unscathed by the assault. A man in white robes, blurred from recognition, floated above the exhausted fighters. Another, also blurred, stood on some intricate contraption. The most discernible thing Shirou could identify was the gold the individual wore.

Archer looked angry with himself. Looking over his left hand, he stared at it for quite some time. After that adequate amount of time, Archer spoke "With this command spell, I, - , command my -" With a flash of red, a piece of the what Shirou identified as a command spell from the earlier discussion about the peculiarities of the Holy Grail War, disappeared, and the kneeling fighters bathed in majestic green light that healed them completely. All of them now stood up, ready for the fight.

The two men stared down at their enemies. They were obviously displeased. Frowning or scowling in anger, both of them seethed in seeing Archer and his friends struggle to stand once more to fight. Naruto looked to his right. A visor was on the ground. He desperately and grabbed it without delicacy. There was no time to waste and one more thing to do; he asked the fox girl for help, "Make me a -." he commanded.

"What for?" She asked.

"-." Archer mouthed seriously. Bringing out several wonderfully crafted swords, he stabbed them into different areas as well as placed the visor in another same area. The girl hastily created the - and let Archer start his chanting without interruption. He mouthed what seemed to be names, but who or what for, Shirou didn't know. What he did know was that his Servant -still getting used to that- isn't ready to surrender to those floating opponents of theirs.

Naruto reminisced. Upon his death, he was greeted by Alaya, the will of mankind to survive. Naruto's Servant, Archer, warned him about the counter force. Whether it was a warning to get away from the presence or be wary of it, the orange Knight forgot. He stepped closer, wondering what the collective consciousness of mankind would want with his dead self. The overbearing silence the entity gave unnerved Naruto; a feat few have done once he became an adult. Barring the slight digression, Naruto was bombarded with images of the past, the 5th Grail War and its corrupted Grail. He had a few in mind about what he was being tasked to do.

Destroy the Grail.

Huh…straight to the point. Admirable for the will of mankind to state that without buildup or preparation. He wondered to himself what would his class be if he were to be summoned in the Grail War. Will he be a Saber, Lancer, Archer, Berserker, Assassin, Caster, or Rider? He could be any of those things really, and being in any of those classes would limit his battle capabilities exponentially; a great shame.

You will be a combat pragmatist, a warrior who will use anything to win. You will keep the skills you've learned in your life and become a counter force to destroy the Grail.

Interesting…Alaya would give him his skills to destroy the corrupted Grail? Truly an honor to be given immunity to class restrictions. He bowed slightly in thanks for the gesture given. However… "Does this mean I'm a Counter Guardian?"

No. You are merely employed to take this task. You are still Gaia's beast.

Gaia's beast…in other words, a Heroic Spirit. Hm…so he has a place in the Throne of Heroes, it seemed. "Then what of the other dimensionsexperiencing this exact dilemma?" He continued to ask. "The Second Magic surely has other parallels that are in need of being saved from the corrupt Grail. Moreover, there are an unlimited number of those parallels. How am I supposed to destroy the Grail if I'm destroying only one from one branch of the original event?" Naruto's questions seem to silence the will of mankind. Either it's thinking of possible answers, or it cannot divulge into those answers. Though he hoped that the former would happen.

This particular Grail would cause the extinction of all mankind. Angra Mainyu, All the World's Evil, will destroy the world if not destroyed in time.

"Hm…" Naruto hummed with a thumb resting under his chin and the other fingers closed in a loosely made fist, while his other hand supported his other elbow. "So it seems you are in charge of merely keeping the existence of mankind within the parallels…do I have that assumption right?"

Yes. The Grail will inevitably be corrupted. I make the necessary preparations to ensure mankind isn't destroyed by the calamity. The Grail, should you fail, will cause a major cataclysmic stagnation, then degeneration, and finally extinction.

"Yikes…" Naruto cringed at the responsibility he'd been given to shoulder. "Way to lay it on thick, Alaya."

This is the will of mankind of mankind you're talking to, Spirit. I wouldn't even consider you for this job or other exemplary Spirits and favor my own agents to this unless it's a drastic event like this. This extinction will not stop at humans, it will wipe out all life in the planet, something Gaia would not want to happen so casually. You, Beast of Gaia, must stop this or your world will be the same as the red planet.

'Red planet? That's not possible. So if I fail, that's what will happen to that branch of the past?' He pondered the situation critically. All of his skills would be present; none would be locked away, and he could use all of them, which was perfect considering Archer told him about Berserker, the same one he fought last night. Those A-ranked Noble Phantasms will help in defeating him. As for the lesser Grail, Illyasviel von Einzbern…

Her heart would be the key to create the actual Grail, at least the Lesser one. If she isn't used as a sacrifice, then the Lesser Grail can't be made. Then again, there's also the big alternative, which is killing her, then burning her heart. As shown by their encounter with the girl, she had an abundant amount of Od in those magic circuits of hers in order to supply Berserker with Mad Enhancement. So there were two options he could take here, keep Illya safe, or regrettably kill her.

He heard the stories about Illya from Archer. Apparently, she was his sister, a child left alone by her father, Archer's father, whom adopted him. She grew resentful after she was 'abandoned' after her father lost the 4th War. The Einzbern family took to teaching her to be a proper Magus while growing resentment for the adopted child of Kiritsugu Emiya. If he's summoned by anyone, Counter Guardian Archer's Master, Rin Tohsaka would be compatible with him in terms of the ability of handling him and his deviating tendencies. In terms of personality, Shirou Emiya, Archer, would be compatible with him. That is…if Avalon doesn't become the catalyst. Digressing over that, if he's summoned by Illya herself, then it'd be a simple matter of protecting her. Having considered the most likely possibilities, Naruto nods.

"I'll do it." He said with confidence, "I'll become your counter agent just this once, Alaya. For the world, I will fight to my last breath. It only seems fair that a Spirit of exceptional skill performs the task unlike those inadequate Counter Guardians, who cause way too much trouble than necessary to do the job." Alaya seemed to ignore the jab aimed at its Counter Guardians, but Naruto was sure there was a hint of fury inside the will of mankind. While not a pretty sign, it didn't matter. Alaya was duty first before all else.

Perfect. Win the War, and destroy the Grail.

Alaya said those last words as a command. If Naruto didn't learn anything martial from his Servants, he did learn how to be chivalrous, a flirt (a horrible one), be a strict mediator, and as he just displayed, snarky. Naruto could just imagine the thumbs up he'd get from Archer and his Counter Guardian version as he made that snide remark against Alaya, but it was only speculation, nothing more, nothing less. He doubt he'd see either version in the Throne of Heroes because they are arranged by timeline, meaning he's somewhere in the infinite expanse of time. Once the will of mankind disappeared, Naruto was transported to his throne. An orange throne decorated with lines of gold and blue and his trials and tribulations was displayed before him.

To the throne's left, a lion, Kiritsugu, named in memory of Archer's father, sat quietly, almost asleep. To the right, a giant white dragon with giant golden horns on its head and fins covering almost its entire body, Kiryuuin stood, er…floated in vigilance. These were his two animals friends he'd found and raised during his travel. Kiritsugu was a lion much larger than regular ones. As for Kiryuuin, his species, Amatsumaguchi, storm dragons that lived in the upper atmosphere, he found it as a meteorite. The memory stings a little. He shook his head, wiping away the memory, and patted both beasts' heads before taking a seat in his throne.

Now he had to wait in silence, wondering which Master would summon him.

'It'll be difficult killing the Einzbern in cold blood.' Naruto said to himself, 'I'll take my chances in protecting her.' With that decision, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. He'd only wake up to answer the call of his summons.

"Master. Wake up." Archer ordered. He shook the sleeping body of Shirou Emiya, his Master. Shire stirred slightly from his slumber. Archer took note that his Master hadn't changed from his bloodied uniform. Archer shook Shirou some more, eliciting a groan from the teen.

"Mm…Archer. What time is it?" Shirou groggily asked while refusing to sit up.

"Four in the morning." Archer answered.

"Eh?" Shirou opened his eyes and sat up. "Really? Why are you waking me up so early, Archer." He questioned his Servant's decision to wake him from his wonderful sleep. "What's so important that I need to be woken up at this ungodly hour?"

"I want to see if you can summon me properly."

"What? But I already summoned you, didn't I?" Shirou said in confusion. Archer shook his head.

"That's why I said 'properly'." Archer emphasized. "The reason for my lowered stats is due to the fact that you summoned me out of instinct, and not from a proper incantation. A proper summoning always yields to a better result." Shirou nodded in understanding, at least somewhat. "You summoned me without a catalyst, an object tied to a Servant. When the Grail summons a Servant, if the Master has no catalyst, it will choose the Servant through compatibility."

"So you're going to make me do the summoning properly using your catalyst, correct?"

"Indeed. Now, let us go to the site of my summoning and do this quick. The quicker we're done with this, the better the chance nobody notices anything out of the blue." Both men walked to the shed briskly. Though they spoke of one thing that bothered or interested Shirou. He looked at his Servant's hair, resembling the unkempt mane of his lion, and it stimulated the following observation he came to remember but did not pursue last night.

"Archer." Shirou called to his Servant.

"Hm? What is it, Master?" Archer replied with his own query.

"That lion you summoned last night, Kiritsugu." Shirou started saying. Archer made an 'ah' gesture because he knew where thins conversation would head. He listened silently to see what his Master would ask of him. "It sounds Japanese in origin. And judging from your appearance, you aren't from Japanese descent." Archer looked surprised at his Master's observation skills.

"I found Kiritsugu as a cub. I raised it along with my friends. One of them suggested the name. I liked the suggestion, and so, that's my lion's name. As for your second statement, you could consider me a half-breed or something along the lines. My father has western origins whereas my mother had more of an oriental appearance." Archer explained his origins vaguely; though Shirou deemed it adequate enough for now.

Once they arrived, Archer handed his Master one of his Pauldrons and told him to place it within the circle that seemed to fade away after its initial use.

"So what do I do?" Shirou asked Archer, who handed him a small note. Where he got the paper and pencil to write down the words, the young man didn't know.

"Read it." Archer said, "The summoning will do the rest." Shirou looked at the note with a hint of suspicion. The Grail War seemed like a mess judging from what he saw last night. Scratch mess, the War was more like disaster from the initial battles he witnessed. He had to kill Servants to win. Not really him per se, but it would be under his command that Archer would kill enemy Servants. Reluctantly, Shirou recited the incantation.

Let silver and steel be the essence.

Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.

Let red be the color I pay tribute to.

Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.

Let the four cardinal gates close.

Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.

Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.

Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.

Let my will create thy body and thy sword create my fate.

If thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!

I hereby swear,

I will be all that is good in the eternal world,

I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world.

Thou clad with the Great Trinity,

Come forth from the circle of restraint,

Guardian of the Heavenly scales!

The magic circle glowed a heavenly blue, and the light bathed the room in the very same color. Archer thought something was wrong; he wasn't experiencing the sensation of being pulled by an invisible force all summonings tended to do. Archer guessed that the circle ignored his catalyst for another more powerful one. He had only one extremely plausible idea which catalyst the circle used. However, it should be impossible; all seven had been summoned already. Any more, and Shirou would die from the exhaustion!

Archer palmed his Master's back, and forced his Master's circuits to come alive like neon green streaks emerging from his back. To alleviate any extraneous stress from the summoning, the more magic circuits active would allow for a less life-threatening experience. Hopefully the catalyst would heal him quickly. The glow blinded the two men, and once it disappeared, a woman the Shirou saw in his dream last night appeared. Archer guessed right; if he wasn't being summoned, she was the only other reason.

"I ask of you, are you my Master? Servant Saber has answered your summons." The woman asked. Archer looked stunned to see a second Saber be summoned to this Grail War, and be the eighth Servant no less. This just screams destabilization. Archer surmised that the corruption is far stronger than he imagined if the Grail allowed a second Saber to be summoned as an eighth Servant in a battle of Seven classes. Said Servants of the other classes sensed the disturbance; something destroyed the rule of Seven. One other 'Servant' in particular recognized the presence as the same Servant from ten years ago.

"Y-yes? I am Shirou Emiya." Shirou stammered. Despite this being his second summoning, he still hadn't gotten used to that question.

"Then the pact is forged. My blade shall hencef- Servant?!" Saber poised her blade at Archer. She was ready to strike him down for her Master.

"Saber…I am Master's Servant as well." Saber stiffened, but did not point the invisible sword away. "It may seem impossible, but you are summoned by Master. In fact you should know me. Though it seems the Grail summoned you from a time where you haven't met me. Let me show you." Saber backed away slowly as a form of caution, and her invisible blade was gripped a little more tighter. His voice calmed her slightly; however, her guard, which slowly deteriorated, stayed. Something in her mind told her that the Servant before her could be trusted. It also helped that the Servant before her donned the look of a Knight. Archer cautiously placed his hands on Saber's forehead. 'Mind helping me out?' he asked something inside his head. Saber's eyes widened as Archer's memories implanted themselves inside Saber's mind. The most prominent event, her fight with Archer replayed several times. "Now do you recognize me, Saber-nee?"

Saber lowered her blade, and smirked. "Quite the happenings, Archer." She placed a hand on her hip, "So I'm the eighth Servant, it seems. You certainly get yourself into quite the trouble, don't you?" Her smile reassures Archer that what he did was successful. "So did you reactivate his dormant circuits?" Archer nodded, and Saber returned the gesture. "Good. It'd be terrible if our Master perished as soon as he summoned me. He doesn't have the same amount of circuits as you do. If you hadn't done that, then he really would suffer an unwanted death."

Shirou stared with mouth agape. He would've died? What's even worse, they're talking about such a serious thing like death as if it was nothing?! If they're his Servants, then shouldn't they be worried about his wellbeing?!

"Ara…? Saber-nee, are you learning the ways of snark?" Archer mockingly asked. "Did he teach you how to snark?" Archer leaned forward in anticipation at finally seeing the King of Knights actually being something else than honorable.

"He did say that I needed to get with the times." Saber retorted. She sighed, "Honestly, I still favor how I usually act. A Knight is never one to snark or make snide comments about a person." Saber stated with finality. She turned to Shirou and kneeled like her Knights would to her, "As I was saying, Master, henceforward, my sword shall be your fate. I shall protect you with all my might. No doubt Archer will do the same, isn't that so, Archer?"

Archer kneeled beside her, and followed Saber's example. "Indeed, I too will do all I can to protect you." Archer answered with a steel conviction, "However, with you obtaining two Servants, you only have the supply to maintain one constantly. Even so, your low amount of Prana won't be able to properly sustain one of us. Your amount of Prana is also quite low that Saber won't be able to receive the supply, at least at a constant flow. And with your inadequate skill as a magus, Saber's stats have declined considerably, or at least as stats unbecoming of a Saber-class Servant." Shirou stared at Archer silently while he took in every bit of information given. "Also in your case, Saber cannot disappear like I can. Therefore, she'll take up most of your supply of Prana, and will need a set of clothes." The boy blushed at the image he created in his mind. Saber was without a doubt mesmerizing. Flawless skin, glossy, golden hair, and a petite body that make her a dangerous Teddy Bear in his eyes. Unknowingly, he let out a small smile, which both Servants noticed. Archer glanced over at Saber, who smiled at their Master's reaction.

But then, Shirou realized something, "If I can only supply one Servant, then how will you survive, Archer?"

"An excellent question, Master." Archer said, "I will use my Independent Action skill to survive." Shirou raised an eyebrow at that. What did Independent Action mean? Archer continued, "It means I can reject the supply, which you can't even give, and live off without the need for those things for an indefinite amount of time. In layman's terms, I can stay here as long as I want even if you're dead. I won't let that happen to you though." Archer added the last part quickly in order to reassure his Master that everything would be fine. "Besides that, the only time I'll need a constant supply of Prana is if I want to be able to use my Noble Phantasms."

"So…"

"So it means that you'll 'supply' Saber most of the time, and I will be a free bird."

"I see. So in a way, this is the most logical and safest way I'll stay alive with two Servants, is it?" Shirou asked as a means to see if he comprehended the information. Both Servants nodded. "Okay… Then we'll need an alibi for Saber."

"An alibi?" Archer asked. "Wha- Oh…You're right. We do need a proper alibi for Saber. You aren't the only one living in this house of yours, right?"

"Technically, I live alone, but I do have frequent visitors in the morning and afternoons." Shirou answered. "One of them is my Kouhai, the other, a freeloading Sensei." Archer snorted at his Master's depiction of the latter's Sensei. "They'll be sure to notice a foreigner in my house."

"Yeah, no kidding." Archer said sarcastically while rolling his eyes at the obviousness. Saber slapped his shoulder, eliciting a recoiled reaction from the orange Knight, who caressed the spot affected. Saber gave Archer a look of fury that terrified him. He reeled back as if to say 'Okay…! I get it.'

"Then there's also you." Shirou added, "Being my Servant means that we'll have to interact in public at some point. So we'll need to think of an alibi just for you. But what could be some believable scenarios that could get both of you off the hook?" He rested a hand on his chin and adopted a thinking pose. "There has to be some credulous alibi that has to work."

"Huh? A tutor?" One Taiga Fujimura, Freeloader Extraordinaire, asked while inspecting the man before her. Next to him, a woman sat silently. Her piercing gaze tries to instill fear into both, but failed. Both were foreigners, had blonde hair and fair skin. The man looked quite rigid and mature, as if he was a sculpture, and looked to be around his late twenties; though the whisker marks on his face degraded the idea. The man, Shirou's supposed tutor, smiled at her in that exotic, and blissful smile; her heart thumped a bit. She looked back at the woman, who resembled a delicate flower with that petite body of hers and looked to be no older than sixteen.

"Yes, Fujimura-san." Archer, under the guise of the name 'Erik Gunther,' replied, "Young Shirou here asked me to tutor him into the more complex intricacies of the English language. I was unaware of the fact that you were one, and I understand that you are an English teacher of remarkable skill. Please excuse my transgressions; I feel terrible to intrude on your job." He bowed to the energetic woman, shocking her because of the action, and because he spoke in fluent -eloquent- Japanese. Taiga displayed a blank face that neither Shirou of his Kouhai, Sakura, could identify. The Kendo practitioner shuddered slightly. Sakura Matou brushed her shoulder-length, straight, purple hair, and cautiously grabbed her teacher's shuddering shoulder.

Completely unexpected, Taiga puts her hands to her cheeks and swayed left and right while trying to hide her embarrassment. "AAAWWWW! I'm not furious Mister Gunter! I'm totally- no EXTREMELY fine with you tutoring Shirou. I admit I can be a handful at times, and some of the material goes over my students' heads because of the energy I just release. its one of the biggest flaws I have as a teacher and I-" she kept on blabbering nonstop, and 'Erik' had learned to tune it out. He realized this woman was weak to too much praise or respect. Either that or his dashing good looks or fluency in Japanese charmed her. Shirou had his mouth comically wide open. Never…never had he seen his elder sister figure act this way! He had to be dreaming; he just had to! Never in his life did he ever think that the Tiger would become domesticated by a man, a foreigner no less!

"How cruel of you, Erik." Saber, under the name of 'Clarisse Gunther,' whispered to her 'younger brother'. She had yet to reveal herself as the older on out of the two of them. Though, in the back of her mind, she could falsify her age to properly safeguard Shirou from the enemy Masters and Servants in school. "Toying with a woman's heart like so... It's unbecoming for a man like you to do such a thing to her." Erik turned to his sister, and gave her a narrow stare.

"I understand your reason for being her, but what about her?!" Taiga pointed to Clarisse with a shaky index finger and arm trying to stay stiff while pointing at its target. The woman in question leaned back as if trying to stay away from the offending finger. "As Shirou's guardian, I cannot allow a woman to get close to Shirou. I cannot allow your younger sister to be here." Shirou raised an eyebrow at that, then instantly blushed. Sakura stood flabbergasted at her teacher's implication.

"Ah..." Erik monotonously said, "Clarisse is my older sister, Fujimura-san." He stated as a matter of fact. "I'm younger than her. She's twen-" Before he could finish, he received a punch from his sister. The fist that dealt the damage shook and bathed in fury. She stood menacingly with her fist in the air.

"What did I tell you about revealing a woman's age?!" She growled out. Erik stared impassively, and returned to the conversation at hand. He did not want to start a childish argument such as something as simple as discussing her age. The action irked Clarisse, but did not choose to pursue conflict by pressing on with the childish interrogation.

"As you can see, she's the older one." He said with the subtle hint of sarcasm that he'd been taught to recognize and utilize. Saber scowled uncharacteristically, and fumed at Archer's words, "If you still don't want her to be here, spar with her in Kendo. She practiced fencing, and dabbled for a couple of years in Kendo. I heard from Shirou here that you are an excellent practitioner of the art of swordplay, and that there's a dojo you can use to practice. It should prove to quite interesting, no?"

Shirou wanted to say "How does a fight justify her stay?" but then realized by pointing out this little fact might prevent him from seeing Saber's skill in action; that and the fact that this little fact would be effectively ignored.

"Your older sister?" Taiga asked, "She practices Kendo?" Somewhere in the back of her mind, her inner desire to fight peaked at an all time high. The woman in front of her, a foreigner, practiced Kendo. Her inner tiger -despite all she might try to deny it- bared her claws and fangs at the thought of wielding her Torashinai against this 'dangerous' woman. In more simple thinking, she thought Sakura was a better woman that would catch Shirou's eyes than the foreigner in front of her. Oh look at her, jumping on the S.S. Sakura Emiya. With a huff, she agreed, and both left the dining room to go to the dojo.

Saber stood ready with a Shinai in her hand, and her stance perfected. Taiga praised her for such attention to detail in form. She stared at her opponent; calm, collected, and fierce, Saber gripped the Shinai firmly as a signal to show she's prepared. However…

"Are you seriously not going to wear any armor?" Taiga asked. Saber wore the same outfit she'd been given the first time she'd been summoned as Shirou's Servant, which was a knee-length skirt, a white, long-sleeved blouse, and a black pantyhose. She turned to Archer. "Mister Erik, please show your sister reason. She could get hurt!" Archer waved it off as nothing, and told her she could handle herself.

"She'll be fine, Fujimura-san. Her teacher told her that her skill fit with the capacity of Knights of the European Medieval era. She'll be fine. Trust me."

Taiga looked worried as Archer's dismissal, and reluctantly turned to Saber. "First to a victory point wins. Okay?" Saber nodded and narrowed her eyes in focus. Her rigid form stood atop the loose balls of her feet, ready to spring at any time like a Jack in the Box. Like her, Taiga took her stance. With Shirou as the referee, he signaled the start of the fight.

Saber sprung forwards, her Shinai right above her to strike Taiga's head. The Tiger blocks it, and slides her Shinai to force Saber's to move away from her head. She pushed Saber off, and returned the favor by aiming a slash at her sides. Saber swung to her right, and parried the attack, pinning the Torashinai's point to the ground. She quickly raised her sword to once again aim it at Taiga's head. The Kendo practitioner aimed her slash at the same spot, and both bamboo swords meet in a deadlock.

"Wow…Clarrise-san is quite talented in Kendo to be able to force Fujimura-sensei on the defensive." Sakura said in awe. Archer didn't say anything as he already knew this is what would happen. Besides, the girl next to him was more important. The purple hair reminded him of Mel. He inwardly sighed; Second Magic is a pain to accept, but he's here, and staring at him right in the face. He missed them, his Servants. They were his loyal subjects, but family first and foremost. Though some of them were his lovers. He smiled at the memory of his girls hugging him so tight he thought he'd die the best way, in the bosom of his lovers.

His reminiscent thoughts were broken by Saber's mighty yell. She'd slashed at Taiga's side; however, the woman blocked and retaliated. The fight favored neither side, and Saber saw the woman's skill shine far more brighter here than the first time they'd sparred. The sound of bamboo meeting echoed hollowly with each clash. Their slashes seemed wild; however, to the trained eye, these were precise, expertly executed strikes meant to incapacitate. Saber's skill as a Knight prevented any incoming attacks from hitting her. The same can be said for Taiga. Both women strived for a victory, and the spectators could clearly see it in both their faces.

Saber stepped back, allowing Taiga's swing to narrowly miss her side. As she missed, Saber lunged forward once again aiming to hit the woman's head. As if following some program, Taiga reacted quickly, blocking the attack. Saber raised her sword and repeated the action again, and again, and again. Taiga blocked all of them, and at the fifth time, Saber held the Shinai in a reverse grip. The force of the attack visibly bent Torashinai more than it could possibly take, yet it still kept its form. Saber slid the sword down, and returned her grip to its original position. She kept her sword to her right, leading Taiga to defend her left. When Saber raised her sword, Taiga instinctively blocked overhead. Saber swung downwards, but aimed left, confusing Taiga for that single moment. Saber stepped forward, and twisted her body to the right, her sword following its flight plan accordingly. Mere inches away from Taiga's unguarded side, Saber's Shinai stopped.

Shirou raised his hand, "Winner, Sa-Clarrise Gunther!" Archer gave a knowing smirk towards Taiga, who frowned at her loss, but blushed under Archer's unknowingly effective smiles.

'It has to be his foreign looks!' Taiga concluded, 'It's the only reason why I'm reacting to his…gorgeous and innocent and dashing looks.' She shook her head. 'No! I must not fall to corruption!' Archer did not see Taiga's various and entertaining facial expressions unlike Shirou, still gawking at Taiga's out of character reactions. The English teacher turned to Saber, "For someone who's dabbled into Kendo, you sure know how to fight in the style."

Saber bowed, "I thank you for the compliment. Kiritsugu-san taught me during one of his trips abroad."

"Eh? You know Kiritsugu-san?" Taiga questioned, "How?"

Archer butted in, "Our mother is good friends with the man. He'd give us souvenirs from Japan when we were little while he'd go on about his business in banking or whatever it was they talked about. We wondered why he never visited us for ten years. I moved on and became a teach or tutor of English. And it seems my sister here wanted to delve into what happened with Kiritsugu-san." He turned to Saber, "Seriously, I did not expect you to go to Japan just for a reason like this."

Saber, catching on to the alibi, retorted, "I'm a grown woman, Erik. I can choose to go where I want to go." She cemented the idea by placing her hands on her hips, the opposite of what she tried to convey.

Archer snickered while leaning his back on the wall, "Not with your height you aren't." Without even opening his eyes, he knew Saber fumed at his words. If one were to compare her height, Saber looked to be approximately a head shorter than their Master. He then sensed Saber hammering her Shinai at his head. Years of being taught to counter a blade, Archer grabbed a Shinai in the rack conveniently next to him. Archer parried the blow, and kept doing it as Saber kept on slashing at him. "Geez…Calm down, Claire. So what if you're on the short side? You look fabulous enough to charm any guy you want. Though with your actual age…" In his mutterings, he earned a mighty Thwack to the head. "Ow! Okay, I deserve that, but did you have to do it so hard?" He cradled his head to ease the pain away.

"Hmph!" Saber turned away from the injured Archer; the action was her only sign as an answer. Their Master stared at how much the two were in sync when it came to this alibi. They acted like siblings so much you'd never question it! Though they could try and act a bit more mature…

Actually…How did they know who Kiritsugu was? Shirou will have to inquire about that little known fact.

They returned to the dining room to finish their discussion. Erik had returned to the topic of being Shirou's tutor. Taiga adopted a thinking pose, and left the others waiting for five minutes with bated breath. All the suspense seemed to burn away when Taiga slammed her hands on the table. "I got it!" She yelled ecstatically, "How about you become my assistant teacher?" That got Archer's brain thinking, "Sure Homurahara Academy will need to see your credentials and such, but seeing as you're a bonafide Englishman, I'm sure you'll be hired quickly! If you get hired, but won't be an assistant, you'll be just as great a teacher because you are fluent in the english language to teach alongside me!" And then came the rest of the babble that would further explain why this would work. To Archer, it means he can keep an eye on the school and his Master; he'll just need forged diplomas and documents, and he'll be set. He could probably do it in less than a day.

"That is a better alternative than tutoring." Archer replied.

"Just don't swoon your female students and staff, Erik. We already had that problem while we were in High school and College; we don't want repeats, got it?" Taiga and Sakura had fun imagining whatever scenario they concocted in their heads when they tried to decipher what Saber meant by that. Taiga surmised a flood of women chasing after him. Sakura thought the X-rated version of what Taiga imagined; she successfully hid her furious blush from prying eyes.

"Okay, okay, Claire." He set his focus back to Taiga, "I'd like to take up on your offer. Just give me a day or two to gather my documents. It has been a while since I've actually shown them, and no doubt they had gathered dust after all these years inside mother's house."

"You left your documents in England?" Taiga asked, somewhat suspicious now that Archer said he left the vital documents that allowed a person to teach.

"Well to be fair, I wanted to take a vacation before settling in Fuyuki City. I didn't expect myself to offer myself to teach Shirou had I not found the Emiya residence during one of my morning strolls, nor did I expect to be in this present situation." Archer defended himself, quickly making excuses left and right to keep up the alibi he'd forged to seamlessly. Inwardly, he knew to be wary of Shirou's guardian. She had a lot of insight despite acting like a goof; something he'd know for he was once a troublesome individual as a child. Taiga seemed to accept that answer and returned to her seat.

"Ah, Fujimura-Sensei, we must go! Early club practice will start soon." Sakura stated, completely putting the previous topic negligible for the moment. Archer mentally sighed. He didn't know how he could come up with believable excuses in such short notice. He hypothesized it having to do with his previous occupation, and it seemed to be the best candidate. Other than that, it could be attributed to how well he can pull anything out of his ass. Seriously, how convenient was it that a lot of his enemies were defeated by one well-placed Rasengan with an equally unique and convenient power-boost of some sort?

B-rank luck… Thank goodness Shirou was incompetent -not really appropriate to say. If he were a better Master, Archer was sure that his luck would rise to A+++ and almost everything would become a Deus Ex Machina! The Shinai rack next to him was just a small sign of his luck rank.

"I gotta go as well. You two can (Must) stay here." Shirou said in a way that seemed like a command to his Servants. Within minutes, Shirou left the Emiya residence, and the Gunther siblings were left alone to do whatever they wish. Archer laid down on his back while Saber remembered that this happened before, left alone in the house because she couldn't dematerialize.

"So, Naruto…what will you do?" Saber queried.

"First of all, make forged documents, then scout the city, and then keep an eye out for our Master."

"I meant about Taiga. She seems infatuated with you. What'll you do about that? She can't be involved. You know that right?" She received a nod.

"I'll keep her safe if she is involved. Though it doesn't mean I'll romance her. Knowing those girls, they'll kill me if they found out I got extra members." He bitterly said those words. "She is a gem of a woman, I will admit. Whoever can handle her will be quite the guy."

Saber ignored the last sentence, seeing as she won't get anymore informations from him, "You seem to have your agenda taken care of, but it seems there's something more you're leaving out. Tell me."

In school, Shinji Matou, Sakura's brother, strolled in a hallway back and forth, and panicked the whole time. He started his messy purple hair in frustration. If he felt that, then everyone else surely felt that. His hands balled up a pair of fists. "Who summoned that eighth Servant?" That occupied his mind at the moment. If one of the seven somehow summoned an eighth Servant, then that Master has the biggest advantage at the moment. He bit his thumb, how can Rider manage a second of any of the classes? She looked weak. Why was she a Heroic Spirit? Why was Sakura the Master? If anything, he's the true Master; Sakura wouldn't hurt a fly.

And he went on a tangent. If Rider will get a fighting chance, he'll need to activate the Blood Fort soon. And with Tohsaka as a Master attending the school, he knows he has to do it very soon to balance the scales enough that Rider has a fifty-fifty chance of winning against Tohsaka's Servant. Even worse, he knew Tohsaka had been meddling in his Magic circles by dismantling them. It's surprising Edelfelt hadn't done anything about his magic circles despite him knowing her being a Magus. "This is the worst possible thing that could happen right now… Rider!" He called to 'his' Servant, who appeared in a purple haze.

Beautiful, silky purple hair that ran the length of her body was the biggest and most defining detail about the woman. She wore a black tube dress with a dark purple trim at the top. Conforming to the color scheme, she also wore a pair of detached sleeves with purple straps at the top and wristbands, while for the bottom, she wore a pair of black thigh-high boots with a purple trim and armor at theta of her feet. On her face, a purple blindfold covered her eyes, and above it, a strange design was etched. "Yes, Shinji?" She asked.

"We might need to activate the Blood Fort Andromeda today." Shinji said while scowling. "I wanted to do it later to show it off, but we might need to do it today just to keep you in the game." Rider stood there listening to Shinji's every word. He wanted her to be strong enough to combat the mysterious eighth Servant summoned just this morning. She'd already tried to investigate the area surrounding the summoning, but she couldn't penetrate the powerful bounded field meant to keep a Servant away. She knew the caster of the field wanted to know his/her presence to be known. Before those, she breach three, nearly undetectable fields crafted with expert skill, warning her to stay away. At the last field, she wondered what those warnings were for because nothing happened to her neither physically or mentally. It either meant that if she continued to break through, the caster would retaliate, or lightning ambush. It was a futile attempt, so she left.

"Understood, Shinji." She said before disappearing into her spirit form.

In the distance, a Servant shrouded in the darkness of the forest fizzled away into nothingness to report his findings to his Master. All the mysterious Servant said before disappearing was, "Archer…"

Rin sat at the rooftop, and scanned the placid blue sky and halcyon clouds. In contrast, her mind held dark thoughts regarding Shirou. He didn't deserve Archer as his Servant. Compatible, maybe, but his poor skills as a Magus and Master will lead his Servant to ruin. She had to know if he was worthy, if he could handle a Servant of Archer's caliber. Lily wouldn't respond to her when she told the Knight her idea in the morning. It seemed that her pride as a Knight was far more important.

Then there's the strange summoning. 'An eighth Servant…' She pondered if it was possible at all. The Servant system only allowed for one of each class to appear. If so, what happened in order to bend the rules? If it isn't a Servant from the seven classes, then could the mysterious Servant be from the lost classes of the Third War? During her internal ramblings, she felt a presence stalk her, and she knew who it was. "I know you're there, Archer." Rin spoke out loud. "Reveal yourself. Why stalk your ally?"

"You bear ill will against my Master, and had half a mind to act on that impure will. You speak about being allies while thinking about those things. You've quite a strange definition for an ally, Tohsaka-san." Archer said nonchalantly, "I have to keep an eye on you. It's not that difficult to keep you both in check." Rin frowned; she knew that Archer meant that he's using his duplication ability to keep tabs on both of them. Try all she might, Archer seemed to have a knack for placing priority over things at appropriate times. He wasn't a total fool of a Servant.

"You're absolutely right." Archer shifted his stance from a relaxed one to a prepared one. The Tohsaka admired that despite the annoying Servant's actions, he prioritized the safety of his Master, "I wish to test him. I want to know how skilled the Master of Archer is for myself. I want to know if he's worthy of being your Master. Now ride along, Dragon Rider."

"Dragon Rider?" Archer asked. He smirked; the girl was good. She already figured out why he has a EX-ranked riding skill. "Amazing. That's one out of…I lost count of NPs I have. Good luck figuring our who I am!" He smiled at her, "You know...I wonder what would happen should you have summoned me, Tohsaka. It'd be a strange partnership, that much I can tell. But other than that, I give you approval to do this; just don't kill him, or I will kill you."

"If he dies, then he wasn't meant to be a Master, Archer. Seriously…If he can't handle me in a fight, then how will he handle any other Servant? I'll do it after school so that no innocent bystanders and potential victims witness this." Rin answered without any hesitation.

"Okay then. Just to warn you, I have a gut feeling that an outside force will interrupt your battle. Who or what, I don't know. What I can vouch for is that besides you and Master, there are three other Masters here. And one is a poor excuse to be one."

"Ah…you must be talking about Shinji. Not to worry, he won't be a major problem." Rin dismissed the Matou as if he was an insignificant bug. The way she talked about him, belittling the arrogant Magus, she clearly despised the Matou. Though unlike the Matou, she took the other Masters seriously, "As for the other Masters, I have a feeling the foreigner transfer student is a Magus. I have no idea who the last one could be."

"So you've identified at least five of the seven Masters. Good. If I may?" He bowed and asked to leave. Rin found it odd that she couldn't place a proper personality on the Servant; it frustrated her a bit. Aloof at one point, then serious the next. Bipolar perhaps? She never heard of a Servant with a multi-personality disorder.

"You may leave, Archer. No doubt, you've some scouting to do, am I right in assuming so?" She received a wordless nod. And so, the Servant dispersed into golden flames, its embers flickering in the air like fireflies before they too disappeared. With the conversation over, she walked to the fence and scanned the area. Because of the strange occurrences in the city, students would be forced to go home as soon as the school day is over. This is the perfect time to test Shirou, who'll undoubtedly stay. "Saber." She called.

Next to her, a kneeling Saber acknowledged her call, "Yes, Master."

"I want you to investigate the magic circles of blood and dispel them." Rin ordered. "Maybe your magic resistance can properly destroy them." Saber stood and conceded to the order. The Tohsaka Master made one more comment, "I haven't had the chance to say this, but Saber…your attire fits you quite beautifully. To be the King of Knights and a woman at the same time, you don't seem to adhere to either dragons or lions because of your armor. You almost seem delicate like a Lily."

"Thank you for the compliment, Master." Saber smiled, then bowed to her Master, "Now if I may? I wish to complete the order given to me with haste."

"You are dismissed, Saber." Rin answered, "Be careful, okay?" The Knight dematerialized, not answering her Master's worry. She couldn't answer for her Master's sake. The summoning of the eighth Servant served as a bad omen to her. No doubt those other Servants are taking caution. She would have to investigate the matter soon.

"Master. I come bearing news of Rider and her Master." A voice said. The Master, a blonde woman with curls going down the length of her bosom and a pair of blue ribbons turned to the voice. She straightened her Homurahara uniform and saw the cloaked owner of the voice.

"Assassin." She started, "What news do you bear about Rider and her Master?"

"Shinji Matou, Rider's Master, spoke of attempting to activate a Blood Fort Andromeda." The woman gasped slightly because she recognized the name. "The reason for such action is because the Matou wants Rider strong enough to combat the mysterious eighth Servant." The Master understood Shinji's actions, but as a participant, she wouldn't allow the activation of the Noble Phantasm. "What would you have me do, Master? I hope it isn't scouting again. Rōzu has a scratch it wants to itch against a Servant. Preferably Archer."

"Assassin…you will scout for now. So stay your blade, and stick to the shadows, understood?"

Shirou ran for his life a second time this week. This time it wasn't a Servant chasing after him, it was Rin, shooting at him with Gandr curses. With the smoldering craters meant to hit him, Rin obviously wanted to kill him. Completely unreasonable because, "Tohsaka! Aren't we allies?!" The moment wasted to speak allowed Rin to almost hit him. The dark red orbs cutting through the air whizzed around Shirou. Unfortunately, he couldn't avoid all of them; some of those Gandr curses tore his clothing, and even cut his sides.

"I'm sorry, but with you leaving your Servants at home, this is the only possible way I can win against Archer." Shirou noted that Rin wanted to beat Archer, not him. The two were still running through empty hallways. Shirou struggled in trying yo evade those curses. He went as far as jumping down a flight of stairs to gain some great distance away from Rin's assault. "Your Archer is the biggest threat here. Berserker is next in that list. As such, my priority is to eliminate the problem that will hurt my chances to win the most: Archer."

Shirou turned left and entered an empty classroom, and locked both door to the room. He looked for something to use as a weapon. Rin tried entering, but the handle wouldn't allow for an intrusion from the outside. She rattled the door some more in hopes of dislodging the lock; no such luck. 'What am I going to do?' Shirou wondered. The rattling of the door stopped, and Shirou hear Rin step back.

Das Schließen Vogelkäfig Echo!

The wall Shirou stared at created a mystical red magic circle. Shirou knew to back away quickly, and ran to the windows. The circle emitted a red shockwave of power and sparks of electricity danced along the rooms walls. Shirou crossed his arms and tried to build up enough speed to break through the windows. When he bounced back from the window, he knew he was trapped in a bounded field. 'So that's her game…' He took a table and positioned it on its side to create a makeshift shield. The Emiya Master took a deep breath, and said, "Trace on!" Magic circuits ran wild across the table's surface, almost resembling a circuitboard as Shirou braced for the next attack.

Fixierung, Eilsalve!

The classroom wall turned into a giant rapid Gandr launcher, shooting countless orbs inside the room in hopes of killing Shirou. The young man braced as he felt the Gandr curses strike his table multiple times. With his lack of experience in strengthening, his shield deteriorated with every curse hitting it. He saw the cracks growing deeper and deeper, and almost saw it utterly destroyed. Thankfully, Rin's barrage stopped, and Shirou saw the devastation of the classroom. Upturned desks or chairs, broken metal pieces, and other debris made the room look like a bomb had exploded in the room.

"Out of Mana?" He breathlessly asked himself. 'That couldn't be it. Anyways, I need a weapon. Fast!' He checked through the debris, and saw a metal table leg just next to him. He instantly grabbed it and reinforced it. Now he needed to-

A blue gem struck the glass above the classroom doors. It glowed an intense blue. He couldn't stay in there. He had to run! He burst through the door, and evaded the explosion meant to kill him. He didn't pursue the luxury of talking to his assailant, and retreated from the explosion. "Hold it right there!" He heard Rin shout. In an instant, he skidded to a stop, and turned around. In shot a Gandr at the teen. Shirou knew that needed to focus. He swung his table leg, and hit the Gandr with enough force to throw it back at Rin's face.

"Is this how allies supposed to be?! To stab each other in the back when given the chance?!" Shirou asked in anger. "What kind of ally are you?!" He didn't want an answer as shown by him running away from the scene of battle once more.

"H-hey!"

When Shirou reached ground level, he searched for an exit, unknowingly looking for his death.

Rider stalked Shirou after hearing the explosions made by Rin's Gandr. She reported to Shinji that Shirou was a Master, and she was keeping track of him. Shiji hadn't known Shirou was a Master, so for him to find out about it was a welcome news. He ordered Rider to eliminate Shirou from this War and to do it in such a way that the others would be wary of his Servant. Rider grabbed her daggers, and prepared herself to assassinate the boy. 'May you rest in peace, young man…'

Shirou emerged from the school's side entrance with Gandr curses whizzing by him.

Now!

Chains rattled as it zoomed towards Shirou in blinding speeds. The Emiya Master stopped in his tracks after hearing the chains flying through the air. He gripped his weapon tightly and tried to anticipate the incoming projectile targeting him.

Archer sighed. So this is how foolish his Master was before becoming a Servant. "It seems he's in trouble, Saber-nee. Do you want to reveal yourself? It's a risky move, but I might be able to cover it up." Saber had to make a decision, and she didn't like either choice. She could save Shirou, but it'll ruin the element of surprise. As a Knight, she had to abide to Chivalry and reveal herself in honorable battle because she doesn't need to hide. "Your decision? You don't have much time, Saber-nee!"

She leapt off the roof and positioned her sword in a stabbing manner. Dropping like an anvil, she intercepted the chain and stabbed it into the ground. The dust picked up, and Saber's landing pushed Shirou back and into the school building. Behind him, Rin covered her eyes with her arm to prevent the dust from entering her eyes. "Master, are you alright?" Rin perked up at Saber's voice. Was she referring to her or to Shirou? As soon as the dust cleared, she saw Saber in a different outfit.

"I'm fine, Saber." Shirou answered.

"No way! Saber?!" Rin couldn't hide her shock. Shirou was responding to Saber? Just what is going on? There can't be two Sabers right? Then there shouldn't be a carbon copy of Saber in front of her! So why was there a copy of Saber in front of her?! She heard metal clanking on the floor of the school, and she turned to see her Saber kneeling towards her.

"You called, Master?" Saber asked in the same voice the Saber in blue used. She noticed her Master's distress, and desired to discover what ailed her Master, "What is your plight? May I be able to aid you?" Her concern, visible to Rin, did not ease her Master one bit. Whatever confused her, Rin insisted on looking at Saber to whatever the thing was over in the distance.

"Huh?" Rin intelligently said, "W-what? If y-you're Saber, then…then who's she?!" She freaked out and pointed to the Saber in blue. Saber became petrified at the sight. That hair fashioned exactly like hers, those jade eyes that reflect like glass… Who was she? Who was this impostor standing before her? What type of Magecraft is this? What caused this blasphemy to happen in the Grail War?

"Hello, enemy Master. I am Servant Saber." The Saber of Blue stated.

"Servant…Saber…" Rin repeated.

"Impossible!" Saber of White growled. "Impostor! Caster, dispel your trickery, and face me properly! Show me your true face dishonorable Servant!" Her rage boiled at the sight of her doppelgänger. It can only be Caster's work that can create replicas of a Master. It has to be. There's no other possible reason

Assassin hid in the shadows, taking note of what was happening. Two Sabers… It seemed the mysterious eighth Servant was Saber, and the copy of the Saber in white. Or was it the other way around. He gripped his sword, Rōzu tightly. "Saber…" He stayed there, taking in every detail in order to give a complete report to her Master.

Archer palmed his face. Mentally, he laughed hysterically. 'Oh Fate…you love screwing people over, don't cha? Ah perfect, just perfect!' On the outside, he was disappointed. A perfect surprise wasted on the same day it occurred. She could have appeared later, and tipped the scales towards Shirou, but as of at that moment, other Masters will now be able to create countermeasures against her. "Well…as they say-" Archer breathed deeply, "-Let the games begin." He jumped down, and started to pursue his Master's assailant.

And that's a wrap, folks. Here's Night 2. I hope my explanation worked. I admit that my knowledge of the Nasuverse is limited, but I make do with what I can.

So what do you think? Review, follow, favorite, I don't care.

Happy -Almost- New Year! This is Azure signing off.