And we're back with the next update for this Fanfic. I hope my explanation has gone and solved questions about Archer's capabilities, so unless any of you have any further questions about the topic, ask. So without further ado, let's start the chapter!

Disclaimer: first chapter

Night 2 part 2

Archer could feel the breeze framing his face as he descended upon Rider. Archer reached for his sword, and then willed it to turn into its bow form. The blade splits at the middle, peeling back like one would see from a multipurpose weapon like Archer possessed. One of the split blades was removed and placed on the other end of the handle, locking the piece in place. Once done so, several metal pieces moved around, lengthening the ends and lessening the curvature, forming the bow's frame, a longbow. To finish the transformation, a thin string of Prana connected from one point to the other. He opened his right hand, and three standard arrows appeared between his fingers. He placed those arrows on the bow, and drew the string. Underneath his now equipped visor, he reinforced his eyes, and aimed when he saw a blindfolded woman holding the chains that meant to kill her Master.

"I am the bone of my sword!" The arrows merged together in a twisting fashion, making ridges like a helix. Lightning surged around the modified arrow bolt, and wind twisted as if the bolt controlled the very essence of a storm. "Tear her apart, Arashi!" He released the bolt, and it sped past mach speeds, where it shook the school building quite considerably, and broke all the windows in its proximity while making a tornado of cataclysmic proportions as it headed for Rider.

The woman heard Archer's words, and dodged in time, completely avoiding the sphere of storm once the arrow make impact with the ground. Red lightning surged outwards like a shockwave, and it almost reached Rider's chains. 'Archer?' she thought, 'It has to be if the attack came in the form of an arrow…' Archer landed into the storm, dispersing like nothing happened. She inspected her assailant, an orange Archer with an appearance akin to a Knight. 'How peculiar.' She mused. "And what do I owe the pleasure, Archer?" She sultrily asked to Archer.

Archer propped his longbow on his shoulder. In his right hand, a Chinese Dao with the color scheme of Yang, twirled around through his motions. "Nice to meet you, Gorgon." Rider stiffened at Archer's words. She had been identified already? He gave her a smirk, slightly irking her, "As for your question, you attempted to kill my Master. As such, I'm here to deal your punishment. But first, do you fancy a dance?" He bowed to Rider casually, and it effectively confused her. Archer's voice held malice, yet his question held mischief as if he's mocking her. What a strange personality this Archer has…

"A dance, you say?" Rider said neutrally, "It's not my choice to accept your request, Servant of the bow. My Master must order me so." She explained all she needed without a rise of emotion. As shown from the initial strike, Archer had dominance over all ranges. If he wasn't bluffing with that sword, then she would be under unfavorable conditions.

"I see. You do mean Sakura Matou when you speak of 'Master', right?" Rider gritted her teeth; how did this Archer know these things? Just who was this Servant? She held her daggers in a reverse grip, ready to strike on Shinji's signal. "I know about these things because of your stats. Your current 'Master' weakened you." Rider sighed at how true the comment was, "Incompetent, unreliable, insignificant, and arrogant little Shinji Matou is holding you back, Rider. Your true Master's command spells were taken away, am I right in assuming so?" He received a wordless affirmative, "I'd like to assist you in returning you to your proper Master, Gorgon, I really do. However, your actions can't be forgiven, and so I must act accordingly." He lowered his bow, and twirled the sword in greater speeds.

Rider, still taking her battle stance, spoke once more, "Before we commence the battle, let me ask this one question: The one who stopped my dagger, is she the eighth Servant?"

Archer sighed, and had a mental chat with Saber of Blue, "Saber-nee, there is still a chance that I can salvage this, and keep your identity as the eighth Servant a secret. Will you let me do it?" He asked her. When he received a yes, he shifted himself to the left, allowing Rider to see what went on with Shirou, Rin, and both Sabers.

The Saber of Blue, dispersed into a cloud of smoke, and inside it, Archer covered his mouth in futile attempt to conceal his laughter. The wind picked up, carrying the smoke away to reveal Archer's clone snickering at first, the laughing uncontrollably, "Hah! I got ya, Tohsaka-san, Saber-chan! You should have seen the look on your faces! Priceless! Oh man…if only I had a camera to remember it by." He laughed some more, confusing Shirou, Shinji and Rider, and embarrassing Assassin with the use of parlor tricks. The clone continued laughing until he was forced to dispel after being punched by Rin.

"As you can see, it's nothing more than trick of mine." Archer explained as he took a battle stance, "Now, is your curiosity sated, Gorgon? Because my patience has dwindled significantly as of right now." He threw the sword at Rider, and she chucked her dagger at it, throwing it off course, but ultimately returning to its master's hand. Archer strapped his bow onto his back, and created another identical sword, the Yin to the other's Yang. Once again he threw the swords, forcing Rider to dodge. He created another set, which astounded Rider, and threw them at Rider. The four swords twirled around Rider like snakes striking at opportune moments.

Rider struggled dodging the swords. They had their own magnetic fields, and they revolved around her like she was the sun. She didn't expect Archer's advance come so soon when the Servant of the bow retrieved one of his swords and used it to slash at her while she focused on evading the other flying blades. He went ahead and took another and positioned himself on the offensive because of the pressure he unleashed on Rider. The woman, in an attempt to lose the homing swords, used her chains to smack the weapons away from her, allowing herself room to breathe. The flying set disappeared into the void, while the ones in Archer's hands were used in expert conjunction, slashing at any openings Rider created while dodging.

She threw one of her daggers to skewer Archer. Unfortunately, she marginally missed, and Archer grabbed the dagger for a return trip to Rider's abdomen. She tilted her body away, and made the dagger impale the ground instead. She used her other dagger in hopes of getting a different outcome, but no such luck. Weaponless, Rider used her chain to restrain Archer. She pulled out the dagger from the ground by whipping the chain at Archer. The orange Servant raised his left arm to block it, but the weapon wrapped around it. Only then did Rider realize her mistake.

Archer tugged at the chain Rider still held. Her tight grip on the chain pulled her along, and allowed for Archer to reach her in close-quarters-combat. He stepped forward with his right foot and lowered his body into a squat. His right arm whipped forward, elbowing Rider at her gut. The air around the impact surged outward like an explosion. Rider's mouth gaped open as the air evacuated from her lungs. Archer pivoted his right arm up, making his fist hit her face. His left hand erupted in red lightning, crackling like a thousand birds. He thrust his left arm, the lightning would surely kill Rider. The woman still held her chains, and the dagger around his left arm still wrapped around it tightly. In one last act of desperation, she pulled the chain to her left, effectively making Archer's aim redirect away from Rider's abdomen. Archer stumbled whereas Rider , whose chain restrains Archer's arm, recovered.

"My…my. How scary, Archer." Rider said stoically, "If I didn't know any better, you were trying to kill me."

"That's the point, Rider." Archer snapped at Rider, "Though I must say, I'm intrigued by your choice of armament. Daggers connected by chains…" He mused slightly, lowering his guard. Hesitantly, Rider lowered her guard as well, but only in appearance. She knew it would be foolish to follow her opponent's actions, but in the back of her mind, she knew Archer didn't entirely rendered himself defenseless. "It's quite versatile. Daggers for offense, chains for defense or trapping…ingenious. You're quite the master with those weapons."

"I appreciate the compliment, but are you not satisfied with your weapons?"

"Oh I'm satisfied. I just appreciate new weapons when I see it. Blame my lover for getting me into weapons. At least I'm restrained when it comes to seeing new weapons; she can't maintain her composure if she sees new toys to kill people." Archer seemed to looked shocked at his words, "Not that she's a psycho or anything, but she is a weapons nut." He waved of his misunderstanding like an embarrassed teen. Rider almost had a migraine trying to adjust to Archer's mood changes more potent than a pregnant woman.

"Rider! What are you doing having a nice chat with Archer?!" Shinji's voice rang loud and clear inside Rider's head. "You are supposed to be killing him right now! Can you be any more of a disappointment of a Servant?!" He berated the woman harshly. "Hurry and kill him already! His guard is down. Do it!"

"I'll say it just once, Rider. Do not follow that 'Master' of yours. I've had my fun wasting time. You can leave, and continue this next time. If you choose to pursue this fight to the end…SHINJI MATOU! YOUR LIFE WILL BE FORFEIT!" Archer called out to the Matou in hysteric fury. Shirou, who had his own problem to deal with, Tohsaka and Saber, looked towards the direction of Archer's voice. He'd heard the initial explosion, but could not attend to the sound of battle because of a livid Tohsaka. Anyways, said Matou fell on his butt at the threat and volume Archer used. Inwardly, he seethed; this is why he ordered Rider to finish him off! And what's this about not following his orders? He's the real Master of Rider, not that schmuck sister of hers. Archer returned his attention to Rider, "So will you at least listen to my advice? I've met your true Master -lovely girl. I don't see why you have to follow his orders."

"Shinji holds the command spells. Therefore I follow his orders." Rider answered. She started to follow Archer's advice; she completely ignored Shinji's berating as she said those words.

"Listen to me, Rider! You will-" Shinji would have finished his order, but Archer appeared next to him, and punched him with enough force to knock him down. When Shinji saw who punched him, he saw death personified. Archer's towering figure petrified him. He stared at Archer's visor, imagining his eyes that held nothing but disdain for him.

"You are not worthy…Matou. If you can't appreciate her skills as a Servant, then you aren't worthy of being her 'Master', little Matou." He stepped on Shinji's chest with enough force to make the teen have difficulty breathing, "I can't wait to see your death…fake Master." Archer leaned forward, and gave the Matou his best angry look he could make. His foot pressed deeper into Shinji's chest, almost choking the teen. He clawed at Archer's legs as he tried gulping air. The Servant frowned at the Matou Master's incompetence, and stepped off Shinji, and kicked him away like a puppy. He rolled on the dirt several times before stopping on his back, "You're not worth my time, so scram!" Shinji followed Archer's order and scampered away. He crawled first, forgetting how to stand up, then sprinted away. Rider had followed soon after.

"Archer!" Rin shouted from behind. The Servant recognized this type of voice: female wrath. Preparing for the worst, he returned his bow to its default form, the sword, and returned it to its scabbard. His Dao swords disappeared into thin air, seconds before; however, Shirou couldn't help but gain interest over the blades. Rin's voice came to the attention of the men, "What was that all about? Making an impostor Saber like that…are you trying to kill your Master?!" Archer sighed, it seemed whatever he did for fun would always end in this outcome. He wondered if there was a Servant that was a famous ear doctor because he's sure that his hearing has declined from this. How he survived his years next to Sakura's powerful voice without his hearing diminishing was beyond his understanding. "Seriously, I could have killed Shirou here had you not transformed in time. A second Saber…how outrageous and impossible. I bet that there isn't even an eighth Servant, and whoever did it only did it to put everyone on edge." She glared at Archer, not even giving the Emiya Master a passing glance, and pinning the blame all on the Servant.

"I did say some external force would interfere, didn't I? I just didn't say who or what would interfere specifically."

Shirou perked up at the message, "Wait…you allowed for this to happen, Archer?! How could you?"

Archer pointed to Rin, and answered, "The same reason she attacked you: to see if you're at least capable in combat." Shirou had a face of shock. He didn't believe in his skills as a Master then? Archer could see the doubt growing in his Master's eyes, "As a Master, you need to be able to fight with Magecraft. For you to hold on against her assault with only strengthening magic says a lot about your potential through the use of only mundane skills. I actually half expected myself to interfere earlier. If it wasn't for Rider's assassination attempt, then I would have waited longer to intervene on Rin's test." Rin scowled. So there was a reason for Archer's interference. "In other news, congratulations on surviving, Master." Shirou was too appalled by Archer's actions to properly respond.

How could Archer let that happen? Archer said that he'd protect his Master, him; that he wouldn't let anyone kill him. So why? That stupid reason wasn't enough for him. He wanted a proper answer. "Why?" He asked his Servant. Shire revealed his thoughts, and as such, his emotions flowed out as well, "Why would you go through with this?" His frustrations and anger got the best of Shirou, and it was quite loud. However, Archer did not flinch.

"Because I believed that you could live." Archer answered casually, "I'm only here until the end of the War. I won't be here forever. I can't spoil you because once I'm gone, you'll be weak without any form of combat Magecraft to keep you safe. So to see where you're currently at in skill allows me to teach you in a specialized form of Magecraft: Tracing." He opened his right palm, and created the same Yang Dao sword. Shirou noted that the name of Archer's Magecraft resembled his style of reinforcement magic.

"Specialized?" Rin asked, "I've never heard of such a thing before."

"That's because one of my friends taught it to me. It's a valuable offensive skill." Archer grinned devilishly. He made the weapon disappear from his hands, and traced a sword only Saber would be able to recognize. The ornate gold and blue on the ceremonial sword tipped Saber to the true extent of Archer's capabilities. She dispelled Invisible Air, revealing her sword to Archer and everyone else. She raised the point to Archer's chin, and he eyes told the whole story. Archer casually moved the blade away, "I understand, Saber." Both stepped away from each other, and Rin did so too. Shirou looked dumbfounded. What did Archer understand?

The breeze that came from clashing swords answered Shirou's question perfectly. Sparks flew as both Servants made their blades clash with superhuman strength behind the slashes they make. Metal ground against metal, scraping as each went on to do another clash. Shirou noticed that neither Servant deviated from the slash pattern. There were no feints, parries, or such. They were testing the durability of Archer's sword. If Saber's sword is her Noble Phantasm, and Archer has a copy, then it's only common sense to check its authenticity with a durability test against the original. Saber swung as hard as she could to reciprocate the exact amount of force Archer used, or was it the other way around? Either way, their final clash ended the spar in a deadlock.

"Does that answer your question Saber?" Archer asked.

"H-how?" Saber stammered, "How do you have an authentic Caliburn, Archer? What sorcery is this?"

"That, Saber-chan, is a secret you have to discover on your own." Archer answered calmly. He turned to his Master, "It's best we leave now, Master. The commotion has surely brought the attention of Assassin and Caster." Shirou raised his eyebrows; his Servant already knows other Servants are watching him? "I apologizing making you raise your blade against me, Saber. If anyone had suspicions about your identity, I just revealed it. I needed to show you why this skill is invaluable." He bowed slightly.

"I don't get it Archer." Shirou said out loud, "What's so invaluable about your Magecraft?" He scratched his head, wondering why it's so special.

"Archer can copy not only regular swords, but Noble Phantasms, it seems." Saber answered angrily. "How despicable of you, Archer. You ignore the principles of Chivalry, and copy your opponent's weapon using its image against its owner." She raised her sword once more, "You have no right to hold Caliburn!" Archer imperceptibly glance at the rooftop, where the Saber he's known during his life stood quietly. "You have no true qualities of a leader!" Saber accused, "You're more attuned to a Court Jester than a honorable Knight." Her words don't faze the towering Archer at all.

"Are you quite done, Saber?" Archer asked, "If so, then riddle me this…if Caliburn only allows those capable to lead to wield it, then what does that make me?" He silenced himself to hear an answer, yet there were none to be heard of. "No answer? Then it seems I've been promoted to King, Saber."

"Enough, Archer! I cannot accept you as a fellow wielder of Caliburn!"

"So you wish to engage me in combat?" Archer asked incredulously, "I may be a Jester, Saber, but I am an able fighter and capable leader. I am capable of discussing tactics, and have made difficult decisions all leaders eventually face. Those decisions paved the way to allow me to use Caliburn." Archer's voice steadily increase in volume and anger, "You depreciating my abilities to wield this Holy sword is an insult to my skills. So once again, do you wish to engage me in combat?"

"Ye-"

"You won't, Saber. We're allies. We won't fight each other…" Rin answered, "Yet." Shirou stepped in between, putting his hands on the Servants' breastplates and kept the two away from the other. He had to admit today would be the strangest one he'd ever experience. He saw Fuji-nee act like a high school girl, he was chased after by Rin, and now this… He wanted to go home already to process the whole thing from the night before! Too much happened too quick, and it went in the same pace as Archer's mood swings.

"Okay, okay! We don't need more violence right now." Shirou said to the group, "Just look at the place, it's ransacked! Just how will this get covered up?" He looked to Archer, who rubbed his head sheepishly for causing most of the destruction. Who could blame him? A Servant battle is always intense. Rarely will there ever be a lack of environmental carnage on a battlefield occupied by Servants. A plain would be filled with craters or torched, a mountain would most likely lose a huge chunk of its side, a city would no doubt lose a building or two or maybe the whole city if it came to that point. Shire trained his eyes on Rin, "Tohsaka, is there any way we can clean this up?"

"I can call Kirei." Rin answered, "It's the Church's job to cover these things up so that the War is kept out of the Public's knowledge." Shirou didn't like the answer, but it was sufficient for the moment. He wouldn't like to admit it, but something felt off about the clergyman. Archer noticed his Master's change in expression at that moment, but chose to not sate his curiosity.

"That's good enough for now," Shirou answered, "Now…if we're going to be allies, we can't be at each other's throats." Saber lowered her gaze, ashamed because of how she lashed out. The Emiya Master turned to his Servant, "Archer, you have to be more mindful about how you act around women." The man clutched his chest as if he was in pain, "You really know how to push their buttons, and I don't want you to perish because you incurred their wrath upon you." He set his eyes on Saber, "As for you, Saber, you must learn to be respectful and not impose your beliefs on someone." Saber was about to retort when Shirou continued, "Archer may look like a Knight, but the things he carried are something far more advance than what we currently have. And judging by the fact that he has a bunch of skills to use means that he's only donned the look of a Knight."

"Absolutely." Archer answered, "The only reason I look like a Knight is because I first learned how to use a sword from a Knight. I wanted to follow in her footsteps, so I abandoned my previous way of life to live a life of a Knight." Saber noted what Archer said about a female Knight teaching him, and let him continue his spiel, "If Shirou had summoned a version of me where I was dedicated to the Code of Chivalry, we would possibly get along better, Saber. But alas, as of now, that won't happen. Now why am I acting like a disgraceful Knight, well…my friend had knocked some sense into me and told me that I shouldn't borrow ideals. He told me to live my own life my own way. In conclusion, I adopted aspects of Chivalry in my life, and returned to my life as a warrior of my Village as one of the many swords under my Village leader's command."

"So…"

"But enough about me." Archer said, "King of Knights, to answer your question about why I have your sword. I'll give a hint. Second Magic. I'll leave it to Tohsaka-san to interpret whatever that means." He grabbed his Master by the collar of his shirt, "Let's go, Master. I've lot's to teach you, and we can't afford to waste a minute!" He jumped away with his Master in tow. "I'll see you tomorrow, you two!" He said his farewell, and the two blurred away in the horizon. Atop the roof of the school, Saber left as stealthily as she could. She left in time before Rin's Saber took the time to look at the spot where she stood.

"What is it, Saber?"

"Nothing, Master."

"That so?" Rin wondered what Saber noticed, but didn't pursue the conversation, "If that is all, let's go home. We shall do research and try to identify this Knight wannabe." Saber nodded. Archer was a disgrace, a stain on the history of all Knights! She will find his heretic identity and strike him down without any hesitation at all!

The two left the battlefield, and headed for the main entrance. The Tohsaka immediately stopped when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around as she heard an accented voice speak to her. "Tohsaka-san? What brings you out here so late?"

"I could say the same to you, Edelfelt-san." Rin retorted, "I wasted my time studying in the library."

"Oh. I thought I heard Emiya-san nearby, did he leave?" Her voice had a hint of worry. Why Rin was bothered by this, she didn't know. "I was told to give his writing portfolio to him for reflection."

"Writing portfolio?"

"Yes. Fujimura-san requested me to give it to him because she had misplaced his portfolio." Edelfelt explained. "So is he nearby?" Rin shook her head, making the blonde transfer student frown. "Can you at least tell me where he lives?"

"I don't know." Rin answered, "Shouldn't you have asked for that when she gave you the request?" A logical question for a logical woman. Sadly, Fujimura isn't like that. Far too energetic, she wouldn't be able to stay in one place for too long. The thought must have passed over the woman when handing out the request to the student before her.

Hours later, at the Emiya residence, Archer received a hefty scolding from Saber. The blue-clad King of Knights had him sit on his legs, place his hands on his lap, and stare at the wall behind her. They were discussing about Archer's decision to reveal his origins, or at least a fractional portion of it. Obviously, Saber wasn't too fond of the idea. Shire found the scene laughable because the giant Archer was being scolded the the relatively petite Saber in dojo clothing like a Master would. She even stabbed a Shinai the same way Taiga would when in lecture mode.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Archer?" Saber growled.

"It isn't enough." Archer answered, "They won't figure out my name from that vague of an anecdote. All they know is that in one aspect of my life, I was a Knight at one point. And while they may look at the famous Knights of both history and literature, they won't find my name there." His voice didn't waver; he knew what he was talking about, and Saber knew this as well. "There isn't enough information. They will never find out my name from that at all."

"Then what will give away your identity, Archer?" Shirou asked. "Your occupation?"

"Possibly. Yes." Archer admitted. "You wouldn't think a Shinobi could become a Knight, right?" Shirou's eyes widened. His Servant was an Assassin in the Feudal era?! Could that actually be possible? He read that Medieval Europe hadn't advanced in naval technology to even reach Japanese shores. By the time Europeans actually reached the Far East, the Medieval era died. Archer saw the calculating look in Shirou's eyes as the latter tried deciphering his origins. A laughable attempt, but, "As I said, Master, you won't find any information about me."

"Then what land's hero are you?" Shirou insisted on finding out what he could.

"Now, now. Shouldn't you ask me on a date first before getting to know my more personal story?" Archer joked lamely. Saber sighed and lowered her head in shame. Shirou blushed at the word 'date' and had images of women he thought were attractive invade his mind. Sadly, his blush was seen by his Servants. To Archer in particular, this meant extra ammunition, "Oh? Don't tell me you actually play for the other team, Master? It seems I must stay vigilant about where you place your hands on me." His mischievous sneer terrified Shirou, but the fact that he was being implied as gay was another thing! He won't take that insult!

"I like girls, Archer."

"Suuuuuuure you do."

"I don't have to take your immaturity, Archer!" Shirou yelled, "How are we compatible if you're this childish?" Saber had to agree. How did they become compatible? They act nothing alike, nor are they in the same mindset. The only thing remotely close to similar is the fact that their Magecraft is the same, and their ideals will be something they cherish. Hmm…that actually could be the answer to that. Ideals are something Shirou clung to in her reality.

"I don't know the answer, but something between us has to be similar." Archer replied, not even insulted by Shirou's words. "But anyways, back to the point." Shirou dreaded this. He could feel it. Archer was concocting some rather strange way to humiliate him. He just hoped it wasn't too humiliating. "Prove your masculinity and sexuality. How about you ask the next girl that knocks on your door to a date?"

"What? I-I can't do that!" Shirou stammered nervously. "There's a procedure to this. You can just force th-"

"Be quiet, virgin." Archer commented. "If you actually want to get a girl, take the initiative." He emphasized his point by slamming his fist on the floor. "That Matou Kouhai of yours has taken a liking to you, Master. And it's a very big amount of liking. She's just afraid of overstepping her boundaries. Why not ask her?" Archer suggested. Sakura? Nononononononononononono. Not Sakura. Sakura wouldn't be caught dead being next to him in public at all. He doesn't deserve her. And what's this about her liking him? Shirou smelled BS of the nth degree. Archer's just playing another game with him."She's soft-spoken, easy to talk to, she's familiar, and she won't physically abuse you." Oh? So he has experiencing a woman's fury? No surprise there; he just loves pissing women off.

"No."

"C'mon. If you don't do this, I will be inclined to take measures to protect my posterior, Master."

"Rgh! I told you I'm not gay!" Shire shouted.

"If you were gay, that'd be okay." Archer said soothingly, "Cuz hey, I like you anyway." Shirou hoped it wasn't in the gay way, "Because you see, if it were me, I would feel free to say that I was gay, but I'm not gay." Did he just?

"Did you just quote a song? And immediately translate it into Japanese?" A nod. "This really isn't helping your case, Archer."

"Hey! Either you die alone, or in the hands of your lover…sss."

"Oh don't you start with that harem end you keep talking about!" Saber looked at Archer. He was hooking her up! With another reality of Shirou to boot! And with a harem end? Really? Clearly, Archer was having way too much fun with this. He needed to be stopped. "I don't need the 'Nice Boat' flag to trigger, Archer!"

"But it's fun." Archer cheered. Shirou scowled. Saber slammed her head on a wall. Archer really was better off as a Knight. This version of Archer isn't just meant for any Master to handle without blowing a gasket in their heads. "Lighten up, Master."

Shirou clearly didn't, "No! I won't do it." He turned his back on him and crossed his arms like a spoiled kid. Or a disappointed father. Either way, he doesn't want to do Archer's suggestion.

"Chicken."

'Oh no…not this. Did he really just go there? He actually stooped that low? My goodness he did.' Shirou palmed his face with both hands, unable to fathom Archer's immaturity. 'Where did that seriousness all go?' Shirou asked himself. He actually looked cool in his fights and when debating against Rin's Saber. 'Why does he become like thiiiiiiis?' Archer did clucking noises behind him, followed by Saber's head slamming on the wall repeatedly. It seems Saber's lecture was a moot point. How did they even get to this point? Archer's clucking became louder, and louder, and more obnoxious. Rank B obnoxiousness is working its magic. 'Why was that even a personal skill?!'

"Alright I'll do it." He finally said in order to shut Archer's mouth. In rather extremely coincidental timing, the doorbell rung. Archer gave a knowing look that Shirou detested. Reluctantly, Shirou headed for the door to seal his fate. When he reached and opened his door, he saw Sakura in front of him. Silently thanking any god for it not being another guy, a random girl, or worse, Fuji-nee, he gulped and said, "Good evening, Sakura."

"Good evening, Senpai." Sakura greeted back.

"Um…Sakura?" Shirou was getting quite uncomfortable with this. In the back of his mind, he knew Archer was keeping his eyes glued to this, so he won't get out of this situation at all. Just his luck that he has to do this. Shirou scratched the back of his neck as he asked, "W-would you like to go on a…a-a…a datewithmethisS-Sunday?!" Archer slapped his face; Shirou totally butchered it! But this girl likes him, so it won't actually affect the outcome at all, which is…

"I'd be happy to, Senpai!" Shirou looked stunned. Archer was actually right? Sakura wasn't pulling his leg at all? She's glad to be asked out on a date? The Emiya Master took quite a while to process this.

"Good evening, Shirou!" Fuji-nee shouted seconds before reaching the door. 'Oh god. Fuji-nee!' Shirou shuddered at the idea of him asking out Fuji-nee.

"Oh? Shirou, I can't do that we're teacher and student. Besides, we're like siblings, it's almost criminal to do this?" Wait...where he get that idea? He shouldn't be thinking about this at all! "But if you insist, we can always keep this...a secret." Fuji-nee's voice seemed extremely arou-NO! He should not be thinking about this at all! What's making him visualize thes- "Oh! Shirou! Not there!" Okay that is way past fine! Behind him, Archer worked his magic. Imposing less than moral images into Shirou's mind, corrupting him, making him a harem Master.

In the background…

We see Saber choke slamming Archer into the dojo. Choke hold Archer. German Suplex Archer. Back Break Archer. And all other sorts of wrestling moves a Knight like her shouldn't even know how to do. If one were to listen, he or she would hear bones cracking under strenuous pressure; none of it sounded like the general knuckle-popping, but it did sound like dislocation and intolerable suffering. Archer's screams of pain and torturous distress helped that idea stick. Oh! Saber with the full Nelson and she joins it with a wrist lock. Bones strain under the pressure and pop like bubblewrap.

"AHHHHHH! SABER-NEE! STOP! WHO TAUGHT YOU THESE MOVES ANYWAHAHAAAAAY?!"

He'll be fine. Hopefully.

"OH GOD, THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BEND THAT WAY!"

Hopefully.

Dinner was an awkward experience for Shirou and Sakura. They averted their gaze whenever they made eye contact with each other. Saber held Archer at chopstick point (never heard of that eh?) while Archer himself soothed his shoulders and neck to lessen the discomfort of eating. At least he survived Saber's grapples; that's all that mattered. 'Where did she even learn those moves?' Meanwhile, Saber silently thanked her slight interest in wrestling to subdue Archer. She remembered the time when she saw a match after the War in her reality and during Carnival Phantasm. With some difficulty using the computer, she somehow reached to point where she saw grappling techniques and emulated them from the pictures shown in _pedia. She never thought she'd see the day where she would actually use those techniques to the full extent on her surrogate brother of all people. Taiga had fun teasing the already embarrassed Shirou when she found out he just asked Sakura on a date. She would nudge him every chance she could just to make him flustered even more.

Just then, the doorbell rang. In order to eliminate himself from more embarrassment, Shirou ran for the door; he didn't expect to see who would be ringing his doorbell at all. Archer sensed Rin's Saber outside the residence as well as another Servant, possibly Assassin, lurking somewhere in the shadows. He discreetly told the Saber in the house to hide. Saber gave a quick excuse to use the bathroom, and left the table.

"Eh?! T-Tohsaka-san? Edelfelt-san? What are you two doing here?" Ah…the stress of managing a harem…always a struggle.

"Do you know how long we've been trying to find your house?!" Rin asked. "Too long, that's what! I've wasted my time and effort to help Edelfelt-san get you your writing portfolio back to you for your reflection work." She and the blonde transfer student looked exhausted to say the least. With the effort they've done to look for his house, he should at least offer them dinner.

"Do you two want some dinner for your troubles?" Shirou offered nervously. Only then he saw the ratio of man to woman slowly rise to the opposite gender's side. Both women nodded exasperatedly. "We better get some compensation for doing you a favor, Emiya." The boy cringed at Rin's harsh tone. "Really now." She crossed her arms. Not satisfied by wasting her time with this. She promised Saber to help figure out Archer's identity, but she somehow got wrangled up in this mundane task of finding Shirou's house.

"I apologize for Tohsaka-san's attitude, Shero-san." Luviagelita Edelfelt, the transfer student, answered while bowing to ask for forgiveness, "It has been a taxing day searching for your residence." Shirou waved it off, completely understanding the circumstances of Rin's attitude. Inevitably, two new additions came inside the house. Taiga and Sakura looked shocked to see the newcomers. Shirou explained the situation, and Taiga repeatedly apologized to Luvia. Luvia bowed first, "Thank you for your hospitality, Shero-san." She expressed her glee with a glorious smile. Rin followed suit, but with reluctance.

Right then and there, the Tohsaka Master noticed Archer sitting from across the table. She was surprised to see him not being obnoxious at all. She thought it had to be one of his tricks. She heard Taiga speak, "Hey, hey, Tohsaka-san. You're friends with Sakura-san, right?" She nodded, "Well guess what? Shirou here asked her to go out with him on Sunday." Rin was happy Sakura got the guy she liked. Luvia frowned at that. It seems she had competition. She stared at Sakura's gleeful face, which underneath of it all, her mind jumped for joy, and the darker parts of her mind wanted Shirou all for herself. Taiga jumped to another topic as she introduced Archer, "Oh, Tohsaka-san, Edelfelt-san, this is Mister Gunther, an Englishman who's trying to be a teacher at Homurahara." Rin stared at the so-called 'Mister Gunther' as he lowered his cup of tea. He gave a smile that somehow affected both women. Rin scanned Archer over some more, and saw something rather peculiar.

Hidden Skill

Charisma: B+

'He has charisma?' Rin questioned, unable to believe her eyes, 'This moron has charisma? Just what hero was he?' Archer saw Rin's expression of confusion, and he was mildly amused by it all. Steeling her emotions, Rin greeted Archer's persona, "Nice to meet you, Mister Gunther." Her english was perfect, Archer could see that, but it still had that slight accent in there. "How long have you been here in Fuyuki City?"

"Not long, Tohsaka-san." Erik answered, "I've been here for about a week or so for vacation until I met Emiya-kun and tutored him in english. Fujimura-san wasn't happy about me taking her job initially, but instead, she suggested the idea that I become a teacher in your Academy." Rin questioned whether that was actually true or not, but for the sake of keeping Fujimura alive, she would have to play along to Archer's alibi. While not favorable, the risk was too high if a non-magus found out about the War.

"Oh really?" Luvia stepped into the conversation, "That's an interesting story you have there, Mister Gunther. When will you be taking your job interview?"

"Oh. That hasn't been decided yet. I have to receive my credentials from my mother's house. I was on vacation, and I wasn't really planning on teaching until my vacation was over. Give or take a month, I might be able to get a job interview within two weeks."

"I see…"

"Oh, Mister Gunther, is your sister okay?" Taiga questioned. Now that she mentioned it, she had gone and stayed in the bathroom for too long. He needed an alibi quick! "She's been in the restroom for quite a while." Erik stood up and bowed while asking to be excuse to check up on his sister.

"He has a sister?"

"Oh yes." Taiga answered. "She the older one to boot, but she's so short compared to Mister Gunther. She's even a Kendo practitioner with skills equal to mine!" Rin leaned forward. A sister of Archer can beat Fujimura in Kendo? Most interesting indeed. And if this sister is related to Archer, then it just means that there's an actual eighth Servant, and it had to be that blue Saber she saw today! However, she can't come to conclusions quickly. This might be one of his tricks again, and he cloned himself and somehow changed his appearance to portray a sister. That had to be the other logical reason for Archer to have a sister. Moments later, Archer turned to the room.

"Emiya-kun. May I request that you make some porridge? It seems Clarisse has caught a fever." Shirou scrambled from his seat. The young Master actually thought his Servant was sick until he saw Archer give an unnoticeable wink to the boy. He recomposed himself, and nodded to his Servant. He took to the kitchen, and retrieved the necessary ingredients to make porridge. Sakura came to his aid, if only to speed up the process.

"Will your sister be fine?" Luvia asked the man.

He nodded, "She'll be fine. She always comes back full force when the illness is gone, but I'm only doing this to give her a little push. Every little bit help after all." The blonde woman couldn't agree more. She stood up and bowed to Emiya, "Once again, I appreciate your hospitality, Shero-kun. I have overstayed my welcome as has Tohsaka-san. We shall take our leave now. I bid your sister a good recovery, Mister Gunther." She grabbed Rin's arm, who gave much protest, and dragged her away.

"Bye, bye, Tohsaka-san, Edelfelt-san!" Taiga waved the two as they exited the room, and eventually the house.

Archer stared at Luvia's right. There was nothing to see; however, he felt the presence of a Servant. 'Someone infiltrated the house? No doubt about it…Assassin. Only a Shinobi, barring those I allow, will gain access through the bounded fields protecting the Emiya residence. So is this Servant summoned from my time?' He released a pulse of Chakra so faint only he would notice. He made his Chakra react to another Servant, allowing a certain point in his circle of Chakra to bounce back to him like a radar. The Servant was right next to Edelfelt! He had to thank Pervy-sage for keeping him on Chakra control exercises because his control had been refined to be as sharp as a paper's edge. While not an easy task, it was rewarding as shown right now. 'I must move my plans up.' He decided. 'My interference has hastened the pace of this war. If it's like that, then I'll just have to be faster!'

Ten at night, Archer left the Emiya residence of his own volition. He ordered Saber to keep an eye out for Shirou. He explained to her that his plans need to move forward. And to do so, he had to meet the Einzbern Master. His clones had scouted the whole of Fuyuki city within the hour, yet there was no sign of the Einzbern's home. If she isn't in the city, she had to be secluded elsewhere. The clone that searched the forest encountered resistance; his clone was impaled. He thought it was Lancer, but it couldn't be it. It was a woman, and no one else but Shirou summoned another Servant. He pulled out his sword and let it change into its motorcycle form. He revved it a few times before driving into the night. He sped past other cars on the road, ignored all the rules of the road, almost made pedestrians roadkill while driving to the forest. He was almost caught by the police.

When he reached the forest's edge, he expertly dodged the trees blocking his way. His reflexes honed by countless sessions of 'Dodge this while riding your bike' certainly helped in this case as well. He seamlessly turned when needed, hitting the apex of each turn. His bumpy ride to his destination did not stop him from enjoying the breeze running around him. He drove some more until he saw a lake clearing meters away. Revving his bike even more, Archer rode his vehicle over the water's surface like its was another patch of road. When he crossed the lake's boundary, he hit a boundary field's border and passed through. He popped open the coffin in the back, and took out the sword inside it. He felt it, he'll be under attack soon. He wondered if it will be that woman that killed his clone or his target.

Once he saw the hulking mass that is Illya's Servant swing his weapon at him while inside the forest, he knew he answer. He leaned forward to be as lateral as possible to dodge Berserker's strike. His sword slashed at Berserker's side, cutting a visible, but not so deep gash. Archer proceeded to search for Illya to talk things out. Sadly, Berserker kept getting in the way. Archer's constant maneuvers weren't enough to escape the Servant's pursuit. Berserker jumped in the air and was about to slam his sword on top of Archer's head. Not enough time to dodge, he changed the bike into its broadsword form. He grabbed its handle with one hand and gripped a gap in the metal to pull the handle out, allowing the edge of his weapon to reveal a set of teeth found only in chainsaws. He pressed the trigger on the handle, and the sword revved as it met Berserker's weapon. Sparks flew as Archer's weapon tried to cut through his enemy's. Metal screeched an unholy sound as both Servants battled for dominance. Archer briefly won,and used it to push Berserker off him. He backed away, landing a few meters away from Berserker.

"You would come to take my Master's life in her domain? How foolish are you to think you would be able to succeed in doing such a thing, Archer." Berserker's lucid words do not shock Archer one bit. And he could hardly care less if his plan seemed foolish. Many people had called him that already. And in turn, he did the impossible. "I am my Master's shield and sword, her sentry. You...SHALL NOT PASS, despicable Archer!"

"Oh? And what's so despicable about me in your eyes?" Archer asked while stabbing his weapon into the ground, "I already heard from Saber about how I don't necessarily follow the Code of Chivalry. Now what about you?"

"You would kill a Master to win." Berserker simply answered.

"And that's where you're sadly mistaken, Demigod." Archer said to the towering Servant. "I'm here to propose an idea." Berserker took a fighting stance, his sword just beside him ready to slash at Archer at a moment's notice. Archer himself took a prepared stance if anything went wrong.

"You would come here to propose an idea with sword drawn, Archer?"

"Well either I die, or I defend myself." Archer shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, shouldn't you be worrying about Assassin?"

"Assassin? What does he have to do with this?"

"He followed me. Am I right in assuming that, Counter Guardian Teme?" He looked to the sky with his voice spreading out to the trees. Hidden in the leaves, Assassin perched himself on a branch. Archer knew his position, but Berserker could not. Heh. A fellow Shinobi can only found by a fellow Shinobi. "Alaya put you up to the task too?"

"Why should I tell you?" Archer took that as a yes, "You seem to have the situation under control, Heroic Spirit Usuratonkachi." Assassin's voice echoed among the trees, and Berserker couldn't identify his position anywhere. It angered the Servant because Presence Concealment was a taxing thing to defuse. Archer snickered at his derogatory name. It brought out memories of a naive past. Assassin continued to speak, "My Master has gone and told me to retreat because I've been found out. Don't get rusty now. I've got a rematch to settle with you." His presence disappeared from battle, letting the two Servants return to their original conversation.

"A friend of yours, Archer?"

"Rival." Archer answered. "We had a major falling out. Darn nearly killed me several times."

"I see." Berserker relaxed, "If I were to allow you to meet with my Master, would you lower your weapon?" Archer nodded, and took his broadsword into its default Saber form, returning it to its sheath. He raised his hands to show his willingness. Berserker deemed Archer as less of a threat, and beckoned the Servant to follow him.

Minutes later, "Why didn't you kill him, Berserker?" Illya's voice boomed in contrast to her tiny body. The Homunculus Einzbern ordered, "Strike him down now!" Archer raised his hands to interrupt the girl.

"Hey, hey I just came to tell you that the Lesser Grail is corrupted."

"What blasphemy are you talking about, Archer? I'm the Lesser Grail's vessel, I'm sure I would know if I was corrupted or not."

"Angra Mainyu, all the world's evil, resides in the Lesser Grail's true form. I cannot allow you to turn into the Grail at all, Illyasviel Von Einzbern. Alaya, the will of mankind, designated me with the mission to destroy the corrupt Grail inside the Lesser Grail. Which means I would have to kill you." Berserker took a swing at Archer, who easily sidestepped out of the weapon's way, " I don't want to kill you. Fortunately there's a loophole. You won't turn into the Grail unless you're defeated and when all Servants but one are remaining, right? So until then, I want to help protect you." He kneeled to the girl like a Knight to his King. "That is my proposition, Einzbern. Will you accept or not?"

Illya did not answer for quite some time. This Servant wanted to protect her? It's as believable as Gilgamesh actually being generous. The fact that an enemy Servant would also lend her a helping hand disgusted her to no end. She wouldn't accept his offer, and said "I'll accept your offer, when you die! Kill him Berserker!" Her Servant charged, swinging his weapon at Archer. He didn't dodge, but grasped the blade with both hands. He should have at least budged a meter or so, yet he stood still, holding on to Berserker's sword.

"It seems negotiations have failed." Archer said solemnly, "Before the night ends, let me at least entertain you with the loss of several lives Berserker still has in stock." Illy scoffed, not taking Archer's threat seriously. She heard a piece of metal clank on the floor. Upon closer inspection, it was Archer's visor. The Servant of the bow looked up, and both Berserker and Illya saw the piercing blood-colored eyes Archer bore. And even more, Illya saw a skill activated as well.

Skill -activated:

Mad Enhancement: EX

Hidden Skill -activated

Controlled Madness: EX

Rank change

Strength: A++

Agility: A

Magic Resistance: D-

Independent Action: B

Presence Concealment: D

Riding: C

Territory Creation: E

Endurance: A+++

Mana: A+++

Luck: C-

Noble Phantasm: EX(+?)

"Well then…Berserker, shall we dance?" Illya had eyes wide open. A Servant under a Mad Enhancement of that caliber shouldn't be able to speak at all! "Hehehehaha…let's see the strongest Servant meet the most pragmatic Servant!" He pushed down Berserker's sword and vaulted himself to Berserker's face and drop kicking the Servant. He bent his knees and used Berserker's face as a platform to jump away. Archer slid back as he landed, his sword turned into red gauntlets with blue neon lines showing off its power. The Servant cracked his knuckles and neck, "Are you ready, Demigod, Einzbern?" Archer released a deadly amount of Prana, signifying Mad Enhancement's activation.

I am the bone of my sword!

In the Emiya residence, Shirou felt a slight drain inside of him. He wondered what it was.

And so ends another chapter of this fanfic. I hoped you like it. For those wondering, Controlled Madness is a made-up skill to show Naruto's control over Kyuubi's bloodlust. This also means he's mastered all the tails. In other words, Controlled Madness keeps the benefits of Mad Enhancement, but removes the insanity. Get it? I hope so. And for Shirou not being drained, Naruto is using Mana and his circuits to fuel his own Mad Enhancement, leaving Shirou with minimal drain. Also, don't hate on Sasuke. Seriously, it's so childish to bash. Hate on the character on your own time.

Other than that, follow, favorite, review, flame on Sasuke, do whatever.

This is Azure, starting off with the first update of 2015, signing off.