A/N: Ah, I'll go back to school within this week to finish a summer. XD

Still will release chapters, I don't know which ones and I don't know when. I deeply apologize for the incompleteness of some or all of my chapters in the series that I write as of now.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Credits go to Hiro Mashima for Fairy Tail, and Kinoko Nasu and the TYPE MOON franchise for Fate/stay night.

Chapter 8: Years Past Ten

Day 1: Morning

As Mirajane strolled around the city looking for the directions in which Assassin pointed out, she passed by a mysterious man around a teenager's age. As they crossed paths, Mirajane widened her eyes in shock when the man's presence stopped her in her path. She felt a commanding presence from that man. Side by side, they began to have a conversation as though nobody else were there except for the two of them. If this is a real war, it would have broken out as of this very moment.

"What brings you here to our world, demon?" They mysterious man asked Mirajane as though he knew everything. He also placed his words in a way that condescend her existence. Mirajane widened her eyes further, but she kept her composure. She closed her eyes, and staring at an empty space with her eyes now hazed, she now answered the question.

"What I now know, I will keep it to myself." Mirajane replied with steel in her voice. Still, the man is persistent in inquiring the unknown participant, to which said participant has felt that he is a Servant just like her Assassin. But something about him separates him from the other Servants. It is as if the Servant is on par with Saber in terms of the demeanor that he possess. Maybe he is stronger than Saber in that his demeanor suggests that they should disappear immediately or else they will suffer the whim of a king.

Thankfully, the killing intent from that man has subsided, but still his demeanor has not subsided even one bit. Mirajane felt that he will not let her go unless he gets the answer from her.

"No matter." He flatly replied. He now walked away slowly before he quipped. "I will be expecting great things from you, demon. I shall finish you myself if you ever fail in entertaining me."

The noise of the crowd has now resumed, and yet Mirajane is still being left there shocked. The man's presence has now disappeared. Only the disembodied voice of Assassin has snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Mirajane – san." Assassin spoke to her through the connection that she had with her. "People are looking at us right now."

Mirajane blinked her eyes a few times before she looked around. The people are indeed looking at her with a face suggestive of what they are thinking as of now. Flustered, she now bowed apologetically to the onlookers. The onlookers shrugged their shoulders before they went on their way. Mirajane sighed in relief.

"That man…" Assassin materialized after checking that the people are now gone as she sighed in relief. Even assassins know better than to face this man. It is as if he knew everything before this world is even being civilized.

"Yes, I know." Mirajane replied. "The first king of this known world...isn't it? I don't really know him that much, but his presence…"

"Yes." Assassin agreed. That man is a Servant and has a kingly disposition similar to Saber's, that much they can tell, but it is as if he is of a different league than them. Shaking her head off her thoughts, Mirajane now walked on.

"I can tell that you are worried, Mirajane – san." Assassin continued. "If we cannot do it…"

"We can, Assassin." Mirajane stopped in her tracks and put a stop on Assassin's doubts on their own strength. "If you can't, then how come can you stay in the Throne of Heroes in the first place?"

Assassin then remembered her purpose on why she is here in the first place. She will wage war against the Grail War. The moment that she decided to stay there, it is very clear to her that she must stay there to put an end to the fantasy that the Hassans covet that is the Grail.

"Remember, your determination alone to stay put in that place until you are summoned and live long enough to fulfill your purpose is enough proof that you believe." Her hair is swaying softly in the wind as she said those words, to which Assassin closed her eyes momentarily as she remembered her zeal for her organization that deemed fit to not recognize her achievements. She opened her eyes once again as she saw her Master walking away to go to that location. She smiled a soft smile before disappearing in a black smoke.

Shirou is now pondering his thoughts as he now goes to school. Earlier, he told Saber that he will not allow her to even stand guard near school. He now has an ally in Tohsaka Rin until the end of the war. Saber now stopped her rebuttals at Shirou's logic but still she feels unsettled about the whole alliance.

As he stepped on the gate, he smelled something sweet. It is like a fragrance of candy, but no one ever sells candy outside of their school. He shrugged his shoulders at that thought of hallucination and went on his way. His feet now wandered to the Archery Club. For some reason, he has to go there. He hesitated at first, but then he went in.

One lady stood watch at him without him even realizing it.

"He did not bring in his Servant." She now grumbled. "What is he thinking! There is a freaking Grail War and he did not bring in his Servant along! She may be seen, yes, but there are ways to make up excuses for it. But never have I seen a Master too careless to leave a Servant!"

"Grail War rules state that this is a secret war and thus must be kept secret." Archer filled her in. "I hate to admit it, but the kid is right in not bringing in his Servant."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Archer." She deadpanned. "He may be killed out there without him even realizing it."

"By your own hand, perhaps?" Archer finished it for her, to which Rin shuddered. "Like you said earlier, this is a Grail War. Show no mercy, even if he is your ally. You will become enemies one way or another."

Rin now sighed at the mentality of her Servant and the way that he placed those words. It is as if he experienced this war all along. From her dreams earlier, all she sees are swords. But of what kind? Is it his Noble Phantasm? Or is it only a meaningless field of blades? Either way, those dreams do not provide anything at all with regards to the identity of her Servant.

"Glad to have you back at school again, Emiya." Mitsuzuri Ayako, the vice captain of the Archery Club, smirked victoriously at the seeming return of Shirou in the Archery Club many months after an injury that he has sustained after some time.

This remains unknown to everyone except the Archery Club and Sakura that Shirou is an excellent marksman. They offered him a position of being the captain of the club many times due to his exceptional skills but Shirou politely declined. But his secret as to why he is such an excellent marksman remains unknown even to his closest friends.

His secret for his highly refined skills in archery is that he uses Reinforcement with his eyes to see the target better, together with the physical training that his foster father has proposed and his own personal training on how to handle a bow and arrow. With those three factors, he is able to never miss a single shot unless he calls for it.

"Actually, I'm not coming back as of this moment." Shirou scratched his head in nervousness. Ayako can only sigh in defeat as she reluctantly accepts the fact that she can't depend on him forever to win the contests that they can't win themselves.

Shirou now strung a bow to its right high of tension before he picked up an arrow. He aimed at the target, and used Reinforcement on his eyes to see the target better. It may be called cheating, but it is his own way of training for Magecraft many years after his foster father has died.

"Your skills haven't changed in the slightest, Emiya." She remarked as she saw him fire three arrows and landing each arrow to its corresponding bull's eye in rapid succession. He then clenched and stretched his hand to make sure that he doesn't overdo his injury.

"You are really better than that guy over there…" she stated it dull and flat as she clenched her fist, then jabbed the air using a thumb to point at Shinji who is too busy proudly stating his accomplishments in life in a grand manner, with the ladies swooning all around him.

"Shinji still has his good points though." Shirou commented offhandedly, to which thankfully Ayako decided to simmer down, and to be careful not to blow her top in front of Shinji.

"Doesn't help in the slightest, Emiya." Ayako deadpanned. "So, let me ask you, why are you exactly here?"

"I have a favour to ask of you, Mitsuzuri – san." Shirou now is in his serious mood.

She now casually replied as she tried to stop the blush from coming in her face. "Okay, anything from my old teammate in archery."

"You know about Sakura right?" Shirou asked. Ayako is now not sure where the conversation will be going.

"Ah, yeah, that meek girl who is still struggling with her lessons on archery, but is now doing really well as the days pass." She remembered her stuttering the first time that she saw her when she is about to join the archery club to which only Shirou calmed her down and casually invited her to join the club, to Shinji's disappointment. Since then, she now gained a little more confidence on her skills. She thought that the only reason Sakura joined this club is because Shirou is there to help her.

Shirou now dropped the bomb to Ayako's surprise. "Please take care of Sakura."

"You…" her language has now become coarse like a man's informal Nihon – go. "You realize what you just said?"

"What?" Shirou asked, equally surprised at the reaction of his teammate as to what her expressions imply as of now. "It is a normal request."

She only heaved a sigh before she replied. "You really are a happy man, Emiya. It is a miracle that no girl has ever lifted up your behind and let you hang on at the school for their enjoyment just yet."

"Wh…what did I just do?" Shirou exasperated, to which Ayako gave him a sly smile that forebode an ominous aura.

"Ah, nothing." Ayako quipped mischievously. "You are just being yourself."

"Here is the house, if I'm not mistaken." Mirajane quipped as she held her medium bag of food and supplies. They are now looking at an almost modern take of a classic Japanese house. "This has a wall on it." She then touched the empty space with her hand, feeling the Bounded Field around the house. Assassin observed the house from above the electrical post and it is then that she saw paper talismans placed at strategic points. She can aim on that precisely with small rocks to destroy the foundations of it, but her instincts tell her that she must not do it.

"This field is like my water magic." Mirajane deduced as she touched the unseen wall one more time, her Water Magic still on her palm to subtly repel the other magic opposing it. "Well, here goes nothing." She then created an opening through her water magic, repelling some of the magic of the Bounded Field and replacing it with their own to make it look that they are the owners of the house. Assassin then descended from the post with a graceful jump.

"I must give my compliments on your abilities, Mirajane – san." Assassin quipped monotonously. But deep inside, she is amazed by her simple answer to an otherwise complex maze. "Others may die trying to figure out how to break in there."

"Thank you very much, Assassin – san." Mirajane curtly bowed. "Let's go inside."

Assassin nodded before they went there. But as they placed their foot inside the house, it seems that the house has seen fit to be in a haunted mood as pots, pans and spatulas are now flying around them.

"Who dared to enter my house?" A disembodied voice asked threateningly. Mirajane and Assassin stood their ground as the kitchen utensils are now turning into dangerous weapons.

"Mirajane Strauss." She answered with a serious expression on her face, seeing as the haunted mood that they are in can only be considered as a precaution by the one who owns this house.

"Leave this house immediately, mongrels!" The voice sounded increasingly close to dangerous as it now senses that the two of them are not ordinary trespassers. "Begone from my sight!"

"We are not leaving this house. After all, we are sent here in the first place to participate in the Holy Grail War." Mirajane and Assassin stood their ground with even more determination as the kitchen knives prepare to slay them. Their eyes are now shining like a colored steel, their piercing stares still trying to discern the owner of this house until the moment their eyes and the flying sharp end of the knives meet.

But then, it came to a standstill. For some reason, the knives, pots, pans and spatulas fell to the ground. Mirajane now sighed in relief. Even with that brief moment of relief, she cannot falter yet. For the owner of the house is yet to appear.

"Holy Grail War… you say?" The disembodied voice decided to show itself to the ones who still defied her powers as the figure walked toward them. Her attire can be considered as a modern take on the classic kimono. She has shortened hair, but she has the ears and a tail of a fox. Her eyes stared stoically at the both of them, to which that stare is met by Mirajane's almost surprised face and Assassin's equally stoic stare.

"Yes, the Grail War. It seems that you know of it." Mirajane deduced based on what the lady has said. Meanwhile Assassin still stared at her. From the moment that she stepped out, she concluded that the person is a Servant, but for some reason, her instincts also tell her that she is a familiar.

"I deeply apologize for my rude behavior earlier." She monotonously bowed down in apology as she let the utensils float back to their original places. "It seems that I have forgotten my original purpose as to why I am here in the first place."

Mirajane waved her hand as an acceptance of her apology. "Think nothing of it. You are doing your job after all."

"Even so, I apologize." The fox lady replied. "As a consolation, I will let you live in my house. By the way, I am one of the Tamamo 9."

They are about to approach the house until that moment the familiar introduced herself. Mirajane closed her mouth to not let the familiar see that she is laughing softly. But then, the cover failed, for the familiar looked back at her, and upon seeing that sight, shrugged her shoulders. Mirajane let out a cough of embarrassment for laughing at that name. The familiar then looked back once again, swaying her tail sultrily left and right, before she replied.

"Believe me, you are not the only one who laughs at that moniker." She placed her words but in a way that is more dull and flatter than ever. "In fact, I really hate that moniker."

Mirajane – san… Assassin now spoke to Mirajane through their link as Mirajane stopped laughing.

She is a Servant, right? Mirajane asked. To which Assassin shrugged her shoulders.

For some reason, from her state, she is also a familiar. Assassin quipped as the fox lady now sensed their thoughts. Without even bothering to look back, she stopped in her tracks and replied.

"You are both right in saying that I am both a Servant and a familiar." She now dropped the bomb which left the both of them surprised at how she managed to do it. "The only reason that I still stay in this world is because of another Bounded Field that you are about to enter."

Another Bounded Field? They are now left clueless in that situation. They did not factor in the possibility of a layered Field. If this walk involved a dangerous mission of breaking and entering, they will be finished without being given a second chance.

"No need to worry." She monotonously encouraged them. "This Field will not give you bad things." She now entered the Field as she beckoned them to come closer.

As they entered the Field, it seems that they are now entering in a different dimension. More like, they are entering in a forbidden dimension of time. Assassin felt that this Field can have a possibility of letting Servants stay longer than necessary. If this Field fell into the wrong hands, it may conjure a possibility of Servants destroying the known world. She now marvelled at it, but she has to know what kind of Magic is it and who is the human that dared to perform a feat like this.

"Time Magecraft." She now explained. "It is a Magecraft similar to a Reality Marble. That feeling that you feel just now is the principle of endless acceleration, perpetuated by Emiya Norikata, the father of Emiya Kiritsugu."

Assassin marvelled at the explanation that she gave.

"And in conclusion, Emiya Kiritsugu is the father of Emiya Shirou…" Mirajane is now lost in thoughts, as she saw that Shirou and Kiritsugu are really much different in their appearance. How can Shirou be the son of that man, when they are not related even by appearance in the first place?

As if reading her thoughts once again, she answered monotonously. "It is because he is adopted."

Then some pieces fall into place. The reason why Shirou said that he is saved by his father. The reason why their eyes and hair are different based on what she saw in that picture last night.

Emiya Shirou inherited something from his foster father that only a foster father and an adopted son can have in common.

The familiar now snapped her out of her thoughts. "Like I said, this Field requires a large amount of prana which my master has. The Emiya clan cannot complete the experiment due to lack of resources. My master, however, for some reason or sheer dumb luck, she has enough resources to pool it together, make an experimental subject out of me and sustain my existence up until this year or next year." She ended her sentence in a monotonous manner.

Master? Their thoughts are in confusion once again. Who is her Master that had a large amount of prana to sustain her existence? From Assassin's knowledge of Basic Magecraft thanks to the Grail supplying them information, familiars are not supposed to live that long enough. Unless…

"Your Master which you speak of is the original one that used her magic to sustain your existence. And you are one of the facets of her existence, am I wrong?" Assassin concluded the sentence like she is giving a weather report. To which the lady countered her conclusion with a dull expression.

"Not a facet." She replied. "More of like a 'tail' to be precise."

At that point, her conclusions are now realized. There must be a reason why the original will want the tail to stand by in that house. To which it is now voiced out by Mirajane.

"And the reason for your existence is to give something to one of the participants." Mirajane quipped. "Since you have mentioned the surname Emiya, you might as well say that you want to give something to Shirou."

The familiar looked surprised at first, almost breaking her demeanor, before she let her dull expressions return.

"Yes, I will give something to him." She now confessed. "But I expect him to come."

"We will make sure that your words will reach him." Mirajane assured her. The familiar let out a relieved smile on her face. "So then, I'll cook, while the both of you wait here." She cheerfully quipped as she now went out of the field.

"Your Master is really something else." The familiar commented.

"I agree with you." Assassin replied. "All I know is that she will fulfill her purpose, and so will I too."

"Let me guess." The familiar offered. "No killings of either Master or Servant unless it's really necessary."

"Yes." She confessed. "But how do you know?"

"My master and her master both agreed to those principles." She offhandedly remarked. "Although I really hate to admit it, but my original existence knows of the Grail very well like the back of her hand. It helps that this country is her haven, ergo her entire lair."

At that point, Assassin wondered about the possibility of her being summoned in her own country. But it does not matter as of now, for her Master is already strong enough to boost her already strong stats. Besides, her Master's magic is different from theirs, so there will be no problems with regards to depletion of prana supply.

Although the sweet smell of her Master's cooking denoted otherwise for the both of them, letting them feel the sensation of hunger after many years.

A/N: At last, my chapter is finished! –sounds of cheering and trumpets blare on the background-

For everyone who reads FateZero: Hyakki Yakou Route, you know who she is. And this is an early spoiler for the ones who read it by the way. XD

Sooner or later I have to write the Tiger Dojo sessions. It is not Fate/Stay Night without Taiga and Illya. :D

I will edit this if I have the time. XD